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[TobiasW]

Remember that 2 player 2D side view aerial combat game with grappling hooks that Machine Saint and I didn't finish at all in the VERSUS competition? Well, we've started working on it again, and since we finally have a playable prototype version, here we go!

Your goal: Let the other player fall down (in the future, he'll deploy a parachute then). Do NOT kill him - this is a sporting fight, not a slaughter.
(Yeah, right now this goal mechanic is kind of broken, this is just the first playable prototype )

Play the prototype (current version 0.1.5)
(If you see a lower version number inside the player, you probably need to clear your cache.)

Current features:
- Basic flight mechanics
- Plane machine guns (limited ammunition)
- Independent pilot movement
- Backup revolvers for when machine guns are empty
- Grappling hook mechanics
- Gamepad support (you might need to plug the gamepad in BEFORE opening the website)
- Strange white plattforms for testing the grappling hook and the independent pilot movement

Features (possibly) to come:
- Basic fisticuffs -- knocking foes off planes, etc.
- Character voices (silly taunting and such)
- Interesting flight environments (balloons and the like to grapple from)
- More Characters!
- Multiple levels
- Polish (nice menus, etc.)
- Multiple aircraft and tools to unlock
- Loadable player profiles (win tracking, equipment saving, etc.)

[TobiasW]

It's been a while - I've started an internship, and there wasn't enough progess to show it here. Back to work now!

I need your opinion. People complained that the controls for the airplanes didn't feel tight enoughh, but tightening them the way they currently are just doesn't work - they behave somewhat physically*, and you just cannot get the exact movement you have in, for example, sidescrolling shooters. So I tried a sidescrolling shooter version.

My personal opinion: Version A feels/looks better, but the responsiveness of Version B makes it better suited for actually hitting your enemy - and as such a bit more favorable.

Version A - physic-based floaty mode
Version B - side-scroller exact mode
Version C - basically Version B with a crude bit of rotation like Version A

EDIT: For a proper and more current versions of A, B and C, check out the normal prototype link in the first post, and press F5 to switch between the modes.

(Both version B and C have several bugs and are just for demonstration. Enforcing the screen limits is broken there, and don't even try Alt-mode. Or, try it, it's hilarous.)

Which one do you like better?

Do you have another idea how to fix the physic-based floatyness?

*) no actual physics involved

[mokesmoe]

It being harder to hit your enemy while in the plane encourages getting out of the plane more, which is a good thing. You should be able to press up or jump while all the way up on the grapple to climb up onto the plane. (or platform)

[TobiasW]

Did you try to hit a moving enemy in version A? I found it near impossible (apart from the random stray hits), even if he was hovering in plane sight. Maybe it's just me though?

You should be able to press up or jump while all the way up on the grapple to climb up onto the plane. (or platform)

Ah, yes, I meant to include that. If you come back tomorrow, it'll be in if I don't run into problems there!

[TobiasW]

Updates:

- Climbing up from grappling hook
- Only get into airplane when standing over (or very near) cockpit
- Fisticuffs! Third hit in a row stuns and knocks back - I wonder how THIS can be used...
- Better collision mesh for the airplane

[Inanimate]

I think being able to do loops would be nice... Maybe just make it so the controls are

GAIN altitude
LOWER altitude
GO forward
GO backwards
LIFT nose
LOWER nose

?

So you go up and down and left and right like the sidescroller, but can also rotate the plane as well (like a flight sim, sorta)

[mokesmoe]

you can already do loops using the alt-mode button. (only in version A though) I think I like version C the best. I haven't shot any moving targets because I don't have a second person, although hitting the guy in a still plane in version B is already pretty hard because the tail gets in the way.

[TobiasW]

Updates:

- New assets: clouds, targeting arrow
- Bugfixes

Also I spent hours experimenting with textures on very small objects (like targeting arrows) in Unity. Fun was had.


@Inanimate:
Yep, loops are pretty cool! I don't think we should introduce even more buttons than now - it already gets hard to control, and I don't have any idea where I can cut. Is the alt-mode mokesmoe talked about also after your fancy?
The only reason why it is broken in version B and C is because I haven't ported it because that'll take some effort and isn't needed yet before something is chosen.


@mokesmoe:
Yep, version C is so far also my favourite. I don't think it's a problem that the tail gets in the way, because then it hits is airplane - and if the airplane is wasted, that player lost an important tool. (Is the ability to hit the player in the plane the reason why you like version C better?)

[TobiasW]

Updates:

- Bugfix: Grappling Hook
- Bugfix: Bullets don't hit own plane anymore
- Optimization: Clouds are now pooled
- "Push": Melee attack, knocks enemy out of cockpit when he is stunned
- Graphics: Free arm movement. That took a while, with changing position offsets, rotation, facing direction and whatnot...
- Graphics: Pistols. Pity that everything is so zoomed out, they look very cool close up (Yes, their feet move when moving the camera. Might get fixed if we every actually have actually have some close ups like that...)

[TobiasW]

Updates:

- Implemented Mode B and C properly, with working alt mode and limits. Can be switched with the Debug key F5 at the moment.
- Melee attacks on players in cockpit now stun at first hit, and if you hit a stunned player in the cockpit he will get knocked out of the cockpit.


Tomorrow One of the next days I'll write down a list of potential power-ups / pick-ups!

[TobiasW]

Finally, here goes: The promised list of power ups! Some of them might not be a good idea. Probably not all of them should be included.

Types:
[Immediately/Collectible One-Time/Temporary/Permanent Player/Airplane/EEnemy/World]

• Immediately: goes off, well, immediately when you collect it
• Collectible: The player can hold two items of these at the same time, and use them anytime
• One-Time: Goes off and that was it
• Temporary: Stays some time with you after going off
• Permanent: Permanently - till you die So maybe not very permanently at all.
• Player: For the current player
• Airplane: Attachs to the airplane the player is currently in
• Enemy: For the enemy
• World: You'll see, I guess

So, here goes:

Defensive:

• [I O P] Heal: Heals damage
• [I T P] Invulnerability: Take temporary no damage
• [C I A] Fuel: More fuel for the plane
• [C P A] Repair Bot: Like regeneration for the airplane - heals the plane slowly. Will not go away either! So if the enemy takes the plane over, he now has a plane with a repair bot
• [C I P] Shockwave: Pushes everybody/-thing away from you
• [C P A] Autopilot: Holds the plane steady even if you are not inside
• [C P A] Ejector Seat: If your plane breaks, it ejects you high in the air. (Maybe only if you would otherwise fall out of the screen though?)
• [C P A] Trap: Your airplane becomes trapped. If the enemy takes it over, it throws him immediately out like the ejector seat

Offensive:

• [C P P/A] Weight: What you described as "anchor": Drags the player or airplane you attach it to down
• [C P W] Hovering Mine: A floating mine in the air. Attacks the airplane which is not your color, even if YOU steer it Maybe is defusable by the grappling hook?
• [C T E] Bird Swarm: A bird swarm will pick up the other player and drag him a bit in a direction - probably out of his plane if he is in one!
• [C T W] Down-gust: Creates a down-gust, that first opens slowly and then closes slowly. Be it player or airplane, what enters is dragged very fast downwards.
• [C T A] MG faster fire
• [C T A] MG no reload
• [C T P] Pistol no reload
• [I T P] Fire: Modifies your bullets and punches - behaves like poison (damage over time)
• [I T P] Ice: Bullet/Punch modifier: Temporary slower
• [I T P] Raven: The player gets a raven companion, which attacks the enemy if he comes near. Temporary? Or a certain attack count? Not sure!
• [I P P] MG: Replaces your weapon
• [I P P] Flamethrower: Replaces your weapon
• [I P P] Rocket Launcher: Replaces your weapon

Movement:

• [I P P] Higher jumps
• [I T P] Speed up
• [C T A] Nitro: Speed up for airplane
• [C P P] Mini-Aircraft: A mini-aircraft / mini-helicopter appears, on which the player immediately stands/hangs. This is like a plane, only smaller and without weapons, so another player can take it over etc...
• [C T P] Jetpack: Replaces your grappling hook for a certain time of usage with a jetpack, allowing you to hover if you press jump while being in air!

Game Changer:

• [C T W] Storm: A storm begins to blow, pushing people and airplanes in random directions. And maybe out of airplanes? And more the more you are damaged?
• [C O A] Remote Control: Pulls the last airplane you flew to you - even if there is another pilot inside by now

[TobiasW]

Okay, disregard everything I previously wrote, we're reconsidering

Due to a lot of balancing/design problems, the game will be changed from a pure deathmatch to a race with collectibles and weapons.

• The scrolling won't change: It scrolls constantly, and you can only choose how far in the front or the back you want to be.
• There are points to be collected which will mostly come in from the front. This could be, just straight-forward, flying coins.
• There are hazards which will damage your ship and will probably mostly come in from the front and from the upper/lower border. An example for that could be birds.
  • You can grapple those birds (and maybe also other hazards), but they will go slowly down upon grappling.
  • You can also shoot obstacles. Especially obstacles somebody is grappling at the moment.
• The grappling hook will be nerved: Lower range, limited duration.
• There will be fresh airplaines available at regular checkpoints to cater to these unlucky enough to lose theirs, if they survived long enough by jumping, running and grappling. You might get bonus points for passing these checkpoints with a working airplane.
• If you fall down, you lose half/all of your points. These will splash up as a fountain, which the other player can collect.
• We might introduce the following:
• Time bombs: You can attach them to a plane, and they will explode unless disarmed, damaging the plane and throwing out any player who is currently inside. They can be disarmed by doing a melee or ranged attack on them.
• Kites: Another means of survial for the aerial lost: Falling slower

• Combat will keep knockback and introduce the proposed percent-more-damage mechanic from Smash Bros. Additionally a player will lose points upon hit which the other player can collect.