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[alvarop]

As harsh as Canned Turkey's comment might be, I feel the same. If this was just a learning exercice, I wouldn't agree with him, simply because you can learn a lot from imitation, but from what you've been posting, WhiteSponge, it seems like you want to do more than just imitate.

For now, the game seems a bit bland and not very exciting as it has very little to offer. I mean, there's other games that do what you are trying to do and they already do it very well. It might be beneficial for your project to sit down, think about it a little bit and find what it lacks, what you need to change to improve it and find what makes it unique. Let us hear what makes your "voice", as a game developer, unique. At the moment, there isn't much to "hear".

[WhiteSponge]

For me, this game does not have anything going for it.
A game should have:

1. Originality
Taking super crate box and mixing it with nuclear thrones leveling up and weapon systems is not very original. Also, if your going to use so many things from vlambeer, you might as well watch their talk on "game feel", which by the GIFs, it doesn't look like it has any.

2. Fun/a new twist
If you use already existing concepts and designs, you need to make them better than the original. From the GIFs and info, you do not seem to be achieving this.

I apologize if this sounds rude, I only mean to be critical.
You seem like a very good programmer, and an aspiring pixel-artist, you could make something really good out of this, I just think in it's current state it's not very good.

Hey Turkey,

No worries! I really appreciate a honest remark whenever I see one.

My goal for Starsss is just to make a roguelite 2D platformer. While it might seem to you that like it is super crate box and nuclear thrones having a baby, trust me when I say that it is because the game is only in its pre-alpha stage.

You're right when you mentioned that in it's current state that it is not very good. I personally feel that way too.

Why?

Because as I have mentioned before (in earlier updates), development on the game has only just started recently. It is still in its pre-alpha stage so expect things to change and new stuff to be added.

In fact, isn't that the whole purpose of dev blogs? To regularly update the progress of crafting games before they are even finished (or even before having reached alpha)?

So believe me when I agree with you that it isn't very good in its current state.

In fact, it will never be to me.

I apologize if I sound harsh to you and myself.

[Canned Turkey]

*Critical feedback*

*Well spoken feedback-feedback*

I just want to thank you for understanding where i'm coming from. Alot of guys on TIG get very upset when they read harsh comments. You seem like you get it, so I don't think I need to restate anything, just don't be too hard on yourself, and remember random dudes on the internet speaking slightly too critically aren't always right.  

[WhiteSponge]

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Starsss - Development Blog Post #14
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The world of Starsss seems as though as it is filled with fantasy due to the fact that you can find wacky enemies and attack abilities such as the fireball, which itself is kind of like a spell. So introducing the existence of mana into the game is a natural next step.

With the introduction of mana (MP), a huge ton of possibilities can happen. Character growths that increase your maximum MP or even enable MP regeneration (regen) are just some of them.

However, that would also mean that you would have to have a new bar to indicate your current and maximum MP. To accomplish that, the HUD that shows your experience (EXP), health (HP) and attack abilities (previously known as weapons) have once again been revised and modified.




While the HUD was just changed recently, the addition of the MP bar would mean that it would take up quite an amount of space on the top left corner. To provide a better gameplay experience, the EXP bar is now in the form of a circle and the HP/MP bars are now much slimmer than before!

Abilities also now use mana instead of having a limited amount of shots that you can fire.




The amount of MP used depends on the attack ability that is currently selected. For example, wave costs 1 MP each time you use it while fireball costs 2 MP. And I know what you are probably thinking right now. So how do you regenerate your MP?




Similar to how stars are dropped, mana orbs drop from enemies that you have defeated. To regain some of those MP that you have used, simply move to touch a mana orb and you will be able to get back 3 MP at once.




While this means that you will hardly go out of mana, be careful of how you use your abilities. If you run out of mana, you will not be able to use any ability whatsoever!

And as usual, be sure to

. There is also a little pixel art session towards the end! Enjoy!

[WhiteSponge]

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Starsss - Development Blog Post #15
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So instead of sharing images or screenshots of Starsss like what is done usually, today's blog update will be about the audible aspect of the game, and about pleasing your ears.




Yes I made a meme for this :D

But before getting to today's focus, what sort/genre of music do you think of when you look at a screenshot of Starsss?




With its pixel art style and game design, the direction that Starsss has going for itself is definitely a retro path. That doesn't necessary mean that 8-bit tracks are suitable for Starsss though. Since the game itself does have a modern touch on it, a retro chip tune track might work.

And thus, to ensure that Starsss will become an awesome gameplay experience for you, I would like to introduce James Campbell, who will be the music composer for Starsss!

James is a composer, sound designer and college student currently residing in Washington, USA. Besides being talented in what he does, he also has a positive and proactive attitude that I really like. You can also listen to his previous works on his SoundCloud portfolio.

https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/playlists/49118572&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true

And so to listen to how Starsss' background music track(s) might sound like, check out the YouTube video of the behind-the-scenes of how they were added to the game! Enjoy!

[bbtombo]

Ah! That's me above! ^^

I'm stoked to be on the project man. I've read the criticism and suggestions above, and I agree that you need to ask the question "What am I bringing to this that hasn't been brought before?" But other than that, you just need to have fun making it, and it'll show through the final product.

[WhiteSponge]

Ah! That's me above! ^^

I'm stoked to be on the project man. I've read the criticism and suggestions above, and I agree that you need to ask the question "What am I bringing to this that hasn't been brought before?" But other than that, you just need to have fun making it, and it'll show through the final product.

Hey James! I'm also looking forward to it too :D

[WhiteSponge]

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Starsss - Development Blog Post #16
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If you look at some of the behind-the-scenes footage of Starsss' game development, the overall feel of the game might seem kind of stale. And that's because Starsss still lacks something important - juicy animations!.

And so without further delay, here's one of the new awesome animations that have been added to the game.




Yes so every time you have leveled up, this new awesome animation will appear right at where you are! The original idea was to go with rays of light coming up from your feet but hey, who can refuse wings?

Besides the new level up animation, have you ever thought about how the stars in Starsss were a little dull in how they just appeared onto the stage? So now let's take a look at the new star appearing animation.




Notice that the stars have suddenly become more interesting? That is because of the new concentrating rays of light that is shown before the stars appear. The star is also scaled small and big a few times to give that bouncy appearance.

Besides leveling up your character, you can also level up your abilities through collecting more stars and ability orbs (e.g fireball orbs). And that also means that an animation can be added to notify you when one of your abilities level up.




While it isn't as fancy as the animations for leveling up and for when stars appear, it certainly alerts you to the fact that you are now more powerful with one of your abilities.

Now while the next addition to Starsss might not be considered an animation, it helps to improve your gameplay experience by informing you when you can make your next attack.




The attack delay bar appears and slowly fills up when you have used an ability to attack. It essentially represents the delay between each attack that you can do, depending on the ability that you're using.

In other words, if you are using heavy wave to attack, the attack delay bar will fill up slower than if you were using fireball.




So what do you think of the new animations? As usual,

! Enjoy!

[WhiteSponge]

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Starsss - Development Blog Post #17
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Ever since mana has been introduced to Starsss, all sorts of new possibilities were opened up! Abilities now cost mana to use while enemies begun dropping mana orbs for you to replenish some mana. And so that begs the question - what happens when you run out of mana and there's no mana orbs in sight?

When that happens, you would become much vulnerable to enemies as you would be unable to use your abilities. And so that opened another new possibility - mana regeneration!




After a set delay period, your mana will regenerate by 1, giving you the ability to at least use wave to attack. From play testing several times, around 10 seconds between each mana regeneration seems like a delay that isn't too unbalanced. Just imagine what would happen if the delay was set to something like 1 second.

If that were the case, you would be able to use your abilities all the time. And that would directly make you overpowered in comparison to the enemies you will face. There isn't any fun or challenge in that right?

With mana regeneration in the game, it is only inevitable that a character growth that increases your rate of mana regeneration be added. So I'm glad to introduce blue dynamism!




Remember that short delay of 10 seconds between each mana regeneration? Learning blue dynamism removes 3 seconds from that! So if you want to be able to attack frequently, be sure to learn blue dynamism when it pops up on the character growth screen!

And so now you will be able to regain your used mana (mp) via both mana orbs and mana regeneration. But what about health?

Unlike mana, health has a heavier impact as to how it can directly upset the balance of the game. Death is also permanent in Starsss, so passive health regeneration is a definite no as it could possibly make you severely overpowered. And so that leaves the next option - health orbs.




While health orbs can now be dropped from enemies, the rate or chance of them dropping is drastically smaller than that of mana orbs. This prevents you from getting overpowered with a steady supply of health replenishments.

But there is always good news with each update for Starsss! If you have learnt Lucky Palm, which increases the chances of enemies dropping loot, you will also have an increased chance of getting health orbs!

And there are even more good news! Starsss is now on Steam Greenlight's Concept section! Be sure to hop over there and rate it!




While the development of Starsss has been underway for around 2 months, it is still considered to be at a pre-alpha stage. So if you were wondering if Starsss would ever be on Steam, yes it will! It will be posted to Steam Greenlight once the alpha playable version is out!

And

Enjoy!

[bbtombo]

Hey! I was looking at the comments on the greenlight page, and it made me wonder what the bosses are like. Are they the Keepers of the Stars? Are the levels like Megaman, where you get powers at the end of each one? It sounds like the game can go a ton of different ways so far!

[WhiteSponge]

Hey! I was looking at the comments on the greenlight page, and it made me wonder what the bosses are like. Are they the Keepers of the Stars? Are the levels like Megaman, where you get powers at the end of each one? It sounds like the game can go a ton of different ways so far!

Hey James!

Yea that is totally possible too! Though I will have to design the bosses first lol

btw I have sent you some emails so do check them out :D

[WhiteSponge]

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Starsss - Development Blog Post #18
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There are many things that make a game exciting, and one of the more important ones are the enemies or challenges that you face within the game. And so I'm really excited to introduce to you Big Teeth, the first boss that will challenge your star-chasing adventure in Starsss!




As a badass boss, Big Teeth is not only bigger in size, he also has more health, special boss-only moves and he can use those moves on you whenever he wants.

As his name implies, Big Teeth has his mouth always opened, thereby exposing his gigantic teeth. It is also from there where he does his special projectiles attack.




Whenever Big Teeth uses his special projectiles attack, he would also move around doing so. His projectiles are also randomly spread so be sure to take cover on the platforms on the left!

Due to Big Teeth's huge size, his movement is rather slow. However, that doesn't mean that he doesn't have any special and devastating attacks that can affect the entire stage.




If you see this coming, you had better jump or be in mid-air. Otherwise Big Teeth's jumping earthquake attack will not only shake the entire stage, it will also damage you.

So what do you think of Big Teeth? Does he seem overpowered to you at the moment? On the flip side, if you manage to defeat him, you can get ready to receive lots of experience! It is also possible for you to receive something special after you defeat him but let's keep that a secret for now.

And as usual, check out the behind-the-scenes of how Big Teeth was added to Starsss! Enjoy!

[WhiteSponge]

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Starsss - Development Blog Post #19
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As the first big boss that will challenge you, Big Teeth is a force to be reckoned with. He has various moves that when chained together, can devastate your entire health bar!

Now it isn't going to be an easy task to defeat Big Teeth. Not only can Big Teeth's jump damage you, it can now also stun you!




When you are stunned, you will be unable to move, jump or attack. Basically you will be unable to do anything. And if Big Teeth follows that up with more jumps and spread projectiles, you can be sure that it's high chance for a game over.

And if you think that's all Big Teeth can do, Big Teeth can now also spawn minions!




Big Teeth's minions are essentially ghosts that are green in color. They do hover rather slowly but if you do not take out them in time, they will become obstacles that can prevent you from evading Big Teeth's attacks.

On the other hand, if you manage to defeat Big Teeth, you will get a huge ton of experience! And that is just one of the rewards that you will get from defeating Big Teeth. On top of that, once you have defeated Big Teeth, a portal will appear.




Instead of having the door appear like usual, the appearance of the portal signifies that getting into it will bring you to somewhere different. And that is the main purpose of showing the portal here.




So where do you think you will land up at after you disappear into the portal? As usual,

Enjoy!

[WhiteSponge]

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Starsss - Development Blog Post #20
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When progress on Starsss first started, the game did not have any sort of animations in it. Now there's one for when you level up, one for when stars appear, one for when your abilities level up and much more! But there's still something important missing, and that's sound effects!

If you think about it, there are so many characters, animations, actions and events that require sound effects in Starsss. Starting from your character, jumping itself needs a sound effect added to it!

https://vine.co/v/Oh6rHHJ9tu7

On top of jumping, various abilities (attainable from collecting stars) that you can use to attack enemies also require sound effects.

https://vine.co/v/Oh6XnZ2PXjQ

New burning animation when your fireball hits!
https://vine.co/v/Oh6H1InvdxQ

And sometimes when you defeat an enemy using your abilities, orbs (mana/health/ability) will drop. So when you collect them, imagine yourself drinking a cup of that magical stuff.

https://vine.co/v/Oh6wW35EhZP

And it would also be strange if the stars within Starsss did not have any sound effects whatsoever.

https://vine.co/v/Oh6wlFUtevm

One of the most important aspects of Starsss is that you'll be able to power up your character through defeating more enemies and leveling up. So when you level up, why not have a sound effect too?

https://vine.co/v/Oh6puTEeiwh

Now that is quite a number of new sound effects added to Starsss. But that is only scratching the surface of sound effects needed in the game! For one, Big Teeth (the game's first boss) doesn't have any sound effects of his own yet!

So what do you think of the new sound effects so far? By the way, if you have not noticed by now, WhiteSponge is now on Vine so be sure to follow! And as usual,

! Enjoy!

[WhiteSponge]

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Starsss - Development Blog Post #21
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Without all the juicy animations and sound effects, what remains at the core of a game are the gameplay mechanics ~ With Starsss, those are the key to an awesome gameplay experience! So it is without a doubt that any bugs that threaten that experience must be de-bugged.

Bugs can range from things such as abilities not coming out to having platforms that are simply not accessible from the bottom. Speaking of abilities not coming out, the only time that will happen is when you do not have enough mana to use them.

https://vine.co/v/Oh90BrPgAP5/embed/postcard

Running out of mana isn't fun when an enemy is just right ahead of you. So be sure to always check your mana bar on the top left corner of the game!




Your gameplay experience in Starsss is also of the topmost priority. And that means when a randomized stage like the following appears, it is simply not acceptable.




Notice that there isn't any way for you to get to the star? A few of the top platforms are not accessible as they are blocked by the other smaller ones!




In this stage, the path to the top are not blocked by other platforms. Instead, there simply isn't any space for you to jump onto as there are platforms which have their right edges at the same column or x coordinate.

While the chances of having randomized stages like these are extremely low, they are not zero. A great amount of time is therefore spent on resolving these wacky scenarios to ensure that your gameplay experience remains awesome.

And that is what really matters here at WhiteSponge - you smiling and having fun while playing Starsss! So be sure to follow on Twitter, Vine and like on Facebook to get the latest update on when the alpha version might be coming out!

As usual,

! Enjoy!

[WhiteSponge]

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Starsss - Development Blog Post #22
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Things are gonna get pretty exciting from here on as Starsss will be on Steam Greenlight and its alpha version will be out in just 2 weeks on this coming November 14th!

It has been an awesome 2 to 3 months of game crafting to get Starsss to its current stage. And the moment for its alpha version will finally be here soon in under 2 weeks!

These few months of game crafting took Starsss from an idea to become a (not completed) game with randomized stages, various wacky enemies, interesting character growths and a boss who is kinda crazily hard to defeat.

However, do also take note that as Starsss is currently still at its alpha version, many things you see or experience might or might not change in the long run. And there is where you come in as your feedback means the world to WhiteSponge!

Starsss will also be on Steam Greenlight in just under 2 weeks on November 14th! Steam Greenlight is where games still in development can be submitted to go through a voting process. This determines if the game will get to be on Steam or not.



A link to Starsss' Steam Greenlight page will also appear on the page where the countdown timer is currently at. So be sure to help more people get their hands on Starsss by helping to vote for the game in 2 weeks time on this coming 14th November!

[WhiteSponge]

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Starsss - Development Blog Post #23
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So while the alpha version is on the way I have added new characteristics to each of the enemies in Starsss! Each of these characteristic defines the enemy and makes them unique!

The characteristic of each enemy in Starsss affects how you engage them in action. Take for example virus green, the first enemy that you will come across.




The virus green can be considered the most basic of all enemies as it doesn't have the intelligence to chase after you nor does it shoot projectiles from its mouth. However, it sometimes senses your presence and will stick to staying at a position if you are near to it.




On the other end, there is the brick head, who's an odd ball. It will sometimes decide to stop moving and chill. Other times it will move left and right frantically as if it is searching for something.




The brick head is able to shoot bricks from its mouth. It has a perfect eyesight so if it sees you from afar, bricks are definitely incoming.




And even though Halloween is over, you will also come across ghosts hovering around in Starsss, looking and searching for you.




Creepy? Well ghosts in Starsss also have the interesting characteristic of sometimes fading out into the background! When it does that, you will not be able to attack them as your attacks will just go through them. So if you don't want to waste your mana, be sure to observe if they are faded out or not before attacking!




So what do you think of the enemies' behavior and characteristics? Starsss is currently still in alpha development so you can expect even more fun and interesting enemies to appear!

You can also

! Last but not least remember that Starsss' alpha version will be available in less than 7 days on this coming November 14th! You can check the available time left from the game's dedicated page! Cheers!

[Savick]

Stop trying to make Super Crate Box.
Stop misspelling Stars.
Keep making games.

[WhiteSponge]

Stop trying to make Super Crate Box.
Stop misspelling Stars.
Keep making games.

ahahah you're funny Savick :D

While at first value you might think it looks similar to Super Crate Box, do actually observe and find out the actual gameplay and what Starsss is really about.

Then you will see that it is a totally different game. (e.g stages are totally procedurally generated)

Btw Starsss is still in alpha so you can expect many new worlds, stages and interesting game mechanics in the near future.

Thanks for your feedback though I guess when more stuff are added then you will see the difference better.

Have a great day!

[WhiteSponge]

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Starsss - Development Blog Post #26
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Alright this isn't so much a development update but after the countdown period of 14 days, Starsss is finally live on Steam Greenlight! On top of that, the alpha version is now finally available for download! Here's why you should get the game now.




Because you are essentially getting the game cheaper and earlier! You will also be entitled to all future updates for free and a Steam key when the game gets greenlit! If you want that to happen, be sure to vote for Starsss on Steam Greenlight too!




You will also be helping push the development of Starsss along so more ideas/features that you would like to see could be implemented in the game! From the store page where you can purchase Starsss, you will be able to decide where you want your contribution to go towards to.




You can also see what others have chosen for their contribution. The numbers beside each choice indicates how many people have purchased Starsss and decided that that feature is what they want to see in Starsss the most.

Last but not least I want to thank the first 50 people who believe in Starsss and contributed to it! You can also join them and get Starsss now. Also remember to vote for it on Steam Greenlight!

Have a great weekend ahead!