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[Sven_Ahlgrimm]

UNDER PRESSURE is a one-button local-multiplayer game for four players.
The goal of the game is to survive a world-war, while everyone else gets destroyed.
The game is meant to be short and beginner-friendly.


 


Gameplay:
The players react on a symbol in the middle of the screen, which switches between these three actions:
Rocket, shield and conquer


Flag and shield are edited versions of Entypo pictograms by Daniel Bruce — www.entypo.com

Rockets destroy bases and neutralize countries



Planes conquer countries which results in faster growing power



Shields prevent from getting hit



Rockets and planes get shot from the player's base towards the aiming-arrow of the player. Afterwards they get attracted to earth.
In the same time, the earth rotates under them, depending on earlier impacts of rockets and planes.

The player needs power (25%) to use an action. When he presses his button, he loses 25 % of the power, the action gets activated and the symbol changes to a new random state for the other players.



Art Style:
I used many references, including propaganda posters, minimalistic art, pop-art etc.

Current State of the game:
The game is alredy at a playable state. I am currently testing the game with friends and at events in Berlin.
My friend Tristan Dahl , built this arcade machine, which fits the game perfectly. Thank you Tristan!


What I am currently working on:
- show the player:
   the connection between pressing a button and its effect
   the connection between the number of countries and power
- highlight the symbol in the middle from the rest of the screen (and make a flag or plane symbol, that doesn't look like a heel)
- find a better name for the game

I would really appreciate any feedback you can give me.
I will write about new updates and background informations, but just ask me, if you want to hear about something in more detail.

About Me:
My name is Sven Ahlgrimm. I'm a student of art-history and computer-science living in Berlin.

Follow me to keep updated about the game:
Website | Twitter 

Best,
Sven

[jctwood]

This looks really wonderful and it is lovely to see some custom hardware! Colours are great too. In regards to the name maybe something that conveys the global scale of the conflict? Like in the way "missile command" gives you a sense of power and danger... "World warheads" or something haha.

[Sven_Ahlgrimm]

Thank you JctWood! I add the names to my list.

[Sven_Ahlgrimm]

How I created the buildings:



My main inspiration for the buildings was this flyer from Aeroflot Airlines:


http://www.letterology.com/2013/11/aeroflot-takes-flight.html

Creating such simple art, especially when it represents architecture needs fixed size units and perfectly aligned elements. To achieve this, I started with a pixel-art version and added some curves and details to give the building more identity.



All four buildings are drawn after photo references, but the final versions are stretched and simplified to not get too big gaps regarding size and look.

The colliders of the buildings are all the same size. Until now, no player has been angry about not hitting another building.

[jctwood]

Thanks for giving such detailed insight into the design process! I have to say if I played and had the red/blue building I would feel at a disadvantage due to the taller stature. I guess this doesn't impact gameplay too much with the arcs of the rockets being so steep!

[Sven_Ahlgrimm]

Yes that's true, especially when people play the game for the first time at events, this thought can come to their minds, but I think I will keep these four buildings in the game because of their political relevance and the strong difference between their silhouettes. Thank you for your feedback JctWood!

[MrHelmut]

Hey Sven, this looks quite clever for a one-button game! I would really be interested in trying it (I dig simple design and local multiplayer games).
Will you be showcasing it at the local multiplayer summit in Berlin?

[Sven_Ahlgrimm]

Yes Mr.Helmut! Alredy bought my ticket!

[Sven_Ahlgrimm]

I now have a button inside the game, helping new players to understand the connection between pressing their button and the current active symbol. The button is breaking the flat perspective to stand out and to look like a button, without using reflections, but I I also want to try out a top-down version of it.

The fading between the colors is pretty intense, but it reminds me of Andy Warhol paintings, which fits my vision and let the button pop out. It could also have the effect, that the player thinks, he has to react on the color, so I really have to test with some people, who don't know the game.



There are also new symbols in the game, fitting to the war-theme.

[SvDvorak]

Very interesting concept, I love the simplicity of it. As I gather only one person gets to use the current action so whoever presses the fastest gets it? I'm wondering if it's possible to "solve" the game or have you noticed any degenerative strategies?

[jctwood]

The colour change of the button seems somewhat misleading. Maybe a neutral colour which flashes whomever presses its colour?

[Sven_Ahlgrimm]

@SvDvorak
Yes, first press, first get. At this point, it is the best strategy to conquer countries, wait for other players to destroy each other and react with shields on incoming rockets, but because the game is very luck-based, there is always a chance for beginners to win.

@JctWood
Maybe I just fell in love with the upcoming color-combinations... I think you're right. I will try it out.

Thank you both for your questions and feedback!

[Sven_Ahlgrimm]

I'm back from holiday and want to start something new, so I'm going to finish a first official version of my game and upload it next week.
I'm currently working on the menu, which is completely controllable with one button, but the player can also navigate through it by using the left and right arrow keys.

[Sven_Ahlgrimm]

I released the game under the name Nuclear Reaction! You can download it for free at

http://svenahlgrimm.itch.io/nuclear-reaction



Thanks for everyone helping me on the way, the game is still on a very basic level, so I will maybe continue to work on it in the future.