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[Radnom]

DDDEVASTATIONNN
--by Radnom--

This has been my main project for over a year now, but I've been working on it fairly slowly.

It's a platform shooter in the vein of Contra, but it's definitely very different to Contra.

I've done everything (graphics, programming, sound effects) except for the music, which was done by Super Fine Spunk Princess.

Screenies:

(Click for full size)

http://www.box.net/shared/do2oipi5pe

Feel free to grind it! :D

[Average Higgins]

I just played this and it's pretty good. I really like the minimalist aesthetic, the controls feel nice, and I especially enjoy that there are unlimited missiles.

The lock-on button seems like a good idea but it doesn't seem to be really working right now. Whenever I press it after I've used it once, it just makes me go back to the gun position of when I used it the first time. Also, I suppose this might be intentional but there's only one height of jumping regardless of how long you hold down the button. This wasn't a big problem or anything but I usually like some jumping maneuverability in games where you have to dodge stuff.

I look forward to seeing where you go with this!

[Melly]

FOR THE GRINDER

EDIT:

So, after playing this for a while I'm going to focus at first on the gameplay. The game is really run and gun in nature, and most of it works well. The choice between a weaker long-range set of weapons against a stronger close range set forces the player to think just a tiny bit on how to approach certain enemies. The controls are fine on a keyboard. I personally don't see what's so different about it compared to Contra. It's basically the very same core gameplay.

I felt that the bosses were unbalanced. The first one was pretty challenging, but the second and third were awfully easy in comparison, which doesn't seem to make sense. The underground worms at first seemed unfair, but then I figured out I could use the missiles to track them. That, however, slowed the game's pace, forcing me to be more careful.

The worst was, though, where I stopped playing. The 'clouds and sun' boss is nearly impossible for a number of reasons. Number one is that the clouds' placement is slightly random, forcing you to try again and again to shoot them all down before they exploded me, which happened awfully fast. Then the sun heats the ground up much faster than you can shoot it down, if you can shoot it down, that is, since after dozens of tries I wasn't able to. That part simply made me stop playing because I just felt the game was being an asshole to me.

I'm going to try again on a computer with sound. Maybe that'll change the experience a bit. The graphics are really neat, by the way.

EDIT 2: Well, I guess I failed to notice the lock gun position button. I'll try again using it. Maybe the sun and clouds aren't that impossible after all. If the button works, as it seems Higgins had trouble with it.

EDIT 3: After playing the game again using the lock position button I was able to get through the sun and clouds part. I was able to get all the way to the eye boss, then a story cutscene, and then the game had an error:

___________________________________________
FATAL ERROR in
action number 1
of  Step Event
for object o_storyline:

Moving to next room after the last room.

So far I like where you're going with this. Though the sound effects for the weapons are really boring and lack the punch they should have. Also, what kind of music are you planning for the game?

I did feel the game started getting a bit boring after a while. The different enemies offered a little in the sense of variety, but overall I was getting a bit tired of the mindless killing. It's still a promissing game.

[Radnom]

The lock-on button seems like a good idea but it doesn't seem to be really working right now. Whenever I press it after I've used it once, it just makes me go back to the gun position of when I used it the first time.

You're right, that is a bug I need to get rid of. Other than that, though, lockon does work fine - you have to place the gun in the angle you want to point to, and while holding the arrows press and hold down space, then you are free to walk and jump around with the gun locked.

Also, I suppose this might be intentional but there's only one height of jumping regardless of how long you hold down the button. This wasn't a big problem or anything but I usually like some jumping maneuverability in games where you have to dodge stuff.

That would definitely be a good feature - I'll see what I can do about incorpoating that. It's pretty hard to get the drop looking like a natural parabola with variable jump height, but I'll give it a go. 

I personally don't see what's so different about it compared to Contra. It's basically the very same core gameplay.

In my opinion, the gameplay is faster in Contra. Contra has things like powerups and lives, meaning you can continue from where you died, but if you die too much it's game over. In DDDEVASTATIONNN you cannot 'lose'. Because of this, I can put in much more challenging obstacles, and the player is more free to explore all his options when playing.

I felt that the bosses were unbalanced. The first one was pretty challenging, but the second and third were awfully easy in comparison, which doesn't seem to make sense.

You're right about the bosses. I had another file where the later bosses were harder, but I lost it  I guess I'll give the first guy a bit less HP, as well.

The underground worms at first seemed unfair, but then I figured out I could use the missiles to track them. That, however, slowed the game's pace, forcing me to be more careful.

You can hear them when you're close to them, and the screen shakes, and like you said, you can use missiles to track them. I spent quite a while trying to take the cheapness out of those worms, but I have seen a lot of people struggling on them, so I might make them pop out a little earlier so you have time to react. Actually, I think I need to make the 'normal' difficulty quite a bit easier overall.

EDIT 2: Well, I guess I failed to notice the lock gun position button. Tongue I'll try again using it. Maybe the sun and clouds aren't that impossible after all. If the button works, as it seems Higgins had trouble with it.

I'm amazed you got up to the clouds at all without lockon!  Please try it again, on that computer with sound - I think sound adds a lot to the game.

Thanks heaps for your constructive criticism. I really appreciate it!

[Melly]

I already did play with sound, and edited my post with my thoughts. 

[Radnom]

whups, lol. :D

FATAL ERROR in
action number 1
of  Step Event
for object o_storyline:

heehee, forgot to get rid of that. There wasn't supposed to be that storyline at all.

So far I like where you're going with this. Though the sound effects for the weapons are really boring and lack the punch they should have. Also, what kind of music are you planning for the game?

Hm, I'll probably work a little more on the weapon sounds, but I've been really trying to make them quiet so that they don't get really annoying  :D

You didn't get music? odd! did you extract the files? :S I've got a bunch of tracks  that should be with the file...

[jwaap]

This game is obviously a work of greatness. Poppenkast, duh.

Anyway:

One thing that I think would improve the game a lot, is somehow forcing the player to move on FAST. Make sure he wont go sniping with missiles and stuff like that.

Oh and for the variable jumping:

in keyboard up/w release event:
if vspeed < 0
vspeed = vspeed/2

[Guert]

Since you asked for a grind, I'm not gonna comment here, gonna keep it all for that "special moment"

Later!

[Melly]

I sense gamerape.

I been thinking is sexual terms WAY too often lately.

[Guert]

Yes, yes you have.

[Radnom]

Haha, I'm sure my game is going to get totally raped - it's very much far from perfect, but with a good grinding, I think I can get it up to a reasonable standard for a full release.

[Tex Pine]

I have two points:

1. In the first stage, I felt the speed of the game was slow, but I thought it was something done on purpose. However, after killing the first boss, the next "underworld" stage had a much faster pace. SO, the slow speed of the first stage is, probably, due to the "musty old movie" special effect. I am running the game on an on-board video card, not a 3D card.

By the way, this special effect is great! I only feel that you should detect FPS  of the machine to check if this is not pushing the CPU too much (then disabling it), or maybe programming the game speed to be FPS-independent.

2. The whole mood was fine to me, but you need more stylish on those graphics, right now they look way too rough. I understand you don't have any artist on the team (that is just yourself, lol), but there are options. For example, I guess the cubist-pixel-like style of the old game Out of This World and the recent Darwinia would really adds up to your game, without the need of experienced artists.