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TIGSource ForumsDeveloperPlaytestingAtomic Heist beta testing
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Live Aliens
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« on: May 07, 2017, 11:02:06 AM »


Description
Atomic Heist is an 2D top-down rogue-like sci-fi shooter.

Grab the atomic core and fight your way out of the overrun space station. Manage your ammo carefully, it is precious and affects the various enemies differently. Use collected power ups to modify your ammo and ship, but power ups also help the enemies. Oh, also keep in mind the core is leaking radiation so move quickly. Along the way unlock upgrades and ships to ease the escape.

How to Play
It plays like a twin stick shooter. The enemies have locked down the base you must find the override switch on each level to open unlock the exit. You must manage your ammo, your ship and your power ups in order to defeat all the enemies. Each enemy has ammo they are strong against and enemies they are weak against.

It supports controller (Xbox controllers, I have not tested with others yet) and keyboard/mouse.
For best experience the controller is preferred.

Download for Windows
https://tojabr.itch.io/atomic-heist

Trailer










What I am looking for:
I want the game to be fun. Do you find it fun? Is it too hard? Too easy?

Issues I am aware and will improve soon
* How do you like the balancing?
* How do you like the radiation as the main driving force?
* How do you like that power ups also help the enemy?
« Last Edit: January 27, 2018, 03:59:48 PM by Live Aliens » Logged
KingDaniusLoP
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« Reply #1 on: May 07, 2017, 11:53:34 AM »

Hmm, I can't play it. WinRAR says it is damaged.

Can you try to reupload it maybe?
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Live Aliens
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« Reply #2 on: May 07, 2017, 12:15:28 PM »

I re-zipped and uploaded. Verified it works for me. Let me know if you still have trouble.
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Vallar
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« Reply #3 on: May 08, 2017, 12:15:17 AM »

I tried to download the game but every time it fails after around 4.5MB no matter what I do. I tested my internet connection and can download others stuff just fine.

I tried to watch your trailer but it asks me to download it. I copied the link and put it in my browser and it still asks me to download the trailer to watch it.
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Live Aliens
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« Reply #4 on: May 08, 2017, 08:07:14 AM »

I added an itch.io page as an alternate to download the game.
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Vallar
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« Reply #5 on: May 08, 2017, 11:52:29 AM »

So I tested out your game and here is my feedback in no particular order:

- The game is interesting and I like the idea of it. It reminds quite a bit of Nuclear Throne -- the ammo, the upgrades, the GUI are a teller.

- There are a few issues with the language but nothing major for example, enemy abolishment sounds weird. Why not just say something like "Enemies Killed"?

- I hated the controls in all honesty. I hate floaty controls and this was way floaty than it needs to in my opinion -- in a game that I need to dodge and aim to shoot, I'd like the controls to be precise, snappy and crisp. When I press A and remove my finger off the button I should stop immediately.

- I liked the random generation of the levels but felt that the levels are way too small (I played 2-3 levels).

- The upgrades are cool but I wished they would have been more interesting and less general.

- The story and the writing needs a bit of work. After the first two lines I wanted to skip the dialogue.

- There is a bug where the first conversation before you start the tutorial (getting the core) there was VO then all of a sudden no more VO with the rest of the dialogues.

- I liked the added traps that you need to be careful with and I liked that they can kill enemies. I used them quite a bunch.

- I'd love to be able to explore around the levels and find hidden areas and perhaps loop back and forth (but to make me feel I am going in circles). A great example of this is Unexplored, they use a cyclic generation system. Right now levels feel all too linear.

All in all, it seems like  a very interesting concepts and you have something fun going on. You might need to rethink a few systems so they don't feel generic or just plain. Otherwise, well done Smiley
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Live Aliens
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« Reply #6 on: May 08, 2017, 04:45:19 PM »

@vallar thanks for the feedback. The levels do get bigger and more open the more you play.

The controls have been tricky (because it is a aircraft) people have different expectations of how it should behave. The current controls are what I settled on after lots of play testing with local gamers, most of the testers liked it. I don't if its possible to make everyone happy. Smiley I am considering more options for the controls.

I am curious what you are thinking of when you say "interesting" on the powerups?

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Vallar
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« Reply #7 on: May 08, 2017, 08:44:24 PM »

Quote
I don't if its possible to make everyone happy.

Agreed, I am just not a fan of this type of controls in a game where timing and position are key elements but you are right. You can't make everyone happy and it is up to you how the whole thing feels Smiley.

Quote
I am curious what you are thinking of when you say "interesting" on the powerups?

I think I saw about 10 upgrades so far and they feel a bit generic. That doesn't necessary mean they are totally bad but I think something that will grab the player's attention is the upgrades being unique. Anyway, a good example of some unique power ups for example are the perks in Fallout 1 and Fallout 2. I don't mean compare them now, but rather at their time. For example if I recall correctly they introduced negative perks.
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MrPotatostealer
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« Reply #8 on: May 08, 2017, 10:07:07 PM »

Hi,

Thanks for letting me play the game, I played it for about 45 min and really enjoyed it. It was fun but too unforgiving and after level 4 the difficulty was very high (at least for me).

Here are my thoughts about the design.

- At times the game feels too unforgiving without the player being able to do much about it. For example I walked around a corner not seeing any enemies then BOOM! 5 shots from outside the screen instantly killing me I think this has to do with a lot of things in the game I will bring up in my other points.

- Most levels feels like there are only small corridors, there is no where for the player to maneuver. There is no alternative paths to try and work around difficult enemies. I would like to see more open areas.

- Player controller feels very slow and clunky, keeping up any momentum is almost impossible with the recoil pushing you back. At the same time there is only the corridors. It feel like the only option left for the player is to try and hide behind walls and wait for the enemies come to you.

- There is nothing really pushing the player for go out in dangerous areas unless you run out of ammo, causing the "wall waiting" do be even better of a tactic. When everything is cleared you can pick up stuff and move on.

- The panels you need to find to open areas is mostly annoying, very difficult too see them. I didn't feel like they add anything to the design. Instead maybe have big open arenas that would close the player in for a while making the player insecure about entering them instead ?

- I'm not sure about this point as changing weapons didn't seem to work, running out of ammo was pretty much game over since there was nothing I could do at this point. Also making the highest fire rate very undesired, using so much ammo and also the extreme recoil.

- The damage from exploding a barrels seams to be staying a bit too long after the explosion takes place. I often walked forward thinking it was safe just to die.

I'm looking forward to the next update !
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Live Aliens
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« Reply #9 on: May 09, 2017, 11:54:00 AM »

Thanks for the feedback. I have feedback on a couple of your points:

Quote
- At times the game feels too unforgiving without the player being able to do much about it. For example I walked around a corner not seeing any enemies then BOOM! 5 shots from outside the screen instantly killing me I think this has to do with a lot of things in the game I will bring up in my other points.
Possible bug, enemies should not shoot at you if they are off screen, unless they have shot at you before. In which case you should know they are there. As for "unforgiving", yes I still need to play with the balancing of health/damage of the player and enemies.

Quote
- There is nothing really pushing the player for go out in dangerous areas unless you run out of ammo, causing the "wall waiting" do be even better of a tactic. When everything is cleared you can pick up stuff and move on.
I have heard this before and I will need to solve this.

Quote
- I'm not sure about this point as changing weapons didn't seem to work, running out of ammo was pretty much game over since there was nothing I could do at this point. Also making the highest fire rate very undesired, using so much ammo and also the extreme recoil.
This I need to teach players about. There are a few options when you run out of ammo. 1) After a few seconds an ammo pick will spawn where the player spawns. 2) Enemy death will always spawn ammo if you are out, see 3 thru 6. 3) You can ram the enemy (you take damage unless you have a powerup/upgrade that prevents or lowers ram damage). 4) Bombs. 5) level Traps (all but level 1 has a trap that can kill the enemy). 6) Overload your powerup, if you have a powerup you can overload it causing an EMP, it stuns all enemies and deals some damage. But you lose that powerup.
 
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Blacklight
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« Reply #10 on: May 09, 2017, 11:34:13 PM »

Played through a few runs. I like what you have here and I have a few notes:

The controls are something I'm not too fond of. They're too floaty. I get that you're piloting a air/hovercraft but in a game where I'm dodging bullets I can't really settle for anything less than precision.

I like the art style, but the background (in the non playable area) is too detailed. I felt like the UI was blending in with it a bit. You should consider making it more like the floor in the playable area.

The explosion effects aren't great. They're too dull and disappear way to quickly. I was killed by explosions several times and for the first few I didn't even notice the explosion before it disappeared. I'd suggest making it a solid circle instead of a ring, make it brighter and let it last a few seconds longer. Screen-shake would also be awesome.

This is a very minor complaint but some of the particles, particularly the blue projectiles, look a bit out of place in an art style with a lot of hard edges and solid colours.

Also, I liked the feel of shooting the weapons and when you impact with the walls. Nice and punchy. Good sound effects.
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Live Aliens
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« Reply #11 on: May 10, 2017, 06:12:44 AM »

Thanks for the feedback Blacklight. A question to you (and the others who have played it) are you playing with keyboard/mouse or controller? I have done a lot of local playtesting and have not heard anyone complaints about the floaty-ness, but... they have all played with the controller. I also prefer the controller. A controller player definitely does not have the same expectation as a keyboard player does, since you have to move a stick from side to side versus instantly pressing a key. The controller gives more control over the speed of the ship, the stick can do a range of motion from stop to full speed, whereas the keyboard can only be up(stop) or down(full). I will need to address this if I plan to continue to support keyboard/mouse.

As for the splash damage from explosion, I have fixed that, it has been a common complaint. I did pretty much what you suggested. Smiley
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Blacklight
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« Reply #12 on: May 10, 2017, 09:03:20 PM »

Thanks for the feedback Blacklight. A question to you (and the others who have played it) are you playing with keyboard/mouse or controller? I have done a lot of local playtesting and have not heard anyone complaints about the floaty-ness, but... they have all played with the controller. I also prefer the controller. A controller player definitely does not have the same expectation as a keyboard player does, since you have to move a stick from side to side versus instantly pressing a key. The controller gives more control over the speed of the ship, the stick can do a range of motion from stop to full speed, whereas the keyboard can only be up(stop) or down(full). I will need to address this if I plan to continue to support keyboard/mouse.

As for the splash damage from explosion, I have fixed that, it has been a common complaint. I did pretty much what you suggested. Smiley
I was playing with keyboard and mouse. I had another go with mu Xbox 360 controller today and it does feel much better for some reason. I'd recommend looking into it a little further if you want to do a PC release. I can't see releasing on PC without keyboard and mouse support going over well with gamers.

I think you said in an earlier post that enemies would only attack you when they're on screen? I noticed today that enemies(I have not previously engaged) seem to be able to fire at me before that, or at least before they've been onscreen long enough for me to notice them.
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Live Aliens
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« Reply #13 on: May 14, 2017, 06:32:17 PM »

I have released an update (same link above).
* Improves the keyboard/mouse play, please let me know you like the new feel (controller feel has not changed).
* Improves the splash damage visuals so that it is more obvious what is happening
* lots of misc. bug fixes
* many perf. improvements.
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Vallar
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« Reply #14 on: May 21, 2017, 08:14:41 AM »

Hey,

I tried the game out and here is the feedback so far:

1- I really liked the movement far more than before. It feels more solid now... there is slight floatiness (which is still annoying) but I guess I can live with that -- I feel I have control now and not just battling the movement system.

2- There is an issue where if you hit a wall (even if it is a horizontal wall and you are moving horizontally) that the rigidbody's drag increases so it feels you have this building up friction. Doesn't really help when you are trying to sneak around a corner. Feels off. Probably realistic physics wise, but it is annoying.

3- Ammo now drops like candy, I literally didn't bother to look at my ammo counter any more.

4- Health seems to be quite common sometimes and some other times it is really scarce. I think you'll need to balance it a bit more on whether make it difficult or easy.

5- The Seeker Ammo doesn't not seek anything. Many a times I'd hit in the general direction of an enemy and it just moves straight into the wall without turning or anything.

6- I think you might want to limit the number of bounces on the bouncy ammo. I feel it is over powered since I spam them in an area before even bothering to explore and it lays waste to everything.

7- Enemies aren't quite smart, they sometimes take cover behind red barrels then shoot said barrels (that they are literally touching) trying to shoot me or some other target (when I am not around).

8- I feel constantly thrown off by the longer animation time on the enemies' destruction. It isn't bad as an animation but it makes me question myself when it takes more than a split of second for the enemy to decompose then die. This of course pushes me to waste ammo so as to be sure enemies are dead.

9- Moving traps (or these moving wall pieces) they kill you even if they don't crush you. For example I was near the wall and it literally just touched my ship's tip (while my whole body was far away from the moving all) and I was destroyed. Had this been real physics, I would have been just rotating around instead of being destroyed.

10- The tutorial that you had in the first level (or at least I remembered there was one) didn't play this time. I am sure it has nothing to do with saving prefs, as I have a fresh installation of Windows (after I played last time).

11- Splash damage as you mentioned is far more noticeable now.

12- I don't know what are those icons at the top left of my screen (of bullets and turrets). Pressing numbers on the keyboard does nothing, tab does nothing and scrolling the MMB does nothing.

13- It would be cool if when I have a bomb and I press the RMB there is a good indication that the bomb was dropped. They looked like powerups and I was like trying to take them when they killed me. Not sure if I like or hate the fact that my bombs kill me, I think I am on the fence about it at the moment. I can see how this could be a challenge, but then again, I don't see the reason behind it.

I paid more attention to the levels now, they are quite small and honestly the whole premise gets repetitive quite quickly. I am in there to turn a switch on to move to the next floor. There is no motivation at the moment for me to push through... I played 3-4 levels (always died before reaching any further) and it felt like I am just looking at the same thing over and over again. The levels don't feel fresh enough -- maybe because they are corridors but perhaps that is a feeling because of the art and with more variety it would change. All in all, this build seems much better than the one before and I really like the direction you are heading towards.
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Live Aliens
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« Reply #15 on: May 23, 2017, 07:47:04 AM »

@vallar, thanks again for the feedback.


Quote
2- There is an issue where if you hit a wall (even if it is a horizontal wall and you are moving horizontally) that the rigidbody's drag increases so it feels you have this building up friction. Doesn't really help when you are trying to sneak around a corner. Feels off. Probably realistic physics wise, but it is annoying.
I have fixed this issue.

Quote
5- The Seeker Ammo doesn't not seek anything. Many a times I'd hit in the general direction of an enemy and it just moves straight into the wall without turning or anything.
There is a cone (not visible to the player) in front of the ship, if an enemy is in the cone the ammo targets that enemy. Otherwise it acts like a normal bullet. Perhaps a better name is needed here.

Quote
7- Enemies aren't quite smart, they sometimes take cover behind red barrels then shoot said barrels (that they are literally touching) trying to shoot me or some other target (when I am not around).
I am continuously improving their AI. They currently don't know about barrels.


Quote
There is no motivation at the moment for me to push through
I have an idea about this. I am thinking the current health will become shields and regenerate, something like they do in Halo. Then there will be a continuous radiation affecting the shields, the more radiation you have the lower the max shields can be. The health pickups will be converted to anti-radiation pickups. Of course the trick is getting the radiation fast enough to push you along but not so fast that you die from it all the time.
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Vallar
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« Reply #16 on: May 23, 2017, 09:52:44 PM »

Quote
There is a cone (not visible to the player) in front of the ship, if an enemy is in the cone the ammo targets that enemy. Otherwise it acts like a normal bullet. Perhaps a better name is needed here.

That is interesting, how big is the cone's width? As sometimes I would have an enemy like 100 pixels away in front of me and he is like 20-30 pixels to the left or right and I shoot straight ahead and it still doesn't catch it.

Quote
The health pickups will be converted to anti-radiation pickups. Of course the trick is getting the radiation fast enough to push you along but not so fast that you die from it all the time.

This reminds me quite a bit of Risk Of Rain's danger system except in reverse. Not sure if you played it or not, but if you are going to go with that idea, definitely check it out.

Basically the idea is that each level you go in, you have this danger meter that you start with at 0. Then as you linger on in a level the meter builds up and the higher the meter the more mobs spawn and the harder they are.

This basically turns the game into a run and defend strategy. At least for me. Each time I'd jump into the level, run to find the elevator then slowly from there start exploring the level. Once the level gets too high for me to handle, I just activate the lift and fight the boss and get out to the next level.
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Live Aliens
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« Reply #17 on: June 18, 2017, 03:24:52 PM »

I have updated the beta, you can download the latest version on itch.io.
https://tojabr.itch.io/atomic-heist

Some of the bigger changes:
- No longer need to unlock the exit
- Power up bonuses act more like a skill tree, not just randomly chosen as before
- Radiation sickness is the new driving force to keep the player moving
- Health regenerates on it's own, no longer need health drops
- "fog of war" look on the walls, not the floors
- lots of bug fixes
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« Reply #18 on: June 18, 2017, 11:43:16 PM »

Great trailer!
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« Reply #19 on: January 15, 2018, 02:17:43 PM »

It has been a while. I have uploaded the latest beta to https://tojabr.itch.io/atomic-heist

Would love any feedback on mechanics or bugs you find.

Lots of big changes:
Powerups - back to random shuffling, they also help the enemy. For example, more damage per shot could be more speed for them.
Ammo upgrades - used to be in the barrels, they are now in crates. Crates with shinny tops to be specific.
Enemies - each enemy type has an ammo it is weak against and strong against
Perf - lots of perf changes
Stability - lots of general bug fixes

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