next »

[rachoac]

https://portal.projectsamsara.com

I'm back after a huge hiatus from gamedev! I got discouraged, but am recovered. My last project was too big, so I'm trying something quite a bit simpler.

Lately I've been working on a multiplayer (not MMORPG!) fast-paced, browser based shooter game for the last couple of months. I've placed most of my attention in trying to make the simplest possible form of this type of game that is still "fun", and now I'd love for you to try it out and tell me what you think.

The graphics are temporary and ripped from the internet, as I am focusing on the pure gameplay mechanics.

You can play the game via the website (https://portal.projectsamsara.com). Its totally free. This game is somewhere between a prototype and something actually playable, so your feedback will absolutely shape how this evolves.

Check out the Zombie Wave Room where you can battle hordes of ever increasing zombies, Capture the Flag where you can team up with other players and ... well, capture the flags ..., and the Battle Royale room, where its a free for all.

Playing controls are pretty standard (WASD, mouse to aim/shoot), but you can see the other controls in the game lobby and in the website.

Features:
* Fast-paced, multiplayer combat
* Switch between weapons (pistol, shotgun, bomb, EMP)
* Team play
* Leaderboards
* Integrated chat

Technology/Stack
* PixiJS on the client
* Custom engine on the backend
* Server clustering using Redis
* Lag fighting technology similar to the old quake engine netcode

I am still working on the premise and art direction of the game, but it will have something to do with a zombie resurrection on the moon. But I'd like to get as much feedback as I can on its present playable state. This game is more than a prototype/demo, but less than a fully fledged game.

Here are the things I'd like your opinion on -
1. Is the game "fun"? What aspects were most fun?
2. What do you think I should focus on next? Is it time to build the identity a bit more, like add custom graphics and music -- or should the basic gameplay premise be improved?
3. What did you like least? If you can improve one thing about it, what would you choose?

[jbarrios]

Hey Rachoac,

I played your game and recorded my thoughts:

[rachoac]

Hi jbarrios!

I just found this review of my game, thank you so much for spending the time to play and give very useful feedback. What resonated especially with me is the need to have much more compelling single player content, so I've refurbished the levels to reflect this. I think that The Lab and Zombie waverooms are much more fun as a single player now.

I am going to be evolving this actively, drop by anytime to see how its going!

Thanks,

Aron

[mobilelast]

Welcome back. Remember that it’s only a game.

I took a little session as a guest. There’s actually pretty much content for an early prototype. I probably only got a glimpse of it.

Some issues I bumped into:
- Keyboard controls seem a bit awkward. Utilizing keys like Q, E and left shift would be more comfortable than B and X. Controller support would be perfect for this kind of game.
- The main character gets easily stuck in corners which is annoying when you're trying to flee.
- Although you're not concentrating on graphics yet, you could add some audiovisual feedback for bullet hits etc. It's not only about cosmetics, but it also improves playability.
- The visible area could be larger. Or you could apply a predictive camera that gives more room to shooting direction.

Games like this look deceptively simple. It takes lots of polishing to make the controls fluid. Perhaps you could concentrate on one game mode and perfect it first. Others will follow easily after that.

Considering the stack you’re using, that’s an impressive start. Good luck.

[rachoac]

Thank you for try the project. Yep, control smoothness was and is a top priority for me. This being a networked game, getting that down is especially hard and I'm definitely not done with it. Great idea about more audio visual feedback on the bullets, I think I am going to stagger the zombies and even maybe explode them (though I'm trying to tone down the blood as much as possible). Thanks again for the feedback! And yep, this time I am definitely trying to remember that its just a game and not get so down if this project doesn't pan out ... since so many don't, and its the ultimately the journey ...

[rachoac]

I've made major changes to the game and would appreciate playsters!

Try it right away: https://projectsamsara.com/?guest=true

* I've created my own zombie and player sprites
* Updated outside world tiles
* Added Dome 1 and Dome 2 subworlds
* Fixed numerous networking and performance issues
* Added support for arrow keys
* Added mobile browser support, with twin stick controls (this is a big one)
* Added auto-firing support
* Added collectible consumeables (bombs, health, mana)
* Added leveling up system (increases your realtime stats such as speed)
* Tuned up the difficulty of the single player campaigns (the lab, wave room)

Under the hood I added a light scripting engine, so I don't have to hard code world rules anymore, making it much easier to add content and focus more on that versus custom coding.

I'd like to know if:

- you like the new look versus the older look in the earlier part of this post
- if the game is fun for at least 10 minutes
- are you encountering any breaking bugs? as in you can't get through to places you think you should?
- any suggestions on what I could add, as far as the incremental leveling aspects of the game (weapons? stats?)
- any suggestions on preventing higher level / more experienced players from griefing and making the experience less great for newer players?
- i have no idea if people can actually enjoy this on a phone. my guess is -- no -- but I would like to know what you feel about it

[rachoac]

I've added quite a bit since the last time I posted here for playtesting, most importantly:
* story mechanics
* paperdoll sprites (so you can look different when armed/unarmed; and also have different hair, etc.)
* "game feel" updates to make the shooting mechanic feel a bit more engaging
* the ability to register and login from within the game

If you haven't played through the game in a bit, please check it out again and let me know if the game is starting to feel less like a tech demo and more like an actual game.

https://projectsamsara.com/?guest=true

[rachoac]

https://projectsamsara.com/?guest=true

I've made several significant improvements to the game since I last posted here:

* Procedurally generated arena (Shadow Trials in Dome #2)
* Lighting and shadow systems
* Entity pushing and knockback
* When you kill enemies they blow up
* 16:9 aspect ratio supported (breaking out of the letterbox)
* Sound effects for zombies and humans

Video of current gameplay:




Tell me what you think!