Our newest game is called "Emoji Scream" and it's a side-scrolling shooting game in which you control a screaming emoji. The twist is, when you scream in real life, you make the in-game emoji do the screaming. The looks like "sound waves" which fire to the right, destroying in-coming emoji-fied enemies.
While there are some programs with voice activation, this is the first game I know of which is *exclusively* and entirely controlled through sound. Even the main menu system can be controlled by sound, if you hold a loud note, it activates the core buttons to play the game. And there is no other way in which to control the gameplay, other than through sound.
Controls
The game itself controls like this. Your smiley emoji player moves up and down the screen automatically as enemies move towards you. If you scream, laugh, talk, sing, clap, or otherwise make some loud sounds, it causes the emoji to scream in the game. But it also makes your emoji stop moving up and down. In this manner you can shoot, but also control your player's movements.You'll need to use this "hold" move to get past environmental objects that can't be destroyed, but will kill you if you crash into them.
Scoring
The scoring system actually rewards "thoughtful screaming". As long as you are not making sound above the volume threshold, your player builds up to 3 times, a score multiplier of sorts. On the left side of the player, three colored outlines will appear. If you then scream to shoot, the next bullet will have the 1+, 2+, 3+ score addition. If you hit an enemy with this special shot, you'll then get 1, 2, or 3 extra coins that bounce out of the enemy. Killing enemies, but also grabbing coins is how you increase your score. Holding back and strategically shooting is the key to a high score in Emoji Scream.
Boss Fights
Each level culminates in a giant boss fight called a "scream duel". Here, the player can no longer move, but based on when they decide to scream, they will have a bigger or smaller mega-shot to use against the huge boss. And some bosses require you to stop/start screaming again, depending on their defenses.
Game Structure
Emoji Scream has three unlockable difficulty settings, 5 distinct levels, detailed, in-game statistics about your playthrough, and an animated ending. After each level it records your progress and let' you pick up from that level to continue.
The game answers the age-old question--what if horses controlled like canoes and they had rubber necks?
The game's control system is unique. Instead of automatically running, you have to control your horses front hooves, with your two fingers to get the horse to run. Tapping left, turns your horse forward and to the right. Tapping right, turns him left. It feels backwards, but you can get the hang of it after a bit of practice.
The game takes place in a stylized version of nearby Louisville KY, and we even partnered with local, iconic businesses to lend more authenticity to the experience. Places like Muhammad Ali Center, KY Science Center, Louisville Stoneware, CenterStage at the JCC, Louisville Orchestra and more are *in* the game!
The player dodges the Foucault pendulum from the Kentucky Science Center on Main St.
How? Well each business has a unique gameplay element. For instance the Orchestra has timpani drums, the sound from which can knock the player's horse around. Stoneware has floating teapots that the player can dodge or crash through!
A group of teapots from Louisville Stoneware circle in the tobacco fields.
The Solo mode let's you upgrade your horse, and unlock new horse breeds with new special powers, so there's considerable depth, even though it's a mobile game.
The Party mode is very unique in that it allows up to 4 players to race each other, all on the same device! Yes, this works best on a larger device like a tablet, but we've done plenty of races as well on a phone.
Finger Derpy is our first, broadly released mobile game, and it's extremely
satisfying to share the game in a simple way. I can talk to someone about making games, and tell them the name of our game, and they can play it within minutes.
Before, explaining the Xbox 360 and it's special download stores, and
expecting them to be able to find the game later was a definite hurdle.
Make sure you download Finger Derpy from the appropriate store, and tell your friends and family about it. It's a big help and support. Thank you!
The Louisville Arcade Expo will be March 6th-8th and will feature tons of classic arcade games and pinball machines! It's really a great show and well worth taking the whole family too. There's even lots of classic console games set up for play in different rooms around the convention.
Also we'll be there, showing off the new and improved changes to Pig Eat Ball! And we'll be debuting our secret, brand new mobile game at the show!
What is this crazy, 4-player mess they're playing?
Get your tickets before the show for a good discount. Kids 10 and under are free with an adult! http://www.arcaderx.com/
GDC 2015
I'll be at the Game Developers Conference next week for a few days, catching up with other developers,
and listening to some talks. If you see me around and wanna chat, come up
and say 'hi'!
I look something like this:
We live in the Midwest and the nearby town really likes Christmas. Each year the celebration gets bigger and bigger, and the local paper runs a "Letters to Santa" section. But it's not just a page or two.. it's 8 pages long! And with that much data, I thought it'd be interesting to see what young children are telling Santa Claus are their most desired things.
We proceeded to read through all the letters, and record any requests mentioned. I assume the letters were hand-written and sent to the paper, which were then typed for the paper. Whatever happened resulted in a lot of gibberish words that are weird even for young children. But for the requests that we could read, we've recorded those.
Scan of some of the letters to Santa.
And here's a graph of the results.
Click for more detail
I've highlighted the video game related items, but you can zoom in to the picture and see all the requests.
There were a total of 278 letters with 398 requests. There was a lot of inquiry into how Santa is feeling, how is Mrs. Claus, and what are the elves doing. "How do the elves make all those toys?" I think this is nice as it shows some critical thinking and curiosity into how this magical thing can really occur.
Game Numbers
iPod/iPad/tablet: 56 request (14% of all requests, largest single category)
Computer/laptop: 14 requests
Nintendo 3DS: 13
Microsoft Xbox 360: 12
Various video games (includes Skylander/Disney Infinity): 11
Nintendo Wii U: 10
Microsoft Xbox One: 9
Minecraft:7
Video Game related Toys: 6
Mario: 5
Sony PS3: 3
Sony PS4 (or PS5): 3
What Do The Numbers Mean?
The fun part of numbers like these is trying to sort out what they could mean on a broader scale.
If we compare all touch-screen system requests (56) to all traditional game consoles/handhelds (50), it's actually pretty close. These are young kids who probably already play a lot of tablets or hear about them, but it's interesting to see that traditional game consoles held their own.
Santa Requests
Video Game related requests account for almost 40% of what kids
wanted this Christmas! That seems like a lot! Does it mean kids aren't going
outside anymore, or drawing, or playing tag? Not really--going outside
is (thankfully) still free. They don't have to put it on a list to Santa. They
already have it. Paper, pencils... those are cheap as well. So are
most books. Most kids probably have plenty of paper on which to draw,
and books to read, and outdoors to explore.
It's important to
consider that a request to Santa Claus doesn't necessarily mean that the request is a child's
favorite thing. The request is probably, mostly about being a thing *they
don't have*, which means it's probably missing currently because it's
expensive. Video Games (especially systems) are expensive.
Nintendo and Tablets
In general this bodes well for the industry, showing that as a whole, Video Game related products are some of the most requested things. Tablets and touch screens were the single biggest category, and are clearly in the minds of very young children. But it's also impressive that, despite all the naysaying in the press recently, Nintendo beat out Microsoft and Sony among the young children. Do you notice any other important trends or fun details?
Papers, Please is a recent PC game by developer Lucas Pope, which has the player acting as a border officer deciding whom to admit to their country of Arstotzka. The game takes place mainly within a small room acting as a border checkpoint. A long line forms outside waiting to enter your checkpoint, all eager to enter your country.
The player gets five credits for every person processed, and at the end of each day, the money is used to keep their family alive. The player decides how to spend their money on rent, heat, food, and medicine for your family of four dependents. People in line may have excellent sounding reasons as to why they should get to enter even if their papers aren't in order, but you have to balance humanitarianism, penalties from the government, and keeping your family healthy.
I think this is an amazing game, one that could really help reshape peer adult views on the state of video games. Yes--this is, in part, an article about me worrying about the image of video games in popular culture. If that's gross, bail out now! But not before you check out the game, it's excellent!
Appealing Theme
There's very little in Papers, Please that would titillate a pre-teen's interests. While there is a small bit of blood and violence, it's infrequent, and none of it happens because of the player, at least in the traditional manner. There's nudity as well (stylistic, drawn in the game's pixel style, and can be turned off), but it's not at all sexy, and is incorporated as part of the player's job. Deciding to use the body scanner in the game can make you as a player feel uncomfortable. There's typical elements of a FPS such as soldiers, guns, and barricades, but all of it viewed from the bureaucratic side of things. The actions required are skill-based, and time sensitive, but akin to skills developed in the business office, rather than with a controller. The game is difficult, but the second-to-second gameplay comprises analyzing text, correlating information, and following strict rules. It's something that sounds boring to most, but could definitely appeal to 50 and 60 year olds, when cast against the 1980's faux USSR background with the underlying intention of stopping illegal immigrants and supporting your family.
I'm fascinated with how real the characters feelwhom you must process at your border station.In The Sims, the player has God-like control over each Sim, but must baby them, telling them exactly what to do: eat, watch TV, or talk to someone else. They feel like automatons, which is fine, as it serves that game. But in Papers, Please all the characters feel like complete people. I suppose it's from a mixture of the background data provided (via their papers), the tiny slice of their life you get to see, their realistic conversations with you, and your imagination. You don't get to follow them around the alley, and see their dull stare into the distance, or aimless wandering (such as in a GTA game). You see them for a moment, and they feel like real people with real problems. The God-like powers promised by a Sims game are realized here, but in a much more powerful way. When you admit or reject someone, you can imagine it having a real impact.
Situational Depth
Your job in the game can have real consequences rendered. All sorts of situations related to border control are explored here, for instance, you could personally stop a human trafficker from getting through, if you know how to do your job. Or you could accidentally let a suicide bomber through, if you miss one crucial bit of information in an effort to process people more quickly and make more money. The depth achieved here, and the situations created is vibrant and memorable. Bribery, misery, compassion, bomb scares, police brutality--all of this and more happens right next to you, and sometimes you're even the cause of it.
Here's a game I think few adults would feel embarrassed to be caught playing. Many of my friends and relatives play Candy Crush Saga or Angry Birds, but if I bring it up they dismiss as "just a dumb time waster." I think because of the concepts explored, and the agency providedto the player, many more adults could be shown the beneficial and positive artistic expression possible within a video game.
Playing Papers, Please made me recall an interview with Jenova Chen in which he laments the lack of appeal of games for adults.
"My biggest complaint for computer games so far is they are not good
enough for adults. For adults to enjoy something, they need to have
intellectual stimulation, something that's related to real life. Playing
poker teaches you how to deceive people, and that's relevant to real
life. A headshot with a sniper rifle is not relevant to real life. Games
have to be relevant intellectually. You also need depth. You have the
adventure -- the thrill of the adventure -- but you want the goosebumps
too."
This game is a great place to start for many non-gaming adults. The setting is in the past but the concepts of border control, rivaling nations, and the human element are contemporary. The game is compelling both from what happens at your border job, and from how well you can provide for your family. This is a game that involves genuine sympathy and resolving conflicting responsibilities such as those to your direct boss (and the state), to your family, in addition to what seems morally right.
Few Traditional Game-like Elements
I think it's important for most non-gaming grown-ups, that very little of Papers, Please feels 'gamey'. There's no "morality meter"; you don't grow horns or wings based on how many people you help or hurt.You're paid by the state based on what they want to see happen. It certainly feels like a horrible totalitarian regime, but is it? When they tell you watch out for an enemy of the state and detain them, maybe he really did something bad. Or should you believe his story? Are enough other people's explanations starting to form a pattern in your mind?
Having a game that treats the player as a grown-up is as refreshing as having a dramatic game based on a world not too different from reality. While flights of fantasy involving time-travel, blood thirsty orcs, and terrifying aliens is lots of fun (Trust me--I love games with those things!) it's incredible to have a very compelling game, using fairly strict "real world" situations.
Avoiding the Tragedy
Make sure you try the game. It's 10 bucks over on Steam, but I think there's a free beta version available at the developer's site you could use as a demo. Next, get other people to try it. Non-gamers. Maybe your Dad, or Mom, or Uncle, or those guys and gals at work that talk about politics or sports. Get other people to check out a video game that's not all violence and sex, but still mature and deeply compelling, working with concepts everyone knows.
Nope, I don't get any kick-back here--I don't know the developer personally. I just want more people to play a video game and see the powerful work that can be done. Or maybe I do benefit from this--the whole industry could benefit from this. Pulling weight along with the likes of Flower, and Cart Life, maybe games such as Papers, Please can get the video game industry out of "The Tragedy of the Comics" within which we may be forever stuck.
(My current game in early development is about pigs that fly in space and eat tennis balls. It's shaping up to be really fun for gamers of all ages, but I'm 38 years old, and that explanation for my work was a little embarrassing to type.)
If you saw the Xbox 360 dashboard last night (in the US at least) you may have noticed this funky creature!
It is the 'Vuvuzelator'. An evil stack of pancakes that blasts you with its vuvuzelas growing from its body.
I created the concept for the creature and drew it for our game. But my lovely wife commissioned an artist to create a 3D sculpture of it for me last year for my birthday!
Don't stare directly into its cute blueberry eyes or you're a goner.
Austin, Texas-based resin auteur 'Motorbot' creates all manner of creepy, amazing-looking creatures. Not only is the detail excellent, but the various textures and materials is lovely to see in person!
Speaking of Austin, we'll be at SXSWthis weekend in the Interactive section! UPDATE: We'll be at Booth 312 - SXSW Gaming - Palmer Events Center
Make sure you find the Devolver Digital booth or just follow the sound of blasting vuvuzelas to find us. We'll be showingSerious Sam Double D XXL, giving out prizes, and telling all the bad jokes we know about evil pancakes. "Did you hear the one about the angry pancake driver on the freeway? Yeah, he totally flipped me off!" (Flipped? pancakes? Okay--don't let that deter you, come out and see us!)
Yes, we'll even be giving out vuvuzelas! But those will be pretty tough to win. We do have another fun prize that's easy to win! Just tell me the secret word "Pteradon". It makes sense in relation to the game, plus it's another fun toy you can use to grief your friends. Just like in coop.
See you this weekend!
I was quoted in not just one, but two articles today on FoxNews.com. Take cover!
Quotes from me were taken from a phone call with a journalist from their site, asking me about my thoughts on video games and violence. He was curious to talk after he read my post here about the idea of the entire industry taking a break from making violent video games for a few years. (I know I would have a tough time abstaining from making violent games, but creatively I think we'd all make some amazing stuff.)
Ahh.. a simpler time when violence was viewed sideways. (Source: Midway Games)
Obviously my phone call with him was much longer than just those few quotes in the articles. I figured I'd expand a bit on those thoughts.
Breadth of Possibilities in Games
The first article is about a new study from Ohio State University which says that if you play violent video games for 3 days, you show more aggressive tendencies afterwards. It sounds like there's plenty of questions remaining, such as 'how long do these tendencies last' and 'does the aggression level flatline'. Also note how the 'aggression' was measured in the study.
The Fox News article basically says that violent video games are top sellers, and this new study says they can make you more aggressive. I said:
“When you think about the whole spectrum of human emotion*, violence
is just one little sliver on there. You can think of so many other
things that we could explore in video games,” he told FoxNews.com.
“Video games can do all those things. It’s such a young art form.”
I'd like to add that I think violent games are fine. But I also would like as many non-violent ones as well. Basically as much high-quality variety as we as a creative industry can muster is the goal. Violence in games can be a very satisfying stress relief. I feel like they can actually relieve aggression rather than encourage (but obviously that could just be me). Regardless, with so many creative people involved, I think video games can contribute positively overall to culture, and we as developers should strive to help enrich people's lives.
Violent Games, Sales, and Audience
The second article explores if video games are getting increasingly more violent. I think generally envelope-pushing will continue. The article doesn't present any in-depth analysis such as the number of shooting games as a percentage of all games released over the years (which would be a pretty big undertaking since it should probably measure all games on the web as well). It does bring up Bulletstorm which incorporated specific, original violence as part of it's gameplay.
ESRB ratings are very successful at keeping the most violent games
out of children’s hands. But as in-game violence spreads, it becomes
increasingly hard to separate the Sim Cities form the shooters.
Even the humorous PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale, a fun fighter
aimed squarely at younger kids, includes “crude humor” and “violence,”
according to the ESRB. That’s because of the community itself, explained
Nathan Fouts, founder of video game maker Mommy’s Best Games.
“I think that has to do with the number of people and the people that
are playing video games,” he told FoxNews.com. “We’ve got a catch-22
right now: younger kids are playing.” And therefore, developers are
writing games for those kids.
“That’s the kind of thing that’s fun and exciting when you’re a teenager,” Fouts said. He believes games like Portal 2, Flower and Journey signal a shift towards less violent games.
I don't think I explained my point very well, so I'll try again.
Violent video games sell well. If you look at the portion of all games sales, compared to violent game sales, then compare that to a similar fraction for books or movies, does violence sell proportionately better for video games than other mediums? I'd expect it does. And my suggestion is, violent video games sales are proportionately higher than other entertainment because the number game players are younger and more interested in exploring digital violence.
When you're younger, it's very interesting to think about violence. Growing up, I used to play 'war' all the time with my siblings with plastic guns, running around outside. I also loved to play video games of all kinds including Super Mario Bros 3, but also Mortal Kombat. I still play a variety of games (enjoying El Shaddai, City Tuesday, Black Knight Sword, and Qrth-Phyl right now).
I'm guessing people over 50 contribute proportionately to more book, music, and movie sales than they do video games sales. As the variety of games commercially available on a large public scale broadens, and games are played among more diverse ages of people, I think the number of violent games that dominate sales charts will continue towards violent/non-violent distributions similar to books and movies.
Games and Children
Scene from POSTAL 2 (source Running With Scissors). It's true, I worked on this game!
And lastly, some full disclosure: I worked on the notorious POSTAL 2. I still like the game a lot and am proud of it, mainly because the player has free choice. The player can progress in the game even if you don't kill people, as opposed to most FPS. Unprovoked player violence has strong repercussions. If you start acting violent in the game, the innocent NPCs react (as do the police) and cause the game to get harder for you. There are no points scored as you kill things, no direct rewards. I'm hope it goes without saying, but I don't think children should play this or anything like it!
From what I can see the ESRB ratings board is very useful for parents to understand what is in the game. As a parent, you need a baseline as to what the game could contain so as to help gauge whether or not kids should be playing it. But nothing beats sitting with your kids for a few minutes to watch them play the game itself. Parents--ask them about the game too, ask them what they did in it, what they liked, and why. Do it on a regular basis too, keeping up with these things will help you understand what they're experiencing.
Thought experiment:
What could we end up as an industry if for the next 5 years, no games with physical violence were made?
What would you make, if your next game could have no physical violence in it?
Defined as: Physical violence you can hear or see. There can still be implied violence. There can still games about
revenge, war, crime, you just can't have physical violence shown/heard.
Yes, that cuts out the core of most shooter games, but that's sort of the point.
The Witness
Also: The game would ideally be in a new franchise. I suppose it could use an existing franchise (though
things like Gears of War and Halo would be tough, but again--could be
something interesting from them).
The Unfinished Swan
There are already a lot of independent developers making games with no or limited violence and they've created some very original games. I'd really like all the AAA studios to think about it as well. There are so many hugely-talented people on these massive teams with
giant marketing budgets. What could they produce that would then reach
the world as the next thing they have to play? Hopefully something
different from Farmville?
No Assassin's Creed III, Halo 4, Dishonored, or Call of Duty Black Ops 2. What would those companies make instead? What TV ads would we see?
Dance Central
Now, I realize the irony in me asking this as Mommy's Best is finishing an XBLA game in which you stack guns on top of guns on top of guns. (I like guns.) I really
like fighting and shooting in games. I like it a lot. But I see games like The Unfinished Swan and I think, what would a whole industry look like if we did that for a while? What if we all pushed in that direction? Sure, we can make violent games again after that--but maybe we'd hit on something so good, we'd keep going?
Super Hexagon
I think I'd do something with expanded social interaction, story-manipulation and very responsive NPCs. I liked where LA Noire was heading in the interrogation sections... I'd probably look at interesting AI for characters interacting and responding to situational changes. A short game, but with lots of breadth to support more interaction options along the way, and additional replays.
Shoot 1UP on Windows Phone 7 is out now! It's got exclusive content like strange, new enemies, a new ship, a new game mode, Achievements, friends Leaderboards, and free ringtones! Get it here: marketplace link
In addition, we made a short, live-action commercial called "Even Up the Odds" to mark the release. Enjoy!
8 Bit Horse, the premiere site on the web for all things 2D action gaming, has hit some big numbers recently! Looking at our Google numbers we realized we're closing in on 200k hits since we started just a few years ago! Tease: Plus there's cool desktop art on the site now (see end of article)
It's great to see this sort of interest in a niche area, and with a unusual article structure. At this point anyone that's visited the site knows 8BH articles are filled with precise and extensive gameplay breakdowns games of now and yesteryear.
8 Bit Horse covers games that are 2D in art and gameplay, and focus on action.
The site is not a daily blog in which topical news pops up then quickly melts from the front page. Instead, each article is an often long investigation of the gameplay in a particular title. Games are organized into lists such as Upcoming, Current, and Heritage. Links for all games are maintained on the front page, making it simple to browse through the lists.
In looking at the hits on the site we gathered together bunch of fun stats:
Over 180,000 hits
Over 100 articles
- 21 heritage games featured - Over 80 current and upcoming games featured
- Over 100 additional games covered in 2D CRED sections (featuring developers' other works), including these notable titles:
- Maestro! Jump in Music, Bitejacker: Secret Base Horror Series 01, Legend of Princess, Noitu Love & The Army of Grinning Darns, Aquaria, Eternal Daughter, Soul, the Johnny Platform series, JoyJoy, Challenge from Kiyoshi, Digidrive, the PixelJunk series, Mirror's Edge 2D, NyxQuest, A Game with a Kitty, Tuper Tario Tros., rComplex, Super Tank Run, the Soulcaster series, Ninja Senki, The Adventures of Shuggy, Insectoid
2D RADAR
- A list of 2D games in development, each with a quick description. - Currently 68 games on the list
- 26 updates since it originally went live on 10/27/2010 (near 1 year anniversary)
- Total games listed from the start: 125!
- Original post had 23 games including these notable titles:
- Acceleration of SUGURI, Astroman, Bangai-O HD: Missile Fury, Bastion, Capsized, Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet, La-Mulana*, Monster Tale, NightSky, Pac-Man Championship Edition DX, Rayman Origins, Retro City Rampage*, Spelunky*. * Denotes title is still on the list.
A little while ago a new, very pretty shoot 'em up, Sine Mora, was released on XBLA. It was co-developed by Digital Reality and Grasshopper Manufacturing.
I like the game a lot!
I think the graphics are gorgeous and the boss designs are inspired with lots of variety. I also like the music a lot even though it's
a little understated. Several of the tunes stay in my mind after playing, such as
the disco-like theme for some boss fights.The time-slowing ability is fun to use in a shoot 'em up.
I liked the game so much I want to play it more! Sadly, while I play I get frustrated by several, smaller design elements of the game that would be easy to fix. I decided to detail these in the hope that someone involved with the development of Sine Mora would read this.
I'd love for some or all of these issues to be addressed by the development teams on a subsequent update. In all cases I list possible solutions to the problems, most of which would be pretty reasonable to implement.
Major Issues
Problem: Player ships can be damaged by some objects that player bullets pass through. This is the strangest thing I've seen in a long time and it pretty much screws up any sort of reasonable 'discovery' the player can achieve. In a shmup, the player's bullets are like this hands. He uses these to feel out the world and decide what can hurt him and what can't. For instance, the underwater submarine boss turned sideways does not let you pass through it (like when trying to grab powerups) but your bullets and powerups do. In most vertical shmups there is no environmental collision. In horizontal shmups there is often environmental collision. Sine Mora follows that convention, but strangely does not let find out what can hurt your ship until you actually smash into it. Also strange is that some objects block bullets and your ship and some only block (and damage) your ship.
The environment-collision inconsistency hampers the game.
Solution: If the player ship bounces off things, their bullets and powerups should too, OR if your bullets go through things, don't let that damage the player.
Problem: Objects in the playfield are too easily confused with objects in the background or foreground. Even in levels I've played several times, and with enemies that come in from the background (which is often) I'm not quite sure exactly when a ship is able to collide with me or when I can shoot it.This leads to lots of confused shooting and scrambling to figure out where to be. It's also confusing when a tiny turret stuck onto the background is actually shooting and you, can damage you, and could be shot to recover more valuable time (which acts as health here).
Pic from a different shmup, Mushihimesama, the background is desaturated and you can see the action more clearly.
Sine Mora: Some of those turrets are enemies, and some aren't.
Solution: Make a clear distinction between objects in the background and playfield, via a fog effect, desaturation (as is already used in the time-slow ability). Could even be an option for the player to toggle in the menus.
In our own Shoot 1UP we offered several background visual options including the ability to simply turn off the background (full black) to make the game easier to play for people that struggle tracking things on screen amidst all the action.
The game won't look as pretty, but I think giving the player an option to control how distinct the background is would be a huge help and really increase how much they can enjoy the game. I agree that picture of Mushihimesama is washed out and maybe don't have that as the default in Sine Mora. But after I play with 'full graphics' some, I'd probably want to change it so I can see what's happening better.
Problem: Powerups quickly fly off the screen. From what I can tell the powerups bounce off the environment (this is fine) but they don't bounce off the "screen bounds". This is very frustrating. You end up really under powered with just one slip up and fighting underpowered is tedious. I think it's also fine if the powerups eventually leave the screen, just not immediately.
That red powerup is pretty much as good as gone.
Solution: Powerups should be bound to the screen, or travel more slowly, or there should be more created.
Problem: It's difficult to discern what parts of the 3D environment you'll crash into and what you wont. This is related, but different than the first point (not knowing what things you can crash into because you're bullets don't hit what you'd expect). This is because the game is in 3D, and has pieces of the environment extending "out towards the player" and has parallax. The ship always emits a vague light on the environment which makes it seem that the developer knew there was a problem, but they didn't go far enough with this possible solution. In most 2D sprite shmups, you can easily discern when you'll crash into the environment. In Sine Mora not only is it tough to tell going up in down in a simple cave setting, but sometimes you're forced to go through a 3D tube while your ship is obscured from view! You can easily bump parts of the tube and be damaged. It's very frustrating.
It's tough to decide just when your ship will hit the walls, especially while frantically chasing down powerups.
Solution: Make collisions with the environment not damage your ship, like in Einhander, or shear off all graphics to create a cross-section with no parallax, or cast a distinct visual line (like a circle emitting outwards from the ship in a plane parallel to the screen) that collides with environment and shows what the player will hit.
Minor Issues
Problem: Screen shake is too disruptive and happens often while a big cloud of enemy bullets are about to hit you.
Solution: Only screen shake at the end of boss fights when the
player is invincible, or make the player invincible while the screen is
shaking.
Problem: Some enemy bullets are extremely similar to your player ship bullets. When lined up, it's
hard to tell when something is coming. This is worst on the train boss. The bullets are long red shapes extremely similar to the players.
Solution: Change enemy bullets to not look like the players through color and shape.
Problem: Effects cover up things. In the underwater sections, explosion and smoke effects cover up too much of the action.
Solution: Make sure the player and enemies, and bullets layer on to of effects.
I made this list in the hopes that Sine Mora can be updated to be even more enjoyable, but also for other shmup developers to consider these and other design decisions in your game.
I love the game, keep up the great work developers and please consider these issues--thanks!
Help the BABIES get back to their MOM!
Ride the Porkerpillar and gobble up the tasty treats, but watch out for trouble!
Click for original-size
The Porkerpillar is sort of like a caterpillar crossed a pig. A very happy pig.
As the stork flies by, a baby falls from a rip in the cloth sack, waking the Porkerpillar. It's time to wave and undulate his body to move the precious baby around, helping them eat yummies but also dodge danger while making your way to his mom.
Donuts are good for you, right?
This project was specifically made for the Experimental Gameplay Project which tasked designers to make a game that only uses 5 buttons. Traditional console games use directional pads (which alone use 4 or more buttons) or analog sticks, plus other face buttons and triggers.
This contest was special in that the finalists would be shown in a public party setting, with 5 large, pressure-sensitive buttons used to control the chosen games.
And the great news is, Porkerpillar is one of thefinalists! The contest+party is being held this Friday, wish us luck!
And if you'd like to try the game out, here's the link. Be warned though, some PC keyboards will not properly allow all keys 1 through 5 to be held down at once, which compromises the experience considerably. (My desktop keyboard doesn't work with 5 keys at once, but my laptop pleasantly does, so it may in fact work for you.) Here's a handy test for your keyboard.
There is only one level currently. We may pursue developing the game further for touch-devices. It was a fun, and different project to make, enjoy! And it was our first non-violent game--crazy!
Game Type has been updated with a slew of small and large improvements! Most of these improvements are in the shoot'em up portion of the game.
The biggest changes come to the gameplay in the form of the weapons and point system.
Before, Cash Drops only gave the player extra points. Now they still give you score bonuses, but additionally they fill a meter shown in the HUD. This meter powers your Kick Beam and the new Time Pulse.
In addition to the normal and beam weapons, you can use a new action called "Time Pulse". This slows down time dramatically for just a moment, giving you a chance to dodge out of the way.
Using Time Pulse takes 51% of your cash meter (which is marked by a yellow star letting you know Time Pulse is ready). You'll have to grab more cash drops to use it again.
But that should be easy since now shooting enemy bullets with your Kick Beam, while in the slowed-down mode, turns into Cash Drops! That's right, shooting enemy bullets turns them to cash!
Use the Kick Beam during the time slow-down and change enemy shots to Cash Drops!
The new player basic shot can attack top, bottom, and forward!
In addition to the gameplay and art changes the online High Scores Tables are fixed and will now share properly for all scores!
Take 2 players into the madness!
Here's the full change list:
High scores properly share now for scores past loop 3.
Weapons system changes: Normal shot now has up/down shots plus forward firing, and is stronger. Kick
Beam is now powered by Cash drops. Also, new attack added via the Right
Trigger called "Time Pulse" which slows time and lets the Kick Beam turn
normal enemy bullets into cash. Add action buttons are remappable.
New 'How to Play' screens (2), these are now shown via menu option during gameplay as well.
New Score Multiplier system which works by increasing for every cash
drop you grab, but drops if you don't get them fast enough.
Warning arrows are shown for enemy groups beginning to approach off screen.
Players can "log in and log out" on the shmup sub-menu screen. Find the
Game Type menu with box art showing (the menu in which you're about to
play the shoot'em up). Players can press A to join or press Y to log
out. If two players are playing, and one needs to quit use this to get
the second player to log out.
Graphical touch-ups: green theme used on beam attacks and bullets. Background art touched up with more detail and highlights.
Gameplay tips are now shown during loop starts.
The wave spawning for enemies have been rebalanced for more consistent, interesting attacks.
The 'hint arrow' in the fake dashboard now starts on by default (to make it easier to find the shmup game).
There is a quick-start option now, just press Y to launch shmup game, if you've already found it and played it once.
Pressing B repeatedly on the fake dashboard will eventually take you back to the exit menu.
Mmm.. delicious enemy attacks
Here's a Xbox 360 marketplace link to the update: Link. Game Type is 80 MS Points which allows for the ability to share your high scores online. The game was originally released December 21st. This is the first update for the game.
.
