New shmup: Jamestown

[Udderdude]

Hrrmm, new screenshots show it's a widescreen vertizontal.

Don't know if want .. >_>

At least they redrew the colonial guys. :D

[ptoing]

BUT IT'S FOUR (4!!!) PLAYERS!!!!!!

It has been ages since I played a shmup even multiplayer. I guess the 4 player thing will make lots of people happy. Nothing against vertizontals but widescreen seems a bit overkill (if played alone at least)

[Observer]

The fact that is coming for PC makes it an instant-buy for me

I wonder if they can implement some sort of rudimentary network code, something to get, if not 4-players, at least 2 players online. Hopefully, crazy stuff like that can be added with patches or even by modding or god knows what. The joys of PC.

Now, the key question is if they are gonna make a boxed version out of this or if it's going to be via Steam or other services.

[ptoing]

I reckon they will go the Steam way. This is what I would do at least. Making boxed versions require extra money which you are not guaranteed to get back, depending on how big your print run is. And if there is a lot of demand you have to reprint, all takes time.

Just doing it via download makes a lot more sense as far as making money and distribution goes. Also costs less for the buyer. No shipping, no higher prices because because of stuff like boxes, physical manuals and so on.

[Dave_K.]

Hot damn, this looks incredible! They got the Cave look and feel down pat. And moving to a PC release is just icing on the cake.

[Udderdude]

BUT IT'S FOUR (4!!!) PLAYERS!!!!!!

It has been ages since I played a shmup even multiplayer. I guess the 4 player thing will make lots of people happy. Nothing against vertizontals but widescreen seems a bit overkill (if played alone at least)

Yeah, they're definitely playing up (hurr) the 4 player aspect. Looked more promising when it was a vert w/ one player ;P

Bwahaha the quotes in the trailer. '...comes an old-school schooter with a new-school heart'? What the fuck does that even mean?

[ptoing]

MARKETING SPEECH! That's what it means.

In other words: Fuck all!

[Limbrooke]

Thumbs up for a PC/Windows release - would be extra pleased for a physical disc release but so far I have no complaints. It has transformed from the vertical arranged screenshots from way-back-when to the new vertizontal viewing, although that might not be a bad thing.

Looked more promising when it was a vert w/ one player.

I have to agree but at least it's coming out period instead of going to limbo much like Drill and or Force Majeure.

[Observer]

BUT IT'S FOUR (4!!!) PLAYERS!!!!!!

It has been ages since I played a shmup even multiplayer. I guess the 4 player thing will make lots of people happy. Nothing against vertizontals but widescreen seems a bit overkill (if played alone at least)

Yeah, they're definitely playing up (hurr) the 4 player aspect. Looked more promising when it was a vert w/ one player ;P

Bwahaha the quotes in the trailer. '...comes an old-school schooter with a new-school heart'? What the fuck does that even mean?

I didn't pay attention to that, lol. I never pay attention to slogans or publicity, I wanted to see how the game looked, heh.

So, yeah, I bet it means we get to blow shit up in 2D. In Mars. Sounds good to me. I don't think the story/excuse reaches the level of the almighty Armed Police Batrider but if they leave it there it sounds perfect to me.

The ships better don't have inertia... but, obviously, we could plea for a patch to take it away if they make the sore mistake of putting inertia. Or they can just make a ship called "Indie Revolution" that has the inertia and all the euroshmuppy features you all love and cherish... right?

[Paradigm]

Yeah, they're definitely playing up (hurr) the 4 player aspect. Looked more promising when it was a vert w/ one player ;P

Bwahaha the quotes in the trailer. '...comes an old-school schooter with a new-school heart'? What the fuck does that even mean?

Why are you being such a prick? Are you just mad because your boring game is going nowhere and these guys are actually making something that's worth buying?

[Limbrooke]

Yeah, they're definitely playing up (hurr) the 4 player aspect. Looked more promising when it was a vert w/ one player ;P

Bwahaha the quotes in the trailer. '...comes an old-school schooter with a new-school heart'? What the fuck does that even mean?

Why are you being such a prick? Are you just mad because your boring game is going nowhere and these guys are actually making something that's worth buying?

Now you've done it.
REALESE THE IRC HOUNDES!

[bkk]

REALESE THE IRC HOUNDES!

[Udderdude]

I wish I had an adorable legion of puppies at my command to be honest :X

[ptoing]

Make a mode in XOP G where you have puppy options!

[TrevHead (TVR)]

Never underestimate the power of puppies and kittens to instantly dispell any possible tension in a forum thread, the mods should use em instead of locking threads methinks

As for the game im quite stoked, the graphical style and especially those popcorn tanks arranged diagonally all scream DDP to me. After years of Cave ignoring reqests to release their games on the PC, It seems that some unknown developer has answered fans calls by bringing a Cave like shooter, and its a western developer at that Still looking like cave is one thing but playing as good as a cave game is another especially in how theyre going to ballance this game out to be fun in both solo and mutiplayer (must have 2+ online co-op).

I hope this gets a steam release, and been the only good shmup for the label sells like hotcakes thus proving to everyone including Cave what a great platform PC gaming is.

Note to devs, pls domt use a draconian DRM like TAGES that would make me a very unhappy chappy

[ptoing]

Most games on Steam have DRM in that you need to run them through Steam. At least you can still use them on any computer with steam on, which is good.

I just tried with some of my indie games I have on steam and only VVVVVV and Super Meat Boy worked when copied outside the Steam folder and running their exe files directly. Everything else produced some kind of error.

I guess this decision must be up to the developers then.

[neon guide]

Looks really cool, consider me very excited.

From the looks of that video it seems like the different ship types have very different attacks, which could make the multiplayer a really interesting co-op experience. Widescreen vert makes sense as well, especially when you have four players. Plus there arent enough vertizontals anyway, whats the point in making it a vert that almost no one would tate.

[StarCreator]

From what I hear, it's not that they choose to be on Steam, it's Steam that chooses what gets to be on it. It'd be fantastic, but I wouldn't get my hopes up just yet.

[TrevHead (TVR)]

If you look at the original pics of the game on Kotaku you can see it started out at a full on vert which they've changed to widescreen vertizontal and made it 4 player. One part of me says this is a shame as it would be brilliant for a someone to make a full on Tate vert for the PC. But the other part of my brain tells me Final Form are doing the right thing making it a WS vertizontal as nobody exept us will bother with Tate and instead hate the fact that half of the screen is unused.

Instead the devs have gone for a making it multiplayer (must have online) which imo is a wise decision as it helps bring something new into genre and is a great way of getting all those geometry wars fans into scrolling shmups aswell. So I for one arnt that bothered if it doesnt have tate we have have enough of those games on Mame and 360 to keep us happy, Lets play something new

[Sumez]

If this goes on Steam only, I'm skipping it.
I've heard a lot of people speak positively of the whole Steam thing, but there's no way I'm ever going to install a piece of software on my computer that controls what programs I can run. On my own damn computer!

I actually won that interesting looking game, Magicka, in a contest. But what I then got was a download code for Steam, so I never got the game. Bollocks.

[Snake]

I'm hoping for a disk version. I don't mind downloading, but all this DRM protection and having to be connected to Steam to play is a pile of shit.


I was impressed by the gameplay, looks solid to me and I kind of like "Vertizontal." Though I have to admit I'm especially drawn to the theme and art design. I was never into "steampunk" or anything, but I just love the look of this game. While it is four players I can assume they are making single player solid, as the developers seem to have an appreciation for proper shmups.


They indicated in a blog post that they play Mars Matrix...

[PC Engine Fan X!]

Going with a retail box, physical CD-Rom medium & related paperworks would be cool to have. Do the devs have any plans to release the cool BGM as a seperate OST disc? Sounds quite epic.

I can see where the 4-player option homage is coming from, considering that one of two other console based shmup titles blessed with a 4-player option is Gigawing 2 on the DC console platform. Crazy with four chaps with guns blazing on-screen indeed.

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[TrevHead (TVR)]

If this goes on Steam only, I'm skipping it.
I've heard a lot of people speak positively of the whole Steam thing, but there's no way I'm ever going to install a piece of software on my computer that controls what programs I can run. On my own damn computer!

I actually won that interesting looking game, Magicka, in a contest. But what I then got was a download code for Steam, so I never got the game. Bollocks.

When steam first came out with Half Life 2 I hated the fact that I was been forced to go online and link it to an account, as back then I wasnt on the internet, it was the fact that more and more games were using steam that made me finally get wired. It was steam that fucked up PC used game sales aswell.

However things have changed with most PC games using DRM of which Steam compared to the likes of Ubisoft's TAGES, EA's SecuROM is very unobtrusive although linking your games to an online account is imo risky if you are hacked or steam itself goes down, but steam isnt the only label thats like this.

Imo what really gets my goat nowadays is publishers insisting that they keep their 3rd party DRM on top of Steam's DRM even when theyre conflicting against each other like using Steam and TAGES (eg 3 activation limit). With Ubisoft starting to partner with more and more indie developers this is something I can see happening more often.

[neon guide]

If this goes on Steam only, I'm skipping it.
I've heard a lot of people speak positively of the whole Steam thing, but there's no way I'm ever going to install a piece of software on my computer that controls what programs I can run. On my own damn computer!

The only way Steam controls what programs you can run is that it lets you play what you have bought. Fancy that. You dont even need to be online to use Steam, just your first log in and to download whatever it is you want to play.
Steam is pretty unobtrusive, and very cheap if you buy stuff at the right time!
A disc version would be a nice collectors thing though.

[ChainsawGuitarSP]

>Looks like Metal Slug

Caught my interest in this game right then and there. Though I have doubts as to how co-op mode will work out. Having 4 players at once shooting at the same target would just wreck the game. At the same time, you can't really make it a bullet hell or else it'll turn into a game of 'follow the leader'.

[Sumez]

The only way Steam controls what programs you can run is that it lets you play what you have bought. Fancy that. You dont even need to be online to use Steam, just your first log in and to download whatever it is you want to play.
Steam is pretty unobtrusive, and very cheap if you buy stuff at the right time!
A disc version would be a nice collectors thing though.

It's not so much how it works, it's rather the concept itself that bugs me. It's sort of double standards I guess - I don't mind content control on consoles (as long as someone allows me to hack my X360 in ten years when it's deprecated), but I can't stand all that DRM crap on PCs. I probably wouldn't mind it if I were a pirate, but as a legit consumer, it's just annoying to have it get in the way of everything. I think GOG.com got it right - all their game are completely DRM free and can in theory be pirated without effort, as much as you want to. Yet people, myself included, still pay them for the games, go figure!!

[linko9]

This looks incredibly beautiful, and it looks like it plays well too. I just hope that it isn't a crappy single-player game, due to being designed for 4 players (look what happened to NSMBWii).

[ptoing]

I talked with a friend who had something published on Steam and it is totally up to the developers if they want to have Steam DRM or no. Not meaning you can run it without steam and could pirate it at will.

[Wonderbanana]

[I think GOG.com got it right - all their game are completely DRM free and can in theory be pirated without effort, as much as you want to. Yet people, myself included, still pay them for the games, go figure!!

You can't compare GOG to Steam when GOG mainly deals with games that are years old that hardly anyone would bother to pirate at the prices their offered for. I could not see any major publisher releasing all their full price new games on there for example.

Steam has come a long way since it's HL2 introduction. It's largely thanks to Steam and XBLA that Indie games are getting much better exposure than ever before and thats a great thing.

I don't know why you would complain about Steam with regards to DRM when it's nothing at all to be with Steam themselves and entirely the publishers/developers choice what they opt for.

[TrevHead (TVR)]

Sumez while I can understand your dislike of DRM since the worst forms of it really are shitty. But unlike consoles which have an physical (plus DRM) means of ensuring gamers dont pirate. PC devs dont have that luxury except the dongle, which isnt viable for non professional std software.

PC games without DRM tend have piracy at insane levels, especially if they're indie devs that dont have games 5Gig + big. (EG world of goo PC had no drm and had over a 90% piracy rate, Ild imagine less then 1% of ppl owning Touhou or other doujins games are legit copies, Or in the case of many MS GFWL games the DRM is broken and inadiqate and you get publishers like Capcom not selling SSF4 due to the high piracy of SF4.

Using an analogy ild say DRM is like an antitheft system on your car. Obviously you wouldnt leave your car unlocked for the night as someone would nick it. (No DRM). Or you keep you car locked but it still gets nicked because every key from your car manufactuer was exactly identical (MS' GFWL DRM) But then again you dont want your security system to be over the top as that would be a pain aswell. Ubisoft's TAGES DRM's analogy would be that your car exploaded on the third or fifth time you ran out of petrol

Ill give a hint to anyone pissed off with PC DRM, and thats to buy your games 6+ months after release date as some publishers remove the worst aspects of their DRM when sales get low. (EA with Mass Effect) Also some publishers on steam who also have 3rd party DRM downgrade their 3rd party DRM to fit better with steam aswell