脱 Datsuco: Video Invaders PC Release Today

[SirRicho]

I'll keep it short

Authentic Coin-Op action that you won't find on MAME.

Press 5 to insert coin. Press 1 to Return the the Legendary Space War!

Check out the PC release on Itch.IO: https://datsuco.itch.io/video-invaders



Any questions - ask away!

[SirRicho]

If you have any questions feel free to ask...

On another forum I was asked the question about what's different to Space Invaders - I thought it might be helpful to post my reply here...

----

I studied the assembly code from the original Space Invaders in detail for a few weeks before coding this - so I'm aware of the exact details in what makes the original game work.

If you're interested - here's the details:
http://computerarcheology.com/Arcade/SpaceInvaders/

I've put a list of things that are different off the top of my head - however were two objectives in my new design:

(1) Make it feel like Space Invaders, but update it so it feels more "today". We're all used to bullet-hell shooters so Space Invaders feels a bit dated.
(2) Fix the primary problem I have with Space Invaders - the flat difficulty curve - it never gets any harder after level 7. So if you can handle level 7 - you can keep playing ad-infinitum.

Here are the broad strokes on what is different:

- Number of aliens
- Number of alien-shots that can be on-screen (32)
- Alien AI for shooting at player is completely different
- UFO now shoots at player (this makes point pressing techniques much more difficult)
- Different rules governing player / alien shot collision
- Player movement is faster
- Player shot speed is faster
- Alien shot speed is variable
- Rules for end-of-game when aliens reach the bottom are different (you can actually smash your ship into an alien on the bottom - lose a life- and continue)
- Collision detection is different
- Number of shields and shield behaviour is different (i.e. how many shots to penetrate etc.)
- UFO behaviour is different in terms of how it appears and moves. However, as in the original there is a sequence based on the player shot-count that makes scoring predictable
- Rules governing alien starting positions for each level are different
- Alien movement algorithm is different - it's still based on scanning (i.e. moving one alien per frame) - but it reverses scanning direction based whether the pack is moving left or right
- Frame-rate unlocked (original ran at 60fps, this version will run as fast as your machine can handle). Playing the game on a 120fps monitor is really nice

Anyhow - hope this answers your questions.

The game has taken months to program and tune. It was never intended to be a cheap knockoff. But rather - an evolution that's preferred over the original.

[BareKnuckleRoo]

Interesting project. I know there are still people into older 80s arcade games such as Donkey Kong, I am sure there are folks out there into older style shmups where you were limited to left/right movement like Space Invaders and Galaga. Battlantis also has a few dedicated players putting out some insane scores. Decimation X3 for Xbox 360 was also pretty cool.

It is interesting to see someone dedicated to the style of game producing a kind of remake of Space Invaders to address stuff and tweak it to how they feel would be more optimal for play, I am not familiar with the finer points of the game so I wasn't aware of the difficulty cap at level 7. I'm not sure if there's anywhere that has a huge fandom for the game; I know there's some serious Galaga players though out there, so I'm sure there's a following of hardcore Space Invaders fans out there.

[WelshMegalodon]

I thought Akkanvader was the one that got all the love?

This admittedly isn't as exciting as it could be given the numerous sequels that already exist, but I'm sure it will have its share of fans. The accompanying article on the disassembly definitely looks interesting.

[SirRicho]

Hey,

Just wanted to say that Video Invaders is 75% off during the itch summer sale, making it just $2.50.

However, given the overwhelmingly positive response:

> This admittedly isn't as exciting as it could be given the numerous sequels that already exist
>I'm not sure if there's anywhere that has a huge fandom for the game

I'm not sure if it's going to set the world on fire just yet

However, it needed to be done. Because I believe it's good luck for an indy-gaming company, like smashing a bottle over the bow of a boat - you have to clone space invaders before going onto great things.

The key will be making something you all love. Which I certainly aim to do.

Cheers!