FullBlast (iOS/Android/OUYA)

[tiaoferreira]

Great! I'm waiting for PC version

[Eskema]

Hi,

Long time since last post I just want to let you know that the game will be released this week on Ouya. The gameplay is definitely much better than the mobile version, well except the ios version with an icade hehehe.

[tucho]

Finally the Ouya version of FullBlast is done and available for purchase (you also can play the first level for free).

[mice]

Will DL asap.

[Rozyrg]

Very cool game. Definitely one of the prettiest shmups on the OUYA so far.

I'll spare the stock critiques (healthbar, slow bullets etc.); but my main disappointment was in not being able to destroy certain background elements. They're lively enough to draw your attention, so it feels like you should be able to. I get the idea you might not want a hero character tearing up the town he/she's supposed to protect; but you could give them fairly simple visual cues to show they're enemies. Just a thought.

This isn't a flaw,really; but one of the sound fx sounds exactly like one from Unreal Tournament, which I find oddly distracting. <_<

[emphatic]

Graphics look incredible! Gonna try it on my iPhone.

[mice]

I'll spare the stock critiques

Me too, even though that is the most important part of a game.
But anyway, super great graphics!

[Rozyrg]

...even though that is the most important part of a game.

Yeah, it really just seemed past the time to make those kinds of suggestions and I doubt most people playing this on mobile would care either way. *shrug*

Still, playing on hard is still pretty darn fun despite the huge healthbar and obnoxiously large hitbox. I'd love to see a one-hit hardcore mode at the very least. Pretty please?

I so want to blow up those cute little tanks you see on the intro screen, too.

[Eskema]

I don't know exactly what are your complaints at all LOL

What's wrong with healthbar?, and more important, why all shmups have to be the same?, as soon as someone tries to create something different everyone is bitching about, how about just enjoying the game as it is?

We added a healthbar because I hate those shmups where a bullet will kill me, second point, the game was created with mobile users in mind, they are not hardcore at all, and a difficult game will not be pleasant for them.

The same goes with the "huge" hitbox, we wanted more "fun", not a pixel perfect collision game, at the end it's all a matter of personal preferences


Ohh and btw, the little cute tanks can be destroyed in levels 6 and 7....

[eebrozgi]

I understand your frustration, I myself don't like either some overly-specific definitions of what are shmups or other genres in general.

The same goes with the "huge" hitbox, we wanted more "fun", not a pixel perfect collision game, at the end it's all a matter of personal preferences

But I just wanted to point out that those two aren't as mutually exclusive as your post makes them out to be. But yeah, it is about personal preferences in the end.

[Rozyrg]

*sigh*

Being different is fine; but if you're going to take a shot at such a well-tread genre, the details are worth getting right and it's worth understanding why certain design choices are consistently made. Rebel by all means; but do it with at least *some* cognizance of the status quo.

Healthbar

• Granting the player some forgiveness for mistakes is OK, many classics like the Soldier and Aleste series do this very well. However, allowing for so many just saps away all tension. No tension, no sense of danger or excitement. If there's next to no consequence for fucking up, there's little incentive to play well, either.

Hitbox

• Having a big, 'realistic' sized hitbox can also be fine; but the game has to be designed very specifically around this. It's also more fitting to an 80's arcade punisher than a light, casual game that's too timid and fearful to upset it's players with things like 'challenge'.
  
  The big downside with this is you lose the fundamental joy of skillfully weaving through bullets, which is big part of the shmup fun quotient IMO. If the player can't navigate dense patterns (which they might expect to having played nearly anything else in the genre), they must be taught this immediately through punishment, clear and easily quantifiable negative feedback, things like that.

"bitching" - It's your game, you can do whatever you like with it, of course; but don't seek out feedback if you don't really want it.

[Eskema]

I'm looking for feedback, BUT, most of the feedback that we receive can be considered "picky" because it falls out of the scope of the game, and I said picky because we've tried to create a shmup for mobile players, and that changes all.
If you create such a "hard" game for mobile you are doomed, in fact even if you can't believe it guys, we've received lots of emails complaining because the game is too hard.... (even on easy mode) go and figure out.

We never had the intention of a shmup for hardcore gamers of real shmup fans, in fact I personally hate all those bullet hell from cave, too many action for me... I prefer something "easier" like the old terra cresta, and that one is a real bitch LOL

Probably we'll address that on the pc version, as we have to rework the graphics, probably we'll change the mechanics as well, at the end the pc customers are different to the mobile ones ,with more bullet patterns, more realistic hitboxes (smaller), 3 hits and you're dead, etc,

[MommysBestGames]

Congrats on being included in the Best of 2014 for Ouya! (Can't find a link, only have an email about it.)

>We never had the intention of a shmup for hardcore gamers of real shmup fans, in fact I personally hate all those bullet hell from cave, too many action for me... I prefer something "easier" >like the old terra cresta, and that one is a real bitch LOL
If your goal is to make the game more friendly and easier (for mobile)--then make the hitbox on the player smaller.
It makes the game easier to play and more forgiving. A big hitbox on the player sounds opposite to your goals of making it more forgiving for mobile (or in general).

[Rozyrg]

Well, picky is certainly the right word for this place. We're a little niche here. That said, I'm not the biggest Cave fan either, I really like seeing all different sorts get a showing; but the mechanics and feel still need to be spot on.

All in all, I do appreciate the game's style and I'm glad to see another shmup brought to the underloved OUYA.

If your goal is to make the game more friendly and easier (for mobile)--then make the hitbox on the player smaller.

This is what I was trying to say but probably didn't get across.

• A bigger hitbox is consistent with a harder game - one that enforces harsher rules and swiftly punishes any mistake.
  A smaller hitbox gives the player much more forgiveness and leeway - and also allows for the joy and thrill of skillful dodging.
  
  As long you don't do things an arcade designer would in order to cancel out this 'advantage' given to the player- such as increasingly tight and dense clusters of bullets, this is a definite boon.

A game that is forgiving of player mistakes to a fault (and the complete draining away of tension); but is bizarrely very harsh when it comes to collisions just seems at odds with itself. It's the worst of both extremes combined. That's probably the best way I can think of to summarize... and I'll stop banging on about it now.

[MommysBestGames]

P.S. We complain because we care!

[Biggu Bossu]

It's surprising to often see game devs jumping into the shmup forums and expecting praise without having an idea of the forum's general sensibilities.

The shmup genre is so niche that it's a wonder an active community even exists. The members of such a forum are obviously going to be pickier than your garden variety gaming website. After all, all of the most dedicated and knowledgeable people this genre has will be concentrated in one place. If you didn't intend to target "hardcore gamers of real shmup fans" (lol), this seems like the wrong place? Maybe?

Even so, the criticism aligns with your intentions. A big hitbox does make not getting hit harder. Half the fun of those newer shmups is surviving through what seems like an impossible challenge. Again, a smaller hitbox enables that.

That said, the ouya trailer looks nice!

[tucho]

Hi again guys, we've just launch FullBlast on Wii U (Just Europe for now, but it will arrive to USA soon as well)

[tucho]

Free stuff to play added on both Android and iOS

[tiaoferreira]

This is "UM TIRO NELES!" (SHOOT'EM UP!), a portuguese blog/facebook page exclusivelly about shmups:
https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php? ... 2158311431

[GhostGK]

I love the art style & the visual aesthetic of this!
Interesting project..

Hopefully, the game will be as fun as it looks!!
Keep up the great work!

Will be checking it out!

[tucho]

@tiaoferreira: thank you for the article
@GhostGK: thank you for your kind comments

We finally find some time to make a PC version of the game with improved visuals, here is the Steam Greenlight campaign, any vote or help spreading our project is more than welcome