Hey, I'm working on a game a little like Defender. When I say "a little like defender," I mean that the game is a side-scrolling, screen-wrapping 2D shmup. Nothing else is really that similar. In fact, a more similar game would be the excellent Diadra Empty.
That being said, I don't know how to decide the dimensions of the play area. What's a good length/width ratio? What's a good size for the character and the hitbox for said character? Is there anything in particular I should make sure to look out for when developing this kind of game? Your input is welcome.
Designing a game a little like Defender
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Re: Designing a game a little like Defender
Most of these questions are actually subject to your specific purposes for the game, to be perfectly honest. Trial and error will be essential in taking the measurements. You need to ask the following questions:
1) How much freedom of movement should I give the player? Do I want them to scroll through big battlegrounds, or concentrate the fight within a small area? Do I want them to zip around looking for enemies, or will the enemies come to them?
2) How visible do I want the character to be? Diadra Empty had this "big and empty" aesthetic (no pun intended) with a small character sprite and a huge screen. Are you going for that or something a little more up close and personal, like a zoomed-in Suguri? Although the second can make things more difficult than they ought to be.
1) The kind of control system will you be appropriating for turning and aiming. Do you want free turning (just press left or right) with a lock-on button to keep you shooting in one direction? Or do you want a dual button setup like Deathsmiles so you can just press one button to fire one way and another button to fire the other way? Or maybe something else (like a turn button--I don't like them personally, though)? The choice is yours.
2) If you're going with a big, wraparound scrolling screen mechanic, you'll need to pay attention to how big the viewport allowance is for the scrolling (i.e. the distance from your character to the edge of the screen before the camera begins scrolling along with you). Smaller viewport allowances--heck, small viewports in general--can lead to unnecessary frustration.
1) How much freedom of movement should I give the player? Do I want them to scroll through big battlegrounds, or concentrate the fight within a small area? Do I want them to zip around looking for enemies, or will the enemies come to them?
2) How visible do I want the character to be? Diadra Empty had this "big and empty" aesthetic (no pun intended) with a small character sprite and a huge screen. Are you going for that or something a little more up close and personal, like a zoomed-in Suguri? Although the second can make things more difficult than they ought to be.
Two things come to mind:sonicbhoc wrote:Is there anything in particular I should make sure to look out for when developing this kind of game?
1) The kind of control system will you be appropriating for turning and aiming. Do you want free turning (just press left or right) with a lock-on button to keep you shooting in one direction? Or do you want a dual button setup like Deathsmiles so you can just press one button to fire one way and another button to fire the other way? Or maybe something else (like a turn button--I don't like them personally, though)? The choice is yours.
2) If you're going with a big, wraparound scrolling screen mechanic, you'll need to pay attention to how big the viewport allowance is for the scrolling (i.e. the distance from your character to the edge of the screen before the camera begins scrolling along with you). Smaller viewport allowances--heck, small viewports in general--can lead to unnecessary frustration.
Re: Designing a game a little like Defender
Thanks for the insight. I prefer a medium sized sprite and a medium okay area. Like, exactly between Suguri and Diadra for character size. The play area for Diadra is slightly larger than I would want, but I still want to allow the player space to move around. And there is a dash button to cover space.