P. Rival (WIP) feedback request

[sp8cewave]

P. Rival

P. Rival (development name) is a competitive shmup I have been developing for about a year now. I started developing it in Java because I was interested in the LibGDX library but it gradually turned into a more serious project. I am now migrating to Unity so I can take advantage of the cross-platform features.

I'm not much of a forum-goer but I would like to get some feedback and I figure this is the best place to look. Please test out my game and let me know what you think. This is a prototype that will be scrapped so I'm not too concerned with bugs.

This game is obviously inspired by Twinkle Star Sprites. This prototype hasn't reached the same amount of features yet, i.e no bombs or boss attacks.



Feedback I'm most interested in:

How it feels

• Do the hitboxes feel right?
  When you get hit, do you feel like you deserved it?
  Bullet "physics" and speed
  etc.

Difficulty

• The final game will have a difficulty slider and each round will gradually become more difficult. But, I would still like to know your thoughts on difficulty, e.g. avoiding and deflecting hazards.

Convoluted features?

• This game borrows elements from TSS, some of which might be convoluted. For example, the HP system is pretty confusing and could be simplified.

Other Ideas

• If anything else comes to mind while you're playing let me know. All feedback is appreciated.

Thanks for checking it out.

Prototype testing is now closed. Thanks everyone for your feedback! For now I will be porting what I can to Unity and reworking the core gameplay.

[sp8cewave]

reserved

[trap15]

Very cool idea, I'd always hoped someone would pick up the TSS style. I'll give this a whirl tonight and let you know what I think.

From looking at the footage on your post, it seems like everything is a bit too big though. Big enemies, big player ship. I don't know how you have everything done, but increasing the resolution/playfield size should help, though I suppose that's much easier said than done. Aside from that it looks pretty solid.

[sp8cewave]

Very cool idea, I'd always hoped someone would pick up the TSS style. I'll give this a whirl tonight and let you know what I think.

From looking at the footage on your post, it seems like everything is a bit too big though. Big enemies, big player ship. I don't know how you have everything done, but increasing the resolution/playfield size should help, though I suppose that's much easier said than done. Aside from that it looks pretty solid.

Thanks for pointing that out. You're totally right. I will experiment with adjusting the play area.

[trap15]

Actually haven't gotten around to playing it tonight, maybe tomorrow.

Another issue I failed to comment on from the preview, the player sprite goes "under" enemies, which can be a serious visibility issue when they're popping (look at player 1 side in your first video, particularly).

[buko-studios]

Just gave it a spin.

LOVE the pixel art, and variety of ships. The creativity and execution of designs on your blog is awesome too!

I like the overall theme of real time competitive play!
I would like to see better correlation between what moves you make, and how that will make it more difficult for your opponent.
It wasn't clear to me what the rules were, other than we were ping ponging these glowing spheres at each other.

I agree with trap15. The playing field feels cramped, not enough room to execute great moves?

I didn't hear any sounds?

Is there a sense of the game getting more tricky, or more devastating moves becoming available as the game goes on?

Looking forward to seeing where you go with this!

[sp8cewave]

Actually haven't gotten around to playing it tonight, maybe tomorrow.

Another issue I failed to comment on from the preview, the player sprite goes "under" enemies, which can be a serious visibility issue when they're popping (look at player 1 side in your first video, particularly).

Yeah I see how that can be an issue. This will be addressed later. The prototype doesn't have any concept of draw order aside from the Volleys which are just drawn on top of everything. Unity makes draw order adjustments easy though.

I would like to see better correlation between what moves you make, and how that will make it more difficult for your opponent.
It wasn't clear to me what the rules were, other than we were ping ponging these glowing spheres at each other.

You're right. It doesn't really feel like you're interacting directly with your opponent. I am looking into alternatives. I plan on "easing" the players into each match, instead of just bombarding them with enemies immediately.

I didn't hear any sounds?

No sfx or music yet, sorry.

Is there a sense of the game getting more tricky, or more devastating moves becoming available as the game goes on?

Not in the prototype but that is planned, yes.

Glad you like the artwork, there are currently two talented artists on board with this project.

[BulletMagnet]

Is there any known issue with controller recognition? When I started up the game it apparently detected my 3rd-party 360 controller, as it was listed at the top of the screen, but none of the buttons responded, and the keyboard would only make selections for the CPU character.

[sp8cewave]

Is there any known issue with controller recognition? When I started up the game it apparently detected my 3rd-party 360 controller, as it was listed at the top of the screen, but none of the buttons responded, and the keyboard would only make selections for the CPU character.

Controller support is only half implemented -- I should have mentioned that. It currently supports Dualshock 3 and Xbox One controllers but you can only move using the D-Pad, and you can't configure the controls.

There are two solutions:
a) Disconnect your controller and restart the game. Player 1 should now work with the keyboard (WASD to move, C to shoot); or
b) Press the 1 key to turn on the CPU for Player 1, and the 2 key to turn off the CPU for Player 2. Then you can use player 2 (Arrows to move, Ctrl to shoot).