Galaxy Pilot

[gan9e]

Below is the original post I made in the general chat forum, I've changed the title and hopefully this thread may be moved.


I've just spent two years of my life making a shoot-em-up nobody wants... and I've only just realized now the game is complete...
I feel like a Big-Issue seller in the street ( I'm from the UK btw ) I might as well open up a swastika-shop in Israel...

OK so my problem started a couple of years ago when I started this game with all the best intentions in the world, I simply wanted to set out and make a half decent 'shmup' in the hope some oldies like me ( nearly 50 here... oop ) would enjoy it for what it was... a simple shooter.

Sadly I didn't pass it by enough peoples eyes during it's development stages to get the positive/negative feedback required to hone down my game ... I might as well have shown it to the cat for all the good it did me.

I used to fix arcade games you know... stopped that in 97 I think... anyway it was the older arcade game shooters I fashioned my game on... more-over my entire game is a homage to Star Force really... I loved that game when I first saw it and so I did my own version... and after two years diligently sitting in the glow of my computer screen typing out code etc my game was finally complete.

Well it's out there, I'm not actually selling it to you chaps... I mean to say PM me to review it for me or give me a heads-up on what's good and bad etc... all I'm going to do now is make a dedicated arcade cabinet for it and make a bar-top unit for it, coin-mech, illuminated top-flash, t-molding the lot... you name it and inside it all will be a PC running my game, boot it all up and play for 50p a pop down at my local pub... and if there is an internet connection then the game will connect to the games own world-score database and if (anyone) would play it they can do so against each other across the globe for the high-score... simples!

But my game is a tad odd...perhaps, anyway I may go for steam Greenlight eventually just to get it out there really...

see what I'm talking about below...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwIhfUKlMR4

This is the earlier version which was quite different at the time...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRlx03XG_D8

Either way trying to get your game out there and known is tough and so you have to try out various forums etc and if your game is good enough it'll carry itself... but really I shouldn't be measuring the success of my efforts in literal 'sales' etc but just knowing that after two years I've actually completed the bugger is an achievement in itself ( yeah kidding myself right? ) no... perhaps it was worth it, they say its easy starting a project but ever so hard finishing one... especially on your own and that last 10-20% of the game left to do was the hardest... making sure it all worked right etc, the testing the endless testing... and you kind of end up liking the stench of your own farts if you get my meaning... so please have a look at my game and tell me to take up fishing or something.

I mean I do love shumps etc but for the last how ever long I've up to my tits in code and this game etc... and I've ignored all else to get this game out the door... and It's my first also! - I was a teen programmer back in the 1980s did various things during the 'micro' UK computer boom, various bibs & bobs etc... then years later some 3D work with game engines etc and then this... a complete from start to finish honest to goodness...game!

I actually made a webside for it all, Its in my profile if you want to view and if you want a free copy PM me, I may just go ahead and make a full arcade bar-top machine, cabinet-n-all... illuminated buttons etc etc and leave it at that perhaps.

Anyway I have a great idea for my next shooter... of course tell me if I'm wasting everyone's time eh..
Thanks, have a good xmas... which is almost upon us, I awoke this morning wanting to write something about my worries about all this development malarkey and I chose here oh well, sorry ... well I have a cold coffee now so I'll leave it there, cheers

[Kaiser]

Congratulations on getting it done, I know too well what development hell can be, I mean I spent 4 years (breaks included) throughout my entire highschool making a mod for Doom (mod's Soulcrusher) thinking I will make a game out of it, I released it though it was a design trainwreck, but I still found people who appreciated it, those same people followed me through my gamedev journey up until now

So don't feel down and go make a new shmup, just account in everything that went wrong with this one's development.

I suggest doing these:
1. Think of what shmup you want to make
2. Make a design document where all the necessary basics are covered
3. Create a game plan that gives you deadlines on getting parts of content done
4. Have fun making it and always ask yourself "Will the player feel awesome playing it?", if you think yes then you are doing the right thing.

I mean I started as a crappy freeware developer myself, look at original Zenodyne on youtube (Emuser012 had a replay of it IIRC), then compare it to Zenohell and Zenodyne R, the thing is, once you start making shmups properly, it's hard to stop, you want to make more, explore different areas of shmups and you won't stop until you truly dry your lifetime of creativity

So good luck fellow developer, on your shmup development voyage.

[MaXXX]

Whats the problem exactly? It looks higher quality than many of the shmups that are on Steam already, I'd probably buy it myself for a reasonable price. I'd say put it on Greenlight, make a post about it here, a few other gaming forums, relevant boards on Reddit/4chan etc and it should probably get through.

[Stevens]

Chin up. This looks like a more fun version of Astro Warrior on the SMS.

Get it out there!

How does the overheat meter work exactly?

[gan9e]

Congratulations on getting it done, I know too well what development hell can be, I mean I spent 4 years (breaks included) throughout my entire highschool making a mod for Doom (mod's Soulcrusher) thinking I will make a game out of it, I released it though it was a design trainwreck, but I still found people who appreciated it, those same people followed me through my gamedev journey up until now

So don't feel down and go make a new shmup, just account in everything that went wrong with this one's development.

I suggest doing these:
1. Think of what shmup you want to make
2. Make a design document where all the necessary basics are covered
3. Create a game plan that gives you deadlines on getting parts of content done
4. Have fun making it and always ask yourself "Will the player feel awesome playing it?", if you think yes then you are doing the right thing.

I mean I started as a crappy freeware developer myself, look at original Zenodyne on youtube (Emuser012 had a replay of it IIRC), then compare it to Zenohell and Zenodyne R, the thing is, once you start making shmups properly, it's hard to stop, you want to make more, explore different areas of shmups and you won't stop until you truly dry your lifetime of creativity

So good luck fellow developer, on your shmup development voyage.

Oh thank you so much for that advice... especially from you, wow what a great game repartee you have, your advice will sink in and it's great advice at that thanks again, your style is so 1990s, mine is mid 1980s and I wonder if it just a time for each of us that inspired us the most, maybe not, but you have that certain something... and good luck with your future endeavours... futures so bright gotta wear sunglasses right? well thank you again for your inspiring words, much appreciated here.

[gan9e]

Whats the problem exactly? It looks higher quality than many of the shmups that are on Steam already, I'd probably buy it myself for a reasonable price. I'd say put it on Greenlight, make a post about it here, a few other gaming forums, relevant boards on Reddit/4chan etc and it should probably get through.

Thank you, I'm my own worse critic I suppose, but I'll try your suggestions out in due course, cheers to you.

[gan9e]

How does the overheat meter work exactly?

Thanks for asking, Its the same as the Sega classic Astro-Blaster...

In my game it works the same way, when you fire you heat up the gun and the meter at the bottom of the screen shows the gradual heating up of your gun.

If you pick up the 'rapid fire' power up in my game then holding down fire will result in a nice easy time of shooting stuff, but you'll also overheat your gun and when you do that it'll jam your weapon for a few seconds and in the later levels you don't want to lose anything like that so it adds a certain game-play element to think about.

[OmegaFlareX]

I think this looks pretty cool. Over the past year, due to MAME roulette streams and my own experimentation in MAME, I've acquired an appreciation of 8-bit shmups, so this definitely fits the bill. It's simple, flashy, and has cool music. That's all you need, really! Definitely try and get it on steam, you will surely make some fans of it.

[Pixel_Outlaw]

Looks fairly solid.
From the video it seems to avoid the cardinal sins many programmers impulsively put in.

The only thing I'd consider reworking is the mixed resolution you're using between different game sprites and effects.
In the past I've rendered to a small low resolution backbuffer than blitted that backbuffer at an integer scale into native resolution.

Those are just artsy fartsy thoughts though.

[davyK]

The game looks great - get it out there. There are shades gf Sega's Astro Blaster in there too maybe?

Stick with making a game YOU would like to play. I can't see any other way of doing it and keeping the motivation up.

[R3MIXI]

I'm not saying to make you feel better, but this looks great. Would probably buy if it was on steam. I really like the look of it and think you just need to get awareness out there so more people know this exists. Good LUck

[Sumez]

What are you talking about? The game actually looks great (which is a lot more than you can say about the majority og home made shmups created by people with very little idea about what actually works in this genre), and Star Force is a GREAT source of inspiration. Though a little repetitive, I consider it a very fun action paced classic shooter.

If I were to make a shmup on my own I would definitely employ this forum for feedback before getting too far into development, this place is a great source of people who know how to play a game for perfection, rather than just casually judging the presentation. But at a glance, I'd say you did surprisingly well on your own - the game looks like it plays well, with a good well crafted interface.

Also, actually finishing a game made entirely by yourself in only two years? Few people can actually boast of that - most hobby game projects usually end in eternal limbo less than halfway through production.
Pat yourself on your shoulder, I'm looking forward to seeing more of this game.

[waiwainl]

Can't see why you act so depressed. The game looks very good. I never finished any dev hobby game

Release it as v0.8 and see what the reactions are and improve accordingly.

[neorichieb1971]

Its yoko and fast. Thats the only things I don't like about it. And those turrets seem a bit hard for a first level/first encounter.

[iZoprene]

@gan9e: Don't be too hard on yourself fella. Your game looks great to me and the fact you've slogged away and actually finished the game is a success in itself.

[gray117]

Here's your problem: it's your first game. Make another using the lessons learnt. Spread the load - you'll likely be able to find collaborators. Concentrate on one area at a time of gamemaking. Even if you're determined to do everything yourself (not encouraged) you need to concentrate on one aspect of creation at a time. More likely I suspect you're most interested in being something of a gameplay programmer?... So concentrate on that.

No one's first sketch was a michaelangelo...

Part of the downside of our evolved production environments is that as a solo maker it's tempting to see the ability to produce everything and reach into every part of the project and work it up. The truth though is that unless you are extremely disciplined (+lucky) you'll drive yourself crazy and misdirect your project, even if you do make gains here and there: I'd strongly encourage you to read about the experience of others and determine what about the work of making a game intrigues you most, and concentrate of refining that role/skill.

Even in the golden britsoft days there quickly evolved the need to get more eyes and helping hands onto a game: you'd typically be looking at a key programmer, perhaps another programmer-producer-ceo-dogsbody, an artist and a sound guy. Then the publisher probably had a few testers/opinion makers about.... And 6-12 months full-time work... With many starting to stretch to 18...

Just making something takes work. Making something good requires even more work. You may get there on your own but it'll hopefully be a bit easier (and rewarding) to share the experience.

[Despatche]

This newer version looks pretty great, some cross of Astro Blaster and Star Force. I always liked early-'80s shmups. If I ever actually figure this whole game development thing out, one of my starting ideas is a simple Xevious-like game.

[Nate]

I think your game looks really cool! Also, thanks to it I've discovered the world of table-top arcade set-ups for tablets which is spellbinding to say the least!

[linko9]

Was expecting some doodoo from your self-deprecating post, but the video makes it look pretty good! Visual style seems a bit inconsistent to me, but better than a lot of stuff on steam fo sho. You should be proud that you made what seems to be a good game in a couple years; that's a lot more than most people with that goal will ever manage.

[gan9e]

Thank you all for that wonderful feedback, It's been well received by me I assure you.

Now check the video below, just a little idea I was toying with last night actually...

Juno First Mode... you'll see from the video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dq0GYbs58QA

I was thinking of adding more in the way of 3D obstacles on the platforms the player flies over, bridges or pipe-works etc etc, like 3D-Zaxxon style... anyway not sure If I'll go ahead with it but either way my magnum-opus is almost finished ( and there is a copy for testing if you PM me, try it... gimme the feedback ) I keep adding little bibs & bobs here and there but It's basically done and then there is my arcade-machine version of it which will run on a dedicated PC inside an arcade game shaped wooden shell and so far so good there... still a few months away for that one, but I may finish the arcade-game version or 'bar-top' version and then release on Steam-Greenlight... giving some time to finalize the game ( with feedback from here hopefully ) and then out she go's...

Anyway I have a plan Stan...

Thank you again for all your feedback, I'll keep you all posted, cheers to you.

[GeekMan1222]

I like this, and compared to the alpha the latest version looks alot better imo. Steam Green Light might be a good idea eventually. Heck it takes ALOT of work to do even what you have done for sure and even if it doesnt seem to be going the way you planned I would just go for it and see it to the end and if you fail well be proud of what you made and learn from it.

[Mrhide]

ok it looks GREAT. if we could change perspective at will, that would be AWESOME!


I see so many reference in it !! Slap fight for the turrets, galaga in the way the enemies come in the screen, zaxxon for the perspective.

Bravo !! Go for it!

[Noid]

Just a heads up, when I try to access your site from work, it says that it's blocked as "containing sexually explicit content". Is this true of your site, or is it a false flag on our network?

[Sumez]

False advertising?

[gan9e]

ok it looks GREAT. if we could change perspective at will, that would be AWESOME!

Thank you, I was thinking the same thing and so It's done basically... I call it 'tactical view' but really It's a homage to Juno-First... ( that's what I've effectively labelled my code-switches round the back... ) check the video below for a demonstration.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oq_4bc9obIo

You switch views by pressing a button on the joystick or key and you go from 2D mode to 3D mode with a nice effect and I've added some speech there but a friend of mind said It sounds like It's saying 'testicle' ( supposed to be 'tactical' ) but I changed It for a simple effect and its good like that, anyway got a few bugs to iron out as ever, thanks for all the support and encouragement.

I see a few posts up from this my website has offended some work-filter for 'sexual content' ooh pardon...? haven't got a clue love... either its an overly sensitive company internet filter or I've used the word dong where I shouldn't have... I dunno, but thanks for the heads-up anyway I'll check out my end, sorry about that.

Bug hunting I go... see later

[Bydobasher]

Game looks great to me -- old-school and polished.

[ave]

I finished reading your post before I watched the video and expected the worst... but man, this looks like a really solid homage to old school pre-1985 shooters. Very polished and one can tell that a lot of passion for vintage arcade shooters influenced the making of it. I think you really need to give yourself more credit for it!

The alpha version looked quite interesting, too. Reminds me a little bit of Eschatos in terms of how the perspective works... maybe a tad confusing with the inverted scrolling, but the mix of old school sprites and modern gameplay is definitely cool.

[gan9e]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9FBJFcmdbs

More game play using that isometric viewpoint in the link above, thanks so much chaps for the feedback its been really encouraging.

[gan9e]

You can all try it for free now via the beta (WIN and MAC)
The beta can be downloaded from my site below, enjoy.
http://bytehorizon.com

[Deadliar]

My suggestions (very mild, since I do like what I see):

-Slightly tone down the missile visuals.

-Make turrets fire something other than rapid, fast, aimed bullets. If you want the player to adapt to them, perhaps having them fire some homing shot that you have to destroy would do a better job of adding to things, compared to just being forced to move all the time.