Falkensturm -new Shmup in early development

[RBRigidSTG]

Hello ,

i am RB Rigid and i suck at making introductions.

Anyway. I am making a shmup with the Shmup Creator Engine made by Bolo Studio called Falkensturm ( Falcon Storm )
It is very early and i am still getting a feel for it. I even started over .

The game has a lot of overblown effects so if you are fan of big explosion and shiny lasers
this is for you.

What i want to accomplish

a more cinematic shmup experience ( like you don't feel alone even though you are)
a more manic approach so no Bullet hell , instead less but faster bullets.
a nicely paced shmup
using the same layering techniques you have seen in Layer Section or Terra Diver (pseudo 3D etc)

Main inspirations are most of the PS2 Shmups especially Silpheed - The Lost Planet , Gradius V
and also Border Down , Under Defeat , Strania ,
Einhander

A scoring mechanic is already in place that features more agressive play with your special weapon.
It means that the closer you are to enemies , the more points you get and the longer you can maintain your special gauge.

I am also experimenting with alternative SP weapons that alter the gameplay somewhat but then again i am in an early stage.

I will link the following video made yesterday. Everything is still subject to change and the second part of the video still needs some work...the boss too as you will see.
Also there is some history to go through if you like.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAGyzS ... WT2P_ysA6w


That's it folks.

EDIT: forgot screenshots XD

[Ark]

This is looking nice

[RBRigidSTG]

oh hey XD ...thanks

[Sturmvogel Prime]

Fast Aero Fighters-like action, intense music and voice samples that evoke RayForce and Giga Wing. Looks like a winner combination already.
BTW, Did you have a name for the pilot?

[RBRigidSTG]

no. the character could still be subject to change. i want to have a female protagonist though. it just is more pleasant to look at XD.

[RBRigidSTG]

new video dropped. if anyone is interested you can watch it here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5FsCfPfnNo

[Angry Hina]

Very nice over the top explosions ^^

[M.Knight]

That footage looks pretty cool and well-paced!
The first stage and its music definitely give me a Einhänder vibe. It's a good tune, and it works with the hectic action. That powerful secondary weapon looks fun to use and if I understand correctly, you can get even more gauge recharge for it by playing aggressively and scoring? That game loop sounds great.

Oh yeah, speaking of that weapon, maybe adding a circular indicator around the ship would be useful to more easily evaluate how much gauge is left without having to look at the very bottom of the screen. This would especially be handy in the pointblank scenarios you want to incentivize since the ship might be the furtest away possible from the HUD bar.

The character artwork appears to be AI-generated? Its style looks a little bit generic as a result, but it's better than nothing for sure.

[RBRigidSTG]

Very nice over the top explosions ^^

Thanks. It should be one of the defining features of the game XD.

That powerful secondary weapon looks fun to use and if I understand correctly, you can get even more gauge recharge for it by playing aggressively and scoring? That game loop sounds great.

That is correct. Every time you hit an enemy , you'll get a hit score starting by 1 and it multiplies with every hit. Also the hit score doesn't reset and you can get crazy scores if you manage it well. The idea is basically...more hits equals more score which equals more damage which will keep your special going for an extended period. Making the special weapon more like a shotgun should emphasize a more agressive play style while it is active.

As for the indicator around the ship. It is currently not possible to do in the engine i am working with but i will figure something out.

As for the character , yes it is AI. I am not sure about the wallpapers yet but so far i will continue using them.

[Verticen]

Very nice over the top explosions ^^

Thanks. It should be one of the defining features of the game XD.

Yeah, I concur; your visual effects, especially the explosions, look great. The visuals and gameplay overall looks rather good and polished, especially in the latest video you posted. The panicking cars at the start of stage 1 were very entertaining. That stormcloud background bit that you said you reworked looks quite fine too.

As for the character , yes it is AI.

It's a pretty decent result for AI, but yeah; the asymmetry in the body armour, particularly the inconsistent luminescent bits at the hips, gave it away for me. Not a bad starting point for a character design though. First things first; she has BIG hooters. I think you should keep that element of the design when you get a real illustration. When she's illustrated it might be cool to give her a few frames of animation to react to players getting hit or using weapons or something.

[RBRigidSTG]

animating her would be rather hard at the moment in shmup creator because of the way the engine works. i will not go into boring details. i will figure something out eventually. so far it is the best placeholder i could make. i may change the background to black and white...then it should be easier on the eyes.