Thank you for coming to Shmups Forum and making a game with the right conception in mind, of being a programmer instead of just "I design the level and you program it." I apologize if my English is not so good...
Important element of a shmup! Make sure people can see what the %&*@ is happening! Where is the ship?! Where does it get hit when the shot crosses it? Is some little tinfoil streamer as deadly to get hit as the cockpit?! (Also, the cockpit that shatters after a precise number of hits, this is bad also. No life bars please.)
Second element of a shmup! You have the scoring system that doesn't involve just shooting the enemies that come from the top of the screen (or right side if you're one of those unusual horizontal people, or bottom if you're Toaplan, or left side if you're niizh manidoowag)!
Third element of shmup, the scoring system that doesn't involve doing things a single particular way, i..e.
shooting all enemies for a bonus, or using just a single path to get through the level (here is where having multiple groups of enemies and scoring opportunities is a good), etc.
The best thing is that a good scoring system makes a game fun and enjoyable without the need of creating fifty billions of new and exciting boss animations and exploding tubes that other junk. Although I like ZacharyB's box.
If you want to see these awesome shmups elements working, I would recommend:
Some Toaplan game, like Twin Cobra
Mars Matrix or Dangun Feveron (aka Fever SOS)
Then a
Caravan Shooter, it's years of enjoyment (if you are me, maybe just a few weeks if you are Luciole) for a little stage that is only 2 or 5 minutes long,
bellissimo!!
Dragoforce wrote:omegavolt wrote:My main problem is the graphic develpoment! :o
Just add som lolis and you'll be fine.
This man spreads the lies.
Clearly, all shmups need to have a Sad Ending, so the player can rock out to sad music and blow their nose (true story, listening to Taito music from Gun Frontier, RayForce, or Metal Black does this to me), and make the feeling towards improvement.