Xeno Fighters R (2019 GM Studio Port)

[EddyMRA]

Stage EX-1 (Gemini Canyon) done: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNO46sZvI8o

The "EX" Stages will be are harder than hard (EXpert difficulty). They are also massive scoring stages, where score-hunting players can score in the tens of millions of points per stage. These EX stages are unlockable when you get certain achievements.

Other new stuff:
*New explosion sprites.
*Preliminary menu system implemented.
*Custom highscore table to replace the Game Maker default one.

[emphatic]

That looks like a lot of fun! Awesome. And your dodging skills are sublime, man.

[Skyknight]

I'm curious. Why did you switch from the X68000 instrumentation to the arcade instrumentation?

If Gemini Wing itself had been like that, I'd hate to see what the final two stages would look like...

Anyway, I take it st. 2 of the main game is next on the itinerary?

[EddyMRA]

I'm curious. Why did you switch from the X68000 instrumentation to the arcade instrumentation?

If Gemini Wing itself had been like that, I'd hate to see what the final two stages would look like...

Anyway, I take it st. 2 of the main game is next on the itinerary?

I used the original arcade versions of each song for the purpose of the video. Gemini Wing's last two stages are indeed hellish. It is a combination of large invincible obstacles (Giant Venus Fly-Traps), trial-and-error gameplay (especially the final stage), shoot-the-core (the final two bosses' weak spots are covered up most of the time), AND fatal walls a la Gradius.

Stage 2 is indeed next, especially now that I have found a way to fix the loading issue of Stage 2 on computers with less powerful graphics hardware.

[EddyMRA]

Obreck has completed the Gyaraga, the Galaga ship.

Stats:
Speed: 2/5
Attack: 6/5 (maxed out)
Defense: 3/5
Rapid Fire: 1/5
Bomber: 1/5

Description:
A guest fighter from the classic 1981 Namco arcade game, Galaga, the Gyaraga is the first quirky fighter that plays quite differently from the usual roster. The Gyaraga loosely adapts some of the Galaga series elements into Raiden Fighters-style gameplay.

It is an extremely powerful fighter. However, its speed is quite low (only the Raiden mk-II is slower) and its rapid fire rate is rock-bottom. Its Bomber has no offensive use at all. Overall, the Gyaraga is akin to a Lethal Joke Character for advanced players.

Weapon Array:

MISSILE: Bug Missile

Launches Galaga Bugs that home in to nearby enemies, dealing very heavy damage. It explodes on contact with the enemy, dealing moderately heavy overlap damage. This is currently the most powerful Missile weapon in the game, but it is offset by a tremendously long cooldown rate between firing.

LASER: Space Blaster

Upgrades the standard Space Blaster on the Gyaraga to different iterations from Gaplus, Galaga 88, and others. Individual shots are powerful, but travel slowly and only two bursts are allowed onscreen at a time. Fully powered up, the Gyaraga gains the double-ship mode with double firepower. It can take one hit in this mode to revert to single-fighter mode. Upon taking a hit, the Gyaraga will lose one level of Laser power, and it can reacquire double-ship mode by collecting another "L" powerup.

And to address your concerns, we have squashed all exploits for double-ship mode as fake health, since you are invincible for only a short period of time (30 steps, or 0.5 seconds) after getting hit in double-ship mode. Additionally, when in double ship mode, your hitbox is much bigger for both ships (24x24 pixels for each ship), making you a much more vulnerable target.

BOMBER: Phoenix Shield

This special attack comes from the arcade game Phoenix, made by Amstar Corporation in 1980. It instantly generates a small shield around the Gyaraga, protecting against all bullets and popcorn enemies. However, it is too weak to use offensively, since large enemies will penetrate the shield and ram into the Gyaraga. It is purely a defensive panic Bomber. In double-ship mode, each ship gets its own Phoenix Shield.

SLAVE: Tractor Beam

The Gyaraga is the first Xeno Fighters EX-R ship that has different Slave mechanics from the usual Raiden Fighters Slave mechanics. Upon picking up a Slave icon, the Gyaraga will unleash a Tractor Beam, capturing up to four popcorn enemies and turning them into permanent Slaves for the Gyaraga. The Tractor Beam itself does minimal damage to enemies and does not cancel out bullets. If the Tractor Beam fails to capture anything when it dissipates, a Slave is created automatically. Like normal Slaves, the Gyaraga Slaves can absorb multiple hits before dying.

This unique Slave acquisition method makes it more of a strategic pickup than a blind pickup, since a player can activate the Tractor Beam during popcorn Waves and quickly grab four Slaves in one run.

[emphatic]

Wow, that is SO AWESOME! Can't wait for a gameplay clip!

[BPzeBanshee]

-dies-
Speaking of slaves, is the status of the other ship's slaves still the same? (get two, then 10000 points)

[EddyMRA]

Footage of Gyaraga and Lord British in action: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTVHUZegWBY

Obreck2, a developer on MKF, created these two ships. Unlike the rest of the roster of Xeno Fighters, which have generally Raiden Fighters-style gameplay, these two ships bring their source game elements and are adapted loosely into Raiden Fighters gameplay.

The most notable difference is their Slave acquisition mechanics. The Gyaraga uses a Tractor Beam to capture up to four popcorn enemies as permanent Slaves. The Lord British uses Gradius Shields as its "Slaves". They are aligned to the front of the ship and do not fire.

These ships also have some of their source characteristics, such as powerup voice clips (for Lord British, from the arcade Salamander game) and death animations.

[Herr Schatten]

Looks absolutely awesome. I can't wait to see the more obscure ships appear (you know which ones I mean).

[monkeyman]

New ships look fantastic, the Galaga SFX made me want to weep with joy (ok so I'm exagarating but you get the point!).

Made me think with all these guest ships how amazing it would be to have a 'rival' boss fight on one of the stages where different ships went up against a similarly themed boss. I know that's unlikely to happen, I'm amazed your managing to fit all the extra features in as it is, just thinking aloud...

Keep plugging away at it!!

[Ultimate Gamer]

Obreck did a great job on the Gyaraga. Brings back good memories of classic SHMUP games. Can't wait to see what other surprises you have planned, Alluro.

[NARFNra]

Just a question, do Popcorn enemies absorbed by Gyaraga retain their original properties?

[EddyMRA]

Just a question, do Popcorn enemies absorbed by Gyaraga retain their original properties?

Currently, they do not. It could be interesting if we were able to kick up Gyaraga's captured Slaves to that level.

Gradius has been getting lots of love lately. Obreck has completed the Jade Hydra and I've completed the Vic Viper.


Jade Knight is kind of a composite of Gradius gameplay. Its main powers are its high speed and extreme firepower, rather lacking in defense, rate of fire, and stuck with the sub-par "Mega Crush" bomb.

The Vic Viper plays just like in the original Xeno Fighters EX. It is a fairly hard to use ship with a ludicrously powerful Bomber. It is the only Gradius ship in EX-R that does not have a Laser weapon, as well as being the only one that uses normal Slaves. Compared to the other Gradius ships in EX-R, the Vic Viper is more adapted for Raiden Fighters-style gameplay, using a very simplified Gradius powerup system. The original XFEX's Option movement is inaccurate, but in the remake, it is 100% accurate, shadowing the player's movements exactly. You can even stack Options over the Vic Viper by backing to the bottom of the screen.

Video of the Vic Viper, Jade Knight in action:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABPu594CgRE
Look for Obreck's bonus guest fighter in the video!

That's five new ships in one week's time. Whee.

[emphatic]

Wow, the Jade Knight's options are very cool. I especially dig how they line up like that depending on how you position your ship. Kudos!

[hermantheowl]

Will there be charge shots like Raiden FIghters in this one?

[EddyMRA]

Will there be charge shots like Raiden FIghters in this one?

No need for charged shots since autofire is implemented.

[Skyknight]

...Five? We haven't seen the Lord British in action yet, have we?

I notice someone on YouTube suggested the Zero Wing jokingly, but got seconded in all seriousness by someone else. Still, considering the Gyaraga's tractor beam, I wonder if that might actually be viable. Granted the result would be more Tatsujin/Zero Wing hybrid than pure Zero Wing (I think Zero Wing's weapons basically WERE Tatsujin weapons, just in a side-scrolling format)...

[BPzeBanshee]

The Lord British was featured in Alluro's video that complimented the Gyaraga.

[EddyMRA]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9W9KBsZObA

2035 American Midwest remake (Stage 2) complete. This stage is shorter than in the original.

The boss, Silver Banshee, has gotten a much needed revamp. It also has a specific part you have to let self-destruct in order to branch to a new stage.

[PC Engine Fan X!]

Will a demo of your Xeno Fighters EX-R be up shortly, Alluro? I'm sure others wouldn't mind trying it like myself.

It's awesome to read up on the updates to it of how it is progressing along.

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[EddyMRA]

Will a demo of your Xeno Fighters EX-R be up shortly, Alluro? I'm sure others wouldn't mind trying it like myself.

It's awesome to read up on the updates to it of how it is progressing along.

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

A demo of v0.2 RC2 (latest public version) is online here: http://www.sendspace.com/file/yq6e4s

It has six selectable ships and two fully completed stages, along with several playable, but unfinished, stages.

[Plasmo]

Some feedback:

Gyaraga: The sound of the little bombs is horrible, maybe you should change it to a less annoying soundeffect?

Lord British: The announcer for the item pickups is so badass, can't believe how awesome it is! I also like the strength of the ripple laser, seems like a very balanced character to me.

Vic Viper: As Emphatic already said: the behaviour of the options looks very cool, will be a blast to use this ship!

Gradius: The options look exactly like enemy bullets. If your inside one of the heavier bullet patterns and your options are on trace, you'll maybe have some trouble dodging your own options. Seem confusing.

2035 American Midwest: VERY nice bullet patterns at the boss. One general suggestion: Since you sometimes need to build up a chain first and then destroy the boss, you should also implement a life bar for each boss, so that the player doesn't solely have to rely on rough estimation when the boss is going to die. Just a thought.


I can't wait to play the final game, this is going to be better than many officially released shmups imo.

[EddyMRA]

Gyaraga: The sound of the little bombs is horrible, maybe you should change it to a less annoying soundeffect?

The loud sound effect for the bugs got a lot of criticism. We are still using the same sound effect, but its volume has been turned down where it is not annoyingly loud anymore.

Also, I'll consider changing the Vic Viper's Options to a blue color. I agree that the current orange Options look exactly like enemy bullets.

2035 American Midwest: VERY nice bullet patterns at the boss. One general suggestion: Since you sometimes need to build up a chain first and then destroy the boss, you should also implement a life bar for each boss, so that the player doesn't solely have to rely on rough estimation when the boss is going to die. Just a thought.

I've also been considering life bars for bosses, since, as you mentioned, you can chain multipliers into bosses. Since the chaining is roughly based on typical Cave systems, it'd make sense if boss health meters were in as well.

[emphatic]

I've also been considering life bars for bosses, since, as you mentioned, you can chain multipliers into bosses. Since the chaining is roughly based on typical Cave systems, it'd make sense if boss health meters were in as well.

Makes sense, AND will look cool.

[nZero]

I've also been considering life bars for bosses, since, as you mentioned, you can chain multipliers into bosses. Since the chaining is roughly based on typical Cave systems, it'd make sense if boss health meters were in as well.

Makes sense, AND will look cool.

Just a couple more shots...!

[EddyMRA]

DISCOVERED THE FAIRY!


Fairies have been added as new bonuses, triggered by gaining specific chain lengths or handling enemy encounters in an unusual way. They behave exactly as in the Raiden Fighters games: they float slowly to the top of the screen and give a free Bomber icon.


This particular Fairy can be triggered in Stage 1 when you get a 7-chain to this point. You can collect it immediately to get a 100,000 point bonus times the chain multiplier (in this case, since discovering the Fairy adds to the chain counter, the Fairy would be worth 100,000x8 points) but get no Bomber icon. Alternatively, you can wait for it to drop a Bomber icon, but this usually takes too long. Unless you uncover a Fairy in the middle of a chaining run, the chain will terminate before the Fairy can release a Bomber icon.


Lastly, unlike in Raiden Fighters, you cannot kill the Fairy!

[Udderdude]

The "EX" Stages will be are harder than hard (EXpert difficulty). They are also massive scoring stages, where score-hunting players can score in the tens of millions of points per stage.

zomg idea thief >:O

Really though, looking forward to the next version. Even though I suck at Raiden Fighters style scoring

[BPzeBanshee]

I've also been considering life bars for bosses, since, as you mentioned, you can chain multipliers into bosses. Since the chaining is roughly based on typical Cave systems, it'd make sense if boss health meters were in as well.

Should you implement life bars, do you have any ideas as to how they'll appear? I was thinking something along the lines of Thunder Force V, where there's a circle around the weak points or center and gradually goes red and smaller. Or even Tyrian-style, a simple red bar on top of the screen that shrinks on both sides.

[EddyMRA]

About the lifebars: I may do a Cave-style bar. For bosses with multiple forms, there will be multiple bars. Example: Green Walrus would have three lifebars.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrXwQn7wAtU

Lots of Parodius content in this latest update of Xeno Fighters EX-R.

Michael and Hikaru are new guest players. They are coded by Obreck and sprited by Herr Schatten.

A new EX stage has been made, which will unlock these characters (plus Twinbee) in the final version. It is Stage EX-3: Parobee Fusion. It is a stage that is a fusion between Twinbee and Parodius levels, with references to other video games. Unlike Stage EX-1, EX-3 is not dependent on long chains, but medal and Miclus hunting.

Stage EX-3 has a midboss and an endboss.

The Dodonpachi boss warning is set by an option in the game. I am aware it obscures a big chunk of the screen on certain bosses that have an enemy rush before their appearance. I'll fix that up before the next beta release.

Other updates:
*First video footage of the Fairy bonus item.
*Bullets have been given different colors.

[emphatic]

OMG!

That video is filled to the friggin' brim with pure awesomeness. The shot color, the Ketsui lady, the new music choices... Jaw-dropping stuff.