[Indie Games] Zulu Hour

[Sined]

A new shmup on Xbox Live Indie Games !

Zulu Hour



Video : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tlrzIsvuTdY

Marketplace link : http://marketplace.xbox.com/fr-FR/games ... 25855048f/

Dev.webiste : http://www.cryingmonkeystudio.com/zuluhour/

[Exarion]

Judging from the trailer, this game doesn't have inertia. That's far better than most indie games. Still looks like garbage though.

[kengou]

Just going off the video, I'm not really digging the health bar or the enemies coming from the bottom of the screen.

[Pirate1019]

Just going off the video, I'm not really digging the health bar or the enemies coming from the bottom of the screen.

[Elixir]

Shouldn't this be in the Development forum?

A new shmup on Xbox Live Indie Games !

Unfortunately no exclamation mark is necessary here, a "new shmup" for the Indies comes out about once every two weeks now, and they're usually just ideas stolen from successful games that have previously had their time.

[Sasupoika]

Health bar.
Enemies coming from bottom of the screen and only shooting downwards.
Mission selection.

Yup, I am pretty sure we can skip this one!

[captpain]

Loving the default Windows Movie Maker font.

[azinth]

Loving the default Windows Movie Maker font.

And the Fraps watermark.

[rancid3000]

I'll save my points... This does not interest me at all =(

[Obiwanshinobi]

Mission selection.

Like Thunder Force IV, Sengoku Ace, Darius Gaiden and whatnot don't have it.
This looking about as hot as Soukyu Gurentai on the PSX, I'm nonetheless impressed by them having made a vertizonal shmup with 16:9 aspect ratio in mind. Daring, to say the least.

[cronus98]

sorry to hear you guys aren't interested in our game. we had a great time making it, and we have fun playing it. to each his own, though.

However, just to clear some things up...

Health bar.
Enemies coming from bottom of the screen and only shooting downwards.
Mission selection.

Yup, I am pretty sure we can skip this one!

actually, enemies don't just shoot downwards. some rotate, some shoot in all directions, and some shoot in your direction.

Shouldn't this be in the Development forum?

A new shmup on Xbox Live Indie Games !

Unfortunately no exclamation mark is necessary here, a "new shmup" for the Indies comes out about once every two weeks now, and they're usually just ideas stolen from successful games that have previously had their time.

i find this comment interesting...imho, just about every game uses (or steals, as you put it) elements from successful games. yes, zulu hour uses ideas from other games, but i definitely wouldn't call it a clone.

Health bar.
Enemies coming from bottom of the screen and only shooting downwards.
Mission selection.

Yup, I am pretty sure we can skip this one!

just curious, what's wrong with the mission selection?

[Udderdude]

cronus98: Just try and compare this game you've made to doujin shmups. CRK68k, Patriot Dark, BWR+ .. it really does not stand up. Sorry to break it to you.

[Elixir]

i find this comment interesting...imho, just about every game uses (or steals, as you put it) elements from successful games. yes, zulu hour uses ideas from other games, but i definitely wouldn't call it a clone.

I wouldn't call it a clone either. There's a whole bunch of Xbox Indies out there which use elements from other games, but they're usually not anywhere near as good as the original idea's game. There have been a bunch of R-Type clones or games which heavily borrow from that game, but they're actually pretty well made, and you can tell which R-Type clones out there are worth playing and which aren't (hello Pulstar, goodbye DUX)

So yes, a whole bunch of games take ideas from other titles, call this "inspiration" and that's perfectly fine. It just seems that most of the Xbox Indies--and of course by most I'm saying roughly around 98% of what is currently available--try to take these ideas and end up making something that just isn't as good. If you're going to take an idea from elsewhere, that's usually one end of the game covered already, so you need to make up for it as if to represent the original game. When you take ideas from a game and end up making a mediocre game out of it, not only are you just copying an idea, but you're looking like you can't make a good game either. As a result, it's just insulting to the company who invented the idea to begin with.

Practically anyone can make a game and release it on Indies for a couple of hundred dollars, and this explains why there's so many low quality games up for purchase. A lot of the trials aren't even properly made, most of them are based on a timer that just restricts the entire game (which you actually end up downloading, just to try the "demo").

To give you a better idea of what people won't like about this, most people prefer vertical shooters to be in their tate (vertical) style, not "vertizontal" or, a vertical shooter that consumes the entire screen. Usually screen consuming games are horizontal, like Gradius. Most people dislike health bars, and prefer a set number of lives and instant death when hit. Things which make the current shmups worth playing, usually things which don't include mission selects (in training/practice mode, this makes sense). Where is the incentive to play Zulu Hour?

I bet you'll just end up saying "the game is meant to be relaxing and fun".. in which case, take a look at PixelJunk Shooter. A good, relaxing shmup style game which still has a high quality, polished feel to it. Not all shmups need to be difficult, they just need to be presented well and have a type of scoring mechanism that makes people want to continue playing them to continually get better at them (usually this isn't just "shoot everything in sight", although survival shmups can still work).

As for this, I think the trailer is pretty low budget (as mentioned by captpain before), it just has this cheap feeling to it. I think there's a reason why XBLA games are separated from Indies, and it's starting to show. I don't think people care if a game is delayed if the final product is improved by doing so, but this just doesn't look like something I'd want to play. You must remember that you're not only trying to win people who play Indies games, but people who play non-Indies shmups as well.

So yeah, I pretty much won't be bothering with this, since I don't think it looks all that good. No, I haven't played the demo. It just looks poorly presented.

[the2bears]

Judging from the trailer, this game doesn't have inertia. That's far better than most indie games. Still looks like garbage though.

Most indie games don't have inertia, either. Not sure what your point is?

Bill

[ncp]

Having read this thread before actually watching the video, it doesn't really look as bad as everyone is saying it does. Looks better than most XBLA Indie games, at least. Terribad trailer though. What it needs (to appeal to shooter fans at least): no healthbar, less straight-down firing enemies (have enemies aim at you, or near you), smaller hitbox (it's hard to judge from the trailer but it looks pretty big, I could be wrong on this).

[cronus98]

i find this comment interesting...imho, just about every game uses (or steals, as you put it) elements from successful games. yes, zulu hour uses ideas from other games, but i definitely wouldn't call it a clone.

I wouldn't call it a clone either. There's a whole bunch of Xbox Indies out there which use elements from other games, but they're usually not anywhere near as good as the original idea's game. There have been a bunch of R-Type clones or games which heavily borrow from that game, but they're actually pretty well made, and you can tell which R-Type clones out there are worth playing and which aren't (hello Pulstar, goodbye DUX)

So yes, a whole bunch of games take ideas from other titles, call this "inspiration" and that's perfectly fine. It just seems that most of the Xbox Indies--and of course by most I'm saying roughly around 98% of what is currently available--try to take these ideas and end up making something that just isn't as good. If you're going to take an idea from elsewhere, that's usually one end of the game covered already, so you need to make up for it as if to represent the original game. When you take ideas from a game and end up making a mediocre game out of it, not only are you just copying an idea, but you're looking like you can't make a good game either. As a result, it's just insulting to the company who invented the idea to begin with.

Practically anyone can make a game and release it on Indies for a couple of hundred dollars, and this explains why there's so many low quality games up for purchase. A lot of the trials aren't even properly made, most of them are based on a timer that just restricts the entire game (which you actually end up downloading, just to try the "demo").

To give you a better idea of what people won't like about this, most people prefer vertical shooters to be in their tate (vertical) style, not "vertizontal" or, a vertical shooter that consumes the entire screen. Usually screen consuming games are horizontal, like Gradius. Most people dislike health bars, and prefer a set number of lives and instant death when hit. Things which make the current shmups worth playing, usually things which don't include mission selects (in training/practice mode, this makes sense). Where is the incentive to play Zulu Hour?

I bet you'll just end up saying "the game is meant to be relaxing and fun".. in which case, take a look at PixelJunk Shooter. A good, relaxing shmup style game which still has a high quality, polished feel to it. Not all shmups need to be difficult, they just need to be presented well and have a type of scoring mechanism that makes people want to continue playing them to continually get better at them (usually this isn't just "shoot everything in sight", although survival shmups can still work).

As for this, I think the trailer is pretty low budget (as mentioned by captpain before), it just has this cheap feeling to it. I think there's a reason why XBLA games are separated from Indies, and it's starting to show. I don't think people care if a game is delayed if the final product is improved by doing so, but this just doesn't look like something I'd want to play. You must remember that you're not only trying to win people who play Indies games, but people who play non-Indies shmups as well.

So yeah, I pretty much won't be bothering with this, since I don't think it looks all that good. No, I haven't played the demo. It just looks poorly presented.

thanks for the response. i'm always interested in people's thoughts...sorry you don't find it interesting. some people like it, some don't. like i said, to each his own.

and no, it's not "just" supposed to be relaxing and fun (although i hope it is that, too). the campaign is a story...the missions are initially all locked, and you must beat each one to continue to the next. not sure what the issue is here. i guess you would rather always start from the beginning, and have to play the whole way through in one sitting? i do see the appeal there, i just personally prefer the structure we used.

there is also survival mode.

and yes, the trailer is low-budget. actually, the whole game is low budget...hence, "indie"

[nash87]

I thought it looked a lot better than a lot of other indie games. It's just needs some tweaks like the hit box size and more variety of enemy fire. other than that, lose the health bar and you got my points bro

[Pirate1019]

More patterns, more enemies. I don't have a preference for or against vertizontal. Takumi does a spectacular job with it, but if you're gonna have a 16:9 screen, you really need to justify that by filling it out. Otherwise cut it to 4:3 or 3:4. Ghost Town is too generous a term for this game.

[Obiwanshinobi]

Indeed, no-one is going to be impressed by the fact it takes the whole screen for the heck of it. Vertizonal can be sweet and nice, but it had better be justified by the game design.

[Sined]

In comparison of the trailer (maybe not well introducing the game), playing the game gives a better view...Campaign, several arcade modes...and arcade modes are more nervous than campaign.

Ok it's not a Cave shmup..., Ok I am not a shmup hardcore gamer..., but in my side I like the game and I spend good moments playing Zulu Hour !

Shoot 1UP, Decimation X and now Zulu Hour are good Indie references I think so...and for only 240 MSP it's not so expensive ! Sure I prefer to play Zulu Hour than Finalizer from Game Room !

[-Bridget-]

I'm sorry, but I have to go with the general consensus here.

I tried out the demo, and honestly just didnt like it.

Healthbar aside, it almost felt like those that made this hadnt had all that much experience with this genre. There's just too many things out of place here.

For example, I found out real fast that the game wanted me to use the analog stick to control it.... in a scrolling shmup. This makes sense in arena/twin-stick types. It makes NO sense in a scrolling type. I dont want to use the stick in that sort. I want the Dpad or my arcade stick.

The hitbox for the plane is really off. THIS part makes me feel that the game also wasnt tested very well. It's possible for the plane to take damage without actually being hit by a bullet. This isnt saying that every shmup has to use the tiny, dinky hitbox of danmaku shmups, but.... well, if a bullet goes in front of the wing of the plane, not touching the plane itself in anyway, but the bullet still vanishes and registers as a hit, then.... yeah. There's something wrong.

I could keep going on here, but I think you get the point.

It seems like there wasnt as much effort as there could have been, and it seems like there also wasnt enough knowledge about the genre to begin with.

[DJ Incompetent]

Ok it's not a Cave shmup..., Ok I am not a shmup hardcore gamer..., but in my side I like the game and I spend good moments playing Zulu Hour !

Shoot 1UP, Decimation X and now Zulu Hour are good Indie references I think so...and for only 240 MSP it's not so expensive ! Sure I prefer to play Zulu Hour than Finalizer from Game Room !

Naw man, I don't think you need to be """hardcore"" to make a decent STG. But I don't think you took a ton of notes on the many games that are out there. Research shoulda been the easiest part since most of the goods are <$15 and demos are running amok.

Anyway, your presentation values are a lot better than most of the indies out there. However the controls are really poor. I like your guided missile mechanic but not only is it lame to not allow d-pad movement (or custom controls to swap left stick/d-pad function), you set the analog stick to function like a digital pad. The sensitivity is too high for a digital type of movement set on an analog control. So what's happening is even when I let go of the analog stick, my plane keeps hurtling in a random direction because the stick isn't 100% neutral and there's no slow movement for slight tilts of the stick. Granted, you could argue all my controllers aren't in the most top shape, but digital movement set to an analog stick on high sensitivity is still not cool. In addition, forcing fire buttons to the triggers was a silly move. I know you intended right stick to be primary use, but you shoulda double-mapped a basic fire button to the face buttons.

But hey your game is better than Aliens Go Boom.

Good luck on future games.

[Sined]

@DJ Incompetent : Hi mate, I am not the developper, I am just a gamer But I think developper will read your comments with attention Thanks

[Ed Oscuro]

This game just needs Michael Caine and it'd be perfect.