Shumps on PC computer?

[The Coop]

Galaxide looks like a step in the right direction except for one small complaint: the scrolling speed is just WAY too fast. Is there any way you could slow it down for the final release? I can't really keep track of everything going on. I'm pretty sure I counted six bullets on the screen at one point. Dude, that's just way too difficult for people to play.

[codergames]

True, but its a new game, it should cost $1 or so in a couple of years. Its true that everything moves slow in Galaxide, but only because those are platforms with turrets, the attacking enemy ships are moving much faster. At the time video was recorded, the enemy ships were not fully finished.

I don't know, I was hoping to become filthy rich with my super shmups.

[Jockel]

True, but its a new game, it should cost $1 or so in a couple of years.

Surely worth the wait.

[codergames]

Glad you feel that way

[Obiwanshinobi]

Any chance you could review my shmup, Invader Attack? ... it does require a 3d accelerated card with OpenGL 1.0 compatibility, its a next generation shmup with original features.

Sounds so fin de siècle, though. 3D acceleration, that is. Now it's all about accelerated immersion. Console people haven't heard about it because there's still no proper chip in their consoles, but on personal computers software immersion doesn't cut it anymore.

[codergames]

Well yeah, the game was intended for the end of the previous century, but it took me more time to finish than estimated, so here we are.

[Jockel]

So this game took you more than 10 years?
Impressive.

[codergames]

Well, it took much more. It all started when I was a kid playing Space Invaders and Galaxian on an arcade machine. Whatever. I could have made some other game, but decided to make a shmup, did my best and Invader Attack is a result of that whole effort.

Let me just stress out that I worked alone, everything is original. I made my own engine, models, AI, music, etc. I did borrow some of the textures, but those are free textures, plus I made a lot of graphical improvements to make them look more realistic.

[Udderdude]

Someone want to move this (or part of it) to development and/or the scrapbin? Starting to smell pretty spammy in here.

[codergames]

This is not a spam, I was just replying to the questions and comments, please reread the whole discussion. I don't understand why, every time I join a new forum, there are people who constantly call me names, rude names like "troll" or "spammer" ... why do you do that?

[TrevHead (TVR)]

I doubt youll get many ppl from this forum to buy your game, All you need to do is just play one of those games ive listed previously and youll see just how different in quality your games are to them. Even the free shmups are way better then yours which no amount of sales speak will cover up.

I suggest trying to sell your game to the non gamer casual crowd as most arcade loving gamers would run a mile, if im to be brutaly honest.

If u ever do make another shooter i suggest you play allot of arcade shmups before you do.

[codergames]

I admit sales are zero this month, but people who liked it already purchased it. I don't expect large sales, I do this for fun. Making weird original and unusual games is what I love to do. Its a passion, not a job.

[moozooh]

To be honest, there is nothing original about your output so far, and what you're calling "weird", most people here call "bad" for well-defined reasons.

[codergames]

The opinion is always a subjective thing. I don't like FPS games but many people do. I paid particular attention to the game protection, that part is very original and you won't find the game where you searched for it any time soon. No free rides, sorry.

My game recently got a decent review: http://captaind-pc-gaming.blogspot.com/ ... ttack.html

I don't advertise my game nor invest any money in the marketing, but people who purchased obviously liked the game. It takes a lot of time and levels to see the originality that lacks in all the usual shmups.

[Sasupoika]

XOP Black.
Patriot Dark.
Toritatsu.
Solid State Survivor.
Zillion Beatz.
Blue Wish Resurrection.
Eden's Aegis.

And the rest.

[Obiwanshinobi]

I paid particular attention to the game protection, that part is very original and you won't find the game where you searched for it any time soon. No free rides, sorry.

Just quotin'.
While we're at it, you are aware what kind of games people can play completely sweetly for free these days? I'm not even talking Half-Life 2. Just freeware, which is, like, legally for free. Kosherly.

[codergames]

I don't understand why you're mentioning Half Life 2, I don't like FPS, plus I don't think that game's free. Even if its free, I don't like that genre, I'm sorry. Like I said, different people like different things, its just the way we are.

.. and just to add that if you don't want me to come to this forum, I won't anymore, its just that I'm also very interested in shumps, so that's how I came across this forum. I mean, why would I waste 6-7 months to make my own shmup engine and then another 4-5 months to make a game, if I don't like shmups? It doesn't make any sense, I'm independent, not a company.

[Jockel]

Usually quality comes with a price. But that doesn't work the other way around, so basically you're screwed.

Just sayin' - your game is pretty bland for freeware standards, but charging money for it seems downright insulting.
Sorry if that offends you, somebody just had to say it.

[codergames]

Not a problem, its subjective, like I said already several times. There are people who like the game, purchased it and enjoyed very much. Your opinion has been noted, the game is definitely not made for the likes of you. I've seen worst games with much higher prices, but it does not mean there aren't someone who likes them. Its subjective. It is a bit funny though, that you don't understand what I'm talking about

[Jockel]

:-*

[TMR]

Not a problem, its subjective, like I said already several times. There are people who like the game, purchased it and enjoyed very much. Your opinion has been noted, the game is definitely not made for the likes of you.

i'm sorry, you've just said that your game isn't written for the people you're currently trying to sell it to right?! That's rather like breeding a strain of goldfish that can't swim...

i've reviewed quite a few games over the years (even more if you include the reviews i've written for RGCD or Retro Gamer) but usually those are titles that grabbed my attention in some way and, looking that your video and screenshots, i simply don't feel it interesting enough to even warrant installing the demo (i might've got bored and tried it had there been a version without the installer), let alone buying a review copy. With Charlie Knight or Hermit Games asking less money for critically acclaimed shoot 'em ups like Leave Home or Irukandji, that $9 simply looks too high.

[codergames]

I wasn't trying to sell my game at all. I simply searched for shmups and came across this forum. I made a game some people like some don't. I made a game my friends and I like to play, something that reminds us of old arcade machine games we used to play, but with some features that were missing, like artificial intelligence, different properties and abilities of invaders, the physics, more realistic behavior of everything, etc. And it appears there are more people that like the game. You don't, which is fine with me, really

... I think you guys played way too much free games and you now take everything way too seriously, am I right?

[TMR]

I wasn't trying to sell my game at all.

Had you made more than a token attempt to stick to your own more general topic of PC-based shoot 'em ups it might at least not have looked that way... although quite why you now seem to be going out of your way to insult potential customers, that's slightly more of a mystery...

And it appears there are more people that like the game. You don't, which is fine with me, really

i said nothing about the game itself and wouldn't comment on it until i'd actually played it. What i've said is that the demo requiring installation is a major pain in the arse which stopped me even trying it and the videos don't make it stand out enough to warrant an impulse buy; for $9 i can get two Charlie Knight games and Leave Home, all three of which have been very well received by press and players alike, that's what you're up against.

... I think you guys played way too much free games and you now take everything way too seriously, am I right?

No, you're not. Speaking for myself for a moment, i've purchased indie games in the past and will continue to do so and since i'm not as gifted a player as some of the people here i'd theoretically have been part of your target audience...

[codergames]

I've visited your site and there was a random review of GENETOS ... wow, very original approach, evolution of shmups, awesome. Did anyone play that game? What do you think about that game?

[TMR]

I've visited your site and there was a random review of GENETOS ... wow, very original approach, evolution of shmups, awesome. Did anyone play that game?

There's a highscore thread and more general discussion about Genetos too - plus it turns up in a lot of threads about good Doujin games and so forth.

What do you think about that game?

The review at Oldschool Gaming was written by me, so you've already got part of my opinion - i also gave it a good write up for Retro Gamer.

[codergames]

You're a talented writer and all, but I don't understand it clearly. I do know you're offering me a deal or something, just not explicitly, which bothers me a lot. My game is much simpler to install than unpacking GENETOS. All you need to do is just clicking with your mouse button, you don't need to specify where you want it installed, it has the defaults set already.

I'm going to slash the price 50% during next week. Whatever your decision might be, you still need to install the game before the protection could update the game and then tell me the serial which is random, I don't know what it will be. Just tell me what you decided, to buy or to get a free ride.

However, since you suggested that I'm insulting people here, I'm not that keen, because I'm having this strange feeling that you're about to trash my game. Its better not to review it than to trash it, because any developer here can tell you how difficult it is to make a game. It took me more than 15 years to reach the skills that enabled me to do everything on my own: programming, graphics, music, make game engine.

[TMR]

My game is much simpler to install than unpacking GENETOS. All you need to do is just clicking with your mouse button, you don't need to specify where you want it installed, it has the defaults set already.

Not everybody likes installers and offering both options for a preview when you're trying to convert downloads of it into sales is always going to be better than not.

However, since you suggested that I'm insulting people here, I'm not that keen, because I'm having this strange feeling that you're about to trash my game. Its better not to review it than to trash it, because any developer here can tell you how difficult it is to make a game.

i'm a developer myself (code, graphics and game engines, i leave the music to people who have talent for it) with nearly twenty five years of experience and most of it working in my own time so i'm more aware than most reviewers in that respect. And i disagree totally, as long as the writer can maintain at least a reasonable level of objectivity there are always lessons to be learnt from a negative review.

[codergames]

So, basically what you're saying in advance is that you'll give me a bad review that I'll learn something from, right? My game is not that retro, its a 3d and graphics are much better than in any retro game. Anyway, tell me about your decision. I started making my own games, because I don't like boss telling me what to do. So, if your review is going to be bossy, better not.

[TMR]

So, basically what you're saying in advance is that you'll give me a bad review that I'll learn something from, right?

No, i didn't say that at all - i said that if it deserves a negative review then that's what i'd do. Reviewers should never be afraid of giving negative feedback, developers should never be afraid of receiving it.

My game is not that retro, its a 3d and graphics are much better than in any retro game.

Ikaruga is nine years old now so counts as a retro game in most books and i doubt many people would agree that yours was superior visually... and there are loads of 2D rendered in 3D games around like Razor2 or Solder X on the PC so you're up against some stiff competition visually.

But either way, the way a game plays is the most important factor bar none and if that's not right then good graphics won't mask that issue for long.

[codergames]

But, I've looked at your site and retro gamers', those are really retro games. I'm under impression that you'll put my game with the games it does not belong to. I'm still not getting you ... you want to do a review and teach me a lesson and you expect me to give you game for free to do so. You talk in codes and riddles all the time, could you give me a straight answer already? I'm working on the next game, no time for this. What do you want to do? What is your decision?

And BTW, I'm not competing with other games or developers, I made something my friends and I love to play and were missing in similar games.