Humans Must Answer (Beta Demo)

[EugenySG]

API: С#, XNA
Platform: PC
Team: SumomGames
Website: http://sumomgames.com/

Hi!

My name is Eugeny and I am one of the developers of the small independent game company SumomGames. The last 6 months we have working hard on our first game - Humans Must Answer.

Humans Must Answer it's a 2D space shooter with puzzle elements, set in the distant future. It's an satirical adventure of two young spaceship pilots, searching for knowledge and found themselves in the Solar System. Basically Humans Must Answer is a horizontal scrolling shooter with a lot of shooting, evading, hidden bonuses, bosses but with some additional features. Player can place temporary towers (dron-towers) on the battlefield, combine weapons and more.

work in progress trailer (1080p and fullscreen recommended )
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUFocWV5qzQ

http://www.sendspace.com/file/8ausnb (trailer in 60 fps)

What do you guys think?

[wondersonic]

Hello Eugeny,
the look is very neat polished and so on. But I would modify some elements:
- around the 46th second of the video, it seems some inertia are present (correct me if I'm wrong) so I advise you to suppress it asap
- the heatwave effect is pretty cool but over used! (reduce the size and maybe duration as well)
- same remark for screen shaking!

Apart these points, backgrounds are beautiful and weapons seems varied enough.

Good luck!
WS

[neorichieb1971]

top marks for presentation.

I agree with the statements made above. The game looks like a slow mans thinking shooter.

Some things i'd like to see -

1) The game on PSN
2) Slightly faster scrolling
3) More emphasis on attack waves
4) SFX audio. Get some very satisfactory explosion sounds.

If I had the money I'd sign you up for some projects .

[EugenySG]

to wondersonic:

inertia - oh that inertia - the most important question
yes, player has very little inertia but this decision is not final.

heatwave and screen shaking - yes i think we reduce both.

[EugenySG]

to neorichieb1971:

Yes, it's looks a bit like a slow mans thinking shooter. But it's beacuse player has more options on the battlefield than in classical shmup.

1) The game on PSN
We would love to! But right now we are working only on PC version.

2) Slightly faster scrolling
You can combine weapon and place towers! You don't need to! If you want to destroy all enemies on the level you must think
We have three type of armor for the player. the lighter the armor - the greater speed of the ship.

4) SFX audio. Get some very satisfactory explosion sounds.
Yes, of course! We're working on it.

[Ghegs]

My, that certainly looks pretty.

The video doesn't have them, but on your site the screenshots show a health bar and a shop system, both common elements in the types of euroshmups that this forum generally doesn't care for. Will there be a another mode or difficulty where the player will die from one hit?

[EugenySG]

to neorichieb1971

2) Slightly faster scrolling
oh, sorry, I thought about the speed of the ship )
but anyway what I said is true except part about "armor and speed"




to Ghegs
Yes! We will make hardcore difficulty. (and maybe hardcore difficulty with additional enemies). We create levels in such a way that player can avoid all bullets so it's not a problem for us to do it.

We know what japanese smmup is and what euroshmup is. And i think because we are from Ukraine, we are doing eastwestshmup

[Udderdude]

The background is very bright and it's hard to see the bullets against it. Consider making it darker.

[EugenySG]

Udderdude

hm, you are first person who says "is very bright and it's hard to see the bullets against it".
we considered it when making backgrounds, bullets and ships. btw work on the backgrounds are not completed yet.

if you watched trailer on yotube I suggest to download from here - http://www.sendspace.com/file/8ausnb

[BareKnuckleRoo]

I notice around the 50 second mark in the vid when the ship's firing the laser that the shots tend to blend in with the laser. Your own shots hiding the enemy's shots is generally bad, and makes it unnecessarily difficult to focus on dodging. Enemy shots (as well as your ship's hitbox if it's supposed to be visible) should always be on the top layer of animations.

Also, inertia is very bad. Even good games like Tyrian 2000 would have been improved had their inertia been scrapped. It also seems like the ship has some initial acceleration if it starts moving from rest; I'd suggest you scrap that too (as in, wtf inertia and acceleration, lol). The most fun shmups basically have no inertia and the ships move at full speed the instant you move. If you want both a fast and slow movement speed available, consider a Touhou-style slowdown button or something.

Out of curiosity, how big is the ship's hitbox? Local/online multiplayer planned?

[mice]

Aaargh, the screen shaking!

Looks really, really good and it looks really playable as well. But, as others has said, scrap the inertia.
(And at least an option to remove the screen shaking)

Looking forward to this.

[EugenySG]

to BareknuckleRoo:

about should always be on the top layer. yeah, we know and totally agree with you. we will work something out with the laser.

inertia and Tyrian 2000 - yes! but we have much less inertia in our game. for now.

hitbox - only body. no wings, no tail, no head.

Local/online multiplayer - we currently have no plans to add multiplayer.



mice

Don't panic, guys.
I think we'll do the setting (shaking, distortion) in the options.

[EugenySG]

Development Update: We've started working on humans.

In other news, CCTV Captures Mysterious Accident on Orbital Highway 9.

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

[EugenySG]

more human space forces )

[EugenySG]

pictures are good but the video is better. so Humans Must Answer: Main Battle Space Tank "Three Sisters"

http://youtu.be/IhzKPxPrW0w

[EugenySG]

Space Gas Station

[emphatic]

Space Gas Station

Looks like the Diner in the movie Space Balls!

[EugenySG]

Space Gas Station

Looks like the Diner in the movie Space Balls!

awesome movie! I can't remember how the Diner looks but remember dancing alien very well =)
I think it would be cool to add some dancing creature to the shop but for that we need good animator.

[EugenySG]

new video - Flying Barrels Test, Environmental Kills

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7Iave7fKWI

[emphatic]

new video - Flying Barrels Test, Environmental Kills

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7Iave7fKWI

Very cool!

[EugenySG]

Very cool!

thanks!

guys, what do you think, should we add bonus/additional score for such kills?

[emphatic]

guys, what do you think, should we add bonus/additional score for such kills?

How about making the barrels in two colors, and give out a chain bonus that doubles for every enemy hit but resets if you use the other barrel color? Or have the barrels blink in two colors but with the same properties bonus-wise?

[EugenySG]

How about making the barrels in two colors, and give out a chain bonus that doubles for every enemy hit but resets if you use the other barrel color? Or have the barrels blink in two colors but with the same properties bonus-wise?

It's an interesting idea but not very suits us. it will make the game too complicated in this state.

it's more general question about environmental kills. because we have not only flying barrels but gas tanks that explode, flamethrower gas tanks, some powerful enemy's missile, homing missile that player can avoid in such way that they can crash enemies ships or cannons and some other stuff. and the question is - should player gain more points for such kills or not?

[PinkBrutus]

look very cool

[EugenySG]

look very cool

thanks )

[EugenySG]

We are working on some "industrial zone"-levels content: cranes, containers, trains, loaders, saws, flamethrowers, lasers etc.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PCfQKonaGv0

So in this video we want to show you some content and one of the enemies from that levels. It's an enemy with big magnet that use circular saw like yo-yo. His saw is undestructable so you must dodge it. This enemy isn't very dangerous alone and when you have enough space for manoeuvre. Otherwise he can be very nasty.

But hey, we have the ability to combine weapons! And it's one of the many moments when that ability can be very helpful. When you combine main energy weapon with energy ball you create a powerful lightning arc that send back enemy's saws with great speed.


And new art

[tiaoferreira]

The 2nd tank is a "mommy", from ww1, heheeh! Great design.

[EugenySG]

The 2nd tank is a "mommy", from ww1, heheeh! Great design.

Yeah, it's first generation space tank. And first tank - third generation space tank.
I think it's obvious that earth scientists and engineers of the future remember their history

[EugenySG]

Update.

First. We've added radio to the shop menu. Player can choose the melody that will play in the map/shop menu or simply listen to game ost in one place.

Second. We've implemented dynamic sun in the game. Many thanks for the help with "sun shader" for great guy Charles Humphrey (@NemoKrad).

Third. We've decided to upload part of game's OST. And our first ost-video (Humans Must Answer OST 001): ViA Magic - Space Fly (yeah, it's obvious reference to the cool electronic music band from 70s

So 3-in-1 video:
http://youtu.be/vrx2Id5gtwQ

Please watch, listen and tell us what you think. Thanks!

[EugenySG]

new screenshot - space tube!