Boba Jet. A fun little HTML5 shooter that made me wonder...

[Marcel]

Hi,
I'm looking for new shmup experiences at the moment and found interesting games in the HTML5 games scene.

For example I have found a game named Boba Jet yesterday. Developed by Ludovic Cluber.

The art is pretty cheap but the controls are smooth and require some skills (Or maybe I'm just bad...).

Anyway I believe this game is very funny and deserves to be shared.

You can play for free here : http://www.bobajet.roostrjs.com.




The same developer released another HTML5 shooter few years ago named Vortal Combat.
Less evolved but still funny to play : http://www.flex-com.fr/shmup/

As a beginner developer I was thinking about making my own shmup. I didn't know browser games could be so smooth (Boba Jet runs at 60 frame per seconds on my Google chrome). Now I'm thinking about making my first game in HTML5.

What do you think about developing a shoot'em up with HTML5 / javascript languages?

Do you know other HTML5 shooters of any interests ?

[Dave_K.]

I haven't seen any good HTML5 shmups, including these two. Also shmups with interia suck big time, and typically points to a developer that doesn't really understand the genre to begin with.

[guigui]

"I'll make a shooter where you ship does not follow scrolling, and ... if your ship gets out of screen this way, you lose a live."

"I'll make a shooter where you ship can actually get out of the screen if you like, and ... if your ship gets out of screen this way, you lose a live."

Damned !

[BPzeBanshee]

HTML5/JS as a platform, like any other platform, is merely a tool of which the craftsman is to blame. This Boba Jet is most definitely NOT a good example of a shmup, but a shiny piece of shit with a well-maintained and sharpened HTML5 knife. The current Unreal Engine is running under HTML5 now (albeit only in Firefox), so it's definitely possible to make pretty much anything you can make offline.

As for other HTML5 projects, Railslave had some weird projects happening using HTML5 that are still better examples of shmups on HTML5 than this Boba Jet, even with the issues cited in his thread.

[Marcel]

Well I can easily understand why Boba Jet won't please gamers who like classic shoot'em up. But you can't blame the developer for trying new things. I mean, it's obvious he didn't want to make a classic shoot'em up.

I actually think inertia and all the physics involved in this game is a good idea.
I think the fact that you can go out of the screen is a consequence of the inertia and the physics in the game. Anyway I like this idea to.

It's a try and die shooter more than a shoot'em up.

Vortal Combat is more like a classic shoot'em up.

Thanks for the thoughts on HTML5 game development Anyway.

Yes we can do very good games with HTML5 and Javascript, but what I'd like to know is if this language is good for beginner.
It seems easy to develop and share a fun html5 game.
It seems way more difficult to do so with C++ or java...

[trap15]

You obviously don't understand STG.

[railslave]

As for other HTML5 projects, Railslave had some weird projects happening using HTML5 that are still better examples of shmups on HTML5 than this Boba Jet, even with the issues cited in his thread.

http://www.kongregate.com/games/railsla ... -pirateers


probably the beginning of the end for me

"runs best on chrome"


I actualy dont mind that game "bobajet", could use some more imagination looks sort of bland and is way too floaty...

[BareKnuckleRoo]

I actually think inertia and all the physics involved in this game is a good idea.

Inertia interferes with the element of tap dodging and precision. Sure, it's more realistic, but that doesn't mean it's fun to deal with. Inertia simply doesn't mix with shmups unless it's directly part of the challenge (something like Asteroids is less about dodging bullets/asteroids and more about learning to precisely control your ship).

Way too floaty, and the floatyness is the major threat here, not so much the enemies.

[n0rtygames]

Railslave had some weird projects

[BPzeBanshee]

Yes we can do very good games with HTML5 and Javascript, but what I'd like to know is if this language is good for beginner.
It seems easy to develop and share a fun html5 game.
It seems way more difficult to do so with C++ or java...

Any language that isn't assembly code can be good for beginners given the right developer environment to begin with. If you have no experience with programming at all then you'd probably be better off using any one of the high-level game development programs out there (note that the popular ones used here now have HTML5 support in some form), and once you get the 'programmer's mind' going try to expand to other languages.

saddogface

I'm sorry if that came across as sounding negative. I may have been thinking of the time when my eyes bled after looking at the ZX Spectrum-coloured one (IIRC it too was HTML5) - the Pirates and Aliens one is definitely a good example of some of the things that can be done for HTML5 shmups. That Uriel's Chasm one was interesting too.

[tibone]

if you want to really dive into HTML5 gaming, take a look at melonjs, it's a powerful framework/library, focused on gaming, and it's beginner friendly.

The website is www.melonjs.org

I started a project on melonjs (not shmup) and i was impressed by the way it works.

[Marcel]

Thanks for all the infos.

I think starting to learn game development with javascript / HTML5 will be great because I already know the basics of javascript. It will be less difficult than learning a new language from scratch.

With examples like Boba Jet I know HTML5 can handle the kind of things I want to do.

I'm gonna look carefully this melonjs framework.

[nasty_wolverine]

Railslave had some weird projects

To be honest, his games are those bad but enjoyable and memorable games from NES types.
its not the mechanics or the gameplay, but the cheeziness which is enjoyable. He somehow manages to get everything right and wrong at the same time. which requires some what of a talent.
just wear dark sunglasses while playing them.

[railslave]

Railslave had some weird projects

To be honest, his games are those bad but enjoyable and memorable games from NES types.
its not the mechanics or the gameplay, but the cheeziness which is enjoyable. He somehow manages to get everything right and wrong at the same time. which requires some what of a talent.
just wear dark sunglasses while playing them.

Important to remember im an absolute beginner... that doesnt believe at starting at the absolute beginning. Being more of an artistic type, alot of things are more concepts, alot of the time parallax porn

Shmups has been the vehichle for me to develop artisticly and musicaly as well has spend alot of time manualy develping bullet patterns with no bullet generating software or anything.

Im happy , ive gone from this


to This

And i have no doubt i will make something incredible one day .. having developed a deep respect for "the rules", just learning the ropes atm .... and im not entirely happy using a commercial game engine when you chaps are taking years deving your own ..
My ultimate goal is to make something for the sega megadrive .. in BasiEgaXorz

and yeah , it will be weird
OH... and world peace, dolphins for president

[Udderdude]

HTML5 sucks. Sorry, it just does.

[n0rtygames]

@Railslave - rules are made to be broken. The only reason you should adhere to them at first - is so you can then later surpass them.

Basically, I think everyone should attempt to emulate another game with only a FEW changes... then get feedback - see why their game got a different reaction... then work to bring things more in accordance with expectations. Yes, basically I am encouraging trying to write Cave/Touhou clones.

They're popular you see, which means you'll get attention and you can get some really good players assessing your game. Once you feel that you've got as close to that as you are willing to - then maybe it's time to start branching out in to your own ideas. I think it's a bad idea to run before you can walk, is all I'm saying.

Definitely don't constrain yourself to the rules, because the truth of the matter is you could actually create something that is more like a Euroshmup and there is every chance that despite the kneejerk childish hate you would receive for such a thing - it could possibly be the greatest thing ever. The French shmup guys are batshit insane and they enjoy a wide variety of shooters. There are people like Ghegs who enjoy R-type style games, or shooters with walls that do damage. There are people who enjoy Yagawa's particular style of excessive violence and unique strategy.

Do what you want to do, just make sure you understand why you're doing it.

Ommm.

[sentry]

HTML5 sucks. Sorry, it just does.

ahhh. shat... i knew i should've stayed with html4 and canvas.

[Rozyrg]

to This

Oooh, very nice work, sir!

[n0rtygames]

This thread should be renamed the "before and after" thread.

[BPzeBanshee]

I thought that was the other thread with Eurochronoblast pictures.

[Reiko]

I thought that was the other thread with Eurochronoblast pictures.

lol

You can play for free here : http://www.bobajet.roostrjs.com.

Fuck this game. I spend 4 years going up and down on the spot cause the bullets curve and I can't hit anything, then I fall off the level and die by the time I was able to kill the enemy. Then the rockets blow me right off the level too. GRASS KILLS YOU. You're not a plane, you're a marshmallow with a jetpack. I think the nice music is the only reason I was smiling while being this frustrated lol. Frankly I would care a lot less about the inertia if the bullets' paths didn't go along with it.

[sentry]

What we need is a dedicated hiscore thread for this game. I got a gameover score of: 59 points but i was distracted by the air around me. whee..whee..splut...