Twin Tiger Shark - Android - PC - XBLIG - OUYA

[mice]

Shameless plugging ahoy!
A tribute, obviously. But enough new-school, I think.

Blurb:
* Online Hiscores
* TATE (Wide Screen 16:9) and Control Rotation Support
* 6 Stages - 2 Loops
* 2 Difficulty Settings
* No Continues
* 3 Weapon Types
* Helper Planes
* Smart Bombs

Android:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/deta ... ark.mobile

PC:
http://mix256.itch.io/twin-tiger-shark

XBOX:
http://marketplace.xbox.com/en-US/Produ ... 0258550e1f

OUYA:
https://www.ouya.tv/game/Twin-Tiger-Shark

[Thjodbjorn]

I can't wait to give it a spin. Really liking the screenshots.

[mice]

Thanks!

Almost forgot the most important part, the cover art.
Made by Marek Barej, the cover artist doing stuff for locomalito.

[emphatic]

The controls are a bit compromised when stretched to 4:3 (using my screen controls in the cabinet), as diagonal and left/right movement appear to be faster. Lovely game.

[CStarFlare]

This looks really nice. Look forward to giving it a spin!

[neorocker]

The controls are a bit compromised when stretched to 4:3

(C) Wide Pixel Games indeed

Looks like a blast. Will be picking this up ASAP!

[n0rtygames]

It's really good. I got a chance to play it on the xbox during peer review and it's a damned fun little game. Also has a neat feature for submitting scores to a webpage via QR code - which is very nice indeed.

Just think of the blue weapon as being like Akku Gallets green laser in terms of how badly you want to pick it up and you won't go wrong

[CRP]

Nice work, i enjoy the game. Im buying you a beer if i see you at a pinball competion in Sweden.

Is there any Japanese shmups forum/blog that you can promote your game on? I think there would be bunch of ppl that would be pleasantly surprised about it.

[Pretas]

The smooth sprite rotation is troublesome and completely shatters the illusion that the game is being played on vintage hardware. I know it was deliberate, but it's also simply far too similar to Twin Hawk/Daisenpu (which I feel is one of Toaplan's weaker STGs) and Fire Shark. However, I can't deny it's competently made.

As any top-scoring player will tell you, disallowing continues entirely is a bad idea, since it prevents people from being able to adequately practice on later stages.

[emphatic]

As any top-scoring player will tell you, disallowing continues entirely is a bad idea, since it prevents people from being able to adequately practice on later stages.

Just play EASY mode.

[Alfred]

Hello Mikael, I got it for Xbox 360 and i am really enjoying it. That QR code thing is amazing i have never used one before and it blew me away more XBLIG Should use them. I see you have two more XLBIG on the marketplace so i bought them too and rated all five stars keep up the good work mate

[Ed Oscuro]

When's the Windows release? And, even more importantly, a proper arcade PCB?

[mice]

Thanks everyone! Appreciate it.

As any top-scoring player will tell you, disallowing continues entirely is a bad idea, since it prevents people from being able to adequately practice on later stages.

As emphatic is trying to say, the game is broken as it is now...score is just a matter of stamina.

When's the Windows release? And, even more importantly, a proper arcade PCB?

Windows version: like never and PCB version could be like "ripping out the innards of the OUYA and gluing it to a jamma board"...right?

(C) Wide Pixel Games indeed

It's like it was meant to be stretched on a 4:3 monitor...

I see you have two more XLBIG on the marketplace so i bought them too and rated all five stars keep up the good work mate

Haha, you're too kind!

Here's the hiscore list for everyone else to glare at:
http://widepixelgames.com/hiscores/?g=tts

Again, thanks!

[Ed Oscuro]

Without some kind of release that I could count on being playable for years to come, I can't make a purchase. Android could be okay but I'm not a fan of that platform's lag issues.

[KennyMan666]

Good god that green weapon is ridiculous.

I have to say I'm not a huge fan of the extremely small play area on a regular HDTV, though.

[emphatic]

Without some kind of release that I could count on being playable for years to come, I can't make a purchase. Android could be okay but I'm not a fan of that platform's lag issues.

Did you see the price on XBLIG? Come one, man, that's a ridiculous excuse.

[Pretas]

Even so, he has a point, since XBLIG games can't be played offline and may become unplayable when Microsoft discontinues XBL for the 360.

[rancor]

Looks amazing! Instant purchase when I get home..

WHY AM I AT WORK RIGHT NOW!?!?

[spadgy]

Working on a Sunday mate? That's no fun!

Anyway - this looks ace. I'll treat myself tomorrow. And great to see it up on emphatic's cab already, even if 4:3 does make the controls go wonky!

* No Continues

Brave choice, and a great choice I say (as somebody who likes to pooh-pooh the idea of practicing stages. Or rather, as somebody for whom practice stages through credit feeding/save states rarely does any good)

Good luck with the game's success!

EDIT: Great cover art too. Very nice!

[emphatic]

Even so, he has a point, since XBLIG games can't be played offline and may become unplayable when Microsoft discontinues XBL for the 360.

Yeah, fair enough, but it's about the same price you'd pay for a credit of an arcade game roughly, so let's live in the present here and not lament the horrible future of online only gaming, shall we? If you see an appealing arcade game in a local bar/cafe, would you not play it today as it will surely be gone sometime in the future?

[KennyMan666]

Even so, he has a point, since XBLIG games can't be played offline and may become unplayable when Microsoft discontinues XBL for the 360.

When XBL eventually DOES get discontinued for the X360, which probably isn't happening in the near future - I'd say a minimum of another ten years, and that's lowballing it a lot - and there's no system update along with an announcement of closing it down that lets you play your XBLIGs offline, you no longer being able to access XBL with your X360 means that there's no longer any fear of getting banned from it, so you can happily mod your X360 - which you can already to to allow for offline playing of XBLIGs.

So yeah it's a retarded argument, especially seeing as how XBL isn't going anywhere. Live for the original Xbox was still up for five years after the X360 was released, and there's so many more users for the X360.

[spadgy]

Yeah - I think emphatic's 'price of a credit' analogy works great in this case. Sure, I'd feel odd paying £40 for a game that might vanish into the ether one day, but it seems a little negative to dismiss a game that costs as little as this for the same reason.

Perhaps it's the principal of it that grates some people, which is fair enough, but for those of us with looser morals, this game looks fun!

If it really does jar you, consider it a really incredible rental deal!

[MOSQUITO FIGHTER]

Not too shabby. Congratulations. This is the first xbox live indie game that I've genuinely wanted to purchase after playing the demo. May you acquire many a dollar for making this game.

[Pretas]

I suppose modded consoles can fill our archival needs once MS finally abandons the 360 for good.

Forgot to mention...the opening text is needlessly cheeky, and inaccurate if you're using an arcade stick.

Emphatic is in the credits for designing the bomb sound effect, which I liked.

[emphatic]

Emphatic is in the credits for designing the bomb sound effect, which I liked.

[n0rtygames]

Forgot to mention...the opening text is needlessly cheeky, and inaccurate if you're using an arcade stick.

The opening text is actually done entirely for technical reasons. It's not taking the piss out of you. He just dressed it up with a funny message which I appreciated

By pressing start, he gets the signed in game profile. If no gamers are signed in on the pad being used - a sign in is forced. When signing out of a profile, you should be taken back to this screen.

It's all very magical!

[Ed Oscuro]

Without some kind of release that I could count on being playable for years to come, I can't make a purchase. Android could be okay but I'm not a fan of that platform's lag issues.

Did you see the price on XBLIG? Come one, man, that's a ridiculous excuse.

That is absolutely irrelevant to the request I made. You can't buy principles.

The prospect of dealing with files around on the 360 years from now is painful to consider, even given some kind of magical happy mod solution - it doesn't seem likely that it's going to be straightforward to do, and that's even if Microsoft does something with DRM - yeah, if you think that's going to happen I have a whole dozen bridges to sell you; there's no way they are going to do anything to upset IP owners who will want the opportunity to resell games on the latest incarnation of the online service. Another "retarded argument" I spy is the one that says that paying Microsoft's exorbitant rates to service your console, instead of being able to swap to a new console, or waiting 10+ years for a tiny glimmer of hope, is better than just asking for the traditional right of making a backup copy in the first place. I'd rather make the effort now, even if it doesn't lead anywhere. But I think you guys are basically underestimating the real price of buying XBLIG games, which will come to hit you years from now - if there is any interest in playing the games years from now.

In b4 "stop clogging up the thread" when most of the posts have been from people saying "backup software rights are no big deal, suck it down, etc." I just made a point and didn't want to open a bunch of unnecessary discussion, but here we are and I just wanted to make clear that it's not coming from the standpoint of wanting to pirate games. I realize that there may not truly be easy alternatives for the developer to make - and I want Mice to succeed - but surely he doesn't need some of these daft 'rebuttals' of my request.

[spadgy]

If you could buy principles, shmup principals would be a lot more expensive than Twin Tiger Shark! Even a box to keep them in would be £40.

I'm being silly, of course. You make some fair and good points Ed.

But, as you allude to, it's fair to the Twin Tiger Shark team not to clog this thread up with this debate, and hopefully they are both pleased with the amount of positive reaction here and informed by some of the criticism.

Tonight, if I can put Neo XYX down, I shall put some time into TTS!

[Jaimers]

I don't think this game is sufficiently shit enough to be considered a true old Toaplan clone.
First try:



The green weapon is silly. Also I don't think it's supposed to loop like that.

As any top-scoring player will tell you, disallowing continues entirely is a bad idea, since it prevents people from being able to adequately practice on later stages.

Yes this is dumb.

[mice]

Honestly, I think this is a place to discuss the online-only pros and cons. Since it's a valid point.
The game would have been free (if it had been allowed on xbox) so for me doing well with this game or not is all up to the received feedback.

But I won't make a (supported) windows version, since I'd been spending more time supporting strange PC setups (been there, done that) instead of actual game making.

I'm gathering feedback now and will start on a patch, the coming weekend, after the list has been prioritized (by forum members interested, in the dev-forum thread).
So thanks for all of the feedback so far and please keep it coming!

The green weapon is silly. Also I don't think it's supposed to loop like that.

Yes...both points are on the before mentioned list, already. (2-6 should be the last stage)
Seeing that you did that score om hard made me add "Difficulty: Insane" to the todo list now.

Again, thanks for taking the time!