XOP Ultra and XOP Black Ultra thread

[Udderdude]

Important rant

Arcade players, just like gamers, most of them can't appreciate man's hard work for various retarded reasons that makes them retarded in first place, if I ever get an internet card that works with paypal, you got my money friend. This game fucking rocks, it's underappreciated too much. I spent hours on XOP and Black enjoying it!

It definitely wasn't intended to be a "Me versus them" kind of post. I don't want to end up sounding like RHE or something, lol

I actually agree that it has too many modes and skills at this point. XOP G is going to have 2-3 modes at most, and 4 skill levels. If you ignore beginner, that's 3 skill levels.

Unfortunately, I can't go back and start removing/locking skills and modes in XOP/Black Ultra, it would just be a dick move at this point.

[Erppo]

I think the multitudes of options may have a larger effect than you might guess. It certainly put me off the first time I booted the game up. One problem is that there's no in-game explanation of the various modes, or of the mechanics in general. Having to refer to a readme isn't ideal. You might also hide some of the options, like difficulty level, in the options menu, and either have a single ship speed or make an in-game toggle for it. While being able to tailor the game to your tastes is great, people also like to have a unified, "standard" game experience. Something that tells you "This is XOP."

Yeah, I admit this was the biggest turn off for me when I tried the game. The abundance of modes gives the impression that the developer had no clear idea what to do with the game so he just threw in everything he could think of and it leaves you clueless on what you "should" be playing. I agree that there should be a main mode, which is meant to be the one people compete in. It's also bad for scoreboard competition to have dozens of boards to choose from.

[Udderdude]

XOP Black Ultra Special was somewhat of a response to that, as it doesn't have any skills or modes, and the stages are much shorter/all at once instead of split into two long courses. It even has an online scoreboard .. lol

[BPzeBanshee]

XOP Black Ultra Special was somewhat of a response to that, as it doesn't have any skills or modes, and the stages are much shorter/all at once instead of split into two long courses. It even has an online scoreboard .. lol

This is why I thoroughly enjoy Special the most. Even if the difficulty is beyond bullshit in some parts for me I like how it's just one mode, one difficulty, I know that what I'm running is the way to play right off the bat. The online scoreboard is quite handy too, though I wish more people contributed.

As for the other issues I think it's not so much the art but the colour scheme. The bullets are fine but some of the stages (some in XOP Black, most in XOP) can be quite nauseating at times. Really though I think people don't like it because it's not Cave which the majority of this forum seems to be like these days.

Speaking of XOP Black Ultra Special though...

It's really a shame indeed. I never understood why XOP (and all of it's variations, especially the Ultra ones) was so unpopular even on this very forum, while it's clearly a very good shooter gameplaywise. It's variety is outstanding and most of the modes play so differently. Nearly all of the modes make a lot of fun to play and the scoring feels natural.

I'm always up for a challenge in whatever mode you want to play. Just gimme a call.

I'm calling you now - I'm curious as to how far you can get in Special Plasmo! I get as far as Stage 2's midboss on my absolute best runs and last time I checked I had like 2nd place next to Battletoad on the online leaderboards. Surely you can trump us both with these awesome WR skillls of yours?

[TheSoundofRed]

Having played XOP quite a bit now, I can say it's my favorite indie STG I've purchased, above Jamestown, Satazius and the like (although I really really really like Satazius ).

The graphics may be the one thing that I would consider putting players off from it, but I find the visuals nostalgic for some reason...

Been playing XOP Black Ultra Rank for a few days and really like it and the style of play compared to the Original mode. Just my two cents anyway.

[captpain]

I don't get the scanlines thing.

[Plasmo]

Speaking of XOP Black Ultra Special though...

Unfortunately that's the only version I don't have at the moment. It didn't appeal to me at first and then deleted it. Now I'm just broke as fuck...

[Udderdude]

I don't get the scanlines thing.

They're like tanlines, for your screen .. >_>

[Plasmo]

2 credits later and I'm first in Special. Where's the competition?

[Battletoad]

I suck at this version and lack motivation...

Rather expect some death mode scores in XOP Ultra from me.

[TheSoundofRed]

2 credits later and I'm first in Special. Where's the competition?

I'm with Battletoad. I don't have a firm grasp of the scoring for Special although it seems fairly straight forward.

Has anyone else had an issue with the reflect shield inputs dropping or being delayed? I'm using a Madcatz TE 360 stick and it was also happening on my Hori VX 360 as well. Can be rather annoying when playing Rank mode.

[Plasmo]

Rather expect some death mode scores in XOP Ultra from me.

Alright, let's have a little fight at XOP Ultra Death.

I'm with Battletoad. I don't have a firm grasp of the scoring for Special although it seems fairly straight forward.

Haven't quite figured it out how to use the bombs the best way (i.e. to score with them). You can hold up to two and they recharge when you collect DAL chips. However, bombs destroy you and make the game even harder.
I'm still under the impression that Special is the hardest mode of them all. It has 10 stages and actually no bombs that would help you to get through difficult patterns.

If I use a bomb it's instant death for me.

Interesting version nevertheless and unlike anything I've played before. I want at least to figure out how to play this theoretically.

[emphatic]

I will admit to having dismissed this game due to it not being a real arcade title, but also since I have more games to play then I really need. That's only counting PCB's and arcade ports. If you'd go Steem, I suggest having modes unlock as the player progresses, but maybe include an ARCADE mode as the first mode and let that be the only mode that unlocks more stuff, meaning players HAVE to put time into it to unlock stuff?

[BPzeBanshee]

I'm with Battletoad. I don't have a firm grasp of the scoring for Special although it seems fairly straight forward.

Haven't quite figured it out how to use the bombs the best way (i.e. to score with them). You can hold up to two and they recharge when you collect DAL chips. However, bombs destroy you and make the game even harder.
I'm still under the impression that Special is the hardest mode of them all. It has 10 stages and actually no bombs that would help you to get through difficult patterns.

If I use a bomb it's instant death for me.

Interesting version nevertheless and unlike anything I've played before. I want at least to figure out how to play this theoretically.

The proximity stuff still applies with the popcorn enemies that you spawn, I find that picking the right times to use it is ABSOLUTELY CRUCIAL. The enemies aim at you directly so at the best of times I've been able to do a wide-shot sweeping motion across the screen and be able to pick off most of the enemies and when done right, come out of it in one piece with an additional half-to-1 million points.

It's definitely the hardest for sure though. EX stages directly after the standard 5 stages, no survival-guaranteeing bombs - I don't know how you're supposed to 1CC it. If it weren't for the storms I'd have a crack at submitting my scores and try to take you down right now, but alas storms are arriving and I'm left with trying out the various stages in Score Attack. I can get 10 million at least per stage, 20 mil on a good run of Stage 1, but EX4 is currently the big wall I'm hitting in that regard.

[Battletoad]

Rather expect some death mode scores in XOP Ultra from me.

Alright, let's have a little fight at XOP Ultra Death.

Ok, so maybe XOP Ultra, Set 1, Death Mode, Expert skill for maximum excitement and frustration? I'm really having fun with this. Also with Score Attack EX2 on the same settings. Awesome stage.

PS: I also probably haven't ever used bombs in Black Ultra Special without dying. Game design seems a little bit harsh in that regard. xD

[damakable]

XOP Ultra, Set 1, Death Mode, Expert

I'm in. Let's do this!

[Plasmo]

XOP Ultra, Set 1, Death Mode, Expert

I'm in. Let's do this!

It's on!

Only pussies play Expert, let's do Master diff!

[Battletoad]

I'm not ashamed for being a pussy.

[damakable]

In Death mode, enemies fire much faster and have more dense shot patterns. You are locked to using the Plasma and Implosion weapons. Killing enemies with Implosion will give 25x points. Using a Reflect Shield cuts your DAL counter in 1/4 instead of half. DAL Coins are auto-collected in this mode.

I don't like the Plasma weapon anyhow. It doesn't look like there's any bonus for grazing bullets, nor point-blanking enemies. Just play to survive without bombing, and kill everything that can be imploded.

[Battletoad]

In Death mode, enemies fire much faster and have more dense shot patterns. You are locked to using the Plasma and Implosion weapons. Killing enemies with Implosion will give 25x points. Using a Reflect Shield cuts your DAL counter in 1/4 instead of half. DAL Coins are auto-collected in this mode.

I don't like the Plasma weapon anyhow. It doesn't look like there's any bonus for grazing bullets, nor point-blanking enemies. Just play to survive without bombing, and kill everything that can be imploded.

Yep, definitely. Grazing is only in Original mode and point blank bonus is removed in Death mode.

[Udderdude]

I took some screenshots of XOP G's preliminary levels so far.



And here is some info on what you can expect from the scoring and controls

Button 1: Fire/slow
Button 2: Hijack shot
Button 3: Black Hole
Button 4: Shadow swap

Hijack shot hijacks an enemy and makes it fire bullets which damage other enemies, can only use once every 10 seconds, hijacked enemies eventually self destruct
Enemies killed with hijacked bullets give more points and raise black hole meter

When black hole meter is full and used, creates a black hole around your ship that does damage, eats bullets and gives extra points for damage done

Player has a "shadow" ship that is opposite of horizontal position, vertical position is the same
Shadow swap swaps your ship with the shadow ship, effectively giving you teleportation
Shadow swap gives increased firepower

[z0mbie90]

That looks really nice Udderduder. Can't wait to see a gameplay video or some sort of trailer
Will you try get it out on Steam when it's done maybe?

[emphatic]

Wow! Scoring sounds fun as well!

[Mischief Maker]

Oh cripes! New game announcement (sounds awesome btw) and the VERY FIRST REPLY is some fanboy begging you to put the game on steam. I'm honestly baffled why anyone would want to install their games through the steam frontend instead of a DRM-free installer. Is entering an install location too difficult?

Someone should do a study, like the World of Goo people with DRM, on seeing if the additional sales generated by putting an indie on Steam outweighs the lost profit from Steam taking its cut, and from Steam putting your game on sale without taking your own independent marketing efforts into account.

My observation with video game sites is that the buzz produced is entirely based off the trailer videos, AAA or indie. I think if Udderdude got somebody to put together a professional quality trailer for his new game, that would take care of 90% of his marketing needs. It certainly made Jamestown look cooler than the final product turned out to be (excellent soundtrack notwithstanding).

My one big suggestion is pace the levels more like XOP Black Special.

[Moniker]

I doubt it's mere fanboyism. Like it or not, Steam gets you a lot of exposure. It's centralized so that you don't forget about the game, as opposed to hopping around to a different website for each game you're interested in, and if you're already a steam user, you're not going to have any qualms about trusting their shopping security. I don't know the sales figures or anything, but I've never heard a developer speak ill of the service, except in the case of getting rejected. That said, DRM sucks, now and forever, but it seems like a better business move (Steam, that is).

Anyway, game looks good. Shadow swap sounds like a great hook. Can't wait to see more.

[z0mbie90]

Oh cripes! New game announcement (sounds awesome btw) and the VERY FIRST REPLY is some fanboy begging you to put the game on steam. I'm honestly baffled why anyone would want to install their games through the steam frontend instead of a DRM-free installer. Is entering an install location too difficult?

Haha you are funny. I'm not a fanboy, I like the XOP games alot yes. And the reason I asked about Steam is that I think more people would see the game
and if more people see the game then maybe they buy it. Udderdude had made XOP for free and I think he deserve if more people could buy the game.
And that's why I think steam would be a great.

It's not a question of DRM-free or what ever. I don't care. Just like that more people should play this game.

[ShmupSamurai]

So, is this technically "XOP 3" then?

[shmuppyLove]

Stupid question -- In Black Ultra Special, what's the default key to submit / view online scores?

I've remapped the controls for my joystick, and seems like when I press "BTN 2" as it suggests, it just exits without submitting the score?

[shmuppyLove]

Oh I think I found it, seems to be "X" on the keyboard

[Plasmo]

XOP G screens look awesome, but the scoring system reads like a gimmick and already way to complex. One lesson from XOP and XOP black was: Keep it simple.
I hope you can tone down the system or implement the gimmicks in some clever way, otherwise XOP G is bound to fall into obscurity as well.