DUX for Dreamcast

[RHE]

Pretty please?

When you re-name yourself from undamned into understand, then I will consider that at least.

[undamned]

Pretty please?

When you re-name yourself from undamned into understand, then I will consider that at least.

Wow, that was actually a good one!
-ud

[J-Manic]

RHE - How many copies of DUX will be pressed (ballpark)?

[RHE]

How many copies of DUX will be pressed (ballpark)?

On the racketboy interview I've said about 1.000, now it's going to be about about 2.000 copies pressed.

[J-Manic]

Cool. Thanks. I better hurry up and preoreder mine before it's too late!

[rtw]

On the racketboy interview I've said about 1.000, now it's going to be about about 2.000 copies pressed.

Preordered, looking forward to this

rtw

[RHE]

Stage 2 video now at the blog.

Understand: That video shows an alpha status of the game.

[LSU]

Cool parallax scrolling - what is that, five layers including the mist? The reflections are a nice touch too.

[nimitz]

Understand: That video shows an alpha status of the game.

Is the release still set to july??

if it is, from alpha version to "final" product in a month is pretty impressive (or foolish)

[RHE]

what is that, five layers including the mist?

Should be 4 layers of background parralaxing, 5 if you include the foreground.

if it is, from alpha version to "final" product in a month is pretty impressive (or foolish)

What are you trying to tell me?

[nimitz]

What are you trying to tell me?

I guess this means the release is indeed still set to July 2008

and if it is the case what i was saying is that at this point in developpement this should prbably be called beta version and be relatively close to the final product.

[RHE]

I'm still not quite sure what you mean. However, your words in the brackets are confusing me. It sounds like: 'this is not even alpha status, you are a fool when you think it's finished in july/'a few month until release a game must be in a beta state'.

You can call it beta or alpha or whatever. To me it only means the game is not finished yet. And as shown the version is pretty close to the final but it lacks of some importants things yet though to call it beta. The final version will feautre a difficulty setting, more bullets and a proper scoring system. All of this is not very complicated, so no problem with an release in July.

So, when did you see a shmup progessing further to a final state to the last time? I mean where's your comparison?

[nimitz]

Well I guess the misunderstanding comes from semantics

Because aplha is usually a phase where major parts of the program or game engine are being added not a time for "tuning".

Beta is about tuning and making the program "work well" and removing bugs towards the final release

So going from Aplha to Final would mean that no time is allowed to fine-tune the game (i.e. making it balanced and such)

[RHE]

So you are basicly afraid the game would suffer from and balacing while the core gameplay is intact. No worry bout that.

Nevertheless, it's depending on the game. When it comes to a time-consuming game like Pulstar I would completely agree with you. With games that relies on score/survival it can be different when the survival is already done. DUX is already in a good shape when it comes to the survival aspects while the scoring stuff and the other previously mentioned things are missing yet. So, that's why I'm calling it alpha state. I think the reason why some people thing the the first stage video looks amateurish are just a few minor things like a none tilting ship. It makes the whole stuff looking weak etc. - the stage 2 video is much better in this regards.

You have to understand that alpha or beta doesn't say much about the progressing state of the game itself. It's rather tells if the game has already been tested by an outsource. With calling it alpha I want to make sure that people don't think it's finished and that's all.

[Ed Oscuro]

Ignoring RHE's post (no offense meant), I'm going to take a spot out on the thinnest end of the skinniest branch here and guess that an alpha phase doesn't need to be distinct in the design of a fairly standard type of shmup patterned after familiar games.

In other words it can be rolled right into the programming & bugfixing stage for the most part, or perhaps just finished in the design document.

Any tweaks that need to be made won't require an overhaul of the game system.

[Bootaaay]

More excited for this the more I see, the 2nd level looks amazing and I love the art-style and the design of the craft - can't wait to get my hands on it

[Motorherp]

This is looking pretty good. Just pre-ordered my copy, looking forward to it.

[rtw]

Stage 2 video now at the blog.

Understand: That video shows an alpha status of the game.

Music sounds like Kitaro Is this the official sound track ?

rtw

[P_HAT]

stage 2
http://youtube.com/watch?v=U7VikgFrQdo

[320x240]

Stage 2 video now at the blog

Very good contrast between the foreground and the background and a very nice use of color. I would have liked more animation on the enemies - the pod and the big, rocking enemy in the water is very good. Lot's of smaller, effect animation would have been good too but I guess that if this will be added at all it will be added last. All in all I think it's starting to look very solid.

Gameplay-wise my main concern is the size of the hitboxes - both for the players ship and the enemies. Since each 'sprite' is fairly large and the play area is small a regular sized hitbox could end up making the game feel 'clunky' and less dynamic. The two videos posted so far doesn't really give an idea of the size of the hitboxes so this is just a general comment. As for a smaller, more cramped, play area I actually preffer this as I think it makes the game more focused. It does place even more importance on the hitbox being just the right size though.

Music sounds like Kitaro Is this the official sound track ?

Sounds more TD inspired to me - at least in the beginning. I would love to have a game with music sounding like early eighties TD.

[RHE]

Glad you people like it so far as stage 2 is going to be my pesonal favorite.

Is this the official sound track ?

Yes of course it is.

However, maybe I already have heard stuff about Kitaro but I don't know him by the name. Is he a games musician?

http://youtube.com/watch?v=U7VikgFrQdo

The video quality on this youtoube is extremly awfull. What did you do with it to make it look like that?

I hope you can youtoube it in a better quality version of it. When the codec is a problem I can provide a mpeg which is youtoube conform.

Ignoring RHE's post (no offense meant), I'm going to take a spot out on the thinnest end of the skinniest branch here and guess that an alpha phase doesn't need to be distinct in the design of a fairly standard type of shmup patterned after familiar games.

In other words it can be rolled right into the programming & bugfixing stage for the most part, or perhaps just finished in the design document.

Any tweaks that need to be made won't require an overhaul of the game system.

Nothing you say there is really responsing to this thread. It's just a standard statemant about something which doesn't belong here. So again, the reason why it's called alpha is that it's not yet playtested by an otsource. The moment when it does get playtesing its called beta. That doesn't say much about the games quality state.

my main concern is the size of the hitboxes - both for the players ship and the enemies. Since each 'sprite' is fairly large and the play area is small a regular sized hitbox could end up making the game feel 'clunky' and less dynamic. The two videos posted so far doesn't really give an idea of the size of the hitboxes so this is just a general comment. As for a smaller, more cramped, play area I actually preffer this as I think it makes the game more focused. It does place even more importance on the hitbox being just the right size though.

The hitzone size of the enemies are currently pretty much the size enemies themselves. The hitzone of the ship is maybe a subject to change but it will be about 24x16 pixel but it can be smaller when nessecery. As there's no diffucult setting yet, that's not a problem.

You have to consider the pod as a defensive so bullet dodgning is different in DUX then in most danmakus.

[admith]

Preordered. Another shmup for the DC will always be welcome.

Keep the good work going on...

[christuserloeser]

I think the reason why some people thing the the first stage video looks amateurish are just a few minor things like a none tilting ship. It makes the whole stuff looking weak etc. - the stage 2 video is much better in this regards.

I agree.


Short remark in German because I am having trouble to explain what I mean: Ich denke das Schiff könnte noch was mehr animiert sein, wenn es auf und ab fliegt. Das kann man sowieso allgemein in dem Video nur schlecht erkennen, aber der 3D-Effekt könnte noch weiter verstärkt werden, um dem ganzen mehr perspektivische Tiefe zu verleihen. Die "Flossen" des Schiffes sollten quasi nach hinten bzw. vorne ausscheren wenn direkte Lenkwirkung durch den Spieler ausgeübt wird. (Ist aber auch wirklich nur ein Detail.)

Sorry for switching to German with this, but I doubt I could have expressed it in English.

Glad you people like it so far as stage 2 is going to be my pesonal favorite.

Well, it looks fantastic !

[bakaichi]

Stage 2 is by far my favorite stage in Last Hope, You've got something for 2nd stage don't ya? Looks nice and I adore the score. Just cannot get enough of that bouncing laser, but this must be the first shmup I think the sound effekts are turend to low. I know this is only an alpha but there are sound effects right?

[Ed Oscuro]

Nothing you say there is really responsing to this thread.

I was responding to nimitz, not you, so you can buzz off content that nobody is attacking your precious game (because they weren't).

[Udderdude]

Nothing you say there is really responsing to this thread.

I was responding to nimitz, not you, so you can buzz off content that nobody is attacking your precious game (because they weren't).

THEY'RE ALL AFTER ME LUCKY CHARMS!

[Zeether]

Stage 2 is by far my favorite stage in Last Hope, You've got something for 2nd stage don't ya? Looks nice and I adore the score. Just cannot get enough of that bouncing laser, but this must be the first shmup I think the sound effekts are turend to low. I know this is only an alpha but there are sound effects right?

The trailer is just music I think...no SFX

[moozooh]

However, maybe I already have heard stuff about Kitaro but I don't know him by the name. Is he a games musician?

He isn't, but he's good nonetheless.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kitaro

I have his Oasis CD, it's excellent.

[OneEyedJack]

I really liked the music. I humbly request full music options of SFX and BGM levels.

[RHE]

About Kitaro: The musician of DUX, the Awesome-A, knew a few song of him without knowing his name so maybe it's just a consicance. He means it's a compliment to be compared with Kitaro though.

Stage 2 is by far my favorite stage in Last Hope, You've got something for 2nd stage don't ya?

I do somehow. Maybe it has something to do with the 2nd stage of R-Type is one of my favorite memorizing stages of all memorizers. An 2nd stage with dense atmosphere just fits is in this type of games.

I humbly request full music options of SFX and BGM levels.

Why not.

An OST of the game is going to be sold seperatly too. A release date is not estimated yet.