My GM shmups - Last Chance,MEGATANK, Flying V, XYX, ZPF

[Rozyrg]

That's good to hear at least. I'm pretty close to a one level demo as it is, so I could put up an EXE version to directly compare to in terms of speed/performance. No fancy mobile gadgetry here to test directly, sadly.

..and if this doesn't pan out, I've got plenty of weird adventure game ideas to try out.
Although I'd rather just make shooters and make no money off of them than make slow, boring games to accommodate the format.

[Rozyrg]

Update on my Space Harrier thing (still can't think of a damn name for it!) - I've decided to cut out horizontal panning completely. It might just be from the nimbleness of the mouse control; but I've found it makes me nauseous after long testing sessions. :X There's also the slight disorientation and frustration from having everything else moving with you....blehh. I figure it's worth losing a slightly more dynamic and kinetic presentation for the sake of not getting sick, missing enemies and unintentionally smashing into things while dodging.

Demo coming soon, too.

[Rozyrg]

I decided to give GMHTML5 one more shot with a simple vertical shooter. I placed the touch/mouse cursor point below the ship to hopefully prevent obstruction issues. The basic idea is that being on the lower section of the screen allows to to shoot up and vice versa.

Same as before, there's no levels, just a few enemies, only the basic mechanics are in place and I'm interested mostly in whether it runs well enough. Any feedback would be very helpful.

[BPzeBanshee]

Didn't test for sound but that seemed to run well on Chrome here. I actually like the shoot mechanic too but you may have to go a bit unconventional for aesthetic design if you ever plan on continuing it.

[Rozyrg]

Yeah, I'm sure it's been done before; but it struck me as a cool idea anyways.

I do have some ideas along the 'unconventional' line, the main thing will be keeping it to fairly strict limitations for the sake of performance. Megatank only allowed 10 enemies at any given time, with this, I'm cutting it down to half that just to be safe and hopefully allow for some breathing room.

[Matskat]

For everyone's edification...

Flying V running in a cabinet

http://youtu.be/AX08UjK4su8

Can't wait for an update to XYX with options similar to those in Flying V....ie TATE, custom control mapping, etc.

[BPzeBanshee]

For everyone's edification...

Flying V running in a cabinet

http://youtu.be/AX08UjK4su8

Can't wait for an update to XYX with options similar to those in Flying V....ie TATE, custom control mapping, etc.

VERY NICE.

I hacked in TATE to XYX some time ago and submitted the changes so TATE will definitely be in methinks . Unless I've missed it Rozyrg will probably get a release out with those stuff eventually after his current focus.

[Rozyrg]

NICE, man! I'm jealous for sure!

And yes, all those features are in XYX now, along with 2p support and other goodies. I was working on an updated demo to be released alongside the completed game; but now that the project is on hold for now, I might as well go ahead and put out what I have.

I might just throw the incomplete level editor in there too, although I don't have any bosses ready for it yet.
----------------

Also, I was pleased enough with how well my little gmhtml5 shooter ran to keep working on it:

[Matskat]

Megaupload link for XYX obviously down



LOVE getting federal blockpages...just LOVE.IT.

Hook me up with an updated XYX and I'll post badass videos of it running on my cabinets.

... doesn't hurt to ask...

[PC Engine Fan X!]

Here's a link to an older version of XYX: http://sandbox.yoyogames.com/games/1131 ... n/download

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[Matskat]

Here's a link to an older version of XYX: http://sandbox.yoyogames.com/games/1131 ... n/download

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

Damn! That's the one I have. No custom mapping for keyboard...

Here is a link to a video of XYX running in a cabinet.

No actual playing

Looks GREAT though. Especially the main menu with the skull and everything! REALLY SWEET!

http://s93.photobucket.com/albums/l80/m ... EO0005.mp4

[Rozyrg]

I approve heartily!

Here's the latest one. The level editor definitely isn't finished, so don't be surprised if it spontaneously combusts. I chopped out a few things here and there (nothing relating to functionality) to make it match up with the demo's content, though. I'll whip up some docs for it later; but here's the basics. I admit it is a bit convoluted, which I do apologize for..

Within the editor:
-----------------------------------------

MAP - This is strictly for assembling the graphic map for the level. Note that these will automatically loop. Also note that I've only tried fairly small maps so far.

LEVEL - Define enemy layout, checkpoints and hinge points (based on in-game step #), music, and background layer(s.)



Separate stuff:
-----------------------------------

Music
-custom songs go in /custom/songs and must be in .ogg format (SuperSound limitation.)
- in levelbuild.txt, under [songs]:
-- fn#= (file name w/o directory)
-- tt#= (song title)
-- au#=(song author)

Gfx
-custom gfx go in /custom/gfx
-files must be in recognizable formats(any that GM will accept) and the dimensions must match those of the sample images (160x54 I think)
- in custom_mapset.txt, under [titles]:
-- #= (custom gfx set name)
-- each added set should be given it's own section below this in [] brackets with the exact same name as that indicated under [titles] Underneath it should go...
---image#=(file name w/o directory)
---imagetrans?#=1 (for the corresponding image number, if you want that image to have a transparent color. The particular color is based on the bottom left pixel.)

[Matskat]

Holy shit!

XYX plays AWESOMELY on my cabinet. THANKS!

It looks way better than the previous version I had. Bullets seem more..."solid" and easier to track. Good job!

Really a fun game too...I like the visual style of both, but XYX plays much more smoothly...feels more polished than Flying V (which looks BEAUTIFUL and plays like a DREAM as well....it's just the enemies are so touch until you can power up....and it's hard to figure out your hitbox)

Good shit though!

WOW!

Video of gameplay on a cab soon.....I promise!

Just gonna play a few more rounds first

[BPzeBanshee]

Y U NO FPS DISPLAY :*(

Besides that I'm thoroughly enjoying this version of XYX. The bullets do indeed look a lot nicer and the difficulty overall feels a lot less bullshit from the release I had. Nice use of Ultracrypt by the way.

Also, the level editor looks pretty excellent too. Shame about the lack of customisation for enemies but then again there's no way you can do that in GM without use of execute_file which is not only deprecated but a potential security flaw (as if you'd be an idiot and get a XYX enemy mod from a shady-lookin website anyway) and even that requires advanced GML knowledge for anyone to make use of. I'd give it a go if the option was there though.

[Matskat]

Man...


Been playing XYX for a while since yesterday (THANKS GRYZOR FOR THE UPDATE )

Damn this game is fun. FUN FUN FUN!

Hard as piss, but still FUN!

You MUST finish this game. PLZ!



Plays very nice, looks quite natural in a cabinet...right at home.

I just can't stop gushing about this and Flying V .... watch this guy!

[Rozyrg]

No problem, man. It's that kind of feedback that gets me fired up to work on this stuff.

Like I said before, though, it's on hold for now; but something (hopefully) better is in the works in the meantime. When I have something I can show off to you guys, I'll do it in a heartbeat, trust me.

---------------
I just updated my little vertical shmup tonight. It's now a short, single (haphazardly arranged, to be honest) level with a boss and there's powerups and some simple scoring mechanics in place, too. Mouse/touch control is now optional as well. Again, any testing on touch compatible devices would be very helpful.

[Matskat]

No problem, man. It's that kind of feedback that gets me fired up to work on this stuff.

Like I said before, though, it's on hold for now; but something (hopefully) better is in the works in the meantime. When I have something I can show off to you guys, I'll do it in a heartbeat, trust me.

---------------
I just updated my little vertical shmup tonight. It's now a short, single (haphazardly arranged, to be honest) level with a boss and there's powerups and some simple scoring mechanics in place, too. Mouse/touch control is now optional as well. Again, any testing on touch compatible devices would be very helpful.

I am a patient boy.

I wait I wait I wait I wait.....

But seriously, I'm a Cave fan from MISSOURI...I'm cool with waiting a bit

In the meantime...I just put up a +15million score on XYX...looped! On Normal difficulty. I think it constitutes as my first 1CC

This game is balls hard, so I think it counts (and I played every free minute over the last week....)

Funny thing, after looping XYX I nailed my best ever DDP run. Level 5 boss...WOAH...for me that's one hell of an accomplishment! I think XYX and Flying V have actually made me a better overall player!

Thanks Gryz for all you do....we wait patiently for the next battle...
...though they pursue us tenaciously for no reason.

[mice]

No problem, man. It's that kind of feedback that gets me fired up to work on this stuff.

Everyone is über-hyped around everyting you do. So you should be able to be on fire at all times.

When I have something I can show off to you guys, I'll do it in a heartbeat, trust me.

Yep, can't wait to see it.

[SenpaiSamaKun]

Back to work I suppose! (Sometimes it seems like you're avoiding some questions though)

Looks like it has the usual PC dependent hiccups, but I'm running a lot of tabs at the moment.

Last Chance -

- I think its time you add more variables to your patterns. Homing and fast bursts are starting to get a bit monotonous.
Though I still haven't updated XYX.

- I tried it on my ipod annnnnd its MUCH better than PC. The framerate doesn't twitch, the thumb controls are great, and I put it on my bookmarks immediately!
Great for a base project! Though there's a big problem with using a tablet.
You see, it doesn't put it into touch/scroll mode and still recognizes as a pen/mouse, so....
- Fingers obscure the ship's position.
- It will instantly take twitch movements and adjustments as instant teleporation.
- Scroll the outside window counts as a pause.
- In combination of the above two, you can just teleport to the safety zone every time.

You can remedy that with a scroll box like CAVE's shmups, but I have no idea how to do it here.

[BPzeBanshee]

You can remedy that with a scroll box like CAVE's shmups, but I have no idea how to do it here.

I'll take a stab and guess:

Code: Select all

var howie; // declare variable
howie = distance_to_point(mouse_x,mouse_y); // assign variable to distance towards mouse position
mp_linear_step(mouse_x,mouse_y,howie,0); // moves object to mouse position at speed of 'howie'

Probably needs tweaking but that's how I'd start.

[Rozyrg]

Thanks for the tip, Banshee! I was worried the teleportation thing might crop up, glad to know there's a relatively simple fix for it. All I've done to tweak it is add a maximum 'speed' it can move at.

Scroll the outside window counts as a pause.

This is something I've been trying to figure a way around for awhile now. Looking at it again, I think I've got a solution, though.

- I think its time you add more variables to your patterns. Homing and fast bursts are starting to get a bit monotonous.

Yeah, especially for the boss, I agree. All I did was copy/paste a few I already had for other enemies. It was just to have something there for the time being, really.

[Rozyrg]

OK, I think I've solved the issue with the mouse cursor/touch point going off screen. In standard Win/EXE mode, GM has no problems keeping track of it even if it's ventured outside the game window; but not so if the game's running in a browser (I doubt it's GM's fault in this case, though), causing input to basically 'freeze.' I basically had to put a fairly thick border around the game area allowing the cursor a little space to wander off. The problem is, like in any case where you beef up the canvas size, there's a small cost in speed. :/

Also, I've decided to throw in some goodies for the EXE version this time: more fx (it doesn't take much more to slow it down enough in-browser), TATE, options/configurable controls and some music (hopefully.) Getting mouse controls to work properly while in TATE is a bit of an ordeal, though.

[BPzeBanshee]

[cuttingagent]

Gave Flying V a quick try, great sprites. And that game over screen is so core. Will definitely check out the rest.

[Rozyrg]

Thanks!

Out of boredom, I made a quick video showing off some unfinished games I'd worked on earlier this year (including the Space Harrier one.) I was going to include Last Chance too; but, unsurprisingly, the framerate was too unstable. :/

[Rozyrg]

Made a minor update to the web version of Last Chance today.

I've come to some decisions about it, too. It will have a gradual difficulty increase depending on how well you do, like Flying V's Extra mode. The web version will have 3 levels max and the EXE will have more (probably 5 or 6.)

Updates:
The EXE version now has 2 extra ships to play as:


Emerald: has up to 4 independently targeting shots
Sapphire: Has a horizontal shot that works on a similar principle to the default ship's varying up/down weapon.

There are also bombs now. Rather then being kept in stock, though, they're released as powerups and activate on being collected. There is a slight scoring penalty for using them: any enemies on screen during the blast will be ineligible for wave bonuses.

I've finally started on level 2 as well.

[Rozyrg]

Probably getting ahead of myself; but I went ahead and make the (fake) cart design for LC:


Basically, I had an idea for some appropriately cheesy in-game adverts that I could use these for.

[raigon50]

After winning the Gundemonium Recollection on Steam, I'm getting myself back into shmups (not that I ever left though, just didn't play them often). I tried my hand at XYX the other night, only to get blown to pieces like usual. I had an idea: Could you possibly add to the options "Enemy Bullet Speed"? I know of a lot of shmups that include that in the options, and for some one such as myself who isn't a total beast at the genre, it would be nice.
Btw, I've been screwing with VOPM here lately. Now I can make REAL Sega Genesis songs (cause I have the instruments straight from the games themselves. 2612 games worth of songs worth of instruments to be exact. Mwahaha.) If you need anymore music, just give me a heads up like in the past.

[Rozyrg]

VOPM? Cool! I've actually been meaning to ask you for some stuff since I started this one. I'd say if you come up with anything vaguely shmuppy playing around with it, send it my way.

Sorry about that, though. I do kinda have a fast bullet fetish, after all. The way it works now, all bullets have a starting speed, which is modified depending on the difficulty. Did you try the lower settings? 'Hellish' also has slightly slowed-down bullets to compensate for all the extra ones it adds; but I can't remember if I left it in the demo. Since the "full" version is currently in flux, I guess I could tinker with some more experimental settings for the demo, though.

[raigon50]

VOPM? Cool! I've actually been meaning to ask you for some stuff since I started this one. I'd say if you come up with anything vaguely shmuppy playing around with it, send it my way.

Sorry about that, though. I do kinda have a fast bullet fetish, after all. The way it works now, all bullets have a starting speed, which is modified depending on the difficulty. Did you try the lower settings? 'Hellish' also has slightly slowed-down bullets to compensate for all the extra ones it adds; but I can't remember if I left it in the demo. Since the "full" version is currently in flux, I guess I could tinker with some more experimental settings for the demo, though.

Alright then!
And I guess I didn't really think of what version of XYX I have. I should check that.