Pnorar

[R-BG]

Hello shmup forum,
what a cozy place you got here.

This is the game I've worked on over the last few months: http://blau.gr/pnorar

Screenshots



Video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7gr7eTPIlA

It was made in Löve.

Just wanted to share this with you. Opinions are welcome, too. Thanks.

[billzo]

This is a ton of fun even though I can barely get far enough for even a checkpoint! I see why you say "Asian roots" is almost like a requirement

I really like how the ship gets knocked around when hit, that way you still have to keep dodging after being hit since you can't aim!

Also, I like that there's actually a little bit of a story to the whole thing, especially since it seems like a guy trying to escape the monotony and mediocrity of life.

[R-BG]

Thank you for that reply! It's nice when people acknowledge the things you've put thoughts into.

that way you still have to keep dodging after being hit since you can't aim!

Actually, if you're Asian enough you can still aim. Sometimes it's even beneficial, because you can shoot horizontally and regain some space that you can't reach otherwise.

[billzo]

Wow... I would never have thought of that Now I feel unworthy since clearly my genes are inadequate to play this type of game..

But regardless, you have my purchase!

[R-BG]

Wow, you made my day. That's the first purchase!
Thanks!

[billzo]

Glad to hear that!

I'm just starting to get into game development, and so I definitely need to pay it forward, so to speak. I see the time return in making a game. It's like put a couple hours into programming and get like, what, a couple minutes of gameplay if you're lucky. Maybe even a couple seconds if it's something relatively small but difficult to program!

So yeah, I appreciate the time and effort Pnorar probably took, and even if it didn't take much time... it's still really fun XD

And while I'm at it, what does Pnorar mean?

Oh, and thanks for the positive feedback

[R-BG]

Good luck with game dev! Do you have some nice game ideas already? Don't hesitate to ask me stuff if you like.

And, yes, it's very true. If you want a nicely done game you have to invest a lot more time than what results in gameplay. Especially because the first few months you're most likely doing basic things that don't affect gameplay time at all.
On the other hand, if you're doing something really simple with mostly randomly generated stuff and minimal graphics, you get quite a bit of gameplay out of your development time.

It's hard to tell how long Pnorar took because I have a full-time job. So there were many periods with no development whatsoever. Anyway, I started it about 8 months ago.

About the name..

R: Looks like I'm going to dismiss my first game becaue I don't know what to name it.
Guy: Call it that. Rejection. Sounds nice and the name has a meaning.
Guy: If someone asks: "Because I was just about to reject this project."
Guy: Resurrection.
Guy: Project Rejection: Resurrection
R: Yeah, Almost-Rejection.
[...]
Guy: Project No-Rejection: Reflection on Resurrection after an Almost-Rejection
Guy: Call it that.
Guy: Abbreviation: PNRRORAAAR
R: Yeah.. sounds.. mighty. Like a bunch of sick bears.
Guy: Simplified: Pnorar.

[billzo]

I love it. That's a fantastic way to name a game!! XD

As for me, the game is going to reminiscent of old-school SNES shmups (yeah, I know, how original) like Gradius III because I always enjoy playing them with a friend. However, I want to add in lots of secret areas and simultaneous local/online multi-player.

Even though I'm new to a lot of this stuff, it's going alright. I'll definitely keep you in mind if I need any advice!

[R-BG]

I recorded myself playing on the hardest difficulty (Insane+):
http://blau.gr/up/file/1/pnorar_insane_plus.webm

And yeah, add some Coop to your game. That's always fun.

[Ebbo]

I was kinda suprised how unexpected the whole story was. I can dig that.

However the gameplay itself left me just cold. The movement inertia is bad enough but when combined with the lacking fire power and the way the ship sways around after taking hit, the result is very uncontrollable. Thus surviving feels hard for all the wrong reasons. Lack of proper level and enemy design makes everything feel pretty lifeless and not too well thought-out... Maybe it's the point when you think about it from the story perspective but I couldn't proceed beyond the first cutscene.

[R-BG]

Thank you for your honest opinion. I agree with you on the level and enemy design part. I guess that's where the least amount of work went.
However, I believe you're missing some upsides to the whole swaying thing. It does make survival harder, but it also adds some aspects that you don't find in your regular shmup. As mentioned in the thread earlier (and if you watch the gameplay video I posted) you can adapt to it and get some interesting results out of it, too. But I guess that's preference.