Gunstar - update

Started by STEVIE G, April 15, 2020, 22:57:38

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3DzForMe

Cool stuff, the intro screen draws you in - nice work ;)
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STEVIE G

It's been a while since I gave an update so here goes ..

Balancing difficulty for 40 waves while introducing new enemies, bosses and allies is HARD!  It is also a real chore so had a break up until a few weeks ago to recharge. I ended up writing an Excel sheet with Vba code to figure this out in the end.

I've also been overhauling the NPC coms system. Most NPCs and enemies will talk when one of these events occur - wave start/end, spawning, taunts, taking damage, warping, killing the player and being killed. Each NPC event has a priority with enemies being the lowest. I've also worked on making many variations of each event/NPC but as it still could get repetitive it can be turned off. The comms system also knows what ship sent the message so can automatically add static to their image if they die before or during the message being displayed. There's still a few bugs which I need to iron out and some variations need  more work. The comms will tell a little story but think of it more like the original Nintendo Starwings

I should be ready to show the Beta off next week. If anyone is interested in trying it out please email me at stevie@steviegoodwin.plus.com and I'll send you a link when I'm ready.

Below is a video @60fps with  no sound showing Wave 8 and the 2nd Boss fight. The AI is doing the flying  ;D


STEVIE G

#62
Play testing threw up an issue where you spent more time than I would like looking at the minimap on the top left.
I figured that the solution was to have a small indicator closer to the main action showing the direction of important stuff like nearest enemy, nearest powerup, nearest gem and direction of your dropship when offscreen.

I have come up with 3 graphical solutions which I can't decide on below.  Basically each indicator sits at a specific angle and radius from the centre of the screen.

Option 1


Option 2


Option 3


Any thoughts?


3DzForMe

I like 3, nice and clean 😉
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Steve Elliott

Either 1 or 3, maybe give the user the option?
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blinkok

I think i like two.
1. The graphics are too bold
3. Doing the math in my head is too much to think about

Xerra

Gonna upset the boat here but I think 1 works the best.
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Steve Elliott

#67
Quote
Gonna upset the boat here but I think 1 works the best.

I said 1 or 3...2 is crap.   ;D

1 is better looking, 3 is cleaner and a little less cluttered...So I would put 1 as default and 3 as an option.
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STEVIE G

Cheers folks. Probably add an option for any of the 3 or off.

Xerra

Quote from: STEVIE G on July 24, 2020, 12:49:12
Cheers folks. Probably add an option for any of the 3 or off.

This sounds the perfect solution. Think you knew that anyway just wanted us to confirm it :)
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3DzForMe

Choice is always good ;)
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STEVIE G

Quote from: Xerra on July 24, 2020, 18:37:03
Quote from: STEVIE G on July 24, 2020, 12:49:12
Cheers folks. Probably add an option for any of the 3 or off.

This sounds the perfect solution. Think you knew that anyway just wanted us to confirm it :)

Of course. All implemented now  ;D

STEVIE G

#72
Big update ..

* Wave balancing complete.
* NPC chat text complete.
* Added ability to enter your name on Top gun table (yes I know it should be a given)
* AI balancing complete. - factors applies to loads of enemy stats to adjust them accordingly.
* Added some new background objects which sometimes appear - a crate with 3 powerups, a big gem, debris including a satellite, parts of the bigger ships and sometimes a disabled ship.I used some of my unused prototype ships for this.
* Demo mode starts automatically after 60 secs on main menu.
* Feature creep1! - Added a new friendly ship which is of unknown origin and appears briefly in game. You can fight it but not recommended.
* Feature creep2! - Added a survival mode which is unlocked when you complete the campaign mode. You can select any of the ships in the game and see how long you can last with 1 life against an enemy onslaught. I though this was necessary to give you the chance to try the other ships.

I'm pretty much done. Just need to set up the itch page, a few gameplay videos and good to go. I'm looking at a £1.99 price point and will see how that goes. Should get this done over the weekend and can then start thinking about the new comp.  :D

Final screenies ..

A powerup crate


The final battle.


Mysterious figure.


Survival Mode.



Steve Elliott

A definite purchase for me.   :D
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3DzForMe

Defo purchase from me sir!
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