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[Feedback Friday #27] - May 29, 2015

Discussion in 'Game Design' started by Gigiwoo, May 29, 2015.

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  1. Gigiwoo

    Gigiwoo

    Joined:
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    Want design feedback for your new game? Then you've found the right thread! Post here to get precious player feedback. Discuss until next Friday, when we'll lock the old and start anew.

    How To Ask For Feedback?
    • Show - Pics, videos, or best of all, a playable game!
    • Be Concise - Who's got time for Wall 'O Text? Less is more
    How To Give Feedback?
    • Be Positive - Finding redeeming qualities in the worst of games, is in itself a game
    • Focus On The Design - Not the designer
    • Be Specific - "Your game sucks!" is for nubs
    What To Show?
    • Minimally Viable Product (MVP) - Core game play >>> everything else
    • How To Scope Small (Unity tutorial)
    Gigi

    [PS - Feedback Friday #25 is here]
     
  2. Aiursrage2k

    Aiursrage2k

    Joined:
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    SkyDevil:
    If you get all the way to level 5 there is a boss

    Overworld controls:
    W/S - to move up and down.

    Controls:
    WASD or arrows to move
    Left mouse to fire
    Right mouse button to use nuke
    Tab to use "ult"
    Space to heal


    I guess - what did you think of the gameplay (its abit different then your standard dual stick shooter -- the projectiles have an arc to them and you can fly -- and you have to manually control your powerups) and how far did you get.
    http://inanegames.ca/skyDevil/skyDevil.html

    skyDevil.png
     
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  3. GarBenjamin

    GarBenjamin

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    I don't play many games with controls like this so keep that in mind when you read my feedback.

    What I liked
    • The concept is very good.
    • I think the gameplay is solid except for what is noted in the section below.
    • The area (level) was set up well.
    • I think the game looks good already.

    What I think can be improved
    • The enemies came zipping in very quickly without any warning and got a hit or two in before I was able to target them. This could be due to the fact I rarely play games that control like this.
    • Kind of an add-on to the first point regarding the speed of the game. The enemies spawned rather quickly and zipping in from in front and behind me at the same time was a bit much so early into the game.
    • So... basically let's wrap those two up and simply tag it Game Speed. I think it would be better if the enemies were moving slower and spawning slower. At least in the beginning. Give the player a chance to get used to the controls and the game. Then start cranking up the speed.
    • The AI of the enemies. It would be cool to see the enemies attempt to protect themselves from being destroyed. As they are now they seem to just rush in and just sit there quickly firing at the player until they are destroyed.

    Summary
    • This is a great prototype to throw out for play testing. It looks like you put just enough in to gain feedback.
    • I did not make it very far at all. This is probably due to my lack of experience in playing games with controls like this combined with the game speed.
    • Overall, I think it has a lot of potential. It would be cool if blowing up the enemy spawners revealed some power ups. I know you mentioned power ups but I never encountered any.
     
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  4. GarBenjamin

    GarBenjamin

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    Back again with an update to my experiment to see if a shmup can become a littler more engaging / interesting by focusing on a little more interaction and better AI.

    I am now at 32 hours on this project... Simple Scrolling Shooter:

    More Interaction & Better AI?

    Yep! Well... that is the idea anyway. More interaction because instead of just blowing up the enemies you also must release your imprisoned allies (the carrots inside the energy prisons that look kind of like test tubes). Enemies that are more interactive because they have enough AI to react to being hit.

    So... What's New This Time?

    To get to "more interaction" I first needed to try to get up the normal amount of interaction found in such games. Shmups have one very cool interaction in the form of power-ups. Whether it is through shop upgrades or collecting power-ups the important thing is to allow the user to interact with the game some more and upgrade their craft's abilities in some way.

    So... I added three power-ups. Two simply change weapons. One changes to a new 3-way shot and the other changes back to the pulse cannon single shot you begin the game with. The third power up increases the power level of the weapon you are currently using.

    There are 3 power levels for each weapon. However, if you change weapons the power level resets back to the weakest level. This was done to add a bit of strategy. Sometimes you will be chasing power-ups to collect them and other times you will be trying to avoid them.


    Also, there is a new enemy. Hopefully, this one will be a little more obvious that it is reacting to being hit.


    Food For Thought

    People have suggested a couple of times to make the enemies avoid being hit in the first place. I am not ignoring that and I also considered it in the beginning of the experiment. However, I find this to be fairly unworkable within the context of a normal shmup experience. Perhaps with smaller objects it would be more doable. Currently, it is not much fun to shoot at enemies who are able to easily move out of the way before they are hit. This is why I decided to focus only on them reacting to being hit.

    However, I do think this will work well for just a few enemies (and ideally a single enemy) onscreen at one time. So, I am thinking the best AI will be for bosses. Mid level bosses and end of level big bosses. That is likely where the AI and some more advanced behavior can really shine.

    Still... I think within the framework of a shmup what we have here now is a decent step in the right direction.

    Your Feedback
    1. Compared to other shmups you have played does it seem more engaging?
    2. Was your game experience a little more Interesting?
    3. Did you get caught up in the game and before you knew it you had reached the end (no more enemies coming out) or did you lose interest very quickly?

    CONTROLS:

    Move your ship with the Arrow Keys or WASD.
    Fire with X, Space or Enter (Return).
    Activate Ray with C, Left Alt, Right Alt or Right Shift.


    A few logical control schemes are:

    MOVE / FIRE / RAY (to release imprisoned allies)
    WASD / Space / Left or Right Alt
    WASD / Enter / Right Shift

    Arrow keys / X / C (this should be very familiar if you play retro games online)
    Arrow keys / Space / Left or Right Alt


    However, you can use any combo that works best for you.

    You can play the game here!

    Thanks!
     
    Last edited: May 30, 2015
  5. CastleIsGreat

    CastleIsGreat

    Joined:
    Nov 10, 2014
    Posts:
    176
    I'm a day late but I suppose whats the harm...

    I'm a developer for a new game called Tunnel Fish, its our take on the infinite runner series, and I believe we have something unique and addictive. I was wondering if you guys would mind trying it out and posting feedback here or in a review/rating.

    It is currently out on Google Play, and will soon be out on iOS.

    We also have a promocode to use if you choose. The code is "tffun" all lower case, and can be entered in the bottom left corner of the tutorial screen.

    Any feedback is absolutely wanted good or bad, as we are trying to improve the game and are working very actively with anyone willing to give feedback. Thanks a million!

    https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.NaniteGamingStudio.TunnelFish


    -----------------------------
    Nanite™ Games
    Nanite Gaming Studio LLC
     
  6. Aiursrage2k

    Aiursrage2k

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    Okay this time I did get to the end so I guess it was bit more interesting then last time, the level did still feel a bit long (but I guess thats just that there was no consequences for getting hit -- i guess you could do an instant death - and whenever you rescue a carrot you get an extra-life or something). I dont usually like shmups so I guess I find it better (I just wonder if your making a SHMUP game for people who dont like SHMUPS and if theres a market for that).
     
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  7. GarBenjamin

    GarBenjamin

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    LOL! Well, my vision is to make "different" games as far as depth and interaction are concerned so you are spot on! I just have little interest in most of the games that are popular these days. This is just an experiment. I guess I'd describe it as an attempt to make it a bit more of a "thinking person's shmup". The general masses wouldn't notice the enemies reacting to being hit. They would probably not like having to stop and rescue allies. Heck, not even thinking about a market for this. Anything I make would be for a micro niche market of players. Just the 1 in 10,000 or so that might appreciate this kind of approach. Basically just making the kind of games I'd like to play.

    There is a consequence for being hit now. When an enemy shoots you the power level of your weapon drops by one level. If you are down to power level one and using the 3-way shot and get hit you will drop back to the original starting weapon. I think it is feeling long at this point because it is quite long and there is not nearly enough variety in there.

    Thanks for taking your time to try the game again and give your feedback. Definitely appreciate it because I know time is one of, if not the, the most valuable resources we have!
     
    Last edited: May 30, 2015
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  8. Aiursrage2k

    Aiursrage2k

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    Well it looks good in the screenshots. The gameplay seems really basic, add more things I guess. Maybe you could have a "fish-flake" thats attached to a fishing rod (if you eat it you get caught by the fisherman).
     
  9. CastleIsGreat

    CastleIsGreat

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    Haha that's actually a really funny idea I had a while back, thing with that though is its an enclosed tunnel, so there would be no place for the fishing line to come from logically.

    I'd really suggest downloading it to see though, there is much more than basic obstacles in the screenshots, currently there are 4 types, water jets, spin gates(currently not working in this build to fix something will be back in v1.03 as they've been fixed), the columns, and then rocks that spin and you have to chase the flakes on them. I'm adding many more types in the near future but currently that's whats in the game. I'll probably add type 5 and 6 for v1.03 aswell.
     
  10. Samuel411

    Samuel411

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    @GarBenjamin
    Compared to other shmups you have played does it seem more engaging?
    • I definitely felt like I was accomplishing something after defeating enemies. I was able to pick up on their patterns very quickly though
    • Rescuing the other carrots helped in engaging me into the story, just by having me rescue them I was able to recognize that something was wrong. The carrots were being attacked by other vegetables and were being imprisoned.
    • Other shmups for example one of my favorite newer ones is R-TYPE II, some enemies turned into projectiles on death, others were tentacles confining you into a small space, etc. I think you need more of that.
    Was your game experience a little more Interesting?
    • Yes actually, rescuing the carrots was something new.
    • The arcade emulator controls were a great addition as well as allowing the user to use a modern control scheme.
    Did you get caught up in the game and before you knew it you had reached the end (no more enemies coming out) or did you lose interest very quickly?
    • I got bored halfway into it, the enemies were the same and I had figured out their patterns. Just remember, quality over quantity. Instead of just tossing more enemies at the player give the player harder and diverse enemies.

    I enjoyed the game though and I was able to feel all the design you put into it while playing.
     
    Last edited: May 31, 2015
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  11. GarBenjamin

    GarBenjamin

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    Excellent feedback. I definitely find it too long too with the current set of enemies. One thing shmups do have is a ton of different enemies to keep the player interested. Basically they just rely on tons of content to keep things fresh. It is definitely time to add something to mix things up a bit. A very different type of enemy movement and so forth.

    If I keep pushing it forward I would like to add some ground attack forces, branching areas and secret areas as well. I like standard shmups a lot or at least used to. Every time I play them I think "it would be really cool if..." ... basically just more to them besides just more content to blow up.

    I am very glad you noticed the differences and the game felt like a little more thought has been put into it. Sounds like you and @Mothil are representative of the audience who will notice and appreciate this approach.

    Thanks for taking your time to give it a play and provide feedback!
     
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  12. GarBenjamin

    GarBenjamin

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    I'm surprised you haven't received more feedback on this. Maybe @Asvarduil @Gigiwoo and the rest of the gang are sleeping? ;)
     
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  13. AndrewGrayGames

    AndrewGrayGames

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    Zzz.
     
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  14. Gigiwoo

    Gigiwoo

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    All my free time is going into a MASSIVE overhaul of Block 64. Hired an artist, skins, new features - I'm excited! Sorry, no feedback from me this week.

    Gigi
     
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  15. AndrewGrayGames

    AndrewGrayGames

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    I'm going to have a really crappy prototype up early on in the next thread for the ongoing PC Game Challenge. Hint: It has lots of default cubes.
     
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  16. GarBenjamin

    GarBenjamin

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    Looking forward to checking it out and all of the rest of the projects as well! Default cubes sounds awesome because that could (hopefully) means you have been working on the meat of the game!
     
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  17. GarBenjamin

    GarBenjamin

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    Look forward to seeing the Block 64 Redo!
     
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  18. Gigiwoo

    Gigiwoo

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