Universal Phoenix HD - A Modern Arcade Shmup (by Firi Games)

Discussion in 'iPhone and iPad Games' started by killercow, Aug 11, 2011.

  1. Selachii

    Selachii Well-Known Member
    Patreon Silver

    Nov 13, 2009
    659
    6
    18
    Game Designer
    Netherlands
    @teh_ninja: any problems with ios5?

    @syntheticvoid: what do you mean?
     
  2. syntheticvoid

    syntheticvoid Well-Known Member

    Jun 20, 2010
    14,504
    124
    63
    Musician & factory worker.
    a[V-O-I-D]
    I generally try and wait to update to a new iOS until almost all the games I have on my device have been updated to work on it... I found out with iOS 4.0 that it's a good idea to wait, or else more than half of your games could end up not working...

    It looks like there's only really a few more that NEED to be updated... most work, but have some sound issues or other random bugs that don't really interfere with the gameplay. Anyway, I'm going to update to iOS 5 once the Phoenix update goes live (will be the game that finally pushes me over the edge, there's always that ONE... at least for me anyway), so I hope that all my apps have been updated by then so they all work. =oP
     
  3. sapphire_neo

    sapphire_neo Well-Known Member

    Jan 20, 2011
    3,936
    0
    0
    iOS5... well, that leaves me out. I'm not updating to iOS5 till a good replacement for Stanza is available. :(
     
  4. Teh_Ninja

    Teh_Ninja Well-Known Member

    Mar 12, 2010
    1,891
    0
    36
    Waiter at Chili's
    Dallas

    Well I can't get iOS5, my iPod is too old.
     
  5. Selachii

    Selachii Well-Known Member
    Patreon Silver

    Nov 13, 2009
    659
    6
    18
    Game Designer
    Netherlands
    Ah, right, well i'm not sure how we'll do it with classic Phoenix.
     
  6. Teh_Ninja

    Teh_Ninja Well-Known Member

    Mar 12, 2010
    1,891
    0
    36
    Waiter at Chili's
    Dallas
    Could you release the ship and everything but Twitter integration on the classic Phoenix, that way it runs on older devices, and keep the Twitter integration for Phoenix HD?
     
  7. Selachii

    Selachii Well-Known Member
    Patreon Silver

    Nov 13, 2009
    659
    6
    18
    Game Designer
    Netherlands
    Classic Phoenix will get the same update as Phoenix HD, but without the iOS5 requirement as it is designed to run on older devices as well.
     
  8. Selachii

    Selachii Well-Known Member
    Patreon Silver

    Nov 13, 2009
    659
    6
    18
    Game Designer
    Netherlands
    #288 Selachii, Nov 10, 2011
    Last edited: Nov 10, 2011
    Hey guys, a little project update. Phoenix HD 1.1.0 has been submitted to the App Store! (*hurray*). When it is approved we will do a round of tests and release it if we encounter no problems. Details and some screenshots will be posted on our website soon, but I will post the details here now!

    edit: Note that iOS 5 is not required for this update.

    The patch notes provide the basic information concerning the Shogun, but I will go more in-depth here.

    Meet the Shogun; a ship based on grazing mechanics. Though we took grazing as the base mechanic, we adapted it to fit the more casual and accessible play styles of Phoenix.

    We did not want to move into the 'score multiplier' territory, as we wanted to keep the ship in the same league as the others, so here's what we did. Every time a projectile is grazed the Shogun lashes out it's primary blade attack, slashing the enemy ship. This attack has no maximum range, so the Shogun can be anywhere on the screen to attack with its blades.
    Grazing multiple projectiles without getting hit will build up a combo chain. The longer the chain, the stronger the slashing attacks will be. The strength is indicated by the color of the slash and a shadowy trail behind the ship itself. Grazing past a long line of projectiles looks absolutely spectacular!

    In case the enemy is disarmed, the Shogun can move close to the enemy ship and finish it with an electrical discharge.

    The game plays so much different with this ship, it's great. The pacing is totally different as you have to wait for the first projectiles to arrive, but when you do get to the grazing, enemy ships can be destroyed in the blink of an eye. Pro tip: the shield means free grazing and provides means to destroy _everything instantly_, very satisfying :) I catch myself trying to graze with the other ships now, it feels weird to stay away from projectiles now!

    The Shogun definitely has a slight learning curve to it, but eventually even the most novice player will get used to it. I expect the hardcore crowd to get insane high scores with this ship, but the scores will be comparable with the other ships in general.

    The Shogun is available as an in-App Purchase for $0.99, like the other ships. The rest of the content is free, of course. The patch for Phoenix classic has not yet been submitted, we still have some work for it, but it will contain the same features.

    Feast your eyes on these iPhone 4S screenshots.
    Two blade slashes across an enemy ship. (note the blue colors for the low combo count)
    [​IMG]

    Going in for the kill
    [​IMG]
     
  9. psj3809

    psj3809 Moderator

    Jan 13, 2011
    12,747
    543
    113
    England
    Looks great, have emailed you about possible iCade support which would be excellent for this game
     
  10. Selachii

    Selachii Well-Known Member
    Patreon Silver

    Nov 13, 2009
    659
    6
    18
    Game Designer
    Netherlands
    Thanks, yes i got your message. We have had several requests for the support of this device. However, we have no plans for this. If someone were to send one our way, we promise we'll add support for it :)
    So, any chance your are affiliated with the manufacturer?

    Here's a render of the Shogun!
    [​IMG]
     
  11. psj3809

    psj3809 Moderator

    Jan 13, 2011
    12,747
    543
    113
    England
    #291 psj3809, Nov 10, 2011
    Last edited: Nov 10, 2011
    Nope nothing to do with the manufacturer. Just recently got an iCade and i'm dying to play more games with it. Shame but oh well. (Great game by the way)
     
  12. syntheticvoid

    syntheticvoid Well-Known Member

    Jun 20, 2010
    14,504
    124
    63
    Musician & factory worker.
    a[V-O-I-D]
    Woohoo!! And the last couple games I was waiting for updates from were just done to work on ios5, so yay! Can't wait to throw you another buck and get grazin!
     
  13. sapphire_neo

    sapphire_neo Well-Known Member

    Jan 20, 2011
    3,936
    0
    0
    Soooo super-ultra-uber hyped!
     
  14. gunxsword

    gunxsword Well-Known Member

    Dec 24, 2010
    2,556
    0
    0
    Sydney
    Drooling...
     
  15. medianotzu

    medianotzu Well-Known Member

    Nov 21, 2009
    3,803
    9
    36
    Amazingly, Stanza was just updated to run on iOS 5.0. Didn't see that coming.

    I will continue to buy all the IAPs for Phoenix as long as the next patch address the inability to see friends' scores on the server. I haven't played this game for months, sadly, because of this issue. :(
     
  16. Teh_Ninja

    Teh_Ninja Well-Known Member

    Mar 12, 2010
    1,891
    0
    36
    Waiter at Chili's
    Dallas
    Definitely buying the ship as soon as the update is out!
     
  17. sapphire_neo

    sapphire_neo Well-Known Member

    Jan 20, 2011
    3,936
    0
    0
    Heh medianotzu, that was definitely unexpected given the ownership of Lexcycle. Now that Phoenix HD doesn't need iOS5 I'm going to wait till a few more of my favorite games get iOS5 compatibility before upgrading.
     
  18. Selachii

    Selachii Well-Known Member
    Patreon Silver

    Nov 13, 2009
    659
    6
    18
    Game Designer
    Netherlands
    I just remembered the question about the scoring @sapphire_neo, apologies for the delayed response. Needless to say we've been quite busy with the update, but I'll provide a quick write up now.

    -Each enemy has a base score
    -The base score is multiplied by a factor determined by your level. Your level is not visible in the UI (it used to be before Phoenix 1.0.3), and it increases by beating encounters. Depending on your stars this goes faster or slower, but it always progresses.
    Note: Level is not tied to score!
    -The score is multiplied by another bonus, determined by the amount of stars you currently have. On top of that, this multiplier receives an even bigger bonus for locked stars.

    There you have it, not as gracefully posted as I initially intended, but this should provide insight in the scoring. Please post any questions you still might have :)
     
  19. gunxsword

    gunxsword Well-Known Member

    Dec 24, 2010
    2,556
    0
    0
    Sydney
    How many ships are coming in the update? Just one? Any more planned?
     
  20. Selachii

    Selachii Well-Known Member
    Patreon Silver

    Nov 13, 2009
    659
    6
    18
    Game Designer
    Netherlands
    This update will bring 1 player ship and 2 enemy ships.

    There are currently no other player ships planned. We will of course listen to any requests, but we have no mechanics we currently want to add. We are no fans of simple reskins, so that won't happen. That said, want to see how this update is received, while we also work on new stuff (of course!).
     

Share This Page