Universal Phoenix II

Discussion in 'Upcoming iOS Games' started by Selachii, Jun 7, 2016.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. Selachii

    Selachii Well-Known Member
    Patreon Silver

    Nov 13, 2009
    659
    6
    18
    Game Designer
    Netherlands
    Phoenix 2 is on its way! It still needs a bit of work but we are aiming to release it this summer. Time to let you guys know what we’re doing. Right up to the release this thread will be the place to find information and discuss Phoenix 2.

    Feel free to post any questions, remarks or witty comments, I definitely read them all and will reply if possible.

    Some of you might have seen Eli’s hands-on from GDC 2015 and a lot has happened since then (and I mean A LOT).

    Phoenix 2
    Phoenix 2 is an explosive, fast paced and overall amazing shoot’em up. It’s all about short adrenaline pumping games, active competition on every level and a great way to tickle all of your senses at the same time.

    This description could almost be used to describe Phoenix HD, but besides some shared DNA here and there, this is a very different game.

    Phoenix 2 offers a daily stage, it is unique to that day and is the same for everyone around the world. This means you’ll be able to play the same stage multiple times to make sure your High Score is the best you can do. Stages are short, ramp up in difficulty at a blistering pace and can be completed (unlike the endless Phoenix HD onslaught).

    Phoenix 2 features a ton of player ships, all with a unique style. I hope you like collecting different ships, because there are many of them. Each ship has its own unique weapon and a combination of special abilities.

    Found a ship you like? Upgrade it like there’s no tomorrow! All of the abilities can be upgraded individually to improve your favorite ships exactly the way you like.

    Gorgeous, eye popping graphics. Our own custom engine is upgraded to support all of the latest graphical features like bloom and anamorphic lens flares. Animations and particle effects are more complex, more rich than before and unfold at a silky smooth 60fps.

    Within the game we also allow the creation of communities. These are groups of players that want to compete together on their own grounds. Each community will have its own unique stage generated for them that will run as a mini competition for three days. I’m not sure if there should be a separate #toucharcade_shmup community or if #toucharcade will suffice, but anything goes!

    Below are some in-game screenshots I just took on my iPhone 6. It’s still work in progress, but should give a good impression.

    I will be posting more details as the discussion moves on.

    Both me and my colleague post screenshots almost daily. I do not intend post them all here as I’m not a big fan of image heavy threads, though I will if appropriate. They can always be found on my twitter account, my colleague’s twitter and we generally retweet stuff using the Firi Games twitter account.
     

    Attached Files:

  2. Nekko

    Nekko Well-Known Member

    Nov 18, 2014
    457
    0
    16
    Tokyo-3
    :D Just in time! I just bought an iTunes card. I'll be sure to save some money for this. Is there a way to get a compatibility list right now? Best of luck to you guys!
     
  3. Selachii

    Selachii Well-Known Member
    Patreon Silver

    Nov 13, 2009
    659
    6
    18
    Game Designer
    Netherlands
    Our engine is designed specifically for the latest generation of iOS devices with Metal and 64-bit cpus. So my indication at this point is iPhone 5s and up (and equivalent iPads). We really want to push the limit, like we did with Phoenix HD 5 years ago.
     
  4. pluto6

    pluto6 Well-Known Member

    Jun 21, 2009
    5,837
    3
    38
    Military
    Very excited to read this. I am a diehard Phoenix fan - bought all the planes. I can't wait to see how this turns out. I almost never beta test anymore because it was too time consuming for me, but I would put in time for this game. Let me know.
     
  5. Exact-Psience

    Exact-Psience Well-Known Member

    Jan 12, 2012
    22,664
    2
    38
    The Work-At-Home Guy
    Philippines
    Now this... This is big news. Cant wait to see how my favorite shmup's sequel turns out!
     
  6. Jayg2015

    Jayg2015 Well-Known Member

    Jan 5, 2015
    3,734
    41
    48
    Male
    Player 1
    Liberty city
    This is just as good of
    News as sky force 2016.

    Hopefully it's everything the last game was but more. The upgrades sound like the best thing ever.
     
  7. mj132

    mj132 Well-Known Member

    Oct 2, 2013
    354
    5
    18
    United Kingdom
    Excited about this one too as I love my shoot em ups.

    I'd help beta test this if you have an open one
     
  8. Selachii

    Selachii Well-Known Member
    Patreon Silver

    Nov 13, 2009
    659
    6
    18
    Game Designer
    Netherlands
    Nice to see such positive responses!

    We have yet to decide on the testing, but a soft-launch might be in order. I'll keep your beta-testing offers in mind, though no promises :)
     
  9. metalcasket

    metalcasket Moderator
    Staff Member Patreon Silver Patreon Gold Patreon Bronze

    May 24, 2010
    11,064
    1,340
    113
    Deepest Circle, Hel
    If you do go ahead with a soft-launch, do you think you could be the only developer in the entire world to include Lebanon as one of the soft-launch countries? I can almost promise you it'll...be...ermmm...soft?
     
  10. Canthar

    Canthar Well-Known Member

    Jul 18, 2012
    107
    0
    0
    Now at the top of my wanted list. Don't really game on my phone anymore but this is a must have!
     
  11. Puke Aces

    Puke Aces Well-Known Member

    Phoenix has been one of my favorite shooters since my iPhone 3GS :) I hope this goes well!
     
  12. kripa1415`

    kripa1415` Well-Known Member

    Nov 30, 2012
    463
    2
    18
    To be honest i havent try your previous game but this one looks very good and interesting ! I will definitely try it. When will it be released ?
     
  13. Selachii

    Selachii Well-Known Member
    Patreon Silver

    Nov 13, 2009
    659
    6
    18
    Game Designer
    Netherlands
    Well I'm really hesitant to mention exact dates because something always comes up. It's not that it's a secret, it's simply that we don't know for sure. We're a very small team and all our task lists are packed :) I'm always open about development, so I hope that will give an impression over time. In general we're talking weeks of work, not months :)

    At the moment I'm working on visual effects for enemies that are equipped with additional armor or shields ;)
     
  14. Selachii

    Selachii Well-Known Member
    Patreon Silver

    Nov 13, 2009
    659
    6
    18
    Game Designer
    Netherlands
    Hate and Love go hand in hand, or so they say ;)

    So yeah, each ship has three upgrade tracks with 5 levels each.
    - Weapons
    - Aura ability
    - Zen ability

    Each ship has one weapon system. Increasing its level increases its damage output and often something like the rate of fire or making the pattern denser. Each ship has a unique weapon system and they vary from lasers and projectiles to missile swarms.

    The Aura ability is the special ability related to the big circle, Aura, shown around the ship in the various screenshots. The size of the Aura represents the energy the player has and often the area that is affected. There are various Aura abilities, both offensive and defensive. Each ship has one Aura ability. It is triggered by Force Touching the screen or tapping with a second finger if your iOS device does not support 3D Touch.

    Finally there's the Zen ability. This is triggered when the screen is released and exist, like the Aura ability, both as offensive as well as defensive types. Each ship has one Zen ability. Zen abilities sometimes consume energy, which is drained from the Aura.

    The combination of the unique weapon and these two abilities determine the play style of each ship.
     
  15. Jayg2015

    Jayg2015 Well-Known Member

    Jan 5, 2015
    3,734
    41
    48
    Male
    Player 1
    Liberty city
    This is phenomenal. Will it be free or paid. If it's free I feel like a currency doubler, ad removal , and a speed up to play again iap would be amazing to see.
    I'll buy every iap if it's not premium. Also a soft launch would be amazing right now.
     
  16. ScotDamn

    ScotDamn Well-Known Member
    Patreon Silver

    Jul 8, 2013
    1,990
    0
    36
    Wireless Sales
    Happy Daddy
    The first one was one of the best iOS games I've ever played and the first free game I bought every iap available. Excited about 2!
     
  17. Selachii

    Selachii Well-Known Member
    Patreon Silver

    Nov 13, 2009
    659
    6
    18
    Game Designer
    Netherlands
    @ScotDamn: That's awesome :) We are really happy with the iap model for Phoenix HD, we intend to add more ships in the future. It will exist side by side with Phoenix 2.

    Phoenix 2 will also be free to play, but follow a very different model than Phoenix HD. We are still finalizing this as we feel it's very closely related to how the game plays and we're still finalizing that as well :). There will still be no ads, we simply don't like seeing them in games so we're not putting them in ours.
     
  18. Jayg2015

    Jayg2015 Well-Known Member

    Jan 5, 2015
    3,734
    41
    48
    Male
    Player 1
    Liberty city
    I want this now while the shootem up fire is hot .
     
  19. jdawg101

    jdawg101 Well-Known Member

    Jan 18, 2015
    208
    0
    16
    Two Words: Hype Train
     
  20. ScotDamn

    ScotDamn Well-Known Member
    Patreon Silver

    Jul 8, 2013
    1,990
    0
    36
    Wireless Sales
    Happy Daddy
    #20 ScotDamn, Jul 11, 2016
    Last edited: Jul 11, 2016
    No sir, you and your team are awesome. :)

    Definitely excited for the new one and any new ships for HD!

    Edit: I agree completely about the ads. They really gross the game experience up. I have all the confidence in the world regarding your chosen iap model in the new one.
     

Share This Page