I've posted an early development video of Rocking Pocket Games next big game called Dark Raider. It's an action adventure game that has you running through dark tombs, collecting artifacts and keys while fending off creepy crawlies. The game will have a lot of puzzles involving switches, moving boulders, hidden passages, finding keys to unlock doors, and a variety of regular and supernatural weapons. Each location will have a number of progressively harder level variations as you travel to the same location but in a parallel universe. Some technical features: Full 360 degree movement (not like some games where you can only move north, south, east or west) 3D immersive sound 10 song soundtrack Custom software based dynamic lighting for unlimited lights Enemies include bats, beetles, gladiators, snakes, spiders, giant worms, fireballs, spinning blades, and spike traps. Weapons include pistol, shotgun, grenades, flame thrower, rocket launcher, fireballs, spinning blades. You can also use movable boulders to crush enemies. Subscribe to the TouchArcade YouTube channel ; New gameplay videos: [hqyoutube]60a1Ye2LW38[/hqyoutube] [hqyoutube]pWEn6Cf_EaU[/hqyoutube] [hqyoutube]5xS8B-cfM1w[/hqyoutube] [hqyoutube]w9c3OzWrQpA[/hqyoutube] [hqyoutube]7vwl8Yg9SgM[/hqyoutube]
1. Health status bar? 2. Better would be if the player got weaker/slower each time he was injured and had to find/collect first aid kits to get better. 3. It seems that when bitten, the creature goes away without your killing it. Shouldn't be the case. 4. Alternate camera angles besides top down?
The game has been in development for 1 month and I hope to have it finished in 2 or less. 1. There is a health status bar (upper right hearts). When your health drops to zero you'll be taken back to the main map where you can teleport into a level to try again. 2/3. Each time you touch an enemy you lose a heart, and the enemy is removed. So the object is to shoot them before they touch you, and get through the level with the given number of hearts. You'll get health upgrades as the game progresses. You might also get health every so many points you earn. Finding gems will give you points quickly. 4. No, it's a 2D game.
It looks interesting, but not something I'd pick up on an impulse buy. A short "lite" version would be nice, so we could try it out first. Also, it's hard to tell from the video, but don't pull a Chillingo and have the orientation so that the Touch headphone jacks are in the lower corner (my gripe of the day after playing iDracula ).
I don't normally care for the top down perspective (few have done it as well as Gauntlet), but this looks pretty cool.
Looks good, and sounds a lot like Legend of Zelda (as well it should being an action/adventure title). I've actually been hoping for a game in that genre on this device that is worth owning. Judging by the screens and the vid, I may have just found it. However...I don't dig the "buttons". Looks a lot like Payback, as someone else stated, and if you recall the "ugly" look of the interface was one of the sore spots with that title. I think you should change it so rather than "buttons" there are just "hot spots", similar to how ExZeus is handled. Divide the screen into four "squares" (or five), and have touching the top right and bottom right act as moving forward and backward, the top left as item or whatever it is you will do with the current top left button (it's not in the vid), and bottom left as "fire". What I mean is, no onscreen graphical representation of the buttons are really necessary. As stated, this was one big mark against Payback. It was an ugly interface in that game, and it looks ugly in this game, which is a shame as your game looks quite beautiful otherwise. If you fear that players need reminding of the inputs then what you can do is have it the graphical representation appear when the player is standing still (ala the FPS Cube) and also have it appear when the player pauses the game, but when moving have it disappear. Going by the invisible squares might also allow for bigger more roomier inputs without taking up valuable screen real estate. And pause could be activated by pressing the center of the screen, allowing you to enter into the menu wherein users can toggle the onscreen buttons if they wish to do so.
I would suggest, if possible, to have on screen controls as an option. Personally, I don't do real well with the concepts of hot spots, even when I'm used to playing a game. I'll live with a slightly less than appealing look to the interface if I at least know where I'm supposed to be interacting with the game.
Quick idea of what I mean by the hotspot idea: made with MS paint in less than 20 seconds, so forgive the quality Still, that's kind of what I'm getting at. The opacity of the interface could be toggled via the option menu so that those, like PointofLight, who want the controls onscreen as a reminder can do so, but also have it done in such of way where it isn't "jutting out", and those of us who don't need reminder can just set opacity to zero.
Bigger hotspots available if control is divided in this way, which should alleviate some of the "my thumbs are too big" complaints given to the controls in Payback.
I did those kinds of controls in Blue Skies (this game uses the Blue Skies engine). The action button does change depending on what you're standing next to, so having it say what action will happen if you press it is useful. Otherwise I could have invisible buttons as an option. This game is still has a ways to go before it's ready. I only have 1 simple test level and plan on having over 100 levels to play through. However it's already fun to play and I appreciate the early feedback. Better than changing things after the game is already released
One should not have infinite weapons. They should decrease as used, requiring one to find pickup to replenish them. Can there be a timed mode? In this context, it might be nice if the player's speed slowed as his energy level (hearts) decreased.
Gotta say, that looks pretty sweet. Blue Skies was slick as hell, so I don't imagine this will be any different. The dynamic lighting looks sweet, the action looks like it can get pretty hot, and the puzzles will be fun to solve. Definitely one I'd love to review when it's out.
Why not just do both, like IDracula did? Have both the option for onscreen buttons or hotspots, and we choose. And this looks like a Legend of Zelda game, nice one. Hope it has a lot of levels and depth!
Well, that's what I was getting at with the opacity idea. Instead of having an option for onscreen buttons or hotspots, why not just have an opacity option. That way the "outline" of the hotspots would have onscreen text/graphics for those that maximize opacity (and thus act as onscreen buttons), and for those of us that would rather an uncluttered screen we can simply minimize opacity to zero.
The plans are to have ammo crates where you can fill up on ammo for a particular weapon. You may need to conserve that ammo and take it to another spot in the level (for example only rockets can hurt a boss enemy).
