Android Remake of Cosmic Ark

[ThemDubs]

Hey guys I'm a college student who just recently bought an Atari 2600 and I happened across a copy of Cosmic Ark by Imagic at a local game store. I was blown away by the game considering what it was doing at the time and was having enough fun with it that I decided to see if could try creating my own clone of the game for Android phones.

 

The reason I'm posting this here is because I was wanting to get some feedback on features I could add and once this project gets a little further hopefully some testing. Currently I've been working on it in Unity 5 and have been using a bunch of placeholder for models (i.e. the ark is made of a bunch of cylinders) and I've got a basis for the asteroid attack part of the game working as seen in the gif.

 

http://imgur.com/wkGdHwC

 

I definitely plan on including an online leaderboard as well as two different controller schemes (HUD Joystick/no HUD touch controls). I may possibly add n remix version where you can purchase upgrades as well as a classic mode which will stay as true to the original game as possible.

 

Since I don't have much money I do plan on putting ads in the game, whether its a little banner on the start screen or possibly that new system that asks if you want to watch video for a reward. I don't plan on putting overly invasive ads that appear after each round since I find that those completely break the flow of the game.

 

So if you have any feedback on features you'd like to see, how to handle ads, or if this is even a good idea, I'd love to hear it!

[Tickled_Pink]

I'm a Unity coder myself. Are you doing it in 2D or 3D?

 

With ads you could simply allow a bit of space at the top/bottom for banners. You could also offer a paid version that removes the ads.

Edited July 23, 2016 by Tickled_Pink

[ThemDubs]

Its 3D models in a 2D environment and setup. I plan on doing some design documents and then hiring some artists out to do the important models (i.e. ark, defense system, animals, etc.) since I'm not good at 3D design. I'll probably be able to manage the simpler models my self however such as the asteroids and planet surface.

 

And I'm honestly not a big fan of the banner ads and lite/pro version for revenue. I think they're annoying and take up valuable space on a already tiny screen. If you've ever played Crossy Road or Eggs, Inc. they have a system where you can watch a short ad for a reward in the game, and from what I have played its much less annoying and actually offers the player something in return. Of course I'm trying to figure out what I could actually give players in response to watching the ads.

[Tickled_Pink]

Have you had a look at MagicaVoxel? I'm not too hot when it comes to graphics either but I've found that I can create something fairly decent with Voxels (what they used for Crossy Road). The only issue with Magica is that importing into Unity isn't always great but there are a few tutorials out there on how to do it properly.

 

One game I was thinking of tackling was a remake of Atlantis. Something really simple that shouldn't take more than a few days to write. Again, I'd use Magica for that and, like you, use an Orthographic 2D camera.