ooze V1 Fully playable game

[Brad2600]

I'll have to try running them.

 

Thanks for the suggestion.

[mos6507]

You know what, I see a lot of TEMPEST in this gameplay. And some Centipede. It also reminds me of the breakout section in the Tron arcade game.

 

The problem I see in the gameplay right now is you wind up cutting a channel directly above yourself and just make sure you hit the fuel guy and that's it.

 

I don't think the fuel meter adds anything to the game. I think it would be better to just do it like a straight shooter where you avoid getting hit.

 

But there needs to be a way after the ooze paints itself all the way down the sides to cut away at it.

 

Either that or you should introduce scrollable pockets (i.e. bubbles) in the ooze so that the screen can open up enough for the player to get in and cut away at it.

 

I do think the game needs powerups or something else to jazz it up. The fuel guy is sort of like the spider in Centipede.

 

I think there should be some way to clear a wave and some different sort of wave inbetween, like just going against another sprite or two.

 

I think you should take out the title screen and add some more features once you decide what will work.

[potatohead]

You know what, I see a lot of TEMPEST in this gameplay.  And some Centipede.  It also reminds me of the breakout section in the Tron arcade game.

 

The problem I see in the gameplay right now is you wind up cutting a channel directly above yourself and just make sure you hit the fuel guy and that's it.

 

I don't think the fuel meter adds anything to the game.  I think it would be better to just do it like a straight shooter where you avoid getting hit.

 

But there needs to be a way after the ooze paints itself all the way down the sides to cut away at it.

 

Either that or you should introduce scrollable pockets (i.e. bubbles) in the ooze so that the screen can open up enough for the player to get in and cut away at it.

 

I do think the game needs powerups or something else to jazz it up.  The fuel guy is sort of like the spider in Centipede.

 

I think there should be some way to clear a wave and some different sort of wave inbetween, like just going against another sprite or two.

 

I think you should take out the title screen and add some more features once you decide what will work.

909773[/snapback]

 

 

All great suggestions. Already yanked the Title. It was more to learn how it might be done in bb than it was a necessary thing at this point. Have some interesting powerups coded and working.

 

Made the ooze splatter when it hits the bottom. This will trap the player, giving an incentive to actually keep the ooze up there. That does provide a clear goal with an actual penalty for not achieving it. This combined with different things that can happen (aggressive ooze, slow bullets, fast bullets, etc...) give some variety to the game play and some challenge if the right elements are present at the right times.

 

Levels are going to be indicated by color and will have specific amounts of the stuff to clear along with specific powerups given.

 

Giving the thought of the fuel being gone and the shooter ideas some thought. (Interesting actually)

 

I'll post another version with some of these ideas soon.

[mos6507]

A problem I see here is you need a smartbomb or other hail-mary feature, otherwise it's going to be too difficult in the higher waves.

 

Defender has smart bombs. Tempest has superzappers. Atlantis has the little guy you can hit that clears the screens (which is key in the upper waves).

 

Without these I can see too often scenarios where the ooze is too far gone and the player is just not going to be able to dig himself out of his problem.

 

How about having the ooze get spawned by something at the top of the screen like a mothership or boss monster that you can pick away at in order to end the wave? If you kill the boss, the ooze dies instantly.

 

Or maybe within the ooze there is a "brain" or a "heart" that is floating around and if you kill it, it kills the ooze.

 

Having things inside the ooze would give you a good conflict of interest. If you blow up the ooze, whatever of interest inside the ooze goes away with it. If you go inside the ooze then you aren't controlling the ooze which could make matters worse. Competing objectives are key to making a 'zoner' game.

 

Or make it so you can float in the ooze for a certain length of time (the ooze being acidic). When you are inside the ooze, you can't shoot, just pick up stuff. The fuel meter becomes a shield meter. Or maybe if you shoot inside the ooze it spits out a Breakout like missile that bounces around and does something interesting.

 

If the shooting scheme evolves more into a Vanguard scheme then it could get more Robotron-like. The ooze acting like columns of enemies surrounding you.

 

If the ultimate goal is to fly to exit the screen like in Midway Tron or Berzerk, then it would help the gameplay.

 

Hopefully all this provides some inspiration.

[potatohead]

A problem I see here is you need a smartbomb or other hail-mary feature, otherwise it's going to be too difficult in the higher waves.

 

You and I think alike in that regard. For what it's worth, to this day I *will* stop and play a defender machine at any cost, when I see one The hail mary is coded, just need to decide how to trigger it. I could link this to the target, or have a limited number of them triggered to a joystick down move....

 

Defender has smart bombs.  Tempest has superzappers.  Atlantis has the little guy you can hit that clears the screens (which is key in the upper waves).

 

The first two games you mentioned are the most addictive for me. Bought a Jag just for the Tempest 2000.

 

Without these I can see too often scenarios where the ooze is too far gone and the player is just not going to be able to dig himself out of his problem.

 

I've two options for this. One being the unfinished hail mary feature, the other being the levels. One thing I wanted to do was cultivate that almost dead scenario, then provide some means of relief --if the player can just manage the situtation long enough. If the player runs out of hail-marys, then they can still work really hard to get through anyway. That's done through the levels and game parameters. Either way, there are two paths to completing the game.

 

How about having the ooze get spawned by something at the top of the screen like a mothership or boss monster that you can pick away at in order to end the wave?  If you kill the boss, the ooze dies instantly.

 

Not ready for that yet. Great idea though. It will need a custom kernel. That will happen at some point and I'll keep this in mind. The top of the screen remains unexploited in the current game iterations.

 

Or maybe within the ooze there is a "brain" or a "heart" that is floating around and if you kill it, it kills the ooze.

 

Having things inside the ooze would give you a good conflict of interest.  If you blow up the ooze, whatever of interest inside the ooze goes away with it.  If you go inside the ooze then you aren't controlling the ooze which could make matters worse.  Competing objectives are key to making a 'zoner' game.

 

Interesting insight. I've always called this the trance, but I believe it's the same thing. This is why I've stayed with the classics. Very few modern games evoke that special state of mind like the classics so often do. Of all the classic games, Kaboom! manages to do this in seconds.

Or make it so you can float in the ooze for a certain length of time (the ooze being acidic).  When you are inside the ooze, you can't shoot, just pick up stuff.  The fuel meter becomes a shield meter.  Or maybe if you shoot inside the ooze it spits out a Breakout like missile that bounces around and does something interesting.

 

If the shooting scheme evolves more into a Vanguard scheme then it could get more Robotron-like.  The ooze acting like columns of enemies surrounding you.

 

If the ultimate goal is to fly to exit the screen like in Midway Tron or Berzerk, then it would help the gameplay.

 

Hopefully all this provides some inspiration.

 

It does, and is appreciated!

Edit: The latest version is on the thread Ooze v0.5 released.

Edited August 20, 2005 by potatohead