Billy Bleeks's Forum Posts

  • We have thought of adding a more dynamic camera for a while now using lerp position/scale in some areas and we finally implemented it!

    • It makes for better game play in certain scenarios like for example scaling out to show more of the level, scaling out for when you control the tank and scaling in close when you're in control of the protagonist. Also for fighting a mini boss so the screen doesn't scroll when you move around the battle area and the camera pans toward the center of the battle as you approach it.
    • When falling at high speed the camera pans quickly below the player and also scales out smoothly allowing the player to get a good look at whats below.
    • The game feels better with the dynamic camera. The camera movement (panning to a position and scaling in/out) is so smooth and seamless that you barely notice it but it looks and feels so much better with it than with out it.

  • Been a busy start to the year with life stuff but we have managed to make progress and good strides so far. By the end of February we plan to have the cave stage 98% complete. Our to do list to reach that goal includes:

    • Adding 3 layers with parallax in the background (We've tested this and it gives the area some nice depth), crystals to be added in the foreground that distort what ever is behind them with an effect.
    • Optimizing and organizing the engine, events and and image sizes, physics use, particle counts, redundant actions, memory management etc..
    • Refine enemy movements, actions and spawn points.
    • Balance damage/health, difficulty, enemy spawns and attacks
    • Small adjustments to lighting and scenery placement. Refine the particle effects and add new ones to replace placeholders. Small adjustments to the tanks colors and outline, add a decal to center of tank.

    *****- Extra- ***** ( If time permits)

    • Experiment with new lighting engine using normals and real light and shadows. (This is already looking awesome, transforms the look of the cave but we still have to test it when all layers and graphics are put in place.)
    • Add a HUD (1st test)

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    I believe we are on pace to reach these goals but always keeping in mind that the unexpected will arise from time to time and that there are new challenges to face after every solution. The indie gaming dev rabbit hole goes deep

  • Another look at the first area in the GunnSwitch demo. The GunnSwitch demo will be released later this year!

  • Another look at the first area in the GunnSwitch demo. The GunnSwitch demo will be released later this year!

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  • Love it! My old school senses are tingling, great idea with the game genie..i mean wizard

  • Sorry to hear about your moms health problems and glad to hear she is doing well and playing video games! Death From Above was a great start. I have found with each project I finish I learn so much, especially if the games are a bit different. Your concept art is great, love me some Metal Slug too. Im actually working on an action shooter in the vain of a metroidvaina too, I look forward to seeing your approach to it. Our game GunnSwitch is more like Blaster Master though with the tank but also adds in some Metal Slug/Megaman style action and platforming. Good Luck with whatever you decide to do, Ill be watching.

    Cheers

  • Cool project, its nice to see someone bring back "Lemmings" style game play back, great idea for mobile.

  • A quick look at how the animation is progressing in GunnSwitch, footage is not final but we are happy with how its coming together.

  • New Experiments!

    Lighting/Normal Maps - Our artist spent a good amount of hours playing with Normal Maps yesterday and wow, they can really transform the look of a game. The cave tile set with Normal Maps almost looked 3D and really popped. It added some cool depth and realistic lights and shadows. We still have much to explore here

    Effects - Playing with some effects our artist tried the Pixel effect and it works really well, maybe sneak a retro world in there some where or a playable arcade somewhere in the game? The Glass Effect is going to give our crystals a really cool look with some foreground crystals distorting whatever is behind them. Parallax the crystals and its that much sweeter. Much to explore here as well.

    Does anyone know cool tricks or links to good videos or tutorials with Effects, Normal Maps or Particles that they would like to share? There are so many options and its tough to get good info on these other than the basics.

  • Player Animation Update: After hours of eventing, inventing and testing I finally got all of the players animations working smoothly.

    - Tap the shot button and the player will lift its gun then shoot and lower the gun quickly while continuing its animation when idling, running and jumping in all four shot directions. This was the hardest part of the process to get the timing just right!

    - Tap the shot button faster and the player lifts and holds the gun maintaining a shoot animation while the tapping stays at that faster tap rate or even faster tapping. Tap the shot button slower or stop tapping the button and the gun is lowered. This works nicely while running, idling and jumping in all shot directions. Tapping the shot button speeds up your fire rate.

    - Hold the shot button down and the player lifts and holds the gun maintaining a shoot animation while the shot button is being held down. Release the shot button and the player lowers its gun. This works nicely while running, idling and jumping in all shot directions as well. Holding the shot button gives you a steady rate of fire.

  • Here is a look at our protagonist in action.

  • Introducing the new character sprite for our protagonist in GunnSwitch.

  • Happy New year everyone.

    Its going to be a busy one as we try our best to have our demo finished and polished by years end. It may sound like a lot of time to get a demo done but its more of a showcase than a demo and it features a lot of the mechanics that you'll be using throughout the game. The demo will run about a half hour long, featuring four unique areas, two epic boss battles, some story sequences and a good look at what the full game will feature.

    As we work on the showcase/demo we are also planning, designing, and working on the full game at the same time, bouncing back and forth. All the games we have worked on to this point were for mobile and web and were small games that we thought would fit those markets better. With this project we are finally doing something that we are really passionate and excited about and now have the experience to pull off something pretty special and large scale.

    Good luck to everyone this year, hope your projects bring you joy and joy to others. Cheers

  • Here is a sneak peek of the caves in GunnSwitch. The Player graphic is still prototype and will look better soon when our artist is finished.