Game Thoughts / Criticism

[Blackout]

So I made a game that I want all of your opinion on. I've worked roughly 2 days on this game, so obviously it could be a lot better than it currently is. It's kind of like one of those really old space shooter games, except I made it.
Tell me what you think.

http://www.mediafire.com/?k86lp3phgp853ey

[princec]

Well, the controls are terrible. I can't move and shoot at the same time, and movement, when it does occur, is slow and juddery and appears bound to my key repeat rate.

Cas

[ra4king]

Really good for 2 day's work!

The only "bug" I found was that you most likely moved the ship inside keyPressed. This means that the ship will only initially move 1 step, then after a slight pause, it will keep moving. The fix is to have a boolean flag for right and left so that you poll their values in you game loop.

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private boolean left, right; public void keyPressed(KeyEvent key) {     if(key.getKeyCode() == KeyEvent.VK_LEFT)         left = true;     if(key.getKeyCode() == KeyEvent.VK_RIGHT)         right = true; } public void keyReleased(KeyEvent key) {     if(key.getKeyCode() == KeyEvent.VK_LEFT)         left = false;     if(key.getKeyCode() == KeyEvent.VK_RIGHT)         right = false; } //inside game loop: if(left)     x -= speed; if(right)     x += speed;

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[Blackout]

Yeah I've noticed that, I've kind of hated the fact that you can only press one button at a time but like I said before, I haven't really worked on it much. xD I'm actually trying to work on another game at this moment, but I'm not sure what to make. I've already made a Blackjack and bomberman, and some other tiny games, but I can't really think of any good ideas. If someone has an idea, please reply to this.

[ra4king]

Make Tetris and/or Minesweeper

[Blackout]

Meh, that seems kind of original. xD

I kind of wanna make a game that has never been made before.

Plus I've been working on some really cool screen transitions and text effects, so it should be a game that is heavily reliant on graphics. xD

[elamre]

a topdown online shooter with oversized text and absurd effects? something like unreal tournament but then topdown?
That should be more then enough challenge me thinks

[Blackout]

Well, what do you mean by "topdown" shooter? xD

[Mike]

I kind of wanna make a game that has never been made before.

Oh, I know one! A multiplayer game where you control a man that lays eggs that blow up after a few seconds and you need to blow the other people up!

All jokes aside, coming up with something really unique is very difficult without making something known into something absurd (see above).

Mike

[Blackout]

LOL indeed.

I've been just basically "cloning" games, so to speak, for experience so I can incorporate more techniques inside MY OWN game, so it could be the best that it could possibly be.
For now, I guess you don't have to tell me completely new ideas, but maybe just games that already exist.

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[ra4king]

A "topdown" shooter is a 2D shooter game where you are looking down on the playing field. Something like Tower Defense.

And "there is nothing new under the sun"
A unique game would basically be a twist on an idea + your own graphics.

[elamre]

I kind of wanna make a game that has never been made before.

Oh, I know one! A multiplayer game where you control a man that lays eggs that blow up after a few seconds and you need to blow the other people up!

All jokes aside, coming up with something really unique is very difficult without making something known into something absurd (see above).

Mike

Absurd? i just thought it was a cool idea, you crushed my dreams!

But what about, a towerdefence where you play the creeps? Where you have to lead them on the map? I think thats rather original tbh.

[SkyAphid]

LOL indeed.

I've been just basically "cloning" games, so to speak, for experience so I can incorporate more techniques inside MY OWN game, so it could be the best that it could possibly be.
For now, I guess you don't have to tell me completely new ideas, but maybe just games that already exist.

You could always fuse a board game with a card game. Lay cards down, and direct the characters like a chess match; or something similar perhaps.

[Blackout]

I kind of like that idea Sky.
Possibly a game that is controlled by chance, either by rolling a dice or by playing a slot machine.
I've played this one game on the Android market and it's kind of like a war game and you get new powerups and stuff based on what you get when you play the slot machine. It was kind of interesting.

And any game that involves cards would be really good, because I still have the same cards from when I made that blackjack game. xD

[Mike]

But what about, a towerdefence where you play the creeps? Where you have to lead them on the map? I think thats rather original tbh.

There are a lot of games like that, it even has its own genre: "anti td".

Mike

[elamre]

But what about, a towerdefence where you play the creeps? Where you have to lead them on the map? I think thats rather original tbh.

There are a lot of games like that, it even has its own genre: "anti td".

Mike

Nononono, i think there is a miscomminucation here. The genre you mean has to send the minions. Im talking about PLAYING on of them.

[sproingie]

Micromanaging one minion?  I won't prejudge, but I'd call it a tall order to make that fun...  Maybe if it were as frantic as a shmup, but then, well, it's a shmup.  Maybe a shmup where you can call on other minions to saturate the defenses.  Hmmm...

[philfrei]

I think there is a Zombie-theme game by Jagex where you play the side of the Zombies, chasing down humans in a shopping mall. It was fun, but I don't have a link anymore. Too lazy to search for it.

Holding the following two ideas in one's head at one time seems to me to be kind of oxymoronic:

1) wanting do to something original
2) wanting someone else to tell you what to do

Originality comes from looking into yourself. Then, you have to be willing to reveal this aspect of yourself to the world.

[elamre]

Micromanaging one minion?  I won't prejudge, but I'd call it a tall order to make that fun...  Maybe if it were as frantic as a shmup, but then, well, it's a shmup.  Maybe a shmup where you can call on other minions to saturate the defenses.  Hmmm...

Its going to be so fun! all you have to do is press arrow up, and hope you wont get killed. then you die, get another minion, do the same, you die again. Its never stopping, you see? so endless amounts of fun!

I wonder why nobody has ever made it...

Anyways, Just copy a game, copy it good and then add new elements to it .

[Cero]

it runs thousands of frames fast, not 60 fps
heats my GPU up instantly
not going to try it =P

[ReBirth]

You can consider Ultratron as topdown shooter, just change your way to view it and sprites.

[Blackout]

So, I took your advice and now you can press multiple keys at once.

http://www.mediafire.com/?6pde8xt7e8xl7h3

If you're interested.

[ra4king]

It works

[Blackout]

I'm glad.
I don't know if it's just me, but it seems to move a lot smoother now... XD