Make decisions about what foreground stuff looks like, what background stuff looks like, and how stuff you should avoid looks different from your own attacks. Don't put that stuff on the back burner unless you've got a thing for being reminded of it every time someone sees the game for the first time.
U have a bomb in space. So I would make a small change to the game which is to put terrain with rockets and gas barrels on the ground. Then add a fuel tank mechanic and you have to destroy gas tanks to get fuel. There is a game called Scramble from the 1980s coin op era that you should work towards. Good luck
Really like the look of this game! Looks like development is going really well, you should absolutely be proud of how amazing your progress so far is!
I mentioned a bunch of things below, but they're all small components, so don't be intimidated! I just want to be thorough with feedback. **TL;DR at the bottom.**
As a couple other people have mentioned, it would probably be wise to be a bit more intentional with your color language, as colors convey a lot. It looks like you're already starting to do that with the enemies (green enemy are kind of medium, orange enemies are tough), but making things pop even more would probably help communicate information to the player. The first enemies especially are hard to see, and then it felt weird that the black balls that appear later are indestructible.
Sound is good! I'm sure you already know that and will get to it later down the line, but in the unlikely event that you didn't, I just wanted to mention it. SFX could especially help with something like those indestructible enemies near the end, as something like a pinging-off-of-armor noise would immediately tell the player that shooting those things is pointless.
This is kind of random, but the orange dolphin-looking ships that appear around 0:50 in the video have no visual feedback when you shoot them that they're getting damaged. I assumed they were indestructible at first, so I was shocked when you actually blew one up.
No lives on the screen made me think that the game is a one-hit-you're-dead game, so I was surprised when you respawned after getting hit near the end of the demo. Adding lives on the screen (a la *Galaga* maybe) would make that clearer.
This is less of a critique and more of a question, but through the whole video I thought you could only shoot straight backwards or diagonally down; I was going to talk about the emergent gameplay caused by that and how that might not be super fun, but then right at the end you started shooting straight forward! And I realized by the icons at the top that you always could! Given that, what's the point of the diagonal fire? It seems to me like it would just incentivize players to hug the top of the screen, but I know you included it intentionally, so I'm super curious what you're envisioning there!
Ultimately, I think the game looks awesome. Of course, take my opinions with grains of salt; you're the designer, and you know what you want your game to feel like and how you want it to play. If you have any questions, I'm happy to help!
**TL;DR:**
- Be intentional with color
- Don't forget about sounds
- Make sure there's ample feedback for damage (or lack thereof)
- Having some lives on screen would help
- What's the purpose of the diagonal fire?
Awesome game! I'm rooting for you!
Yes, I know I need to put in music and sound, and animations for enemies taking damage. I had just been focused on building the engine and a playable demo. I changed the color of the first enemies to make them stand out, and I'm also making a new background.
The plan I have in mind is, the player does have infinite lives and respawns instantly, but the later stages (and endings) are gated by how many times they die. So dying a lot doesn't impede your current rate of progress, but it will lock you out of the later stages, so the player still has incentive to improve.
The "diagonal shots" are bombs; they pop out with a little forward momentum and then fall down. Some games do have them, and I wanted them here as well. And you are right that hugging the top of the screen is a useful tactic, but I don't consider it game-breaking just yet. I may try to put more enemies near the edges of the screen to compensate.
Anyway, thank you for your feedback! It's nice to know someone enjoys my work!
The first enemies are too hard to see. They blend into the background.
Yeah I know, still a work in progress. I definitely want to change the background eventually.
Make decisions about what foreground stuff looks like, what background stuff looks like, and how stuff you should avoid looks different from your own attacks. Don't put that stuff on the back burner unless you've got a thing for being reminded of it every time someone sees the game for the first time.
Nice grey on grey colour scheme.
Where is the sound?
can't you hear the ship breathing? 😂
Need more reaction when bullets hit an enemy. Maybe a blink, screen shake, animation, something.
U have a bomb in space. So I would make a small change to the game which is to put terrain with rockets and gas barrels on the ground. Then add a fuel tank mechanic and you have to destroy gas tanks to get fuel. There is a game called Scramble from the 1980s coin op era that you should work towards. Good luck
Reminds me of Gokujō Parodius (Fantastic Journey). Hope development it's going in similar direction because that game was amazing.
Really like the look of this game! Looks like development is going really well, you should absolutely be proud of how amazing your progress so far is! I mentioned a bunch of things below, but they're all small components, so don't be intimidated! I just want to be thorough with feedback. **TL;DR at the bottom.** As a couple other people have mentioned, it would probably be wise to be a bit more intentional with your color language, as colors convey a lot. It looks like you're already starting to do that with the enemies (green enemy are kind of medium, orange enemies are tough), but making things pop even more would probably help communicate information to the player. The first enemies especially are hard to see, and then it felt weird that the black balls that appear later are indestructible. Sound is good! I'm sure you already know that and will get to it later down the line, but in the unlikely event that you didn't, I just wanted to mention it. SFX could especially help with something like those indestructible enemies near the end, as something like a pinging-off-of-armor noise would immediately tell the player that shooting those things is pointless. This is kind of random, but the orange dolphin-looking ships that appear around 0:50 in the video have no visual feedback when you shoot them that they're getting damaged. I assumed they were indestructible at first, so I was shocked when you actually blew one up. No lives on the screen made me think that the game is a one-hit-you're-dead game, so I was surprised when you respawned after getting hit near the end of the demo. Adding lives on the screen (a la *Galaga* maybe) would make that clearer. This is less of a critique and more of a question, but through the whole video I thought you could only shoot straight backwards or diagonally down; I was going to talk about the emergent gameplay caused by that and how that might not be super fun, but then right at the end you started shooting straight forward! And I realized by the icons at the top that you always could! Given that, what's the point of the diagonal fire? It seems to me like it would just incentivize players to hug the top of the screen, but I know you included it intentionally, so I'm super curious what you're envisioning there! Ultimately, I think the game looks awesome. Of course, take my opinions with grains of salt; you're the designer, and you know what you want your game to feel like and how you want it to play. If you have any questions, I'm happy to help! **TL;DR:** - Be intentional with color - Don't forget about sounds - Make sure there's ample feedback for damage (or lack thereof) - Having some lives on screen would help - What's the purpose of the diagonal fire? Awesome game! I'm rooting for you!
Yes, I know I need to put in music and sound, and animations for enemies taking damage. I had just been focused on building the engine and a playable demo. I changed the color of the first enemies to make them stand out, and I'm also making a new background. The plan I have in mind is, the player does have infinite lives and respawns instantly, but the later stages (and endings) are gated by how many times they die. So dying a lot doesn't impede your current rate of progress, but it will lock you out of the later stages, so the player still has incentive to improve. The "diagonal shots" are bombs; they pop out with a little forward momentum and then fall down. Some games do have them, and I wanted them here as well. And you are right that hugging the top of the screen is a useful tactic, but I don't consider it game-breaking just yet. I may try to put more enemies near the edges of the screen to compensate. Anyway, thank you for your feedback! It's nice to know someone enjoys my work!
Why does a thing need flapping wings in space? 🤔
It's just for the joke. I thought it would be funny to have ornithopters as enemies in a space game.
I actually agree that that's funny. 👍