Insectoid

[VernJensen]

I've mentioned I'm doing a new game. Here's a VERY preliminary screenshot to wet your appetite. (Note that many things will change, including some of the graphics you see here. Some of them are quite preliminary.)

The game is a shooter, much like Galaga. Level design is being done by our very own Psychotronic. And I have an artist who is just amazing.

[Wingy]

Hey, I reconize that type of game! It's like Diamos Rising by Ambrosia! I loved that type of game!  : Make sure you add lots of cheats that make you shoot ridiculous things like burning sheep.  

[VernJensen]

Another picture. This one is actually a static background. Whereas the screenshot I posted earlier is a new (in-progress) background that actually is animated: the sun's rays move slowly over time, and the asteroids all move. The idea is to have lots of interesting animated backgrounds that add visual

wow!

to the game.

[VernJensen]

[Reply to Wingy's post]

Well, Mars Rising and games like it are in a category called

vertical shooters

because the screen scrolls vertically. I'd like to make a game like that some day, but that's a lot more work.

Insectoid is even more retro than that... the screen is static. You aren't flying anywhere. Just aliens on the screen to shoot, and when you shoot them, you advance to the next level. Classic arcade goodness.

[Wingy]

Ahh yes. It's like that old Swoop game that Ambroisia made. I think this will definatly be a great... remake of this type of game.

And... uh... why is the main shooter thing a bug?

[VernJensen]

Wingy wrote: Ahh yes. It's like that old Swoop game that Ambroisia made. I think this will definatly be a great... remake of this type of game.

And... uh... why is the main shooter thing a bug?

Like I said, some artwork will change. The main shooter is a bug because that's place-holder artwork until I get final artwork for it. Same for the blue ships in the first screenshot. And some parts of the background.

Swoop is itself a clone of an old arcade game from the Galaga era called Galaxian. But Swooop didn't add too many new ideas. I always like to add ideas of my own and change things up, so I'm not just cloning some other game. I'm making my own new game, but it's based on principles and concepts from older games... hopefully the principles and concepts that made those games so much fun.

[Wingy]

Looking forward to it!
Wingy

P.S. Make sure you add cheats to shoot burning flying sheep!   : ;D
Ok, I think I had my laugh. I'll stop saying that.

[Psychotronic]

What are the flying sheep from? Worms?

[Wingy]

Worms 3D, yes it has that, but not burning sheep. The idea I had in mind came from Warcraft III. I was playing the other day and there is a place in the expansion of WarCraft III where theres a secret level powerup surronded by burning flying sheep!

[Alanfalcon]

Wingy wrote: Worms 3D, yes it has that, but not burning sheep. The idea I had in mind came from Warcraft III. I was playing the other day and there is a place in the expansion of WarCraft III where theres a secret level powerup surronded by burning flying sheep!

Reminds me of the Cow Level from another amazing Blizzard game, Diablo II, but that may be before your time!

I absolutely LOVED Swoop when it came out. Sure it was a pretty straightforward port, but at least it was done well. I went looking for this the other day and was even willing to buy it again (I bought it when it first came out, but don't have that registration code anymore) but found that it never made the transition to OS X and I have an Intel Mac Mini now, so no Classic for me.

Definitely looking forward to Insectoid. I've been wanting to see something awesome made with Torque 2D for some time!