theta – My entry into the 8th shmup-dev rapid prototype sessions
For the last two weeks the 8th Rapid Prototype Session has been running.
My entry for this session is called “theta”. I tried a few new things for this session:
- Use a restricted color palette from the start
- Design a mockup of how the game looks before coding
This differs from how I usually work. I usually jump straight into the code and start moving things around. I’ll create a new graphic and use it as I need to. As a result, most of my small shmup projects tend to be disjointed and don’t really have a consistent theme.
Screenshot:
Launch the game via java webstart.
Controls:
- WASD to move your ship around
- Mouse 1 to fire
- Mouse to aim
The number in the bottom right of the screen is your health. 5 hits and it’s game over.
I’m very pleased with how this one turned out. The graphics are still plain, but they are consistent so that adds something. The music was created in Reason 4.
There are 10 levels. Action really heats up around level 7 and I’m not sure level 10 is possible to beat!
bcatch – catch bullets and throw them back
In the last week, I’ve been working on a little prototype called bcatch. In this game, you don’t get your own gun, you have to absorb the enemies bullets and throw them back.
Controls:
e-s-d-f to move around. Hold mouse1 to absorb bullets, release mouse1 to start shooting them. They head towards your mouse pointer.
You get points for destroying a blue dot, the amount of points is larger depending on how long you shoot for.
The theme for this game comes from the first shmup-dev rapid prototype session. I didn’t participate at the time, but I’m going back to the old themes as they are a great creative and learning exercise.