Drop Fighter

[Glennyboy]

This is very much a WIP of a game I am working on. It's due a bunch of levels and graphics, but it's playable now. There's four selectable levels, each with it's own, errr, issues, but they're all completable and the game should be full-on crash free.

Instructions are in the readme file. Joysticks, gamepads, mouse and keyboard control are all supported.

http://www.optibrain.co.uk/dropfighter/downloads/dropfighter.exe

If you want to take a look at some screenshots before you download, look here: http://www.optibrain.co.uk/dropfighter/media/index.html

Please let me know what you think about the gameplay, particularly the flight (is it fun? fluid?) but comments on any aspect of the game are welcome.

Here's one of the screenshots, to entice you. Maybe.

http://www.optibrain.co.uk/dropfighter/media/take-some.jpg

EDIT: Made some changes and improvements to DFConfig. Also, now using a ZIP file, no password.

EDIT2+3: Updated the ZIP (at around 18:09 GMT on 5 Aug... so if you downloaded a corrupt ZIP then, that's why! Sorry!) fixed the huge loading time issue. An odd file corruption thing. Also tidied up some memory management issues, improved missile tracking, added a pause menu, fixed a bug with crashing into water, added loading screen and new backdrop for DFConfig. Phew, busy day.

[luggage]

Hi

It requires a password to open the zip. You might also want to add some links to screenshots so people can decide if they're vaguely interested.

Could probably do with this mentioned in some kind of sticky thread?

[Glennyboy]

Well that was stupid of me! Amended the original post. And added a link to the screenshots.

[Nutter2000]

Hi Glenn
glad to see you've come in from the cold lurking area :p

Unfortunately, I can't get it to run on mine :(
I just get a black screen and nothing happens, the log shows nothing either.

but I have a few contructive criticisms,

there's no need to password protect the file, it'll just put people off trying it
not everybody has winrar and you can set up a reasonable installer pretty quickly, check out http://nsis.sourceforge.net/index.php or try windows own-brand installer. Personally I always prefer to see an installer, that way I can install and uninstall with the minimum of clicks. I'm lazy like that :D
The seperate config program: I may have missed it but, you need some way of showing that you actually saved the changes, maybe having it highlighted when something has changed and darken it once you save the changes or whatever.
Also maybe running the config program the first time you run the game would also be useful

Anyway, I realise it's just WIP and you were looking for criticism about the game itself but it didn't seem to want to run on mine, sorry

[Glennyboy]

I've hit some odd loading time problems recently, with the result that the game now takes about forty to fifty seconds to start. Meanwhile, it will just show a blank screen. Did you wait that long?

I'm working on a way to cache some information before level-loading starts, so that loading time should shrink again.

Everything else, yup, pretty sensible. I'll probably just use ZIP instead for now, RAR, just gave a super-cool compression ratio. But I guess if people are downloading 7mb then they may as well down load a 14mb ZIP. I've got an install-maker here, but I figure for a WIP, people would rather just unzip and double-click without having to go through any uninstall when they're done.

The config program is purest crap, I need to re-make it, really. Or improve it drastically, but the suggestion you made's a pretty easy one. Hopefully I'll get time this morning to do it.

Thanks for the suggestions, mate!

[Nutter2000]

hmm... 42 seconds it took.
nasty :(
Ok I'll give it a go and let you know my thoughts (muhahaha ;))

[Nemesis]

Hey I've got serious competition here!! :) I haven't checked it out.. but looks promising!

Wish you luck!

[Glennyboy]

Thanks, Nemesis! Always glad to see more shoot-'em-ups.

** Also, bumping for updates in first post **

[wazoo]

It ran fine on my system and it's got awesome potential! just had a few feedback points:

1. When the mission starts and you're in the launching bay, have *some* kind of notice to the gamer of how to actually start the engines and/or leave
the bay. Something like "press l to launch" or whatever.

I have no idea which key I pushed, and I ended up floating out of the mothership, and pretty much death-spiralling to the sea below..;)

2. I would drop the first menu. Kinda redundant if you ask me. I wouldn't be launching the game if I didn't want to "start" it...;)

3. In your "campaign" screen, maybe put a description next to each campaign.

4. Likewise in your "mission" selection screen. Maybe try arranging them all vertically, with the mission description next to each one. Or at least have a "mouse over" description text when I'm hovering over each mission.

5. I'll post more feedback once I can figure out how to leave the launchpad..;)

But kudos man, it does look good so far! Just think of my comments as "tweaking"..

[Glennyboy]

It ran fine on my system and it's got awesome potential! just had a few feedback points:

1. When the mission starts and you're in the launching bay, have *some* kind of notice to the gamer of how to actually start the engines and/or leave
the bay. Something like "press l to launch" or whatever.
Good point. It's the thrust control to launch (default is SPACE, I believe). Must make that clearer.


2. I would drop the first menu. Kinda redundant if you ask me. I wouldn't be launching the game if I didn't want to "start" it...;)
Point taken, but the problem is that I want something other than the LOAD PROFILE screen when the game is first run. aybe ust have it come up with that if the mouse is moved or clicked, kinda like how Command & Conquer: Generals does it.


3. In your "campaign" screen, maybe put a description next to each campaign.



4. Likewise in your "mission" selection screen. Maybe try arranging them all vertically, with the mission description next to each one. Or at least have a "mouse over" description text when I'm hovering over each mission.
Was considering this. Certainly wouldn't hurt. The missions need to be arranged side-by-side sometimes. Reasons for this will become clear eventually!


But kudos man, it does look good so far! Just think of my comments as "tweaking"..
I really appreciate the feedback, it's great to get productive suggestions like that. None of them are serious changes, so should be fairly easy to slip in. Thanks for giving up some time to check it out!

-Glenn

[wazoo]

When/If you have anything new to try out, just post it.

I'll try to play the current version a bit more this week and offer some more feedback..:)

[Glennyboy]

Thanks. There's a new version up now, although it's mostly tweaks and bugfixes.

[cliffski]

I love space shooters, but I have bad news on this one... Hope you dont mind criticism...


1) do an installer. its 20 mins work, and a zip file looks very dodgy
2) you need a progress bar on your load screen. do i ahve time to make tea? who knows...
3) when it started i didnt know how to start a game? load profile? wtf is that? give me the default profile and a big button saying "start game now!"
4) what are the keys? i thought id work it out, but I couldnt. pressing escape paused the game (wtf?) i had no option to go back to the menu to check the controls. I did have an option to quit to windows though, so I took it.
5) let me pick the screen res inside the game. there is never an excuse for the separate config crap.
6) Graphically you still need to do lots of polish, but its a WIP and you said this already so thats ok.

Sorry to be harsh, but you are competing for attention with everything else on the internet, all the above points need fixing if you expect to get sales.

[Glennyboy]

No problem, I appreciate the criticism. It's constructive and it's all fixable. Maybe I should just dump the profiles thing, it doesn't really seem that necessary.

You youngsters and your install programs, I don't know. ;) In my day...

EDIT:

1) Made
2) Added
3) Sort of fixed. "Load Game" or "New Game". On "New Game" you just enter a name then head on through. Still not completely immediate, but it cuts out any hassle with saving games at a later stage.
4) Fixed: pause menu now gives access to the whole options screen, including key redefinitions. Seems to work okay.
5) It's on the board and will be added soon. I need to alter the way the config files work, too much in the way of hardware settings is in there with the profiles when it should be part of the general ini.
6) Heh, yeah.

New version available at the link above.