Xeno Assault II - Improvement Ideas?

[Nexic]

I have recently released Xeno Assault II and the figures from download.com are not very good. We are only getting around half a % conversion ratio. So if people on this forum could take a little look at the game in its current form and give me some ideas for some improvements that would be great.

This time round I don't really need small critisms (such as polish and graphics) but rather large gameplay orientated improvments. Im looking to get the biggest gain in conversion ratio for the smallest amount of work! I have already schedueled a large press release for the beginning of the new year, so I want to be able to make these changes before that time.

Although I said smallest amount of work that does not mean I wont to a big change if it is likely to make a vast improvment in sales.

Demo Link
http://www.jaggedbladesoft.com/xenoassault2/Xeno2Demo.exe

Thanks in advace!

[Ricardo C]

The game seems fine, no big recommendations from me, aside from maybe speeding up the gameplay a bit, at least the player's ship. But I do have two major complaints about the non-game content of the game:

1. After I chose to end my session, a promo screen with the standard "Buy/Don't Buy" options came up. The "Don't Buy" option didn't become active until I'd been forced to stare at the promo screen for a few seconds. This is unacceptable to me as potential buyer. If I don't want to buy the damn game, then I sure as hell don't want to be forced to sit through an ad. If I had previously been inclined to buy the game, this tactic might have made me rethink my decision.

2. The game opened your website upon exit, on a page trying to dismiss the reasons why someone might not want to buy the game. Again, unacceptable. And frankly, it seems too close to outright begging. Explanations don't sell a game, addictive gameplay does. Not that I think there's anything wrong with your gameplay, I'm just not much of a shooter fan. But really, the "open website upon exit" tactic infuriates me like nothing else. I'd really urge you to take these two complaints under consideration. Best of luck with the game.

[Tom Cain]

The game seems well done to me. I have some ideas on visual indicator changes that should improve decision-making during play, thus improving gameplay, and be relatively simple to implement. These aren't meant to be negative criticisms, they are just things that popped into my head while playing.

Enemies that require multiple hits to kill do not have any visual indication of how many times they have been hit. With so many enemies on screen, I think it is important to know which enemies are going to die with only one more shot, especially if I choose to swoop under one as they approach the bottom of the screen. The enemies turn red when hit, but go back to looking normal. So, I don't get to factor in enemy health into my choice of where to shoot next. I would have more interesting choices if enemies had a visual indication of how healthy they were. I don't mean a health bar, I mean a different look completely, like damaged textures or a different color.

The feedback from the shield strength indicator was not as good as it would be if it was somehow on the player ship itself. It was hard to factor shields into my play decisions because I had to look away from the action to get the feedback, and I needed the info quicker than that. I found myself ignoring the concept of a shield rather than risk looking to the side.

I noticed the laser had two stages of increased strength, but no indicator of when the intermediate stage had been reached. Maybe you could add laser power indications on the player ship itself, which would again provide some quick feedback. Maybe as the mouse is held down little particles emit from the lasers when the second power stage is reached, and the ship or lasers pulse when the max power stage is reached. There are likely better ways to do it, but something on the ship itself would have helped me more than looking over to the powerbar on the side to see if it had reached max yet.

I hope this helps. Good luck with the game. :)

[simonh]

I would not worry too much about download.com conversion rates. Super Gerball appeared on the main games page for a few days and achieved a 0% conversion rate, despite achieving a good conversion rate from elsewhere.

[C_Coder]

1. While playing the game the mode of firing got me on my nerves. I would rather want my weapon to charge when I leave the mouse button and keep firing when I press it. I don't want to reduce the lifetime of the microswitches of my mouse! (and my finger :p )

2. I also don't like having 1/5th of the screen in use for the satus bar. If you cannot do otherwise, I suggest to split it in two. Put the action in the middle and put half status bar on the left and half on the right.

3. Why can I only use 16-bit color?

4. The menu background is very nice but then the black square underneat the text ruins it. I would make it slightly transparent.

5. I would increase the contrast of the mouse cursor.

[C_Coder]

Also, you need to work on the sound effects. I did not get the feel of playing an arcade shooter. The music is very nice but you focus too much on it. Responsive sound effects make the feel of the game better.

Turn on that BASS! :D

[RedKnight]

Well here's my thought on your shmup, and also let me
share some of my "ideas" that I'm going to use with my shmup with you.

1. Background.
( try that pc shmup "Kamui" it has the best back ground I have seen)
well it look nice, but if you're playing xeno assault II for more then a hour you'll probally get bore with the same space background.

2. your shield indicator is horrible.(sorry if that's too harsh on you )
It took me 3 minutes to figure out that blue sphere/orb thing is supposed to be my shield meter.

3. Level 1 boss is not impressive enought for me. :mad:
(I like BIG BOSSES)
Give him more weapons. make him lose body parts or something, if some parts his got blowed away.

4. like what C_Coder said you need more BASS
(where did you get that tune anyway??)

5.I think it is to repeative.
(too Text Book shmups?)
Most alien looks alot alike. maybe it is the size, or the flying pattern,
shield up/ shield down.
and also on the same space scrolling background.

6. I hate those anoying pause(or restroom break ) screen.
(as seen in Kaijin, and other Galaga clones)
I want my action non stop, from the begin to end the end.
and I also don't care what name of stage I am in too.
All I know is when I destroy a Mid boss, then I'm now probally playing
level 1.2 or 1.3.

well these are the weak points I saw in your game.
But I DO love blowing astroids up.
The weapons aren't that anoying or useless as in Kaijin.
and hey give the player a big bonus for sweaping a swarm of enemies
with the charge laser.

[Nexic]

C_Coder - the firing system I had before was exactly as you desribed in the last version, but then people complained that they didnt have enough control over it ^.^ lol

Thank you for you comments so far, they are very helpful :)

[svero]

C_Coder - the firing system I had before was exactly as you desribed in the last version, but then people complained that they didnt have enough control over it ^.^ lol


That happens in pretty much all my beta tests by the way. Ill get back messages from people who like something and messages from other people who want that very thing removed.

[DanDanger]

Hello,

Here is my tuppence worth :)

I thought the game was of a high quality.

I had to keep pressing the left mouse button to fire, this was very annoying and really did ruin the game completely. I would suggest you rethink the firing system a bit.

I would also suggest that the beam weapon lasts longer than it takes to charge it up, I felt a bit cheated because it doesn't last very long.

My ship kept flying of the top of the screen at the end of every level (i think) that seemed a bit odd.

I love the way the ship tilts when you move around.

The aliens seemed to come to close to the bottom of the screen, which is where I spent most of my time.

Dont know if its a bug or not but some of the asteroids kept turning red.

I also agree with previous posts here about the unnecesary delay before you quit the game, it really is very annoying and unprofessional.

Cant wait to play the full version :)

[BedroomCoder]

I thought it was much better than the first one. I would suggest having the models a bit "smoother", and the unnecesary delay should have some advertising in, like "GET ALL 20 ACTION PACKED MISSIONS!" etc, with screenies. And also yeah, you shouldnt have to keep clicking, just click and hold to fire would be better. But I like it! :D

[Phantom1029]

Enjoyed the game, here are some of my ideas:

One of the most rewarding parts of the game for me was charging up my laser shot, and destroying a bunch of baddies with it. Play on this - reward me for killing all of them with one shot. You could do this with multipliers etc, or even simpler give me a "monster kill!" or something (A very good example is in the Unreal Tournament games) I was not sure what the "Battle Frenzy" did, even though I think it was caused by destroying many enemies at once - make this effect more dominant, such applying a tint of a red filter or even slow down time a little bit during it.

Overall - quality game. I made it to stage 9 before I died.

[C_Coder]

Seems that different people like different ways of firing. I would make different firing styles as in-game options then! :rolleyes:

[C_Coder]

C_Coder - the firing system I had before was exactly as you desribed in the last version, but then people complained that they didnt have enough control over it ^.^ lol

I just player Xeno Assault 1 and now I know why they said that you do not have control over it!

I was suggesting that when the left mouse button is pressed you just keep firing. When it is released it begins charging. When the bar is fully charged and then you press the left mouse button, it fires the big weapon.

Like this you have some control over it. Also you can make it that if the bar is not fully charged, you still fire the big weapon but with less duration or force.

[Nexic]

The early version of Xeno Assault 2 had the exact same firing system you mentioned. And they still complained about the control. I think I'll have it as an option.

[DadTimesTwo]

1. While playing the game the mode of firing got me on my nerves. I would rather want my weapon to charge when I leave the mouse button and keep firing when I press it. I don't want to reduce the lifetime of the microswitches of my mouse! (and my finger :p )

I agree with this wholeheartedly. I quit the demo after a few minutes because my trigger finger got tired.

[arcadetown]

I was suggesting that when the left mouse button is pressed you just keep firing. When it is released it begins charging. When the bar is fully charged and then you press the left mouse button, it fires the big weapon.
Yeah like that idea too. Same thing here, found my mouse button finger getting tired. Or maybe make right mouse button do charge up, but probably rmb making controls too complicated.

[Nexic]

Well I have changed it to what you are suggesting, and it actually works out very well. I realised that last time the system wasnt quite the same.

With the old system the beam would charge all the time,but it would just charge slower if you were firing. That and the combination of a bad hud confused users about how they activated the beam (as it was always charging). With it *only* charging whilst you are not firing it is much much more obvious how it works. I am pretty sure this is the best system. Thanks a lot everyone!

Just to let you know, here is some changes I have planned after recieving your feedback:

New firing system (as talked about above)
More varied backgrounds, with planet surfaces aswell as space.
Possibly some things to blow up on the ground, when on a planet surface (turrets, bunkers, houses etc)
Visible damage to large ships, and bosses
A new type of enemy (large snake creature made of several parts, as in R-type) that appears every so often.
Bonus of wiping out a whole group of enemies
Better feedback (better sfx, white flashes on death)

If anyone wants to add to this list please speak up :)

Thanks again for all your help, without this message board Xeno Assault 2 would be complete junk.

[C_Coder]

Now I'm sad :(

I asked for feedback on Titan Assault and I did not get enough feedback... :(

I wish I could receive some feedback as well! :D

[EpicBoy]

Well, nobody here is obligated to provide feedback just because you ask for it. Whatever you receive should be viewed as a bonus.

[C_Coder]

Well, nobody here is obligated to provide feedback just because you ask for it. Whatever you receive should be viewed as a bonus.
That's why I said I wish I could. :p

[RedKnight]

New firing system (as talked about above)
Whatever!! *If it ain't kapot, don't fix it. *
Remember you should know how to Balance your game.

More varied backgrounds, with planet surfaces aswell as space.
Another suggestion. Have you ever saw the space battle in Macross or Gundam anime before? with random explosions, laser flashes and such.
You can also try to render some flying alien/alies ship on the background
which make your background more dynamic

Bonus of wiping out a whole group of enemies
Multipliers scoring?

oh and also make your game HARDER.
Xeno Assault II is too easy for me. ;)

Now I'm sad

I asked for feedback on Titan Assault and I did not get enough feedback...

I wish I could receive some feedback as well!

I wish I had my big mouth(or something like that) shut on the Xeno Assault II feedback. :D

I hope my shmup can pass by Xeno Assault II. :D

My project/game name: "Whole Red Sky" or in Chinese "Mahn ten fung"
(it is in Chinese language,if some one know how to spelled in Japanese please tell me.)
Is also going to be the first indie shmup which uses swords to repel bullets. :D

[C_Coder]

When are you going to upload the changes? I'm very curious to see how it will come out! :)

[Nexic]

I'll probably upload a new version later today, but it wont have everything I mentioned.

RedKnight: I used to have enemy ships flying in the background but people said they got in the way! I think I will make it slightly harder, but I still get feedback from people saying its too hard as it is! (bare in mind this is the demo, the full game gets much harder)

[Yossarian]

Maybe I just don't remember it happening, but some more varied starting position for enemies flying in might increase the difficulty and make things more interesting.

For example, have some waves come from the bottom and fly up... Could even get some neat effects where half of a wave comes from the bottom, half from the top and they meet in the middle, circle around and then form their formations. With your new freedom of movement from the bottom it could be interesting and keep people from hugging the bottom of the screen.

Again something I just may not have seen yet, but a weapon that fires a moon shaped arc of energy would be a fun mix as well. These games always get more hectic and fun as more is going on, and big wide weapons firing really spices stuff up.

Also, how about a special item that lets you capture an enemy ship? Maybe you get energized and you can fly up and "touch" an enemy, and instead of it blowing up, it turns around and flys next to you and you can either ram it into other enemies, or when you fire it also fires off its weapon. Maybe make it so you can "grab" up to three enemies at a time like this, and have little buddies that fly with you blowing stuff up.

Overall this game is just getting better and better. Its on the verge of "real damn good" now.


PS - Combos rock. Definately try to get some sort of combo system in, as it is always fun to try and get them, and is a real goal for players.

PPS - When the ship goes up at the end of the stage, give me my score for that stage. Show me how many shots I fired, how many hit, give me an accuracy rating to improve. Give me bonus points added up for accuracy, and battle frenzy's, and combos. Give me a % of ships destroyed. Maybe set enemies into two or three categories like Platypus, where you have primary and secondary. Tell me how many of each category I managed to kill.

[Yossarian]

Had another thought on a cool weapon...

I love the asteroids flying through the screen while shooting ships, but how about having a special item that is an "Asteroid" catcher. Lets you catch and hold and asteroid in front of you when you hold down the right button. Release the button and it flys back up the screen and destroys any enemies it hits. Same special weapon could also be used with enemy ships that you "catch".

[Nexic]

Most of the things you described are already in the game, except the catching things. But they would take me quite a long time to do and I thing it might complicate the frantic action of the game :)

[Yossarian]

Well if I had a copy of the full version to play with...

*hint hint* *nudge nudge* *wink wink* =)

[Nexic]

Just to let everyone know, I've uploaded yet another new version, containing half of the stuff I planned to add.

http://www.jaggedbladesoft.com/xenoassault2/Xeno2Demo.exe

[wazoo]

Okay so it sounds like everyone had "comments" about the firing system...:)

My only suggestion is that it took me a WHILE before I realized you COULD charge your gun!!!

There was no feedback that this was possible.

I'm thinking of RType where each time you fire your weapon, your charge meter blips...so at least it gives you immidiate feedback that weapon charging IS possible..

Depending on your new changes though, perhaps my comments are academic..:)

(So where's this Titan Assault?? *grin* )

[Nexic]

If I implemented everyone's suggestions as soon as they made them, I would have gone full circle about 5 times. :p

[svero]

Just tried the latest one. Crashed on me with some kind of memory access violation error. Before it crashed I did get to play a bit. It's vastly improved form the one you first posted. I like the current firing scheme where you dont fire to charge up the special weapon. That works great for me.

I wonder if you don't have the original release of xeno 2 : I'd love for you to post a 2nd thread with a side by side comparison of the 2 versions after you're done all the iterations. I think it's a nice example of b4 and after and how putting in some extra work can change a game up.

It would be very interesting to pit the two versions against eachother in a controlled enivironment and check the conversion rates. And then to weigh the difference in conversion vs the extra effort put in.

[Yossarian]

It would be very interesting to pit the two versions against eachother in a controlled enivironment and check the conversion rates. And then to weigh the difference in conversion vs the extra effort put in.

I don't disagree on the interesting part, but the versions are really light and day. Not sure how you would do a test like that, as the second, with only a month's worth of polish, has taken it from good attempt at a shmup to a very enjoyable and pretty polished game (crashing error notwithstanding). I'm pretty sure he'll see a difference in conversion rates on this, and just comparing it to how it was doing before will show that.

Version 1 would seem to me to be a small seller, just a few here and there. 2 (maybe "1.5" is more accurate) strikes me as a game that has passed the threshold into a "product" and could do pretty decent.

[svero]

I don't disagree on the interesting part, but the versions are really light and day.

Well that's the whole point. How much does 1 month of extra polishing buy you in terms of conversion? I think it's interesting because a lot of games are released too soon. You've got people working for 6 months on something and then not putting in the 7th month to lose what exactly? double sales? only 10%. It will vary from game to game of course, but we could at least see in this one case what the extra work bought him.

[Nexic]

I think I have an older version on my brothers machine. If it is still there I'd really like to take part in your test :) I'll PM you if I do still have it.

I've found out what the crashing problem is, I forgot to pack a certain file into the installer O.O

Just to let you know, I've had some information from some smaller affiliates. And it seems like I am acheiving round about 1% CR on their sites. Which is great news for me :) Though this data comes from the old firing system, so im really excited to see what Janauary will have in store with the new system. Hehe.

(Xeno Assault 1 achieves below 0.3% CR :eek: )

[C_Coder]

(So where's this Titan Assault?? *grin* )

Here: Download (http://www.goldbolt.com/default.asp?down=tasetup082a.exe) :D