TypeBlaster (Am I ready to start making shareware?)

[AVataRR]

This question has been on my mind for a while now. But as I study for a maths exam that'll be on in just two days, the thought is at the very forefront of my retarted brain. >_< Does this game show I'm ready to start making shareware games?

It's a typing game with the same idea is Sega's Typing of the Dead. Your enemies are labelled with words and you have to type their words to shoot them. It adds a little twist by putting the action in a scrolling shooter with starships and fighters.

Download (http://www.sheepsheet.com/_gaming/typestriker/TypeStriker_V2.0.zip)

Screenshots are available on the webpage (http://www.sheepsheet.com/cgi-bin/baaa.py?section=game_playing&article_id=typestriker) if anyone wants to see them before deciding to waste time on my game >_<.

7 Sept 2005
*no more need to press enter to fire torpedoes
*substansially increased difficulty and intensity
*improved torpedo performance; less target circling
*five new enemies including new bosses
*improved tile visuals for level 1
*three whole new levels
*two new music tracks
*new boss life meters

18 June 2005
*Name change from TypeBlaster to TypeStriker
*Implemented some of Martoon's suggestions

[drastik]

I enjoyed this a lot!

The screenshots definitely don't do the game justice. The lighting effects, the a.i., and the other elements you've added to keep things busy work well, i think.

A few suggestions:

Whip up a bitmap font routine, or at the least, use a more interesting font to spice up the onscreen data.

Also, if you're going to switch resolutions, make the game fullscreen. Maybe give the user a choice of fullscreen or windowed modes?

Finally, if you're going to stick with a windowed mode, make sure the 'x' button is handled correctly. Users expect it to behave a certain way.

Not a game I could imagine myself buying, but I can definitely see the benefit to someone learning to touch type.

You've definitely got me interested in checking out your other games.

Good work!

[sparkyboy]

Hi Avatarr,

Just downloaded and ran your game.
First off,when it changes resolution the game appears as a small window in the centre of my screen,with my task bar across the bottom of the game window.
After pressing F4 to get full screen I was then able to test it properly. Unfortunately on my crappy sis 6326 chip it ran slower than treacle dripping from a spoon,but that's something I've experienced with quite a few different games.

Due to the speed issue,I didn't play for long,killed one enemy and that was that,but it certainly is something I personally have never seen before.

As regards to are you ready to produce shareware games,all I can say is this,anyone who can finish a product and get it to market can create shareware to sell,whether people will pay is the 64000 dollar question. ;)

From what I have seen,it certainly is an interesting concept and I would suggest that you continue slowly and always finish what you start.
As it stands,I very much doubt people would pay for it,but if you dont give up and keep plugging away you never know where it might lead.

That's been my philosophy and i'm sure it won't do you any harm either. :p


All the best


Mark.

[DadTimesTwo]

I was going to let my 13-year-old daughter try this out until I saw the text that pops up when your mouse hovers over "Android..."

[AVataRR]

lol, sorry about that. and to think I was pondering a word list that excusively contained profanities. ^_^ I'll be sure to think about the 'family factor' if I ever make a shareware title.

thanks for the feedback guys, very instructive!

[sparkyboy]

I'll be sure to think about the 'family factor' if I ever make a shareware title.

thanks for the feedback guys, very instructive!

No not If but when.Be positive.I dont know how much experience you have as regards programming,but your graphics are not bad at all either(I'll wager many of the expert programmers here would confess to being unable to hold a pen let alone draw eh guys :p )

Just remember,no-one said it was easy(otherwise we'd all be millionaires and discussing the finer points of life rather than how to increase market share and sales ;) )

But I digress,just DON'T GIVE UP!! ;)


All the best


Mark.

[Yarlen]

I checked this game out and I would definitely encourage you to keep moving forward. :)

[Martoon]

I like it. I also like the other typing game on your site (in some ways more than this one).

There's two design issues I have with the game:

1. When typing the word for a ship, the ship (and it's word) are on one part of the screen, and the word entry line (where I see what I'm typing) is in the lower left of the screen. I can only look at one or the other (I need to see both).

2. It's difficult to tell if I've typed a word correctly and successfully targeted a ship (since nothing obvious about the ship's appearance changes).

Both of these issues would be nicely solved if you did the following:

Get rid of the word entry space in the lower left. As I'm typing a word that matches what's on a ship, have the letters I'm typing show directly below the letters on that ship, and also have the correctly typed letters highlighted in the ship's word (a la Typing of the Dead and TyperShark). Play a buzzer sound if I type an incorrect letter (but the letter should still appear, and I should have to backspace it). When the word has been typed correctly and entered, remove the word from the ship, and change the appearance of the ship in some obvious way (superimpose a targeting site over it, for example).

Other things that would be nice:

A larger word list (there are freely usable lists if you do a little searching online).

Smoother difficulty ramping. As it is, I seem to initially get some fairly easy words, then suddenly I get swamped with a bunch of insanely difficult words.

The idea of typing "bomb" to use a smartbomb is nice. You could actually have a few different special items like this, each with a reserved word to use them. Maybe show a row of special icons along one edge of the screen, each with a count of how many you have, and the name shown underneath. When you type the name, it could highlight the letters under the icon the same way it would with ships.

I think you've definitely got something worth polishing into a sellable product. I would go for it.

[AVataRR]

Aww thanks sparkboy, Yarlen and Martoon. I'll definatley be using your encouragement towards that end.

It seems that the name TypeBlaster was already being used, so I had to change the name to TypeStriker. In the process, I implemented some of your suggestions Martoon. Mainly with regards to targetting and typing. You can now see what you're typing below your target ships and a spinning crosshair falls on top of them if you've targetted them correctly. :} I didn't implement everything to your exact specifications, but I hope you'll be happy with these anyway.

Thanks again everyone! Now I've got something productive to do in my mid-year break!

[Martoon]

Ahh, much better. Keep at it, and keep us posted on your progress.

[sparkyboy]

Well done my boy!! :cool:
The start up is much better for me now,gives me a normal window with no taskbar across the bottom!! :D

Your implementation of Martoon's suggestions is really well done!!(Love the spinning target too!)

At last,someone takes notice of recommendations and actually implements them.(Princec take note!! ;) )

Now all I need is that geforce card so I can play it at a decent speed!!

Just cool my boy,just cool!!Keep up the good work!!


All the best


Mark.

[AVataRR]

I hope no one minds me bumping this thread. I shoulda done my updates months and months ago, but I got hung up with stupid things like school. I also worked on making my website dynamic so a lot of my effort was concentrated on porting all the old content to the new system, but blehnyway. I just released TypeStriker2.0

http://www.sheepsheet.com/cgi-bin/baaa.py?section=game_playing&article_id=typestriker

Is this any better? :}

[sparkyboy]

I hope no one minds me bumping this thread.
Of course not Avatarr, It's YOUR thread is it not?


I shoulda done my updates months and months ago, but I got hung up with stupid things like school.
Education is not stupid!! Now if you said you had been partying or hangin' at the beach.......well that would be STUPID!! :D


I also worked on making my website dynamic so a lot of my effort was concentrated on porting all the old content to the new system, but blehnyway. I just released TypeStriker2.0
A good job you've done of it too my boy.


Is this any better? :}
It certainly is looking good! ;) Finally got that geforce card and the game runs smoothe. Liked the music too, it reminded me of the scene in Aliens when Ripley was waiting for the ship to dock at the end, while the mother alien was arriving in the lift....very nice.
Found myself getting immersed without knowing it. :cool: It really is like nothing else I've played. Man my fingertips hurt!! :D

You certainly have learned to use the new game maker, that's for sure.
keep up the good work.....and keep us posted.

All the best


Mark.