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Author Topic: New (old style) arcade game - looking for feedback  (Read 19627 times)

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mike_bike_kite

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Re: New (old style) arcade game - looking for feedback
« Reply #40 on: July 03, 2013, 07:19:34 am »
This is my chess game John, it's called Fun Chess - I'd be definitely interested in your feedback but perhaps a detailed criticism should go by PM so as not to distract this thread. I think it plays moderately well considering the whole things home grown but then perhaps I'm biased. You can change the skill level up or down as well as the general appearance of the game.

Java : the program is written in Java so you'll just have to lump it I'm afraid. If you're pulling it off the web each time then it give a confirm dialogue. If it's installed locally and you click the jar file then it won't. Life is too short to rewrite the whole thing in C++ and I'm not sure what benefits it would provide. Who after all really cares whether PacMan is written in machine code, C, Java or whether it's just running through an emulator? as long as the interface is identical. It doesn't matter much to me what language I program in - I'm a database designer by profession but this type of thing is much more fun.

Alien Swarm should work with joy sticks and buttons - you just need to set the controls to "Mame+coins" - press P to pause and bring up the setting screen.

The Nuke button only works if you have nukes to fire. You have the option of getting a nuke when you get a "super power up" every 200K. I like to watch and listen to them fire but I don't think they're a brilliant weapon. They do at least kill the grey mothers though!

If you feel strongly that the grey mothers should be killable then I'll add this - but I'll make them very hard to kill - a sort of compromise.

JDFan : you seem to be out on your own at the moment with the game! Hopefully some of the other arcade game experts will start climbing the high score table soon. I'll make the end of game stats display for a little longer so people can see how they've done.



JDFan

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Re: New (old style) arcade game - looking for feedback
« Reply #41 on: July 03, 2013, 10:06:53 am »

I prefer games I can complete to ones where its a high score challenge but then once again its opinions. Has anyone ever beat Space Invaders does anyone know if its possible? I got pretty far in Pheonix the other day.

They each have their own advantages - esp for an arcade game since you hate to have the game quit just after pumping another quarter (do Arcades still charge only a quarter  :dunno )  in just to see some end game credits - IIRC invaders like many other games of the era just loops the score back to 0 ( I know missile command did that as it was one I was pretty much able to play endlessly on a single quarter - once you hit 800,000 it went into the developers testing and gave you enough cities to last quite awhile since the dev thought it was a high enough score that no one would get there)

I've only had a Nuke twice and have to say they aren't really that useable (unless you know of a wave that you hate and want it over) There is a fairly long wait from the time you press N to the time it goes off so you can't use it as an emergency blast but it is nice to get a rest for a few extra seconds at that point.

mike_bike_kite

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Re: New (old style) arcade game - looking for feedback
« Reply #42 on: July 03, 2013, 10:40:27 am »
I was about to give you another tip but after seeing your score I think I'll keep quiet (my personal best is 1.3m but I can see that falling the way things are going). Every 100k I tend to throw in a completely different combination of aliens - you might get 8 of the shield ships, a couple of greys and a single alien to try and shoot. If anyone has an interesting suggestion for a particular combination then I'll put that in as one of the possible screens. The screen has to be both different and difficult but obviously not impossible.

PS it makes me smile that you can get further than anyone else but yet can't seem to type your name in correctly at the end :)

JDFan

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Re: New (old style) arcade game - looking for feedback
« Reply #43 on: July 03, 2013, 11:47:04 am »
PS it makes me smile that you can get further than anyone else but yet can't seem to type your name in correctly at the end :)

LOL -- yeah I kind of messed that one up - though might just have to start using a different number at the end to take down the whole high score screen since it only allows 1 entry per set of initials :laugh2: (J\k)

Must say I like the shields a bit better in the new version but still haven't gotten used to using them yet (always think there might be enough room to squeeze through the 2 projectiles rather than waste a shield but there usually isn't. (and it usually happens just as a bonus ship appears on screen and then flies off due to the collision wasting 2 lifes instead of just the one  :dunno )

One suggestion on the MAME controls you might want to add in a setup screen as many arcades use gamepad encoders rather than keyboard so need an option to choose a joystick button press rather than keyboard stroke and for those that use something other than MAME defaults. ( Can work around it by using something like Joy2Stick but would be better to have a way to set the button press to each system - ie. a setup screen that can be configured by pressing the keystroke and saves to a config file on the local machine like MAME uses or similar perhaps. ) 

EDIT :

OK got the initials correct this time and got the screenshot of the stat screen as well (score would have been better if not for all those errant shots at the satellites, 54K in fines adds up ! :laugh2: ) - Not sure about the new shields ( I like the ability to shoot through them at the beginning and the timing seems about the right length but at higher scores when you get the auto shields they do make things much less challenging with the 3 and the number of bonus ships you get - might want to only give one or perhaps two shields instead of 3 at that point as to get that far in the game you already have to be fairly decent at dodging and it takes awhile to get hit 3 times so you pretty much have the shields to protect you most of the time and never really lose a life if you keep replenishing the shields with the bonus ships.


« Last Edit: July 04, 2013, 05:55:08 pm by JDFan »

mike_bike_kite

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Re: New (old style) arcade game - looking for feedback
« Reply #44 on: July 05, 2013, 06:44:32 am »
New version is now out there of Alien Swarm. Enjoy :)

Changes include:
  • The attract screen has been altered to always show moving items.
  • Aliens tend to enter the arena faster now but then slow down. This results in less waiting and a slightly higher pulse rate.
  • For some bizarre reasons the aliens stopped flying in from a distance when a planet was on screen - this has now been fixed.
  • The weapon power up is now indicated by the colour of your gun turret in the lives left area.
  • New special screens have been added. These appear every 100k but they add a bit of a change to the normal game play. There are now screens where you need to kill just the shield ships etc. A task message is given to you so you know what to do.
  • You can kill the greys motherships now but it's hard and probably not worth it but you earn 10k for doing so.
  • If you have managed to get automatic shields then you'll now only get one extra shield, rather than 3, each time you hit the shields power up.
  • There's a slightly changed pause screen and better laid out options. The pause screen shows the version of the game you'rre playing and it should indicate v94.
  • 2 player mode is now fully functional but it's difficult for me to test as one person
Mike

PS It's odd that I've had no comments about the little things in the game. The fact the alien eyes always watch you or how moons sometimes circle planets or stars twinkle or how there's even real constellations in amongst the stars.

PS2 I'll alter the high score list so you only have your best score showing.

Haze

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Re: New (old style) arcade game - looking for feedback
« Reply #45 on: July 05, 2013, 06:55:52 am »
one thing that annoys me is with the controls.

if you hold RIGHT, then press LEFT at the same time, you'll move left.. that makes enough sense.. but if you then release LEFT (while still holding RIGHT) you don't start moving RIGHT again, you sit there stuck until you release the RIGHT key and press it again

likewise the same situation reversed.

I think your input logic needs to be a bit more intelligent about such situations, obviously if you're playing on a stick / pad it won't happen, but on a keyboard you notice it a lot.

Ideally it should be like this:
if you're holding RIGHT and press LEFT at the same time, you will start moving LEFT, but if you release the LEFT key and are still holding RIGHT you should start moving RIGHT again
and if you're holding LEFT and press RIGHT at the same time, you will start moving RIGHT, but if you release RIGHT while still hodling LEFT you'll start moving LEFT again

try it, you'll see what I mean instantly, right now if feels like the ship gets stuck, you have to release and re-press the direction key.

obviously controls are critical to something like this.

mike_bike_kite

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Re: New (old style) arcade game - looking for feedback
« Reply #46 on: July 05, 2013, 07:56:16 am »
tried it - see what you mean - fixed it & released again

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Re: New (old style) arcade game - looking for feedback
« Reply #47 on: July 05, 2013, 01:19:33 pm »
tried it - see what you mean - fixed it & released again

yeah controls a lot better on a keyboard now.

still needs some work to really feel like an arcade game / operate as an arcade game, but the little improvements have helped so far.

if you want me to pluck some more examples of how it could operate more like an arcade game then let me know, obviously MAME is full of perfect examples of such ;-)

mike_bike_kite

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Re: New (old style) arcade game - looking for feedback
« Reply #48 on: July 05, 2013, 02:44:35 pm »
Always interested :)

I think I have the game play roughly about right but it would be good to get the MAME side of things as authentic as possible.

I obviously have to allow for people who are just running the program via their keyboard - at the moment I guess that's what everyone is doing.

I'm looking into running full screen, no borders and perhaps work with local files (for settings and high scores).

I also appear to need a new name for the game as "Alien Swarm" is taken.

Mike

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Re: New (old style) arcade game - looking for feedback
« Reply #49 on: July 05, 2013, 06:54:20 pm »
PS It's odd that I've had no comments about the little things in the game. The fact the alien eyes always watch you or how moons sometimes circle planets or stars twinkle or how there's even real constellations in amongst the stars.

Actually I hadn't even noticed the aliens in the ships  :laugh2: Playing in a window on a 1920x1080 display it is small enough that you don't really see them in there - Changed to an 800x600 desktop resolution instead  and you can see them much better ! For the backgrounds it might be a good thing that no one has mentioned them as that means they fit in well with the feel of the game  :applaud:

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Re: New (old style) arcade game - looking for feedback
« Reply #50 on: July 12, 2013, 04:07:46 pm »
I've just released a new version of the game Alien Swarm.
Most of the requests that people have made have been done including trying to make it appear closer to an actual arcade game from that era.
I do need to change the name of the game to something that hasn't been used ... if anyone has any ideas I'd appreciate it.

Mike

EDIT : are people's cabs connected to the web or are they all stand alone?
« Last Edit: July 12, 2013, 04:17:03 pm by mike_bike_kite »

JDFan

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Re: New (old style) arcade game - looking for feedback
« Reply #51 on: July 12, 2013, 05:34:29 pm »
Generally I believe they are stand alone -- though many do have means of connecting to the net for maintenance and updating but even those are normally left disconnected from the web unless doing something that requires it.

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Re: New (old style) arcade game - looking for feedback
« Reply #52 on: July 15, 2013, 03:52:32 pm »
The program can now be run in full screen mode and placed in a MAME cabinet. You need to grab the zip file and point to one of the bat files that's appropriate to your set up. It's pretty easy to do : just unzip the file and either double click a bat file or call it from MAME. Feedback as always is welcome.

Mike

PS I'd love to see a picture of it running in a cab.
PS2 You'll need to check back here to see if I make changes (I still have a number of things to add but it should work fine in a cabinet now.

JDFan

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Re: New (old style) arcade game - looking for feedback
« Reply #53 on: July 15, 2013, 05:16:44 pm »
Fullscreen not working here -- It just goes to a black screen with the game running in the background (can hear the sounds etc) - then once I hit ESC button it goes back to the desktop. Tried setting desktop for several resolutions (1920x1080, 1366x768,1280x800,1280x768, and 800x600) and they all go to black screen -- Using an ATI 5770 on AMD x4 CPU with Catalyst version 13.2 on an ACER G235H monitor using DVI-D connection.

Tried both full screen bat files included in zip as well as the windowed bat file - only windowed launches game other 2 go to blackscreen  -- Launching in windows command prompt using "start AlienSwarm.jar FULLSCREEN 2>tmp.log" opens a window with game.
« Last Edit: July 15, 2013, 05:19:27 pm by JDFan »

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Re: New (old style) arcade game - looking for feedback
« Reply #54 on: July 15, 2013, 07:22:16 pm »
It tries to set the monitor to 640 x 480 while it runs the program. Some monitors are fine with that while others seem to have issues. For the computers in my place it works for most of them (it even plays fine on my netbook) but it has problems with the large (wide) monitor I develop on and I actually get the same results as you on that particular one. I'll try to see if I can fix it but I might have to get some help on that. Hopefully it works for some anyway. Thanks for trying, I'll look into sorting that. Does anyone have a cab they can try it on?

Mike

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Re: New (old style) arcade game - looking for feedback
« Reply #55 on: July 16, 2013, 12:17:40 am »
Ahh OK figured it might be something like that -- my Acer monitor only seems to list 800x600 as the lowest supported resolution - Haven't tested it on my bartop which has a 15" monitor since I don't have joy2key installed on it yet either and am using a gamepad encoder rather than keyboard so the buttons use joystick button presses rather than keyboard keys. If I get a chance over the next few days I'll see about installing Joy2Key to swap the joystick button presses to keyboard codes and give it a test on the bartop for you.

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Re: New (old style) arcade game - looking for feedback
« Reply #56 on: July 16, 2013, 05:50:59 am »
Worked out what the problem was and I've now fixed it. You only need to download the zip file if you want to run the program in full screen mode.

JDFan

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Re: New (old style) arcade game - looking for feedback
« Reply #57 on: July 16, 2013, 11:25:32 am »
Worked out what the problem was and I've now fixed it. You only need to download the zip file if you want to run the program in full screen mode.

Tested and at first it was not working getting error stating "'java' is not recognized as an internal or external command,operable program or batch file."

To fix just had to copy the java application from sysWOW64 folder (using win7 64 bit) into the unzipped Swarm folder - so you may want to let others know to do this or include the java.exe file along with the zip since it is only 171 KB -- or alternatively the files could be placed into the sysWOW64 folder (but that tends to clutter up that folder) -- or I quess the bat file could be changed to look for the java program in the correct location (but that might mean different bat files for different versions of windows  :dunno 

That said -- It is working fine now after making that change. 

Looks quite different in full screen 1920x1080 than in the small 640x480 window on the same -- can see much more of the details in the models\backgrounds etc.

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Re: New (old style) arcade game - looking for feedback
« Reply #58 on: July 25, 2013, 02:10:44 pm »
HAd a bit of time so printed out some new artwork for my bartop and applied to see how it would look and figured I'd post a couple images for you :




mike_bike_kite

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Re: New (old style) arcade game - looking for feedback
« Reply #59 on: July 25, 2013, 02:59:31 pm »
You just made my day :)

JDFan

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Re: New (old style) arcade game - looking for feedback
« Reply #60 on: July 25, 2013, 04:39:30 pm »
You just made my day :)

Glad you like it -- Been meaning to get it printed for awhile ( I made the bartop 16 inches wide for my 15 inch LCD display (9" x 12") making the artwork easy to swap out since it is covered by 1\2 inch acrylic I got free from the local ice rink that they were discarding after a panel or 2 got broken during a hockey game)  so finally made the trip to Office Depot yesterday. The prints are 2- 11x17 inch prints on a heavy stock photo paper that they print cheaply ( $1.85 per print so less than $4 total ) If you'd like a copy of the artwork files, let me know and I'll upload the PSD and jpg or png version (PSD will have the layers used for the various elements in case you want to make changes - ie. I changed the controller list to match the bartop buttons used rather than the keyboard.)


mike_bike_kite

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Re: New (old style) arcade game - looking for feedback
« Reply #61 on: July 25, 2013, 05:14:10 pm »
I'd love to have the images. I'm going to be building a dedicated bartop for the game soon though I haven't quite settled on the design as yet. The CP will have just 5 buttons on mine as I wanted a dedicated cab. Your images would be perfect for the build though! Would they work with a marquee light behind them? I'll also make the files available on my site if you don't mind just in case anyone else wants to have a go.

I will be including the java.exe in my next release. The new release will also have a few changes. A friendly chap is working on some proper music for the attract screen for me but I'm unsure when this will be ready. There will be various options when running the game so people can have local high scores etc etc.

I wasn't kidding when I said it made my day.

Mike

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Re: New (old style) arcade game - looking for feedback
« Reply #62 on: July 25, 2013, 05:30:54 pm »
How about Swarm Buster, has a very old school ring to it. ;)

Also I am wondering which link is the latest build, I'll give it a go on my cab.

Jason
Multi-Cade x2 (full size and bar top) / 3 screen Virtual Pin

JDFan

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Re: New (old style) arcade game - looking for feedback
« Reply #63 on: July 25, 2013, 05:41:21 pm »
Yeah mine has several buttons you wouldn't need (it was built for playing Robotron and Smash TV which use 2 joysticks one for movement and 1 for firing direction and has the 6 buttons for fighting games.) as it is used as either a single player game or 2 player alternating turns. DO you have Photoshop or a program that reads PSD files ? (if not I can change the text on the marquee for you and send a copy with the proper labels for the machine you are building)

As I mentioned the files are currently sized for the bartop I build that is 16 inches wide ( with some extra printed area around so it can be trimmed to fit but should be fairly easy to resize if needed.) IF you need some help getting it to size after you have your plans let me know and I'll see about making some to size if needed. Will send you a PM with the download link for the files ( they are a bit too big for upload here since they are 11x17 inch at 300DPI for printing)

While making adjustments if it is possible to add support for using a gamepad or joystick adapter (or possibly a configuration menu that supports them that allows setting up button presses to match the end system) It might make it easier to configure ( I'm using a Zero Delay encoder that is seen by windows as a 12 button joystick which is a bit harder to configure as it currently is ( have to use a third party program that changes the button presses to keystrokes in the background and then configure the proper keystrokes to button presses) - So it works as is but could be made easier to setup if it supported joystick\gamepads.

Anyway - will send the files in a few and feel free to reuse anyway you'd like - esp. seeing that they are mostly just taken from your games screenshots to begin with other than the marquee background which is a recolor of the Robotron marquee art I had for the bartop with colors sampled from the screenshots to match up with the marquee (posting them on the site is fine by me) -  If you need any adjustments made to the files let me know and I'll see what I can do.
« Last Edit: July 25, 2013, 05:43:42 pm by JDFan »

mike_bike_kite

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Re: New (old style) arcade game - looking for feedback
« Reply #64 on: July 26, 2013, 11:30:02 am »
I've put the latest version of the program on my site. It now doesn't need Java to run if you download the zip. So you need to:
  • down load the zip
  • extract it
  • double click PcFullScreen.bat if you want to run the program on your PC
  • double click MameWithCoins.bat program if your cab simulates coins
  • double click MameNoCoins.bat if you don't have coins on your cab
  • play!

There are various options to change the way the program behaves ie LOCAL will make it store high scores locally rather than on the web. NODOH stops it from making those Homer Simpson "Doh" sounds when you make a boob etc etc.

I'll look into the gamepad issue but it's difficult for me at the moment as I don't have a gamepad!

I use paint.dot net for images and I believe it will cope fine with the PSD files. My bartop will be the same size as yours so the existing files should be OK.

Swarm Buster is quite a good name! The latest program is always on my site.

Mike

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Re: New (old style) arcade game - looking for feedback
« Reply #65 on: July 26, 2013, 12:06:45 pm »
Will redownload and give it some testing - don't worry about the gamepad stuff as there are programs out there like JoyToKey that can be used to get the end result and most people probably use the keyboard encoders for builds anyway, so the number of people that would need it is fairly low. ( though for a dedicated unit for this game the $10 price point for the zero delay encoder with it's 16 inputs vs. the $40 +\- price for the keyboard encoder with twice as many inputs that you don't really need makes them a useable option)

If you find you need some adjustments made to the art files or if paint.net has problems with the PSD and you need some other format that Photoshop can save as, just send me a PM with details on what you need changed and I'll see about making them for you.

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Re: New (old style) arcade game - looking for feedback
« Reply #66 on: September 20, 2013, 04:00:49 am »
I've uploaded a new version of the game. I've corrected a few niggles, introduced more boss levels (these appear every 100K) and generally smoothed out any rough edges. Just download the zip file, extract and then click the "PcFullScreen.bat" to play the program in full screen mode. You still need to have java to run it but I'm working on trying to produce a windows executable and I also want to include some better music. I'm also looking at trying to release the program on Steam but that's a whole new world for me.

Enjoy.

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Re: New (old style) arcade game - looking for feedback
« Reply #67 on: December 05, 2013, 08:35:45 am »
Hi!
I wanted to know of any progress! Get it running as a windows .exe?

mike_bike_kite

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Re: New (old style) arcade game - looking for feedback
« Reply #68 on: December 07, 2013, 03:35:46 pm »
I wanted to know of any progress! Get it running as a windows .exe?
Many thanks for asking. I have been working on it a bit though I haven't released the code as yet - probably about a week away - I'll post when it's ready to try. The work has been mostly around little things like better explosions, ensuring the high scores appear, explaining what the different colours mean in the high scores, dropping the wandering aliens down from passing ships, more interesting boss levels every 100K. This last point is a bit awkward as obviously not many players can get this far (yet) but I wanted to keep things interesting for those that can. Other changes have revolved around a smoother feeling game. I'm currently a bit stuck on turning the java program into an exe but I'm trying out launch4j and have my fingers crossed. The moment I can release an exe then I'm sure more people will be able to play it in their cabs. I do think it's a fun game and possibly a little bit addictive.

eds1275

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Re: New (old style) arcade game - looking for feedback
« Reply #69 on: December 07, 2013, 04:19:07 pm »
Absolutey. I was thinking of making a custom gamelist full of home-brew games, and then having my cabinet load up one at random when I start it. I am working on one two of my own and I know Well Fed is about ready to start on his...

Well Fed Games

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Re: New (old style) arcade game - looking for feedback
« Reply #70 on: December 07, 2013, 05:09:26 pm »
Absolutey. I was thinking of making a custom gamelist full of home-brew games, and then having my cabinet load up one at random when I start it. I am working on one two of my own and I know Well Fed is about ready to start on his...

Yes! Soon!  :cheers:
Completed projects: Pac bartop (Plug & Play), 30th Anniversary Pac cab (MAME), Point Blank (PS1), Centipede (arcade hardware- light restore), VS. Super Mario Bros (arcade hardware- light restore) Tetris Cocktail (SNES), Arcade Classics upright (60-in-1, then MAME), Multi-Raiden (arcade hardware). Pac Man vs.(Gamecube),

Working on: Pinball Re-theme, Homebrew arcade arena shooter

eds1275

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Re: New (old style) arcade game - looking for feedback
« Reply #71 on: December 07, 2013, 05:41:44 pm »
WFG, I dunno if I mentioned this before, but... http://unity3d.com/#2d

Well Fed Games

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Re: New (old style) arcade game - looking for feedback
« Reply #72 on: December 09, 2013, 10:32:26 pm »
WFG, I dunno if I mentioned this before, but... http://unity3d.com/#2d

Thanks, yeah, Unity is just becoming better and better. I think I am going to stick with GameMaker for the time being, until I ask it to do something that it can't do. Problem is, I am not asking much currently.  :afro:
Completed projects: Pac bartop (Plug & Play), 30th Anniversary Pac cab (MAME), Point Blank (PS1), Centipede (arcade hardware- light restore), VS. Super Mario Bros (arcade hardware- light restore) Tetris Cocktail (SNES), Arcade Classics upright (60-in-1, then MAME), Multi-Raiden (arcade hardware). Pac Man vs.(Gamecube),

Working on: Pinball Re-theme, Homebrew arcade arena shooter

mike_bike_kite

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Re: New (old style) arcade game - looking for feedback
« Reply #73 on: February 21, 2014, 05:17:51 am »
The game is now ready as an exe!!!!!
The game has also been improved in just about every conceivable way so it's worth installing the new version.
You can install it on a windows PC using the installer or you can just go to it's web page.
If you're installing it on your cab then press "P" when the game starts and change the input controls to MAME, free play to simulated coins and the high scores to local (unless your cab is on the web).
Thanks for being so patient.

All comments welcome.

Mike

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Re: New (old style) arcade game - looking for feedback
« Reply #74 on: February 21, 2014, 08:30:11 am »
Awesome, will download and try it out!

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Re: New (old style) arcade game - looking for feedback
« Reply #75 on: February 21, 2014, 09:02:12 pm »
Downloaded the new version and played a few games. Like the changes you have made - Haven't had time to really play test in full yet but thought I'd post a couple of things I've noticed so far :

1. Using a 1920x1080 widescreen the full screen stretches the game field out a bit - might be better to add in a bezel (either black bars or actual bezel art and keep the 4:3 aspect ratio for wide screen displays if possible (it plays good still but looks different than on a 4:3 monitor and switching back and forth gets confusing as the ships are wider so dodging changes a bit.) I was using windowed mode before to keep it the same on my desktop as the bartop. (Again this is minor as most people will use one or the other and not be switching between the 2 so would get used to it)

2. Had problems getting it running on my bartop at first - It didn't want to run full screen and was in a window at the top left of the screen. ( Finally figured out the problem was the old Graphics driver for the radeon Xpress 200 MOBO graphics chip - was able to track down a newer version on AMD's site and once I installed them it started working fine full screen (and the update also fixed my Fix it Felix Jr. game also - was a slide show prior to the update but now playable though still a bit slow ) -- So for anyone having problems with it not running properly in full screen try updating your GPU drivers !

3. If you have time perhaps add in support for gamepads ( the bartop uses a zd encoder so is seen as a gamepad) - I currently have it setup and working using Joy2key to make the gamepad inputs read as keys so this is just more for convenience than actual necessity but if you find some spare time  :laugh2:

Will test some more this weekend.

mike_bike_kite

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Re: New (old style) arcade game - looking for feedback
« Reply #76 on: January 05, 2015, 03:14:50 pm »
I've written a new "old style" alien shoot them up. Actually this is my new and improved version of the game. There's a global high score table for people that are quite good at these sort of things. It's written in Java so you'll need Java on your PC or cab. The controls can be switched between keyboard or Mame (press P for pause and options). There are also various difficulty levels to progress through with trophies awarded. Tell me what you think (I honestly don't mind criticism as long as it's mildly constructive).

Alien Swarm

                         

Hope you enjoy it.

Mike

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Re: New (old style) arcade game - looking for feedback
« Reply #77 on: January 05, 2015, 03:39:52 pm »
Didn't we already have this?  I think I played it and even did fairly well - what's changed? 

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Re: New (old style) arcade game - looking for feedback
« Reply #78 on: January 05, 2015, 03:51:58 pm »
I tried to find the old thread and failed so just started a new one. Sorry.

What's new?
  • Boss levels every 100K
  • Introduction of levels. You start on campaign (similar to the old game). Progress through hard (for those that like to shoot more than think) and finally end up in boss mode (where you just play each of the boss levels in turn). Trophies are awarded at the end of each level.
  • 200 High scores are kept for each level
  • New types of alien - whizzers that are chase you everywhere till you shoot them and changlings that change shade all the time until hit and then they explode to become a whole bunch of new aliens
  • Exploding bullets on harder levels
  • Civilian rockets to avoid
  • Game play
  • Ground effects from crashes etc
  • New lives/shields/nukes slide into place
  • Aliens walk across the landscape
  • Better attract mode with facility to move left and right through info screens
  • Loads more (I'll try and add things as I remember them)
« Last Edit: January 05, 2015, 04:13:43 pm by mike_bike_kite »

Le Chuck

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Re: New (old style) arcade game - looking for feedback
« Reply #79 on: January 05, 2015, 04:16:17 pm »
I tried to find the old thread and failed so just started a new one. Sorry.

What's new?
  • Boss levels every 100K
  • Introduction of levels. You start on campaign (similar to the old game). Progress through hard (for those that like to shoot more than think) and finally end up in boss mode (where you just play each of the boss levels in turn). Trophies are awarded at the end of each level.
  • 200 High scores are kept for each level
  • New types of aliens
  • Game play
  • Ground effects from crashes etc
  • New lives/shields/nukes slide into place
  • Aliens walk across the landscape
  • Loads more ...

No worries, just making sure it was the same thing.  Here's your old thread for those who want to check out the original traffic: http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,133134.msg1370183.html#msg1370183

Can I fire through my shields yet?  That part of the game really frustrated me (not that it is bad, I just wanted to play it a different way). 

I'll make sure and get it downloaded again and this time remember to give some feedback.  I flaked after your last update.

FYI to others, this game is a fun homebrew, give it a whirl. 
« Last Edit: January 05, 2015, 04:18:07 pm by Le Chuck »