脱 Datsuco: Video Invaders Launch

[SirRicho]

Hi Everyone!

I've been a long time lurker on these forums... and I think I've finally got something to contribute...



For the past few months I've been working on a Space Invaders clone.

You're might asking yourself at this point - WHY?

I'm a huge Invaders fan & over the years it's become less fun for me. These days, I find it a little too slow, I get bored when the difficulty curve flattens out, and the point-pressing strategy is... well... pretty mind numbing. So I decided to write a new version. They say the product you write for yourself is the best thing to make. If you're a hardcore Invaders fan, this is also for you.

So... after a few months of work - I finally released the PC version on Itch.IO today: https://datsuco.itch.io/video-invaders

If the community is there - I'd love to see Video Invaders grow into a "competitive" game. I'd like to leaderboards (via Steam) and so on.

There's a little more to the story as well...

I'm building "mini" cabinet with a Raspberry PI, and also an Arcade version which will go into Blast Galaxy (a local arcade here in Amsterdam). The Arcade version also runs on a PI, it's got a custom Jamma connector and also a battery backup / UPS mod.

Here's a pic of my little work area:


On the top right hand corner you can see the hardware for the mini cabinet (including the little joystick) - in the middle is the arcade version with the Jamma adapter. Now the game has been released, this is what comes next.

Finally... after I'm done with the Steam version, the Mini cabinet and the Arcade release  *phew* - I'm going to write a version for the NES, and in a perfect world, get in on real cartridges.

So... If you're a Space Invaders fan - I've love to be in a place one day where we're competing on the leaderboard ;-)

Feel free to ask me any questions! What do you think?

[javeryh]

Very cool project.  I love the look of the cabinet you designed - great color scheme!   

[SirRicho]

Thanks! Really looking forward to seeing it materialise ;-)

[Sjaak]

Nice job so far. Hope to see it at Blast Galaxy soon

[Mike A]

So how is it different from space invaders? I don't see any details or description.

[SirRicho]

Hi Mike,

I studied the assembly code from the original Space Invaders in detail for many weeks before coding this - so I'm aware of the exact details in what makes the original game work.

If you're interested - here's the details:
http://computerarcheology.com/Arcade/SpaceInvaders/

I've put a list of things that are different off the top of my head - however were two objectives in my new design:

(1) Make it feel like Space Invaders, but update it so it feels more "today". We're all used to bullet-hell shooters so Space Invaders feels a bit dated.
(2) Fix the primary problem I have with Space Invaders - the flat difficulty curve - it never gets any harder after level 7. So if you can handle level 7 - you can keep playing ad-infinitum. Video Invaders keeps getting harder forever - however it should never feel cheap.

Here are the broad strokes on what is different:

- Number of aliens
- Number of alien-shots that can be on-screen (32)
- Alien AI for shooting at player is completely different
- UFO now shoots at player (this makes point pressing techniques much more difficult)
- Different rules governing player / alien shot collision
- Player movement is faster
- Player shot speed is faster
- Alien shot speed is variable
- Rules for end-of-game when aliens reach the bottom are different (you can actually smash your ship into an alien on the bottom - lose a life- and continue)
- Collision detection is different
- Number of shields and shield behaviour is different (i.e. how many shots to penetrate etc.)
- UFO behaviour is different in terms of how it appears and moves. However, as in the original there is a sequence based on the player shot-count that makes scoring predictable
- Rules governing alien starting positions for each level are different
- Alien movement algorithm is different - it's still based on scanning (i.e. moving one alien per frame) - but it reverses scanning direction based whether the pack is moving left or right
- Frame-rate unlocked (original ran at 60fps, this version will run as fast as your machine can handle). Playing the game on a 120fps monitor is really nice ;-)

Anyhow - hope this answers your questions.

The game has taken months to program and tune. It was never intended to be a cheap knockoff. But rather - an evolution that's preferred over the original.

[Mike A]

Thanks. That is the kind of information I was looking for.

[SirRicho]

Just a quick note to say that Video Invaders is on sale during the Itch.io summer sale.

75% off - $2.50

https://datsuco.itch.io/video-invaders

If you want to support the development of new shoot-em-ups and 80's style arcade games, I'd appreciate your support! ;-)

Cheers!

[arfink]

Looking fantastic, I really wish more devs would add a coin-op option to their games. Speaking of which, if someone downloaded your game and operated it in a real arcade, would this be an issue? (I don't run an arcade, just curious if you planned to license it for this use, or just don't care, etc.)