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Xiaou2:

--- Quote from: Jumpman64 on April 02, 2013, 04:57:56 pm ---Just started playing Gyruss recently.  I don't get why it's not a spinner game.  Maybe they thought it would be TOO much like Tempest?

--- End quote ---

 Why not make Galaga a Spinner game?    Arkanoid uses a horizontal action for moving left to right...   :P

   The thing is... Gyruss wouldnt work well the way it stands, with a spinner.   Its a bit too easy as it is.  With unlimited speed to dodge away... it would be 10x easier than it already is.

 They would have to reprogram the entire game, so that a minimum of like  3 waves of enemies were always attacking at the same time.
The enemies would have to move about twice as fast, and fire more rounds as well.   All that was probably beyond the speed of the
PCB Hardware that the game uses.

 
 Tempest uses simple vectors, & no background music.   The balance works with Tempest, cause you have to destroy all those lines
before you can even hit the enemies.  And masses of enemies move down the tubes quite quickly, as well as fire often.   If the game was more tame, a simple joystick could have been used.


 Finally, Tempest is kind of not even a ship.  I think the Ship kind of Flips over end to end?    Gyruss is an actual Thruster driven Ship.
As such, its a bit unrealistic to say the least, to have instant  Mach 5  acceleration.   Its limited to a maximum set speed and turning radius.


 It could be really cool to see a Gyruss style game with a spinner...  But, it would have to really up the intensity to work well.   Maybe some speedy maze paths on the edges... that you have to avoid crashing into.   Kinda like the Star Wars Trench, but in a circle fashion.  Maybe keep it Vector in nature.  But use a similar Gyruss-like set of Sound Tracks?  :)

 Even blocking off part of the screen with stuff, would limit easy escapes... creating a much higher difficulty level.

 Stereoscopic 3D LCD glasses for actual depth, would really spice things up too.


 One day, all these designs in my head, will get realized.... I hope...

DaveMMR:

--- Quote from: Xiaou2 on April 02, 2013, 09:50:59 pm --- Finally, Tempest is kind of not even a ship.  I think the Ship kind of Flips over end to end?    Gyruss is an actual Thruster driven Ship.
As such, its a bit unrealistic to say the least, to have instant  Mach 5  acceleration.   Its limited to a maximum set speed and turning radius.

--- End quote ---

Okay, so this will be the point that I have to say that you are way overthinking the answer to his question just a tiny bit. I SERIOUSLY doubt the programmers were having any of this discussion when deciding on a control for their game.

The programmers back then made some really fun, great games but you're giving them just way too much credit. At the end of the day, they were all trying to put food on the table - not worry about the theoretical physics of a fictional 8-bit sprite.

Good grief...

Malenko:

--- Quote from: Xiaou2 on April 02, 2013, 09:50:59 pm --- Finally, Tempest is kind of not even a ship.  I think the Ship kind of Flips over end to end?    Gyruss is an actual Thruster driven Ship.
As such, its a bit unrealistic to say the least, to have instant  Mach 5  acceleration.   Its limited to a maximum set speed and turning radius.

--- End quote ---

I no rite? I mean look how unrealistic Pacman is, I mean where do all those dots fit in him and I've never seen him poop!

CraftyMech:
The 80s computer game "Dung Beatle" took the Pacman concept in a more plausible direction- you played a character who ran around a maze leaving a trail of dung... and the Dung Beatles that chased you would get distracted and eat your poop! The circle of life...

Xiaou2:

--- Quote ---Okay, so this will be the point that I have to say that you are way overthinking the answer to his question just a tiny bit. I SERIOUSLY doubt the programmers were having any of this discussion when deciding on a control for their game
--- End quote ---

 One things for sure,  that games back then were made to a much higher standard than today.   The reason, is because the games
had to be interesting and difficult enough to keep money flowing into the Ops pockets.   If a game was too easy, and people played on the machine too long..  Ops would complain, ask for refunds, and possibly canceled future orders.    They spent Months testing and revising games difficulty and level design.  Usually, the games could last many years without bordom, to the casual player..  and hold up many years to even the hardcore players.

 Initially, a lot of games were Abstract.  A lot of this was due to graphical, ram, and processing power  limitations.  As power increased,
games began to drift more towards realism. Today, it rare to find any designer making Abstract games.  (which is a bit of a shame)

 Designing games wasnt just about putting food on the table.   Any of the greats will tell you, that they did it because they loved to
create these things.   They loved games.  They loved making new things and pushing the boundaries of what was possible with the
limited hardware.   They almost always pushed the hardware to its chocking point. Often doing things with hardware, that even the
hardware creators didnt realize was possible.

 Game designers / Creators, worked very long hours.. often getting very little sleep.  They often slept, ate, and lived in their offices..
trying to make the deadlines.  And or trying to pack more stuff into the games.

 
 As both an Artists and Designer,  I look at all aspects of a games design.   This includes realistic / cool looks  (nice engine thruster flames) , as well as propulsion,  gameplay,  specialized & unique controllers, story line, and more.   Its no different from the past.   But as said,
it depends on both the designer (to decide if it will be reality based or Abstract).. and what technological level of hardware they were working with...  as well as how well the prototypes play, and how well they scored on tests.

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