Saturday, December 31, 2011

Test Nexus

This next Monday on the second of January, I need your help testing Nexus. I want your input, help me make this game as fun as possible by telling me what you think. Tell me what powerups you love/hate, what's too strong or too weak, and what you think could make this game better. The gameplay is heading towards the end of its development so now is your chance to change Nexus.

The game will likely only be live for only a week or less, so play as often as you can to get the most out of it.

Here is the current list of confirmed powerups:
When the game is live on Monday I will announce the hidden power ups

Thanks and I hope to see you on Monday

Sunday, December 18, 2011

AI Demo

I don't have much news to share this week, but here's of something I had been working on. It is a demo of some AI for defense turrets that could possibly have been used in alternate game modes or even a single player campaign, but those ideas have been cut. I will most likely use it for future projects.



The turrets will lead their shots to try to destroy nearby enemies. Click on the spawn fighter button to create more enemies for the turrets to attack. They are pretty accurate even at distances, but when the enemy accelerates or turns it will likely miss. The turret defense AI is designed to be accurate but not devastating, so that if you had them assisting you in a mission they would help you but not carry you. Each separate turret on the ship has been color coded and their targets circled to easily see what they are aiming at.

The turrets will also defend against any enemy, not just the fighters. They are even effective against asteroid fields and missiles.

EDIT: Just realized I didn't turn off the sound effects in the demo, should be off now. Also I allowed the fighters to be offensive too, it makes it more interesting.

EDIT 2: No update on 12/26/11 for Christmas, maybe an early next update however.

Monday, December 12, 2011

Shooting the wormhole

When you directly attack a wormhole, you spawn powerups in your field, but also some of your laser shots will travel through to the enemy's field. This isn't a very effective way of attacking the enemy, but the shots that spawn in their field can be disruptive.


This is especially effective against players that try to "camp" on a player's wormhole and send powerups through as they spawn. If someone is sending a lot of powerups quickly and consistently into your field, just shoot their wormhole several times and if they were sitting on your wormhole they will be hit by your shots.

Right now the current system will send three shots through when you shoot a wormhole enough to spawn a powerup. The shots that spawn move slowly in random directions and slowly fade away in only a few seconds. As I said earlier this isn't a strong attack, but it is useful when stacking it with powerup attacks and as a deterrent as well.

It also alerts the enemy that you are facing their wormhole and may be attacking soon, so be cautious about which wormhole you use to spawn powerups.

Monday, December 5, 2011

The Mine Layer

The mine layer is a new powerup added to the arsenal. When the powerup is launched it sends three of these enemies into their field. They are pretty slow moving and have a moderate amount of armor, but they will drop a mine after a certain amount of time has passed. If these are not destroyed quickly, you can easily find yourself overcome with the minefield they will have created.

They are easily stack-able with other powerups because they can create a distraction and cause mayhem at the same time. Keep an eye out for these powerups because they will are very useful.

Thursday, December 1, 2011

Colors

Each player in the game is assigned a color at the beginning of each match. This color is your identity: your ship, your HUD, and your attacks all share your color.  Incoming attacks have the color of the player who sent them.  This idea of color is identity is emphasized throughout the game.

This allows you to easily separate yourself from friendly and hostile objects.  If you see an unfamiliar color, either shoot at it or avoid it, because odds are it is hostile.  This helps simplify the chaos when the screen is filled with objects and lessens the confusion.

Not only is it functional but it defines the art style as well. Bright colors that contrast with a dark background along with the simple polygons give it the arcade look and the colored outlines give objects definition and attention.

Even better it allows you to trace that last missile that hit you back to its sender, so you can get revenge by dumping your arsenal into their wormhole.