Gastorid – INCD021

Gastorid, lacking layers.

INC $D021 — Sun, 08 Sep 2013 20:10:29 +0000

After testing Gastorid again and again, I don’t find it have the lasting gameplay I’m looking for. A change in game objective might help? But for now I can’t figure out what to change. :/
Below you can see at short play through of the game as it is for now.

I don’t think that making specific levels design/setups, will add to the gameplay (for now it’s just random). Something more is needed. I might get some ideas in time, and try to add them.

Even though I hate abandoning a project, for a while, i hope that working on other things, will give me some new inspirations. If not, I will have learned a lot, I can use in my next project.

Working with touch devices is something completely different than making mouse/keyboard controlled games. The biggest challenge I have found is that I will cover a large section of the screen when clicking on the left part of the screen (I’m right handed). So some simple game ideas just won’t work, or the controls has to be redesigned… Just writhing the lase section gave me an idea that I have to test.

Got to go and the a new control for another prototype that I’m working on.

Have fun, and go make game!

– Henning

Gastorid mobile shader.

INC $D021 — Wed, 28 Aug 2013 18:54:48 +0000

Ok, so I’ve had some time to work on my idea and I finally gotten it to work on my mobile phone. I’ve been stuck for hours and hours trying to get my game to work on my phone. Every time I switched the mobile shader for my linerenderer, to the one I wanted, the game simply stopped when initializing an object using that shader?? What the …! After adjusting just about everything in the unity editor, I finally stumped upon Edit->Project Settings -> Graphics, where there’s an option called “Always included Shaders”. Looked like this could be the problem/solution. After adding my custom shader to the list, everything worked

Always Include Shaders

Not something I will ever forget to do ever, ever, ever again.. So now everything works, and the game is really starting to take shape. The audio is still horrible, and the gameplay needs some adjustment, whats to add time bonus/limits, but I really like what the game is morphing into.

I have only one android device, so I’m looking forward to having friends test it on their devices, to see if there are problems with the different resolutions and aspect ratios. Which has really given me a lot of headaches, and maybe for nothing.. It have been a lot easier to work with, now that I’ve started using rich text in all my GUI text. It all looks good in unity, but you never know what might pop up on strange devices

Now go make games!

– Henning

KISS.. Keep It Simple, Stupid. New project, Gastorid.

INC $D021 — Tue, 27 Aug 2013 20:28:16 +0000

Ok, the zombie game was a bit of a mouthful, and I know that if I’m to do it as I would like to do it, it would take me years. So again I have ignored the second rule of getting into indie game design, keep it simple, and aim even lower (first rule is “Go make a game!”). I shot high and learned a lot, but will never be able to finish the game, even though a work mate finds great enjoyment shooting the zombies just to see the ragdoll effect. It does look kind of funny. But still I have dropped the FPZS. :/

But then what? Well I have been wanting to make a small game for mobile/tablet for some time, but have been stopped by the many different resolutions and aspect ratios of the screens. But it simply can’t be as bad as I think it is? Or can it?

Gastorid Idea

By accident I came up with a small game when I was testing some simple gravity simulation on my phone, and after a few iteration on the game mechanics I think I have a game, if only I can make the click/finger down a lot more precise as the objects on the screen are fast and small. I have an idea in mind I want to test later, it’s casting a ray and test to see which object is closest to it and then if its within some radius, I’ll accept it as a hit.

Well a lot to do, so, less writing and more coding..

– Henning