Eridani - Demo
Community Forums/Showcase/Eridani - Demo
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 Seems like I've been trying to finish this for months, but I've now got it to the stage where I can put out a wee demo. Eridani Demo (3.4Mb) (Edit: Installer now includes an Uninstall icon - sorry about that) Eridani is a simple little shoot-em-up and my first (almost) complete game. It's not terribly adventurous but that was the idea really - to maximise my chances of actually completing something while learning what's involved in creating a game :-) There's a readme included that explains what's going on, controls, options, how the full game might differ etc. Comments are very welcome.   |
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| :o Great game! Extremely polished! So much! Insanely good! :o |
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| Why, thank you very much <blushes> |
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| I really like this. I think I will be emailing you soon... maybe... |
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| This is a great game even, sure ok it's not original in it's concept or anything but it's well put together and quite well polished. There where only two bad things I could find about it... Firstly, I hated the music. Secondly, I was useless at it. I know the second fault isn't actually the games fault - but I like playing well put together freeware games and this is one of them ... but i'm just hopeless. I got to wave 3. The explosions are extremely well done and shows a grasp of game composition that most of our peers don't get for a considerable number of incomplete projects ... that special effects only become special when used in tandem with more effects. So well done for that, the explosions where very nice. The enemies looked like they'd come strait out of a Binary Zoo game but they worked well, the glow made the primitive shapes work which must have saved you a load of development time compared to the rest of us on our early attempts slaving over our pixel art! You smug little... ! :) If you where to ask me how to improve on the game and I needed to find an answer, i'd suggest maybe making the whole thing move along a bit faster to increase the adrenaline hit. |
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| Well, I enjoyed that alot and completed it! I loved the asteroid field, perhaps you can have other levels which bring in ideas from other games ( like asteroids )...maybe an arkanoid type level for example. Great stuff, well polished...music was OK but you need much higher quality instruments playing it, if you feel like sending me a midi file I can reproduce it on my synths and .ogg it back to you. |
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| Wow. I'm really quite taken back at how positive you guys are being. To me this had always been just a wee project to learn the ropes (you know, timing and stuff). Firstly, I hated the music. Fair enough. In keeping with my whole philosophy for this project (keep it simple and don't get bogged down in any one thing) I spent about an hour tops on each tune. Tried to go for a kind of retro vibe - guess it's not for everyone :-) Secondly, I was useless at it. I know the second fault isn't actually the games fault - but I like playing well put together freeware games and this is one of them ... but i'm just hopeless. I got to wave 3. I've actually been quite worried that the game was too easy. Are you using keys, mouse or joystick? I tend to find it a lot easier with the mouse, but then I've been playing it for the last 8 months or so. The explosions are extremely well done and shows a grasp of game composition that most of our peers don't get for a considerable number of incomplete projects ... that special effects only become special when used in tandem with more effects. So well done for that, the explosions where very nice. Again, thanks. I was quite chuffed with them when I first got it all working together :-) The enemies looked like they'd come strait out of a Binary Zoo game but they worked well, the glow made the primitive shapes work which must have saved you a load of development time compared to the rest of us on our early attempts slaving over our pixel art! You smug little... ! :) Yeah, the whole idea was to make them as simple as possible to create while still looking nice. Most of my previous attempts at games have failed very early on (usually before any gameplay is in place) because I would spend ages on the art and eventually get bored. This time I make the conscious effort to ignore the art until the gameplay was nearly complete (it was really abstract for the first 3 months) and then keep the art as simple as possible. If you where to ask me how to improve on the game and I needed to find an answer, i'd suggest maybe making the whole thing move along a bit faster to increase the adrenaline hit. Things do get moving as the game goes on - remember you've only played the first 3 of 50 levels :-) I loved the asteroid field That really just came out of the way I was creating and handling the enemies. Arkanoid? Not sure if that'd be possible with the setup I have ... maybe ... I'll have a think about it. music was OK but you need much higher quality instruments playing it Yeah, they're just simple mod tracks that I threw together to get something in there. I might rethink that approach if people continue to dislike it so much :-) |
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| Aha, strait to wave 7 with the mouse... |
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| First thing.. Put an uninstall icon somewhere people can find it. The game just seemed too slow, the movement of the ship made me think that it was stuck in porridge. The movement should be quick and should feel natural. This also applies to the aliens, they all moved too slowly. I want a fast paced game straight away. I got to level 2 and thought "oh well more of the same, time to exit" and "Hey I press ESC and it keeps on putting me back in the game!" Other than that it looked nice, reminds me of a Vectrex game remake I was once going to do.   |
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| becky i dont think binary zoo or whatever they are called, can own geo shapes. |
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| Lovely stuff. |
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| Put an uninstall icon somewhere people can find it. Like in the Add/Remove part of the Control Panel? Seriously though, personally I hate having Uninstall icons in the Start menu - there's already a place for them. But I guess I'm not everyone so I'll add that in. The game just seemed too slow, the movement of the ship made me think that it was stuck in porridge. The movement should be quick and should feel natural. This also applies to the aliens, they all moved too slowly. I want a fast paced game straight away. Fair enough, this isn't a game for you then. Over on Indiegamer there's someone saying he thinks that the movement is too "floaty". And, yes, the aliens start off slow, but do ramp up throughout the game - I didn't want to start things off too fast for fear of putting people off. Guess you can't please everyone :-)Should maybe also point out that in the final game, once you've beaten a boss (every 10 levels) you'll be able to start at that point in the future, thus avoiding the slower early levels. That's not in the demo 'cos once you beat the boss that's it over. "Hey I press ESC and it keeps on putting me back in the game!" I don't know what to say about that, other than that most games I've played do the same. Pressing Esc in the pause menu in Caboodle doesn't exit the game either.Edit: As for MineStorm, yeah that was the idea - retro and simple to create :-) Eidt: Should also say that a few people have now commented on the slow start - I'll keep it in mind and see what I can do. |
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| I don't know what to say about that, other than that most games I've played do the same. Pressing Esc in the pause menu in Caboodle doesn't exit the game either. But ESC will always take you back to the main menu. |
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| But ESC will always take you back to the main menu. Not in the Caboodle Beta I've got. Esc takes you to the Pause menu. Esc again does nothing. But I see what you're saying. |
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| I like the music... retro style :) Made it to wave 9 about 5000 points in 1. try! Feature requests! - end bosses!!!!!! :) - more weapons. - add secondary weapons (bombs = clear whole screen; Rockets= guided) - add power ups (extra shield = for some seconds, etc) - different colors for the enemies (green, yellow), all same in one wave though to keep your style - gems to collect to unlock secret bonus levels :) |
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| end bosses!!!!!! :) There are bosses every 10th level. add secondary weapons (bombs = clear whole screen; Rockets= guided) There's a smart bomb (the C key if there's some power in the gauge) and you get guided missiles if you increase your weapon level far enough (level 8 and above I think). add power ups (extra shield = for some seconds, etc) There were power ups in there for months (shield, missiles, smart bomb, slow enemies, some timed, some limited use), but after a lot of experimentation I settled on the current simpler arrangement. And to be quite honest I'm not that inclined to change it again :-) - more weapons. In the spirit of "keep it simple and I might actually get it finished" I'm inclined to say "nah". Besides I liked the simplicity of "you're white and blue, anything red is bad". - different colors for the enemies (green, yellow), all same in one wave though to keep your style - gems to collect to unlock secret bonus levels :) |
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| I think this game is excellent. I've been an avid shmup fan for a while, and i've grown to appreciate the nuances of these sort of games. I like the graphics. The simple shapes are effective, and the glows give enough eye-candy for the more graphically-dependant among us to enjoy. I like the color schemes, as theres never any question of what is friend and what is foe. Also of note are the clean menus. Easy to navigate, fast, and attractive. I personally enjoyed the music. I enjoy that retro sound, and remember when .mod and .s3m files were all the rage :). Though it can get a little repetitive. I think the pacing is good. In fact, im somewhat opposed to the idea of increased speed. In its current state, you have time and agility enough to weave between bullets. The weapon fire mode toggle and special abilities are a really nice touch. For the most part, shmup's only allow one-time choosing of fire modes (usually beam and spread), and only offer a 'bomb' special. Kudos on giving players a choice, it adds a lot to the tactical variety of the game. I only had time enough to play through the first 4 waves (and I was STILL late for work *grumble*), but i'm looking forward to going at it again. I'll be following this project for sure. |
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| Wow... that's well made. It's clean and i did not experience ANY bug in it or just a small inconsistency in it's design. It does all fit together, not too overload, not to simple. I appreciate that you are one of the few guys in the forums (or in Blitz-community) that show off work that has passed pre-Alpha Stage. As you don't call this "complete" i'm dying to see the full version (this demo looks hell-complete to me). Keep up the good work... |
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| I haven't got round to playing this as of yet, but this caught my eye... Put an uninstall icon somewhere people can find it. Like in the Add/Remove part of the Control Panel? Seriously though, personally I hate having Uninstall icons in the Start menu - there's already a place for them. But I guess I'm not everyone so I'll add that in. I know you've already said you're gonna add one anyway, but there is a sensible reason for it. When you've got tons of crap installed, the 'Add and Remove' list takes weeks to populate which is extremely annoying. It's much more convenient to have an uninstall icon in the start menu IMHO. |
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| Excellent! Bravo on a polished, fun, and well-crafted game! |
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| *sigh I hoped it would be like "tyrian 2000", upgrades and such. It keeps players addicted over a longer period of time! :) Ok, then add 2 player cooperative mode for at least some extra :)))))))))))) |
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| @NefariousD: Thanks very much :-) @Raitsun: It's "incomplete" as in needs more enemies, attack patterns etc, but it's "complete" in the sense that the game play is complete. @TwoEyedPete: I see your point. I'll make sure there's one in there :-) @Grisu: 2 player co-op? Maybe in Eridani 2 ... |
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| Great game! I love these retro style shooters. |
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Check out these stats! Got this on my second attempt. I don't know why anyones complaining, except that there aren't enough levels in the demo... ;) |
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| wow... just wow... (the game AND the stats ;-]) |
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| Could be better: You let 30 enemies escape.... they will destroy earth! :) |
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| Grr..my first go.. finished it with 62,108 and 7.8 power...I will beat you Grisu... Nice game btw. Lovely explosions and the like. You've got the basics down which a lot of shmups I've played can't do, and there are a lot of bonuses on top :) Haha...second go...sorry Grisu:  EDIT2: Just realised I didn't use any other button that shoot...surely that's something you should maybe encourage the player to do? |
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| You let 30 enemies escape.... they will destroy earth! :) It's very difficult (impossible?) to get everything on the asteroid level - I've certainly never managed it :-) Just realised I didn't use any other button that shoot...surely that's something you should maybe encourage the player to do? My assumption at the moment is that as the game gets more difficult (the final game will end up quite a bit more difficult than the demo, but will ramp up to it a bit more slowly than the demo) the player will have to use things like spread firing, shield and smart bomb just to survive. But at the same time, if they want good stats and a high score they'll have to keep shield and smart bomb usage to a minimum.And in general, thanks for all the encouragement - the reason I put out the demo was that my enthusiasm for completing the game had waned over the last couple of months (really just due to the length of time it was taking) and I thought I'd put out what I had to see what people thought. The response has been very positive and now I'm all revved up for finishing the game again - thanks :-) |
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| *backslapping happy cat* It was a pleasure to me... |
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| Now, now. We'll have none of that sarcasm around here :-) |
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| well i completed it on my first run... this is becuase for some reason the enemy bullets never damaged me, i wooped the boss i just sat on him and fired away. might be a bug? |
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| Oh bugger - just realised what I've done - hang on... |
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| Okay, when I built the new installer that I put up this morning I accidently had it set up for player invincibility (which I use for testing). You could either re-download it again or if that's a hassle let me know and I could e-mail you the relevant file. So how do you do an embarassed simley again? |
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| Very nice HappyCat! Polished all round. I think the music is fine, at least it is good quality (if not to everyones taste which is probably impossible anyway). One idea, you could make the enemies flash when they are hit but not destroyed, you aready have a little lazer exploding thing but maybe there could be more. There are so many enemy bullets on scren it reminds me of that weird Japanese Nintedo Gamecube game Ikaruga. Are you going to sell it? You should do as I am working on a similar thing for fun and have played quite a few others as research and yours is the best yet by far. In fact it make's mine look poopy (mind you it's early days yet). If you are interested take a look at http://www.jbcomputersolutions.com/tetroid/shoot03.zip It's done in BlitzPlus and uses the same keys as yours + use A to summon more aliens and 1 to 9 to increase number of bullets. Mine isn't even a demo, just a very early WIP, but you'll get the idea. |
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| Yeah, someone over on IndieGamer pointed out that it's hard to see if your shots are hitting with everything going on. So flashing the enemies when hit but not destroyed is now on my list of ideas for the final version. For the first three or four months Eridani was just a black screen with a grey square (you) and some red squares for you to shoot. I just started really simple and once I had the framework in place I just built it up from there. |
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| that is a very professional way of planning and designing a game. I wish more people round here would organise their early projects like this, so that we can view more excellent pieces like yours... |
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| It's the only way I got as far as I have. Not that there was much actual planning involved :-) |
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| of course it's the only way to get that far... that's why so many games aut there are that incomplete or do never get finished |
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| I really enjoyed this demo. I played it all the way through, several times - not something I do with most demos, tbh. Nicely done, HappyCat. :) I quite liked the music, actually - retro and reminded me of some old shooters on the PC Engine. I did find the homing missiles a bit off-putting - kept thinking they were things to avoid, so they were more of a hindrance than a help, really. |
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| homing missiles are ok... don't listen to him ^^ i would never have beaten the boss without'em |
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| Thanks big10p :-) In general, avoid anything red - anything else is probably safe :-) |
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| A nice game, well done. Not challenging enough for me though. After being schooled by games like Einhander and Warning Forever, I didn't even notice that there was no player collision until I played the second time and decided to get hit intentionally to see what effect it would have on my ship. :) I ought to make an Einhander remake. |
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| Hey cool. I held down the Shields button for the entire game which prevented me from getting any weapon powerups. The game was much more challenging and enjoyable for me, however the boss was completely unbeatable! :) |
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| Jupp the boss is pain... maybe it's because no more levels are ready yet! ;) |
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