Bullet Symphony (updated: 7/10/07)

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Bullet Symphony (updated: 7/10/07)

Hey everyone,

I am a big shmup fan, and have been visiting this site occasionally over the last 6 months or so, and decided I might have a go at the competition. I've had over 3 years experience making games in flash, which unfortunately struggles a bit in regards to speed, which means making decent shmups can be quite a challenge (especially when like me, you like the screen to be full of bullets). Due to these restrictions, I've recently been experimenting with C++, and thought this competition might be a good opportunity to get some practice.

I can't promise that I will be able to deliver a finished product, I have grasped C++ pretty quickly due to my flash experience, but that doesn’t mean I won't have any problems, so we will have to see, I will try my best anyway.

Good luck to everyone else taking part, I'm looking forward to seeing some great shmups.

Ali

« Last Edit: July 10, 2007, 11:34:19 pm by alillm »

June 02, 2007, 02:47:26 pm

#1

Five Damned Dollarz

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Re: Bullet Symphony

Welcome, you're no stranger here then, good luck to you in the comp

I too like 'danmaku' games, but only if they are unique Wink

June 02, 2007, 06:08:13 pm

#2

Adigun A. Polack

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Re: Bullet Symphony

Look, it is so splendid to see you at Shmup-dev and in this competition as well, alillm!!!

And as for your contest project called Bullet Symphony, it is such a rather awesome name... so let’s have an equally as awesome game from you out of this... and I *gotta* wish you all the best on making it happen, you know that? Wink

Now get to work!!! Grin

=b

June 02, 2007, 06:37:55 pm

#3

Shoot-em-upper

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Re: Bullet Symphony

I like the name, too. It makes me think of a screen clogged with bullets.

I came, I saw, I posted.

June 02, 2007, 06:47:04 pm

#4

Adigun A. Polack

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Re: Bullet Symphony

Can you say “Manic Shooter”? laugh1

Anyway Shoot-em-upper, that is what it reminds me of... and I hope this game is quite a good one by the time the compo version of Bullet Symphony gets finished before the deadline of September 30, 2007. You know? wink1

!

« Last Edit: June 02, 2007, 06:49:27 pm by Adigun A. Polack »

June 02, 2007, 08:10:46 pm

#5

alillm

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Re: Bullet Symphony

Thanks for the welcome

.

The name actually comes from a shmup I started in flash called 'Bullet Theory' (I still hope to finish that eventually). I was told that the Japanese for theory is the same as for symphony (I don’t know if that’s correct, but it doesn’t matter), and as I like both names I decided to call this one Bullet Symphony. Oh and yes it will be as manic as I can make it

.

I wont be able to start for a couple of weeks due to exams, so I'm hoping I will have enough time to complete the game, and not get bogged down too much by C++ Roll Eyes

Ali

June 02, 2007, 08:52:26 pm

#6

Shoot-em-upper

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Re: Bullet Symphony

Oh. Any screenshots from Bullet Theory?

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June 02, 2007, 09:21:33 pm

#7

alillm

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Re: Bullet Symphony

Sure, although it was/is in early stages, and I was planning to re-do a lot of the art (unfortunately I'm not the best artist in the world Tongue

)

[Images removed to avoid confusion with screenshots of bullet symphony]

I was just working on enemy types mainly and hadn’t got round to doing any nice bullet patterns, so none of that to show.

Symphony will not be a sequel or remake of theory though, it will be a separate game (although probably will have some similarities).

Ali

« Last Edit: June 21, 2007, 08:01:46 pm by alillm »

June 03, 2007, 01:54:40 am

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Re: Bullet Symphony

Looks fun. Finish it for the rest of us.

I came, I saw, I posted.

June 03, 2007, 08:43:36 am

#9

alillm

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Re: Bullet Symphony

Thanks, yea I hope to finish it eventually, there aren't that many decent shmups in the world of flash games.

Ali

June 03, 2007, 03:23:01 pm

#10

pixelizr

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Re: Bullet Symphony

Quote

Finish it for the rest of us.

Finish it for great justice. grin2

June 04, 2007, 10:00:30 am

#11

motorherp

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Re: Bullet Symphony

Welcome to the site alillm. Joining a competition like this is a great way to try and learn a new language since it'll keep you motivated and you can get feedback on what you're doing. Anyway I've now been coding in c++ for 8+ hours a day almost everyday for the past 5 or so years. It almost feels like I'm better at talking in code than English these days so if you ever need any help just post your questions and I'll do my best.

June 04, 2007, 10:12:16 am

#12

pixelizr

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Re: Bullet Symphony

I agree. I think having your project as an official entry in a competition usually drives you to finish it and give it more effort than when you're just doing it as a hobby on your free time.

June 04, 2007, 06:06:59 pm

#13

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Re: Bullet Symphony

Isn't that why we have these contests?

I came, I saw, I posted.

June 04, 2007, 06:24:28 pm

#14

Adigun A. Polack

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Re: Bullet Symphony

100% agreed, Shoot-em-upper. It is most certainly a helluva reason to inspire people BIG-TIME, you know that? Grin

!

June 19, 2007, 08:21:34 pm

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alillm

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Re: Bullet Symphony

Thought I would just bump this back up from the murky depths of the bottom of the board in order to give a small update.

Well actually its not really an update seeing as I'm only just about to start the game. At the end of this week my exams will all be finished and I will be able to put 100% effort into my game. Here’s a bit of info.

- Unlike "Bullet Theory" (shown above), symphony is going to be retro abstract, simply because

1) I like abstract
2) I might get a bit short of time if I try to make pretty graphics all by myself
3) Abstract will let me go wild with pretty effects (providing I figure out how to make nice effects with C++ and SDL Roll Eyes

) and will keep the focus on the gameplay

- Its going to be a vertical scroller, I'm not a huge fan of horizontal shmups.

- There will be at least 3 levels each with at least one, probably more manic boss fights

- The player will be able to 'level up' through 5 power levels, each level will also add an extra option

- There will be some very simple, easy to manage, indirect control of options

So that’s what to expect (some things might change once I start development). Hopefully it won’t be too long before I can show some screenshots

Ali

June 22, 2007, 04:59:01 pm

#16

alillm

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Re: Bullet Symphony

Well my exams are now officially over Grin

and now its time to get some real work done on this game.

I currently have the player moving around and shooting, and have created the ability to add and remove options. I've only coded one option formation at the moment, there are going to be three that you can switch between, each having its own benefits.

I’ve just started work on a level editor that I'm going to use to create the levels and enemy formations for the game. I'm making the editor in flash because I want to get it done quickly, and I’m literally 20 times faster at coding in flash than in C++ (I might be almost finished if I was coding the game in flash hehe). The editor will just be for my use, it won't be part of the game, so I can rush it

.

The game is going to use tiles for the levels because it will probably make collision detection much simpler. As I'm still adjusting to using C++ and SDL, I’m having to try and keep everything as close as possible to what I’m used to doing in flash or risk getting completely stuck and not finishing the game.

Sorry for the lack of screenshots so far. There isn't much to see at the moment (well there never will be much to see actually as the game is going to be very simple graphically, in a good way Wink

) but I’ll get a couple of screenies up once I've sorted the level editor and built a test level.

Ali

June 23, 2007, 01:15:59 am

#17

Adigun A. Polack

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Re: Bullet Symphony

Then go ahead and do all of that, alillm... we would love for you to release an early demo to us to see what it is like. Do an excellent job on your entire project for the contest!!! Grin

!!

June 23, 2007, 04:08:32 pm

#18

alillm

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Re: Bullet Symphony

Ok, here is a very early screenshot of what I've got so far.

A few things to note,
-The shapes on the screen are walls not enemies
-The particles will probably be improved, I just coded them quickly to show bullet collisions, I'm not too happy with them at the moment.
-The blank space on the right is where all the stats are going to go

The still image doesn't really show the game off much, you will have to wait for the beta to see what its really like (I will show a few more screens before then).

Ali

« Last Edit: June 23, 2007, 04:42:52 pm by alillm »

June 23, 2007, 10:32:22 pm

#19

Shoot-em-upper

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Re: Bullet Symphony (updated: 23/06/07)

I know that it's not final, but I really like the style so far. Not many vertical games have walls.

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June 23, 2007, 11:29:56 pm

#20

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Re: Bullet Symphony (updated: 23/06/07)

The ship and walls are final (well at least I'm not planning on changing them unless I have to) so I'm glad you like the style

, I just want to do more with the particles, they feel a bit bland at the moment which is why I said they would change. There will also be more going on in the background eventually.

I decided to add walls just before I started working on it, I figured it would make my entry a bit different. I'm aiming to have parts of the levels play like basic shmups with lots of enemy killing, then parts that will focus more on moving around tight spaces, shooting wall turrets etc. There will also be crazy mid level and end level boss fights

. I also have quite a nice story/setting for the game that ties everything together.

I will keep you updated.

Ali

June 24, 2007, 12:14:06 am

#21

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Re: Bullet Symphony (updated: 23/06/07)

Will the walls kill you or just stop you from moving on contact?

I think the way Major Stryker (OOOLD PC vertical shooter from Apogee) handled walls was cool, they'd push you backward and if you went off the bottom *BOOM* typically it's be a gauntlet of walls which you'd have to weave through at high speed in that game.

Are you ready set?
We started on a trip to hell

June 24, 2007, 09:19:04 am

#22

alillm

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Re: Bullet Symphony (updated: 23/06/07)

That’s how my walls work too, they don't kill you unless you get pushed off the screen. My walls don't scroll very fast though, so most of the time you won't have to worry about being killed by them, only certain parts of the levels will require some quick wall dodging, the rest of the time they are just there to add variety and make things more interesting.

Ali

June 24, 2007, 09:50:20 am

#23

Five Damned Dollarz

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Re: Bullet Symphony (updated: 23/06/07)

That's looking pretty good there, I wonder, are those little small white circles near the player ship the options?
They are quite small and one must wonder what kinda firepower will come from them...
Good luck

June 24, 2007, 12:31:37 pm

#24

alillm

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Re: Bullet Symphony (updated: 23/06/07)

Thanks

. Yes, the little dots are the options, their firepower wont be huge (although the main ship isn't exactly massive, and that will have some decent firepower), but they will play more of a strategic role than a "wipe everything out on the screen before you can blink" role. In other words, your main firepower will come from your ship, the options can then be used in one of three backup roles to support your main ship.

With that said, don’t expect your ship to be weak, I don't like shmups that make killing each enemy hard work, so there will be plenty of firepower and plenty of explosions

Ali

June 24, 2007, 07:27:51 pm

#25

Adigun A. Polack

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Re: Bullet Symphony (updated: 23/06/07)

What you are planning and the way the ship-to-wall collision operates are all very promisingly good, alillm... you pretty much know what you are doing!! Wink

=b

As soon as you are ready with the demo, lay it on us so we can see your progress, ok? Thanks!!! cool2

« Last Edit: June 24, 2007, 07:29:28 pm by Adigun A. Polack »

June 24, 2007, 10:53:12 pm

#26

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Re: Bullet Symphony (updated: 23/06/07)

Thanks

I'm only planning on releasing one demo about quarter of the way through the development to make sure nobody has any problems and to get some feedback, so it will probably be at least a week before you will get to have a play Sad

I don't want to show anything too early because I want the demo to have some substance, but at the same time, I don’t want people getting too familiar with the game before its even released, because that would ruin the end product.

You will have to make do with screenshots in the mean time, although they don’t really get across the feel of the game too well Sad

. Ah well, more screenshots tomorrow hopefully.

Ali

June 25, 2007, 03:19:46 am

#27

Adigun A. Polack

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Re: Bullet Symphony (updated: 23/06/07)

Not a bad idea, alillm, since timing *sure* is everything when it comes to releasing a first demo indeed. And that is where a little strategy comes into focus here, so to speak!! police1

June 25, 2007, 05:08:41 pm

#28

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Re: Bullet Symphony (updated: 23/06/07)

Enemies!!!!

Well static ones anyway, I decided to code these first as it just sort of follows on from coding the walls. They won’t be the first enemies in the game.

You don't want to get in the way of those!

The enemies probably wont stay white, and they wont stay looking like that...they are a work in progress Tongue

Oh and you can see the options shooting in this one

Let me know what you think.

Ali

[EDIT]
chaged the pic because I've updated the lazers, they felt a bit too OTT before, so Ive simplified them which I think makes them look better. Enemies themselves are still tempory.

« Last Edit: June 25, 2007, 10:28:31 pm by alillm »

June 25, 2007, 08:30:53 pm

#29

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Re: Bullet Symphony (updated: 23/06/07)

On one hand I like stylised and simplistic graphics... on the other hand... this sprites could have been done by anyone (including a 5 year old). So im not shure what to think of it. Anyhow... you would infact have allot of time to do the coding and the whole gameplay and such... so it could still be very awsome at those points. I wish you the best of luck with it!

-ReleX

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June 25, 2007, 10:08:11 pm

#30

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Re: Bullet Symphony (updated: 23/06/07)

If your referring to the enemy sprites then yes, they are rushed and horrible looking and wont be staying, they looked better on paper Tongue

If you mean the whole style well then I guess it’s just a matter of tastes, I quite like the way it looks in general and I don't let anything stay in the game unless I'm 100% happy with it. It’s not supposed to make you go "WOW", it’s just supposed to look kind of retro cool.

You are right though that using this style allows me to focus on gameplay more, that’s why I choose to take this graphical route, I could have done nice 3D rendered art, but it would have wasted time that could be spend perfecting the gameplay. I know I’m not going to please everyone.

Thanks for your thoughts though, I do appreciate what people think

Ali

June 27, 2007, 02:36:29 pm

#31

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Re: Bullet Symphony (updated: 25/06/07)

Ok, I have a question...

As this is my first ever C++ project, I have no idea how I'm supposed to package the final game (It’s nowhere near done, I'm just looking ahead). Am I supposed to include all of my image and audio files with the exe? The exe doesn't work without them, but with them the file is huge.

I'm sure that usually the file just consists of the exe, so how do I get the exe to work without all the images and audio packaged with it? Or is that not possible?

I know this is a very amateur question, but like I say, this is my first project, so I'm not familiar with this side of game making.

I would really appreciate any help with this

Ali

June 27, 2007, 02:55:28 pm

#32

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Re: Bullet Symphony (updated: 25/06/07)

Just zip the whole lot up.

June 27, 2007, 03:34:53 pm

#33

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Re: Bullet Symphony (updated: 25/06/07)

Hmm, ok, guess I'm going to have to do something about that 37 meg .wav file then Tongue

I miss flash Sad

that file would compress down to about 20kb.

Ali

June 27, 2007, 03:58:21 pm

#34

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Re: Bullet Symphony (updated: 25/06/07)

I really like the look of this game, and I'm definitely looking forward to play it. Haven't played a shmup with non enemy obstacles for quite a while. The space looks a bit cramped in some of those screenshots, but I'm sure you know what you're doing Wink

June 27, 2007, 04:18:05 pm

#35

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Re: Bullet Symphony (updated: 25/06/07)

Quote from: alillm on June 27, 2007, 03:34:53 pm

Hmm, ok, guess I'm going to have to do something about that 37 meg .wav file then Tongue

I miss flash Sad

that file would compress down to about 20kb.

Ali

.ogg compresses a lot better than .wav, and isn't that 20kb file a stream?

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June 27, 2007, 04:49:28 pm

#36

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Re: Bullet Symphony (updated: 25/06/07)

Cactus - Wow thanks, coming from you that means a lot Grin

.

The space generally will be pretty open, large parts of the levels will be textbook shmup style, then certain parts will focus on navigating more cramped environments, and there will be some almost puzzle like situations involving the lazer enemies in the screenshot above, and situations where you can take risks to try and get a 1up or other collectable before you get pushed off the screen (and die).

In other words, its not all narrow passageways and cramped conditions, there will be lots of open space too, so you wont feel too claustrophobic Wink

.

the2bears – Thanks, ill try using .ogg.

To be honest, now that you ask, I’m not sure, but I don’t think it’s a stream. I know that when using .mp3 files the compression is much less. In my last flash game:

http://www.crazymonkeygames.com/Abstract-Sea.html

(sorry if its slow, that’s the reason I’ve switched to making shmups in C++)
I was originally using .mp3’s and the file size was pretty big (way too big for a flash file), so I converted them to .wav’s and the final .swf ended up as 1.2mb. I didn’t tell it to stream, so I don’t see why it would.

It’s a shame flash is slow because its really nice to work in.

Ali

June 27, 2007, 08:07:56 pm

#37

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Re: Bullet Symphony (updated: 25/06/07)

Dude you made abstract sea!? What are the odds! I played that game (on newgrounds I think?) some time ago and realy liked it! (played just now and again realy liked it Tongue

). Awsome stuff man. but yeah flash can get kinda slow but If you know how I think it can run pretty fast (maybe a downloadable flash game?). Anyway, good luck using C++ Tongue

I think flash is alot easier! cya!

-ReleX

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June 27, 2007, 08:12:54 pm

#38

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Re: Bullet Symphony (updated: 25/06/07)

Yeah, Abstract Sea is quite a nice little game with killer music. Now I definitely know that I can trust that you know what you're doing. I'll be keeping my eye out for that demo grin2

June 27, 2007, 09:12:24 pm

#39

alillm

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