|
|
Post by ls650 on Jan 16, 2017 21:05:15 GMT -5
I just spent about 10 minutes playing this with ParaJVE.
Wow - very nice effort! I can't say I've ever played the arcade version, but I've played the 2600 homebrew release quite a bit, and this compares favorably with that - and as the 2600 version is very highly thought of, it's a strong compliment.
A couple of nitpicks: I find it's generally pretty easy. I think it's ideal for a game to start off easy on the first couple of levels so everyone can get into the game, but then slowly ramp up the difficulty. This test version doesn't feel like it's ramping up, but maybe it's just me.
When my ship did die, it often felt like a cheap shot, because the enemy missiles are hard to see, at least in my emulator. When there are a dozen moving ships plus lots of laser bolts onscreen, it can really be hard to pick out the tiny glowing dots of the enemy bullets.
Sorry to have a couple of minor negatives: it's a very nice effort. I'd definitely be interested in buying a copy if it is released on cart if the price is reasonable.
|
|
|
|
Post by VectorX on Jan 16, 2017 21:07:08 GMT -5
It's still very early to say how the difficulty level(s) will ramp up. We'll just have to see how things develop I guess.
|
|
|
|
Post by Mayhem on Jan 16, 2017 22:02:10 GMT -5
It's a lot harder if you're going for the bonus points heh. And the bullets are fine to see on a real Vectrex.
|
|
|
|
Post by gliptitude on Jan 18, 2017 15:12:19 GMT -5
The game is an overhead 3D perspective view but the player's lasers shoot straight up as if 2D. The arcade original is the same way. .. It might cool if possible to see how it looks and plays if the lasers shoot at slight angles in proper perspective. It might enhance the 3D effect.
The similar Atari game Beamrider does fire shots in perspective like I am suggesting, albeit in a very limited way. .. I'd be curious to know how difficult this is for the programmer. I think lots of games use various tricks to achieve 3D effects without actually creating a 3D environment, but there needs to be deception, distraction and illusion to make it work. .. Fortress of Narzod cheats in some sneaky and clever ways. I,Cyborg also.
.. If the player's ship was always fixed in the center in Hera Primera, the straight up shot would be consistent with the perspective, (plus allow for color articulation with overlay on Vectrex).
|
|
|
|
Post by TrekMD on Jan 18, 2017 17:57:53 GMT -5
Funny you should mention Beamrider. I was thinking this would be another good game to adapt for the Vectrex.
|
|
|
|
Post by VECTREXER on Jan 18, 2017 20:49:57 GMT -5
Would also like to see a construction set kind of Free Rider HD (https://www.freeriderhd.com/) Might be possible give the new CoPro carts out now with lots of storage.
|
|
|
|
Post by hcmffm on Jan 19, 2017 3:36:47 GMT -5
The game is an overhead 3D perspective view but the player's lasers shoot straight up as if 2D. The arcade original is the same way. .. It might cool if possible to see how it looks and plays if the lasers shoot at slight angles in proper perspective. It might enhance the 3D effect. Yes, the lasers do destroy the 3D illusion a bit. Change in brightness, size, and angle could make a big difference. The explosions of enemies could also be improved a bit: Instead of circles using elipsises might look better. .. If the player's ship was always fixed in the center in Hera Primera, the straight up shot would be consistent with the perspective, (plus allow for color articulation with overlay on Vectrex). This would be a big difference to the original arcade game. Not quite sure how this plays and feels but I think I prefer it the non-fixed way it is, now. |
|
|
|
Post by gliptitude on Jan 19, 2017 20:06:10 GMT -5
.. If the player's ship was always fixed in the center in Hera Primera, the straight up shot would be consistent with the perspective, (plus allow for color articulation with overlay on Vectrex). This would be a big difference to the original arcade game. Not quite sure how this plays and feels but I think I prefer it the non-fixed way it is, now. For sure fixing the ship in the center would be a radical change. Whether it is better or worse depends most on how it is implemented I guess. Maybe it's really just a different game at that point. But I don't think it's an idea totally foreign to Juno First. The original does have a shifting background, (the most impressive part of the game in my opinion), and it looks like Hera Primera effectively represents this. I can't think of a shooter with this orientation (perspective view) and this scale that uses a fixed ship/scaling background. Time Pilot is the only fixed ship on this scale that comes to my mind, but it's a 2D view and without a concrete background. .. My best reference on this scale for a fixed player and 3D movement is not a shooter and also not even a skewed camera/perspective view - Castelian / Tower Toppler. The rotation of the geometric tower is a really wonderful effect, and I'd be in favor of a similar technique in any new vector game that is eligible. I think Juno First would be eligible for this treatment. .. It's fun to think about anyway. |
|
|
|
Post by hcmffm on Jan 26, 2017 19:44:11 GMT -5
|
|
|
|
Post by ls650 on Jan 26, 2017 21:12:50 GMT -5
Nice. This version definitely seems a little bit tougher and more challenging. One negative - it ends rather abruptly. When you die you just see Lives: 0 and the level. It might be a good idea to display at least a "Game over" message.
Shooting action, music, etc. are all really appealing. I hope this game eventually gets an official release!
|
|
|
|
Post by Vectronic on Jan 26, 2017 23:00:39 GMT -5
This is great! Thanks hcmffm ! A promising work-in-progress for sure! I hope this gets a physical release as well! ^_^ |
|
|
|
Post by VECTREXER on Jun 14, 2018 15:26:03 GMT -5
|
|
|
|
Post by TrekMD on Jun 14, 2018 20:54:02 GMT -5
Hmm, I can't download the binary. It says I don't have authorization for access.
|
|
|
|
Post by VECTREXER on Jun 14, 2018 20:56:44 GMT -5
Hmm, I can't download the binary. It says I don't have authorization for access. Log into the forum first. I would have uploaded it here but,,,, the forum has reached attachment limits. |
|
|
|
Post by Mayhem on Jun 15, 2018 5:54:58 GMT -5
Yeah you can't download from the forum unless you're a member, which is why I've been uploading the builds to the Vectrex FB group.
|
|
