New Game: Lodestar

ShenZN · Posted: Jun 30, 2007 13:49 Post subject: New Game: Lodestar

Hello!

Lodestar - arcade game to subjects of the cosmic fighting. She consists of five levels, which do not similar the friend on friend by its playing process. In them to be kept the elements of the different plays such as Asteroids, Lander and others. On plot you ordinary warrior to empires Lodestar, which there is get through many obstacles and rescue the world from extraterrestrial invader. All that occurs on screen during play is closely connected with plot.
Library was used for FMOD for play music.

Thanks:

www.freebasic.net

www.gamemaker.ru

Thanks Sebastian Steiner for FreeBasic Compiler Extension.
Thank you creator FreeFps.

Links:

Site game: www.Lodestar-game.narod.ru

Mail author: Lodestar@mail.com

Please, send me comments for game. Beforehand thanks.

1000101 · Hero

Your image links are broken. Also, I don't recognize the flag for the English page on your site. Most sites use the British Flag (properly) or the American Flags (recognizability).

KristopherWindsor · Hero

The images aren't broken, they just won't display here (because this is not http://lodestar-game.narod.ru/). The screen shots look good, so you should make an English version. :)

Lachie Dazdarian · Master

I downloaded the no sound version and played the game to the "pick up the rescue ships" part. Got killed there. Stage 3 of that part I think.

I can't say I really liked the game. Many graphical design mistakes. The one that really pokes my eye is the poorly constructed stars parallax background. You should have pasted one image with some translucency and vertically or horizontally flipped. I don't know. It simply isn't good.

I did like the effort and the fact gameplay changes with levels. Still, the gameplay doesn't seem to be balanced very well. Some parts are too easy and slow, while some are the opposite.

Overall, a very nice effort, but not quite successful. I'm just glad someone is attempting to do something other than a mini-game in the community. This seems to be very rare lately.

Oh yes, your English isn't very good. I find it very difficult to comprehend the story, although I like the fact it's there and it develops.

ray · Posted: Jul 01, 2007 1:07 Post subject:

yeah looks like when you get to 3rd stage the directions are wrong. its not move mouse left/right but left/right mouse button rotates and spacebar for thrust. i died in that level but it was fun while it lasted. nice game.

1000101 · Hero

Z!re · Guest

[Content removed at author's request]

Lachie Dazdarian · Master

Maybe more of you should actually play the game, shees!

Anyway, I played the game once more. This time I was careful at the third stage and manage to finish it, although the controls are unnecessary cumbersome there.

4th stage is also very difficult. Did you actually play test all stages? I don't know. I just don't see that I have enough time to land all the space ships. Anyway, I really like how the gameplay changes during time. Discovering new things….how I miss that with so many FB games.

Hmm, I wonder if the developer plans to get back in here.

ShenZN · Posted: Jul 01, 2007 16:53 Post subject: Thanks

Thank you for commentary.
Excuse me for my English.
In the near future try to correct all mistakes.

badmrbox · Sr. Member

Why complain about the flag when it was the right one?

Anyhow, I played the game and even as I didn't survived the second stage even I found it a bit funny. I agree with what Lachie said and I would like to see further development on this game.

Lachie Dazdarian · Master

Well, I reached the 4th stage again (lander-style) and I'm must state the sad fact that the game is unplayable there. No way to land 10 ships on the carrier. Landing 3 of them would be a huge accomplishment already, not to mention the poor controls and physics, and a bug with the ship to carrier collision. Did you play test that part of the game?

Anyway, I'm forced to lower the score of the game from 12 to 11 on FBGD until and if this is changed. Unplayability is a serious problem.

If you are going to make an update here are my suggestions:

1. Improve the parallax scrolling (stars scrolling). Flip the transparent (purple color) stars image in an image editing program horizontally, vertically or both. Currently, it's very obvious that the static and scrolling image are the same one. Also, try pasting the static stars image with translucency, or even better, changing translucency (randomized, for example, from 200 to 230) to create a "twinkling" effect.
2. Fix the movement in stage 3 (ship collecting stage). Double check your SIN and COS code and how it behaves (make a test program). Post in help section if still having problems with it.
3. CRITICAL PROBLEM! Redesign the 4th lander-type stage. Fix the ship to carrier collision, decrease the number of rocks in space, improve the movement and physics of the landing ship (decrease the gravity, increase the ship engine power)
4. Randomization in stage 3 should be smarter. This way, the game is sometime too easy in this part, and sometime too hard. And try to avoid the instant collision of a ship with a rock in the beginning of a level in that stage.
5. Try to fix the English text in the game. Usually when people are very poor in English, they use simple sentence in their games/texts. You didn’t the opposite and behaved like someone who is very good in English. Find a good English speaking friend who can help you in this. I would, but I fail to understand what you are trying to say in half of the story. If nothing else, change "Ball to Energy" to "Ball of Energy". Really annoying.

smagin · Posted: Jul 02, 2007 22:15 Post subject:

I sent an email to ShenZN with all Lachie's suggestions explained in author's native language. I hope ShenZN will appear soon with an update.
English is already fixed with my humble help. Actually I'm not a native speaker so no 100% warranty!..

Pritchard · Guru

Alright. Lodestar was amazing ^.^;; I think that you should know, people giving this kind of feedback on a game usually means they care to see some improvements. Your game's worth it.

You can use some tweaking and polishing, however. The style of your game calls for it. You're missing major graphics tweaks, anti-aliasing, a few layer issues, and some problems I met with gameplay (way too hard).

I also recommend that you have a "save" area every level. I don't want to go through all of those levels every time I lose!!!

Overall, great game so far!,
Pritchard

ShenZN · Posted: Jul 03, 2007 13:05 Post subject: Lodestar update

Hello!

Lodestar update:

Improved the parallax
Level 3 - update
Level 4 - update
English text in the game - update (thanks to Dmitry Smagin)
And another

Please, download the game and test. Beforehand thank you!

Now available new version Lodestar_nosound_1.0.1

If this version good, I give full version.

www.lodestar-game.narod.ru

Thanks!!!

Lachie Dazdarian · Master

I'll check the new version A.S.A.P.

If the new version is good and if you upload the full version, I'll update the game at FBGD. I really had to score the last version with 11/20. Like I said there too, unplayability is a serious problem.