Arora Rift Mode7 SHMUP for Caanoo

[BlackCurtain]

Greetings!
First off I would like to say that I'm not that good at Spanish, so you have to excuse me for posting in English.

This is my first game developed for the Caanoo which I released commercially in January this year. It's been around on the BennuGD forums for some time already, I also posted it on GP32X boards a couple of weeks ago, and now I think it's time it got some attention over here as well. I will most likely release a Pandora version soon, too.

You can read a review of the game by the BennuGD administrator josebita, here (http://www.bennugd.org/node/128).
You can also find me and my game studio on http://www.blackcurtainstudio.com/blackcurtain/gfx/facebook-icon.png (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Black-Curtain-Studio/157590260958377)

http://blackcurtainstudio.com/temp/AroraRift_PresentationTable2.jpg

Additional sreenshots:

http://blackcurtainstudio.com/temp/screen_5.png http://blackcurtainstudio.com/temp/screen_0.png

http://blackcurtainstudio.com/temp/screen_6.png http://blackcurtainstudio.com/temp/screen_8.png

Gameplay trailer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qop9AOf86Ao

Buy full game here (http://blackcurtainstudio.com/blackcurtain/arorarift.php) using PayPal.
The price is USD 4.00.
If you are having errors with the PayPal payment, just transfer USD 4.00 to the email blackcurtainstudio@gmail.com. Make sure to provide your registered email.


Download a small PC demo here (http://edgeofinfinity.se/temp/Arora_Rift.zip)
NOTE that the demo is just a very small portion of the full game and is missing gameplay features and elements.

Controls:
---
Move : W,A,S,D or Arrow-keys
Shoot : Ctrl or Space
Shoot secondary (energy shot) : ALT
Quit : ESC
---

[X-Code]

Looks quite nice :brindis:

[BlackCurtain]

Thank you!

[IsaacMG]

It looks amazing... but I don't own a Caanoo. You could release it for Wiz, I'll buy it :)

[BlackCurtain]

Unfortunately I don't have a Wiz, so I can't test it for Wiz.

[GameMaster]

Congratulations again BlackCurtain (I'm FreeYourMind from Bennu forum).

[nintiendo1]

I have done a news in Spanish. You can view the news in the principal page of GP32Spain and in this link: http://www.gp32spain.com/foros/showthread.php?s=&threadid=82408

[Rivroner]

Very good graphics, I like it. :)

[jduranmaster]

excellent work bro !!! :awesome: .

[BlackCurtain]

Thank you for the comments.
I can add that everyone who buys the full game will be granted all possible future updates/fixes for free. I plan to work on this when I get the time. Right now I'm busy working on my new Caanoo game though.

[chipan]

I don't like it; but I encourage you to make more games.

[Rivroner]

Pero si ni siquiera has jugao al juego mamona. :D

[chipan]

Pero si ni siquiera has jugao al juego mamona. :D
¿Tu que sabes? XDDDD

[BlackCurtain]

I don't like it; but I encourage you to make more games.
Can you elaborate on that comment? if you've only tried the PC demo, I can tell you that there's a lot more to the game than what you play there.

I don't expect everyone to like a specific game I make, and not everyone will, especially not a game like this. That's how it is with all games. I've experimented a lot with a new view for this particular game genre to break free from the typical vertical/horizontal scrolling shooter view. Personally I love it, else I wouldn't have headed in the Mode7 direction.

I always critique myself honestly and ask for other people's feedback before I release a game. That way I know the quality of the game lives up to my expectations.

[Daneel]

I can't say for sure how good this game really is, but I can tell you this. The music is fucking awesome.

[GameMaster]

I don't like it; but I encourage you to make more games.

By the way, do you like puzzle games ? :D

[chipan]

Can you elaborate on that comment? if you've only tried the PC demo, I can tell you that there's a lot more to the game than what you play there.

I don't expect everyone to like a specific game I make, and not everyone will, especially not a game like this. That's how it is with all games. I've experimented a lot with a new view for this particular game genre to break free from the typical vertical/horizontal scrolling shooter view. Personally I love it, else I wouldn't have headed in the Mode7 direction.

I always critique myself honestly and ask for other people's feedback before I release a game. That way I know the quality of the game lives up to my expectations.
The main reasons are that I don't like mode 7 for this kind of games and also I don't like pre-rendered graphics converted on sprites.
I have to say that back in 1998-1999 me, and a group of friends started a few projects on DIV Games Studio; some projects were finished and other ones were just abandoned beacause there were flaws on the design or the mechanics of the game (or simply we just tought the game was not fun to play).
One of the abandoned projects was a Mode 7 shooter with pre-rendered graphics (the sprites were made on autodesk 3d studio 4)and we abandoned It for some reasons involving the way to aim the enemies, the way to dodge enemy shoots, and the overall look of the game.
I've played your game and I've seen how you fixed (or half fixed) some of the problems we had with our project, but I still don't like the overall mechanics of the game.

< - >

By the way, do you like puzzle games ? :D
You know I don't

[kiero]

Can you elaborate on that comment? if you've only tried the PC demo, I can tell you that there's a lot more to the game than what you play there.

I don't expect everyone to like a specific game I make, and not everyone will, especially not a game like this. That's how it is with all games. I've experimented a lot with a new view for this particular game genre to break free from the typical vertical/horizontal scrolling shooter view. Personally I love it, else I wouldn't have headed in the Mode7 direction.

I always critique myself honestly and ask for other people's feedback before I release a game. That way I know the quality of the game lives up to my expectations.
Por lo mismo que comenta chipan no me gusta el juego visualmente hablando . Estaría mejor que el juego fuese un shooter 2D de toda la vida si no puedes hacer algo que merezca la pena en 3D . El Aora Rift no inventa nada nuevo y ,para ser así , es mejor que tires de sprites y desarrollo lateral en 2D clasicos , si acaso con varios fondos parallax para dar mayor profundidad , que embarcarte en un modo 7 en 3D con sprites prerenderizados que para este tipo de juego no convence .

En cualquier caso , espero que ésto no te desanime para crear nuevos juegos ,además del survival horror para PC que tienes en desarrollo .

[GameMaster]

Lo unico que a mi ver se queda pequeño, es que es 8bits de color cuando con un poco de buena voluntad por parte del bennu team este podria estar con modo 7 en 16bit y tenber una pinta mucho mejor. De todas formas a mi me gusta el juego por el video y las fotos (aunque no he probado la demo), va por el estilo de algun juego de la 32x y otros de sega.

[BlackCurtain]

Thanks for the feedback, chipan, and I respect your opinion.
Can't understand the last 2 posts though.

[chipan]

Kiero says that basically agrees with my reasons and also he states that classic 2d scroll (with some parallax backgrounds to add depth) is better for shooters.
GameMaster says that it's a pity the game is only on 8bit color but he likes how the game looks, since he didn't played the demo.

Don't get sad and keep on making games, you have a thing that most of amateur game designers doesn't have. Patience to finish the games they start.

[BlackCurtain]

Don't get sad and keep on making games, you have a thing that most of amateur game designers doesn't have. Patience to finish the games they start.
I've been designing and programming games for 8 years, and it's my job, so I don't know if I would call myself "amateur". This game was my first creation with BennuGD in particular, in an attempt to create something cool for the Caanoo and to get a feel for the scripting language.

And I don't get sad over some critique :p I learn from it.

[chipan]

I didn't know. Can you show us your previous games?

[Drumpi]

I only saw another game who uses a mode7 and prerender graphics and it's kinda cool, not awesome (too basic for me) but a good game: Iridion 3D.

If you don't know the game, i recommend to look for it on youtube ;)
It's a little hard to aim, of course, because perspective, but if you play some times, maybe you like it.

[jduranmaster]

I only saw another game who uses a mode7 and prerender graphics and it's kinda cool, not awesome (too basic for me) but a good game: Iridion 3D.

Great Game for GBA.

[chipan]

I only saw another game who uses a mode7 and prerender graphics and it's kinda cool, not awesome (too basic for me) but a good game: Iridion 3D.

If you don't know the game, i recommend to look for it on youtube ;)
It's a little hard to aim, of course, because perspective, but if you play some times, maybe you like it.
I've also thought on iridion 3d when i've seen the game but I must say iridion 3d is not a "pure" mode 7 game.

[BlackCurtain]

I didn't know. Can you show us your previous games?

Sure, you can take a look at: http://www.blackcurtainstudio.com (my game portal) and http://linus.jobbprofil.com/ (my portfolio)

[GameMaster]

look the PM i sent to you in the last week...

[BlackCurtain]

look the PM i sent to you in the last week...

I can't reply to PMs because I haven't posted enough posts.

Yes I have contacted GPH several months ago, and they seem pretty stubborn about that you have to use THEIR drm scripts, if you want to sell the game for money in the fungp store. It sucks really. So I decided to ditch GPHs webstore and sell it on my own.

I did create a DRM system with Bennu, but it's not foolproof.

[X-Code]

You have some pretty interesting works on your page, congratulations :)

[GameMaster]

I can't reply to PMs because I haven't posted enough posts.

Yes I have contacted GPH several months ago, and they seem pretty stubborn about that you have to use THEIR drm scripts, if you want to sell the game for money in the fungp store. It sucks really. So I decided to ditch GPHs webstore and sell it on my own.

I did create a DRM system with Bennu, but it's not foolproof.

I reply you in Bennu forum. Thanks.

[BlackCurtain]

A demo for Caanoo is now available here: http://dl.openhandhelds.org/cgi-bin/caanoo.cgi?0,0,0,0,38,690
Though I posted it in the wrong file category, should be under games - demos.