As someone who dabbled in ModeX graphics as a youngster and who got the signs for the offsets wrong on more than one occasion this is awfully familiar.
That said... MY EYES! MY BRAINS! THE PAIN!
Also, thanks for giving me my daily dose of Hülsbeck and SNES music.
I left a comment in the latest Kickstarter update too, but man, this game. This glorious game. Every time I see it my mouth starts to water uncontrollably. I can't wait.
If anything I'd argue this is new thread material for the gaming side. The game really needs more attention and it's been a while since we had a Ghost Song news thread.
And wow. This looks amazing. Some thoughts:
- I guess it's because of the lack of context, but it took me a while to figure out those hovering robots became friendly I did think the green energy they were "shooting" at you was kind of annoying. Like they mess with the sense of solitude and lonely exploration.
- Dat dashing effect. Beautiful.
- I want more british robots in my life.
- I want to play this at night, with all lights off and headphones on.
Can't wait. The only way this game could be made better would be a Vita version. I'd give my kidney to see it happen.
re the miniboss, everyone who's played it has died at least a few times on this boss before winning. I even died on him once during the recording process and had to start over. XD you're kind of operating on the razor's edge while playing, if you mismanage your dashes (which aren't unlimited) you can find yourself quickly dead.
re the miniboss, everyone who's played it has died at least a few times on this boss before winning. I even died on him once during the recording process and had to start over. XD you're kind of operating on the razor's edge while playing, if you mismanage your dashes (which aren't unlimited) you can find yourself quickly dead.
when you dash, a bar appears and drains to nothing. if you dash a second time before that bar is gone, it costs you a big chunk of armor. if you don't have enough armor, you can't dash. With it in mind that your armor loses a chunk when you are hit, you can find yourself quickly in a bad situation if you play sloppy or mess up. Where stuff you need to dodge is flying at you and you can't dash.
the number next to the armor bar is your health. it will go down when you are hit, whether you have armor or not (although it won't go below 1 if your armor is above half when you are hit). You really can't take that many hits.
Ghost Song looks like it has enough strange, even bizarre atmosphere and story to make for a very unique experience, which I'm really looking forward to.
Love the fluent "phase through boss then pump him full of shotgun" move. Crazy good sound design once again, and the OST is no slouch either. That last song with the distorted bass and stuff is right up my alley.
Criticism for the sake of giving feedback:
Yyyyeah. I'm guessing here since I haven't played the game yet, but:
"Possibly endless chasm with weird creature sounds coming from below"?
You better believe you have to give me a damn good reason to blind-jump into it.
Suggestions: Sick a bug on my ass from behind, put a platform tantalizingly somewhere that screams "secret = here", or dangle a goodie or mob where I could possibly reach it. ...or tell me that I should seek out a pit with monster noises. Maybe show some background elements that hint at the platform below? Still would make me hestitate since god knows how I'd get back up that cliff again. I mean, the nice guy with the blinky bit and Dizzy are up there. Why would I ever want to leave that place?! Not sure how to solve that.
I know this is Metroid-like gameplay and not Mario, but the deep mistrust of equally deep trenches has been embedded just as deeply within my gamer psyche. Also, one way stuff always gets me to second-guess EVERYTHING.
Moving on...
It would be awesome to get more positive feedback after killing a boss like that. Metroid had dozens of goodies spawn after the showy end of the boss.That gave you an immediate relief from any damage you might have received or ammo you might have wasted, thus reinforcing your triumph. This poor guy just takes a quick and unceremonious dirt nap. Realistic for sure, but this is a game.
Probably too early for that, but I'd have liked some more stagy stuff when shooting that loose rock or killing the boss. Explosions, some sound or video effects, stuff like that.
I half expected the rock to fall on top of and thus squish you... boy would that have been a different kind of demo. "The thousand deathtraps of Lupoto".
Also, why did you shoot Han Solo the poor firefly guy? He was already suffering so much and that probably saved him from experiencing more pain, but still.
I kind of hope that was some sort of trick sequence where you can either stand in and absorb the ghostly shape behind him or shoot him and get different upgrades for it because that would be mindblowingly awesome.
Not really shocked or anything, but shooting civilians even with giant spikes in them while ambling around in suspicious zombie-like fashion and with giant "I am important" firefly swarms wouldn't be something I'd do without prior indoctrination, is all I'm saying.
That said... ouch. Ouch.
Not a criticism, but that "beam tentacle" was awesome. Can we try to outrun it, Wander-style? Can you futz with the player character palette or animation while they're afflicted by it?
Edit: Oh right. Those boss spike waves are kind of hard to make out on top of the busy background, so dashing through them will require some training on my part. This is probably nothing you should worry about, but it came to mind after the 239868936th review of the video.
"Possibly endless chasm with weird creature sounds coming from below"?
You better believe you have to give me a damn good reason to blind-jump into it.
The game is basically telling you to go down there. You can't see what's below, but there's clearly a place TO go. So you trust it. If I screwed with that, made you die for jumping into that hole in the spikes, then that'd be shitty game design. The game told you to go down there then killed you for it.
In the case of the spiner pit, it's not that different. You can deduce that you may be in for a fight if you jump down, but unless your trust in the game has already been broken by shitty/unfair things like this going down, like if that spike funnel killed you, you can feel confident that there's some reason to go down there. This isn't "I want to be the guy". The game may throw things at you quickly or be difficult, but it's not going to be abusive toward you.
Moving on...
It would be awesome to get more positive feedback after killing a boss like that. Metroid had dozens of goodies spawn after the showy end of the boss.That gave you an immediate relief from any damage you might have received or ammo you might have wasted, thus reinforcing your triumph. This poor guy just takes a quick and unceremonious dirt nap. Realistic for sure, but this is a game.
I've heard this feedback before. Sometimes I like things to be unceremonious though. There's kind of a strange peace in it. I go back and forth.
Probably too early for that, but I'd have liked some more stagy stuff when shooting that loose rock or killing the boss. Explosions, some sound or video effects, stuff like that.
I half expected the rock to fall on top of and thus squish you... boy would that have been a different kind of demo. "The thousand deathtraps of Lupoto".
I'm not sure yet how exactly the breakables will break. I've gone through a few different ideas. I'm trying to avoid it looking exactly like metroid, thus the fade. it'll probably end up different.
Also, why did you shoot Han Solo the poor firefly guy? He was already suffering so much and that probably saved him from experiencing more pain, but still.
I kind of hope that was some sort of trick sequence where you can either stand in and absorb the ghostly shape behind him or shoot him and get different upgrades for it because that would be mindblowingly awesome.
Not really shocked or anything, but shooting civilians even with giant spikes in them while ambling around in suspicious zombie-like fashion and with giant "I am important" firefly swarms wouldn't be something I'd do without prior indoctrination, is all I'm saying.
That said... ouch. Ouch.
OK, so it's prior indoctrination via game design. Got it.
Still, that stuff will leave me on edge, especially in the beginning.
Get it? On edge. Ha ha ha.
Ha.
...
I'll see myself out.
(on boss deaths)
I've heard this feedback before. Sometimes I like things to be unceremonious though. There's kind of a strange peace in it. I go back and forth.
Just go with what your guts tell you. A consistent package wins over an unholy stitched together abomination any day. Don't forget, all I have to go on is a bunch of animated gifs, some teasing comments and a handful of videos. You have the setting in your head and for many parts already committed to the game, so decide as you deem best. I'm jsut telling like it seems for me, as an outsider.
( How about going full hog with that idea for one boss and fading out or subduing the background noises and SFX for a short while after the death? Sort of like muffling everything. It would reinforce the serene feeling, particularly if it's a boss in a noisy environment. Plus, if the noise is minion cries or movement sounds it would kind of make sense. They freeze in horror as their leader meets their grisly end. )
I'm not sure yet how exactly the breakables will break. I've gone through a few different ideas. I'm trying to avoid it looking exactly like metroid, thus the fade. it'll probably end up different.
Figured as much, given the giant spikes sticking out of him and the Zombie like shamble. =P
Nonetheless... shooting him felt not right for some reason. I'm sure you have it justified with the story leading up to the fight and/or the general setting giving context (which I am missing), so I'm not overly worried.
when you dash, a bar appears and drains to nothing. if you dash a second time before that bar is gone, it costs you a big chunk of armor. if you don't have enough armor, you can't dash. With it in mind that your armor loses a chunk when you are hit, you can find yourself quickly in a bad situation if you play sloppy or mess up. Where stuff you need to dodge is flying at you and you can't dash.
the number next to the armor bar is your health. it will go down when you are hit, whether you have armor or not (although it won't go below 1 if your armor is above half when you are hit). You really can't take that many hits.
thanks -- there are definitely thicker areas. this (and most other stuff I've shown so far) is pretty early in the game and no real shit has really been thrown yet.
a MAJOR part of the game are the bug tunnels, and that's where the serious zerging takes place (as well as optional bug areas that are the most hardcore parts of the game -- because they're not required to finish the game,I can do whatever I want -- my own sadistic realm -- that's kinda been the plan from the get go).
I have a really hard time putting an overall % on it, since this is honestly my first big project. All I know is that when I project things they tend to turn out to be wrong. XD
Suffice it to say, lots of work, important milestones, and important accomplishments lie both behind me and ahead of me.
I have a really hard time putting an overall % on it, since this is honestly my first big project. All I know is that when I project things they tend to turn out to be wrong. XD
Suffice it to say, lots of work, important milestones, and important accomplishments lie both behind me and ahead of me.
Good to know Matt, I'll happily wait until you decide it's actually perfect. But still, can't lie to you when I say I wish I could be playing it right now. Heh.
I hope you get your wish of not just releasing this, but also releasing on a Nintendo system (I keep picturing it getting a similar amount of love as Shovel Knight).
thanks -- there are definitely thicker areas. this (and most other stuff I've shown so far) is pretty early in the game and no real shit has really been thrown yet.
a MAJOR part of the game are the bug tunnels, and that's where the serious zerging takes place (as well as optional bug areas that are the most hardcore parts of the game -- because they're not required to finish the game,I can do whatever I want -- my own sadistic realm -- that's kinda been the plan from the get go).
Good to know Matt, I'll happily wait until you decide it's actually perfect. But still, can't lie to you when I say I wish I could be playing it right now. Heh.
I hope you get your wish of not just releasing this, but also releasing on a Nintendo system (I keep picturing it getting a similar amount of love as Shovel Knight).
hopefully on the horizon I'll be able to put out a beta build for selected individuals (friends/trusted individuals and then beta backers) so I can get real feedback from real people. understand though that it won't be the full game, just a chunk of it. We'll discuss it on private forums and I'll challenge people to find secret areas and have them report to me if they succeed (finding the secret will deliver you a specific message in-game) to try and get a feel for my methodology of secret placing.
bug tunnels are sort of like a subway system that connect between major regions, but there are a couple of areas where the tunnels themselves become the focus, as they become deeper and more confusing. The two best special weapons in the game will be found deep in bug tunnels.
That video was a treat. You're really nailing the atmosphere and aesthetic. Even the dialogue did a nice job of feeling like a Souls game without overdoing it or coming across as hammy.
Damn nice! Is the kickstarter still accepting funds? Would like to help contribute to it reaching that WiiU goal) What payment methods are accepted? (sorry i'm new to the whole kickstarter website thing; and am posting from mobile device).
Damn nice! Is the kickstarter still accepting funds? Would like to help contribute to it reaching that WiiU goal) What payment methods are accepted? (sorry i'm new to the whole kickstarter website thing; and am posting from mobile device).
The Kickstarter finished a long time ago, but I believe you can still preorder the game and that will contribute towards it possibly making it to the Wii U. There are no hard promises on that though (which is to say, there is no set amount of money Jobbs needs to port it over - it's more of a technical hurdle).
The Kickstarter finished a long time ago, but I believe you can still preorder the game and that will contribute towards it possibly making it to the Wii U. There are no hard promises on that though (which is to say, there is no set amount of money Jobbs needs to port it over - it's more of a technical hurdle).
You can back the game, I don't push it hard on people, but if you want to -- it's there. If you have concerns that I'm flush with cash, I'm not, it all goes to a good cause.
as for wii U, this article pretty much sums it up:
You can back the game, I don't push it hard on people, but if you want to -- it's there. If you have concerns that I'm flush with cash, I'm not, it all goes to a good cause.
as for wii U, this article pretty much sums it up:
Everytime I see a kickstarter update in my inbox I cross my fingers for it to be Ghost Song related
Looking really good Jobbs. Can't wait for the demo! Not sure if I qualify for that since I'm not in the beta tier, but whatever, I can't wait to actually be able to push buttons and see Ghost Song not crawl.
thanks man -- I will invite people I know, including some neogaffers, on an individual basis to test the game. There won't be any broad release though outside of the beta backers, naturally, because it just wouldn't be fair to them.
Your project is actually my inspiration to get mine going. I was on the fence about it for years, but I believe it is time to kick it off, and at least do a few mockups. Can't wait for this, and keep up the great work. I freaked out when I saw this months update on my mailbox.
Your project is actually my inspiration to get mine going. I was on the fence about it for years, but I believe it is time to kick it off, and at least do a few mockups. Can't wait for this, and keep up the great work. I freaked out when I saw this months update on my mailbox.
cool deal, man, I say go for it. while part of me can't wait to be out from under it, I don't regret it at all and I've never been as creatively fulfilled as I have during this experience.
cool deal, man, I say go for it. while part of me can't wait to be out from under it, I don't regret it at all and I've never been as creatively fulfilled as I have during this experience.
That's awesome, and very good to hear. I've been spriting for almost 15 years, and I've always wanted to be able to put a game out of there. Just the scale and scope of what I want to do in all honesty, scares the hell out of me.
But seeing you do something you enjoy pushes me that much more.
after putting it off a while, I finally got this steam SDK figured out -- at least the basics. distributing and updating the demo build via steam should not be a problem.
That's cool! I know nothing about the Steam API/SDK (I have used Haxe and NME before though), did you have to jump through any hoops to integrate it to Stencyl/Haxe? Does Stencyl require some sort of bindings/wrapper to expose the API methods to your code and if so, are they provided or did you have to create them yourself? Just curious.
