itch.io

This update has added a fun factor to the game.  Completing lines makes the game more rewarding.  Thanks for adding the P and A indicators btw.

Now that you added in the clubs, I feel that this game is much more approachable.  There is something to be said for a golf game where you build your own course, and have to deal with the consequence.  At first I thought of it as a puzzle game but I was looking at it the wrong way.  It's kind of a world building sim, where the world is made of falling blocks.  The wind system also adds to the simulation.  IMO, there is a "honesty factor" similar to playing pinball, in that Golfanalia might hand you a lucky game once in a while, but you can't fudge your way through the mechanics and beat the game.

Yeah,  a button makes sense. Or even some instructions on the right?  Just a couple labels here and there to make it feel self-explanatory.

I realize that you are probably close to done with this project, so forgive the late suggestions.  Labels on the power and accuracy bars would be helpful, and a putting mechanic when the ball gets close.  (maybe take away the arc of the ball once the player gets within a two block range?) These two additions would make the game feel easier to pick up and play.  I was hesitant to make these suggestions as I can see the joy of experimentation in your games.  I don't wish to mess with your creative process.  Especially since nobody else is making unique high-concept mini games like yours.

This game is the epitome of a fun pick up and play mini game.  It's great in it's simplicity.  It also has a charming old school PC art style.

Well, I only played two games so far, but for some reason I wasn't able to get the ball in the hole.  Maybe I played before my coffee kicked in.  I'll play some more and see what I was doing wrong.

I really like where this game is going.  It's so original.  I was testing 0.2.3 out yesterday, and have enjoyed the progress you are making.

I'm trying to decide whether or not you might possibly be the real Doc Brown.  Does that little yellow car run on plutonium by any chance?

Lol.

Oh, man.  Clever idea.  It's very fitting to create a game for a retro console that has such an old school theme. I feel like it was just yesterday when I was defragging my mechanical hard drives, but I don't remember it being so rad.  😎

It feels finished now, and it looks, sounds, and plays great.  I love the steaming coffee on the title screen.

Looking forward to trying all of your latest revisions, (you've been busy!) but I am particularly interested in this game.  I love the physics in Seesaw.

This is impressive.  I love the parallax and the weapon modes.  Nice work so far.

The controls are great.  The tutorial is a nice improvement over 90's cinematic platformers.

Yeah, he did full color plates for books. That was back in the day when the illustrations were on separate pages in color that were inserted into the book. He also did tons of etchings that ended up being black and white spot illustrations all throughout his books.

I noticed a nice little detail in the high score screen.  It's an illustration from Arthur Rackham, an amazing illustrator from long ago, and one of my favorite artists.  Very nice touch.  I also noticed some of your new music in the game, and I think it's a perfect fit.  Congrats on everything coming together good sir.  As for the game, it's fun and quick to learn.  Reminds me of a couple of classic arcade games, (Three Stooges and Food Fight) but with a more lethal flare.

Yeah, well put.  Sometimes I play his Gen/MD games, and I get really into his compositions.  I can sense the way the tracks are separated.  Watching him recreate the track real time gives me an even deeper appreciation.  In particular, the uniqueness of the track he chose from Bare Knuckle III/Streets of Rage 3.  That soundtrack has some real depth.

I thought you might appreciate this piece of hardware, in the hands of the original master of Gen/MD music:  https://x.com/yuzokoshiro/status/1783416939215491453

Ah, well it is well worth the effort.  I love the walk cycle, and all the animation in general.  Color palette is very tasteful as well.  It looks and plays great.

This game is impressive.  At first I thought it was a short demo, (because of the lack of score and hud) but it appears to be a full game?  

Is this going to be a Sega Gen/MD game?  Thanks.

Nice!

It looks like I spoke too soon.  After level one, the music improves drastically in both games.  Sorry I didn't give the game more of a try before leaving feedback.  It was just the graveyard song.

This is incredible!  You did it!  You're composing music in only two months.  It sounds amazing.

I'm only a few minutes in and I had to stop and let you know how much I love the music in this game.  Incredible work.

I really love the music in this release.  Fits the mood of the game perfectly.  Awesome game in general.  Looking forward to the release.

Yeah, I wish there were more 5 minutes pick up and play shooters like yours.  I think you did a great job.

I love your game.  I enjoy it alongside similar games like Omega blast and Ixion.  Charming music themed sprites.  The soundtrack is amazing.

Thanks for writing back, and please know that I understand in my own way what you are going through.  You have a vision for each project that you wish to pull into existence.  But you must stumble around in the darkness and get hold of the vision, before you can start pulling it towards the light. 

It the same as any artist who feels compelled to create something that doesn't exist yet, only your tools and your canvas are more complicated.

Hey, I know you have been busy with other projects, but I'm curious about the status of S.P.K. This game is the kind of arcade game that doesn't get made too often these days.  So charming and easy to jump into.  You mentioned being out of ideas for levels a few months ago.  Any chance you may revisit this at some point?  Thanks, big fan of your work.

Pigsy just posted this.  Maybe you already know this stuff, but it's interesting nonetheless.  

well either way, I will leave you to your work.  I don't want my opinions to sew seeds of doubt.  The creative process can be fragile, even if the designer is confident and clear about what they want.  All respect and admiration for your unique creations.

Hey, nice work.  Please forgive me if my previous comment about the music frustrated you.  I remember several of your titles and experiments having pretty good sounding music.  To be clear, no one is expecting a one man indie dev to suddenly conjure up Streets of Rage quality beats. However, while I don't pretend to be a programmer or a music producer, I am aware of the Gen/MD's ability to produce high fidelity music, including samples and fm synthesis.  If the system's audio hardware were trash, I never would have pointed out the low sample quality in your last revision.  My only regret is the possibility that I somehow took the fun out of your creative process.

Very clever game.  I like that you have to knock the enemies off the canon.  I'm impressed that anyone could program so much happening at once.  My only gripe is the bitrate of the music.  I can hear the lounge stylings, but it's so garbled.  Is there any way you can use a higher quality sample?

I've played most of the projects and experiments you've posted here, and I see the evolution in your game design.  I can see that you have big and creative ideas in both the physics and mechanics.  Very few devs are experimenting to this degree on the Gen/MD.  SpacePantsGames is the one dev pushing innovation, and Safety Stoat Studios is the other.  :)

As of this update, the game's mechanics seem to be coming together nicely.  I love the new arrow system.  I like that I can freeze the green horned goblin thingy or it's pink bullet.  On the graphics, I'm not sold on the glitching effect, but I can see that you have a vision for the game so please keep pushing your vision and the uniqueness of your games.

Oh okay, that's very clever actually... I can't think of any retro games that have done that. There was this strange (modern) Pac-Man game that fooled around with corruption, But more like the game world coming to an end.

Hey, I feel like this project is really coming together.  You managed to make the mechanics feel pretty nice, and the game feels original (bow) while harkening back to some arcade (or Atari) classics at the same time.

I noticed that while testing the game on a couple of emulators that the graphics seem to get corrupted on screen three and beyond.  It starts with some discolored walls, and then takes over the screen.

In reference to the jumping, I don't think you need to change this.  My wife has been playing so much Flicky lately that any other kind of jump feels off to her.  lol

Happy to help.