[INDEV] Lone Star

[Strasteo]

Hey guys! Thought I'd make a little topic here and show you guys something I've been working on for a while now:

Lone Star


(Tentative Title Screen)

FAQ:
What is it?
-A sidescrolling shooter/rpg/action-adventure game in space.

Who's making it?
-Litswitch
-I'm taking care of graphics, level design, and game design.
-Luyren, my partner, is taking care of programing, music, and game design.

What is it being made in?
-Stencyl.

Features:
-Randomly selected levels.
-Three different starting classes to choose from and evolve with.
-Fearsome bosses and their alien underlings!
-Weapons of all kinds, including enemy weapons!
-Optional stealth-based combat.
-Charming pixellated visuals!
-Immersive story and world where nothing is certain except for what you choose to believe!
-Over 100 levels!

- - -

So this is what I'll be laboring over for months to come, haha. Though, I'm reassured by the fact that most of the engine that my partner has crafted from inside the Stencyl engine is complete, so that's great.

I'll be returning with semi-weekly updates on the progress of the game, complete with some sneak-peek animations and other related things. I'll probably even ask you guys for help if we'd like some input on boss design or other matters. As we approach a more complete version and are ready for closed testing, I'd love it if we got a few people here to playtest.

If you guys have any questions or just want to say something, that'd be really great. :]

[Gors]

oooh, I follow all your work at your dA, and I love your style. Wish you luck in this project.

I also suggest a little more elaborated style for this, judging by the character sprites.

[Strasteo]

Thanks Gors. :]

Actually, here is a sampling of the style I used before switching:



Eventually, I felt that even smaller, even simpler sprites would be both easier to animate (especially since I'm an amateur) and it would also motivate me more knowing that I can get something done instead of getting demotivated over having a large, detailed sprite to do and even have to animate eventually. Hmm... I guess part of it was also me wanting to make sure there were no clarity issues.

Maybe I'm misunderstanding though. Could you provide an example of sorts?

(And no, I'm not trying to squeeze out a genuine Gors-made example of my character sprites no sirree, not me.)

[Gors]

well, I think that giving them more pixels could very well give much more feeling to the characters and still be simple enough for you. Just my two cents, though.

[Shade]

This looks like it's going to be crazy fun!

[Francis0729]

Hello all. wow its been awhile sorry for being gone for like 8 months. but this year i have been extremly busy and now i finally got time for gaming agian.. for the rest of the year atleast. its Vicodin. lol remember me minty? how you been? do i have to re apply and ect? let me know man thanks.. good to be back on the site. i missed you guys
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[Vipershark]

uh lol

[Vipershark]

I'd be happy to playtest, if you'd like.

[Strasteo]

Hello all. wow its been awhile sorry for being gone for like 8 months. but this year i have been extremly busy and now i finally got time for gaming agian.. for the rest of the year atleast. its Vicodin. lol remember me minty? how you been? do i have to re apply and ect? let me know man thanks.. good to be back on the site. i missed you guys

Woah, it's been years man! Good to see you again, you spambot you. <3

@Vipershark:That'd be great! Once the demo is done we'll be opening it up to a small group to playtest, including some of you guys. That's still a little ways off, so hang tight.

Here's a bit of an update. I posted this a while back on the Stencyl forums but didn't here:

- - -

I'm going to go a little more in-depth with some of the characters, game flow, and what they start out as. Remember that these classes are not fixed, and you can mix and match different skills between them as you progress. (More on this later)


(From left to right: Marksman, Mystic, and Guardian)

Marksman:
-The marksman is proficient in wielding guns and shooting from afar. He is able to deal massive amounts of damage from a distance and is the quickest class overall, but is in trouble when swarmed by multiple enemies. His skills include charged shots, critical hits, and ricocheting bullets.

Mystic:
-The mystic is able to use a variety of offensive skills including an exploding mine, a long range energy blast, and so forth. He can jump the highest, but is weak against most kinds of enemies and is weak against physical attacks. He has high magic defense to make up for this, however. His versatility, if used cleverly, is a powerful asset though.

Guardian:
-The guardian is the soldier or tank class of this game. He has high defense and excels in close combat, but is weaker against long range attacks and moves slower. However, fighting against multiple enemies nearby is a simple matter, and his brute strength can face up to even the biggest of enemies. Some skills include buffs to enhance his defense and shockwaves that send enemies flying.

Game Flow
The game is split into 5 different sectors, with 20 levels in each one. 10 of these 20 levels will be randomly selected as you progress, creating a unique experience each time you play! Certain items you acquire however, will trigger certain levels to be added to your game journey and lead you down different paths.

Skills
Skills are abilities that one buys at the end of each sector. Skills are not restricted to the class you choose at the beginning of the game, but some do require a certain weapon to use it. Skills rely upon energy, which restores automatically, but at a slow pace.

You and your Character
I'd like to take a moment to give some examples of what you can do with this kind of system of mixing and matching. The class you choose may give a starting point for you character, but it's possible to become something much more than that.

Say you chose a Guardian, but love a lot of the Mystic's skills. Well, you may consider becoming a mixture of the two, and become a Mystic-Guardian, one that is able to destroy enemies up close and use powerful magic at the same time to buff yourself and lay waste to these aliens.

Or if you are more for covering your bases, try fusing a Marksman with Guardian attributes, and rain destruction from afar with a multitude of gun shots while being protected from revenge through Guardian buffs!

Updates will be a little bit sparse as I'm a bit busy both working on the game itself and schoolwork.

[Gors]

this is completely far from being perfect, but should convey my points fine so this is what I meant in my post before. You can use more color and detailing and yet keep the sprite easy to make and animate.