Okay, so it is probably way early to be showing this one off; I would not classify it as more than a prototype at the moment. Very early in its development.
With that said, though, I thought I would show off what my newest side-project is.
I decided to try my hand at a SHMUP, mostly because I enjoy them but have never tried to make one. I also was intrigued with some of the things people are doing with light as an element of game-play. I wanted to see if I could combine the two.
I decided to make a SHMUP where half the challenge was balancing your need for light to see against the other components of play such as the damage your weapon does, your shields, etc.
Thus, LightBomb was born.
All the graphics right now are pure place-holder; nothing more than primitives put together. No textures, sounds, or even particle systems… yet. They will all be added, in time. This was mostly to see if my concept was even worth exploring.
Let me know what you think. As always, I greatly appreciate the feed-back.
LINK TO WEBPLAYER: www.chaoticheartstudios.com/LightBomb
INSTRUCTIONS:
Move the ship with WASD or arrow keys. Fire with the left-click on the mouse. Aim by positioning the mouse. You will fire towards where-ever the pointer is.
At the top, you will see three different elements listed; “Light”, “Weapon”, and “Shields”. The higher your “Light”, the more light you produce to see with. The higher your “Weapon”, the more damage each of your shots do. The higher your “Shields”, the less damage you take from enemies.
You change the amounts using the 1, 2, and 3 numeric keys. Press 1 to increase Light, and so on. Increasing one, though, will decrease the other two by an equal amount. The key is to balance which you need more in any given situation.
You will also see your “Hull Integrity” listed. Think of this as your health. If it reaches 0, you lose. “Energy”, for the time being, does nothing at all. Feel free to ignore it.
The game is one short stage, with a semi-boss at the end. Once you destroy it, that is the end.
STORY:
{Disclaimer = Feel free to skip this part, if you do not care about plot or story. Input regarding this part, though, is also welcome.}
Billions of years from now, the Universe is cold and dark. All the stars have burnt themselves out, save one.
The last star flickers in defiance against universal decay, and the world orbiting it survives on the edge of a frozen oblivion. With their own star slowly fading away, their future is as black as the previous worlds that have fallen into the void.
Suddenly, a bright dot in the night sky appears. Hundreds of thousands of light years away, this single speck of light may be the only salvation left in a Universe that has wound itself down.
Is it a new star, somehow born out of the dark void? Could it possibly shelter an inhabitable planet? Desperate, the last surviving world sends out a pilot in a prototype ship to find out.
I have never seen a star, past our own sun. I have never looked up, and seen anything other than a black sky. I have never seen even one light, much less thousands, twinkling back at me from space. How could I? I was Composed after the Enflagration; the time when all the stars burnt out and died.
Our star is the last, or has been for over 100,000 years. Its dim orange glow has been the only light in the Universe for generations. At least, until that bright speck appeared. G1 is what the Concordant has designated it; Genesis 1.
So bright; so beautiful. Is this what the proto-forms a million years ago felt like, when they looked up? This sense of… wonder? I don't know if my feelings are a mistake; a miscalculation by the Progenitor when he Composed me; or if it is part of my design. Does everyone feel this way when they see that brilliant blue speck? So small, so alone, so alluring.
It is our only hope. Our sun is dying. It has been for thousands of years. All energy comes from a star, and ours is soon to vanish like all those before it. Cold, black nothingness is our fate unless we can find a way to a new light. Genesis 1 is the only other light in the Universe.
I have been given a ship; a prototype Alcubierre craft with limited bridge-jumping. Genesis 1 is 400,000 light-years away. I will reach it in 2 sidereal years. Once I am there, and I confirm it is indeed a star, I will return so that our people can start the exodus.
Two years. Two long years alone in the dark cold of the void, with only my craft as company. I have named her "Essence", as we are to be closer than Composition sisters. We will make the trip together, and return with salvation for our people.
I am coming, Genesis 1. Your light is our only hope, and I will reach you. No matter what.
- Day-journal of Composed life-form L4S, designated name "Lumin"
Classification: Pilot Sex: Female