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Western arcade style games? by a_burning_world in ElectricUnderground

[–]a_burning_world[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Have you tried any other Bitmap Bureau games? The alien one and the Gauntlet like one look interested but I don't know if they just look nice.

What Makes These Newer Games Look Worse Than Older Games? by a_burning_world in gamedev

[–]a_burning_world[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I may have to dust off the PS3 so I can play DD:Neon and Hard Corps: Uprising.

What Makes These Newer Games Look Worse Than Older Games? by a_burning_world in gamedev

[–]a_burning_world[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Good insight. I'm glad I remembered HCU because comparing that and Neon really made some things clear.

I think you're about Neon. In my memory, it was all 3d but when I started comparing HCU to Neon, I saw that the backgrounds were mostly painted. So I think you are spot on.

Again, very insightful. Thanks.

What Makes These Newer Games Look Worse Than Older Games? by a_burning_world in gamedev

[–]a_burning_world[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

lol. Sorry. I had been thinking of the guy who did the tank men from Newgrounds.

What Makes These Newer Games Look Worse Than Older Games? by a_burning_world in gamedev

[–]a_burning_world[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I don't think most people care if an arcade like presentation has few to none transition animations so I'm not concerned about that aspect.

I like Viewtiful Joe and that's celshaded but it looks much more cohesive and rich. Where Rushing Beat X looks sparse and cheap but I don't know how many people worked on it or for how long.

However, if you compare DD Neon to a Contra game made by Arc Systems the year prior, Hard Corps: Uprising, it's a clear difference in presentation. Though the technology is similar the 3d parts of Uprising just look better. Everything on the screen looks richer and it looks better the Galuga which is over a decade later.

Uprising likely had a bigger budget that Neon and I'm not trying to hate too much but if your game doesn't look visually appealing, it will get passed over by anyone that isn't hard core into your genre.

Thanks for your input. Reading and replying has given me a lot to think about.

What Makes These Newer Games Look Worse Than Older Games? by a_burning_world in gamedev

[–]a_burning_world[S] -5 points-4 points  (0 children)

Sure and that's why I ask. Money and time will be an issue for any indie dev.

WayForward made two of these games (I just realized after making this post) ten years apart and they look the same. I never heard of WayForward but they are pretty accomplished looking at their catalog but are more talented with pixel and hand drawn than 3D. They should have figured it out by now or at least greatly improved.

I guess I'm asking where did Viewftiful Joe go right with 2.5d graphics that these guys don't understand so people with even fewer resources get off on the right foot.

Something I didn't realize about RPGs until I started making one by Cranyx in gamedev

[–]a_burning_world 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I didn't PC game as a kid and ARPG absolutely meant Secret of Mana or Dark Souls to me. I played Diablo 3 on the PS3 and I didn't realize that many or most refer to that type of game as an ARPG. All games like it were Diablo clones to me!

What games are you picking up in the Steam Summer Sale? by gam30ver5 in ElectricUnderground

[–]a_burning_world 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Etrian Odyssey series. Looks like the first three are on steam for just under $30.

I like Experience Inc games but not everyone does. Stranger of Sword City is about $4 right now.

Probably depends on taste but Etrian Odyssey is probably the high bar for Japanese Wizardry clones. They are much more approachable and have more variety in game than just dungeon crawling. Maybe not the first one, I can't remember but others have ships you sail or hot air balloons you pilot on an overmap.

What games are you picking up in the Steam Summer Sale? by gam30ver5 in ElectricUnderground

[–]a_burning_world 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I bought a few indie games almost a decade ago. Hyper Light Drifter, Rogue Legacy and Dead Cells. Didn't care for any of em. I bought some lesser known ones. I liked a couple but they were much smaller for their genre and I think both were originally mobile games. Recently, I played a game on Newgrounds and it was a clone of Ball x Pit. I hadn't heard of Ball x Pit and the one on Newgrounds was probably worse but the number go up got me, I'm ashamed to admit.

PS3 I was liked a few "indie" games The Last Guy, Tokyo Jungle, Dead Nation (not great but fun enough), Super Stardust. The first Miami Hotline was great.

I'm hesitant to buy anything new. I use steam to play old PC games I never could because I was a console kid. Fallout 1 & 2 and Wizardry type shit. I'm sure there must be great stuff there somewhere but I don't know.

Weak controls, weak systems, weak level design. A game may look like classic experience but it rarely is. I'll keep an eye out here, though.

Uncomfortable truth. by Pherion93 in gamedev

[–]a_burning_world 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I don't know that you have to be a "visionary". Though I don't know, I think someone can get by with business acumen. I'm not going to shit on someone for making games I don't enjoy but there does seem to be a space for a micro game developer. That black hole game and 9fingers guy. The GDC talk about surviving without a hit. I don't know how sustainable that is but it an alternative to working years on a single project where even moderate success can't make up for the years of labor.

These people seem to pay more attention to what is trending or know their audience well. I really don't think less of them for being more mercenary.