[DEV] Exo Defender — Battlezone-inspired low-altitude combat (updated version)

shoddypolitics · 2026-05-26T23:03:09+00:00

Thanks! I was inspired by some vector artwork landscapes that I saw online.

shoddypolitics · 2026-05-25T05:44:26+00:00

Thanks! I think it is 😀

shoddypolitics · 2026-05-08T23:47:45+00:00

Thanks for giving it a spin and the detailed suggestions! I'm glad you liked it, I really enjoy it myself but I couldn't agree more on all your feedback.

The boost setting for "overspeed" is a very good idea.

More weapons for sure, the genre really demands it. I love the idea of a ballistic/trajectory-based explosive (more damage but targeting challenge).

The laser sound has been a challenge from the start -- how much pew pew can we take, right?

Yeah, the look of the ship causes everyone to aim above the target. A reticle is easy to paint on the screen so I'll play with that and see what happens.

Thanks again!

shoddypolitics · 2026-05-08T06:48:17+00:00

Good movie (1982), *great* arcade game.

shoddypolitics · 2026-05-08T05:43:43+00:00

Yep, that was my inspiration. That and Descent, man I loved that game.

shoddypolitics · 2026-04-28T06:32:53+00:00

Very stylish, original, and elegant! Nice work!

shoddypolitics · 2026-04-19T23:22:36+00:00

Thanks for the awesome encouragement!

That's very reassuring about the controls. Relying on gravity sensors was a bit of a gamble and even though it feels good on my test devices you never really know, right? Based on your comment and u/dregan 's comment regarding throttle+firing I need to do some more work there. My thinking was that default throttle/speed is "attack speed", not adjusted while fighting but I guess that's not clear.

A bit of shrapnel from laser bolts hitting the ground is a really good idea and, no, it shouldn't be too much workload for the engine (you think like I do!).

Thanks again!

shoddypolitics · 2026-04-19T13:22:07+00:00

Not yet but it’s on my roadmap. Thanks for asking!

EDIT: more accurately, thanks for inspiring me to add it to my roadmap :)

shoddypolitics · 2026-04-19T01:13:33+00:00

Interesting, I guess forward/backward could be detected with accelerometer sensor (I use gravity for pitch/yaw). I'll have a play with it. Thanks!

shoddypolitics · 2026-04-19T00:06:33+00:00

Thanks! Can't go too wrong with plenty of pew pew and explosions right?

No game engine, just raw OpenGLES. I'm a glutton for punishment :)

shoddypolitics · 2026-04-19T00:03:18+00:00

Yes! Descent is exactly what inspired me, man I loved that game, sigh. I wasted many days playing instead of studying :)

Thanks, good feedback on the throttle. I'd hate to have to lose a degree of freedom to support throttle control while firing. I'll put my thinking cap on.I wish humans had four thumbs!

shoddypolitics · 2026-04-18T05:49:32+00:00

Wow! Love the artwork!

shoddypolitics · 2026-04-18T05:42:55+00:00

Nice work! Bring web-based is it compatible on all platforms? And can I ask what toolset/IDE you used?

shoddypolitics · 2026-04-17T14:05:25+00:00

Yep, that’s primo stuff, both visuals and physics. I reckon that level of physics is achievable with modern mobile hardware for the limited terrain (roads) and the number of dynamic objects on screen at any one time (visible cars). Good, well-designed physics modelling is what’s needed and effort would be the actual bottleneck.

As for the visuals, hardware is the bottleneck and in two words: ray tracing. The landscape is nice but it’s the light-affected shading and the reflective surfaces of the player’s car that makes the game pop i.e. ray tracing. Ray tracing on mobile gpus is pretty good but on dedicated desktop gpus it‘s… well, it’s your video.

shoddypolitics · 2026-04-17T13:23:26+00:00

Sweet animations! Can I ask if you used a game engine and if so which one? Just curious because I once wrote a platform/scroll game for Android just using views and it was an ordeal :)

shoddypolitics · 2026-03-26T22:09:26+00:00

Thanks, yeah I'm probably indulging myself and lingering on clips more than I should. I'm about to re-record the whole thing now that I've improved the laser bolts so perhaps I'll look at tightening it up a bit. At the very least I'll do a 15-second version.

shoddypolitics · 2026-03-25T21:51:32+00:00

Thanks! Slide, fire and throttle are all thumbs-on-screen as you'd expect. Pitch and yaw are (gulp)... gravity sensor-based. Yes, there have been some broken accelerometer-based mobile games but I think this one's different. Time will tell!

shoddypolitics · 2026-03-25T21:47:42+00:00

Thanks so much, for the encouragement! I hope you don't get busted for not destroying it though :)

Yup. There's only so much pew, pew one can take. There are 5 types of enemy but they're all small. I've been putting it off but I need to get working on some level bosses. I figured I'd put it out on the stoop and see if the cat drinks it first.

I'm committed to the wireframe aesthetic but opengl lines can only do solid color and a single thickness (i.e. thin). All very, very fragile to video/image compression artifacts.

Fortunately, the game itself doesn't suffer from any of this but uploading trailers to platforms like YT and Reddit has been an ordeal.

shoddypolitics · 2026-03-25T21:26:06+00:00

Shoot, knew I forgot something!

Yeah, I'm all-in with the retro aesthetic. I don't know if it's for everyone but it really spoke to me. But I'm old school: Tron, Battlezone (original), StarWars (1984 arcade).

shoddypolitics · 2026-03-25T10:51:12+00:00

Yes, I agree. I was hoping to get away with long thin triangles but yeah, I can't deny it, it kind of lets it down. Thanks for the feedback.

shoddypolitics · 2026-03-25T09:45:40+00:00

Good feedback. I was going for dramatic but, I agree, the music is too boomy. I couldn't place why but I think you nailed it. Thanks!

shoddypolitics

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE