Boss Machine - New AGA shooter for Amiga

[timg]

Looking really good with the new graphics!

One question, is that the final speed for the scrolling? I did find it quite hard to see the different parallax layers as it's all whipping by so fast, perhaps slowing the speed on the distant layers would enhance the effect?

[invent]

Thanks timg. It's not the final speed more of a test of what's possible. I would say and Dan can correct me, our aim is to have such speed only at certain moments when it needs it such as huge enemy fights, or matching music tempo, also might be used to transition from stages start and end.

The image attached shows the composite of real graphics in the game, that is 21 parallax splits each with 16 colours (336 colours for background). More importantly though is it will stay at 50fps.




Yesterday we needed to resolve a copper limit (in older videos you will see it but less so now).
Hopefully in the next week or so we will have all new assets in the game, explosions, enemies and some bullets are not yet updated.

We do have a facebook group also https://www.facebook.com/bossmachineamiga/

[Auscoder]

Originally Posted by timg

Looking really good with the new graphics!

One question, is that the final speed for the scrolling? I did find it quite hard to see the different parallax layers as it's all whipping by so fast, perhaps slowing the speed on the distant layers would enhance the effect?

Originally Posted by invent

Thanks timg. It's not the final speed more of a test of what's possible. I would say and Dan can correct me, our aim is to have such speed only at certain moments when it needs it such as huge enemy fights, or matching music tempo.

We do have a facebook group also https://www.facebook.com/bossmachineamiga/

That exactly right, the pace of the horizontal scroll dynamically adjusts to assist in setting the tempo / heart beat of the game. Its a lot of work to just to tweak and tune the scrolling speeds of the parallel splits, what you see here is after only a little bit of tuning with Invents new assets. Speeds need to be adjusted based on the heart beat as noted above and the art itself. What looks and felt great on one level art does not necessarily work on the next.

[skyzoo73]

I was looking at this project of yours to say the least phenomenal, and I was wondering one thing also comparing it to Thunderforce4: at what resolution does the game work? I also noticed that compared to its inspirer, the proportions of the spaceship with respect to the screen seem a little smaller, reducing the useful space to move, won't its playability be compromised?

[Auscoder]

Originally Posted by skyzoo73

I was looking at this project of yours to say the least phenomenal, and I was wondering one thing also comparing it to Thunderforce4: at what resolution does the game work? I also noticed that compared to its inspirer, the proportions of the spaceship with respect to the screen seem a little smaller, reducing the useful space to move, won't its playability be compromised?

Hi skyzoo73, thank you for the comments! good observation on playfield aspect. The game is running in low-res. The aspect is currently at 1.28:1 (256x200), this is a hangover of my quick move over from OCS to AGA. Intended aspect for release is 1.6:1 (320x200) and have some internal test running with bugs at this 1.6:1 aspect. If you watch carefully you can see some of the enemy running offscreen on to the full original 320x playfield.

[Gzegzolka]

Awesome stuff

[earok]

Looking great. Love the speed

[Konrad]

Background looks really really good. But the planet at the top shouldn't scroll like that .

Please don't make the enemies too abstract. Those circular thingies, although well rendered, look really generic.

Looking forward to see more .

[invent]

Thanks Konrad, always welcome feedback and enemies will be certainly less generic. Once we have a few more real assets in the next demo, Dan and I will have a good chat about people's feedback and see what we can do

[Amigajay]

Originally Posted by Auscoder

Hi skyzoo73, thank you for the comments! good observation on playfield aspect. The game is running in low-res. The aspect is currently at 1.28:1 (256x200), this is a hangover of my quick move over from OCS to AGA. Intended aspect for release is 1.6:1 (320x200) and have some internal test running with bugs at this 1.6:1 aspect. If you watch carefully you can see some of the enemy running offscreen on to the full original 320x playfield.

I was going to ask about the resolution, it does look very low SNES res low, giving less reaction time if the ship and enemies were staying the same size (i know they are placeholders) but great to know you intend to go to 320 hori

[timg]

Originally Posted by invent

The image attached shows the composite of real graphics in the game, that is 21 parallax splits each with 16 colours (336 colours for background). More importantly though is it will stay at 50fps.

Excellent work on those backgrounds, and good to see you're aiming for 50fps, I think that's really important for a fast moving game like this.

Originally Posted by invent

We do have a facebook group also https://www.facebook.com/bossmachineamiga/

liked!

Originally Posted by Auscoder

That exactly right, the pace of the horizontal scroll dynamically adjusts to assist in setting the tempo / heart beat of the game. Its a lot of work to just to tweak and tune the scrolling speeds of the parallel splits, what you see here is after only a little bit of tuning with Invents new assets. Speeds need to be adjusted based on the heart beat as noted above and the art itself. What looks and felt great on one level art does not necessarily work on the next.

I'm a fan of the changing of scrolling speed (also like the term "heart beat", that does seem to sum it up nicely). Along with the vertical scrolling make the experience feel more dynamic.

[invent]

Hey Everyone, we have been installing new weapons (Big Bad guy coming soon)

[ Show youtube player ]

https://www.facebook.com/bossmachine...29434512019098

[Foul]

Personally, I find that the parallax is very beautiful .. but it scrolls far too fast !!! You don’t see anything on the screen anymore ..or it’s my eyes at my age that are getting more and more difficult

[Retro-Nerd]

This seems like typical Japanese shmups scrolling speed. Looks great so far.

[nikosidis]

The weapons look great! This game will be something special!

[wiz12]

This game looks very good so far and has a similar look to BioMetal (Snes), around the 1:10 mark on the video below.

[ Show youtube player ]

[dlfrsilver]

The real question is, can we really have this quality on A1200 ? this much animations and colors ?

[robinsonb5]

Originally Posted by dlfrsilver

The real question is, can we really have this quality on A1200 ? this much animations and colors ?

Time will tell, but I suspect we might. I don't think the A1200's capabilities were ever fully explored for this kind of game because everyone wanted to break new ground with Wolfenstein, Doom and suchlike - most of the 2D AGA games are just more colourful re-treads of existing games. (A notable exception would be Banshee - there's lot happening on screen in that game.)

[nikosidis]

What about Reshoot R and Super Stardust. There it is a lot of colors and things happening on screen.

[robinsonb5]

Originally Posted by nikosidis

What about Reshoot R and Super Stardust. There it is a lot of colors and things happening on screen.

Yeah, I only mentioned Banshee because it happened to come to mind as an example - there are of course others.



Super Stardust is superb, but so is the original Stardust. The Tunnel-sequences aside, if you accept that Stardust pushes the A500 to its limit, is Super Stardust so much better that you can be sure it pushes the A1200 to its limit?


Reshoot R looks really impressive (I've only seen footage, not seen it 'live') but it's a present-day production rather than something from the A1200's heyday.