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Starwhal: Just the Tip - Like QWOP but with Narwhals in space
- Thread starter JasoNsider
- Start date
malingenie
Member
I'm glad you approve, I was worried the depiction of narwhals in this game could be offensive.
We treat our narwhals humanely and are free range. I swear.
Awesome! Great work guys. It's very fun to play and I've only been playing by myself! (Alone time playing Just The Tip... uh...)
I'm definitely digging this indie trend of tight, simple-yet-deep multiplayer experiences. Starwhal, Divekick, Chasing Aurora, there was that pole-vaulting jousting game in the Sportsfriends lineup.
This game seems to be made with analog controls in mind so definitely play like that if you have a compatible controller. If you use keys you're limited to absolute left/right commands. This makes controlling your narwhal more difficult and QWOP-like, though even than you have much more control than QWOP. When an analog stick is used movement options open up. You can "swim" through the arena by holding thrust and pushing left and right slightly. This is impossible with the keyboard because of the strength of full tilt push in either direction. It's also possible to hover more easily.
I think impaling should happen, it's fun to impale, just make it easier to slip out of. Make some maps with ramps! Also s CPU option would be nice to fight against when I don't have someone to play.
After Ciastek3214's post I looked up Ragdoll Masters on youtube. I haven't played it because apparently it costs 9.95? A comparison doesn't really need to be made, I can see how Starwhal could be created without any prior knowledge of RM, but I'll write my thoughts anyway.
Starwhal and Ragdoll Masters definitely have similar gameplay styles but Starwhals execution renders a deeper experience. In RM you control a stick figure and fight other stick figures in kung-fu action style, with ragdoll physics for the hilarity. You control only the head just like you control just the tip in Starwhal. But because RM uses stick figures the amount of limbs makes the game more about flailing and making the best of situations through flailing. You have 5 total appendages to swing: two hands, two feet and a head to use as weapons to attack the opponents body or head. Damage is incurred slowly. Because you're essentially controlling a spiked ball, hit and run tactics are encouraged. You try to swing at your opponent and a few things may happen: Your limbs block one another, one player gets hit, or both players get hit. There's no power struggle, you charge your opponent and hope for the best. In Starwhal you only have one weapon: your horn. And just the tip actually rewards a point. And only if you can hit the small heart placed on the underside of your opponent. This encourages more intimate battles where you push off one another to gain an advantage. Having a small weapon and small target rewards precise attacks and smart play. Most planned attacks require you to adjust the horn about a quarter-second before impact or you'll miss. In RM it appears to just be: Accelerate and spin your dude and hope that opening stays open.
I'm definitely digging this indie trend of tight, simple-yet-deep multiplayer experiences. Starwhal, Divekick, Chasing Aurora, there was that pole-vaulting jousting game in the Sportsfriends lineup.
This game seems to be made with analog controls in mind so definitely play like that if you have a compatible controller. If you use keys you're limited to absolute left/right commands. This makes controlling your narwhal more difficult and QWOP-like, though even than you have much more control than QWOP. When an analog stick is used movement options open up. You can "swim" through the arena by holding thrust and pushing left and right slightly. This is impossible with the keyboard because of the strength of full tilt push in either direction. It's also possible to hover more easily.
I think impaling should happen, it's fun to impale, just make it easier to slip out of. Make some maps with ramps! Also s CPU option would be nice to fight against when I don't have someone to play.
After Ciastek3214's post I looked up Ragdoll Masters on youtube. I haven't played it because apparently it costs 9.95? A comparison doesn't really need to be made, I can see how Starwhal could be created without any prior knowledge of RM, but I'll write my thoughts anyway.
Starwhal and Ragdoll Masters definitely have similar gameplay styles but Starwhals execution renders a deeper experience. In RM you control a stick figure and fight other stick figures in kung-fu action style, with ragdoll physics for the hilarity. You control only the head just like you control just the tip in Starwhal. But because RM uses stick figures the amount of limbs makes the game more about flailing and making the best of situations through flailing. You have 5 total appendages to swing: two hands, two feet and a head to use as weapons to attack the opponents body or head. Damage is incurred slowly. Because you're essentially controlling a spiked ball, hit and run tactics are encouraged. You try to swing at your opponent and a few things may happen: Your limbs block one another, one player gets hit, or both players get hit. There's no power struggle, you charge your opponent and hope for the best. In Starwhal you only have one weapon: your horn. And just the tip actually rewards a point. And only if you can hit the small heart placed on the underside of your opponent. This encourages more intimate battles where you push off one another to gain an advantage. Having a small weapon and small target rewards precise attacks and smart play. Most planned attacks require you to adjust the horn about a quarter-second before impact or you'll miss. In RM it appears to just be: Accelerate and spin your dude and hope that opening stays open.
Ciastek3214
Junior Member
I'm just not impressed enough.
Just gave it a shot. Seems like a good time but it needs some kind of penalty for laying flat on the ground. If you just don't move you can't lose. Sure it isn't fun, but that is what all fighting games turn into if there is a loop hole like that in them. Maybe you get tossed in the air if you stay flat on the ground for X seconds?
JasoNsider
Member
SuperÑ;47574787 said:
We are going to be getting an update to the site soon. It will support four players. It even supports up to 4 game pads right in the browser
So we are looking to flesh out this game to make it more "full featured" but keep it simple at its core.
Laying flat is not a concern since the other player is able to wedge under with his horn (from the front or back) and either flip the whal up or just drive forward and hit the heart. Being flat on the ground does not assure invincibility. I once seen a guy plummet from the top of the screen, skewer the whal through the neck and proceed to flail around, tagging the heart.
We've made a small update to the game. We rewrote a bunch of the code to better handle future updates and the majority of the time was put into setting up menus and back end stuff.
We've added 4 players, properly anchored the UI to whatever resolution or aspect ratio we want it to be, added 2 new songs, and the controls were tweaked a bit to allow a smoother, faster movement. You can 'swim' up a bit easier and we made it so the keyboard press slightly imitates an analogue press the longer you hold it. A few bugs were fixed as well. You still can skewer each other but we've made it easier to become unstuck without completely overhauling what we had.
Just like before you can use the keyboard (up to 2 players) and a gamepad (up to 4 players). Xbox360 controllers work perfectly and we've even tested it with the Logitech F710 Wireless Controller. Pretty much whatever Unity supports.
There is now a Twitter feed widget to the website so you can either follow us on Twitter or watch the page for any future updates or activities.
We are planning on working on some Single Player Challenge mode similar to a bunch of training to better your control and skills. After that, no promises, we might look into Online play. Maybe someday down the road it will show up on a console. None of us are full-time on Starwhal so patience is always appreciated.
Go play it and upload some videos, we'd love to see more of them and maybe even some 4 player action!
We've added 4 players, properly anchored the UI to whatever resolution or aspect ratio we want it to be, added 2 new songs, and the controls were tweaked a bit to allow a smoother, faster movement. You can 'swim' up a bit easier and we made it so the keyboard press slightly imitates an analogue press the longer you hold it. A few bugs were fixed as well. You still can skewer each other but we've made it easier to become unstuck without completely overhauling what we had.
Just like before you can use the keyboard (up to 2 players) and a gamepad (up to 4 players). Xbox360 controllers work perfectly and we've even tested it with the Logitech F710 Wireless Controller. Pretty much whatever Unity supports.
There is now a Twitter feed widget to the website so you can either follow us on Twitter or watch the page for any future updates or activities.
We are planning on working on some Single Player Challenge mode similar to a bunch of training to better your control and skills. After that, no promises, we might look into Online play. Maybe someday down the road it will show up on a console. None of us are full-time on Starwhal so patience is always appreciated.
Go play it and upload some videos, we'd love to see more of them and maybe even some 4 player action!
I hope you'll find a way to make it work. I doubt being the only person interested but who sadly have far too few opportunity to play local multiplayer games to make the purchase worth it.
edit : urg didn't see it was actually a 2013 post