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Xbox LIVE Indie Games - The January 2011 Thread

Intruder_qc

Neo Member
PepsimanVsJoe said:
Way to sum up Japanese videogames in two screenshots Kohei.

Oh and WARNING WARNING

If the "Special" option is anything to go by from Kohei's last game. Expect the Special mode for Maid-San's Caving to involve breast-shaking(grabbing?) and well just be really disturbing.


Ohhh noooo :-(, now that you mention it, I remember to have saw the little review from Gamemarx and saw that disturbing section... Yes boob fondling, this remind me of those Team Ninja game with boob physics ;-).

I guess people give it a pass quickly probably are interested in the "special" section unfortunately :-(.
 

Intruder_qc

Neo Member
toythatkills said:
I read this as Sad Man's Craving Adventure

I'm not sure it'd change the game at all

LOL!!! This is a great title, arrggshhh I was been deceived in peer reviewing the game after I saw the cute box art... :-(.

I'll know next time if I see Kohei new game what that mean. But I am sure just with the box art it will grab a lot of trial download and even maybe some people buying it, especially if they know about the "Special" section and what it is exactly... This is like the other game that got release it the Beach Bubbles it's on the top download.
 

Kafel

Banned
I've just tried the demo for Space Racer.

  • +
    clean visuals, menu
    local multiplayer
    80 points
  • -
    only 4 tracks
    VERY SHORT tracks if the first one is of any indication


I'll keep playing Bit Stream instead.
 

SAB CA

Sketchbook Picasso
So... what do you DO in Caving Adventure? Shoot Chicken REVENGE felt like an OK game with nice art, 萌めくり (Moe Mekuri) was a pretty competent puzzle game... what's this? Jewelry Panning adventure? Is there some element of fighting those Goblin things?

How come every time I look at JP games like this, and hear of these "special" modes, all I can hear in my head is "If only they would use their powers for Good...!" :lol
 

Intruder_qc

Neo Member
@SAB_CA

I am not sure either, this is why I posted in the peer review thread hoping that the devs (Kohei) can shed some light on this, as I have collected all the stars from the 1st level reach the exit but still get a D score :-(.

As for the goblin you can try to avoid them by passing beside them (sometime they wont attack you), jump over them, or crouch to the ground.

Indeed if only those Japanese would spend their time developing awesome Shmup (you know get something like those from Cave, Treasure) or some nice jrpg (I know we have Zeybod but how about a real Japanese making jrpg). Instead of using their power to make boob physic engine or other disturbing thing, but as some one once said with great power come great responsability ;-).
 

Kafel

Banned
Intruder_qc said:
@SAB_CA

I am not sure either, this is why I posted in the peer review thread hoping that the devs (Kohei) can shed some light on this, as I have collected all the stars from the 1st level reach the exit but still get a D score :-(.

As for the goblin you can try to avoid them by passing beside them (sometime they wont attack you), jump over them, or crouch to the ground.

Indeed if only those Japanese would spend their time developing awesome Shmup (you know get something like those from Cave, Treasure) or some nice jrpg (I know we have Zeybod but how about a real Japanese making jrpg). Instead of using their power to make boob physic engine or other disturbing thing, but as some one once said with great power come great responsability ;-).

?

The channel is already stuffed with shmup, most of them are good JP ones like the impressive Revolver360.

More genres please.
 

OnPoint

Member
Kafel said:
?

The channel is already stuffed with shmup, most of them are good JP ones like the impressive Revolver360.

More genres please.

And Vorpal. So good.

I'd like some action-RPGs in the vein of Secret of Mana please.
 

SAB CA

Sketchbook Picasso
Intruder_qc said:
@SAB_CA

I am not sure either, this is why I posted in the peer review thread hoping that the devs (Kohei) can shed some light on this, as I have collected all the stars from the 1st level reach the exit but still get a D score :-(.

As for the goblin you can try to avoid them by passing beside them (sometime they wont attack you), jump over them, or crouch to the ground.

Indeed if only those Japanese would spend their time developing awesome Shmup (you know get something like those from Cave, Treasure) or some nice jrpg (I know we have Zeybod but how about a real Japanese making jrpg). Instead of using their power to make boob physic engine or other disturbing thing, but as some one once said with great power come great responsability ;-).

-nod- Hmmm, interesting. They normally seemed fairly good at in-game documentation (actually translating stuff!), so that's a bit confusing. Thanks for the info!

All this time on XBLIG, and still nothing from Japan like Ragnarok Battle Offline... -shake fist- I want more games like Twin Blades (NEEDS MULTIPLAYER!) and Streets of Fury! (Though I'd be very happy with Shooters and RPGs too!)

OnPoint said:
And Vorpal. So good.

I'd like some action-RPGs in the vein of Secret of Mana please.

A thousand times YES.
 

Intruder_qc

Neo Member
@SAB_CA

Well they do have some hint on the screen in some places, like how to perform jump, crouch, but didn't see tips explaining exactly how you're suppose to get a better score then D. Maybe if you collect all stars very quickly without getting hit once by goblins? I know at the end they are some stats being displayed and what look like some min and/or max number. So I guess if you are below or above those number you fail.

Ohhh and what about other S-RPG like Disgaea I am having so much fun with this one on my PS3 ;-). Yes S-RPG is definitely missing from the channel.

As for shmup I was just referring this as another genre that is often well done by Japanese developer. Indeed they are already quite a lot of them on the channel right now.
 

SAB CA

Sketchbook Picasso
Intruder_qc said:
@SAB_CA

Well they do have some hint on the screen in some places, like how to perform jump, crouch, but didn't see tips explaining exactly how you're suppose to get a better score then D. Maybe if you collect all stars very quickly without getting hit once by goblins? I know at the end they are some stats being displayed and what look like some min and/or max number. So I guess if you are below or above those number you fail.

Ohhh and what about other S-RPG like Disgaea I am having so much fun with this one on my PS3 ;-). Yes S-RPG is definitely missing from the channel.

As for shmup I was just referring this as another genre that is often well done by Japanese developer. Indeed they are already quite a lot of them on the channel right now.

Ahhh. So it's probably got some kinda scoring multiplier system, but it's poorly explained. Doh. That's never a good thing -_-;

The first person to make a competent Disgaea / FFTactics clone would get absolute salues, lol. Miasma was a good attempt at a strat RPG, though, if not a bit expensive.

As many awesome Japanese Doujin PC Fighters as there are, I'm very suprised we haven't seen one on XBLIG yet. Someone should have made something like Melty Blood by now!
 

Kafel

Banned
Intruder_qc said:
Ohhh and what about other S-RPG like Disgaea I am having so much fun with this one on my PS3 ;-). Yes S-RPG is definitely missing from the channel.

As for shmup I was just referring this as another genre that is often well done by Japanese developer. Indeed they are already quite a lot of them on the channel right now.

Well you seem to know better than anyone than the japanese creators don't speak English, why would you want unplayable JRPG on the service ?

With the success of BoD and Cthulu, more RPGs are in the ovens everywhere by the way.
 

Intruder_qc

Neo Member
@Kafel

Well those Japanese devs just need to find devs that can help them translate, maybe some people should start up a fansub service for XBLIG ;-). It will be really great if their could be a way to get those Japanese devs to team up with the right translator.

As for now sadly it's indeed a problem and we get terrible translation. Which for any kind of RPG will be a big show stopper for many of us.

Yup I know of a few RPG in the oven, they are 2 upcoming one. Well one of them is being made by fellow gaffer Mike (Bounded Realities), they are another one called Wizard Keep from the same folks that brought us Miner dig deep. Another one from Baker Crest and Zombie Monkey Game is working on Last Age.

Does anybody know of any other?
 
Intruder_qc said:
@Kafel

Well those Japanese devs just need to find devs that can help them translate, maybe some people should start up a fansub service for XBLIG ;-). It will be really great if their could be a way to get those Japanese devs to team up with the right translator.

As for now sadly it's indeed a problem and we get terrible translation. Which for any kind of RPG will be a big show stopper for many of us.

Yup I know of a few RPG in the oven, they are 2 upcoming one. Well one of them is being made by fellow gaffer Mike (Bounded Realities), they are another one called Wizard Keep from the same folks that brought us Miner dig deep. Another one from Baker Crest and Zombie Monkey Game is working on Last Age.

Does anybody know of any other?

Shadowdawn
Ophidian Wars
 

Intruder_qc

Neo Member
@Hadesgigas

Thanks for reminding of those 2! hopefully the year 2011 will bring some nice RPG to the channel, it just take time to make those and most of those devs are in tiny teams, just wish it will be quicker. We just need to be more patient I guess ;-).
 

Feep

Banned
Intruder_qc said:
@Kafel

Well those Japanese devs just need to find devs that can help them translate, maybe some people should start up a fansub service for XBLIG ;-). It will be really great if their could be a way to get those Japanese devs to team up with the right translator.

As for now sadly it's indeed a problem and we get terrible translation. Which for any kind of RPG will be a big show stopper for many of us.

Yup I know of a few RPG in the oven, they are 2 upcoming one. Well one of them is being made by fellow gaffer Mike (Bounded Realities), they are another one called Wizard Keep from the same folks that brought us Miner dig deep. Another one from Baker Crest and Zombie Monkey Game is working on Last Age.

Does anybody know of any other?
My game, Sequence, is (loosely) an RPG, as well.
 

Noogy

Member
I'm don't really think reviewers/playtesters should be talking about unreleased games on a public forum like this. A little more discretion should be practiced considering the trust that developers are placing on their fellow testers.

I'm talking specficially about in-game events and issues that are being ironed out. Hyping a game is perfectly fine.
 

Saerk

Member
I finally beat Cthulu Saves the World. It was very deserving of the purchase, and you should all get it if you haven't already.
 

djtiesto

is beloved, despite what anyone might say
PepsimanVsJoe said:
Yeah it's highly recommended that any XBL indie developers who post here should consider PMing people who are most likely to review their game or at worst just write SOMETHING about it. If a lurker gets a code chances are high they'll never post their impressions here. Maybe they have their own forum for discussing this sort of thing, maybe not. Could be those codes will just be lost to the ether.

Maybe next month toythatkills will consider compiling a list of every poster willing to accept codes in exchange for impressions/reviews. The situation out there is pretty bad as a lot of games just aren't getting any exposure. For example I was talking about Junk Fields on twitter the other night and the developer of the game gave me a code just for following him. Junk Fields is actually a really decent game and I already bought it so I handed it off to somebody who A) can post here and B) is likely to talk about it.

Anyway Cltuthu update. I just reached Innsmouth. Can anyone give me an idea how much further I have to go?

You just need to beat the Magitek Factory ripoff level, and then one really long and annoying final dungeon. Did you fight Dem, the optional boss yet?

Saerk said:
I finally beat Cthulu Saves the World. It was very deserving of the purchase, and you should all get it if you haven't already.

Yup, I beat it last weekend. Now I started Breath of Death VII and played for maybe 15 min, alternating with Vagrant Story.
 
djtiesto said:
You just need to beat the Magitek Factory ripoff level, and then one really long and annoying final dungeon. Did you fight Dem, the optional boss yet?
Oops I already beat the game. Didn't run into Dem.
 

OnPoint

Member
Parallax Scroll said:
Space Racer is nicely polished, but unfortunately not all that fun to play.

I was coming on to say just this. I checked it out last night and I was severely underwhelmed. The soundtrack was awesome, but the tracks in the trial aren't very much fun and don't last long enough. There's also no real weight to the ships, something I felt would have helped the game out tremendously. The ships handling is merely functional at that point.

I also played Dirche Kart Racer. You know, I'm all about Mario Kart clones, and this one has its moments, but putting holes everywhere on a visually confusing, totally flat course is just a silly design decision. It took all the fun out for me when I couldn't drive anywhere without falling because there's next to no visual indicator that I'm nearing an edge. Could been great, it's just meh.
 
Alpha Squad patch is out. Game plays A LOT better now. Enemy bullets are avoidable, health packs are actually useful, can buy stuff from the armory quicker, online actually works (never had random people able to drop in to my game pre-patch).

Full patch notes:
Without further ado, let me break down the updates in this version:

1. Fixed a majority of dropping issues in the online play caused by a couple of issues not discovered until after release.

2. We have fixed the invite system which was placing most players into the main menu rather than the game itself.

3. Online players were spawning in odd areas during multiplayer games. We have fixed the formation code so that players spawn next to the host player.

4. In Arena mode, if the host was the first player to die, the game would become un-synced online where the clients may receive a black screen until the host disconnects.

5. There was a dialogue event which was replayable. This is fixed.

6. Tweaked the balance of enemies. I kept their positions the same for now.

7. Health pack drop rates are slightly increased.

8. Some of the level collisions have been tweaked. I will need to get more feedback if there are others that need work.

9. We have added a "death rattle". Your controller will begin to vibrate when your health is below 20%. That will add an additional indicator instead of just the flashing character portrait.

10. Normal health packs have increased from 25% to 40% recovery. Survival packs are still the same.

11. By pressing the "Back" button, you can bring up a transparent armory in heated situations.

12. We received a number of complaints about the UI which could be an eye sore for small screens. Until we can reposition a smaller design, we have a "No UI" option to turn it off completely. This is simply a stop-gap measure.

13. We have added an auto-save after each level. So even if you are disconnected for some reason and forgot to save, you will still be saved to your last completed level.

14. A small suggestion came in to change the colors of the game saves. Now the color of the game saves is the color you have set for the exit.

15. People hated the "Storm Trooper" fire and wanted bullets that could be dodged. We have slowed the bullets down to where you can dodge them.

16. The overworld map now not only lights up the portraits of characters that are logged in, but also shows the name of the gamertag who is logged in. Now you can see the name of the player that is logged in before entering into a level.
 

Feep

Banned
Any other devs struggling to convert their projects to XNA 4.0? This sucks. Also, the new SpriteFont content processor uses a weird DXT compression on the textures, leading to some really ugly aliasing...

(Do we have a dev thread?)
 
Feep said:
Any other devs struggling to convert their projects to XNA 4.0? This sucks. Also, the new SpriteFont content processor uses a weird DXT compression on the textures, leading to some really ugly aliasing...

(Do we have a dev thread?)

I just started 4.0 project from scratch and added files manually from the 3.0 project and rewrote the main game loops. This also gave me the chance to refactor some stuff ;) Overall my code is much cleaner.

Didn't have any problems with SpriteFont....
 

Feep

Banned
NemesisPrime said:
I just started 4.0 project from scratch and added files manually from the 3.0 project and rewrote the main game loops. This also gave me the chance to refactor some stuff ;) Overall my code is much cleaner.

Didn't have any problems with SpriteFont....
Yeah, I should probably start from scratch, too...

Apparently the SpriteFont problems are due to the fact that I decided to stick with Interpolative Alpha Blending (3.1 style) as opposed to 4.0's Premultiplied alpha, which appears to break all transparency in my game. SpriteFonts are now rendered premultiplied and there's no way to change it (unlike everything else), so it's looking ugly...
 

Kafel

Banned
Just noticed this :

screen4.jpg


They couldn't avoid the panties screen. :lol
 
Feep said:
Yeah, I should probably start from scratch, too...

Apparently the SpriteFont problems are due to the fact that I decided to stick with Interpolative Alpha Blending (3.1 style) as opposed to 4.0's Premultiplied alpha, which appears to break all transparency in my game. SpriteFonts are now rendered premultiplied and there's no way to change it (unlike everything else), so it's looking ugly...

Color.FromNonPremultiplied will become your new best friend.

I switched to 4.0 back in the fall and it blew up a lot of my stuff. I've since fixed everything but at the time I remember being extremely frustrated (mostly due to an XmlSerializer bug in the Game Studio Connect Beta which made my game un-runnable on the 360 for over a month ).
 

djtiesto

is beloved, despite what anyone might say
PepsimanVsJoe said:
Oops I already beat the game. Didn't run into Dem.

He's in a cave directly to the left of the starting cave, accessible by the dragon. If you leveled up enough, and you Stun him right when he's charging up, he's not too challenging
 
Man why doesn't The Legend of the Dragonflame Highschool have co-op/even if it is just same screen? Wish someone could get in touch with the developer, seems like something that'd be fairly easy to add and make the game a whole lot better. Beat em ups just seem made for co-op action.
 
OnPoint said:
Can somebody post in laymans terms what we have to look forward to with the switch to 4.0?

As a user or a developer?

As a user.. nothing really new ;)

As a dev, better tools, WP7 support, better audio and some other small things.
 
Getting some new reviews up now:

The Deep Cave: http://xblaratings.com/component/content/article/3402-the-deep-cave
Sword & Hammer: http://www.extraguy.com/2011/01/sword-and-hammer/

Going to roll a couple more in when they get posted.

Okay what the fuck was Kohei thinking with Maid's Caving Adventure? This game is IMPOSSIBLE. I can't even get out of the fucking tutorial.

EDIT: Nevermind I figured it out. The stage must be beaten as fast as possible. Going for all the stars is a waste of time.
 
Up to stage 8 I think in Maid's Caving Adventure.
How do these things even happen?
-Why they got a Maid running through caves?
-Why stars?
-Why she sneezing all the damn time? Wear a coat!
-Why the Banars(Goblin dudes) so freaking gross? There is literal Banar-shit that the maid can step in.

This game is just..fuck it. I'm going to the mall.

I'm going to buy me a game with some guns and some heads getting blown off. I can't take this 2D Metal Gear star collecting nonsense.
 
PepsimanVsJoe said:
Up to stage 8 I think in Maid's Caving Adventure.
How do these things even happen?
-Why they got a Maid running through caves?
-Why stars?
-Why she sneezing all the damn time? Wear a coat!
-Why the Banars(Goblin dudes) so freaking gross? There is literal Banar-shit that the maid can step in.

This game is just..fuck it. I'm going to the mall.

I'm going to buy me a game with some guns and some heads getting blown off. I can't take this 2D Metal Gear star collecting nonsense.
Yeah, the ranking system that forces you to retry stages is stupid. I didn't bother beating the second stage.

Alpha Squad needs a second patch IMO.
 
Kafel said:
Media still not getting the differences between Xbox Live Marketplace, XBLA and Indie Games. Whats a bunch of idiots.

It's a Nintendo fansite focusing largely on WiiWare and DSiWare, not really expecting them to know anything about Xbox Live.
 
Antipole: The antigravity concept is neat, but the controls feel a bit off. Combat isn't fun at all and I think I would have preferred if the game didn't even have enemies so you could just focus on the platforming. You can lose a lot of health quickly by getting hit by an enemy and knocked back into spikes. I'm not going to spend 3 bucks on this.
 
Parallax Scroll said:
Antipole: The antigravity concept is neat, but the controls feel a bit off. Combat isn't fun at all and I think I would have preferred if the game didn't even have enemies so you could just focus on the platforming. I'm not going to spend 3 bucks on this.

They main character runs too fast or accelerates too fast, I think. I don't mind the combat since that keeps it from being a straight up VVVVVV clone, adding in the twist of figuring out a good way to kill them.


In other news radiangames Ballistic is in peer review:
http://radiangames.com/?p=515
web_01.png
 
HadesGigas said:
They main character runs too fast or accelerates too fast, I think. I don't mind the combat since that keeps it from being a straight up VVVVVV clone, adding in the twist of figuring out a good way to kill them.
I don't mind that there's combat, but I don't like how it's implemented in this. As an aside, I would like to point out that VVVVVV is the shit.
 

Kafel

Banned
HadesGigas said:
It's a Nintendo fansite focusing largely on WiiWare and DSiWare, not really expecting them to know anything about Xbox Live.

It's the same everywhere, people not knowing anything in charge to inform you. Today again in one of the top 3 VG French websites (Gamekult) I've read that the Catherine demo was coming to the "Xbox Live Arcade" ...
 
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