Please try out the "alpha" version of my "Ghostbusters" twin-stick shooter

Games
1

Hello Everyone,

I'd like to have some people try out, and give feedback about the "alpha" version of my next Playdate game.

It's a "Ghostbusters" twin-stick shooter/exploration game.

All of the graphics are placeholders at the moment. and the gameplay will change with future versions.

I have included an FPS display in the bottom-right corner, so I'd like to know how it runs on a real playdate console.

I'd also like to know if the twin-stick shootin' is fun/comfortable.

please download it from this link, and let me know what you think.

Thanks.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1uhyg416YaiJV1Qs2XgqLXlXTB9efjQMN/view?usp=sharing

2

Pretty neat idea, the 3D effect is cool!

Performance is pretty ok, dips down to 24fps if you're cranking a whole bunch (more than is needed to play really, was just trying it out)

Only hiccup is when close to entering a new room, drops down to 18-20fps as it's loading in. I would say it's not even terribly noticeable, but could be smoothed out maybe

3

Thanks for trying it out.

Weird that you saw fps drop when over-cranking. It shouldn't really make any difference, because the code is just reading the current position each frame.

Really wish I had my own Playdate so I could experiment and test what things cause extra load on the CPU.

How did you find using the d-pad and crank together to control the shooting?
Is it a viable control scheme?

1 Like
4

This is really cool! I'm surprised how well the controls work. I personally found it more intuitive to change the settings to dpad UP = UP as opposed to diagonal. The biggest ergonomic challenge is reaching over to press (A) when your hands normally want to be on the dpad and the crank.

Overall, aiming with the crank feels (and looks) nice, but would probably be frustrating if the game presents you with quick/precision-based challenges, mostly due to the dpad movement being a bit awkward. so I suppose it depends a bit on what type of challenge / "combat" gameplay you're anticipating.

I personally think the isometric style is really appealing, but the gameplay might benefit from a more traditional Zelda style top-down viewpoint, and some acceleration and deceleration on the player movement, so it feels more fluid despite the dpad digital input.

I didn't see a framerate drop specifically when cranking fast, but when fighting enemies the framerate would definitely dip on occasion, seemingly when the enemies were close to the player and being hit by the beam. Also the (A) button detection to toggle the beam was a bit flakey, some times it would turn on and off from only 1 press of the (A) button.

5

That's some great feedback. Thank you very much.

I would definitely tailor the level of challenge to what feels manageable with the given control method.

The frame rate dip when firing on an enemy that is closer to you actually makes perfect sense because of the way that I programmed it. So I'll need to change the way that is done. I'm sure that will be fixable.

Detecting these kinds of FPS dips, and tailoring the level of challenge to the control scheme just further highlight the disadvantage a developer without a real playdate unit is at.

Hopefully I'll be able to call on yourself, or people like you again after i've made a worthwhile amount of progress on this game.

Thanks again.