Commander Pixman ( retro action-platformer )

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Commander Pixman ( retro action-platformer )

(153 posts) (28 voices)

Started 8 months ago by vashpan
Latest reply from vashpan

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vashpan
Member

Hello all retro maniacs!
New retro action-platformer is coming to the iOS platform! Fast-paced action, gun with your hands, 80 levels to master, hundreds of enemies to kill and thousands traps to avoid! Everything is packed with retro style and responsive controls!

Plot
( Well - every game needs one ;) )
Guide trapped Andrew "Pixman" Blazkowicz to leave the alien base. Destroy every creature on his way, jump overy every hole and trap on his way. Find your rocket and get the hell out of there!

Features
+ 80 levels ( 65+15 unlockable, more to come with updates )
+ Over 20 hazards and monsters
+ Missions to accomplish alongside regular game - every completed mission - one extra level unlocked!
+ Your every move is recorded - watch your steps and every death after level finish
+ And more ;) You will see!

Teaser/Trailer:

Get the Flash Videos

Yeah - portals are included ;)

More info will come, since this is only a teaser ;) Alongside with screenshots

Game will be available later this month ( September 2011 )
Thanks for riq and everyone for awesome cocos2d ;)

Some 'geek' tech info:
- Game craeted entirely in Objective-C ( with some Python scripting for building levels, assets, etc... )
- TexturePacker used for creating .pvr.ccz sprite-sheets
- ~15k lines of code ( game code only, not counting other supporting tools )
- 1 man work
- About 5.5 months of part-time job
- Controls done with regular CCMenuItem, just two menus ( for multitouch ) and checking of 'isSelected' state, with some 'size' tuning - works great!!
- Beside cocos2d, there is Appirater in use, Playhaven ( cross promotion - I'll see how it works ), ShareKit for easy 'social' stuff...
- I've taken some inspiration from awesome Star Guard flash game ( retro gfx style ), Super Meat Boy ( replays and time-based competition! ), and more on iOS: League of Evil ( awesome work, visuals and music guys! ) Mos Speedrun... I've hope to become a nice competitor for your games ;)

So, what do you think fellow developers ? ;)

Posted 8 months ago #
riq
Key Master

It looks great!

Posted 8 months ago #
callaght
Member

wow! that looks really good!

I'll definitely buy a copy as soon as its published

Posted 8 months ago #
itlgames
Moderator

Looks great!! Added to favourites.

Posted 8 months ago #
cb31416
Member

Very nice, I really like retro look games (to make one is in my todo list).

Posted 8 months ago #
chasingfeathers
Member

haha.. retro platformers make me feel like a kid again.. looks great!

Posted 8 months ago #
Duckwit
Member

Looks intense! Loving the graphic style and gameplay looks incredibly unique.
Wonderful stylistic approach - I look forward to trying this one out :D

Posted 8 months ago #
vashpan
Member

Wow, thanks for your response and good words...

I think I could upload some AppStore screens tomorrow, and maybe a camera-recorded gameplay movie.

Thanks again! Great motivation for the final steps! You all know that part is the hardest one!

Posted 8 months ago #
vashpan
Member

Sorry for double-post but I want only to post those promised screenshots ;)
They will probably go for the AppStore. Any feedback is highly appreciated! I think that main drawback of my game is that it doesn't look quite well on static screenshots, and since AppStore is mostly an impulse-buy driven market - it could be important thing to have a nice looking screens.

What do you think ?

Posted 8 months ago #
cb31416
Member

The screeshots look great!

When are you planning to release it to the app store?

Posted 8 months ago #
psykano
Member

Nice looking game and trailer!

Did you ever play Grim Joggers? It has the same idea of control-one-guy-leading-a-bunch-of-other-guys but totally different gameplay.

Posted 8 months ago #
vashpan
Member

@cb31416 - End of September - maybe 28 or 29th

@psykano - I didn't play Grim Joggers - but I know that game from varous reviews or trailers... Honestly - I haven't even thought about it when I was developing Commander PIxman :D I was inspired by the Super Meat Boy replays.... BTW, you are not the first one who asked about Grim Joggers ;)

Posted 8 months ago #
MisterX
Member

I like the retro pixelated graphics! Retro console gamers will probably enjoy it.

Posted 8 months ago #
vashpan
Member

Overall, that is my hope - AppStore is highly oversaturate right now, so some niches could be important, and I think that retro-style is now that niche, quite popular even....

Posted 8 months ago #
MisterX
Member

My first game is retro too, but not the "pixel" style. I'll be starting a thread for it in the near future.

I saw your first game, Quad Pong and your website. I suggest you get that annoying, big banner with the Blonde girl (like she would be working in a call center..) off your site. It covers the whole page and pops up EVERY time you load a page on your site. With web hosting as inexpensive as it is these days, there is no reason to have a huge annoying banner ad pop-up like that on a developer's site.

Posted 8 months ago #
vashpan
Member

Heh, yeah I know, this is a provider ad, not mine... They put that banner a week ago or something, I will change that hosting for sure. Honestly I'm surprised that anyone visit my page now ;), Quad Pong was a little experiment, to learn how AppStore works. But it is quite polished game after all, despite its simplicity...

Posted 8 months ago #
NickG
Member

Gorgeous style. And I love the whole 'team' thing ...

Posted 8 months ago #
vashpan
Member

Ehh, I see that I need to fix it in release trailer ;) We are not guide the whole 'team' - they are only 'clones' of our player - recorded replays from previous games ;)

Posted 8 months ago #
Duckwit
Member

Awww I thought it was like a group thing with AI *Sad Face* :(

Posted 8 months ago #
vashpan
Member

Hmm seems that many regret that, maybe I will make a similar game with group then :D I see a great potential ;)

@duckwitt: worry not! Game is an action platformer, maybe a pure gameplay video will put some light on my gameplay approach ;)

Posted 8 months ago #
cocos
Member

@vashpan This looks very promising. I am looking forward to check it out! I like the clean design - it is so refreshing to see it. BTW. Hosting 24 spams you website.

Posted 8 months ago #
NickG
Member

Seriously, I LOVE the idea of leading a team, and them following you, and some dying ... it's a really fresh idea ... when I saw that, I was sure that was how you were doing it.

Posted 8 months ago #
vashpan
Member

@cocos Yes, I know about the hosting, I'm in the process of changing it. It doesn't have any ads till week or two ago :/ I haven't even notice them before.

@NickG Sorry for dissapointment :/ I haven't even thought about 'multi gamer' idea for this kind of game. This is interesting, maybe something in that style in update ? :D Special levels or something like that ?

Posted 8 months ago #
MisterX
Member

Your trailer is a bit misleading. I too thought the game used a group of "men". What I see in the trailer reminds me of the Atari game "Centipede". It has that feel to it, when they are moving around together on the screen.

Ironically, I think it is this aspect of your trailer that could possibly make your game stand out and sell better on the App Store, if it was actually a component of the real game play.

Maybe have the game start out with just 1 man. Then as it progresses, he gradually picks up addition men to follow him as helpers. The additional men can get destroyed, etc.

I'd consider adding it unless your pressed for time to get it out and released.

Posted 8 months ago #
vashpan
Member

Unfortunately game is basically already done. Such addition will destroy all the gameplay so far ( not mention 80 levels created ). I blame myself I didn't even thought about 'that scene could mislead people', too many of them are thinking about 'leading the team', but fortunately still a minority... I think that I've overestimated knowledge about Super Meat Boy, where similar concept is used for replays after game ends....

But I'm still sure that you will like in 'real' form ;)

Posted 8 months ago #
itlgames
Moderator

I too though you were leading a team of players and thought it was pretty cool (didnt know any game doing that to be honest). Game still looks very promising but I'm sure someone has already had they idea to implement that feature! (including myself if I were not too busy!)

Posted 8 months ago #
Dillion
Member

theres a very good flash game done in 2009 called "The company of myself", the core mechanic is leading shadows of your game character (created whenever you die) and using them to get past obstacles, its one of the top puzzle games on kongregate i believe

Posted 8 months ago #
vashpan
Member

So now I'm thinking, maybe I will reuse some code from Commander Pixman and create some minigame about guiding the whole team thing ? An update even ?

A nice thing also that I've seen my game on Game Set Watch:
http://www.gamesetwatch.com/2011/09/commander_pixman_a_bit_of_supe.php
Yeah - my english rocks :D

Nice to see that word is spreading!
Ok enough of this boasting ;)

Posted 8 months ago #
MisterX
Member

Yes, I would do it, not just think about it :)

I saw the video for the Flash game, "Star Guard", on GameSetWatch. I had never heard of Star Guard before.. Star Guard looks and sounds like a mix of a platform game and Williams' "Defender". If Williams had made a Flash game, they might have made Star Guard. That is how much that games reminds me of Defender.

Your update for Pixman could be a blend of a platformer and "Centipede"..

Posted 8 months ago #
vashpan
Member

So, Commander Pixman looks like a mix of Star Guard and Super Meat Boy :) And it is bigger than Star Guard - more levels, more objects, more options... Of course I love Star Guard, this is beautifully designed game, and I loved that style, so I wanted to create something with this feeling on the iOS platform.

I must admit I've never played Centipede - it is too old even for me ;) But I will and check how it could influence Commander Pixman. Also "Defender" is not known to me.

Posted 8 months ago #

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