Aerosphere (WIP)

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#1

Aerosphere

Hello,
After a lot of work, I’ve completed the tutorial level for Aerosphere, my expansion of Project Boost. My motivation for learning Unity and game design has always been to make my own old-fashioned exploration/adventure games like Impossible Mission and especially Starflight, and the Project Boost lessons were inspiring enough that I felt it was a good time to make a first effort at accomplishing that goal. The core of the game is still don’t get hit by stuff, of course, but I’ve added several features to hopefully make it a little more than that:

  1. Dialog, in the form of radio transmissions from the player and the…others…that are down there in the dark with you.
  2. Locked gates to introduce a simple puzzle element and push the player to fully explore the level.
  3. Scripting the camera to follow the player, to allow for large complex levels.

I feel I’m in a good place with the technical side of things, so it’s all level and lore building from here. Actually, that seems even more daunting than figuring out the technical stuff. Thanks for trying the level and for any feedback.

EDIT: Updated link to permanent itch.io link.

12 Likes
Aerosphere (Complete)
#2

Hi David,

Woah! You have made a fantastic effort on Aerosphere! That really is one visual pleasing game! Really like the concept of moving through areas and your idea for opening the door is really good. The radio transmissions are a great way to keep the story moving along.

This was really good fun to explore. There was a moment when I got caught between two spin machines and the player ship went a little nuts, but it finally spat me out. I would love to try this again when you have added more levels and also some audio, I think that would really add to the atmosphere of your game.

Great work!

I’m sure @Rick_Davidson and @ben would be very keen to check this out!

2 Likes
#3

Really amazing work, well done! The game looks great, and the tuning on the player ship feels good - it has a really feeling of weight to it.

3 Likes
#4

Thank you both for the feedback!

2 Likes
#5

Very cool project boost implementation. Great work. :slight_smile:
I can senses the Bioshock theme :wink:

1 Like
#6

Great work, it’s a really nice looking demo.

The only things from me would be to either make the walls between the rooms slightly thinner, or to place the obstacles a little further away from the entrance. You loose visibility for quite a while when going through the doors and there’s a chance that the player will go in a bit too hot and then die right at the start of the next room.

Other than that though, it’s really good. The ship controls really well and I wanted to keep playing to see where the story goes next! :smiley:

1 Like
#7

Thank you both!

Dex: Biowhatsit? Never heard of it! :wink:

Gary: The wall thickness is deliberate to discourage sneaking a peek at the next room or going in too hot, as you put it. The ship can take three hits before being destroyed, so charging in blindly is foolish but not fatal. I’m also thinking of putting in a 4th landing pad type representing a distress beacon / wreckage of previous explorers which could serve as both a one-time repair and more narrative from those who came before.

#8

Cool, figured it was probably a conscious choice. One other thing that I noticed was the positioning of the purple lights. I wasn’t originally sure if these were buttons to be pressed, so try blending them into the background a little. I’m being really nit-picky here though.

Extra landing pad types are a great idea. Definitely message me when the next version is live so I can play it again. :slight_smile:

1 Like
#9

Search for Bioshock The Big Daddy in YouTube :slight_smile: I also thought the font that you’re using is the one from Bioshock, but it is just similar :slight_smile:

1 Like
#10

Looks great, a really fantastic and polished looking effort! Well done!

I did notice the issue with the wall thickness. I had to agree that it is blinding for a while and that as a player I found it jarring. The ship requires fine control and feathering of the thruster and that temporary blindness makes that hard. There were also obstacles rather close to the the next room’s entrance, making this worse.

When I first saw the lights, I thought they were buttons, too.

Physics-wise, I thought the weight distribution of the ship was a little off, as it could land on edges and sit there very slowly falling over.

Overall, I love it, and it is the best Project Boost I have seen thus far!

1 Like
#11

Wow this was fantastic. Definitely love the way the theme and feel of the game is brought out by mechanics and levels. If you want any criticism I feel there should be more feedback when you’ve knocked into something maybe an effect on the ship itself. Also next level when?

1 Like
#12

Hello! Time to return to the surface for some air. Thank you Mochnant and Reyaad for the feedback!

Level 2 is coming along nicely. I have the layout and lighting all finished and have implemented a new landing pad type that provides a one-time repair of the ship. I don’t want the game to have any sort of HUD, so when you land on the pad the player dialog will tell you the state of the ship and you can choose to repair then or cancel and save it for later. Each level from 2 on will have just one of these pads.

Last step is implementation of the obstacles, but that’s a pretty big step because the main obstacle type I have in mind is going to have enough moving parts that it could be considered a creature of sorts.

Okay, back down the hole I go. Thanks again!

repair1
repair1.jpg800×444 46 KB

repair2
repair2.jpg800×448 33.7 KB

1 Like
#13

Hello! I’ve updated the build linked at the top to include Level 2.

Some notes about damage. The player can take 3 hits before being destroyed on the fourth. When there’s a collision a colored particle effect appears around the player to indicate their health: green for minor damage, yellow for serious damage, and red for critical damage. A white particle effect means the collision has caused no damage. This happens only in the tutorial level and when the player collides into any part of landing pad tower other than the pylons on either side of the pad. Those register no collision at all because that was annoying when trying to land on the pad.

When that damage particle effect is visible, collision is disabled and the player is immune to damage. This is to give players a few seconds to extract themselves from a sticky situation rather than receive a 1-2-3-BOOM instadeath.

Thank you for playing!

1 Like
#14

that is amazing work there David :slight_smile:

a really enjoyable and slick looking game with a great narrative, well done :+1:

1 Like
#15

Thank you, OboShape! That’s nice to read when it’s time to sit down and think of the next level idea.

1 Like
#16

This is majorly impressive! Loved the feel of moving the ship around - felt really balanced with the type of puzzles/obstacles I had to maneuver around. Also, the game is BEAUTIFUL… I love the changes in lighting colors. My favorite moment is going through the first door where the wall covers your view and you pop out on the other side in a totally different place.

Can’t wait to see what else you do with it. Nice job!

1 Like
#17

Thank you Phindah for the kind feedback, especially about the thick walls. :grinning:

#18

Wow, beautiful looking game, and the flavour text adds a lot to it, giving the player purpose through the story.

I found the control quite tricky and using W as the thrust wasn’t ideal, it would be nice if ‘space’ worked also.

In all, I’m very impressed and feel I’m going have a lot to live up to in my game!

@David_Gibbs - I just saw you’ve made a Taipan remake!!! One of my all time favourite games (showing my age) have you seen:
http://taipangame.com

A very good remake, and even has original basic source to look at!

1 Like
#19

Thank you Gomisan, I always think extra control options are a good idea and will include some alternatives.

And thanks for playing Taipan! That was the rabbit hole I disappeared in last year and very much a labor of love. I visited that remake site long before starting this game programming stuff and used it often during the project to remind myself of the original and what needed to be “fixed”. :yum:

#20

Hello! Just a small update to include some extra movement control options. I think these options should be enough for players to use whatever combination feels most comfortable for them:

A / Left Arrow: Rotate Left

D / Right Arrow: Rotate Right

W / Up Arrow / Spacebar: Thrust

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