Hello all!
Here’s my version of Block Breaker, called Neon Cluster. My focus in doing this course is learning the basics so I can hone my skills at game design, so I wanted to use the outline but change the structure.
Thus, Neon Cluster was born! The goal has changed. I wanted to make it so players could experience all of the levels without having to play the first few over and over, but I still wanted challenge. So I turned it into a bit of a puzzler, where the goal is to get around the blockers to break as many stars as possible in each stage to aim for a high score. My other focus was on making the game feel good to play and make hitting the stars really satisfying.
Gameplay Changes:
- I wanted to give the player more control, so I added a feature wherein you can use the arrow keys to tilt the block to aim your shot or your bounce.
- I also added a feature that allows you to click the mouse again to drop the ball straight down. This allows you to re-angle your shot or drop the ball on a star from above, and just makes it more interesting when the ball is bouncing around on its own. It can also get you out of tough spots.
- I made the points add up on hit rather than on destroy. This allows for the harder blocks to be worth more.
- I added a level screen before each level that I can use to teach the player new concepts, add tips, or allow the player to restart if they are unhappy with their score so far and want to try again.
Animation Changes:
- I made the blocks into stars and added an animation that would allow them to sparkle.
- I edited the explosion VFX to fit the theme of an exploding star
- I added a score effect that will show a “300” every time a block is hit to make it more punchy.
Audio Changes
- I added backing music
- I made the sound effects fit the theme
My game is ten levels. It’s too large for the share my game site, so I hosted it on my own site here. View a few screenshots below.
I would love to hear about your high scores!
Music Credit:
Phantom from Space Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/