Shmup Development (using XNA and C#)

Monday, February 25, 2008

The design of a new shmup game begins

The last couple of weeks I have been trying to figure out the design for my next game. Coming up with a solid design for a game is not an easy task. Some of the design goals I had was:

  • Should be easy to figure out, just pick up and play.
  • Feature both a fun and fast singleplayer experience and an addictive multiplayer mode.
  • Be able to play multiplayer four players locally (on the same console) or over the internet.
  • Lots of bullets and action of course :-)
This time didn't want to design the game where I had to create all the levels manually, instead I want to design a gameplay system that create random stages/levels. Oh, and there will not be a stage like in "Bullet Hell Tactics", there will be more like an arena style of gameplay.

I won't tell you much more about the game right now (this time I will be a little more secret about it). Of course I will post screenshots and gameplay movies when the time comes. I'll keep you posted in the development of my new game if you are interested.

The target release date for the game will be the end of this year, and you will be able to download it from Xbox Live and play on your Xbox 360.

posted by Kobingo at 9:34 PM

6 Comments:

  • Is someone motived by the recent XNA announcements at GDC.... hmmm? I think so. :)
    I'm very interested in where you will take this and hope that you can make some money on your work too.
    An arena sounds like it could be fun... especially if after every couple of "waves" there was a Boss-like enemy.

    By Blogger LitAn84, at 8:44 PM  

  • Really really motivated after the community games announcement :-)

    Would be cool with boss fights but I think this game will be more about multiplayer (maybe bosses could fit there too though).

    By Blogger Kobingo, at 3:20 PM  

  • Hey. How goes things any progess? Just asking cause it's been a while... or do you update more regularly elsewhere perhaps?

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 6:03 PM  

  • Hi,

    I have just been busy :-) I'm really trying to figure out what to do design-wise. Right now I'm thinking if my next game should really be a shmup-game. This is a shmup blog so I have not been blogging about it, but updates are coming when I have something :-)

    Thanks for your interest.

    By Blogger Kobingo, at 12:08 PM  

  • If the degree course I'm doing actually runs next session I should be doing some C#, and the first thing I thought on hearing that was 'definitely an STG game I want to make!', (I *hate* that other word for these games!), so this is interesting to me - I was wondering if anyone had already gotten around to doing the same.

    You probably know this place already, but if not then maybe it will be of some help with this game type, and any others:

    http://freeware.remakes.org/

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 5:33 PM  

  • I loved Bullet Hell tactics, hope you can someday port that to XBLA

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 8:17 PM  

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