Nandrew
12-08-2009, 04:48 PM
I stumbled across this little GM game offering while parading around the online environs:
Sticky Situation (http://thunderware.blogspot.com/2009/07/sticky-situation.html)
http://www.indiegames.com/blog/2009/08/05/sticky-thumb.JPG
It's a basic flying shooter that has you weighing down the enemy craft with sticky projectiles, forcing them to crash to the ground once they've acquired enough weight. Your goal is to avoid the same fate.
I couldn't help but think that this game is ripe for analysis: we seem to have a glorious core concept which doesn't seem to be backed up by anything more than a crude interface, one or two different enemies and the basic goal of "shootem as many as can!"
Download this game, play it and mull over it for a few seconds. Consider the improvements that can be made, and the game's pros and cons. Once you've had a good think, select the spoilertagged text below.
This game was recently featured on the IndieGames Blog (www dot indiegames.com/blog/2009/08/freeware_game_pick_sticky_situ.html) and is apparently still a work in progress. Given its rough presentation and simple concept, one may be surprised to see it benefitting from such coverage, but the fact is that I see this sort of stuff all the time.
Places like IndieGames, TIGSource, PlayThisThing, Auntie Pixelante, Game Maker Games, Retro Reviews, Experimental Gameplay and about a gazillion other reputable sites all feature these sort of games from time to time alongside the bigger, flashier projects. That says nothing of the dedicated gaming portals out there which have daily and weekly spotlights on sometimes VERY humble games, and it's encouraging to see that indies -- the indiest of the indie, even -- can warrant some spotlight.
A lot of us aren't confident about punting our work to game review journos, but a quick look at the bigger picture shows us that we still have a bloody good chance of getting our stuff recognised and reviewed. Don't be scared to promote your stuff: if a half-complete protofest like this can do it, I think that most of the projects on this forum already qualify. Polish a game of your own and blow these buggers out of the water.
Just something to think about.
Sticky Situation (http://thunderware.blogspot.com/2009/07/sticky-situation.html)
http://www.indiegames.com/blog/2009/08/05/sticky-thumb.JPG
It's a basic flying shooter that has you weighing down the enemy craft with sticky projectiles, forcing them to crash to the ground once they've acquired enough weight. Your goal is to avoid the same fate.
I couldn't help but think that this game is ripe for analysis: we seem to have a glorious core concept which doesn't seem to be backed up by anything more than a crude interface, one or two different enemies and the basic goal of "shootem as many as can!"
Download this game, play it and mull over it for a few seconds. Consider the improvements that can be made, and the game's pros and cons. Once you've had a good think, select the spoilertagged text below.
This game was recently featured on the IndieGames Blog (www dot indiegames.com/blog/2009/08/freeware_game_pick_sticky_situ.html) and is apparently still a work in progress. Given its rough presentation and simple concept, one may be surprised to see it benefitting from such coverage, but the fact is that I see this sort of stuff all the time.
Places like IndieGames, TIGSource, PlayThisThing, Auntie Pixelante, Game Maker Games, Retro Reviews, Experimental Gameplay and about a gazillion other reputable sites all feature these sort of games from time to time alongside the bigger, flashier projects. That says nothing of the dedicated gaming portals out there which have daily and weekly spotlights on sometimes VERY humble games, and it's encouraging to see that indies -- the indiest of the indie, even -- can warrant some spotlight.
A lot of us aren't confident about punting our work to game review journos, but a quick look at the bigger picture shows us that we still have a bloody good chance of getting our stuff recognised and reviewed. Don't be scared to promote your stuff: if a half-complete protofest like this can do it, I think that most of the projects on this forum already qualify. Polish a game of your own and blow these buggers out of the water.
Just something to think about.