Polar Conflict

hampst 2017-05-01 21:29

Really nice concept and pretty fun.

I think it would benefit from some visual tweaks to make things clearer. For example: - Enemy ships are exactly the same as yours. It makes it look like a free for all, but in fact it's everyone vs you. It would be nice if enemy ships were a different colour. - A visual indicator of how much damage your ship has taken would be nice. - It might be good if the explosion/damage colour was different to the ships trail so that it stood out a bit more.

That might all be stuff you would have done anyway given more time! Overall I thought it was fun and each part came together nicely to fit the aesthetic. The planet generator is a nice touch :)

izunah 2017-05-01 22:32

Scrolling shooters like these are some of my favorite games, I got some Super Stardust vibes from this game; which really made me wish there was a bit more enemy variety going on(and maybe a different model for enemies as opposed to yourself to help differentiate.) Even though the controls felt a bit floaty, after a little bit it handles well enough. I found the enemies a bit unrelenting and dangerous; you definitely wanted to avoid head on confrontations. I also quite enjoyed the music, and feel it fit very well with the title; a solid pick.

jackyjjc 2017-05-03 12:24

It is cool to see an unconventional shooter. The visual is very nice and the music is very fitting. I totally agree with @hampst that the enemies should be more distinguishable. While I had fun shooting the other jets (especially when i land my shots on multiple of them), I find the control a bit odd. The main thing is whenever I change direction, I find that my jet decelerates pretty quickly and comes to a halt. It is quite devastating when this happens because usually there are quite a few missiles flying your way so I had to be very cautious when changing direction which affects the fluidity of the combat I feel like.

With that said, I'm very impressed by what you have created in 48 hours. You've done a great job!

batmanasb 2017-05-04 00:12

A really nice use of the theme, and you really nailed the gameplay mechanics! But sadly you didn't do enough with them, so I'm left unsatisfied and wanting more!

Also, who are you trying to fool with the story intro?! The enemies are clearly the same ship as me, so I'm clearly a rogue pilot who went on a rampage and had to be taken down.

coderdozer 2017-05-07 15:05

Nice twist on a shooter which fits the theme perfectly.

nekoballs 2017-05-09 16:35

Fun game! Love the mechanics. It got a really nice flow when you fly around hunting ships!

ps. you have to create your own music in Compo

mooncalf 2017-05-12 00:48

Great game. It played well, and I was able to improve. I would have really like better turning on my ship.

The aesthetic was great. Thanks!

mhgamework 2017-05-14 10:59

This is cool. Its very simple, but also very polished. The gameplay mechanics are perfectly balanced, i had fun flying around and skidding across the planet shooting this.

I did feel a bit dizzy after a while, which is funny because we have the same problem in our game with the planet :)

japes 2017-05-14 11:00

Love this! Unique spin on a very established genre. I felt like I had to learn an entirely new skill here, trying to track enemy movement over this round surface. Had lots of fun with this simple little game.

My highest score was in the high 4000s, which I'm quite proud of.

The controls feel perfect (except for 1 small issue - see below), and it's really satisfying to see your shots fly off over the horizon. The music is great, and the low-poly visuals are awesome. Love the random world generator. The fact that your fire rate goes down as you hold down fire is a great idea, I would've just held down fire permanently like I usually do, otherwise. in response to @hampst 's comments, I actually like the fact that there's no health bar. After a few playthroughs you start to get a feel for how much damage you can take. I do agree that it would be better if the enemies looked different to you though, but I'm sure this was just due to time constraints.

One of my favourites of this LD. I do have some criticisms/comments though: - I was about to take a screenshot of my score when I noticed a bug - the high score keeps increasing while I'm on the menu screen! So it's currently in the high 7000s. - a small control issue that got in the way of maximum-awesomeness was that I couldn't hold down fire, up, and left at the same time. Other combos seemed to work though, not sure how one can get around keyboard jam issues like this.

Thanks!

nathan 2017-05-14 15:00

Brilliant Entry. You kept it simple and spent time making sure what you had was polished. The result is a fun, addictive little game. Like the music and effects too. General points:

- [+] Very intuitive, controls are nice and simple - [+] Loved the random world generator - it may seem like aesthetic fluff but its a nice touch. - [-] Enemy ships could use distinction, could get a touch crowded at times.

Congratulations on your entry, great job.

kawales 2017-05-14 15:17

Great game! The graphics are lowpoly which is something I love about it, the controls are also really smooth and easy to get used to!

juju-adams 2017-05-14 16:27

Great fun! Low poly style's been used to great effect here. Love the music too. I would have been nice if each ship had some variation, but I won't get picky. Good job - one of my favourite entries.

nightshadow0 2017-05-14 16:46

This is really challenging! I got better at it after a while, but the enemy AI is surprisingly good. The 3D movement felt great and fun to play with. Nice work!

mikethewayne 2017-05-14 18:38

Brilliant arcade game, lots of fun, excellent music, love the art style, even if it is basic. Solid entry, for sure!

feltip 2017-05-15 19:29

Dig the low poly art style. Great controls, solid combat, difficult. Great entry real good work :))

csanyk 2017-05-16 03:54

OK this is definitely fun.

I love the simple controls.

I love the unique mechanic, and the fact that your shots "orbit" the planet.

I love that you can take a few actions as you're going down in flames before you crash and burn.

I think there should be destructible terrain, so you can "terraform" the planet and eat it away to nothing as you destroy enemy planes. And make the cities have some kind of function, they don't seem to do anything??

I think that the enemy planes should look different from you, maybe make them a different color?

Some good pew pew shooter sounds would be good, but I like the music too.

Really great entry. I'd totally play an expanded version of this, with some ground units (tanks? artillery?) and some UFOs with different flight characteristics. So fun.