#Space Shooter

[dimalink]

Free Blocker – blocks and center of the screen

With programming language Free Basic I am going to finish with game FreeBlocker. I write it with programming language Free Basic. That’s why, it has this name. And game is about little squares. And I call them here - blocks. As in Tetris, there it were, also, a blocks. But, here it is everything simple.

You are standing in a line. It is such a strip in a middle of the screen. And, you have only three steps. To the left and to the right. Three states. Central, left, and right. And with space you are catching little squares (blocks), which are, someway, moving to your side. If you want, you can count, that they are falling into the glass, something like from the top. Or you are flying in space about a straight line or by a road (highway) you are moving. It is a thing about your imagination.

With space you are catching blocks.

Space activates two blocks, which up draw before you. If block is in one of these blocks, then you gain scores! And if block crash into you – then you lost some energy! Blocks are appearing at the up part of the screen, random way.

This is the idea of the little game.

Game is simple – I try new Basic for myself. To programming with it later. And things go just excellent! But, this is a first game with Free Basic. And, that’s why, it will be simple.

Interesting point, that game is, something like, – some pseudo model for shooter game. Shmups, also, these games are called. Shoot them all. Subgenre. So, this is narrow strip. And, you are flying with a mad speed. Everything is flying with a fast speed around you. So, something a little that idea – prototype of a shooter game.

Also, game is made with resolution 320 x 200 and 16 colors. That reminds a lot retro. And, some, thing like MS DOS. Some simple little game for MS DOS. To have some free time.

Also, I have a such idea. That you are in some space tunnel, in sub space, in a wormhole and you fly there. And everything happens with you there.

So, here it is everything simple – catch with space blocks and gain scores. Move through game levels. Menus all are simple.

So, personally about me, I can, sometimes, to see screenshots for old games, MS DOS games. Also, including, games with minimal graphics, 16 colors or text graphics. And, very long time, I was interesting into that imitation of that kind of games for MS DOS.

Game is something like very minimal, everything you need is there – to be it a game. It is first probe of programming language Free Basic.

A little, I want to take a time about technical part. I have something to say. But, I will write it short way. Because of, here, it is mainly, about a videogame theme! And, I have some achievements in this tech side! Before these days, I have never to do things like now, I never had a skills before, never has experience about that!

Now, I am trying new dialect of programming language Basic – this time it is Free Basic. I am learning programming with Basic! It sounds strong! So, I am a big fan of Basic! And, I am proud of it! I read manual, users guide. Write code.

And add to this, at last, I write all the code using program GVim. It is text editor for programmers. Bit it is, something, very global, that I, personally I, can say it is some operating system, simply. It can do lots of things! Or, something like, a shell type Norton Commander, Total Commander. But, take into account, it is made about a programmers need. Unbelievable thing.

And, I compile program by myself using commands, makefile, first time ever, I write most simple by myself. Structure of program is modules. So, it consists of several files.

So, it is cool to programming with Basic! Have your excellent BASIC day!

This game will be released in terms of new version Basic Pascal Pack games. This game and some more games will be in a new version Basic Pascal Pack. As soon as I will have several complete games. All of them will to be in a new version Basic Pascal Pack. And a new version Basic Pascal Pack will be published for download.

Basic Pascal pack - whole pack of games and programes, written with basic and pascal. It is retro. With each game and program there is a page at author`s website. There are aditional information, descriptions, pictures, arts.

Basic Pascal: http://www.dimalink.tv-games.ru/packs/basicpascal/index_eng.html

Itchio: https://dimalink.itch.io/basic-pascal GameJolt: https://gamejolt.com/games/BasicPascal/773385 Website: http://www.dimalink.tv-games.ru/home_eng.html

[smbhax]

Gradius II (Famicom)

Session: https://youtu.be/XC2fhR73maw

[retrogamingloft]

Beamrider is an arcade-style shooter developed by David Rolfe and published by Activision in 1983. Originally designed for the Intellivision, it was later ported to a range of systems, including the Commodore 64. The game offers a unique take on the genre, combining fast-paced action with a visually striking pseudo-3D perspective.

In Beamrider, you pilot a spacecraft tasked with defending Earth from alien invaders. The action takes place on a grid of beams stretching into the distance, giving the illusion of depth and setting it apart from the typical flat 2D shooters of its era. Your ship moves horizontally along the bottom of the screen, firing lasers at enemies advancing along the beams. The goal in each wave is to destroy a set number of enemy ships to progress to the next "sector," with the game becoming more difficult as you advance.

The Commodore 64 version captures much of the original gameplay’s intensity, offering smooth graphics and responsive controls that make it enjoyable to play. The grid design is well-represented, though slightly less vibrant compared to the original Intellivision version. Enemy movement and animations are fluid, and the pseudo-3D effect remains intact, albeit less pronounced. The sound effects on the C64 are simple but effective, with crisp laser blasts and explosions enhancing the action.

Gameplay in Beamrider is highly challenging. Enemies appear in increasingly aggressive waves, and the player must react quickly to dodge attacks and destroy threats. Strategic use of the ship's limited torpedoes is essential, especially against certain enemies or obstacles that are resistant to the primary laser. Each sector introduces new challenges, keeping the gameplay fresh and engaging for those chasing high scores.

Personally I've always appreciated Beamrider for its innovative presentation and addictive gameplay. While the Commodore 64 version is faithful to the core mechanics, I feel visual impact was slightly diminished compared to the Intellivision, which had leveraged its unique hardware to create a more pronounced sense of depth. Despite this, the C64 port stands out as one of the better home computer adaptations, maintaining the speed and intensity of the original.

Today, the game is still remembered as a hidden gem from the golden age of gaming. Its combination of skill-based action, unique visuals, and escalating difficulty ensures it remains a favorite for fans of classic shooters. The Commodore 64 version, in particular, is a testament to how well the system could replicate an arcade-like experience.

PS. 

Once again, the game is extremely challenging. Based on what I’ve seen on YouTube, I highly doubt it’s possible to progress beyond a certain point without using TAS or similar tools. For the record, I don’t use TAS, so my longplay showcases me clearing the first 10 sectors, with the 10th completed on the hardest difficulty. The game features three difficulty levels, and the 10th stage marks the beginning of Difficulty 3. In games with endless or a very high number of repetitive levels, most longplays focus on showcasing at least one level completed on the hardest setting—and that's exactly what I achieved.

[spencertheclown]

lum edit yayyy :3

[aardwolfpack]

During my early teens this was the most advanced and entertaining video game I could play on any machine at home. It didn't measure up to state of the art games like Descent II and Star Fox 64, but to my brother and me it was a treasure. If only there were more than six planets.

[turbofishgamedev]

Así va progresando la mecánica para entrar en la atmósfera y luego aterrizar en el puerto espacial de alguna ciudad.

[w1k]

As part of polish work, screen shake (yes I will add an option to disable it)

[papiplays]

If there was 1 game that defined my love for space shooters it was definitely Gradius III.

What shooters have you played?

Gradius III, released for the SNES in 1991, is a classic side-scrolling shoot 'em up game that tests players' reflexes and strategic skills. As the pilot of the Vic Viper spacecraft, players must navigate through waves of enemy ships and obstacles, upgrading their weapons and abilities along the way to face off against powerful bosses. With its challenging gameplay, stunning visuals, & iconic power-up system, Gradius III remains a beloved title in the shoot 'em up genre, offering intense action & nostalgia for fans of retro gaming.

[kneelian]

Loading screen for Extermination Shock digital/photoshop 2024

[posthumanwanderings]

Gaiares (Telenet Japan / Renovation - Genesis - 1990)

[gamechestgames]

Now Playing: R-Type II

Who doesn't like a good pew pew game? Hmmmm?

[dimalink]

Green and mechanics

Pixel art for today based on videogame W Rings – Double Rings for game console TurboGrafx16. It is a space shooter. So, lots of them. And all of them are interesting. Space games. So, you are fly in space. And you shoot at something. Something is happening there. Science fiction is at your tv screen.

And this is my drawing about the same theme. It is also a space shooter. Cyborg odyssey 1 runs into plants with mind, which can do a tech. They fly with fuel from plants. And civilize space with little islands with plants in space. Green odyssey runs at appearance of cyborgs. So, it first, was idea – that above the horizon event – unlimited space. But here they are cyborgs.

You can explore as a plants, as a cyborgs.

So here are two ideas. First idea. It is game explore. And plants can go to cyborgs base. And there is tech, computers, industrial, wires. And cyborgs can go to plants islands, base. So, everything is growing there. And bio intelligence creatures. Very different. And everything is out of plants and chemical it is made with.

So, such game explores about two different worlds. And to explore theme. They are very different. You need to fly in space and collect something valuable. Upgrade your ship. Collect some data.

Second type of game. It is well known. Just shooter. Robots against plants in space. Also, theme. Well known, and simple. If to make dynamics – it is interesting.

Dima Link is making retro videogames, apps, a little of music, write stories, and some retro more.

WEBSITE: http://www.dimalink.tv-games.ru/home_eng.html ITCHIO: https://dimalink.itch.io/ GAMEJOLT: https://gamejolt.com/@DimaLink/games

TUMBLR: https://dimalink.tumblr.com/ BLOGGER: https://dimalinkeng.blogspot.com/

[smbhax]

Gradius 2 - from Konami Antiques MSX Collection Vol.2 (PS1)

Session: https://youtu.be/YzbOZXMYy5Y

[retrogamingloft]

Astroblitz is a space shooter for the Commodore 64, released by Creative Software in 1983. Reminiscent of Defender, players control a spaceship tasked with eliminating waves of alien invaders threatening the planet's surface. To advance to the next stage, you must destroy all enemies. Along the way, protecting a series of buildings is advisable, as aliens can convert them into enemy stations if they make contact. Accidentally shooting these buildings also reduces the bonus points awarded at the end of each stage.

The gameplay is fast-paced, with waves of enemies becoming increasingly difficult. Players must balance destroying enemies with avoiding damage to the structures they’re defending. Precision and strategy are key, as both enemy contact and friendly fire can impact the player's score.

With simple, colorful graphics and classic arcade-style action, Astroblitz offers a challenging and engaging experience for fans of early 8-bit shoot-'em-ups.

[vertebrae-entertainment]

24.02.23

Hi again y’all! Its been a wild couple of weeks, for sure- we have what feels like a million irons in the fire, and we’re still getting used to that. Some of that is too privy for discussion yet, so while we’re waiting let me update you on whats happening TODAY!

So do you remember Lifeline, our HTML endless shooter from last year?

We’ve used some downtime to polish it up a bit, and are discussing where we could take the project. As before the game as is, is still free to play and fully available here on GameJolt- but i feel like its definitely one of our most snappy and addictive games, and it would be fun to see if we could get some mileage outta that!

Yesterday Åge took some time to tweak the visuals and speed, and today we’re gonna attend an in-person playtest at the office to see if we can gather some ideas. Hell, maybe y’all got some ideas here too!

The Hamar Game Collective Testbonanza is a bi-monthly event where local gamedevs and students crawl out of the woodwork and gather at our office to test each others games. If you’re in the area, pop by and grill this project LIVE

Here’s some quick and nasty concept art i cooked up yesterday by editing the Carina Nebula cosmic cliffs (beautiful!) over a screenshot of the game. While it looks cool, i also think it would be wildly distracting from the gameplay- and that much of its charm comes from how simple it looks. However, the artist in me can’t help but complicate things! Maybe there’s a nice middle ground somewhere...

The music stays though :) Its one of my favorite works! Give the game a try if you haven’t, yeah?

-Hauk

[iloveabunchofgames]

#JakeReviewsItch

Absolute Blue

by joemanaco

Price: Name your own price

Included In: Bundle for Ukraine

Genre: Shooter

Pitch: A horizontal shoot-them-up set in space.

My expectations: The overly smooth, shiny, pre-rendered art style, with all its mismatched pieces, is so working for me. Itch doesn't usually attract the harshest critics for free, little indie games, but the average user review score is a shockingly low 1.3/5. Good or bad, I'm psyched to take a crack at this for myself.

Review:

Stop me if you’ve heard this one: A spaceship flies to the right, shooting enemies, weaving through tight spaces, and collecting power-ups.

There’s nothing wrong with a space shooter that sticks to genre conventions. (See my glowing review of 1993 Space Machine.) We know what works. Konami established the modern horizontal-scrolling shmup in place with 1981’s Scramble and cemented the form with Gradius in 1985. It is a solved genre. Absolute Blue knows how these games are supposed to work, but it has no idea why they work. It bungles all the details.

Long stretches without enemies or obstacles are common. Sometimes they’re littered with a few items. Most of them just add to the score (yippie…), though some increase weapon spread. Get one or two, and holding down the fire button nearly fills the screen with rapid shots. Enemies go down quickly and inflict minimal damage, which is good, because their shots are all but impossible to see among the relentless barrage of excessive, glowing explosions.

Walls, however, are instant death. They’re also often obscured by explosions and particle effects, and thanks to the spaceship’s eight-directional, single speed controls, precise moves are out of the question.

+ Looks the part. + Raining death in all directions

– Boring, slapped-together level design. – A baffling mix of ridiculously easy and punishingly cruel. I couldn't get through the first level. There are three difficulty levels, and as far as I can tell, they're all identical. – Excessive effects make it difficult to see what's happening and cause way more slowdown than a sprite-based, 640x480 game should on a modern PC. – Runs exclusively at 640x480. On my 1080p TV, full screen is a blurry mess, and windowed is itty-bitty. I messed around with dgVoodoo 2 to force better scaling options, which does look better, but this game is not worth that kind of effort.

🧡🧡🤍🤍🤍

Bottom Line: Not abysmal, and it's free, but with hundreds of better horizontal shooters, why would you bother?

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