Pixel Boat Rush (by XperimentalZ Games) Beta Testers Needed!

That's a good question. The first idea was to make opponents 'bumbable' like in 3D car races, with pixels boat parts flying on hit. However we quickly realized that this would have been too difficult and restrictive.

We'll see how's the first reaction from players on alpha test, but it looks like there's enough interaction between boats through weapons, and that there's enough things going on already.

 

Thanks! No ETA right now, although we'll try to release this fall.

We should have a first round of test soon (alpha, first impressions). We'll give more details in a couple of weeks probably.

 

Just poking to give some news, since it's been a while. The project is still alive although we've been delayed by the release of DRWAPS on Android and the unexpected Platforms Unlimited sneaking through.

In principle, activity should resume in a few weeks, followed by an alpha test soon after. We'll contact Platforms U testers to see if they'd like to test this game as well .

 

I must admit that we've got pretty darn close to shut this project down. The release of Platforms Unlimited did remind me how much effort is necessary on the last polish cycle of a game, even a simple one. Pixel Boat Rush had crawled in every directions features-wise and I could only imagine it would take forever to finish this for a 2 man team.

However, every time I'd go back to the game I was like, gee this is cool, we can't let this down. I really like the challenging one-touch racing system. Mixed with guns and pixels, that's pure joy for me.

So, I think we've found a way to cut a bit on planned features to recuperate the project. The progression structure will be a earn-a-trophy-level-by-level system, instead of a more open league progression with random events/stories and special championships. Unfortunately we'll also have to slash-down the equip-your-boat customization system.

However, the essence of the project is still there (pass your licenses, buy boats, lots of guns, many racing tracks, training mode against ghost, etc) and this probably puts us close to beta instead of alpha.

 

Thanks for the good words! We love the games we work on but at the end of the day, if they don't generate much interest, none of this make much sense any more.

This certainly is a source of motivation .

 

Well that's the major part being cut . Not entirely though. All the mechanics will remain, it's just that one ship will be associated to one specific set of equipment, all having their own effect on gameplay and controls. From the shop, the details on each system will be available.

It would be easy to add subset of boats though, with some variation on sets (like having a few options choice for a car). Total customization will remain a priority though, should we get some room on development.

 

I'll try to add a few posts this weekend to display some of the additions we've made.

This one is about the current boat display, separated by racing categories.



Every boat will have its own stats: top speed, acceleration, braking, downforce, armor and special equipment (like guns and defensive systems). Since they are relatively easy to create, there will probably be many more in game.

I'll try to tell more about the types of gun in the next post.

 

The funny thing is that they're more 'assembled' than drawn because they're all tiles map. That's how we can have bits of them fly in the air when they receive a hit. Another cool thing about visual damage is that it also indicates if the ship is about to explode or not.

We really should make a video to demonstrate gameplay and all asap, it would be about time.

 

Here's the post about gun categories. There will be a lot of sub-variations in each category but this describe the main characteristics of what we have so far.



Pistols (shotguns, machine guns, etc): the most standard weapons. They have low range.

Rockets: they can have a homing system to follow targets at long range. They have an area of effect on impact and deal lots of damage though they can be dodged.

Stunners: they slow down opponents and disable their offensive systems for a while. They don't do damage.

Grenade Launchers: they have an area of effect on impact. Their trajectory in arc can be used to hit boats not immediately in front.

Mines: they have an area of effect on impact. These are the only weapons used to blast opponents behind.

Plasma Balls: slow projectiles with a large radius dealing a good amount of damage. They can also have disabling properties.

Rail Guns: super high velocity projectiles with a medium range. They can pierce right through an opponent and hit several boats in a row.

Lasers: they have a good range and have an instantaneous 'cooking' effect on the target, which means that making a 'hit' is not as random.