Universal [Upcoming] GermZ Invazion! - Flu Season is Here! (Lost City Digital LLC)

Discussion in 'Upcoming iOS Games' started by Lostcitygamez, Nov 28, 2018.

  1. Lostcitygamez

    Lostcitygamez Active Member

    Dec 11, 2014
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    #1 Lostcitygamez, Nov 28, 2018
    Last edited: Dec 14, 2018
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    As a child, whenever I would get sick, I would imagine these awesome epic battles going on inside my body as my immune system tried to kill off all of those nasty viruses. These fun fantasies helped make every sleepless night, every nasty vitamin C pill and every dosage of “cherry flavored” cough syrup (which taste NOTHING like a cherry) a little more bearable.

    It was these childhood memories that inspired my new project.

    Germz Invazion is an arcady, fast paced, arena style 3rd person shooter that will be launching very soon, exclusively for iOS. You’ll play as a white blood cell soldier tasked with going to various areas of the body to kill viruses and help the body get better. Now if this sounds like some boring educational game, don’t worry, it’s not. Behind that bright color pallet and those cartoony graphics is a game that will put your aiming skills and reflexes through a severe test.

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    To keep things fresh and interesting, there are 3 game modes:

    - Survival: This is the main game mode and it’s exactly what it sounds like. Kill as many enemies as you can without dying. The objective is simple, the enemies are harsh and like the arcade shooters of old, you’ll be going for the high score. Game Center leaderboard support is being implemented now.

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    - Virus Hunt: In virus hunt, you are in a race against the clock to see how fast you can defeat the required number of enemies. You’ll have to be quick and careful because the enemies on this map are only the toughest.

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    - Cell Rescue: In Cell Rescue, you’ll be saving brain cells from a high fever. The brain cells will be scattered around the map and its your job to find as many as you can, as fast as you can, before time runs out.

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    Each game mode has a dedicated map that was designed specifically for that game mode and each map takes you to a different part of the body. You’ll be running and gunning through a hairy runny nose in Survival Mode. Virus Hunt Mode drops you in the middle of a very upset stomach. While Cell Rescue Mode forces you to run through a brain in the middle of a very hot fever.

    Now at this point you’re probably worried about the controls and that’s for a good reason. Mobile shooters don’t have the best track record for being easy to control. Thats why the choice was made to design controls that truly cater to mobile players rather than trying to mimic a console style control experience. As part of this decision, aiming on the Y axis was removed from the start. The entire game has been designed from the ground up around the X axis and it turned out to be a good choice. Everyone who has played the game always comments how smooth it controls and yet, even though you only have to aim left and right, the game is still very challenging.

    Germz Invazion is about 95% finished and will hopefully be released within the next 4-5 weeks, maybe sooner. In order to reach as wide of an audience as possible, the game will be released for free with minimal ads (intermittently on Game Over). There will be no in app purchases.

    Current Development Task:

    -Implementing GameCenter Leaderboards

    -Balancing difficulty per beta tester response

    - Bug squashing and performance enhancements

    I hope to post a gameplay video soon!
     
  2. Legion180

    Legion180 Well-Known Member

    Jul 23, 2015
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    A free game with minimal adds and no iaps? I’m curious to see this.
    Looks fun. Hope there will be a way to support the dev besides the adds.
     
  3. Lostcitygamez

    Lostcitygamez Active Member

    Dec 11, 2014
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    It's hard to believe considering the current trends of the mobile game industry but it's the absolute truth. The entire game can be played for free! All of the upgrades for your power suit are purchased via in game currency which is earned by killing enemies. In this game, you play to win-you don't pay to win. All of the game maps are unlocked and available to play for everyone. If the game gets popular enough, I will add more maps and enemies to the game free of charge.

    Using ads seemed like the best way to earn support for new projects without ruining the enjoyment of the player or blocking off parts of the game behind a pay wall. The ads are only on the Game Over screen. To keep the ads from getting too annoying and intrusive, the ads have been set up to only show every 5 minutes. Meaning the first time you die, you will see an ad and then for the next 5 minutes, you can play ad free. There is still some testing being done on the ad frequency to make sure they are not intrusive.
     
  4. Legion180

    Legion180 Well-Known Member

    Jul 23, 2015
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    Would you consider making the adds show up after finishing a battle/losing to earn bonus rewards? Instead of 5 minutes?
     
  5. Lostcitygamez

    Lostcitygamez Active Member

    Dec 11, 2014
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    Thats pretty much how it’s set up. Sorry, I probably didn’t explain it very clearly.

    The ads will only appear on the game over screen after a battle. There will never be a time when the ads appear during a battle. The 5 minutes is just to make sure the ads don’t get too annoying. So each user will only get 1 ad per 5 minutes.

    This is basically how it works:

    - You pick a battle arena and play.

    - Once you die, you go to a Game Over screen.

    - The ad is displayed and once you exit the ad, you can either restart the level or return to the main menu. At this point, you have been served your 1 ad and you can now continue playing ad free for 5 minutes.

    - Now you decide to pick a different battle arena.

    - Once you die, you are again taken to the game over screen... only this time, you will not get an ad since 5 minutes have not passed yet.

    - Now you decide to keep playing and perhaps you die a few more times. No ads are displayed.

    - You play another round and you get a Game Over. This time an ad does show up because it’s been 5 minutes since your initial Game Over.

    Hopefully that makes sense.

    Test are still being done to determine the right ad frequency. The goal is to let the average user go at least 2-3 rounds before seeing an ad.
     
  6. Legion180

    Legion180 Well-Known Member

    Jul 23, 2015
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    Oh, now I get it. Sounds good.
    Good luck on the development! I’m eager to try this game :)
     
  7. Lostcitygamez

    Lostcitygamez Active Member

    Dec 11, 2014
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    Time for a gameplay trailer! Final release coming soon!

     

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