Alright guys, we're down to the wire. Tomorrow, at approximately this time, I will post who is the winner. So what does that mean in the mean time? Well, vote! Give me your opinions, post in the forum! Remember, votes can help persuade me, but it alone will not determine the winner.
By the way, I hope the next contest is soon. I want in!
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heres a rundown on what i think (its a long post so get comfortable!),
ace of space should win as the code seems good and it has decent gameplay, the game is not lacking in features and genrally has all the right ingredients for a scrolling shooter. also does zallan have a boss? if not (i keep getting killed after 5 secs) then ace of space is the only game that meets competition criteria.
broken down, best game for each:
code:
correct me if i'm wrong, but i think for a competition on a programming site, the quality of code is the real deal - designing gameplay, creating graphics, mixing sounds and thinking of game features can be attributed to non-programming skills. i can only say ive brisked through the code and would not like to make an opinion here. Ill have to go by jonny d's recommendation and say ace of space..
and the rest:
features:
ace of space because its packed with many features including 2-player, powerups, enemies flash when hit, varied weapons, different enemies and a boss, options screen with neat control guide, enemies that home in on player, enemies that fire, in-game music, even a credits screen.
gameplay:
supernova, hands down. not just because i wrote it! (although i did create it based on what i'd consider decent gameplay).. mainly because i think supernova is closest in gameplay to a modern space shooter. action games should be FAST PACED! also in games that don't use mapped tilesets, the entity positions & movements make up the bulk of the gameplay. i was surprised with the other entrants in that most of the entities moved only in straight lines.. if ace of space cranked up the gears and made those cone-shaped aliens move around a bit it would easilly trump supernova because of that, plus the weapons and its pick-uppable powerups. (its a great game but just feels too slow!!)
presentation:
tough call, its a toss-up between kaati and supernova. katti has great still screens - start and game over screen fading in - plus the planet-descending idea and background is excellent. The OSD is kinda cool using numbers, the font reminds me of the wipeout games.. sprites are not bad-looking either. supernova sprites are crisp, hi-def and nicley animated, and has a decent OSD + animated menu and healthbar. id say supernova again, however i think if katti had more than 1 basic enemy then it's colourful cartoonish graphics could win here..
originality:
katti vs zallan? probably katti - in katti the mouse feature is interesting, like i said previously i think it would work better with smaller sprites and larger cursor.. is the alien skydiving through space? i like the way zallan uses geometric shapes for enemies.. if only i'd thought of that!
lifespan:
placing random powerups in ace of space make the game very replayable.. next time ill try and kill the spinning circle with a flamethrower.. also the difficulty is nicley balanced. i'm not sure on how to compare each games scalability here...
sound: id say ace of space - not supernova because the sound files are 50 megs (and although complete were not submitted in original)! disregarding file size, supernova contains best music and is the only game with sound effects to boost the gameplay.
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