Comments on: Duality ZF – March 2009 Tech Demo (Xbox 360; Shoot’Em Up; Shmup; 2D Shooter)

By: yaustar

yaustar — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 16:01:04 +0000

Oh. No offense but …
Oh. No offense but the game holds less charm for me then. I was actually hoping for some interesting mechanics involving using both ships rather then simply controlling two ships with one pad (e.g When Ship A shoots Ship B, Ship B fires sideways instead of forward).

Now it just sounds like a standard shump.

By: matthewdoucette

matthewdoucette — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 16:01:04 +0000

also, yaustar, the …
also, yaustar, the reason both ships do not die when one ship gets hit (in dual play) is because the concept of dual play is controller two players at the same time. just like plugging two quarters into both players in an arcade. two independent players at the same time. we combine the scores of these “two players” as the game recognizes there is only one person playing, but wanted to leave the original concept the same.

By: matthewdoucette

matthewdoucette — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 16:01:04 +0000

yaustar, dual play …
yaustar, dual play is completely optional! the game is designed around multi-fighter action (multiplayer or dual play single player) but you can play solo play (one ship) single player, too! dual play may be unlockable, forcing everyone to play solo play to not deter newcomers who cannot grasp dual play immediately!

By: matthewdoucette

matthewdoucette — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 16:01:03 +0000

Yaustar, you speak …
Yaustar, you speak of a ship-interference dynamics. It’s a completely separate idea from dual play. Usually it’s when ship A shoots ship B, ships A’s bullets are modified and more powerful. Or ships that connect, which ruined the point of dual play. We planned on having extreme advanced multiple ship dynamics (which I cannot mention yet), but it will be pushed back to the sequel. It will come, and dual play is a far greater feature than such things.

By: JDoucette

JDoucette — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 16:01:03 +0000

Any mechanic …
Any mechanic available for Dual Play ships would also be available for multiplayer. (No mechanic exists, but we have ideas.) Your award for controlling two ships = double firepower + more screen coverage without movement. Modifying the firing direction for Dual Play ships converging may hurt a want to combine power to kill particular enemies fast. The response must remain predictable, as control is hard already. The game gets intense; we want you to react, not think. Any ideas are welcome.

By: JDoucette

JDoucette — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 16:01:03 +0000

Duality: ZF is not …
Duality: ZF is not standard since Dual Play is implemented natively, meaning it understands 1 user it controlling 2 ships, and thus shares remaining fighters between them, and shares their score, and gives auto-fire and morphs the weapon with a single button/trigger to make it easier to control. Also, all 4 users can have 2 ships (8 in total). In a real arcade, none of this would be possible; you’d be limited by the mechanics that exist due to their design of uming 1 user controls 1 ship.

By: matthewdoucette

matthewdoucette — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 16:01:02 +0000

i have tried to …
i have tried to contact VTF-INO to showcase our game! i now see your vision, and maybe you now see ours: our game is simple on purpose, with concentration on pure move and shoot arcade gameplay, extended to the maximum intensity.

By: yaustar

yaustar — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 16:01:02 +0000

That’s the kind of …
That’s the kind of play style I was thinking of (strategic to get the highest score) but extended and built further upon to take account of a single player using two ships.

Admittedly, that goes against your aim of 8 player/ship bullet so it really doesn’t apply.

Trying to think of something that would fit with your theme and freely admit, it isn’t easy…

By: JDoucette

JDoucette — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 16:01:02 +0000

Yes. Those gamers …
Yes. Those gamers are amazing!

By: yaustar

yaustar — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 16:01:02 +0000

Out of interest, …
Out of interest, have you seen the Ikaruga dual play videos?