XOP, a 2D shooter

I don't think I've ever posted about this here, so I might as well now. In 2002 I made a shooter called XOP and tried to sell it as shareware. That didn't work out very well, in 2006 I released it as freeware. Unfortunately it still had some bugs and issues, so I just recently re-released it with some fixes and gameplay changes.

Also, level 6 is sortof a tribute to Doom. >_>;

If you like 2d overhead scrolling shooters, check it out :

http://rydia.net/udder/prog/xop/

Oh, I will check this out. :D

Mmm...same goes for me...

I really don't like boss ships that take up the entire screen.

rf` said:

I really don't like boss ships that take up the entire screen.

Then try destroying them

not bad. got up to the third level on my first go around. the pillars in that stage were a bit unexpected. the "biological" stage reminded me of abadox, only better. very cool so far. will take another crack at it when I'm less tired and drunk, see if I get farther.

one thing though. a little documentation would be cool, unless I missed it somewhere. what the controls are and what each weapon does, lists of power-ups and telling us what those blue and purple discs that come out of some enemies are would be nice. other than that, no complaints so far.

rf` said:

I really don't like boss ships that take up the entire screen.

Remove them with your guns. YOU HAVE THE POWAH.

Pretty awesome game. Like the music. :)

Nice game, though I haven't played much yet.

udderdude, I'm interested in knowing what your sales were like and what kind of advertising you did (if you don't mind me asking, that is). I'm planning on doing a shareware release myself eventually (though I still have a lot of work to do on it), and I'd like to hear your experiences. What sort of restrictions did your shareware version have?

Reckoner said:

Nice game, though I haven't played much yet.

udderdude, I'm interested in knowing what your sales were like and what kind of advertising you did (if you don't mind me asking, that is). I'm planning on doing a shareware release myself eventually (though I still have a lot of work to do on it), and I'd like to hear your experiences. What sort of restrictions did your shareware version have?

I don't remember my sales, but it was very low. I didn't do a ton of advertising, mostly limiting myself to shareware sites and places hardcore shooter fans were known to hang out.

These days, your best bet is to try and get your game on a big service like Yahoo! Games. Your game has to be very good, though. In general the ones that sell are super-easy puzzle games or rip-offs of obscure arcade games (PopCap Games, cough cough). And they all have pro-level graphics and sound these days. If not pro, at least better than the usual programmer art you see in older shareware games (like mine!)

Haha, I remember buying this way back when!

Still awesome. :D

Although I hate crystal zone with a passion.

udderdude said:

These days, your best bet is to try and get your game on a big service like Yahoo! Games.

The trouble with that, of course, is that only casual games really stand a chance of making it. Anything that's meant to appeal to more dedicated gamers instead of middle-aged women won't have much chance of getting on a portal site. Fortunately, my development is just a hobby that I do for fun, and any money I happen to make is just a bonus to help offset my time and costs.

Reckoner said:

The trouble with that, of course, is that only casual games really stand a chance of making it. Anything that's meant to appeal to more dedicated gamers instead of middle-aged women won't have much chance of getting on a portal site. Fortunately, my development is just a hobby that I do for fun, and any money I happen to make is just a bonus to help offset my time and costs.

Your best bet, then, is to just set up a PayPal account and ask for donations. You don't have to worry about people having to pay to play your game that way. Games for hardcore, dedicated gamers don't really survive in the shareware world.

Bouncy said:

Haha, I remember buying this way back when!

Still awesome. :D

Although I hate crystal zone with a passion.

I thought Crystal Zone was one of the best levels in the whole game. Oh well >_<

Maybe it is; but it keeps killing me. x_x

I can find all the ones after Crystal Zone easier.

but Crystal Zone...I DIE. and die again...and again...and again...wah!

Bump .. reason : OMG SEQUEL

http://shmups.system11.org/viewtopic.php?t=18465

Yay!!

Gimme gimme gimme! :P

Looking forward to it.

This game is awesome. I'm impressed.

I remember playing a demo of this a long time ago from hamumu.com, I thought it was pretty awesome. Had no idea it was made by a Doom community guy.

cool. a sequel. I've so far gotten in to the gray zone. very tricky level.

Fun game you've made here, I'm pretty impressed. Plays well, has a nice balance of challenge. Got to the sky fortress on my first run on normal, but somehow one life and no shield just didn't quite seem to cut it. Maybe just slightly smoother graphics would be nice, it's kind of pixelated. But it plays great, so it's not a real issue.