Danmaku Gruidae (sequel to Danmaku Rave). Screenshots!
Some people here may be familiar with some of the stuff I've done.... bullet spraying danmaku-style bosses, done in LBP. Some may be familiar with Danmaku Rave, so far the largest machine I've made, and the most complex boss I've yet made.
I got alot of good responses about Rave, and it even got Spotlighted, much to my extreme surprise.
The responses though, differed wildly.... some said it was way too hard.... some said it was too easy! Some complained about certain mechanical issues, such as the slide, or the gate, or the fact that the thing doesnt stop firing when you die.
Overall though, it seemed that alot of players liked the thing.... I got alot of messages and whatnot.
Soooo, I had to make a sequel. It's taken bloody FOREVER, but the sequel, Danmaku Gruidae, is nearly complete. I'd say, about 95% finished at this point.
The big challenge here was the simple fact of trying to outdo Rave. Rave actually didnt use bullet patterns that were particularly complex; they were mostly based on spinning sprays. Didnt use all that many emitters, either. Yet, it still ate up ALL of the thermo.
I think I might have done it with this one though. Gruidae is far more complex than Rave was, uses alot more emitters, fires WAY more bullets, in far more complicated patterns, and overall, can do things that Rave never could. Dont ask me how I managed this. I'll say, there was ALOT of swearing.
Anyway, Im hoping that some players who liked Rave, or like a challenge, or even some fans of shmups might like this thing.
Unlike Rave, Gruidae is split up into multiple parts, each with a different physical form. So it's not just ONE machine you'll be facing here. There are 3 machines, and each one has the ability to change, and become more dangerous, given enough damage. The patterns are no longer based on simple sprays; they're gonna be more complex, like those of my later boss creations. This one can do some things the others could not though, such as aimed shots.
Gruidae will also come in three versions. Being that I'm a Cave fan, the versions will be called Original, Maniac, and Ultra, after Mushihime's three modes, with Ultra being by far the hardest. The point here is to make sure that everyone can enjoy the thing; Rave proved to be a bit too much for some players, and those players merely ended up frustrated, and I doubt they enjoyed themselves. So this time, they have the option of playing an easier version.
As it is, Ultra will be ALOT harder than Rave ever was; this one is for experts only. Most players will find Maniac to be quite a good challenge, but can always go with Original if that one is being aggravating.
And finally, in grand Cave tradition, something special awaits anyone skilled enough to defeat the three machines in the Ultra version; one final, special challenge, which will not be shown here (or open for testing at all).
Anyway, I just wanted to announce that the accursed thing is going to be releasing soon. This is, for the most part, why I havent been here much in the past few weeks; my time with LBP has been spent making THIS blasted thing.
And finally, some screenshots. Please keep in mind that this is still in development. There are a couple of visible switches or dark matter blocks in here, and the backgrounds for the most part havent been done yet. And you cant really see it in the first screenshot, but the background there is actually a swirling vortex of blue gas. I went to so much trouble to get it to do that! And I apologize for the quality here, but it's very difficult to get in-game screenshots of something that tries THIS hard to kill me, when Im using a digital camera :) Anyway, feel free to leave comments or questions or whatever.
Also, I could use some help with the last bit of testing; if anyone's interested in helping with that, please send me a PM.
http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2004-12/901939/Grue1.JPG
http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2004-12/901939/Grue2.JPG
http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2004-12/901939/Grue3.JPG
http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2004-12/901939/Grue4.JPG
