damn this is hard

[game.liekd]

https://my.mixtape.moe/rgoqna.webm
short gameplay video for anyone who wants a look before they try

bugfixes+tweaks -- re-download if you've downloaded already, see description for details
it's not too huge, but if you do intend to spend some time with the game, there was a dumb bug that I didn't notice because I hadn't ever survived that long

this is hopefully the last revision, because if I need another, I screwed up somewhere else and didn't notice, lol

this is very nice but also very hard (or maybe i'm just a total n00b :D)

it is pretty hard
even if you're doing good, you're very unlikely to survive to 5 minutes, and the game enters an oscillation period of near-max to max difficulty by that point

and I did notice that the first 30 or so seconds are pretty easy to just die in (there aren't many enemies to shoot to regain lost time if you mess up earlier)

if I did an extended version later at some point, I'd probably rework a few things and add some features (like survival mode, and a best times list)
would work on it more, but one of the reasons I submitted it so early was that I didn't really expect to have time to work on it after because of IRL duties and shit (plus, it really was feature complete for what I'd intended to make for the compo)

[edit]
whoops, I might have to fix a few more things
most notably, if you press up+down, you just float there without falling

as useful as this is, a: you can only do this if you can press up+down on your chosen input method, b: it's a lot less useful if you can't move because of your keyboard ghosting left/right while up+down are pressed, and c: it's definitely a mistake

so at some point before voting starts, I'll (hopefully) do a sc.rev.3 release of eyesoul
gonna hold off on updating it asap, partially because of aforementioned IRL shit and partially because if I do find something else, I don't wanna have to re-upload again again :P

[edit 2]
lol time extension
might do a more substantial upgrade, because I've got a fucking bunch of time

Final release uploaded. Barring any major goofs, this should actually be 100% complete.

The same bouncing gimmick as Rebound 2: Electric Boogaloo except it
doesn't really work for this game.
In Rebound the level design was built around the weird physics, this just feels like a shump with bad controls.

well that's like your opinion, man :PPP
but really, think of it more in the vein of Asteroids rather than say, Galaga
I wanted a game where you're deftly maneuvering something with a bit of heft to it around.
Inertia is generally a rough sell for shmup players, but the game is largely built around expecting a good bit of sloppiness in movement, and I'd have designed a very different game had I given this traditional controls.
also, I actually dunno how you managed to get the idea that it's the same bouncing gimmick as Rebound 2 lmao

my biggest inspiration for the game was Exerion on the SG-1000, which has a similarly weighty flight model
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKrF-203I3g

For me the motion feels smooth and the controls are not hard to master at all.

Whether you like the bouncy feel or not, I don't think anyone can honestly, objectively call these controls bad; they do what they're supposed to do and they do it well. One being poor at predicting the outcome of their inputs is not a flaw in the game, it's a lack of skill problem and shouldn't be put on the game's fault.

In my opinion the inertia is a nice addition to spice things up, it adds difficulty and makes the simple concept much more interesting.

Hmm... After playing the game again I think I might have been too harsh.

It's not really a game about struggling against bad controls
so much as it is about staying calm under pressure.

If you move about wildly you will bounce into spaceships before you can even see them.
By only moving when necessary and carefully timing my shots I was able to get a high score of... 45.

There is a practice mode to allow you to get used to movement without the pressure of the clock and enemies trying to kill you. There is a definite learning curve.
One of the most useful things is actually to carefully throw yourself against the edges to make hard turns so you can get the drop on enemies (in particular, lure enemies upwards by hovering near to the top of the screen then bounce off the ground behind them and nail 'em).

if I did a post-compo revision, I'd do a decent bit of rebalancing though -- for one, I'd probably decrease how much time gets lost on hit early on and ramp it up as time goes on back to full level
losing seven whole seconds near the start is absurdly deadly since there's not enough to shoot to regain time easily -- although I can hit 1000+ with effort, I still do die a fair bit without breaking 100 because the beginning enemy rate is terribly unforgiving of mistakes

it's actually easier to survive early on in riot mode since you can lure a bunch of enemies up and wail on 'em with full auto rapid fire when near the top of the screen, and even if you do get hit again, it's a target-rich enough environment to max out your remaining time quickly

I've done a post-compo revision, and you can play it on the tic-80 website:
https://tic80.com/play?cart=622

The biggest changes are the new grace period at the start of each session where you only lose 4 seconds instead of 7, and enemy spawns are pushed back a couple frames when you die so you're less likely to get hit several times in a row immediately.
There's also a new attract sequence, a new song, and a few other small updates.

man, now that I've done this, I should really go finish WILD-BREAKER.ex like I said I would -- it's actually almost done with color and better collisions and the lot, I just haven't finished all the changes I said I'd do lol