Frequent Flyer, a small shoot-em-up game

WIP games, tools & toy projects
#1

Hello everyone,

My name is Vladimir, I’m a developer from Latvia. I wanted to share my current project, small shoot-em-up Frequent Flyer, and occasionally post updates here. The aim of the game is simple: fly your plane around, eliminate enemies.

Even though I’ve soft-launched the game on android market, it’s still work in progress and I’m constantly trying to update it. I plan to release it to desktop machines, as well as android / iOS. It took me 45 days to make, I’m using Libgdx as a java framework. Right now there’s 7 enemies and 10 different unlockable planes. The progression is also there: as player gets more score, new unlocks become available.

Small Video:

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Screenshots
Invulnerability on hit:

Smaller lasers:

Latest Gameplay gif (keeping it updated):

web: http://coldwild.com/flyer
android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.coldwild.frequentflyer&referrer=utm_source%3Djg
greenlight: http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=744697163

Any feedback is appreciated. I’ll be trying to post updates here every other day :slight_smile:
Cheers!
Vladimir

#2

Some feedback from me, I played the html version.

  • I’m not sure what I am unlocking when I score points
  • I feel constrained with the boxed up environment
  • Is there an aim to the game?
  • I can’t get more than 2 hearts
  • Had a fun old school arcade feel to the game
  • Liked the sound
  • Controls were smooth
#3

Thank you for your reply and for trying the game out! I’ll try to give clarity on unlocks (adjust the end-game message “you have N points left till unlock)”.

Regarding boxed up environment - do you think there can be a reasonable alternative?

Right now, the aim of the game is to score as much points as possible. It just focuses on progression: you get points, you unlock plane (that fits your style, I tried to make them different, some have lower max hp (like two), others are tougher, but slower).

#4

Updated the game effects today: the bullets are bigger (and prettier), zeppelins have movement animation to them (the air around them is moving). here are some screenshots:

#5

Made another game update: improved SMG weapon visuals and added a new game mode!

The aim of ‘Time Attack’ mode is to gather time bonuses and kill enemies while the countdown timer is ticking. If timer reaches zero - the game is over. In this mode, the player has no lives (cannot be destroyed). Instead, the time is decreased on every collision with bullet or enemy. The only way to die is to reach ‘00:00’ on countdown timer or fly outside of field bounds.

#6

Hey!

Today was quite a productive day. I’ve changed my ‘Chaotic’ mode into ‘Infinite’ mode: battlefield now has no borders, making the game pretty much an open world game! Fly around as much as you wish, but the enemies are still going to appear not far from you. Did not expect that it would change the gameplay so much: I’m seriously considering removing bordered modes all together. The game just feels much better and action-packed that way, the life time of a player also increased and there are no more frustrating experiences when one moves away from the screen.

Happy hunting!

#7

Some more updates: started adding better animations, most bonuses will have something to show when player picks them. I’ve also added animations to b25 and scouts, adds some movement feeling to screenshots.

Animations on b25:

Animations on weapon pickup (changes color dynamically):

#8

Played the browser version, found a couple bugs here and there:

  • after switching the key bindings mid-game, I couldn’t fire any more; started another game and it worked fine again
  • in infinite mode, just after spawning myself, an enemy (basic type) spawned right in front of me, within the screen (EDIT this happened 3 times)
  • in infinite mode, two white plane enemies spawned right in front of me, a couple seconds apart, within the screen once again
  • the message stating you unlocked the secondary rocket weapon is too long and doesn’t fit the screen; you might want to check all of them

J0 :slight_smile:

#9

Hey J0! Thanks for letting me know, I’ve recorded this to an issue tracker and will get to fixing it tomorrow :slight_smile: Noticed that the enemies are spawning in front of me too, going to look into it.

Meanwhile, I wanted to share what I’ve made today. I’ve shipped quite a big update:

  • Implemented the Dive function (in browser: can press shift);
  • Camera now goes towards the flight direction, can see more in front of you
  • Improved background (player and enemies can be seen much easier)
  • Added cool effects to star pickups

Here are some screens:

#10

Heya!

Really excited to announce a new update: decided to change projectiles again, make them and explosions brighter. The second plane is now automatically unlocked too + some weapons have spread now, making their behavior a bit more unpredictable (but also making it easier to hit rockets).

Here are the screenshots:

#11

Also, a big shout-out to J0: fixed the bugs that you’ve reported (enemies won’t spawn right in front of you + bonus name shortened, will fit the screen now!).

As of controls bug: could not repeat it, but if you can describe the steps, it will be greatly appreciated :slight_smile:

#12

I couldn’t reproduce it the way I remembered it happening :frowning: Sorry…

#13

No worries, thanks for trying! :slight_smile: I’ll fix it if I encounter it again. Really appreciate your help.

#14

Some more graphical changes for today!

  • explosions/effects are now drawn beneath the player and enemies, will improve gameplay experience
  • awesome muzzle flash added!
  • rockets have awesome tails now!
  • small clouds effect fixed and returned
  • text is much more readable on background

Pics:

Muzzle flash:

Clouds and rocket tails!

Also, from the bigger news, the game actually got featured on gamejolt, got me pretty happy about that :slight_smile:

#15

Played well, worked first time on Chrome windows 10 with zero fuss, nice work.
Good gameplay, but maybe a small radar mini map would be good to know where the action is.

#16

Thanks for checking the game out! :slight_smile: Minimap is in the backlog somewhere, writing other stuff now and looking for the right way to implement it. (especially in endless mode, I think I’d need to show only the neighboring areas), let me know if you have any ideas

Speaking of changes:

  • small lasers added (but I think the way I implemented them makes them look more like lightsabers)
  • death ray follows enemy plane now: https://gfycat.com/AggravatingDelectableLadybug
  • 3 second invulnerability after being hit
  • small rockets have trails
  • minelayer issue fixed: mines are spawned properly now
  • creates give more ammo for 2+ cannon planes now
  • organized mode: changed the ‘approaching enemy indicator’ color to cyan, will be harder to confuse with hearts now
  • web version: resolution change!

Death Ray:

Invulnerability on hit:

Smaller lasers:

#17

The webpage won’t load anymore :o

http://i.imgur.com/hnYgk0v.png

[sup]full res: click image[/sup]

EDIT: went to this page and it worked… don’t ask me where I got that url :persecutioncomplex:

#18

This looks very similar to an old arcacde game I used to play called “Time Pilot”…

#19

Hi,

I played it and thought it was really fun.

The environment did feel a little constrained. I suggest enlarging the map size by 20-30% and seeing how it plays.

I really like the music and graphics. The overall fun factor is high, too. Keep up the good work!

PS: Helicopters would be cool in this play style!

#20

That’s why I always end up playing in infinite mode as well :point:
Also, I’m TOTALLY backing up the idea to have helicopters! (And while you’re at it, there’s a lot of other flying vehicles you could add, but I’ll leave that up to you)

J0 :slight_smile: