[WIP] Glitchbuster - Looking for feedback on the demo

[remvst]

Hello everyone,

Some of you may remember the results of js13k 2016, in which Glitchbuster made first in the mobile category, and second overall.
Ever since I started working on that game, I knew I wanted to make something bigger, not bound by the 13kb limit.

Well, after several months of work on v2 of the game, I just published the game on Steam Greenlight, and I'm hoping that I can release it on the Steam platform in the coming months.
Steam Greenlight is basically a community system where players can vote for the games they want to see in the store. Games that are popular enough get the right to get published on Steam and are accessible to millions of players.

The game is quite different from the original js13 entry, so here is the pitch:

Quote

Glitchbuster is a game about fixing glitches in... a game!

You are a little debugger, and your job is to fix all the glitches before the release!

Each level is procedurally generated and features a new set of glitches. Once you've finished the level, the glitches are fixed and you can move on to the next one.
Levels may contain enemies, mines, laser traps, spikes, fire, turrets... and many more.

In order to help you fix glitches, you have a large set of powers that you can unlock: shotgun, rocket launcher, flamethrower, teleporter, double jump, sprint, and many more! Each power features a tutorial to help you learn how to use it and decide which one to equip.
You can also choose a secondary power which helps you without the need of activating it: higher health, reduced damage, additional time or health when destroying an enemy, higher drop probability...

Over 40 glitches are already included in the game: ice levels, visual glitches, mines everywhere, stronger enemies, bigger explosions... making each playthrough unique!

Will you be able to fix all the glitches before the game gets released?

And here is a nice trailer I put together:

 

If you think the game is worth putting on Steam, please take a minute and upvote it using your Steam account on its dedicated page: http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=927798008

Glitchbuster is the result of months of work, and getting to publish it on Steam would mean a lot to me. I appreciate any kind of support, and I would really love it if you could help me get it to the Steam store.

[end3r]

It's great to see you're pushing it to Steam! Seeing Evil Glitch greenlit already, and your game on the road to that, feels really cool.

Fingers crossed and good luck!

[remvst]

Thanks man, I definitely wouldn't have pushed a game like that if it wasn't for js13k Now let's see if I can "compete" with the big players on Greenlight.

For those interested, I also still working on the game itself. I am still trying to make it look fun, add relevant gameplay elements, and balance the whole thing, so feedback (postive AND negative) is always welcome

[BdR]

Wait, how can you distribute HTML5/JavaScript games on Steam? Which development tool are you using?

[remvst]

There are already a few games on Steam using HTML5, for instance Adventure Lamp which was made using Construct 2 (there is even one that was posted here recently).

Basically you can wrap any HTML5 app using nw.js (used to be called node-webkit). It's like a Chrome browser without all the toolbars, and some additional APIs.

[remvst]

Hey everyone. Turns out the game was greenlit just before Valve shut the system down, so Glitchbuster will be on Steam!

Anyway, I thought I'd give some development updates, so here it is:

Steam Store Page

Getting a page on the Steam Store is a lot of work. But here it is, Glitchbuster has its own page on Steam.

Deciding about the price took a lot of thought. While I want to set a fair price for the year of work behind the game and aim for make a game that is worth a decent amount of money, I don't want players to think that it is overpriced. My goal is not to earn a lot of money, so I can afford setting a low price. I would rather not make a lot of money and have more players, as well as not disappointing them.

Anyway, the price I have decided is $5. Hopefully players will think it's fair.

New main menu style

The old menu was pretty basic, and I was never too happy with it. This is the new version:

Dark World Glitch

Being able to add glitches in the game feels much better than fixing them. So here is one that I added just yesterday:

http://www.indiedb.com/games/glitchbuster/videos/dark-world-glitch#imagebox

For those interested in how it works, I simply cast a few rays around the player. If a ray hits an obstacle, then the player should not be able to see further. I can then draw a shape based on all these rays to hide the world.

Below is a short video showing the raycasting in action.

http://www.indiedb.com/games/glitchbuster/videos/raycasting-tests#imagebox

Large Powers/Glitches Refactor

For a while, powers and glitches were a little too separate, which made it tedious to add glitches that have the same features as powers. An afternoon of refactoring made it much easier to add new glitches that give powers to enemies.

Here is a quick video of what it looks like when enemies have flamethrowers, jetpacks, and can teleport:

http://www.indiedb.com/games/glitchbuster/videos/glitch-testing#imagebox

This also showcases how different sets of glitches make every level unique. Beating one level is very different from beating another, because of its structure and the way glitches affect the gameplay, which makes it crucial to pick the right power for the right level.

Public Trello Board

Since the game's core features are pretty much done, I am now pretty much just polishing it, tweaking gameplay features, but also cutting everything that I consider unfit for the final game. In order to keep track of everything I need to do, I have decided to create a Trello board that you can find here.

Miscellanous

• Getting native builds ready for Windows, Mac and Linux
• Changing resolution from a 4:3 aspect ratio to 16:9
• Sound updates, additions, tweaks
• Integrating Steamworks SDK
• Weapon refactor so that glitches can integrate those more easily
• Tweaked weapon tutorials

Up Next

• Getting a demo ready to release on Steam
• Getting testers feedback
• Making a final level/boss
• Adding achievements
• Adding a speedrun mode
• ... and many tweaks here and there!

See you all for the next update!

[end3r]

Great to hear about the progress, and good luck finishing the game!

[remvst]

Wow so I just realized I completely forgot to give an update to this topic.

Anyway, I've been posting a few updates through Twitter and IndieDB at http://www.indiedb.com/games/glitchbuster, so check it out if you want to see the latest glitches in the game.

Obviously, I wasn't able to finish the game for September like I planned, but I am now aiming for the second half of November. I am now just polishing things, collecting feedback, and fixing the little things that make a game enjoyable.

If you're interested in trying the game, I would love to hear your feedback on the demo that I put up at http://glitchbuster.herokuapp.com/. The demo only features 2 levels, but that should give you a clear idea of what the game is going to be like.

I'd recommend opening it on Chrome, since Firefox might be a little slower on some machines. Also give it a minute to load since there are a lot of sounds, and when the game is released it will be directly on the players' hard drive, so loading will be a lot faster.