As usual, let me thank all of you who have supported us. Spread the word about Hypt to your friends by sharing us on facebook, twitter, reddit, or anywhere. Talk about us, let the world know your thoughts, whether this game is the greatest thing since Half-Life 2 or the spiritual successor to Superman 64. Either way, all feedback, even negative feedback, is appreciated and helps make Hypt a better game.
No new builds this week as all changes have been minor, mostly involving bosses or levels that are not featured in any of my demo-builds. However I would stay tuned, because yesterday on Reddit's Feedback Friday I got a lot of excellent feedback, so I look forward to sharing the improvements I plan on making for Hypt with you soon, and hearing what you all have to say!
If you haven't played the latest demo build of Hypt, check it out in Downloads or play the web build here.
Anyways, let's talk obstacles.
Walls and Pitfalls
If you played the demo you have seen these, and no doubt you have seen these in virtually every game. The bread and butter that determine playable areas and boundaries in a game. When an element in the environment is raised above the height of the player, then the player simply wasn't meant to go there, neither if it looks like the floor ends. Fortunately there are invisible walls that prevent the player from falling to their doom.
Enemy projectiles bounce off of them as much as they do your shield, so be wary, even if a shot misses you, it can still bounce around and strike you from an unseen angle. When there are not walls, then the player should be even more cautious because some projectiles have no trouble passing through them. Sometimes, however, a pitfall blocks your progress. From this, you need to find a light-rail, and attach to it to progress.
Bytes
If you are familiar with the NES classic Breakout or its various clones developed over the years for both consoles and web-build flash gaming sites, then the concept of Bytes should be pretty self-explanatory. Row upon row of blocks obstruct your path. Your only way past them is to bounce a projectile into them and destroy them one at a time until your path is cleared. Fortunately unlike Breakout, your game does not end when the projectile hits the bottom of the screen, simply if it hits the player, not the shield. Also, unlike if the projectile hits an enemy, the projectile will survive hitting a Byte, and does not stop until either its life expires (which sometimes does not happen) or you reach the exit and complete the level.
Bytes are harmless to the player, but they obstruct your path. They need to be cleared before you can continue.
Ports
These enemies bear a superficial similarity to shielded Miners and shielded Infectors, however with several notable differences. The enemies attached to ports are a different color than most enemies. These are white and red rather than the usual black and red. Second, they are indestructible. However this serves a function: When struck by a projectile, the Port changes position, and the shield it is controlling rotates, opening new paths and closing others. Often these need to be aligned for the player to reach the end of the level, so be wary about other enemies or even the Port's own projectiles. Be wary, because they are dangerous and they can kill you.
Those are some of the obstacles you can expect to encounter in Hypt. But now, let's transition to the future and take a look at what you can expect in the future of Hypt with post-launch content and DLC.
The idea is that although Hypt has 120 levels, some could not find that enough after they have beaten all 120. By giving player packets of 30 additional levels periodically, I whet their appetite for reflection-based action arcade gameplay. However things will need to be different, otherwise I am just recycling content.
With this in mind, levels should look different as well. The core game uses a color scheme of black, and one of three primary colors, blue, green, and red. I can mix it up with some new colors, and new grid shapes.
If it's royal or feminine, i'll let you decide.
Hypt and the Maltese Falcon.
A diamond grid is but an example of what these levels could look like. There are varieties of triangle grids that could be utilized to the same effect, as well as other colors like yellow-green or orange.
However if the levels only look the same then it defeats the point. Let's look at some new enemy ideas.
Seeker
Rather than shoot you with projectiles, these enemies will slowly advance on your position. Although blocking them with your shield slows them down, if they touch the sphere, you die. The player can outrun and outmaneuver them without trouble, but if ignored they can shut down a player's maneuverability. Like most enemies, hitting them with an enemy projectile destroys them in one hit.
Emitter
This obstacle/enemy was conceived of during the early days of Hypt's development. The concept was that an enemy or object would emit a laser that would kill the player, enemies, and even projectiles on contact, and the player could redirect its aim by bouncing the beam off their shield. The emitter could be killed by an enemy projectile. However the idea was scrapped as collision was imprecise and the laser was difficult to aim. In the months that have passed I have learned much, I could conceivably revisit this piece of cut-content and make it fully functional.
Death Fields
The concept is simple. It's an area that if you walk into, you die. I suspect the same will not be true for projectiles being shot over them.
Blocks
Another simple obstacle. However these are perfectly harmless. They might obstruct the player's progress but they can be pushed out of the way. Enemy projectiles will bounce off of them harmlessly, making them both a boon and a threat to the player. A crafty player could use it as cover or use it to redirect enemy shots into other enemies or themselves, while other players may recognize that their placement adds another layer of unpredictability in how shots bounce around the level.
Conceivably, as more time goes on after Hypt's launch, I may come up with new idea or scrap these ideas. However all that depends on the success and interest in Hypt.
As usual, share and follow Hypt on Twitter, TIGSource, and vote us up on Steam Greenlight! Also, please leave your thoughts in the comments below. I'd still love to hear from you!
