Feb 17, 2007

Encounter Zone: the gameplay demo

Remember Cry of Xaz the freeware homebrew Dreamcast game I mentioned a couple of weeks ago? Good. Now forget all about it and get used to Encounter Zone, as this will henceforth be the game's name. What's more, a brilliant gameplay (with placeholder graphics) demo has been made available to the SEGA loving masses. Download it, burn the auto-loading DC cd and enjoy good old fashioned shmup action. Oh, and please, do let the talented entities responsible for this game know what you thought of it.

[Update]: For a brand new screenshot and some interesting bit of info on the latest build of Encounter Zone do have a look here.

Related @ Gnome's Lair: 5 reasons to own a Dreamcast, Star Fox PC, 1980 Coleco


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19 comments:

  1. If anyone has downloaded the demo in the past four hours, please download it again. I accidentally uploaded an older version that is full of bugs. Sorry for any inconvenience and wasted CD-Rs because of this :)

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  2. HOLY SHIT!!! I have to get someone who knows about technology to download and burn this for me...

    *Damn my technophobia!!!!*

    This is so exciting!!

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  3. (enters covered in soot and smelling of burnt plastic.....collapses....)

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  4. Oops!! I discovered a HUGE bug tonight while working on the game; one that affects the enemy AI. Therefore, I've uploaded yet ANOTHER build of the game at the same URL. You guys might have to start charging me for CDs :)

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  5. (quickly puts Elderly in the hands of the kinky and gentle female doctoring team for immediate recovery)

    Well, Brian, thanks for the constant updates mate... Oh, and CDs are pretty cheap those days. I wouldn't worry, really :)

    Father, be strong and listen to me. All you have to do is download and extract the game, and download and install discjuggler from padus. Then use discjuggler to burn the extracted disk image on an empty cd...

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  6. (purrrrrrr!....purrrrrrr!)

    thanks buddy.......

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  7. :)

    That's what friends are for you know...

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  8. Well, I started adding the last of the gameplay features to the game today. Rather than including boss battles (because I've pretty much stretched Fenix to the breaking point, i.e. ran out of resources), I've put in eight different "survival quadrants" which will test the shooting, dodging, and collecting skill of all comers. That's right... on these levels, shooting is FREE, and you'll start with a full energy tank. If you die, you lose the survival bonus, but you won't lose your ship. Perfect chain bonuses are quite large in these quads, and there is a potential for huge WIPE bonuses if you save them up (probably shouldn't have given that one away :) ) oh... AND... you'll start the next quadrant with a full energy tank. Call it a reward for all of the rationing and tough battling you had to do during the other quads.

    New alpha up within a week :)

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  9. Thanks again for the update Brian. Cheers!

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  10. Wow a living breathing Dreamcast developer...

    *FK bows and curtsies, comes over all humbled...* This is what should REALLY be on the DCJY...

    New Games!!! Brian any chance of an interview for the DCJY????

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  11. (follows Brian deuel back to his place.....)

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  12. father: absolutely... just drop me a line at webmaster@orubin.com...

    Just checked out dcjy... I can't believe, after visiting the Saturn junkyard for all of this time, that I missed that site. VERY nice :)

    the elderly: you're scaring me... then again, I'm new here so I don't know you that well :)

    p.s.- anyone know any good pixel artists? One that would actually be interested in working on a game like this? The one that is supposed to do the final graphics on my game can't do them now, and my attempts to find someone else have failed (so far). I really don't want to release the game with the current (borrowed) graphic set. I'd even be willing to cut a check for artwork, as long as it isn't TOO much :)

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  13. Elderly stop stalking people. You're not a stalking thing, y'know (SMACK!)

    Can't wait to read the interview really....

    Oh and Brian, why don't you ask over at Independent Gaming? Tim knows a lot of pixel artists.

    http://indygamer.blogspot.com/

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  14. (rubbing his jaw....) what was that for! I was only providing security for him.... damn a little stalki... erm!... bodyguard work and everybody goes all moralistic...

    ...i think you've loosened a tooth....

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  15. Oh, don't worry about that. My mum 's a dentist. She'll fix you up...

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  16. ...(checking his teeth in front of the mirror......)

    ...why that would be great... hope she uses an anasthetic... in fact i'll probably need some morphine for the pain...

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  17. N worries there either. Dad's an anaisthesiologist! Lucky you...

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  18. gnome: I'm thinking of asking a guy whose work I saw on Pixel Joint to do the graphics. I'll offer him some money and see if he'll bite :)

    If not, I'll just offer someone else some money. That's how serious I am about this game :)

    New alpha in a couple days (work and sleep willing)...

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  19. So, you didn't find anyone for free at indygamer, huh? Shame really. Still,I'm sure you'll solve the problem. Keep it up. Cheers!

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