henke on 4/4/2021 at 09:07
Hey folks, I just released a new game!
[video=youtube;lelEqRw4Ut0]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lelEqRw4Ut0[/video]
It's free, on itch, go play: (
https://henke.itch.io/the-last-hover-cabby)
After I wrapped up Stilt Fella last year I spent the summer working on a few prototypes, this was one of them. I'm not sure if I'm ever gonna turn this into any bigger, more commercially viable product, but I still felt like it was too good not to share with the world. So I just spent the last 2 weeks turning this prototype into an ACTUAL video game. This means: adding menus, options, save system, music, overhauling graphics, tweaking some features, updating the engine and fixing every bug I could find. Oh, and I thought of a title: The Last Hover Cabby in Sector G. A title which not only sounds cool, but also conveniently explains why there's no AI traffic in the game!
My main purpose with this release is to see what people think of it, and figure out if it's an idea worth continuing work on. So, whadayasay TTLG? Is this something?
Kolya on 5/4/2021 at 00:35
From the video this reminded me of Cloudpunk. I played it and the first thing I noticed is that this is a game where you fight the camera a lot if not mostly, since my cab was obscured by buildings right from the start and the slow camera movement made it hard to do turns. Then I wondered what a station looked like. This was relatively easy though. On my first few trips I badly damaged the cab and was told to see a repair shop. No idea what it looks like again. Doing those trips I wondered why I'm in a hover cab but cannot seem to change altitude (and fly over those skyscrapers). I enjoyed the music, the movement of the car and its jets and the tracer lines. I think I would have enjoyed the game more with a closely following camera or even mouse controlled camera. At least that would make it my fault if I can't see where I'm going. :)
henke on 5/4/2021 at 12:05
Thanks for playing and giving feedback!
I expected a lot of people to complain that you can't go up or down but so far I think you've been the only one to mention it. I do admit it seems like insanity to make a hovercar game and then just ignore the 3rd dimension, but I feel like games often play better in just 2 dimensions rather than 3. I do have some ideas about adding more verticality to the gameplay, but I'll save those for if I ever turn this into something bigger.
And yeah, I've had other complaints about the camera as well. I guess that's a gamedev blindspot for me, knowing my way around the city so well that the camera isn't a hinderance.
Tomi on 5/4/2021 at 13:25
I played it for a little bit! It's a fun little game for sure, but I think it needs more than just cruising around and doing taxi fares. I agree with you about the 3rd dimension, and of course the hover-grid doesn't allow you to fly all over the place, but... what if there was a tiny amount of vertical space to play with? :) You know, just for evading objects and stuff (and maybe in the future other hovercars), not for climbing on top of the skyscrapers to admire the view. I think it'd look pretty cool too. Just an idea, but that might (or might not) be the little extra thing that the game needs in my opinion.
The camera does feel a bit wonky at times, perhaps a traditional follow camera from behind could be worth a shot? Dunno, it might be boring and more disorientating though. The controls feel pretty good, but because of the camera angle it's sometimes not easy to find good "racing lines" and keep it smooth. I think that the boost could be a bit more... boosty. That would help with those sharp turns and spice up the flying a bit.
My first game ended after only a couple of fares when I broke my taxi. I must say that it was a bit frustrating, even though the game did warn me I suppose. But I chose not to believe it and kept on cruising. :D Maybe somehow visualize the damage (smoke coming out from the engine or something) instead of just slapping the game over text in front of the player?
henke on 5/4/2021 at 13:50
There is smoke coming out of the engine when you're under 40% condition, tho perhaps it's a bit hard to see at night. I should add some sparks as well.
Thanks for playing! :)
Anarchic Fox on 5/4/2021 at 21:32
If you renamed it "The Only Hover Cab in Zone G," you could do a Simon and Garfunkel filk about it. :angel:
Yakoob on 6/4/2021 at 06:41
Non game-specific tip: try making a Web Build, you'll easily see 3-5x as much plays on Itch. I did that with RoYP and it was surprisingly painless. I spent maybe a day on the WebGL specific tweaks (tho I skipped save games since the demo isn't that long).
henke on 6/4/2021 at 07:39
This whole thing is 289MB (384MB without compression) so I feel like it might be too big for WebGL. Anyway, it is the kinda thing where I do want players to buy in a bit. Download the whole thing and get into it, rather than just briefly test in a browser.
Kolya on 6/4/2021 at 08:50
Tom, get your cab right on time
I know your part'll go fine
Fly down to Bongo
Doh-n-doh-de-doh-n-doh
And here I am
The only hover cab in Zone G
Anarchic Fox on 23/4/2021 at 19:24
For those who don't know what we're on about, here's the original:
[video=youtube;7LNIXkkumTw]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7LNIXkkumTw[/video]
If you do make this into a full game, Henke, I'll finish Kolya's filk, including audio.
Whether you take that as an enticement or a threat is up to you.
