New Shelled! video & $5 special

Hi all! I've got a brand new video for Shelled! Online that specifically shows off all the different attack strategies possible in the game. The video shows the depth and versatility of tactics using just basic shooting and flying.

This video doesn't even illustrate all 20 of the weapons or show everything that is possible. But it shows that the game is more than just a point and shoot, and that the physics-based shooting gameplay can be exploited in strategically creative ways:


Strategy video:

Attacks shown in video (in order):

Quote:
Classic medium range at 45-degree angle

Aim your tank's cannon at around 45 degrees and fire. This is the most efficient shot. 45 degree shots go the furthest of any angle, and take the least time to fire and fly through the air. Master this shot to master the game.

Close-range barrage of quick shots

When you are very close to your enemy, repeatedly fire to destroy what's immediately in front of you. If you can sneak up on your enemy without them noticing you, they'll never see it coming.

Dig a hole under them, then fill with shrapnel

Fire a digger shell under an enemy, then fire a shrapnel shell anywhere into the hole. Shrapnel will bounce around, so it is most effective when used in a hole. A shrapnel filled hole becomes a death pit to all those in it.

Fake rocket

Aim your cannon straight at your enemy and fire with 100% shot power. Only works with enemies very close by. Adjust shot power and angle for enemies slightly further. Shell fires so fast that your enemy won't know what hit them.

Fire shots as you're falling

Fly very high up, then the entire time you are falling back down, fire multiple shots at your enemy from the air. You get a better shot from higher up, and can fire the whole way down. Change your angle and shot power dynamically as you're falling to fire at the same spot.

Fly over target's head and shell as you pass

Fly straight towards an enemy over their head at high speed. Fire as you're approaching them for your first hit. As you fly over their head, cut your engine and turn 180 degrees to face your enemy, then fire again as you land. If both of these are direct hits, your target will be destroyed.

Freeze them, then destroy

Fire a freeze shell at an enemy, then follow up with something painful. If your enemy is flying when you hit them with the freeze shell, it will force them to immediately land.

Very high power, high angle shot

Fire a shot between 45 and 90 degrees with a high shot power. The higher angle the shot, the more straight down it will hit your enemy. They will never see it coming. Works best with close to mid range enemies, and is especially good when enemies are hiding behind a hill or in a hole.

Booby trap by surrounding with land mines

Fire a bunch of land mines on and around an enemy, effectively freezing them. If they try to fly, the land mines will activate and destroy them. If anyone hits them, the land mines will explode and destroy them.

Long shots from a safe distance

Fly away from your enemy until they are almost off the radar. Fire shots at 80% or more to hit your enemy. They won't know where the shots are coming from, and you'll be protected at a distance.

Mid-air direct hit shots

While an enemy tank is flying, fire at the exact shot power and angle needed to hit the tank. It is very hard to hit a moving target directly, but it is possible. Your enemy does not think they can be hit when flying, so a direct hit is the last thing they expect.

Proximity shots

Fire a shot near an enemy, then detonate it when it is closest to the enemy. For example, you can purposely fire a shot that you know won't be a direct hit, that will go past the enemy for a proximity shot. You can also fire proximity shells, which automatically detonate when near an enemy.

Land on them then self destruct

Fly towards an enemy at high speed. As you approach, cut your jets, land on them, and self destruct. Your exploding tank will cause theirs to explode too, but you'll get the points. Works best if the enemy is already damaged. If you are badly damaged or time is running out then you have nothing to lose.

Sniper rocket zoom-in

Select a rocket and zoom in on an enemy from long distance with the sniper scope. Fire at high speed to make sure it hits them before they move or are destroyed by someone else.

Unhappy landing

When an enemy tank has stopped flying, try to predict where and when it will land. Now use that prediction to time a shot to hit the tank where it will stop. For example, fire a nuke so that the enemy tank lands and slides straight into the nuke explosion while it's exploding.

Combine strategies!

Combine any and all of these methods. For example, fire a freeze shell at a tank in mid-air to cut their jets, fire a digger hole where you think they're going to land, then fly up, and as you're falling fire shots into the hole with the mine shell and watch as your frozen enemy slides into a pit of mines and explodes. There are infinite combinations and possibilities.

The latest Street Fighter style arcade fighter games have tons of selectable characters, lots of background levels and different music, and so forth. That all costs tons of money and time which you can't do as an indie.


Compare that design model with indie-created Toribash - a fighter in which there are zero characters, zero levels, no music, no art in the traditional fighting game sense. Yet the game is highly replayable due to the depth of its physics based gamplay, which makes up for the lack of breadth of its content.


There's two things that help your game's replayablity: breadth of content and depth of content. Breadth is expensive - new background art, more baddies or gem shapes, objects to collect, places to travel and go - all ups your budget considerably. But if you deepen the gameplay, that costs you only design and programming, and not the creation and management of tons of assets, which is a smarter way to go when indie.

Just some design notes to consider while making your game.

On another note, the other day I emailed the 2nd person who bought Shelled and invited them into the forums. Here's what I got back:

Quote:Hi Joshua,

Can't imagine being only the 2nd sale for this great game. My grandkids and me liked to play the Shelled demo that was on Garage Games. I finally decided to buy the game but couldn't find it on Garage Games so serached around and finally found Red Thumb Games and Shelled Online. Played the demo for a while and just had to buy it.

Grandkid just got here so I won't be playing today :)

Tnx for great game

Bruce

Why am I so excited about this? Well I have heard from people playing this with their kids before, but this is the first I have heard of someone playing with their grandkids! Wow. And they bought the game too! Not the market I was going for, but so far I have everything from FPS hardcore players to people playing with their kids and grandkids for buyers. X-box anyone? Wii?


Oh yeah, you can get Shelled for five bucks! Yesterday Game Du Jour featured Shelled Online for the discounted price of $5 (a 75% discount from its $20 price). The game is off their front page but you can still nab the discount for just a little bit longer. Download the demo, click register, then use coupon code SHELLED_758630_GDJ to get the discount.


A friend just sent me this news and I thought it was cool. Worms will be getting some artillery game company on XBLA via the 2D game Death Tank Zwei. Check it out if you're a fan of that game or artillery shooters:

That's all from here, updates on Dragon Hatchery soon!

Josh