A Shmup Devlog Begins

I’ve always wanted to develop a game. On the one hand, I wanted to explore the world of game development, on the other, I wanted to do something creative again. But I always thought it would be too difficult, since it’s completely different from my day job and I had absolutely no experience with it. But then I thought to myself, "It can’t be that hard, right? Right?!"

I want something where I can experiment and try things out. Getting it right isn’t that important at first. It’s more about doing it and seeing where it leads. Since I’d tried creating a platformer before and realized it was just too much, I figured a vertical shoot-’em-up (short “shmup”) might be a better fit (and I think, you can never have too many vertical shmups).

So this devlog is about a vertical shoot-’em-up that I’m working on in my spare time. I plan on writing about the development process. It’ll probably be a mix of technical and personal insights. Or maybe it’ll turn out to be something else entirely.

There’s no set schedule or anything like that. I most likely won’t be posting every week, but rather when I feel I’ve made progress worth mentioning.

Current Status

First, a few key points:

The game is still in the early stages of development. What’s working already:

  • Player movement is functional, though currently only via keyboard input. However, GamePad support is planned.
  • Three player weapons have been implemented: two bullet-type weapons and a homing missile. A fourth beam weapon is currently being developed.
  • The player ship has primary and secondary weapons, both of which can be leveled-up.
  • A basic level has been set up with spawn points for enemies and power-ups.
  • Enemies and power-ups spawn, and basic enemy behavior is implemented. Bullets and homing projectiles are fired.
  • New enemy and weapon types can easily be added thanks to a system based on the type object pattern.
  • Support for Catmull-Rom splines with near-equidistant sampling is in place for smooth enemy movement. There’s even a basic spline editor!
  • Collision detection and a damage system are in place.
  • All graphics are pretty placeholders for now.
  • And I’m pretty sure there are a few more little bits and pieces that I’ve already forgotten about!

Here’s a quick glance at the current status:

Level 1 starts

Level 1 starts

The action begins

The action begins

Worm-like ships are trying to kill the player

Worm-like ships are trying to kill the player

How this Devlog is intended to work

I’ll post an update as soon as there’s something to report. I see this devlog as part of the project - more of an experiment.

What’s next?

To be honest, I don’t know yet. Just stay tuned! 📻

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