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Cart #g88_heatdeath-5 | 2020-02-05 | Code ▽ | Embed ▽ | License: CC4-BY-NC-SA
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Intro

An arcade-style highscore-focused twin stick shooter. You can technically use player 2's controls for the second stick, or you can use the single button shoot controls. If you play on https://gate.itch.io/heat-death you'll get better dual-stick support.

Full source code for this game is available here: https://github.com/Gate88/heat-death/

How to play

Controls

Classic Pico-8 Controller

up/down/left/right - move
X - hold to shoot and strafe
O - hold to count from 1 to 3 and release to use powerup

Dual Stick Controls

(play on https://gate.itch.io/heat-death for better dual-stick support)

Left stick (p1) - move
Right stick (p2) - shoot
O - hold to count from 1 to 3 and release to use powerup

Rules

  • Objective: gain heat by shooting enemies
  • Collect power gems to fill the power bar
  • Hold power button to charge ability (1...2...3)
  • Release power button to spend power on numbered ability

1 power - Defrag: Collects debris in an area and converts it to firepower. The number of extra shots you get is directly proportional to the amount of debris it collects, so try to place it where it can collect the most.

2 power - Cloak: Briefly prevent enemies from chasing and aiming at you. If all players are cloaked, enemies will move towards and shoot at random locations.

3 power - Remote Backup: Creates a backup on the field which prevents one death. Instead of dying, you will be teleported to the backup you most recently placed. You can have up to 5 backups on the field at a time.

Tips

  • Position yourself to kill high-value targets at the beginning of each level.
  • You are briefly invulnerable right when enemies spawn. Look for the flashing cross on your ship.
  • Dying resets your power to 2, so use your abilities proactively to avoid wasting power.
  • Use defrag liberally; it's the least expensive and it's the only ability that directly increases your offense.
  • You are not invulnerable while cloaked; be careful around erratically moving enemies.
  • You are briefly invulnerable after a remote backup triggers. Follow the line to find yourself after the teleport so you can regain control before the invulnerability runs out.
  • Remote backups are expensive; sometimes it's better to prioritize offense over defense.
  • You slowly lose heat over time; play faster to get higher scores.
  • Chain gems by collecting them the instant they flash your color for bonus points.
  • The gray number near the top left of the HUD is the heat remaining until you're award an extra life.
  • Some enemies drop green slime when they die. Slime will slow you down when you move through it, so try to avoid those areas or use defrag to clean them up.
  • Look at the post game stats to figure out where you're dying and what you could do better!
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2

I wish I was better at action games, @gate88. This is un-be-freakingly-incredibly polished and is absolutely beautiful. Just have to give it all I can, Gold Star all the way.

Nicely done !!


@dw817 - Try out the "easier" difficulty if you're having trouble. It's still not particularly easy, but it'll help you get your feet wet.

I intended the game to have a high skill ceiling, and theoretically you should be able to improve if you keep at it :)


1

wow great work


Great job - and the simple controls work surprisingly elegantly well. Well done!

EDIT: The "simple" controls being the ones with the arrows and the two buttons.


nice!


1

This is great. The level of polish is really impressive. The animation setting the scene at the beginning is very slick. And it’s a very good shooter.


1

Indeed very good!

The # power-ups are very smart - good game design.


Added a tutorial! Hopefully it's easier to learn now!


gate88 can you tell me how you managed to get the twin stick working?


Hey @superkahuna -- I replied to your thread here: https://www.lexaloffle.com/bbs/?pid=72798#p


I have a bug of whenever I shoot until my last life, I always shoot left no matter which way I move as in if I move left then start shooting, I shoot left instead of right, Same with vertically. If I shoot up or down I will still shoot left


SO DAMN HARD


my OCD kicked in to see wether or not my 'spaceship' was touching the pixels of bullets getting bombarded at me. needless to say it was an awesome game and i wish you luck on the next project


you should add a survival mode where you cant attack and every 30s an enemy appears, 1m a bird appears, and 2m a laser shooter appears, but it doesn't summon monsters



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