videogame analysis: gunroar

[egypturnash]

I spent more time than I should mindlessly playing Kenta Cho's "Gunroar" (OSX version here).

I was going to have a longer description of its systems but here's the basics, at least for "Twin Stick" mode (play is dramatically different in the other modes, and I have no interest in them):

* hug the top of the screen to keep the bonus multiplier going up at a high speed
* use the red lines/wedges that show enemy firing arcs to keep aware of what's off the top of the screen
* don't worry about killing everything that moves; just go fast to keep the bonus multiplier way up
* the landmasses can be used for cover; dodging around a wide wall of land can help you scroll some big nasties off safely
* difficulty is strongly related to the bonus multiplier; consider slowing down once you reach about 100x
* you can get multipliers for individual enemies by picking off their guns first, but all their live shots turn into bonus points when they die - I go for the vulnerable red spot whenever possible.
* keep moving forwards
* consider just dodging by the bosses, especially if you come into one with a multiplier >100 - they take a lot of time to kill and spew forth insane amounts of bullets. (addendum: not sure on this, really. even with low multiplier they're worth a lot of points, and you have to do some blasting to have a chance of getting afely past them anyway.)
* as always, be where the bullets are not. this is a constantly changing and complicated place.

My current high is 012,496,364 (though a typical score is more around half that), achieved today. My thumbs hurt. But I ran that little no-thoughts reflex loop for a while and I'm happy.

I've tried playing it slow and technical, keeping a clear screen and picking off all the guns before killing enemies as much as possible, and it is more tedious and lower scoring in my experience. Until someone tells me different (some subtle interplay of the elements I missed?) I will consider Gunroar to be a game that's tuned to reward being a lunatic who dives madly into danger.

Later: Ah, there we go. The bonus multiplier also goes up by 1 every time you kill something. This addition to it decays over time, and pumping it is the key to quickly achieving 100x. I think it's +1 regardless of enemy size, sooo... "wait for the small saucer": mow down every tiny, weak boat that crosses your path; don't worry much about the big boats unless there's nothing else to kill, or they're in your way. Copy the file in this zip over 'last.rpl' (Mac users: ctrl-click on the game, 'show package contents'; Contents/Resoursec/replay/ - dunno where the Windows version puts it) and start the game to watch me hit 013,9xx,xxx. I screw up the first two times I get a high multiplier but the third one's the charm.

Comments

[cobaltie.livejournal.com]

My favorite twitch-and-shoot game like this is still Gridwars, and I'm getting really good at dodging enemies there, because the enemies /are/ the bullets. Especially when it gets insane.
My high score on that is crazy because it's a game where I played for a /hour/ straight.

Played Gunroar a bit, but it's harder to get used to. I like the abstract graphics though, minimizes the game into the very basics.

I love GunRoar...

[wolfwings.livejournal.com]

...though I'm still vaguely wishing I could re-write the source code to the point I could port it to something like the DS. Or even crazier, a four-player version that'd be able to run on the Wii, there could be something promising, albeit insane.

Largest obstacle is the odd language it's written in, sadly. The language itself is a moving target, that isn't defined anywhere even and has poor compilers at best. You need a specific version range to compile Gunroad, for example. D has a lot of nice bits, but the target's moving too fast to be usable right now to me. =-.-=

[prickvixen.livejournal.com]

Oh, I thought you didn't play video games anymore. Never say never again!

[shatterstripes.livejournal.com]

I play them a hell of a lot less than I used to. Banging on a freeware game for a couple nights is a lot different than spending $30-50 for a game that occupies my every waking moment for most of a week, and may eat another week or so at some later point...