Must you really port this to tablets? Seems quite unnecessary to hold the game back because you’re releasing it on a platform that doesn’t allow for precision controls. If you really must release it for tablets then why don’t you just release a different version for that later down the line with simplified controls and mechanics? No one who takes the game seriously is going to play it on a tablet.
I’ve been optimizing a low graphics build that also runs on Ouya and other Android consoles. Naturally it runs on tablets too because of this, and there are 1 billion users on mobile hardware, so it makes sense to me to make it available in that market. However what I DON’T want to do is design the gameplay around touch controls…Android supports bluetooth gamepads and I’ve done most testing using that, but I know many people don’t own those.
There’s a niche of players who want “real games” on their tablets. The game “Slashers” is an old school SNK-style 2D fighter, and has over 100k downloads on Android (probably higher on iOS). King of Fighters '97 has 10-50k paid downloads (again, probably higher on iOS)
I know mobile gaming has a stigma for being casual, throw away experiences and I’m trying to keep my distance from that. But I think I can have an audience there too, so why not? I’m not going to sacrifice game design for it though. If/when I implement throws I’ll make sure it feels intuitive for all platforms.
If I end up getting access to be on major consoles (Wii U, Xbox, Playstation) then maybe I’m wasting my time, but it can’t really hurt when I’ve already done most of the groundwork for it.
Well aside from Psych0J0sh (who has been awesome and very helpful), haven’t heard much for impressions here 
Were you guys able to learn the mechanics quickly? It feels like I need a tutorial for new players to explain some of the mechanics whenever I see someone new playing it, but maybe seasoned fighting game fans have an easier time picking up the controls.
I’ve fixed a few things since the release here (specifically the wonky barrell throw collisions) and those fixes will be in the Tuesday demo.
Had a bit of trouble setting up my internet, so I have yet to try a build. I’m gonna try to have it set up so I can try the Tuesday release.
Ugh the game still doesn’t work for me… I’ll try again!
When you start the match, there are icons at the bottom of the screen with a (poorly drawn) keyboard/mouse, and any gamepad you have connected. A match can only start if you have players on at least 2 teams, and every device says “Ready!”
I downloaded every available build, and I can’t start the game either.
The thing is, Slashers was designed from the ground up to take full advantage of the mobile platform. With Combat Core it seems you’re just making the game for a non-mobile platform and then making it mobile as an afterthought.
Please, just forget about making a mobile version. It’s unnecessary and it’s actively holding the game back. If you can make the best possible game you can on the PC it will find its audience. Inevitably something will be lost in translation when it gets ported to mobile because it’s a completely different platform that was only made for shit with minimal inputs. Slashers doesn’t even compare to classic SNK fighters, it’s minimalistic in every way as a direct result of its target platform. The number of good reasons to NOT do a mobile version outweigh the few good reasons to do one. It just seems greedy. Do you want a mediocre game on as many platforms as possible or do you want a stellar game on only a few platforms? Make your choice. You can’t have both.
Who made this rule? What you are arguing here is just using gamepads vs touch controls.The game is optimized for gamepads. Android supports gamepads, and iOS does too. Millions of people play PS1, SNES, MAME emulators on mobile. I have already built in settings to scale from low quality to high quality, which is also useful for people to play on underpowered PC’s and laptops.
I think your mindset toward mobile games is a bit shallow. If I make an experience that plays best on a gamepad, but someone would prefer to play with touch controls, then what’s the problem with that?
If being “greedy” includes making a game available to as many people as possible, then I guess I’m guilty. What negative impact does adding touch-screen inputs to my game do? I’ve already stated I’d consider a 2-button grab, but I’m going to look into multiple options if I decide to do that.
I find it a bit hypocritical for everyone to be pissed at mobile games for being watered down experiences, but then when someone tries to bring something with gameplay depth to the platform, that’s not ok either.
Honestly though I’d rather not debate the merits of porting to mobile here because I know the SRK community doesn’t want to play on mobile. I presented the PC version here and that’s what I thought everyone would be most interested in (until I can get on consoles).
It’s not hypocritical at all. The mobile platform is made only for casual games. Everyone knows this. Trying to put a “serious” game on there is a lost cause because it’s not meant for those types of games. There is absolutely NO ONE on the face of the earth who would prefer to play a fighting game with touchscreen controls, unless they were someone who was completely unfamiliar with video games as a whole, in which case they wouldn’t be interested in the game in the first place. Anyone who’s played on an emulator for phones knows that phone emulators suck shit, precise inputs can’t be done with a virtual controller that offers no tactile feedback, which is the entire reason they added gamepad support to mobile devices (thus eliminating the entire point of the mobile platform to begin with). Your audience is limited to people who have controllers that work on mobile phones, which is an infinitesimally tiny portion of the mobile gaming audience. If they gave a shit about games they wouldn’t be doing it exclusively on a phone, and chances are the few people who do have controllers probably have more dedicated gaming devices anyways like PCs and consoles.
The Super Meat Boy guy put it best: today’s mobile games are the equivalent of those shitty tiger electronics games from the 90s. They have Megaman and Sonic and Street Fighter on there but you can’t experience these games fully because of the limitations of the mobile platform. You should listen to this guy’s speech.
Well to me, there are hundreds of thousands of people who buy gamepads for their tablet/phone and want games for it, or the microfraction of people who DO use touchscreens for games like this. There’s a market for the stuff, even if it’s small. There’s no reason for me to not consider it because the cost of doing it is so little.
But I digress…the mobile version is far off and I’m focused on the PC/Microconsole version right now. Maybe that landscape will change when the time comes to put it on mobile, or maybe I’ll change my mind.
To anyone keeping up w/ the thread: I’ve been slaving on this Kickstarter page for a while now and will be launching in about 24 hours! Take a look at the preview and tell me what you think!
Also, the updated indieDB demo will now SHOW the error message for why games won’t start. I’ve gotten numerous reports of people not being able to start matches and I really can’t figure out why!
Hey guys…Kickstarter is Live! The new demo on IndieDB has a few fixes:
- Various small AI fixes; Very short block stun, the AI should no longer be able to block for 1 frame.
- Fixed problems with gamepads getting “Ready”, should now show error messages for why matches won’t start
- Increased speed for Timeout lazers closing in
KICKSTARTER - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1518707381/combat-core-high-powered-arena-brawler
GREENLIGHT - http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=259565917
DEMO - http://www.indiedb.com/games/combat-core
Please download, upvote, and hopefully pledge to the project!
New gameplay mechanics video for those who haven’t tried or learned through the demo! Kickstarter has been pretty rough, can’t really tell if it’s disinterest or lack of exposure. I’ve pretty much exhausted all of my personal networks, and still trying to get some coverage from bigger news sites like Rock Paper Shotgun and Kotaku.
Just saw the new trailer and, holy crap.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZP1M_G9h8qU
This looks WAY better now that you’ve hired proper artists, it’s like night and day! I absolutely love what you’ve done with it.
Ah thanks! You can take some credit for kicking me about it, haha (also on dropping mobile support)
I really got lucky that I was able to find an awesome artist who believed in the game and also was an indie developer and Power Stone fan 
Haha, well I’m glad you took the advice, I wasn’t trying to “kick” you, just wanted to give you some proper direction. I’m glad you saw my side of things.
I absolutely love Ember, she’s the type of character I’ve been longing for in fighting games and actually looks a lot like one of my game’s characters, Milchi. I think they’d make best friends.
I’m pumped for this now! I can’t wait to pledge something. One thing I think you should do is look for more arcade-style punch and kick sound effects. You know, the kind that are really loud and sharp, like the ones at 3m41s in this video. Those are the types of sounds I feel are missing.
Looks really good, I can’t wait to get this one steam. Loving what I see.
Yes will definite
Yes, I will definitely get some more sounds in the mix but I’m pretty much restricted to finding free audio files and using/manipulating them. The music volume was also a bit higher than normal due to it being a trailer, so some of the hit sounds got drowned out. Most of the hits are based off potato sacks or large objects hitting the ground, haha
I’m working on a new demo to put out in another week or two, would love to get more feedback on the new mechanics!
I’ve been scrambling to keep all the forums/social media up to date, the new Kickstarter for Combat Core is live now!
[http://www.mabmanz.com/CombatCore/CCRosterMainIndieDB.jpg
http://www.mabmanz.com/KickstarterButton_Low.png](https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1518707381/combat-core-high-powered-4-player-arena-fighter)
Check it out and try the new demo, would love to get more feedback! And also maybe donate
I’ll donate to it as soon as I’m able.
What sort of art print do you get in the $80 tier? Is it just existing art or is it made to request?