Task One

Research of at least 6 different 'asteroid game'

"Asteroids"

‘Asteroids’ is simple arcade game, using only 2 colours, a very simple vector graphic interface and a two dimensional view. The player is represented by a spaceship which simply looks like a triangle, or capital A the goal of this simple game is to avoid and destroy meteorites and flying saucers.

The reason for the games’ success is due to the fact it was made in a time when games where new, not only this was made during the hype of the ‘first man on the moon’ thus keeping people interested in the space theme.

The games success wasn’t only due to time of release but was also down to the fact it was one of the first games to implement dynamic play, multiple levels and a competitive AI along with a scoring system which would allow you to compete against friends, the public and your own personal scores. Because of all of this, this game is still widely recognised as a ‘golden arcade game’

The controls are very simple as you use the space bar to fire, and use the normal arrows to move around.

It is very successful due to the fact it is a 5 minute thing that can be done whilst waiting. 

There isn't a backing track to this so the main focus is on the sounds effects. Every time you hit something there is an exploding noise, and every time you fire there is a noise that signifies that you have fired.

Pumpkin Invasion

Pumpkin Invasion is a relatively simple flash game created by the account “NipponMonkey” on Weebls-stuff.  The description given is "The Pumpkins have arrived from another dimension; shoot them down along with the Bats and Skulls to save the universe! Collect the power-ups to improve your ship's weapon strength and shield strength. Collect Candy for bonus points. Happy Halloween!” This clearly shows that it is a Halloween themed game and will have characters accordingly.

Pumpkin Invasion is very simple to play using both ‘Left’ and ‘Right’ or ‘A’ and ‘D’ to move and space to shoot. The aim of the game is to shoot down as many Enemy ships as possible, whilst avoiding their incoming fire and making sure you don’t get hit by them when they come down to low to the floor and collecting power-ups to become more powerful and obtaining candy for bonus points.

This game is Halloween based, and so the graphics for the ‘Asteroids’ for this game is very fitting, in the fact that they are generally bats, skulls and different colour variations of pumpkins.  The avatar play is a space ship, which doesn’t fit with theme so it seems out of place.

The sound for the game is Halloween-based dance soundtrack with explosions for each time you hit an enemy ‘Asteroid’  

The scoring system for this game is determined by how many ships you shoot down, gaining more points when you kill harder enemy and bosses

The difficulty levels are determined by how hard it is to kill the enemies and bosses. The further you get the more times you have to hit the enemy before it goes down.

The animation is simple, with the asteroids coming closer in a swirling effect towards player. This means that is is very easy to see what is going on and is simple to understand.  

Bomb Diver by Hybrid Mind
http://armorgames.com/play/13099/bomb-diver
the description for this game is : “Use your jetpack and grenade launcher to keep your city safe from falling bombs!Every level consists of three stages. First you'll go sky diving and avoid the dropping bombs, then use your parachute and collect the balloons to get more ammo. When you've safely landed on the ground, the goal is to shoot all incoming bombs to protect your city.”

The background noise is techno which fits with the theme as it is a very simple and colourful game. The music is also quite retro, almost giving a nostalgic feel to the game. The sound effects used when your collect ammo or a bomb blows up are very simple, there is a small bang when a bomb blows up and there is the same noise as Mario when you collect coins. They have used the coin collecting sounds from Mario because it is widely recognised as the noise when you collect something so it is easy for people to tell how many balloons they have collected.

The scoring system is counted in $. It is determined by how many bombs you destroy, how much damage the city you’re protecting takes and how much ammo you have left from what you have collected.
The graphic style is very retro, and could easily seem based for an older console (i.e. Sega) and is very well done. It is good like this because it is a simple game and there isn’t any need to complicate it with fancy graphics.

The animations are well done even though they are very simple. In the three stages it uses different animations for the character and in all the stages it is animated smoothly.

The controls are very easy, during the first stage and second stage, when you are avoiding bombs and collecting ammo balloons, your avatar follows the movement of the mouse. It follows the mouse in all 4 directions; up, down, left and right. During the third stage when you are destroying bombs, you aim with your mouse and click to fire and move with either ‘left ‘ and ‘right’ or ‘A’ and ‘D’. It is good that they have used the mouse control throughout as it means that the player doesn’t need to change between mouse and key board.

Intergalatic Rumble by Argene_t

http://armorgames.com/play/7036/intergalactic-rumble

The description for this game is : “Inspired by my favorite game Death vs Monstars. I just added more levels, more weapons, more upgrades, more special attacks and achievements. Join Lirpa as he takes his revenge on enemies who ravaged his planet. Take them down one planet after another. Let them feel your wrath!”

The music is fairly techno-futuristic based which suits the space theme of the game. The sounds are very basic, with explosions sounds for when you are hit, or when you hit the enemy ‘Asteroids’. There are also sounds for when you gather the form of currency making it easy to distinguish between the different actions.

The controls are really simple as it is a simple follow the mouse function, and you have an auto-fire feature, so all you have to do is direct with your mouse. This is good because it means you only have to focus on the moving.

It is space and futuristic based, which the graphics fit well as the enemies are spaceships. These are portrayed by bright easily recognisable shapes so it is simple to recognise what you have to avoid and shoot. The background doesn’t seem to fit in my opinion as it seems to be a creased piece of paper which planets slowly move across. Everything else is cartoony so it seems out of place and irrelevant.

The scoring system is based on how many things you kill per level and how little damage you take.

The levels are determined by amount of ‘Asteroids’ per level and the difficulty of killing them.

Ninja Hamsters vs Robots by Nerdook
http://armorgames.com/play/10552/ninja-hamsters-vs-robots
The description for this game is : “Play as the amazing Ninja Hamster as you kill robots and collect sushi! A fast paced and fun action game, with upgrades and achievements. Collect all 8 Sushi Recipes to win the game! Survive each wave to take on the Boss, and win all 20 levels to unlock a special surprise at the end.”

The Levels are determined by the strength or endurance of the ‘Asteroids’. As you progress the harder they are to kill.

The scoring System is calculated by how many ‘Asteroids’ you kill, and how little damage your platform takes

The theme is very amusing, as it is oriental based with cartoony characters, being the ninja hamster and strange robots. It is very bizarre however it works well as it could be taking place in a parallel universe.

The music has a some-what oriental theme to it, sounding a little Asian or something similar. The sounds when you hit the robots are average hitting/smacking noises, or crashing noises if the platforms get hit.

The animation is quite good, as the hamster does a spinning movement as it travels and the robots rock back and forth as they parachute down, which is more interesting that if it just jumped with no movement. I think this improved that game and made it more interesting.

The controls are very easy, you use the mouse to target and you click to the location, the longer you hold down the more damage you do. This is good as it is a very easy method to get a hang of so it is easier to play and enjoy.

War Robots by Biggerplay
http://armorgames.com/play/12914/war-robots
The description for this game is “Humankinds last hope against the evil Drogs are the battle robots! Face the aliens over 10 levels in this exciting defense game! Build robots and use your battle gun!”

The music sounds futuristic and very sci-fi which seems fitting as the weapons are advanced and suggests that it is set in a futuristic setting. The cannon makes a firing noise when it fires and explosion sound when the bullet has landed and also when you buy more men there is a sign to signify that you have click and you have received the new man.

The animation is fairly simple, with constant walking figures coming towards the player, and a recoil effect on the artillery gun when it fires. The graphics are also simple; the main theme being at night/in space so everything is silhouette, but it is easy to make out distinctive figures and the ammunition against the coloured background scene.

The scoring system is quite simple, you gain several credits whilst playing for kills and these are used to buy more men on the battle ground. At the end of the level the overall score is determined by the time taken to destroy the base of the enemies and how many credits overall you earned in the game.

Each level you complete gets harder. There are different enemies which are harder to kill and the quantity of enemies increases.

The controls are easy, use up and down to angle your Cannon and space to fire. You can also use ‘Left’ and ‘Right’ to toggle over the screen to see how many enemies are approaching and to see where your cannon is hitting.