PixelJunk Shooter *

[obonicus]

I still think we should be looking at it in a relative sense rather than an absolute one. We don't look at 3d graphics through the lens of 'what could be done' (well, okay, those of us who aren't PC gamers don't) but rather on a relative scale. So what 2d games does this compare unfavorably to, and how?

To be clear, I'm not saying that it's the best-looking or more advanced 2d game, but if it's supposed to be primitive we must have examples of superior games, technically. I can think of a half-dozen games that just look better, but not for technical reasons.

 

[patsu]

Read somewhere that the fluid dynamics part took up 4 or so SPUs. It can't be low tech. I absolutely love the segments where I could

Spoiler

repel the fluid as I move freely. Also love the part where the fluid flows from one magnetic core to the next.

Anyway, I saw Arwin compares LocoRoco to PJ Shooter. From my untrained eyes, I could only see 2 differences: the brighter color palette, and lotsa props bouncing to the wacky music.

EDIT: I think I agree that LocoRoco has better art. It suits the gameplay and experience very well. The same with Patapon. The PJ Shooter presentation is more... expected. No monster dancing with dead scientist's head as party hat. No smoke signal. The stars of the show are most certainly the freaking cool fluid, and the exploratory game mechanics.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

Read somewhere that the fluid dynamics part took up 4 or so SPUs. It can't be low tech.

Can still be fairly low-tech, just demanding! 10,000 colliding boxes may take up a few SPUs but it'd hardly be cutting edge software technology. Not that I'm saying that it's low tech; only that processing intensiveness doesn't denote sophistication.

Anyway, I saw Arwin compares LocoRoco to PJ Shooter. From my untrained eyes, I could only see 2 differences: the brighter color palette, and lotsa props bouncing to the wacky music.

LocoRoco has animating character/surfaces with soft-body physics. Shooter is pretty static made out of piecemeal components, very similar to a Flash game (apart from the fluids of cause, which I've already recognised). I can see where Arwin would think LocoRoco has better underlying graphics tech and I think I'd agree. Plus his point is for the Pixeljunk games as a foursome, rather than just Shooter. Q-Games have been very 'low budget' with their art department. That may not be a bad thing. I'm sure lots of people value the artstyle choices of these games. I think Shooter's style works well, and highlights the fluids. If it was all garish with particles and sparkles I think it'd suffer. Yet I can just see where Arwin's coming from. Then again, if Q-Games can turn a healthy profit without busting a gut over trying to create the greatest visual tech of a download title, that's a very good call for them!

 

[patsu]

Yes, I forgot about LocoRoco's soft body physics. I am not sure if they calculate that on the fly, or it's just hand animated though (on various incline). That's what I meant by low-tech (art talent vs math).

 

[Shifty Geezer]

Calculated on the fly, as scenery deforms as you roll into it, and you deform as you roll over it.

 

[Arwin]

So I figured that with all this 'low tech' the game should probably support most of the sdk xmb features that sony provides, and sure enough there's xmb background music and video recording (though not at the same time). I haven't tried if there are also screenshots, but here's my first attempt at the first level of area 2 :

 

[patsu]

Heh, I didn't even realize it supports custom music and youtube recording. Have you tried the episode where you entered the mining facility yet ?

 

[Arwin]

Heh, I didn't even realize it supports custom music and youtube recording. Have you tried the episode where you entered the mining facility yet ?

The video is of my last play-session, so I'm guessing no.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

Completed the game. Very short! TBH it feels undeveloped to me. They introduce lots and lots of elements, but never bring them al together. You have sponges, then fountains, then magnets, but it feels to me very piecemeal, more like a buffet than a decent meal. I'm not surprised DLC is promised, as it looks straightforward to assemble a few more levels and chuck them out there.

I also feel "Shooter" was the wrong name. "Elements" is far more fitting.

 

[obonicus]

It really is a game that begs for an editor. GAF conspiracy theory says that with all the delays, Q-games just released what they had ready and that originally there was going to be more to it.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

This game engine with an editor and multiplayer (on user generated levels, obviously...) would have been AWESOME. Another tragic missed opportunity in the world of gaming.

 

[patsu]

The video is of my last play-session, so I'm guessing no.

Hurry up !

EDIT: I saw deepbrown's message in my inbox again. I am afraid he's going to challenge me again.

This game engine with an editor and multiplayer (on user generated levels, obviously...) would have been AWESOME. Another tragic missed opportunity in the world of gaming.

They said they will wait and see what happens to the sales first, when asked about DLC.

 

[ShadowWolf64]

Looks okay...When is the game available?

 

[patsu]

It's available since last Thursday.

If you wait until the game credits end, you'll see a small animation that ends with "To be continued..." ^_^

 

[Murakami]

Plasma TV owners, be careful with this game: burn-in risk is very high...

 

[tha_con]

Plasma TV owners, be careful with this game: burn-in risk is very high...

Maybe if you own an extremely old Plasma, but this game is far better than their past entries, and honestly the image isn't on the screen long enough when playing to burn anything in unless it's an older model.

At most the stages last about 15 minutes on your first run through, and there's quite a bit of screen changing and movement, even the hud fads and isn't present at the level select screen IIRC.

I don't think the risk is really all that high unless you're leaving it on for extended periods of time. Even if you play for a few hours you should be okay. Unless what you're experiencing is image retention and not screen-burn.

 

[Murakami]

My plasma is in my signature (the Samsung one, now switched with Philips LCD just to finish this game): it's a new generation model, with periodic pixel shifting set to ON.
I played a 7 hours session, and the bottom bar (HUD) is still ghosting my TV, even after 3 days of no gaming and countless hours of DTV watching, washing out software and white, static full screen jpeg.
I hope it was only image retention, but i'm starting to worry about...
Please note that there's a screen protection flag in game's options (which i immediately activated), that seems to lower high contrast logos: i suppose it's not casual.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

Pixel Junk used to have their logo at the bottom centre always visible. With Monsters, players were talking about burn-in, and so they added the dimmed (burn protection) option. With Shooter, I noticed this logo disappears in play unlike PJ 1 to 3. So I'm confused as to why this is a more burn-in dangerous game than any other game with a fixed HUD (ummm, pretty much all of them, isn't it?!). Unless this game is just more condusive to extended plays!

 

[tha_con]

My plasma is in my signature (the Samsung one, now switched with Philips LCD just to finish this game): it's a new generation model, with periodic pixel shifting set to ON.
I played a 7 hours session, and the bottom bar (HUD) is still ghosting my TV, event after 3 days of no gaming and countless hours of DTV watching, washing out software and white, static full screen jpeg.
I hope it was only image retention, but i'm starting to worry about...
Please note that there's a screen protection flag in game's options (which i immediately activated), that seems to lower high contrast logos: i suppose it's not casual.

It shouldn't be burn in. Even though Burn-in is possible, it's unlikely. Though, image-retention usually (in my experience) doesn't last for 3 days.

Do you think it will show up in a picture? Image retention and burn-in look a little different (though i don't know if I'll be able to tell in a photo).

Generally, Image retention goes away while the TV is NOT in use, because it gives the pixels a chance to go back to their relaxed state. It is possible, though, that through extended use they have lost their ability to display correct colors in a certain way, which will still show the image.

See if you can post any images and we'll see if we can help further.

 

[Murakami]

Well, image retention seems to lessen, but very slowly. HUD boundaries are still plain, but only with black background: stars and score are no more visible. I hope the best. Thanks all.