Gameplay issues and feedback

Flank Speed

Flank Speed is a simple top down Newtonian space shooter based on the aesthetics and style of early 90s arcade games. Everything from the designs, textures, sounds and gameplay are made to capture that arcade feel in a simple yet enjoyable game.

With the game out I’ve gotten some feedback from people. A few expected bugs, but the two biggest concerns I’ve received are the controls can be confusing and the gameplay explanations are lacking. Both valid concerns. I will work on a short tutorial that will teach all the controls to make it easier then just reading a page of text. Hopefully that will help with controls confusion. As for the gameplay, the ships are made to feel like they have weight. They don’t control like cars or airplanes they control like they are on an ice rink. I can change the forces a little to make them more responsive, but the Newtonian controls are a central game mechanic. I will strive to improve them but I can’t completely change them. I have also had a couple people voice confusion about the story mode codes. At the end of each level you get a code for the next level. You can play the entire story mode without using the codes, the codes just let you open whatever level you want. I based this off a few arcade games and old console games I played as a kid that did not have a save feature. Instead you used codes to skip to whatever level you wanted to play. I understand how this might be confusing. I may add the code list to the side if it proves to be more annoying than charming. Anyway Feedback is always welcome. Flank Speed was and still is a side project for me, but I care about making it fun regardless.