[Blog Post] Porting Gun Frenzy to Windows Phone

[WaveLightGames]

Thank you so much!

Regarding 512 MB support ... can someone please confirm performance on these devices? I really want to confirm it works reasonably smoothly (without a lot of crashes) before I use that as a selling point.

 

[WaveLightGames]

Hi guys,

Working on the next update to Gun Frenzy. It will include improved shadows and some additional weapons. I will be adding these weapons to the existing in-app purchase so if you've already purchased the equipment upgrade (new clothing and gun), you'll get these upgraded weapons without having to pay again.

I also took some more screenshots of some later levels to show off the game:

screenshot10 by raj_dhillon, on Flickr

screenshot9 by raj_dhillon, on Flickr

screenshot8 by raj_dhillon, on Flickr

screenshot7 by raj_dhillon, on Flickr

screenshot6 by raj_dhillon, on Flickr

screenshot4 by raj_dhillon, on Flickr

screenshot3 by raj_dhillon, on Flickr

screenshot2 by raj_dhillon, on Flickr

You can see that in later levels, you face a lot more than just skeletons. There are dragons and various types of demons. Anyone got that far yet?

 

[WaveLightGames]

Hi guys,

I've received several negative reviews from users with 512MB devices complaining about crashes. Therefore, I have no option but to remove 512MB support. It seems that my best efforts weren't enough to get it to run reliably on lower memory devices. Sorry for the inconvenience.

Also, I've gotten some feedback about allowing the main character to run and shoot. This should be do-able so I'm going to add this in the next update as well.

 

[WaveLightGames]

Just submitted an update for the Windows Store version that adds the ability to move and shoot at the same time. Should be updated tomorrow once it passes certification.

Working on porting the same changes to the Windows Phone version. Hopefully, I'll have the updated version submitted for that today as well. I think moving and shooting will make the game a lot easier to play on the phone.

I'm also trying one last thing to squeeze the textures down to a level that will work on 512 MB devices. I really wish I had a 512 MB device for testing purposes. Basically, I'm going to add a checkbox on the main menu that you can select if you're running a 512 MB device and it will then compress textures by a factor of 8 so that hopefully it won't crash any more. It won't look too great ... but it hopefully will be playable.

 

[WaveLightGames]

I've found some guidance on how to further optimize Unity games to make them run on 512 MB devices:

Tips and Tricks : Make sure to profile your phone app's memory usage! | Unity Community

I'm going to work on applying these and then will release to any willing beta testers with 512MB devices to see if it fixes things. If anyone wants to help on the beta testing for the 512 MB version, please PM me your Microsoft ID.

 

[WaveLightGames]

I tried some of these ideas and put forward a version to some beta testers for testing but it looks like the gameplay level still crashes on a lumia 520. Will try a bit more but if that fails, I'll have to keep it as a 1GB RAM only game. :eck:

 

[WaveLightGames]

Quick update ... looks like we got it working on 512 MB devices (Lumia 520)!!!!!!!!

I'll upload an updated version today.

I'll update you guys when it hits the store (which will probably take another couple days).

 

[WaveLightGames]

Uploaded a version that should be working on all 512 MB devices! I've added some code to automacally compress textures on low memory devices so that they can play the game. However, players using devices with 1GB or 2GB RAM will still be able to play the game at full texture / detail size with all special effects. So best of both worlds .... I didn't end up sacrificing graphics and effects to accommodate low memory devices.

 

[WaveLightGames]

Hi guys, just prepping the next update.

I'm trying some tricks to improve the graphics on low memory devices. I've also added 6 powerful new, futuristic weapons. Laser rifles, plasma cannons and so forth. I've also made the first few levels easier and increased the ammo for all weapon upgrades significantly.

One question before I push this out, do you guys feel that the beginner pistol should have infinite ammo? I'm thinking of making it a weaker gun but with infinite ammo so no need to reload. Would that improve the game or make it too dumbed down?

 

[dKp1977]

Hi guys, just prepping the next update.

I'm trying some tricks to improve the graphics on low memory devices. I've also added 6 powerful new, futuristic weapons. Laser rifles, plasma cannons and so forth. I've also made the first few levels easier and increased the ammo for all weapon upgrades significantly.

One question before I push this out, do you guys feel that the beginner pistol should have infinite ammo? I'm thinking of making it a weaker gun but with infinite ammo so no need to reload. Would that improve the game or make it too dumbed down?

I for one would like it to have a slightly weaker gun with unlimited ammo. And maybe you could increase the number of bullets the clip can hold.

Any news about the action RPG you mentioned earlier? Are you still working on it? Can't wait to get my hands on it.

 

[WaveLightGames]

Cool ... thanks for the feedback.

Yeah, I'm definitely working on it. Last week I added 3 new characters ... a Dwarven Stone Priest (earth mage / cleric), a human Guard (fights at range with a halberd ... need a better class name), and a female gladiator (fights with a sword, shield and javelin). Working on the character selection screen at the moment.

Before working fully on that game though, I'm just trying to get Gun Frenzy to a point that I'm happy with. It's good though because I'm learning a lot about mobile development versus PC / Desktop development from Gun Frenzy ... and I'm going to use those lessons in the action RPG. For example, by getting Gun Frenzy to work on 512 MB devices, I'm confident that the action RPG will also work on those devices.

I'm trying to figure out how to have a workable inventory in the phone version since the graphics would be so small ... it would barely be visible. That will probably be the biggest challenge with that game ... having a UI that actually scales properly from phone screen to desktop.

 

[WaveLightGames]

I for one would like it to have a slightly weaker gun with unlimited ammo. And maybe you could increase the number of bullets the clip can hold.

When you say larger clips, are you referring to the ammo on the weapon pick ups? If so ... I'm making that change in the next update. I realized from feedback that ammo clips on the special weapons was way too small.

 

[WaveLightGames]

A preview of the new flame thrower in action:



The sci-fi weapons are really powerful but slightly rarer than the older ones.

 

[dKp1977]

When you say larger clips, are you referring to the ammo on the weapon pick ups? If so ... I'm making that change in the next update. I realized from feedback that ammo clips on the special weapons was way too small.

That's what I was referring to, yes. Great to hear you're changing it. I found myself forced to reload in midfight ever so often. I'm not a pro gamer though.

 

[WaveLightGames]

Making the ammo on the pistols infinite is proving to be a bit tricky ... I think I might just make them much bigger for now. Made the pistol ammo clips hold around 100 bullets. Should be in the next update.

 

[WaveLightGames]

Hi, I spent a bit of time today playing with the lighting settings on the first level. Can you please let me know if you think this darker light setting is an improvement or not? I think it looks really good but I want to get some feedback before making the same changes across all the other levels.

 

[dKp1977]

Hi, I spent a bit of time today playing with the lighting settings on the first level. Can you please let me know if you think this darker light setting is an improvement or not? I think it looks really good but I want to get some feedback before making the same changes across all the other levels.

View attachment 73131View attachment 73132



Kinda hard to tell from screenshots, I'd need to see it in action. The left one is looking good for me, but the right one appears a little too dark.

 

[WaveLightGames]

Thanks for the feedback. I've played around with it a bit more and have a slightly brighter version. I'll post up some screenshots of it tomorrow. It's a big deal because the process of baking these lights is something that takes a couple hours per level .... so once I start, I have to commit to doing it for all levels. I really like the look though ... so I'm definitely leaning towards it.

 

[WaveLightGames]

Just pushed out a new update that drastically improves graphics on low memory devices and adds 6 new sci fi weapons. Should be available for download in an hour or two. Please let me know how you like it.

Working on the new lighting graphics. Found ways to optimize graphics even further with these settings so the next version should be a much smaller download and (I think) run even faster. Also, I'm going to add some more variety to the levels so that most levels will have walls / rooms rather than be open arenas. Next update will be a big one ... should be done some time next week.

 

[dKp1977]

Update is available now.
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