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BowMaster1

BowMaster Prelude

BowMaster 2

About BowMaster 2 - 2006/05/21

BowMaster 2 is the sequel to my original BowMaster. BowMaster 1 is a game that combines angle/velocity shooting elements from such games as Worms and GunBound and combines the genre with real time 'Defend your Castle' action. This game was intended as a simple fun timer -- some people tell me that it helps them get through the day at their boring jobs while others still in school curse their administration for banning my website.

There was no doubt that I would eventually create a sequel. I have received a tremendous amount of feedback from the first game and I'm doing my best to ensure people will be pleasantly surprised with the continuation of the series. I have learned a tremendous amount since my Bow1 and I'm using everything I've learned from making Flash games such as GunMaster, MoonMaster, RawBawJaw, and JediTrainer to make BowMaster 2 my best and most ambitious game thus far.


Design

BowMaster 2 is not merely a rehash of the original game code. It has been completely designed from the ground up. This new design allows for a tremendous amount of flexibility to allow for several new types of units, upgrades and spells. This game is being designed using the Object Oriented Design methodology with Flash 8 and Action Script 2.0. Bow1 used a functional design approach and was developed using Flash 6 which did not allow for easy maintainability. With this new design, I'll be able to add new content easily even after I distribute the game.


Performance

Bow1 was quite a learning experience and I learned a lot about how to make a flash game, but since then I've learned several techniques to optimize Flash games to make them run smoother at more consistent frame rates. Working with flash is tricky when it comes to performance because no matter how badly you want to have huge epic battles you'll inevitably have to reduce the unit counts in order to make the game playable. I've been hard at work trying to improve the performance without sacrificing gameplay and I'm proud to say that with the current development version of the game I've been able to get consistent frame rates with up to 30 units on the screen at once (15 units per team). Not only that but each unit is now animated! The final version may allow for more or less units -- this is also a game balancing issue.


And Ending?

Yes, this version will actually have an ending. I know several of you have emailed me (as directed;) when you reached level 100 in Bow1. I'm truly sorry for the lame easter egg -- you deserve much more.

Bow2 will have a story that will progress through chapters. Every five to ten levels more of the story will be revealed until in the form of cut scenes (which you can skip if you like). You will most likely have to beat a challenging final level/boss but when you do it will in fact say "Game Over" or something to that affect. Hopefully you'll get a nice sense of accomplishment from this. But should you yearn for more, I plan to have "unlockables" which you can acquire by performing certain tasks. For example, there are three character classes. If you beat the game with all three classes then maybe it will unlock a fourth ::cough:: gunmaster ::cough:: character class ;-) There's also a configurable practice mode.


Release Date?

Sometime after the release of BowMaster Prelude