Yggdra UFO (YUUFO), Let's make a fan shmup Options

[Raijinili]

Side-scrolling or top-down, I dunno.

Based on
[14:33] <&Rhiannon> LOW UFOS ARE TOO HARD AS FENCER

== Controls ==

Movement on the left, shooting and Union button on triggers, and the right controls Passive-Aggressive (if necessary). Maybe the triggers should control passive-aggressive. Who cares, customizate it.

== Single player ==

You start off as Yggdra or whatever. Other characters are powerups dropped rarely (miniboss/quest rewards?), and you can catch them into your Union formation.

The shmup bombs in this game come in the form of union attacks. Everyone in your union shoots their special attack. I guess Unions also launches your leader's Card ability. In fact, maybe bombs are all in the form of Cards. Yes, you collect Cards to be able to launch Unions.

Maybe if you die, your Union Leader gets replaced by a random(?) other member, and either the union formation is shuffled, or all the chars are launched and you have to recatch them.

The other chars have smaller sprites, and either have smaller hitboxes or are just invincible.

The bullets are your followers? E.g. Yggdra shoots Valkyries.

== Multiplayer ==

Instead of pressing the Union button to trigger a Union, you hold the Union button and, if no one else is already holding it, the Union grid shows up under you. (Maybe instead of straight-up 8-slot grid, it's just glowing lines in an X or + shape.)

When you release the button, any players in your formation will shoot off their Union attack. If none, you do it alone. Maybe a Super freeze animation. Players in the union also get a bullet-absorbing shield, I guess (Leader gets biggest), and the ones that don't make it into the union can still hide in the shields.

Players aren't locked into the formation and have to manually steer into it. Or they can hold their Union button and fly into the formation, and get locked into it (relying on the leader's steering).

== Passive-aggressive ==

Aggressive: Move faster. Shoot harder.

Passive: Move slower. Smaller hitbox.

== Other, weaker ideas ==

You get, like, powerups in the form of a weapon icon, which gives your units with the right thing a random YU weapon of that type.

There will be places in the stages that are like towns. Instead of shooting the houses like in regular shmups, maybe you have to stay on them for a while.


EDIT: CHANGED NAME FROM "Yuufoo" TO "YUUFO" BECAUSE THAT COULD BE "UFO" OR "YGGDRA UNION UFO". MAY CHANGE BACK TO "YUUFOO" WHEN WE CAN CALL IT "YGGDRA UNION UFO ONLINE".

[Raijinili]

Gridless is too hard. Optimal path is to curve around enemy bullets if possible, and you need a program to curve around for you for max distance. Too much to deal with for the player. How about a hexagonal grid, then?

A UFO (not to proportions). The hexagon is the hurtbox.


Yggdra on a UFO.


The hexagon outline can flash/glow to make it more obvious. Or the grid layout can be overlaid on top (maybe toggled).