Geometry Wars sequel wishlist
by Christopher Grant 
{ Jan 17th 2006 at 1:00AM }
Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved has been an unqualified success, not only for its creator Bizarre Creations, and Microsoft's Live Arcade service, but for the entire 360 launch. While right now it's the undisputed heavyweight of the Live Arcade service, with the influx of great new content set to appear, what can GW do to compete? Stephen Cakebread (Cakey) the developer behind GW said certain features never made it into the title, for better or worse, including mazes and multiplayer. In an "interview" (with Bizarre's PR department) Cakey makes it clear he has ideas for a Geometry Wars 3. What we need to know is what those ideas are! Since Cakey's not talking, here are a couple ideas:
- Spectator mode! If there's a high score being made, people want to watch. Think DDR at the arcade, or the pinball wizards of yore; we can't get enough of watching superhuman feats of gaming. Watch the video we posted, and know the current high score is over 4 times higher!
- Multiplayer! Let's get another
ship (shape) in on the action. Doubles will introduce a whole new level of play: make it cooperative and work as a team
to get into the millions score range; or competetive, struggle to get the kills first to get the high score, but watch
out for your partner's fire! Play locally or over Live, complete with voice chat!
- More guns! Like shmups of the past, Geometry Wars could use a more varied arsenal. We don't want dozens of options, and we love the delicate balance of difficulty the current assortment provides, so even minor additions in the weapons department could go a long way.
- Stats! Bungie had the right idea with Halo 2, let's get the stats flowing with every little ounce of detail available: shots fired, accuracy, average speed, average speed while firing, average speed while firing and hitting target. Really, just get as detailed as you'd like. Gather these stats, compare with scores, and discover, empirically, the strategies of the masters. How many enemies killed? Not as many? Was it the multiplier?!
- ?
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Andrew @ Jan 17th 2006 1:48AM
how about a rewind mode... special power up... if ya f..up you get to rewind back 5 seconds...
Shagi @ Jan 17th 2006 2:05AM
How about a version where you play a character rescuing humans from robots...oh...nevermind.
Rymix @ Jan 17th 2006 2:59AM
How about a version where I'm actually quite good at the game?
400,000 really doesn't cut it, I'm afraid, and I must admit that it's rather embarrasing, especially for a self-professed games freak like me.
gamer1 @ Jan 17th 2006 3:43AM
Id like to see the stats for the kills of each kind of enemy for the end game scores and high score leaderboards, similar to how Hexic HD shows the number of black pearls, star flowers and combos in their leaderboards.
Id like a way to store the weapon Im using so that I can use it later, similar to the way you can store items in Contra 3, Super Mario World, or the pieces in Tetris Worlds.
For bombs, it would be nice to use one that has one that has an Area of Effect with a radius around the ship, so that not all the enemies are killed. Sometimes thats all you need to keep your score rolling.
Other than that, I really like the idea of multiplayer, especially if it could be over Live! Oh, and keep the cost low, please!
Arachneya @ Jan 17th 2006 4:19AM
Unfortunately, the next iteration will be at least $15.
On the concept of spectators, a more enjoyable feature would be replays.
You never know when you're making history, so if every game can be saved, then several things could happen:
A. Replays could be uploaded to any account on Live (they are tagged with the player's name)
B. 2 or more people could watch any replay while commenting via headsets as to what the player is doing
C. Good players could choose to upload their replays to a public server set up for that very purpose. To cut through crap, only by attaining a certain score can you upload your save/replay (which has to be manually approved to provide some variety).
C2. By uploading your replay, others can study your strat and in time, overtake you, but you gain a fanbase in return.
D. Side by side replays?
Once you start spectating, you'll eventually need to multi-task (PIP), or make live comparisons.
Neal @ Jan 17th 2006 5:40AM
I'll tell you as soon as I get a 360
bapenguin @ Jan 17th 2006 7:17AM
I think it'd be cool to have a versus mode. One player has the ability to control the spawns while the other defends. The longer the player survives the most guys the vs. player can spawn.
Mark Walker @ Jan 17th 2006 8:27AM
How about a clock? The demo has one but the full version does not. Other than that leave the game alone for god's sake. At least for a little while. Why is it that as soon as we get a good thing going us gamers are so quick to want to change things? The DS just came into it's own over the past few months and alot of people are stark raving mad for a redesign. I think as a while we need to slow the hell down and enjoy the great games and harware out now instead of always focused on the future and the next iteration. Enjoy Geometry Wars for what it is. A high quality, FUN, arcade shooter (that only cost a few bucks to download in next gen fashion on a next gen console). Isn't that enough?
BB @ Jan 17th 2006 8:43AM
I agree with the multiplayer, but there should be no friendly fire. I mean, it's already crazy looking out for those shapes coming at you, we don't need to worry about our friend too.
-B
EthanRom @ Jan 17th 2006 8:47AM
I'd really like to see monthly tournaments, with a different type of gameplay each month...
Each month start a tournament on the 1st of the month, and give 21 days of open qualifying attempts. At the end of the 21 days of qualifying, advance the top 1000 people to the playoffs. Players in that top 1000 then get a single attempt to score in the top 100 over the next 5 days (after you make your one 1st round attmept, that option goes away from your menu). Top 100 people after 5 days play in the finals (over the rest of the month) for a nominal prize, plus eternal bragging rights to the top scorers.
Now for making it a different type of play each month, could be lots of different things... ideas that come to mind immediately include:
-Fastest time to 150,000 points (or 250k, but something attainable by lots of people).
-Best shot accuracy to 150,000 points
-Longest time survived without shooting (or similiarlly without moving but allowing shooting)
-Start the game at 500,00 points, most points scored from that point on.
-Most points scored in 4 minutes
Guiding philosophy behind any of these is that they're something that most people would be able to compete in, or think they have a chance to compete in (as most of the 50,000+ people on there realize they're not easily going to be in the top 10 without lots of work), and have it as a fresh goal to shoot for each month.
Having randomness in the qualifying attempts is fine, as players get to make multiple attempts. Though for the single attempt in the playoff rounds, having the same random number seed for everyone should give everyone a fair game.
I would think this would be really fun, really competitive, would result in a lot of scoreboard watching and re-attempts at qualifying to try to move higher up the board so you don't get bumped off at the last minute. Could also have acheivements of qualify in the top 1000, advance to second round, #1 qualifier, tournament winner, etc.
Tim @ Jan 17th 2006 9:18AM
Stats and multiplayer would rock. I'd pay another 5 bucks for that.
KilgoreTrout XL @ Jan 17th 2006 9:34AM
I would like to see more opportunity to take on hundreds of enemies at a time but earlier int he game, when doing so would be relatively easy and just an incredible thing to watch.
Dan @ Jan 17th 2006 10:32AM
Perhaps they could automatically save replays of the top 10 (50? 100?) scores on the leaderboards, so anyone can download them and see how they did it. The replays available would change as the scores change, but people could download the replays and watch them whenever they'd like. Seems to me that anyone who's gotten a high score in GW would enjoy seeing their replay available on Live for all to see.
beaker @ Jan 17th 2006 10:46AM
I've been playing far too much of this game. I had a strange dream about it, the other night, after spending several hours on it and then going to bed.
In my dream, the space was curved into a geometrical form: cubes, spheres, rhomboids, etc. The play area was smooshed flat, but the whole field would rotate. Enemies would warp into your ships area through tunnels connecting through the 3d shape--like a bubble and the action takes place on the outside of the bubble. Also, the ship didn't lay flat on the outside of the play area, but walked spider-like on the blue webbing and bounced up and down with the deformations caused by the gravity warping effects.
I guess, I was seeing a kind of cross between Tempest and Geo Wars. It is hard for me to describe, since I don't have the math talents.
I say, whatever Cakebread comes up with in the future will be fine by me. If he's designing for his own pleasure and interests, I'll be happy to tag along.
Angel of Death @ Jan 17th 2006 10:52AM
I love the idea of the replays, but let us save our own replays to see what mistakes we made or where we did well?
Multiplayer, definitely! Mutant Storm does this well, with competitive (yet co-operative) multiplayer.
MKS
dmd @ Jan 17th 2006 11:21AM
I'd like the high score for a given profile to be remembered. Right now, every time I fire GW up, it's reset to 10,000.
David Rudden @ Jan 17th 2006 11:29AM
I'd love to see one stat tracked in particular; the amount of times each enemy type has killed you. More often than not, I'm too into the game to remember which enemy got me, let alone how many times they did it. I don't know how keen I am on the background that shift with your shots; maybe include an option for a static background, too?
As for multiplayer, BB is spot-on. For the love of gawd, no friendly fire.
Gabe Young @ Jan 17th 2006 12:32PM
This game really needs a multiplier indicator, somewhere in the corner of the screen to remind you what multiplier you're on. Saving replays is also a really cool idea.
Songstorm @ Jan 17th 2006 12:39PM
1) Ability to CHANGE WEAPONS AT ANY TIME. Ugh, I hate the slow wide shot. If I could stick with the rapid fire, I would have a much better score...
2) Tweak the randomness of the waves. I can't believe I'm the only one who's gotten snakes in all 4 corners for 5 spawns! Some shapes are more difficult to deal with than others and that should be taken into account. Oh yeah, and I like when you get 5 seekers (red ships with the shields) on your butt at 100k. That's great... /sarcasm off
3) Like the replay idea. Maybe have it ask you after the match is over if you want to submit. Not sure I like the idea of having multiple replays for each account. That might take up alot of space.
4) Stat tracking, also like this one.
Bloo @ Jan 17th 2006 12:40PM
"Unfortunately, the next iteration will be at least $15."
And the third one will cost at least eight gajillion dollars. Now we both sound stupid making stuff up. Cool!
Negative 1 star for you.
Gamecraze @ Jan 17th 2006 1:55PM
I just want to be able to change weapons on command once I've earned the weapon, - 20k and above. Mabey a 3rd weapon (have a weapon tied to each regular button) like the homing one's from retro. Also remove the enemies g ability to start right on top of you unless its a corner. Corners can spawn on top of you but the circles of enemies should not spawn on top of you if your by a wall. Just have those spawn outside the wall and fly inside, then stay inside once in the wall. The ability to fire forward and backwards at the same time once in a while would be nice - 180 degrees of where your aiming a rear gun could be firing off as well. Mabey earned at 250,000 points or something. Mabey a different kind of bomb like a decoy, so they just all run after it instead of you for a few seconds. Heck have the decoy controlled by a friend. Mabey the ability to adjust your gun's fire spread to rate of fire.
Jim Perry @ Jan 17th 2006 1:55PM
Well when Atari did Asteroids deluxe they introduced shields. You have sheilds for the first few seconds anyways, how about left trigger, bomb, right trigger shield, and it last for a second or 2 and you accumulate them like the bombs. It would give me a chance to survive a bit longer. I've only made it to 190K, drat.
Multiplayer. And the developers at Bizzare, reference the old Atari game Space Duel for multiplayer inspiration. Very similar retro look.
swoosh bnd @ Jan 17th 2006 1:57PM
Multiplayer with all versus all trying to dodge one another with also shields in front similar to those of the things that dart at you all the time. Also a mode where they have 1 player playing against many people trying to kill the 1 player who is firing.
Mike @ Jan 17th 2006 2:20PM
For a different slant on multiplayer co-op, how about 2 players sharing alternating lives. In other words, player 1 gets the first life, player 2 gets the 2nd, player 1 gets the third, etc. It would be just like handing the controller back and forth, but would be done via LIVE and would give a slight pause so the 2nd player would have time to "jump in". It would be fun to give your friend a ribbing for dying early, and may help create higher scores when both players are good - allowing for more stamina and hopefully avoiding the bundle of deaths phenomena that's so common (at least in my gamers - where one death is likely followed by 2 or 3 more).
James F. @ Jan 17th 2006 3:50PM
Lots of good ideas guys. I thought someone else would beat me to it but id like to have a mode where instead of bombs you got "time" bombs. which would give you a matrixlike mode to slow down and reorient for like 3 seconds. nothing extreme, just a slight tweak that wouldn't mess up your(or at least my) momentum as much as using the regular bombs. Too me this would help to build the 'finesse' element we all seek to attain.
Zombie999 @ Jan 17th 2006 5:01PM
It would be nice to see....
1. Survival Mode - Surviving hundreds of the same type of enemy and have stages advancing dificulty.
2. Multiplayer Mode - You see the opponents screen but blackholes transport enemies to the other challengers screen (keeping the black holes in both screens in the same place).
3. Co-op Multiplayer - Tackle the regular game with another player to help out on the same screen.
4. Time Attack - See how long you can survive against the hordes.
5. Diffrent Backgrounds - Hi-res planetary pictures or other space oddities.
Angry Munky @ Jan 17th 2006 5:54PM
I'd love them to take this game, and turn it into an MMO type shooter, similar to Subspace. Add the option to have different ships, larger maps, and various game types; CTF, Team Slayer, Slayer, Control Zones, Race. . .the possibilities could be endless.
JizzyMcButter @ Jan 17th 2006 8:50PM
I would like to see the high score display not reset on exit (store all scores locally)
and a Local gamer card leaderboard,.. xbox live! friends filter is nice, but what about being able to see just a list of the gamer cards on my system including the non-live ones
matt byrnes @ Jan 17th 2006 9:20PM
I like the fact that it resets when you restart. I think inside accomplishments you can see your all-time high. This way when you have friends over they can see who can get the highest score of the day. It is perfect.
Or maybe just do a high of the day and an all-time high. This solves all problems.
Something needs to be done about the flow after you die with over 150,000. I can't regain control after my first death and this drives me nuts. The extra 4-6 lives that I have been able to earn are gone in like 10,000 points. My high score of 430,000 was done almost totally on my first life. The other bunch of lives were gone in like 30 seconds. This killed the game. I lost some hair over that.
swoosh bnd @ Jan 17th 2006 11:06PM
Idea: Allow us to start at different difficulty levels for practice. Like allow us to start at the 500,000 difficult level so we don't have to work our way up every time to practice that so that we may exceed it.
Curry @ Jan 18th 2006 9:00AM
"1) Ability to CHANGE WEAPONS AT ANY TIME. Ugh, I hate the slow wide shot. If I could stick with the rapid fire, I would have a much better score..."
So true, I think I always die because I unexpectedly get the bitch-ass slow shot in the middle of a huge spanking session with the rapid-fire one.
Dr Reaper @ Jan 19th 2006 2:21AM
Custom soundtracks
Weapons
Hyperspace
Shields
Graeme Q @ Jan 19th 2006 2:23PM
I would like....
1) Save the highscore on the memory card or HDD. I'm not always connected to xbox live.
2) Some stats would be nice.
Daman @ Jan 22nd 2006 4:25AM
As much as I love Geometry Wars I do not want to see a string of sequels. I would rather their creative talents went to some new unique games that would blow us away.
Now having said that there are some features I would like to see to all Games.
Virtual Couch: Recreate that feeling of hanging out with your friends. I want a combination spectator mode/hot seat mode. So you hang out chatting and take turns playing (or not play and just chat). The equivalent of passing the controller around if you want a turn.
Game Replay: I really enjoyed seeing Striker's 2.1M points video for Geometry Wars. I would like to see be able to watch the top N scoring games to see how they do it. If this could be expanded to everyones best game being repayable even better!
Clear Water @ Jan 23rd 2006 2:44AM
Multi Player. How about this as an idea for Multiplayer: Each player has there own Screen just like single player but depending on how well you are doing changes the enemys that will spawn on your opponents screen. Getting multiplyers, Collecting Bombs and Lives, Getting sprees of killing certain types of enemies, etc. Getting acheivments like these will result in harder spawns or just more enemys on there screen. Like wise if they are also doing well you will have to suffer harder spawns etc. To make sure you are playing against people that have the same skill as you there could be a mini form of matchmaking!