Alien Solar Defender - Development Journey and Updates

### Alien Solar Defender - Development Journey and Updates

#### Introduction

Welcome to the devlog for Alien Solar Defender! This game has been a passion project where I aimed to create an engaging space shooter with a unique twist. In Alien Solar Defender, instead of dodging asteroids, you’ll be navigating through dangerous space environments filled with suns and moons. Your goal is to survive as long as possible while shooting down threats with your spaceship.

#### Concept and Inspiration

The idea for Alien Solar Defender came from the classic arcade game, Space Rocks. I wanted to bring a fresh perspective by replacing the typical asteroids with celestial bodies like suns and moons. This not only added a new layer of challenge but also gave the game a distinct visual and thematic identity.

#### Development Process

Developing Alien Solar Defender involved several stages:

1. **Planning and Design**: Sketching out the game mechanics, designing the spaceship, and conceptualizing the suns and moons as obstacles.

2. **Coding and Mechanics**: Using GameMaker Studio 2 with GML Visual to implement the core gameplay mechanics. Ensuring the spaceship moves smoothly and reacts to player inputs, and that suns and moons have realistic movement patterns.

3. **Graphics and Animation**: Creating the visual assets for the spaceship, suns, moons, and the game background. Animating these elements to make the game visually appealing and dynamic.

4. **Sound Design**: Adding sound effects for shooting, collisions, and background music to enhance the immersive experience.

5. **Testing and Feedback**: Conducting playtests to gather feedback, identify bugs, and make necessary adjustments to improve gameplay.

#### Features

- **Unique Obstacles**: Instead of asteroids, navigate through a field of suns and moons, each posing a different threat.

- **Simple Controls**: Easy-to-learn controls where you shoot with the right-click of the mouse and maneuver your spaceship to avoid collisions.

- **Endless Gameplay**: No levels or power-ups—just pure survival. Your score is determined by how long you can stay alive.

- **High-Score Challenge**: Compete against yourself to beat your previous high score and survive as long as possible.

#### Challenges Faced

One of the main challenges was balancing the game to ensure it was challenging yet fair. Adjusting the speed and spawning rate of suns and moons took several iterations. Another challenge was implementing fullscreen functionality in HTML5, ensuring that the game remains immersive across different screen sizes.

#### Future Updates

I plan to add more features based on player feedback, such as:

- **New Enemy Types**: Introducing new celestial threats with unique behaviors.

- **Power-ups**: Adding power-ups to give temporary advantages and add more depth to the gameplay.

- **Leaderboards**: Implementing online leaderboards to foster competition among players.

#### Conclusion

Alien Solar Defender has been a rewarding project, and I'm excited to share it with the gaming community. I hope you enjoy playing it as much as I enjoyed making it. Stay tuned for future updates and improvements!

Thank you for reading, and happy defending!