Well, last night, I decided to experiment with combining a few different genres to make one, really awesome idea and game. And, actually, it turned out pretty good.. I even might continue it.

Well, the first thing I thought of was the hundreds of scrolling shooters I'd always found- with the spaceships, lame effects and graphics, same enemies, etc. I created a simple engine, and thought of two of my other favorite genres; RTSs and RPGs. How could I implement RPG and RTS elements into a vertical scrolling shooter?

Well, I played around a lot, and I got a simple save/load system, an upgrade system, and I'll be adding many different weapons and enemies.

Next came the RTS part. This took a while, but I added a system in which you can buy units, and command them across the screen.

How does this all work together? Well, you advance through a never-ending level, finding new enemies and gaining 'Kill Points', which act as a currency. You can save and quit to the menu at any time. From there, you can spend Kill Points on various upgrades, such as new weapons, less cooldown time, more ammo, etc. You can also buy units such as kamikaze planes, turrets, and more.

I'm using ObeL IsK's Lightwave Electricity system for the bullet effects; it looks amazing against everything. I'm also using RhysAndrew's GameCave GM Effects Engine's star effect.

I call it Backwash. I'm not sure if I'll continue it, but if you guys like the idea, I might do so. Peace.

EDIT: Oh yeah, it's Halloween.. I'm going as a baby in an old lady's arms. :-3