Circus Calcticus, which was known as “DUEL” for a short time, has been updated. It’s a futuristic gladiator tournament, where combatants duel each other to the death for the pleasure of the galactic empire. The game will comprise the player’s fighting career, with the difficulty and rewards ramping up with each new match. A match ends when one gladiator loses all of his shields, and is fried by his opponents laser beam. The player begins a match with three shields, while each new opponent gains more shields up to a maximum of five.

Release notes:

The office is incredibly empty, so I feel like I might have my first full day to work on this game. Been futzing around with several elements this morning.

Sound FX: sound effects for lasers, and added an ominous rumble for when the shield zones seal closed.

Graphics Revised the shield zone effect and the death zone effect. Added more enemy styles for a current total of sixteen before looping.

Difficulty/Leveling I’m starting to fool around with the leveling logic, trying to locate a nice balance. I’ve been playtesting a lot to try to fine tune the leveling aspect of the game, but I could really use some insights from other people who are playing the game. Even top scores or the color pattern of the gladiator who killed you would be helpful, but if you notice anything else like ways to solve or “cheap-shot” the game (or, ways in which the game is “cheap-shot’ting” you) would be extremely helpful.

http://www.atariage.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=136119&st=25