Even though I didn't manage to code a single line of Lisp for the game's internal code or actually get a single level done, the fact that it was theoretically possible was amazing to me.
Also WASD for movement + mouse for shooting in a 2D game was a novel mechanic for me and I still like 2D two-stick shooters quite a bit.
That game was a huge inspiration to me when I was a teenager and trying game development out. Both the mechanics and the visual style. I had no idea they released the source code to it!
Exactly the same for me. I've developed a similar style game in Delphi with multiple weapons, rocket jumps and everything. I've never been more excited to learn about trigonometric functions to get the arm movement right to follow the mouse cursor.
I had no idea about the source code being public either!
Even though I didn't manage to code a single line of Lisp for the game's internal code or actually get a single level done, the fact that it was theoretically possible was amazing to me.
Also WASD for movement + mouse for shooting in a 2D game was a novel mechanic for me and I still like 2D two-stick shooters quite a bit.