Hi there folks! Some of you are familiar with me and my odd rant on Sumea, some may even know my secret identity ;) If you do, then you would be aware that I am an experienced game designer ? and in the past I have been a level designer.
Anyway enough self-indulgence of my ego, the reason for this post is to generate interest in an indie title that I am proposing to get up and running. This indie project I have been considering for quite a while now, and in fact the idea for the title first popped into my head back when I was in TAFE several years ago ? I made a shooting gallery game based on it :). Near the end of last year I started really thinking about it, and over the past 6 months, I?ve been getting a lot of ideas and scribbling down lots of notes, not to mention researching indie development, tools and playing similar games.
Well enough history, here are the particulars of the project:
ONE PARAGRAPH DESCRIPTION
A 2D side-on action platformer, borrowing mechanics from several comparative titles ? one of which would be a title called Blackthorne by Blizzard ? set in an original Comic book universe with strong appeal to the adult gaming market with its dark satirical humour based around a reluctant (and delusional) hero. Examples of similar comic book universes would be: ?The Maxx? ? more so the MTV series ? and ?Johnny the Homicidal Maniac.? For an example of a comparative indie title ? in some ways not all ? then try: Alien Hominid. The title will be distributed and marketed via the internet, utilizing a shareware model, in that the first issue is for free but the following issues must be paid for. There will be something like 9-12 issues total with each issue around $5 ? USD.
THE TITLE?S GOALS
This title is ?commercial? in nature, and not meant to be freeware, but shareware, with a free demo that can be downloaded and played, but the rest of the title must be paid for. It is to be an original concept, with a professional production, even if low-budget. I am a firm believer that even if a title is low-budget, it does not have to mean low-quality, in fact it can be the very opposite!
My main goal with this title is to prove something to myself and to the local industry, something that I have suspected for a while now, and that is that the best way for developers in Australia to be independent and to create original titles, is to start off by creating low-budget indie titles ? marketed and distributed via the internet.
Based on the revenue of this initial title, you could then potentially fund the development (or part) of an AAA big-budget commercial and original title. Perhaps not several million to complete the production of the whole title, but perhaps 500K to complete the production of a proof-of-concept (gameplay) demo, and to acquire further funding to develop it further with ? roughly speaking, you would have to sell 10,000 units to get the 500K ? at a royalty rate of 80% - which is not exactly impossible.
This is something that I hope to achieve with this title, as well as returning a portion of this title?s revenue into additional indie titles. At the very least, I would want to have enough to fund an additional indie title with ? for which I have a few ideas for ? and to have an original and innovative title that I am proud of, even if it was not the commercial success I had hoped for ? as long as it gets good reviews.
Another goal of mine is to provide inexperienced yet talented individuals the opportunity to work on a commercial title, and gain experience and a foot in the door of the industry, hopefully leading to a successful career. There are not many opportunities like this for individuals in Australia trying to break into the industry. Sure there are mods, but these are rarely a ?complete? game, and most certainly not commercial.
Having a commercial title under your belt, your first notch in the form of a title credit, will help you in a big way in being successful in the industry ? of course it helps even further if it is a successful and well known title as well.
I also hope to continue this on, by initiating further indie titles in the future, to help more break into the industry, and get that valuable initial credit and experience.
The positions on the team will not be of a paid nature; instead each member will receive a share of the royalties based upon what they contribute to the project ? this will be written up via contract. I would not expect the first royalties to be seen until a year of development, and then this will probably go into covering the expenses incurred to that point, as well as paying for the development of the rest of the title ? all costs will be covered first before royalties are paid. How much ends up being paid to those involved depends on how well the title is received, and how much effort people want to put into it, to make it as great as they can.
Now that said, you are probably asking the following:
WHY WILL IT SUCCEED?
First off, I don?t want to write up too much in the way of specifics, not that I fear that anyone will rip off my idea or anything, as I realise that unless you have the know-how to make it work, and then that little something extra that only a good designer can bring to a project, you won?t succeed anyway. It is just that this is not the place for a complete design document ? and I also don?t want something ripping off my concept and doing a half-arsed job of it, and sabotaging my own attempt at trying to do it right ;).
Know let me explain a few things about the title, like what genre it is ? loosely speaking. In my mind it is a 2D action platformer ? could also be potentially done in 3D ? one of those titles with the guy on screen running and jumping about firing a gun collecting pickups like powerups, health and weapons ? I am all sure that you are familiar with those. A comparative title ? if I can remember the title correctly ? is ?Blackthorne,? which was created by Blizzard, and was released prior to Warcraft ? do a search on the net, you?ll find it as a download on any good abandonware site.
Though it is not exactly what I imagine, but a big part of what I imagine. The end title will borrow mechanics from several platformer titles, combine it all together, add a little polish and innovation so as to not be clunky and too samey and that is the gameplay end ? well the core of it.
Now on to the main reason why I think this title will succeed where others will fail. Many commercial titles succeed not because they have cutting-edge graphics, AI or even gameplay, but rather a strong story to drive the gameplay; one that springs to mind is Deus Ex, ok graphics, decent level design, shitty AI, piss-poor user-interface, one hell of an RPG story ? for its time. Another title that I believe would not have done as well if (for its time) it did not have a solid RPG unfolding story experience is Half Life. Another that springs to mind is System Shock, though I think its graphics and gameplay were up to spec for its time. Another recent one for me was playing Knights of the Old Republic on the XBOX ? ok graphics, reasonable AI, reasonable gameplay, great RPG story and the opportunity to be a bad-ass Sith lord ;).
Though, comparisons can not only be drawn with games, but also with other mediums and probably much more clearly so. But first I want to highlight another reason why these titles ? whatever medium it may be ? succeed, and that is that they are telling adult stories with adult themes of interest, and the more complex the layers, the better. At times the more adult layers are hidden between the lines so that adults with the life experience are the only ones who can read them, in other cases they are unashamedly flaunted openly.
And if you ask me, the more adult they are, the more complex the themes and story, the more depth of meaning they show, instead of shallowness ? like a juvenile excuse to see animated big tities bouncing up and down ? the better the title will be and more successful it will become.
Now for my examples and the medium they come from: animated TV series.
Immediate examples that comes to mind are Southpark, the Simpsons or Futurama. Southpark is a great example, it did not have great animation, but it did have great characters and scenarios for their episodes, that appealed to adults ? it is the same reason why the Simpsons were a success, as its first episodes are not of the same quality as the ones we see today, in fact they were quite poor, it was there adult content, even if it was hidden between the lines so as to be ?family? friendly ? the same goes for the old Warner looney toons.
In Southpark?s case, it is probably their unashamed adult content, with these animated children saying and doing clearly immoral and extremely funny things ? it is clearly antisocial in nature, and why it was a hit, as it was extreme in its difference. In the case of the Simpsons, it is the fact that they can be enjoyed by the whole family, not just by kids, not just by adults, not just by men, boys, women or girls, but by the whole family.
Why it still persists as popular today, as it has content for everyone, and truly is commercial in that regard. Give people something that is not dumbed down, distilled so as to be ?commercial? and all its controversial edges and points rounded off and smoothed over, and they?ll eat it up. This is true commercialism, not the bullshit ?E for Everyone? kiddie shit that the industry has blindly accepted as such, thinking that they are expanding their market that way, instead of shrinking it ? as it no longer appeals to adults.
Anyway, I suspect that most individuals that download and pay for games online have a credit card, and to have one of those I believe you have to be 18 or older. And current research does indicate that the average gamer is in their mid twenties, hence: ADULTS!
Give these adults something that no one else has bothered to, like a game with adult content that is not shallow, has a strong story to drive the whole series forward, and they will want more of it ? and its popularity will grow.
So with this title, we will have a strong story to drive the game forward, and keep the gameplay fresh, and keep the player interested in seeing what unfolds next ? otherwise even with great gameplay, they might get bored after playing the demo, and not buy the rest of the game;). Again loosely speaking, the story will be a take on the Comic book super hero ? The Punisher, Batman ? but with a lot of dark adult humour, with the hero being an anti-hero of sorts ? definitely off beat.
Hence why the refs to animated ?cartoons,? another good ref would be a comic book called: Johnny the Homicidal Maniac, or even Squee by the same author ? same adult direction not exactly the same content, I want a more ?real? grounding with this title.
Anyway, a good story is worth squat in the interactive medium that is computer games; it can only work if you have solid gameplay as well, as a good story in this medium is no substitute for good gameplay.
Well, there are also other aspects that I think are key to this title being a success, one area in particular, but I will refrain from mentioning it at the moment ? best left to the design doc, and after I am sure that there will be a team interested in undertaking this project :).
A WARNING
This title is not for the morally righteous or those afraid of attracting negative publicity that a controversial title may just do ? and with any luck this one will. I have no intention of watering anything down for the sake of not offending anyone in case it gets pulled off of the shelves, as there are no shelves. That is the beauty of being an indie and releasing via the net, very little in the way of unwanted censorship to stifle creativity.
In fact I hope to use the team and game?s site for a secondary purpose, and that is to generate interest from gamers and the Australian community in changing the current status quo when it comes to how games are treated by the OFLC, how they are rated and censored here in Australia. I want the site to have links to resources, as well as various tools like quotes from sources, and templates for letters, as well as a list of targets to send letters of complaint to ? this is something we don?t have and need if we are ever going to change things for the better, and turn the tide of ignorance we have to endure now.
TENTATIVE DEVELOPMENT PLAN
Part of my goals of this title, is to also show that you don?t need the best technology to succeed, or even a huge and bloated budget ? but hey, it does help ;) Therefore I am aiming to utilize cheap middleware and tools, even open-source and freeware tools ? like Blender and Gimp ? to do the job. I wish to primarily focus on creating innovative and original content, not to have to reinvent the wheel.
Depending on what middleware you go for, you either get 2D, 3D, a set of tools, scripts and dlls to use in your game ? a good deal for free. My aim is to code as little as possible, and to adapt as much as possible, so we can get it out the door as soon as possible.
Therefore I do not wish to have to create for instance, a new game engine from scratch when proven engines already exist like: GameMaker, 3D Game Studio, DarkBASIC, etc. I would only wish to utilise non-middleware engines and tools if it already exists in that you have been working on it, and wish to bring it to the project, or, you wish to add to the middleware and tools we will be using, to build upon it ? like adding graphical features like particles or support for vector (flash) graphics.
Due to the nature of the story, it being a satire of sorts of comic books, the title will be released in segments called ?issues.? The first one will be for free, the following ones will come at a reasonable price. How much this is and how many hours of gameplay each provides the gamer with, will be determined once we have a working prototype of the game ? our first demo. I?m guessing something like 5-10 US dollars.
There will be something like 9-12 issues, with the story not meant to be ongoing indefinitely, but have a clear beginning, middle and end ? not like your regular comic book series or TV series in that you only have the beginning and an ongoing middle that everyone eventually gets bored of anyway.
Because the title is released in chunks (issues), we can update it as we go along, add new gameplay features and new content based on the story ? keep it fresh and keep players interested in playing on to find out what happens next in the story.
I hope to have a patchy draft of the design doc ready by Free Play ? this will be more of an overview, with the detail to come later. At the conference it would be great to talk to people that are interested and get to know one another ? I doubt that things will move that quickly though over the next few weeks, but hey, it is better to be optimistic.
Over the next 6 months, I hope to put together a demo to show at the AGDC, as well as to finish the titles specs ? design documents. Then to work on the project so as to launch it at next year?s Free Play, making the demo officially available for download, as well as the first part of the game that player?s will be able to pay for and play. The goal would also be to start to market the title from the AGDC onwards leading to its ?release,? and then to keep this marketing momentum up until 6 months after the last section of the game is released ? or even longer than this if it is going very, very well.
I am happy to use the limited funds I have to fund the development of the project ? I have already invested in the project myself anyhow ? used sparingly on key elements, like tools and middleware, but I will not be paying fees for work. There is also the possibility of securing one or two development loans and grants to aid its development ? that will require a little more research though, but I am aware of a few sources.
Finally, I won?t lie, and tell you that this is in the bag, as something like 10% of commercial titles will breakeven or generate a small profit, and something like 5% of titles will generate most of the income for the industry ? the majority don?t even breakeven. This is the same with all entertainment industries, whether it is novels, graphic novels, films, TV series, music, etc ? it should come as no surprise if you are familiar with the 80/20 principal.
But I will say that I am roughly 80% confident that it will be well received ? not forgotten ? and 60% confident that it will be a commercial success as long as it comes close to what I imagine in my mind, and that it is properly marketed via the internet, and, if we can get magazine coverage and the demo on their cover-discs ? many magazines have special columns for indie game coverage, I suspect this is the case due to a growing dissatisfaction with ?commercial? titles that show surprising little innovation and originality with publishers playing it ?safe.?
You might be surprise just how much support the game media will provide to an original and innovative title.
WHY WOULD I WANT TO BE A PART OF THE PROJECT?
Professionals: may want the opportunity to take on more leadership, perhaps at your current job, you are stuck at a certain level with no way of moving forward into a lead position. Perhaps you are getting sick and tired of working on fee-for-service work, churning out second-rate unoriginal titles based on a film license, busting your balls to get it out on the shelves just when the film is released at the cinemas ? or something like this. Perhaps it is the opportunity to work on a title that potentially will generate royalties, and so far you have either worked on titles that haven?t, or never had royalties as an option to begin with ? fee-for-service. Maybe it is the opportunity to try something new in game development; perhaps you?re an artist or programmer that would like to try your hand at level design, which is something you do in you spare time anyway. Or, you just want to have the opportunity to pass on your knowledge and experience to the next generation of developers trying to break into the industry.
Talented but inexperienced: individuals would want to be part of the team as it is an opportunity to work on a commercial title ? albeit an indie title ? that if successful, or at least well-known, may lead to a successful career in game development. A real title, not a mod, with real commercial pressures of working in a team environment ? this shows the bosses at the local studios that you can be a ?team player? and handle working on a commercial project, that you are a professional. You would also potentially get to work in a role that would take you years to fill, having to work your way up the food-chain ;).
HOW DO I SHOW INTEREST?
I am interested in seeing expressions of interest from anyone with talent whether they have professional experience or not, but, obviously an ambitious undertaking requires a few key individuals with the experience and motivation to guide and manage the project. Therefore I am interested in finding individuals to fill the roles of the leads for: programming, art and sound ? perhaps even level design. In order to fill such roles, it would be preferable that such individuals have relevant experience, whether it be in another industry or in game dev, whether that be on a mod, another indie title or a more ?commercial? title that was distributed and marketed via a publisher.
Anyone interested can show interest by replying to this post with a post, or, they can email me at: cynicalfan@hotmail.com
If doing so, please give a brief description of what you would like to do on the project like concept art, 2D artist and animator, level designer, programmer, etc. And, what relevant qualifications / experience you have ? if you are shy, then try emailing me instead ;) If you have a site that acts as a resume and / or portfolio of work, then please list this as well.
Keep-in-mind: that I have a clear vision of this title, and what it takes to make it a success. Individuals interested in the project must keep this in mind, in that they must be able to work within this vision. I am happy to consider design ideas and input from anyone on the team and discuss them, as I do not have all the answers yet myself, but I do not believe in designing games via a committee ? some refer to this as a cabal.
I do not think that this works, and in the cases it has been reported to ?work,? if you look more closely and dig around, you will probably find that there is one skilled individual, who is able to foster an open communication on the team and generate ideas, but at the end of the day, one person is the defender of the vision, and makes the call as to what goes into the final end result.
This project is also a personal one for me, one that I have had to live with in my head for quite some time, and I do not wish to radically deviate away from this, sorry :/
Cheers,
Cynical Fan
Eeek, too much to read Cynicalfan, I can't work out whether I'd be interested in your project or not because there's too much info to go through. I'm sure you'd get more responses if you posted up a more concise description of the project to pique peoples interest and then perhaps lay the details on them later.
There's a lot of info there, and as is natural when describing your 'baby' it jumps around a little bit between what the game IS, and what the aims of CREATING the game are.
It sounds like (forgive me if I'm wrong) a story-driven 3rd person platform game with adult-themes set in a cartoon/animated style universe.
Perhaps I could ask the question that's nagging at the back of my mind. Please though - I really do not want it to be taken the wrong way - I mean no offense or insult at all by it...
If you're expecting a team to follow your vision, and not to deviate, can you show us why we're going to be able to trust your vision? Previous examples of work or even fleshed out ideas?
I heartily concur that a game/movie/symphony needs a vision-keeper, but I want to make sure that a team I'm part of can share and support that vision. I'm also a relative newbie to the industry, so I'm afraid that secret identities aren't really my forte. [:)]
Sorry for the secret identity thing, it?s more of a gag on my part, but it does serve a purpose, which is other than to be a complete prat ? which I am sure some may think is the reason ;). It isn?t really to hide my identity either, as based on what I have said to date, that really is easy to figure out, it is just that as long as I don?t directly say who I am, then all those in the industry that resent what I say, have an excuse not to confront me about it, and can play at not knowing who I am ? and they really don?t want to have to do that. So basically it is an easy way out for them :).
Anyway, why would anyone want to trust me as the defender-of-the-vision you ask?
Well the last position I held with a game development studio was one of Lead Designer of a high-profile title ? a lot in the local industry would kill to work as the Janitor and be listed in the credits on a title like that ? prior to that I held positions in game and level design.
This is for commercial titles by the way, not mods, not indie titles, but commercial titles.
If you want more ?detail? in the way of a fleshed out idea, I?m sorry but I won?t give that away unless I have first had a chat to someone via email to find out what they are like. And then it would only be a small portion and not the complete design; I will only let someone look at the complete design doc/s after they have signed an NDA ? common practice in the industry ? and that it is in my best interests to have them have a look.
If you want a brief one paragraph of the title then how about: a 2D side-on action platformer, borrowing mechanics from several comparative titles ? one of which would be a title called Blackthorne by Blizzard ? set in an original Comic book universe with strong appeal to the adult gaming market with its dark satirical humour based around a reluctant (and delusional) hero. Examples of similar comic book universes would be: ?The Maxx? ? more so the MTV series ? and ?Johnny the Homicidal Maniac.? An example of a comparative indie title ? in some ways not all ? then try: Alien Hominid.
How was that, still too much to read? Not clear enough perhaps? If this says it then I?ll add it to the original post ;)
FYI: In general an exec-summary for a project that I work on would be something like 10-15 pages long. The above post is something like 3 pages at the most, and is over 3,500 words long ? why it is a bit patchy, all over the place and not as ?fleshed? out as I was trying to keep it as concise as I can. This really is not much to read, anyone working in commercial game development would be expected to have to read more than that. The final design doc would be something like 40,000 words long. There is usually something like a 1 to 2 pager for a project as well, for those publisher marketing types with the short attention span. So I can see why a one paragrapher would help ;)
As for examples of work to show? the only other work I have to show at the moment is a hefty design for an AAA title that?s more than 100,000 words long. And I have no intention of making that public at all. Especially as I have made quite a decent amount of progress with it and hope to start production of a prototype next year ? with any luck. I'm looking at several sources of funding for this and an indie title is one of them, but not the only one I might add.
At the end of the day, if people aren?t willing to take a little risk and won?t even bother sending an email of inquiry, and find a post of a little more than 3,500 words too much to bother reading, then I have no problems with the project not getting off the ground.
quote:Originally posted by CynicalFan
There is usually something like a 1 to 2 pager for a project as well, for those publisher marketing types with the short attention span. So I can see why a one paragrapher would help ;)
*chuckle*
When even 3.5k is a lot for a casual reader to go through, 40k is certainly a hefty read - I'd suggest a much more concise version might pique more interest. So yeah, your one paragraph summary is a great start.
Gotta say though that an Executive Summary should never* be longer than one page - often three paragraphs is too long - Its only purpose in life is to state as unverified gospel the key parts of the document without any backup material at all so that someone can work out what they want to look at in the main document.
*PS: rule made to be broken.
Yeah I know, that one is a bit rich on my part, it is not like that egotistical and delusional bunch want to warmly welcome me there with open arms and a teary eye. But in truth, there is no reason why they would not, and if they did somehow manage to refuse me the ?opportunity? to attend their little soir?e ? like all of a sudden having a number of bouncers at the conference entry ? it would merely be an exercise in throwing-fuel-on-the-fire. It wouldn?t be much of a loss either, as the event is minor considering the others that take place throughout the year ? I just wanted to get a free registration anyway, I don?t see the conference being value for money ;).
For an indie project Free Play is a far better local event, and then internationally you have the IGF ? Independent Gaming Festival ? that give cash prizes to the best indie title within various categories, not to mention well deserved recognition from the industry ?and this is where I would want the title to end up at
As for your interest yet lack of motivation in joining my controversial bandwagon, well you and over a hundred others so far :).
Thought I would give an update and also list a few links to indie titles that people might want to try out. Anyway, the news is that there has been a trickle of interest so far, but, no programmers. Where can a gaming project end up other than on the side if there are no programmers!
Anyway, still early days to make a judgment call, and in the meantime you guys have to visit this great indie site: http://newgrounds.com
I love their saying: ?The problems of the future, today!?
They don?t just have games but animated series as well, one great one is: Retarded Animal Babies - http://newgrounds.com/collections/rab.html. That is just one part of some of the really funny shit they have on this site. If you are bored and have broadband then this is a site you really need to check out. I might add though that some of it you might find offensive, so if you are the type that will take offense to some good old toilet humour fun, then don?t go to this site ;)
Anyway, some indie games you need to try out are:
Midnight Strike (http://www.arcadetown.com/midnightstrike/game.asp): is a solid platformer with solid gameplay and levels. It fails in scenario and character / enemy design. Let?s face it, a commando that goes into some secret evil laboratory to halt / stop cyborgs, etc? is not exactly original. But never the less a solid action platformer that is well programmed, and, you don?t have to play it online but you can download and play it instead.
Skull Kid (http://newgrounds.com/portal/view/63747): nice little office-carnage game, definitely for those that are stuck in a dead-end office job or a second-rate game dev studio. The first level has you sawing things with a chainsaw, which is ok, but the real fun is the second level when you have a series of gun-duels with your co-workers. Not sure if there was a third level, might have been.
Alien Hominid (http://newgrounds.com/portal/view/59593): This is the flash-demo of the final action platformer title that the developers made and which you can get for PS2 and GCUBE. It has great graphics and animations, but, I found that the interface is a bit clunky for me for the fast-paced action. Personally I don?t see why they didn?t use the up arrow key for jump instead of another button, as this for me is the intuitive choice ? I think they used it for shooting up or something. Anyway, great fun for a while until you get the shits with the interface.
RaidenX (http://newgrounds.com/portal/view/246725): is a Raiden style clone, actually more of a tribute to the original arcade game. Pretty well done, solid gameplay, but? just a little too easy for me. I kept playing and playing not even losing a life and having to restart ? so I found it boring after a while. Not enough of a challenge, but well worth a look at to see an indie (freeware) title that is well done. I also think that the developers should have tried something more original based upon the same style of gameplay, and definitely added difficulty levels to pick from.
Anyway, if people find those interesting then maybe I?ll put up some others or perhaps those that have played a good indie title ? either freeware, shareware or abandonware ? of late might post the link of the title and write up a quick description.
Another two games for your weekend amusement:
ABUSE: this one many should be familiar with, but considering how many of you are 15 or younger, then you may very well not be. If I recall correctly this action platformer was made by some ID Software employee and had backing in a way by ID. Like ID?s games it is fast-paced action orientated, repetitive and boring due to its poor story ? something about genetic engineering mutants and cyborgs I think. But in its defense, one cool aspect of it is its use of the mouse for aiming, giving you (I think) a 360 degree aim ? well sort of. It has if I remember, a whole lot of weapons to pick up and use, numerous enemies ? that all seem to run at you Doom / Quake style ? and lots of levels. It comes with a level editor, and I believe you can download extra content for it ? and the game is for free.
You can download it from: http://www.dosgamesarchive.com/download/game/145
GENOCIDE: is a game a lot like Abuse above, except it is more modern so you won?t have any issues getting it to work, but, it is shareware so you will only have a limited day trial period to play with before having to buy the game. To be honest I wouldn?t pay for this game, its gameplay isn?t interesting enough and just gets too boring due to a lack of a solid story ? I like RPGs or games that have strong scenarios to them, like System Shock instead of Doom, which bored the piss out of me. Its strong points are the same ones I would probably give Abuse, and Abuse did them first and better. Its story is boring, something along the lines of cyborgs, mutants and escaping from prison. But if you have issues running Abuse then try this one as it too uses the mouse to aim and fire with.
You can download it from: http://games.simtel.com/fiche.php?intIdGame=20305
BTW: you can also get Alien Hominid on the XBOX as well if anyone is interested.
You can find a heap of indy/art games listed on http://selectparks.net . Selectparks were the people I was working with making acmipark, and the website is run by Rebecca Cannon- who is rather infamous for being able to drink the red v/s blue guys under the table- hey, they said it in a full cinema at acmi :) Rebecca also presented at both freeplays.
Yeah, I am considering GameMaker ? it is listed in the original post. Seems like an interesting engine and toolset, but, I think with this project that we would need to not rely on the existing scripting tools and templates but rather push those tools to their limits and if at all possible, build upon them with custom dlls ? or at least with freeware dlls made by the community. As to how far it could be pushed? I don?t know as I have yet to take a closer look ? even though I have had it installed on my notebook for over half a year ? and in all honesty, I would prefer someone with far more programming experience to take a look at it as well, and give me their opinion.
But hopefully in a week or two I?ll get some free time to have a little look-see at it, and see what it can do. If I recall correctly, most games for it are really bad, but there was one arcade platformer that was really well done, though perhaps a little simplistic gameplay wise. If I find it I?ll write a post about it for people to look at :).
Anyway, on to other things in the way of games people can download and play, but first people should download this x86 / DOS emulator and frontend:
DOS BOX: is an x86 / DOS ? even early Windows 95 ? environment emulators. With this you should have no problems with running old DOS games or Windows 95 games that ask you to specify your sound card ports and settings ? it will pretty much take care of it automatically with the front-end below. You should be able to get ABUSE to run ok through this.
Download it from: http://dosbox.sourceforge.net/download.php?main=1
D-FEND: is a front-end for DOS BOX, and should make things as painless as possible for those that consider a GUI to be a user interface instead of a command prompt ? or at least haven?t used one since the DOS 6.2 and only have a passing fancy for Linux ;).
Download it from: http://members.home.nl/mabus/
The games:
BLACKTHORNE: is one of the titles I make reference to in the above project post. Great action platformer for its time, and was not as well received as Blizzard?s next title: Warcraft ? was pretty much overlooked by the gaming press. Definitely a classic gem that anyone who hasn?t played it should try out, with its interesting ?firefight? gun battle gameplay, but to be honest, these days I find the reactions, animations and interface to be a bit slow and clunky ? not smooth. So you may be put off by it, but I suggest persisting with it for a while as the game may just grow on you. This game does not require DOS BOX if you download the SNES version that comes with an emulator ? look further up in ?special? I think.
Download it from: http://www.the-underdogs.org/game.php?id=2417
T2002: is a Turrican remake, and uses I believe graphics from the PC and Amiga version to remake the original game. Turrican is not really an action platformer but more of an arcade platformer, but, still plays well and is interesting in that it is a revered title of sorts. For me the experience was new, so it had less appeal, but the work that went into the remake is impressive to say the least. Anyone bored can do a lot worse ;). You will not need DOS BOX for this title, unless you want to download one of the originals.
Download it from: http://www.the-underdogs.org/game.php?name=T2002 or http://www.pekaro.de/
HALLOWEEN HARRY: is a classic and I believe made by some of the guys that started Krome Studios. I liked the title when I was in high-school, probably due to the Zombie element. I am a big Zombie film fan, and I will watch basically any Zombie movie even if I know it will be really, really bad, just because it has Zombies in it. I can?t tell you people how many times I have watched: Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead (new and old), Day of the Dead, Resident Evil, Return of the Living Dead 1 & 2, Shaun of the Dead, and I am filled with dread at the prospect at how many times I will watch Romero?s new (mediocre) Zombie Flick: Land of the Dead ? if I had it my way, I would get a power-drill and drill out that little piece of grey matter that makes me watch that crap, if I knew where it was that is, especially after paying far too much for a Zombie flick called: The Dead Next Door, that I got off of Ebay from the US. Anyway, since then this title?s Zombie charm has lost its appeal and effect upon me, and I feel it is too arcade and its gameplay not as appealing and perhaps not as well designed. But hey, again you could do worse.
As for Zombie flicks, why can?t anyone make a horror flick like Evil Dead 2, why?!
Download it from: http://www.the-underdogs.org/game.php?id=37
SPEEDBALL 2: this game is not an action platformer, but an action / arcade future blood / death sports game. It is one of the games I fondly remember playing on the Amiga 500, and is based on a film called: Rollerball ? which is a great flick. It has been a while since I looked at it again, but it is interesting in subject matter to say the least, but since its original time of release to be honest, we have come leaps and bounds in game design know-how, and I think that this one I would have designed differently than the Bitmap Brothers did, especially the user-interface ? I think it plays too fast-paced arcade for my liking. The quality for me is just not there in that regards.
Download it from: http://www.the-underdogs.org/game.php?gameid=1026
That is it for now, more to come later when I have had a chance to play the ones I have downloaded so far.
Wow, still no programmers have shown interest, as the European?s annoyingly say: Ja Super!
Anyhow, I have some scripting / programming skills and I have found an editable Game Maker game with the underlying action platformer core needed for the title that I am planning ? it even has the mouse aim and shoot element I like. So, I have decided to do my best to adapt this for the prototype of the game concept. It basically has 70% of the core stuff in place and just needs that 30% polish to bring it the rest of the way ? like new graphics and animation, new levels, cut-scenes and menu system, and tweaks to existing systems and then a few more added on for gameplay. It also has to be ported / updated to the newest version of game maker, so with any luck this will be minimal work on my part, as I want to put in an application and demo for a funding opportunity in late October ? would hate to miss it.
It has been an interesting week for me, options for this project and another have narrowed, done a heap of research and especially thinking about this project in particular. Have seen a few flicks, Sin City is awesome and anyone who hasn?t seen it should ? about a 9 out of 10 from me.
Land of the Dead is ok and failed not due to the gory zombie effects, even due to the acting and ok dialogue, but to Romero intellectualizing on the wrong aspect of the story, adding an unnecessary element with the zombies being able to communicate and think creatively, and something about equal rights for zombies even though they have a tendency to kill and eat people. Though I am sure there is something else the man is hinting at, just thought it would have been better said ? less corny / chessy ? If he focused on the (?living?) humans and how they treated one another and how they were tearing the remains of their society apart, instead of having the undead as the vehicle for this.
I gave the movie a 6 out of 10, a 7 if you are a zombie fan. Definitely a solid movie to watch if you have nothing better to watch ;).
Found out as well that I have a Punisher comic worth nearly $100 ? I had time to kill before the movie so I headed off to Kings Comics. It is in mint condition after I bought it over 10 years ago ? the one I saw in the store was also in mint condition US import like mine. It has been sitting there in a plastic sleeve, tucked away in a box for most of that time; I bought a whole bunch of first and special editions (mostly X-Men) around that time, read them a few times and then put them away in plastic and forgot about them ? decided I was too broke to be buying comics on a regular basis ;).
Anyway, if you are wondering why I mention it and Sin City then you should try reading the first post :). Besides that the most interesting piece of news is that concerning Ratbag, now a first-party developer for Midway, and the problems with Perception and Stargate-SG1. Wasn?t expecting either but it wasn?t exactly a surprise either ? kind of all adds up for me.
On to business, this time around I am going to only list games made with Game Maker, as it is the authoring tool that I am evaluating for this project for a number of reasons, so I downloaded a few to see what it could potentially do, and I was surprised to say the least.
The Game Maker games:
JETZ FUSION: A 2D platformer of sorts, where you control a guy with a jet pack across the screen, but, it is far more RPG based, as each world is full of people ? most just as fodder ? and a few characters to interact with. Some will give you missions, others are the mission. It appears to be very complex on the surface and below the surface, for instance, go a little made with a chainsaw, flying along and mowing people down, and the cops will arrive. You?ll be able to take care of the first few, but they just keep on coming building in force. Definitely will give it another play. Only gripe I had was the flying, as you could not stay exactly still so you would drift past the text boxes before you could finish reading them ? perhaps a pause game feature would have worked better. Another is the fact that I think it would have worked better if you could aim and shoot with the mouse. This I believe the developer implemented in an earlier title called INFECTION ? listed below ? and I think would have worked nicely with the jetpack gameplay, as well of allowed you to do what the other enemies could do in turn, shoot 360 ? kind of limiting and frustrating slightly.
Download it from: http://www.gamemakergames.com/?a=view&id=92
RAGING SKIES: nice variation on the top-down scrolling shooter. Not sure if it is a first or not, but you are free to move in whatever direction you like and shoot whatever direction you like ? 360. Though it would be difficult at first, but being able to turn and move backwards whilst shooting at enemy planes is really nice, allows you to line up shots into their path, as you move out of theirs. Definitely play this one more. It also has earn and spend money on gear and weapons element that I really like the idea of. Only gripe for me was the long intro scene that I couldn?t skip ? wasn?t in the mood to read;).
Download it from: http://www.gamemakergames.com/?a=view&id=809
LEGEND OF SHADOW: a fairly well done platform fighting game that reminds me in a way of Ninja Gaiden ? which rocked on the Atari Lynx, damn hard game but due to it being a complex game at that in way of world interaction. This game is fairly fast-paced with samurai running at you throwing shuriken stars and then hacking at you with swords. Perhaps a bit too fast paced for my liking but at least it suits the subject matter, though for me the biggy is the graphics, they are a bit too old-school. I think that it is nice to have that appeal, but to make sure that anything you do is updated to today?s expectations and standards, as we have come a long way since then. Doesn?t have to be normal-mapped and 3D, just not too basic / simple in pixel use and animation ? after all, game maker can do far more than this title is aiming for. So for me, the gameplay is just not interesting enough for someone who is used to far better ? though, I think in the future I?ll have a closer look at it, and a more in depth play as well.
Download it from: http://www.gamemakergames.com/?a=view&id=1382
INFECTION: is a nice arcade platformer that uses the mouse for aiming like Abuse. The graphics are simple yet appealing, too bad the story is crap and superficial. I played this until I couldn?t figure out how to get up a ledge, and gave up trying due to the irritating movement mechanic which seems to be some sort of jet boots, with your character lurching all over the screen and over shooting the mark constantly ? perhaps I should have read the manual ;).
Download it from: http://www.gamemakergames.com/?a=view&id=68
CAVE OF MONSTERS: feels very Japanese weird platformer to me, with those gay cartoon fantasy monsters. Not my cup of tea, but fairly well done. I believe if I recall correctly, that though the controls are simple, you can combine them to create advanced moves for your game character ? quite liked that approached, very console based. Anyone who likes weird Japanese platformers will like this game.
Download it from: http://www.gamemakergames.com/?a=view&id=952
METROID REDEMPTION: a clone of Metroid, uses graphics and sounds from the game. Not exactly my cup of tea, but anyone who liked the Turrican clones I listed above will like it, and especially if you are a Metroid fan. A solid attempt, but still a few issues coding wise and in quality of gaming experience in general for me to really like it ? perhaps it?s the arcade element that turns me off.
Download it from: http://www.gamemakergames.com/?a=view&id=80
THE ULTIMATE CHUCHU!: I suppose is a solid action / arcade platformer. It uses the mouse to aim and shoot with ala Abuse, which I tend to like. Where it lets itself down in my opinion, is ugly 2D graphics generated from crappy 3D models. The character does not appeal to me nor do I find the scenario of the game at all interesting. But hey, the gameplay is nice and shows the complexity that Game Maker is capable of.
Download it from: http://www.cs.uu.nl/people/markov/gmaker/games_exe.html
MEGABOT: I haven?t played in a log while, and is the Game Maker game I make mention of in the previous post. This game I thought was great after my first impression of the main menu and then initial scripted cut-scene. You can tell the developer put a lot of passion into the game, and it has a definite late 80?s feel to it ? though I do recall a few gripes about the interface for the cut-scene sequence, something like not waiting long enough for you to read it or not being able to hit a key to skip to the next part. Anyway, then the game starts, and though the graphics are great, the gameplay sucks. You are limited in how you can interact with the game, your character has few animations and is retardedly awkward looking like R2D2. Basically the game is not very complex, to make up for this developers tend to make the game ?fast-paced? and ?arcade? in gameplay style to make up for the elements that are lacking like complexity of interaction and user interface. So they script non-stop enemies attacking of one type or another ? Doom, Serious Sam. In the end, not a game that I bothered to play for long.
Download it from: http://www.cs.uu.nl/people/markov/gmaker/games_exe.html
SONIC-ZONE: what can I say other than it is the classic arcade Sonic platformer. Uses all graphics and sounds from the game, but never the less is well done in regards to capturing the gameplay of the old title. And as someone commented, very well done in regardless to coding the gameplay.
Download it from: http://www.cs.uu.nl/people/markov/gmaker/games_exe.html
Wow, someone making a post other than me and showing interest in the project. Or is it more of a case that you want me to list games and make comments on how ultimately crap they really are?
Probably shouldn?t say that, just in case this one ends up just as crap as the rest.
Well it you must know, the project is still in the works, still progressing if slowly. I am a one-man-army at the moment though other people have shown interest, albeit none are programmers. For the time being I?ve decided to go it alone, so I?ll be working on the design, art, programming, sound and business elements of the project. Probably until I have put together a prototype, then I?ll slowly bring people on depending on what else I have going at the time ? and depending if I can get a solid game programmer interested.
But then again, I might have to bring people on due to the work load on the prototype and other stuff I have going anyway.
Basically I figure since I have to code the bitch I might as well do the rest as well, I think I will get more personal satisfaction that way, especially if the prototype rocks. But, I can write-off applying for that funding opportunity that I mentioned in a previous post, as I doubt that I will be able to get it all done in time ? actually I am not even sure that the project would qualify anyway.
Just after my last post I had a weekend that knocked the shit out of my motivation, a series of events that brought my momentum to a grinding halt as I faced some glaring developments. And I am not talking about the local industry and the impending wave of change to hit our shores; these were far more ?self-centred? in nature regarding the personal side of my life, and interests other than game development.
Bit of a shame as well, as I was really getting stuck into GameMaker and delving into the scripting / programming side of the authoring tool. Though it really is my own fault, I get caught up in my projects, and tend to leave my personal life on the backburner for long stretches of time, sometimes months. Then when I venture back to see what is new in the world, I?m surprised what has occurred due to the decisions I have made in the past, and sometimes shocked by the impact I have made on other peoples lives.
Anyway, I?ve slowly digested all those changes, and started to make a new start on the project, though I really never stopped anyway. I?m one of those types that even if doing nothing at all, is constantly thinking about one possibility or anther, so I have thought endlessly and perhaps tirelessly about the project, kind of preplanning in my head what needs to be done and in what order ? then filing it all away in the back of my mind. I suppose to put it in another way, I kind of pre-write most of the thing in my head, cutting and pasting it about until I am happy with the structure and plan, then I actually write the thing up, and find that it all pours out onto the page.
So that is pretty much where I am at, getting back into the groove of things again. I still have yet to finish the design docs, not to worried as I pretty much have it all figured out anyway, and will spend some time working on the docs as I work on the prototype. I?ve also done some more research, mostly about comic books and their artistic style, and even bought a comic book art book to help me to develop a more comic book style to my art. Beyond that I have mostly just made more notes about the title, most to do about the scenario, as it is a bit patchy still.
Though interestingly enough, I suspect that some element of what had thrown me off my momentum with the project will actually end up in the scenario of the game in some fashion or other. In fact the scenario is a rather personal one for me, as a lot of it draws upon the experiences I have had in my life, albeit I have used artistic-license to make it more entertaining, and obviously some of it is just plan made up, but things like my chance run into little Johnny Howard our Prime Minister whilst going to the shops to check my PO Box, will have perhaps a little too much truth to it ;).
I?m sure that other such events in the scenario will have a little too much truth for other people if they end up playing the game, in fact it might just fry their small and narrow minded brains ? SNAP, CRACKLE, POP! But hey all good stories like lies have a degree of truth, the more truth the better the story, and the better the lie ? I believe people refer to these as white lies, though there is little that is ?white? about them :D.
Probably starting this week, if I can work up enough courage to overcome my insecure fears about my abilities as a programmer, I will be jumping into GameMaker again, and start going through the manual and trying to put together one of the more advanced tutorials ? so far I have only done a few basic ones and fiddled around with one or two editable games. I will also be attempting to dissect the editable game that I found and am planning to use as the base for this title. It was made with an older version of GameMaker so it has to be debugged, and script that is outdated has to be either removed if possible, or updated so that the game can work ? a work around found. With any luck it is only GameMaker script and not a dll ? C++ code ? that is the issue, as if it is, then I really am in for a lot of work having to learn C++ and the finer points of a more low-level programming language ;).
That would be the first major hurdle for the project and myself, the next would be adapting or adding to the game AI so that it behaves more action / tactically rather than arcade. Hopefully this is not a major rewrite of the AI code and other game systems, but I am guessing that I can do some basic behaviour scripting to accompany the ?arcade? run at you shooting AI so that a more action / tactical flavour is added to the gameplay if all else fails ? but it would be ?simple,? but probably adequate enough for the prototype.
I might put up some more games for people to try closer to the end of this week, something for those bored on the weekend to look at. And that is it for this post and update.
Cheers folks!
I was going to list a bunch of Game Maker made games in this post, that is until I was writing the second one up and went off into a rant about how the Atari Lynx was way better than that piece of crap that is the Nintendo Game Boy ? or the Sega Game Gear. I then went off into a tangent to see if I could find a few old games for it and an emulator. I was surprised by some of the stuff I found, and how strong the community is. Even by how the games are still pretty good considering it has been more than a decade for most.
So for this post I am going to pay homage to a handheld system that some say was more than a decade ahead of its time. A handheld that was capable of basic colour 3D games along the lines of Wolfenstein 3D ? although not as rich in interaction. The only handheld that has come close so far was the Game Boy Advance SP, and in my opinion did not do the best job of besting it either ? after all it was more than a decade late. Though, I think that the PSP should be a worthy successor to the throne, especially if they provide solutions in regarding to battery life ? the Nintendo DS is just a gimmicky piece of shit!
A handheld that came out around the same time as the Game Boy with its grayscale and non backlit graphics, yet, it lost the handheld war. First off, my rant.
THE ORIGINAL RANT ? EXTENDED VERSION FOR YOUR TORTURE
I know what you are thinking you useless excuse for a Nintendo ?ber fan, Game Boy kicked arse, blah, blah. But the truth of it is, it sucked-arse not kicked-arse. The games were either too simple and finished easily, or, they were too damn hard and took forever if you could persist in finishing the crappy little game ? and they were always way too short and the lack of back-light graphics sucked! Now the Atari Lynx did kick-arse, that is if you used a power-adaptor and played the right games, as a lot of them sucked as they did on the Game Boy and the Sega Game Gear ? they also had a limited range due to lack of third-party support from developers, and sucked only in that they were old games that were merely ported instead of updated, an attempt to increase the range for the platform I?d bet.
The Game Gear sucked because it was a power-hungry bitch, cost too much, and because the games were basically Master System games that had the frame-size shrunk around the player-character ? which screwed up the gameplay. Where the Game Gear did rock is when you got a cartridge adaptor so that you could play old (rental) Master System 2 games on it with the right screen-size ? sure the screen was small but at least it didn?t screw with the gameplay. The only downside is that many of those games just sucked, they had poor graphics and poor gameplay. Only a minority were any good.
One game that was part of the minority was Ninja Gaiden, which rocked played on the Game Gear via the adaptor, and Ninja Gaiden kicked serious butt on the Lynx as well albeit the two had different gameplay styles. One of those easy to learn hard to master deals, that with a simple interface allowed for a surprising amount of complex moves and combos, like turning away from an enemy and then jump flipping off of a wall to land behind him and then high-kicking him in the back of the head and then round housing a guy that just appeared behind you. It was fast-paced kung-fu action right out of a Jackie Chang movie, and it was way better than Double Dragon.
Anyway, here is the my final point why it was better than the Game Boy, it was in colour, not grayscale ? it was also backlit ;). The first handheld to come close to it was the first GBA which did not have a back-lit LCD screen which lead to eye-strain and was designed for midget Japanese hands ? or made with children in mind which says a lot about the games and Nintendo?s mentality ? which resulted in cramping and general soreness / fatigue in your hands and fingers after an hour of playing. And for the most part had trademark kiddy gay Nintendo games ? though titles like Advance Wars are a redeeming point for the title.
I can?t shit on it too much though, as I did buy one as it did remind me a lot of the Atari Lynx, and it came in handy on the long plane trips of that period in my life ? it had decent battery life as well. A plus was built in memory into the game cartridge, so that you could actually save your progress, something that you could not do on the Lynx though many games utilized a password / code system that allowed you to enter a code to skip to the level you were up to, that way you did not have to start completely from scratch ? though you tended to lose things that you had accumulated like points, gold, extra lives, items etc. Though, compared to the Lynx, the GBA does have superior graphics, but again it took Nintendo more than a decade to catch up ? a decade!
The handheld that I think will be the next Lynx and unlike the Lynx will actually be successful, is the PSP. Now this bad boy has feverish fun written all over its slick designed frame. It has the graphical power, a better control setup that will not painfully deform your hands from use, a backlit screen to limit eye strain, and a whole bunch of games that are going to be great ? who doesn?t want to play Wipeout on the PSP? The only downside is the battery life, but with any luck there will be solutions for this in the future, or, you can just use an power-point adaptor though your ?mobility? will be limited. As for the Nintendo DS? a gimmicky piece of steaming turd that I doubt I will ever purchase and use ? in my eyes it cannot compete with the PSP ? though I hope it has a title like Advance Wars for those long plane trips and time spent waiting in airports :/.
GETTING STARTED
The links below will lead to the tools that you?ll need to play the Lynx games. Use the following link to setup your emulator and make sure to download and install the Lynx ROM listed on the page: http://www.atariage.com/Lynx/emulation/index.html
HANDY: ATARI LYNX EMULATOR
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/dystopia/download.htm
LYNX GAME ROMs:
http://www.atariage.com/system_items.html?SystemID=LYNX&ItemTypeID=ROM
http://www.rom-world.com/dl.php?name=Atari_Lynx&letter=F
MANUALS FOR LYNX GAMES ? MAKE SURE TO VIEW HTML VERSIONS:
http://www.atariage.com/system_items.html?SystemID=LYNX&ItemTypeID=MANU…
THE GAMES
BLUE LIGHTNING: a jet fighter game kind of like the arcade Afterburner. Has decent graphics and gameplay for a handheld title, and, it was the very first game I ever finished as a kid ? up to that point I never owned a PC, Console or Handheld.
CALIFORNIA GAMES: I recall playing California Games on the C64, it sucked. California Games on the Lynx rocks! You have four games to choose from, BMX stunt racing, surfing, skateboarding and some ball bouncing game. I never really played the last two, but the first two I played a lot of. I got so good at BMX racing that I would pretty much spend most of my time in the air doing summersaults, and would only touch the ground at most 5 times. With surfing I could build up a great amount of speed and height and could do something like 7 summersaults in the air including reverse summersaults.
CHIP?S CHALLENGE: it is basically a puzzle game, you have to do things in certain orders so as to solve the puzzle, and they get harder and harder with each level. Not a bad game if it ever actually ended ? still not sure if it does to be honest. I played up to something like level 100 and just gave up. I like a challenge but in the end I like the games I play to end so I get the satisfaction of finishing them. Play this one if you need a hard puzzle-based challenge or if your wish to reside in a ward for the mentally ill.
DIRTY LARRY RENEGADE COP: basically an action platformer that has you play a character that is like the legendary character played by Clint Eastwood: Dirty Harry ? but doesn?t quite have the same charm to him ;). I think that there are four levels, the last being quite tough. I recall getting to the last one but was never quite able to figure out how to finish off the Judge in the courthouse. Play this game if you like crazies that drench themselves in petrol, light themselves on fire and run at you.
ELECTROCOP: an interesting fixed view ?3D? game or sorts ? you?ll know what I mean when you load it up. Never owned this one just gave it a try when I downloaded it, seems interesting though perhaps a little tough due to the fixed view angle and the way you move about in the world. Make sure you read the manual for this one so that you get the controls and world interactions right, that way you don?t write it off as either crap or too hard.
GAUNTLET: what can I say, it?s the arcade classic Gauntlet. Never played this version on the Lynx until today and never played the arcade classic either. Interesting in a classic gaming kind of way, but in all honesty, there are better games to try and play. This one is for the Gauntlet fan.
KUNG FOOD: never played this one when I owned a Lynx, and probably wouldn?t have due to the scenario which seems to be that you are a piece of food that knows martial arts and you battle other pieces of food in some guys refrigerator. But in all honesty, the gameplay seems pretty solid and fun, kind of like Double Dragon in a way, but in some ways better. Give it a try if you like side-scrolling beat?em ups ;).
NINJA GAIDEN: still a great game even today. It has a basic interface, you use the arrow keys to run about, one button to kick and punch and another to jump about and the option-one button to grab bars overhead, but, when you combine the moves along with the automatic run up and flip back that happens when you run it the wall, you can have all sorts of Ninja fun ? you can also jump flip over enemies and then by pressing the attack button, grab the sucker than flip throw him. You can also unlock pickups by throwing guys into objects like phone booths, revealing things like lives and time extenders ? the reason it is so hard is the time limit each level has. Make sure to read the manual and stick with it for a while, it is a challenging title.
POWER FACTOR: a platformer that is fairly well done, reminds me in a way to Halloween Harry in that you can get a jet pack, but beyond that it is a different style of game. Not a title I remember playing years ago, but one worth perhaps further investigation.
RAMPAGE: pick one of four monsters and then go from city level to level smashing buildings down, eating people, and in general causing mayhem and bedlam ? I suggest reading the manual in case there are one or two things that you can do that aren?t obvious.
RAMPART: the Lynx?s answer to Tetris? well, at least to me ;). Basically a fast-paced strategy in that each phase of the game you only have a set time limit to do things like repair your castle walls, place your new cannons and cannonball the enemy ships out to sea before they can land and send troops to capture your castle, or one of the other castles on the map. If I recall correctly, if you are quick enough, you can build up a wall around one of these castles so that you will get additional cannons to use against the ships. When you build the wall, you get Tetris like blocks that you can rotate and then lay down to plug and repair holes in your defences ? why it is a bit like Tetris but far more fun if you ask me. If I recall correctly the best strategy is to just keep mashing the key to lay down as many blocks as possible to build your wall, and then move onto the next castle to capture it to your side. A hard and addictive little game that is still addictive to play today.
SUPER MISSILE COMMAND: basically a better version of the arcade classic Missile Command ? that I was way too young to play when it came out. It has better graphics and probably one or two things the original didn?t have, but essentially the game play is the same in that you have finite numbers of shells to fire and correctly time so that their explosions intercept the enemy nukes so they do not destroy the finite number of buildings you are protecting. It is hard and a little addictive, but not as much as Rampart.
SWITCHBLADE 2: I suppose for me this title represents my version of many people?s arcade / action platformer: Turrican. You are Hiro, some guy with a cannon and a switchblade thing on some mission that I just can?t quite remember other than it is important and the guy your are on a quest to kill?er, I mean stop, is some long thought dead Ninja lord named Havok ? he is the bad guy, you can tell by his cool bad-guy name ;). At first it doesn?t seem like much but stick with it for a few levels and it will grow on you. But in all honesty it is nothing more than a solid platformer, albeit the very first platformer I finished ? why it rocks for me, but will not for others. Give it a try I say. It has something like 8 levels with each level being made up of a number of sections to complete. Should be a decent challenge if you are up for one.
TODD?S ADVENTURES IN SLIME WORLD: another action platformer but this one is very different. For starters I think that what you are armed with is basically a water-gun, a supersoaker ? apparently on this world the inhabitants don?t like water. As you trudge through the slime covered tunnels searching ? what for I can?t remember ? you will gradually get coated and coated in more and more slime, especially as the inhabitants attack you. If you get coated in too much, you will die from poisoning, so you will either have to use protective shielding that runs out, or make sure that you remember where the pools of water are that you come across so that you can clean the gunk off. There are a number of pick ups to collect that offer a range of attacks and abilities if I recall correctly and I suggest reading the manual before playing so that you don?t miss anything. A tuff eccentric puzzle platformer, worth a good try.
TOURNAMENT CYBERBALL: might be an interesting game if you get past the graphics, basically as far as I can tell a sort of Speedball like game. I suggest reading the manual for the game before playing it. Can?t really say more as I lost interest and moved on to the other games I downloaded ? not big on sports, even if they are death sports.
VIKING CHILD: there was a game on the Game Gear called Wonderboy, I hated that game with a vengeance, I hated that game so much. I also hated Mario on the Game Boy, but these days don?t mind it so much :). Viking Child is an RPG / Adventure platformer like those two but back then to me, didn?t suck so much, didn?t suck at all ? the little geek boy that I was sheds a tear with a whimper =(. You go on a guest to get some guy who wiped out your village or something ? my memory is hazy. You kill enemies, collect gold coins that you can then use to buy weapons and equipment in fantasy RPG manner. There are I think around 8 long levels to play and a number of bosses to kill ? if I remember correctly the game has 4 major parts making 4 bosses to defeat. All in all one cool little game that probably doesn?t stand up to today?s standards, but then again, none of these games really do.
WARBIRDS: basically a WW1 air dog-fighting sim for the Lynx that isn?t too bad considering what they managed to achieve. Takes a while to get used to as we have come a long way in graphics since then, but if you stick with it you might have some dog-fighting fun. A title for anyone who like games like ?Heroes of the Pacific.?
The following titles were found by using the second ROM download link listed above, not the first ? manuals and stuff can be found via the first link though.
DESERT STRIKE: what can I say other than it is the classic title Desert Strike that shits all over the version that they had on the Game boy ? piece of shit grayscale turd! Read the manual as it can be a bit of guess work as to how to start the game ? I think the pause button is the ?start? game button.
DOUBLE DRAGON: another interpretation of this arcade classic. Though there are better scrolling beat?em ups out there, this one is the most well known and one that has been ported to a large number of platforms. This one has a more close up view of the action, not sure why as having it the original size wouldn?t have hurt the gameplay, and perhaps using a more close up view you are perhaps diminishing the gameplay ? as occurred with many Game Gear titles that were inferior to their Master System 2 counterparts. But hey, if you liked the original you might just like this, and with any luck there are more changes other than the closeness of view to the game world, perhaps new weapons for instance ? I?ll never know of course, I just don?t have the patience of passion for this title to find out.
FAT BOBBY: another action platformer where you play the part of a rockstar ? or something like that. An interesting platformer with some interesting moves, but mostly because of the scenario ? like using your guitar as a club. Worth further attention. It was made by a company that even when the Lynx had the plug pulled continued to make and release titles like Double Dragon, Desert Storm and Raiden below.
RAIDEN: yep, another arcade coin up classic: Raiden. A fairly good port / adaptation of the original game, the screen is a bit more shrunk around the player?s craft but the game world hasn?t shrunk, so moving side to side will reveal more of the game world. Not sure if this adds to the gameplay by adding another layer of challenge for the player or whether if actually diminishes the gameplay, but, it?s Raiden and that is good enough for me. BTW: you will have to use one of the menu options in Handy to rotate the screen onto its side so that you can play if properly.
Well, there we have it kids, a rather large list of games for you to try this weekend and the next, and throughout the week. Could have listed more, as there are many more games that you will find via the links above, like adventure platformers like Shadow of the Beast or Rygar, but these to me were the best and / or most interesting. Should keep you busy, and hopefully for those of you who have never heard of the Atari Lynx, you will see how Nintendo robbed you of something great by marketing and hyping an inferior product ? I hope their next set of handhelds and consoles suck real bad, and do worse than the Game Cube. For those of you who are familiar with the platform, I hope it has been a fond trip down memory lane, just don?t spend all of that time with you head in the clouds, you might just end up stepping in someone?s fresh steaming-pile of strategically placed turd-mine.
Until the next post, cheers!
Well. It has been a while since my last post to this festering brain tumor of a project thread - yes, I am still working on the project. In fact I think a post is overdue, as I for one am well aware of the short-attention spans that you folks have. For instance, does anyone recall how a few months ago there was all this hoopla about working developers to the point of nervous-breakdown depressive exhaustion? Now, try really, really hard ? I know that your brain hurts but like regular exercise, the more you try to think the less painful and hard it gets, honest.
Remember something about an EA Spouse, housewife, mistress, lap-dancer? or some such thing, hmmm?! Ah, guess it isn?t that important anyway, from what I can gather the majority of you are still in high school or working the 7-11, and hoping to one day ?break-into? the industry, and these are issues that you would kill to have to experience for yourselves.
Onto less thought intensive thoughts. Has anyone been to this site: http://www.pointlesswasteoftime.com. A fantastic site, in a gibbering madly alone in the dark kind of way, especially if you follow the link that takes you to: http://www.johndiesattheend.com. Other points of humorous interest are: Embrace the Horror, 10 Ways Online Gaming Will Change the Future, The Gamer?s Manifesto, Halo 2 and the Criminal Mind, Life After the Video Game Crash, Five Reasons Why Jack Thompson is Right.
Anyway, enough talking shit, here are some games for the weekend:
SANDBOX-OF-GOD: is kind of a god-sim except it is not really a sim as it is all clearly scripted ? no emergence ? and it is all turn based. It works well though and has a surprising amount of depth and variation, it also has a simple interface, in that each turn you are given a limited number of actions to perform, what order you perform them in will result in certain things happening, and will also unlock or lock actions in further turns. Also, each game is quite quick, so it is something you can play on your break, or on the weekend until you get bored ? other games similar to this, and most notably the commercial kind, will require you to play through a whole weekend at least if not for a few weeks. The developer has added another layer to the game, in that as you achieve certain goals that can be achieve in the game, like having the people build a castle or farm, it gets noted by the game in an end game list. Once you have unlocked them all, it unlocks added content for the game ? some museum thing. Anyway, an interesting and original game that goes against the grain of what developers usually use game maker for.
Download it from: http://www.gamemakergames.com/?a=view&id=1549
LOCK-ON: is an arcade scrolling-shooterish game, as best as I can describe it. It?s graphics are very abstract, that married to ambient sounds and soundtrack make for an interesting experience. You control what can be loosely termed as your ship by using the arrow keys, and then you use other keys to lock onto enemy ships, then firing your missiles at them ? in a lot of ways it is similar to Raging Skies, posted earlier. You also have a simple torpedo weapon that fires in the direction you are moving / looking in, and I also think there may be a bomb weapon that can clear enemies on mass. It is simple, original (more or less), and an entertaining game to play. One well worth adding to the list of games to play.
Download it from: http://www.gamemakergames.com/?a=view&id=74
ELEVATION ACTION: is a remake of an old title called Elevator Action, which was at least one game that wasn?t completely crap on the original Game Boy. Anyway, back to Elevation Action. As I said it is a remake, the original title is about a secret agent that infiltrates an office block to retrieve data via disks. It is a platformer with you controlling the little guy from level to level traversing escalators and elevators. Each level has doors, some are only used by enemy agents that walk the levels, others are marked as either a door that will have the data you need of a special item to pick up. This game is not a ?true? and complete remake in that for instance, there seems to be no-cap to the enemy agents, they just keep on coming and coming and coming, it kind of gets ridiculous with all the levels filled with crowds of agents ? I think the original game had some sort of cap to it. Also, you can?t shoot the lights and send the level into darkness which was way cool, and it doesn?t seem like there is any other weapon other than the pistol ? in the original you could get a shotgun and sub-machinegun. I think there were a few other things that weren?t true to the original as well, though graphically it does look spot on. For me a downer, but, does again show what can be done with game maker and this is a game with potential that the developer should keep working on, or at least make the code open source so that someone else can. And who knows, if you haven?t played the original, you might just like this one a lot, though I think you will find it really, really hard ;).
Download it from: http://www.gamemakergames.com/?a=view&id=1597
MR PRATT?S HAUNTED MANSION 2: seems like it has nice stylized graphics ? meaning the guy can?t draw for shit but at least he tries hard and it shows. A labor of passion this title is for the developer, but, I am not sure whether it was my notebook but it ran like a dog, which is weird since it is all 2D ? you would think that a fairly decent notebook would have no probs, so it would probably have something to do with the way the developer made this game, probably doing something game maker was not designed to do, or not in a way that it was optimized for. But then again maybe it is just my notebook. It looks like if you could get it to run at a decent speed that it would be an interesting few hours of play. Maybe someone else will have better luck with it? or not.
Download it from: http://www.gamemakergames.com/?a=view&id=2737
There are a few more game maker games I?d like to put up, but since I haven?t played them yet, I won?t. Instead I am going to list three other titles that are not made with game maker ? I think that will do for now. You will need an NES emulator for one of them ? I think there is a link to it if you follow the download link ? and a DOS emulator, which is listed and detailed in a previous post ? DOS Box and D-Fend.
RIVER CITY RANSOM: is kind of like Double Dragon, but better in a lot of ways. Obviously being a NES game, the graphics aren?t that crash hot, or as good as the graphics for Double Dragon, but, it makes up for this in gameplay ? keeping in mind that it is a NES game. Sure, in DD you could kick and punch and wield weapons and stuff. But in RCR, you can unlock additional moves to use, new combos, and you can also purchase items that will do the same, or give you special or enhanced abilities, like a more powerful kick or punch. You can also buy stuff like food to replenish energy, and weapons to use, and it is far more in this regard an RPG, as you slowly build up a character ? far different from DD, which is much more simple in these terms. You might need to download an NES emulator, I think the link below will lead you to one, if not then a quick search on the net will give you a range of options. If anyone is interested, I think you can get an ?updated? version for the GBA ? and DS ? but really all that has been updated is the graphics, with the gameplay and mechanics not being updated to today?s standards ? a little too true to the original, as the developer choose to play it safe, like the developers of Blackthorne for the GBA, which I am not sure I mentioned, but is another title that you can get for the GBA, but with the same failings more or less.
Download it from: http://www.the-underdogs.org/game.php?id=3360
BIO MENACE: you may or may not get this one working, I found it buggy as hell, not sure if it is the executable, or whether I just didn?t set it up properly in DOS Box ? I?m a bit on the lazy side at the moment. Anyway if you do, you will find this to be an old DOS action platformer. You play some guy ? not much of an intro story ? who is fighting what appears to be aliens, but if I remember correctly when I played this game as a kid, that they may actually be some genetically engineered mutants created by some mad scientist type character. Anyway, you jump and run about, firing your weapons and tossing grenades that you pick up ? and that is all I can remember or get to work.
Download it from: http://www.the-underdogs.org/game.php?id=3144
GODS: is I suppose an action platformer with an RPG / fantasy twist. The movement and interaction is one of a platformer, it has a medieval / fantasy setting and it has the tacked on element of an inventory / RPG system. In principal it is a good mix, would work better with a scenario to drive gameplay along, but like much of the Bitmap Brothers titles of the period, it is crude and clunky. Perhaps it has something to do with being a DOS game, but the way the character moves about is not smooth and fluid but sluggish and clunky ? which a lot of DOS platformers suffered from ? even Blackthorne stated near the start of this thread, suffered from this. It is also awkward, in that you expect to be able to do one thing, but find that it is only in a limited context that you can achieve them within. Anyway, not a large game to download, and if you are interested in platformers, or in need of a sideshow oddity to entertain yourself with, you could do worse.
Download it from: http://www.the-underdogs.org/game.php?id=2020
A bonus game to try over the weekend for the strategy addicts, one that I have yet to play:
CHAOS OVERLORDS: I?ve updated this post to include my thoughts on this title. For a free download it is one addictive little strategy title. To summaries, it is a turn-based strategy game set in a cyberpunk post-apocalyptic world ? city to be more precise. You are one of several overlords ? gang-bosses ? vying for control over the city, which is broken up into a number of game squares. Each square has 3 sites that you can gain control of after gaining control of the square.
Though you start off with one gang (unit) you can hire more ? from what I read, up to 90 gangs. Each gang can perform one task during a turn like, attack an enemy gang in that square, attempt to control that square, ?chaos? that square ? basically the more chaos you create, like having business pay for protection, the more money you generate. The money pays for gang upkeep as well as allowing you to research new items to purchase and equip your gangs with ? like in Syndicate.
Though the graphics aren?t real-time 3D and shit, just simple 2D representations, this does not detract from the gameplay, which is in essence similar to paper-based gaming systems and card systems. What the title really lacks is ?diplomacy? ala Civilisation. If you could negotiate elements like: turf-rights, cease-fires, peace-treaties and alliances, as well as being able to trade technology, money, goods and information. It would add far more depth to the game. Something like a ?trade-routes? gameplay mechanic / system, would allow for elements like: illegal black-market goods, weapons and drugs ? adding to the ?crime-gang? flavour.
Though without that element, it is still a great little strategy game, which also has multiplayer support, for when you get bored playing against the AI ? though there are a numerous scenarios and settings to keep it fresh for a while. This version I am afraid has had its cut-scenes and music removed as they wanted to keep the download small ? it is a CD rip.
Download it from: http://www.the-underdogs.org/game.php?name=Chaos+Overlords
If you are in the mood for movies, I suggest the following two (more or less) Australian made flicks: The Proposition, which is pretty much an Australian western which I gave an 8/10 ? 9 if you like westerns ? and Wolf Creek which I gave a 7/10 ? though perhaps it deserves an 8 considering it is far better than the usual crap made here in Australia. Wolf Creek suffers not due to bad acting and low-budget, but that first, it didn?t really scare me, and second, the dumb ass things that the characters do ? which doesn?t make me want to feel pity for them. It also takes a while to get to the more "horror" elements. The Proposition overall is a pretty good flick to watch, especially as most Australian films are utter garbage. Good story, acting, directing, not much to flaw it on ? especially if you like westerns.
Everywhere and nowhere.
It is an indie title, it doesn't have to be based anywhere, it can all be ?virtual? with the team dispersed around Australia or the globe. I prefer that any applicants be in Australia however, makes meet ups and the such easier.
If anyone is interested, I will be posting another game-list post and other stuff soonish.[8]
Things have been fairly haphazard on that front, especially as for the most part I am a one-man army.
Got the thing ? the open-source game that the prototype is based on ? to load to the menu and start a level, but, there were a lot of errors in doing that, so I was going to use the tools to build a basic test level so that I could slowly introduce elements, debug and repair them, and have a working level.
That should have been easy up until the part where I had to repair stuff to get them not just to load without any errors but actually work, as a lot the functions had either changed or been dropped in favour of something else with the new version of the tools and engine, which means rewriting things another way to get the same effect ? kind of beyond my current experience as a scripter :/
Once I had that I could then replace the really bad graphics with art I was going to do myself, considering that I ain't that shabby at it and it is my idea ? who better to do it for the prototype? That's a walk in the park compared to the programming / scripting side of things.
I keep on having to put things on hold though, first it was due to the notebook I was using that was not my own, so I took time to consolidate my files onto my original notebook after giving it a clean install ? basically XP had degraded somewhat and I was not maintaining and cleaning out the registry. That notebook was just to slow hard-disk wise, so it took forever to load anything to memory from the hard-disk / virtual-memory, so I kind of needed to switch back if I was going to do anything other than write documents with it.
I then got side-tracked with the AAA project I am working on, and have been busy with that for a long while until recently. Been taking a breather mostly, though I have been working on a another indie idea of mine, a strategy title, so I have been busy writing down ideas for that and researching tools to use instead of just doing nothing. Though the strategy title would not need as much content to be made as for the platformer, it would need a lot more programming, which though I probably could do myself, it would take me a hell of a long time to finish it compared to someone who actually has extensive programming experience ? they would focus more on doing rather than also having to learn how to do it, even if I have a fairly good idea of how to structure it all.
So I have decided to go back to my first concept as it would require less programming wise from me ? since there seem to be no real takers at it other than me. So there is a chance I could actually pull it off in a reasonable time-frame, as long as nothing else interferes ? so that is highly unlikely ;).
Currently I am planning to set everything up so that I can work on the indie title again and make more progress on my refreshed notebook, as I have free time over the next couple of weeks. But, my notebook isn't fairing too well in summer-time, and either just shuts down when it gets too hot or simply freezes up ? though it could be something else, though I just went through a fresh install.
So productivity can still be a real pain, though it is better than before, when I was using the notebook I borrowed that chugged along slowly. What I really need is simply a new development system period, not some shitty aging notebook ? with any luck this should happen real soon.
I've come to the conclusion however, that the only way that this indie title will get finished is if I can get a solid programmer on board, as it will simply take me forever to make any progress as I am busy with other things that take up my time, especially when the programming demands move away from merely scripting to something far more substantial coding wise. And for that you really need funding, as anyone that would jump aboard would probably just treat this like a hobby they worked on every odd weekend, not a serious project ? so progress would still be rather slow.
In a few weeks I should know whether this is a likelihood, funding that is. In the meantime all I can do is make my slow haphazard progress.
Hi Cynical,
If you want I will do all the programming - lately I've been making my stuff work with the Windows Xbox 360 controller. However, I have a few conditions:
1. For the programming it's my way. I'm not willing to use some engine or scripting language.
2. For the art it's all your way but must be flexible on mapping materials so that each animation part is a separate material - that's all that I require.
3. All animation has to be in BVH motion files.
4. I'm using c# and it will only work in windows - personally I don't see any point in using up time and effort and $15,000 to get a console development license anyway until we can at least get something up.
5. I'm a hobby guy who works full time as a c# developer but with a lot of energy - but let's be honest who can afford to take a year or so off work?
6. We obviously need someone for sound.
Just a suggestion but I really think it would be a good idea to buy models as this is only a demo? I've bought a few hundred and some are quite good ? I?m not reducing them anymore as I?ve found using them at 100,000 poly?s plus is fine as long as there?s only about half a dozen on screen at once on my 6600 gt ? again this is just a suggestion I?ll go with your ideas on this and the models would probably require quite a bit of touch up / mapping rework anyway ? especially if we polygon reduce them.
Let me know if you're interested.
Regards
Mark
I've given your proposition some thought Poser, and my initial answer is: no deal.
Here are my reasons for it:
- With the platformer, I've already pretty much settled on it being a 2D game, and that 3D would just simply be overkill. Especially in that I wish to use existing tech as much as possible and just focus on the quality of the concept and gaming experience ? I also have next to no 3D modelling, animation and texturing experience, beyond mapping.
- I think indies developing their own tech is just a no, no in most cases, and I think with the platformer, that this is pretty much the case. I am about using technology that you have well, not creating technology for the sake of creating technology. Poser, sorry if I am wrong, but you seem pretty hung up on the technology as the end, not a means to the end. I think your motivations are perhaps out of sync for what I wish to achieve, and you perhaps have ambitions of being the next John Carmack in the real-time 3D rendering space.
- I think that your unspoken ambitions would only result in a headache for me, and what the end result would equate to, is a bunch or ill-devised tech demos taped together that lack any gameplay whatsoever. You simply have no previous game development experience whatsoever to make me see it being any other way, especially with you being adamant that the technology front by your way and your way only.
- The time required to create the tech and tools from scratch are just not what I want for this title, I want a fast turn around by using an existing engine and tools as much as possible ? playable demo within 1-2 months, first issue out the door within 3 months after that, second issue within 1 month, etc, etc.
Now, perhaps if your 3D engine is interesting enough, and I mean does something better than the free engines and tools available for use that though not exactly Unreal Engine 3, have at least be used and can be expected to work ? not to mention have tools and a community to support them. If it is something special beyond copy and pastes of internet code for normal mapping and crude volumetric shadowing in an engine that has a questionable structure / backbone, then maybe we can talk about using it for another idea of mine that requires a decent / solid 3D engine in order to work ? not just an old school platformer that though has some interesting contemporary ideas, really only needs a 2D engine with some more recent additions like a particle-system.
But it better look like it does something better than the following two available engine:
[url="http://www.ogre3d.org/"]Ogre3D[/url]
[url="http://www.panda3d.org/"]Panda3D[/url]
Though I am uncertain about licensing constraints, I am certain that they are ideal for prototyping at least, and then a ?better? engine could be licensed along the lines of a generic engine and tool-set like Renderware or Gamembryo if the funds were available ? like from previous indie titles.
To change my mind, I'd have to see some of your amazing 3D engine work ;)
So I suggest instead of being bold with me, someone who has worked with some of the best tech in the business ? or at least apparently it is ? and know all to well the failings of developers who only focus on technology, I'd post up or email me some screenshots to look at.
Good to see this thread still going - I have to comment on poser's comments, seen as how I've seen an early version of his awesome abilities and I cant say I was impressed at all.
We have some xtremely high spec machines here - Dual CPU / Dual 512mb 7800 GTX - and the demo he sent me is jumpy, horrible loading times, terrible navigation and animation, overall it felt horrible to control and just looked plain.
Though I have to say this was some 6 months ago - so perhaps hes cleaned that 'engine' up since when I saw it last.
Sorry poser, please proove me wrong, I just cant sit idly by seeing you tout great things AGAIN to someone who is unawares.
Good Luck Cynical Fan.
Really poser, is there any need for that? I simply put forward my opinion / expectation, albeit in a rather blunt way perhaps ? but there was no attack meant, it is just my cynicism shining :).
You may earn $100K+ as a programmer, but is it working in the industry ? or one similar ? on real-time 3D renders? If it is working on business accounting software, which you may be the best in The-Land-of-Oz for, well it is pretty far from 3D game engine coding ;) And I believe you said you had no experience, yet you pretty much demand that we use your engine when you have no 3D game development experience ? not to mention that with the current title, I am aiming for it to be 2D based title.
The reality is, I would be better off using either Ogre or Panda, as at least they have had guys with such experience work on them, have gotten the tech working to a point where it has become developer friendly ? stable, works on at least the PC platform without issues, has tools to aid development, has a scripting language, which you seem to be against for some reason. And based on my past experiences, you come across as a technology nut, who probably doesn't understand that it is not the technology (graphics) that make a game but rather how you use that technology in making gameplay. Making tech is easy, making a game is hard. Making a game with a tech-nut is harder still, as they for some mental defect just can't seem to make the distinction between a tech demo and a gameplay demo ? probably as their fantasies of being the next Carmack get in the way, that and the one where Carmack is so envious, he gets down on his knees to blow you or something, showing who really is the ?master? of their field.
Yeah it probably has been 8 months, and you know what, it will probably be another 8 months of persistence when someone else would have given up after 8 weeks.
If you want to prove us wrong, then put up or shut up, as I really don't wish this project thread degenerating into me and others flinging shit back and forth ? that is what the news comments are for ;). Though I really don't own it, I kind of see this thread as my own space in a way, a place where I can write up stuff, shoot-the-shit, and not get attacked for it.
So if you don't like this post, then don't post a reply. Thanks.
BTW: as I said, I have thought for other concepts that would require a 3D engine, but one that is stable and works to an adequate level of quality. So I am not against your 3D engine, it just better be those things and make a strong argument why I would use it over Ogre3D and Panda3D ? though I am sure there are more alternatives ? and not just because it has some copy and pasted normal-mapping and volumetric shadows code from the net in it ? and looks like a student project. I recall you made some boasts about your 3D programming prowess on Sumea before, and got shot down for it. At that point you didn't bother to put up any screenshots or link to a demo when prompted to, I am going to guess that it is the same deal again ? talk about la la land ;).
FYI: most people I have known that earn $100k or more in any field, especially traditional IT, have been way overpaid ? especially consultants. So saying you do doesn't exactly impress me :).
Well, I've been meaning to put up another post of games and stuff for people to look at, got a little sidetracked I suppose, that and it was getting a bit hard to find decent games to post about. Anyway, here are a selection that I have managed to scrape together:
DAD 'N ME: is a sidescrolling beat'm up in a similar fashion ? game-mechanic wise ? to Double Dragon, but that is where the similarities end, as it is far more original and entertaining. A flash game made by the same guys responsible for another flash game that went on to become a title released on XBOX, PS2 and GCUBE, Alien Hominid. You play the part of a superhero's son, but then again you could also be a supervillan's son ? bit hard to tell with the skull mask. The atmosphere is dark humorous fun as you go on a rampage through the neighbourhood beating up on the other kids, bashing things, throwing things, etc. It would be nice if there was more of an overlying story to follow, as there seems to be none ? would help makes things a bit more fresh as you progress further in the game. The mechanics work well, there are a limited number of buttons but there are a large number of combos that can be created from these ? showing good design of interface and game mechanics. There is also this rage meter that when reaches full allows you to really dish it out. The only criticism that I would offer is that I would have liked to have been able to jump about, but, it wasn't that missed. Another criticism is that there was no health pickup, or at least any that I came across ? I don't see how having the odd one is a bad thing. I'd give this one about a 4 out of 5.
Play it at: http://newgrounds.com/portal/view/254456
I'M O.K. - A MURDER SIMULATOR: is a game created to Jack Thompson's specifications outlined in his ?A Modest Video Game Proposal.? I'm not sure where or when I came across this, it might have been posted in another thread on Sumea, but I figured I would post it up on this thread anyway. Not a bad game all in all, from what I can recall ? this one I played a while back. It has a nice retro 2D graphics feel and atmosphere, has a storyline that progresses the game and keeps it somewhat fresh. Interesting locations and puzzles ? if some of them are a bit confusing to begin with. The gripes as I remember it were the complete lack of health pickups, the clunky interface in the way of buttons utilised, some of the mini-games didn't even appear to actually work ? I think these were how you gained money to buy things like weapons, which would have made the game a bit more easier. And perhaps a bit to arcade, in other words relying on lots of stupid enemies to make the game a bit more tougher yet making the game a lot more frustrating. I give this one a 3 out of 5, but since it is inspired by that dickhead Jack Thompson and the negative and ignorant attitudes to games, I'll change it to a 4 out of 5 ;). Oh, and the site is an interesting read as well.
Download it from: http://imokgame.com/
CHAOS ENGINE: is an action top-down shooter where you control one of two guys ? I think two people can play at the same time. It is set in some post-apocalyptic land from what I can recall. Though I got bored of it quickly, if you just want mindless shooting where you kill enemies and collect coins and other stuff, well then this is probably for you ? I think they have some ?mercenary? system where you use the coins to buy weapons and equipment, but don't quote me on that. This one is about a 3 out of 5.
Download it from: http://www.the-underdogs.org/game.php?name=Chaos+Engine
DIVINE INTERVENTION PRT1: is a flash action platformer, though I liked the graphics, especially the intro-scene ? though I do strongly dislike the Christian crap ? I found the gameplay to be clunky and awkward. Movement is sluggish, the mouse aim I am still not certain of, whether it determines what direction you are aiming in or whether the mouse point is the point the bullet-hits. The enemies move far too quickly to react to, and the mouse aiming doesn't help for the reasons I have stated ? I shoot in the right direction but hit nothing!? To bad more time was not spent on the game mechanics instead of on graphics, as it would of made a good web-based flash game. Anyway, for the curious and those that have nothing better to do than to overcome this game's gameplay / design deficiencies ? you'd probably call it a ?challenge? and refer to the gameplay as ?arcade,? I'd refer to it as shit ;). I give this one a 2 out of 5 for a game that could have been a lot better if the gameplay matched the graphics ? and I am being generous as well.
Play it at: http://newgrounds.com/portal/view/136337
URBAN DEAD: is a massively multiplayer web-based zombie apocalypse. It doesn't have flashy graphics and gameplay driven by a physics engine. It is a game where you are going to have to use your imagination as it is all pretty much text. But hey it is for free and offers something that any Zombie nut is bound to become very addicted to hence why I haven't played this game yet, and why there is no rating ? but when it comes to flesh-eating Zombies, who needs one ;). If you want something really different then try a Zombie survival boardgame called: Zombies!!! ? http://www.twilightcreationsinc.com/zombies/.
Play it at: http://www.urbandead.com/
IVAN: is a game, though I would classify as Nintendo ?Japanese-gay,? is a surprisingly original little indie title, with high quality standards. The graphics are well done for its genre, the sound and music can?t be faulted. It is easy to learn and responsive, and they even have bothered to give you save-points, so you don?t have to start from scratch every time you quit to do something else. The gameplay is based on telekinesis, basically you move shit ? boxes, items, enemies ? by thought. You can lift and throw enemies against a wall to kill them, or impale them on a spike ? the death animation is not very satisfying though ;). Though the main use of the power, is to bring objects to you, or use objects to solve a puzzle, like stacking up boxes to reach a higher point ? you can also stand on the box, levitate it, jump whilst doing this which brings the box higher, and slowly ?climb? higher this way. There are also these purple ?happy-faces? that you can use to hold onto with your ability, and pull or fling yourself in a direction. Though Japanese-gay isn't my cup-of-tea, it is still pretty well done and interesting, and different to the usual action platformers out there. But, what I would really like to see, is the ability to crush the life out of the floating-turd enemies, now that would make it far more satisfying to play ? especially if they animate it well ;). This one I give a 4.5 out of 5.
Download it from: http://www.gamemakergames.com/?a=view&id=3059
If platformers aren't your thing, you could always get a copy of Psi-ops for the XBOX / PS2, which you should be able to pickup for cheap these days ? along with the Chronicles of Riddick title. It is an FPS where you unlock and use various ?psi? powers ? not too shabby, as long as you pick it up for cheap from the bargain bin.
For something not game related, try this site that I came across years ago for a comic strip series called Redmeat: http://www.redmeat.com/redmeat/. It is 1950s wholesome family values meets the jaded-junkie crack cocaine and crystal meth addicts of pop-culture ? fun for the whole family :).
One of my favourite sites for some light-hearted entertainment is that of Vice magazine ? you would have probably come across the print version in music stores and the such. The site is http://www.viceland.com/index_us.php and there you will find the morally bankrupt cool of today in all their shallow trendiness ? but damn do they look good and boy is some of the stuff funny, even if leaning towards being a little too politically correct these days.
Lastly this is one of my favourite flash series found on the new grounds site called Neurotically Yours ? http://newgrounds.com/collection/neuroticallyyours.html. Always good for a laugh with Foamy the squirrel and his satire on pop-culture.
I just wanted to say something in regards to mods, just in case I gave it a negative impression ;).
I think mods are a great way for those trying to break into the industry or just want to do some form of game development, not necessarily commercial in nature. But, for those of you hopping that collaborating on a mod will land you a paying job in the industry, well that depends on the mod ? the same success rate and percentages applies to mods just as it does with commercial titles.
Generally, the more the mod deviates from the original games gameplay, changing aspects like the way the player interacts with the game world, bot AI behaviours, the way missions (levels) are structured and played, what new weapons and equipment you offer, what new game mechanics your offer (in general), and as long as it is a lot of fun, then the better it will be received.
You can?t just create new art in the way of models for characters, weapons and items, that just use the basics of the underlying game?s multiplayer, and expect it to be a hit with the online community ? it takes more originality and innovation than that. An example of what I mean is: Counterstrike.
The mod team behind that really put in the work to create something unique and way different to the playing experience of the original Half-Life multiplayer. They created a new atmosphere with models, animation and levels. A completely different way to play the game ? far slower and tactical in pace. Completely new and balanced weapons, completely different way in playing multiplayer missions ? no re-spawning within a match, several matches are played by opposing teams, objective based missions to complete, you earn points for winning and kills allowing you to buy new weapons and equipments, etc.
They did not create a shallow and superficial mod, but delved deeper with their changes to create something with depth of character. The more of this you achieve the more likely members of the team will get a job, and even be considered experts, as I am sure some level designers for instance are considered as such (in the industry) having worked on highly popular and well known mods like Counterstrike. They will even be sort out by international studios working on high-profile projects even though they haven?t worked in the ?commercial? end of the industry yet.
But at the end of the day ? and to leave a more positive feel to this post ? any game development experience, whether it be making levels, creating models and animations and other game art, collaborating on a mod, or working on an indie title whether it be freeware or shareware, is better than nothing and just having a diploma ? or whatever ? from an institution.
I think this is what employers mean by having a passion for games, not just playing them but being actively involved in their creation in some way.