Ye Olde TIGSource (Part 5)
By: ithamore
On: November 30th, 2007
March 2005 was quite a prolific month for TIGSource, so it is being split into a sub-trilogy for YOT.
Within this first segment of March, there are a couple of posts on Dan! Da! Dan!: OMEGA’s awesome, short-but-sweet, puzzle-block shmup. OMEGA is probably better known as the creator of Every Extend, which was the precursor to Every Extend Extra for the PSP. DDD, however, is my favorite OMEGA game (the more recent Ino_vation comes in as a close second and EE is a solid third).
Also of note is Omega Syndrome: a once commercially available indie RPG inspired by Roswell and old sci-fi B-movies that was abandoned a few months ago. The full version of the game and the last version of the website (the sorry-it’s-quits version) are no longer online. However, an older demo can be downloaded from here, and the Internet Archive still has several iterations of the website preserved for you viewing pleasure and to allow you to see screenshots how good the game once was.
The servers for the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine tend to get a little wonky nearly every time I begin to work on YOT, so don’t be surprised if you get any “timed out” or “busy server” messages from any of their links I had to use for games and developers who have disappeared in the last year or two. As a side note, it’s disappointing to see how some developers give up, because they don’t want to put more effort into improving their games, or, as in David Moffatt’s case with Omega Syndrome, they have become overwhelmed by a seemingly endless project.
Thursday, March 10, 2005
2005 IGF Winners Announced!
The first day of the Independent Games Festival has come and gone, and the winners have been announced! Alien Hominid and Gish dominated the Open Category, with Wik taking home three awards for Web/Downloadable. Having played all of these games, I have to say that they’re quite deserving of their success, each possessing the kind of style and imagination that makes indie gaming so good. It’s also cool to see N receive the Audience Choice.
Also: apparently Edmund McMillen (the artist/designer of Gish) proposed to his girlfriend when he went up to accept the Seumas McNally. And she said yes! What a beautifully nerdy tale to tell the kids in a few years.
Open Category:
Innovation in Audio – Steer Madness (Veggie Games)
Innovation in Visual Art – Alien Hominid (The Behemoth)
Innovation in Technical Excellence – Alien Hominid (The Behemoth)
Innovation in Game Design – Gish (Chronic Logic)
Audience Choice Award – Alien Hominid (The Behemoth)
Seumas McNally Award – Gish (Chronic Logic)
Cartoon Network Project Goldmaster Award – Protothea (Digital Builders)
Web/Download:
Innovation in Audio – Global Defense Network (Evertt.com)
Innovation in Visual Art – Wik and the Fable of Souls (Reflexive Ent.)
Innovation in Technical Excellence – RocketBowl (Large Animal Games)
Innovation in Game Design – Wik and the Fable of Souls (Reflexive Ent.)
Audience Choice Award – N (Metanet Software)
Seumas McNally Award – Wik and the Fable of Souls (Reflexive Ent.)
Also be sure to check out GameTunnel’s first day report of IGF and GDC. Where the hell are the pictures? (Okay, to be fair, the problem’s a faulty USB card-reader.)
(Sources: Gamasutra, Slashdot Games)
posted by Derek Yu
Shaggy
Artichoke Games has just released their family-friendly furry funfest Shaggy Pals. Here’s what they say:
In this mind-bending logic game you control one of the furry friends and your task it to set your pals free by destroying the bars that block them. You move across the board full of obstacles that can be dangerous or helpful, depending on how you use them. And don’t forget to collect all gems and coins!
It’s a logic puzzler aimed at wholesome entertainment along the lines of Dweep or Fitznik. There’s a 3mb [demo] which you might want to try out. Leave your thoughts below for all eternity.
posted by Cas
Wednesday, March 09, 2005
Hapland Hints
We’re getting a decent number of referrals from people looking for hints on Hapland, so I thought I’d oblige them! Highlight the black text to reveal the hint.
1. Help, I don’t know where to start!
Hint: You need some manpower first. Try following the little yellow arrow.
2. How do I get the guy out of his house?
Hint: Take notice of the symbol next to his window. Then, just give him some direction and a way to cross without dying.
3. What do I do about the landmine?
Hint: Fling a rock on it. Think “catapult”.
4. The grenades just blow everything up.
Hint: Batter’s up, then!
5. How do I free the guy from the prison cell?
Hint: He needs a keycard!
6. Can I launch the guy with the cannon without killing him?
Hint: Yes you can. Timing’s the key to saving his life.
7. How do I get past the dog with the lawn mower thing?
Hint: Flatten him!
posted by Derek Yu
Gamasutra – GDC article about “casual” games
Gamasutra has an interesting article about web and downloadable games. Lots of nice statistics and projections about how “casual” games are going to explode in popularity.
Note – registration required to read the article.
posted by Andrew Wooldridge
Feature: 1-ups for Sale
Charles Forman, our newest contributor (“Hi, Charles!”), has written an article about a Korean business model for games that revolves around paying for in-game “items”. In the article, he highlights the strengths of the system and why it works in a place like Korea. Could something like this work in the U.S.? This is a must-read for indie game developers!
Speaking of which, I’ve finally organized all the features into a single page. My intent is to have the kind of feature material on TIGSource that you can’t get anywhere else. With Chuck’s article, it seems like we’re off to a good start!
posted by Derek Yu
Is it pinball? Is it space invaders? Is it breakout?
…no! It’s Invasion 2 from Wildsnake. And yes indeed, it really can’t make up its mind whether it’s pinball, space invaders, or breakout, as all three games seem to have been rolled into one game.
Andy from Wildsnake has kindly donated me a copy for review, so I expect I’ll get my in-depth thoughts up about it in the nearish future.
…and if you’re still waiting for the ‘Troid review, it’s because the developer has been tweaking it to my liking before I write about it. How about that for service eh? The game is already vastly improved…
posted by Cas
Win a copy of Derelict!
Says Mark Fasset of Laughing Dragon Games:
Yes – I’m giving a copy of Derelict away for free to the person who can name my new dragon friend. There’s about three days of the contest left, and I haven’t yet seen anything that gets me really excited.
You can see the details here.
Surf on down, register at his forum, fetch Ye Olde Booke of Draggon Naymes from the dungeons, and win win win!
I played Derelict a while back and keep meaning to buy myself a copy. It’s a nice take on a Gauntlet-style game, with plenty of shooting. Which is always good.
posted by Cas
Introducing…
Hi. My name is Charles Forman. I am a game developer and media artist. I started following the demo scene when I was young, and have lately progressed to more media art type work: http://www.setpixel.com/ However, since I had exposure to an Apple IIe and an Atari 2600 for inspiration, my love was making games.
I live in Seoul, Korea and previous to that, I lived in Tokyo, Japan. I’ve found that accurate accounts of many game related issues here are not made available outside of the respective countries due to the language barrier. It is quite amazing considering the ground-breaking things that have been happening specifically in Korea. I hope that my different perspective and knowledge on things allows me to shed some light on otherwise unexposed areas.
Even though I am a native English speaker, living in Japan/Korea takes its toll on English speaking/writing abilities. So please bear with me.
You can expect longer form essays talking about everything from market trends, to development issues, to business models. My first article is on a very interesting business model originating in Korea. It should be posted very soon.
posted by Charles Forman
Nintendo DS homebrews: wide open
Some enterprising hackers have managed to build a “PassMe” device that gets around the DS’s encryption to run homebrew ROMs off a GBA flash cart. I’m sure this will have tons of unethical uses too (read: piracy), but it does make developing indie/homebrew DS games a reality. Given the DS’s bevy of quirky features (dual screen, touch screen, mic, wireless, single cart multiplayer), this could make for some very interesting games.
You can find videos of the device in action here, in handy torrent form.
One homebrew title is available: a Tetris clone (scroll down). It’s a neat trick, but here’s hoping for more ambitious projects in the future.
posted by Zack
Tuesday, March 08, 2005
Deaddy Bear
www.DeaddyBear.com has announced their new game TANKS 3D: REIGN OF STEEL v.1.0. The game is a 3D tank game, with lots of explosions and violence (according to the web site.) It appears that there is a multiplayer mode and a single player campaign.
Windows only.
(Source: Game Tunnel)
posted by Aaron H.
New Reflexive Arcade Game
Reflexive Arcade has announced Airstrike II: Gulf Thunder, the third in a series. The 3D graphics look well done, and the demo as a nice size, weighing in at just over 16 megs.
Windows only.
(Source: Game Tunnel)
posted by Aaron H.
Game Tunnel News
Game Tunnel has three new interviews up in their on-going coverage of the IGF
The first is an interview with James Gagnon, a developer from Alter Ego Studios, creators of the game, Revolved.
Next up is an interview with the entire Chronic Logic development team about their title, Gish.
Finally, the most recent interview is with Reflexive Arcade developer, Simon Hallam, who was the producer and lead programmer for Wik & the Fable of Souls.
posted by Aaron H.
DDD Pool now available; updated?
DDD, or 3″D” pool (Not my words) is now in full release. It’s not clear when the game was originally made available; The official press release title reads, “DDD Pool Gets an Overhaul: Full Release Now Available.”
The graphics look beautiful, and if the game plays as good as it looks, this may be one of the better pool simulations out there. A playable 60 minute demo can be found on the developer’s web site, Paprikari.com.
Windows only.
(Source: gamedev.net)
posted by Aaron H.
Game Xtazy: Future Pool Review
David Laprad has another review up, this time for Cornutopia’s Future Pool:
…Future Pool is easy to play, fun and addictive. My son and I have spent many pleasant hours competing against each other. You don’t need a lot of time to get into the game, though. Give Future Pool five minutes, and there’s a good chance it’ll earn a permanent place on your desktop.
posted by Derek Yu
Privateer Remake
Some intrepid fans have remade Wing Commander: Privateer, a space trading simulation from back in the day. I can’t say much about it, since I never played the original, but the graphics are nice and it sounds promising. The game is available for Windows, Linux, and Mac OSX.
(Source: Slashdot Games)
posted by Derek Yu
Popcap Developer Program
Most likely timed to coincide with the GDC, popcap has announced that they have open-sourced their programming framework.
From the site:
The purpose of the PopCap Developer Program is to contribute to the indie game community by allowing free access to the programming Framework we’ve successfully based our own games on. There are a few reasons we want to do this.
First, we hope that by reducing technical barriers we help developers to focus more on actual game design instead of compatibility bugs and multimedia programming issues. This will hopefully allow people to make better games, which helps the entire indie/casual game market (including PopCap).
Second, when we publish a game from a third party it makes things a lot easier if we’re already using the same technology base. PopCap has already published or co-developed a few games from external groups, such as Insaniquarium and Rocket Mania, and we hope to work with other talented game developers in the future.
And third, we just feel it’s the right thing to do, to “give something back” to the community if we can.
posted by Andrew Wooldridge
Monday, March 07, 2005
Omega Syndrome Update
Australian Game Developers, has released an update to their shareware role playing game, “The Omega Syndrome.” This brings the game to version 2.0 and includes some amazing additions like, locked doors! But seriously, there are some new skills and various features that surely add some depth to the gameplay. This is one of the few shareware RPG titles out there, and looks like it has some decent graphics. The game hasn’t had a lot of press, but you can find a review of version 1.92 on the Duck and Cover web site. Keep in mind that the game has had a large number of updates and additions (AusDev News) since this review was released.
(Source: rpgcodex.com)
[Note: the last version of Omega Syndrome was 3.24, but now that the developer has discontinued support for the game and cancelled its website, it is difficult to find a demo more recent than a 2.x version. A demo of the 2.2x version can be downloaded from here.]
posted by Aaron H.
You’re retro
Day Zero (Mind the pop-ups) has a nice little collection of truly retro remakes. The games are so retro, you will think you are back at the Laundromat waiting for your clothes to dry. You can check out Blitz_Pacman, Blitz_Pong, Blitz_SpaceInvaders and Blitz_SuperBreakout, all completely free.
posted by Aaron H.
Egoboo – 3D Dungeon Crawler
Egoboo is a 3d dungeon crawler that seems to take it’s inspiration from console games. Imagine a 3d version of Rogue.
Although this site has been defunct for quite some time, the game itself is still quite cool. It would be great if some enterprising team of developers took this code and made something new and cool with it. There appears to be a spinoff project: Zippy-egoboo.
[Note: the site is no longer “defunct”, and it has recieved many updates in 2007.]
posted by Andrew Wooldridge
Glest
Glest is not yet done, but is beginning to look pretty amazing. I’ll simply quote from their home page:
Glest is a project for making a free 3d real-time customizable strategy game.
Current version is fully playable, includes single player game against CPU controlled players, two factions with their corresponding tech trees, units, buildings and some maps.
The game is available in Linux and Windows versions. [Info on the Linux version is available] here.
(Source: HappyPenguin.org)
posted by Aaron H.
A Look at the Independent Games Festival
GameDailyBiz has a good preview [(which is rightfully no longer available)] of the upcoming Independent Games Festival, including a nice interview with some of the indies. I’ve got a big problem with this, however:
The games created by the indie developers are made with small teams and even smaller budgets, but can still be every bit as innovative as what the big boys produce.
More like, “every bit and then like a few billion bits more”. Do you know what having lots of money to spend on a game means? It means the “big boys” get to make “Spongebob Squarepants XXX-treme Karnal Kombat: Part Deux”, and sell it for fifty bucks to the consumer hordes. Gimme those same fifty bucks and I’ll show you innovation in three different ways. Beeeeeotch!
(Source: Slashdot Games,)
posted by Derek Yu
Sunday, March 06, 2005
Heavy Weapon.
The wonderful people at PopCap Games have a lovely new shoot ‘em to play. You can download a free demo from here. It’s a kind of mega-suped up remake of the old classic Moon Patrol. It’s strangely relaxing to play as all the controls are via the mouse, so you can sip some tea while you build up your “super laser”.
posted by DanDanger
Darwinia!
As Marc mentioned earlier this week, Darwinia has arrived! TIGSource reader Teeth got an early pre-order and posted a mini-review of the game in the comments:
It is good, as I expected from the demo. I’m still getting to grips with it but opening up new areas and getting stuff done is really good fun. …There’s good progression, the graphics continue to impress, and there are sometimes a truly staggering number of things going on. The sound is sublime.
Anyone else who’s got the game want to comment?
Help stamp out piracy! As we all know, people who pirate indie games are the lowest scum of the Earth and should be rounded up and stabbed with cattle prods in their netherbits. Introversion’s Chris has posted on the Darwinia forums, asking anyone who finds a pirated copy to e-mail them about it immediately. SO DO IT.
Interested in modding Darwinia? TheNextGame, a Darwinia fansite, has posted “The Ultimate Darwinia Modding Guide” to help those in need. But remember, you need to have beaten the game to unlock the game editor.
More Darwinia news to come, I’m sure. Stay tuned!
posted by Derek Yu
More IGF coverage
Game Tunnel has the next interview online from their on-going coverage of the IGF. This interview is with a member of Black Hammer Game (No, that’s not a typo, it really is just “Black Hammer Game”), the creators of Supremacy: Four Paths to Power.
(Welcome to Phincus, nice to have you on board.)
posted by Aaron H.
Saturday, March 05, 2005
Not quite a mission from god
Hello.
Hello, hello, hello.
Ah, so good to have that out of the way. Though I’ve been into more mainstream gaming for a long time[,] I’m relatively new to the whole indie scene. Recently[,] however[,] I’ve become increasingly irritated by the cookie cutter sequels and GTA clones that I’m expected to pay for and find entertaining (am I really supposed to be excited about the latest WWII FPS game? Seriously? Go away EA, go away!). Onwards!
http://www.hoogerbrugge.com/ is a site billing itself as ‘interactive neurotica’. An apt description. It’s a series of animations, music and sounds that can be clicked on or off. Not particularly complex, but then neither is a remote control and that holds peoples interest for hours. Rather than bungle a description I suggest you just visit the site. Updates are generally far apart but that’s due in part to…
http://www.hoteloscartangoecholima.com/splash.html, or simply ‘Hotel’. I love adventure games but am too cheap to buy them[,] so this fills the void nicely. More an interactive story than a game[,] since there’s no inventory, but there is clicking. Horray for the clicking! Make sure you play the chapters in order[,] or things will never make sense, and we do want things to make sense[:] oh[,] yes we do.
Oy vey, with the weirdness.
posted by Phincus
Why solitaire roxxor!
In a piece titled “Solitaire RULES Half Life DROOLS“, the people at Sun and Games make a reasonable argument for why Solitaire is a better game than Half Life. (That’s sure to be a controversy free statement.)
It should be noted at this point that Sun and Games is a shareware game publishing site. The article is obviously intended to attract attention to the other shareware titles on the site, but the points are thought provoking for anyone who has ever wondered why there are so many clones in the great pantheon of shareware titles. Load Runner, solitaire, Tetris, Breakout, all games that have been made and re-made, and they just keep bringing in money. Even one of the coolest IGF finalists is essentially a remake of Lode Runner (N).
Actually, to be honest, Half Life is just another, glitzier, remake of Doom… A shareware title. We’ve just come full circle and where does that leave us? The point is; It’s extremely hard to come up with original ideas that aren’t a variation on a common theme, even if you have millions of dollars to blow in trying. As many have said before, that’s where indie games pop in to save the day. Indies don’t have millions of dollars to get ulcers over, and so they seem to be a little more willing to try some unusual variations on the tried and true modes of gameplay. So go play some games, and while you’re at it, support the people who take chances.
posted by Aaron H.
Jay is – gaming blog and flash game collection
Jay Bibby is a graduate student in game design who has an impressive collection of links to indie flash games. Currently he’s talking about his trip to San Francisco for the GDC. Great blog to bookmark for your collection. There’s some impressive news and stuff there as well.
posted by Andrew Wooldridge
Gamasutra: IGF Student Showcase Finalists Preview
Gamasutra has a great feature on the indies of the indies, the Student Showcase Finalists. For the most part, they seem pretty interesting, but one of the games in particular caught my eye: Soccer Ref, by the students at Hong Kong Polytechnic University:
Soccer Ref is a game that is exactly what it says it is. Instead of a game where you play soccer, this is a game where you take that marvelously maligned position of referee. As a referee you try to work your way up the career ladder without, gulp, getting killed. You do this by calling plays, just as any referee would do. However, just as in real life, you will quickly find that both spectators and players will take exception to the calls that you make. Since this is soccer that we are talking about, you may find it necessary to temper your calls a little bit to avoid ending up six feet under (or you can choose to defend yourself with weapons).
Now that sounds fun! If you can, check out the website, too. Sadly, there’s not much on there except game info and a neat flash game, but I found it to be nice-looking. I just don’t trust games that have bad websites.
Also: I just noticed that the Soccer Ref page is hosted by some guy who fought Bruce Lee in “Game of Death II”. Heee-eey now!
posted by Derek Yu
GameTunnel Interviews
Game Tunnel has another interview online as part of their on-going coverage of the IGF. This interview is with the developer of Global Defense Network. Game Tunnel covers a lot of the questions that have been circulating in indie developer circles, and asks (Among other things) what defines indie games, and where they will go from here. My favorite quote (Completely out of context) from the interview:
It’s really too early to say much about it, but odds are good that it will have at least one Monkey.
posted by Aaron H.
Bytten Reviews Games
Bytten.com has a new review up for the game Grav-O-Tron made by Onion Factory. Onion Factory’s tag line is “Producing games so fresh they’ll make you cry”, though apparently Bytten found the game eye watering for entirely different reasons.
This is the first game for Onion Factory, and they have two more planned according to their web site. Grav-O-Tron is windows only.
posted by Aaron H.
Retro Remakes: Classic Gaming for the Next Generation
Retro Remakes is a great site to find games in a subgenre of “indie games”. Remakes are fan-made games that try to recapture the feel of an existing commercial game, or one that is no longer available. Not only are there tons of indie games here, there is an annual remakes competition where you can submit your own games.
posted by Andrew Wooldridge
Ari Feldman: Designing Arcade Computer Game Graphics
GameMaker creator Mark Overmars has gotten permission to distribute this fine book: Designing Arcade Computer Game Graphics, by Ari Feldman. If you are an aspiring game developer, you will find this book to be a great resource.
From the site:
Graphics play a central role in the computer gaming experience, and arcade-style games are no exception. Designing Arcade Computer Game Graphics emphasizes the development of quality graphics for 2D arcade-style computer games, both online and offline, including such topics as game design and documentation, animation, proper color usage, and fonts.
posted by Andrew Wooldridge
Friday, March 04, 2005
Lode Runner Lives!
Indie publisher, Alawar Entertainment has announced an upcoming game starring Snowy the Bear, the titular hero of a number of games from game developer Aliasworlds Entertainment. The new game will be called “Snowy: Treasure Hunter”, and has been billed as “A remake of Gold Sprinter” (which was also published by Alawar.) Gold Sprinter is in turn a remake of the classic game, Lode Runner. At the time of this writing, there is no indication of when specifically the game will be released nor for what platform(s).
(Source: Game Tunnel)
posted by Aaron H.
More IGF coverage
Game Tunnel has two new features up in their ongoing coverage of the IGF.
The first is a preview of Dark Horizons: Lore Invasion, a 3D MMO mech combat game with demos available for Windows and Mac OSX.
The second is an interview with the creators of the game N[,] Metanet Software. They (the Metanet developers) have some interesting things to say about what makes indie games indie. N is freely available and includes Windows, Mac, and Linux versions.
posted by Aaron H.
Garage Games Releases Torque 2D
Garage Games has released Torque 2D, a robust 2D game engine based on their Torque Game Engine. (For those in the dark, the Torque Game Engine was the same engine used to create the commercial game Tribes.) For $100 you can get [the Torque Game Builder – INDIE License], which gives you full publishing rights for any games that you make using T2D!
Honestly, this sounds like a pretty sweet deal for indie developers. Check out the site for more details on the engine.
posted by Derek Yu
D-Day
Today is the official release date for Darwinia. My pre-order hasn’t yet arrived, but for those of you lucky enough to already have it, why not post a comment and tell us what you think of it so far?
posted by Marc Silver
Thursday, March 03, 2005
Slay from Sean O’Connor
This simple game is suddenly eating up all of my free time. I have so many games, from PC to Playstation to XBOX, and I’m hunched over my laptop clicking on little men to take over other little hexagons. This game scores high marks for gameplay. The graphics are so-so but they suit the game perfectly. In all honesty, you’ll launch this game and go “ugh” about the graphics, and wonder why anyone would give this game more than a few seconds try. However, after you play through the three tutorial levels and discover just how deep it is – it becomes very addictive.
From the site:
Slay is a simple to learn game of strategy and cunning set in medieval times. The island is divided up between the six players, and you must try to capture your enemies’ land and link up your own territories to create larger and stronger ones. You begin capturing land by attacking with your peasants. Once your territories become richer you can combine peasants to make stronger and stronger people (Spearmen, Knights and then Barons) who can kill weaker enemy troops, or knock down their castles. Just be careful that you don’t create too many expensive men or the territory will go bankrupt!
posted by Andrew Wooldridge
Doujin Daily News – defunct but still cool…
Doujin Daily News is (was?) a site dedicated to “Doujin” or amateur created games overseas. Usually these consist of fan-made japanese games such as street-fighter style or shootemups. What is distinct about most of them is that they are usually very high quality, while being terribly hard to find (without a great web-translator). While this site seems to have stopped updating, there are still an astounding collection of great shmups, fighters, puzzle games and other things that defy description. I especially like the games Zangyura and Atulado. Prepare to be amazed and awed by the quality of these games.
posted by Andrew Wooldridge
Darwinia Approacheth
Lots of activity on the Darwinia website, as the game is released in a day or so! AllAboutGames is running a week-long feature about the game, that includes an interview with Introversion, the creators of the game. They’re also holding a contest and giving away five free copies of the game! All you have to do is answer a question: “What was Introversion’s first published game?” Well, duh. (Unless it’s a trick question, or something.)
Also on the Darwinia website, check out all the weird stuff that Introversion put up in the “Extras” section – from advertisements to strange, existential discussions by characters from the game.
posted by Derek Yu
Dan! Da! Dan!
Cas already mentioned Dan! Da! Dan!, but the game is good enough that I thought it could use a little more explanation. I wouldn’t want anyone to pass it by just because the page is in Japanese!
For one thing, it’s a shmup, but it’s more of a puzzle shmup. Each level is made out of different colored blocks. If you shoot a block of a certain color, it destroys all the blocks of that color that are touching the one you shot. Shooting a block with a big round gem in it will destroy all the blocks of that color on the screen. You’re timed, so the way to keep going is to keep collecting time bonuses (contained in the “?” blocks).
“Z” is shoot. If you hold down “Z” for a little while and release it, you fire a red circle that slows down bullets and can help you hit blocks on your sides. When the gauge around your ship fills up, you go into hyper mode. When that happens, you can press “X” to release the gauge and turn any enemy bullets on the screen into blue triangles for points. You also get a limited spread shot. Yellow triangles help refill your hyper gauge.
Anyway, it’s a really interesting concept, and I still haven’t completely figured it out yet! Every time I play I seem to learn something new and get a little better.
posted by Derek Yu
gotoAndPlay() – flash games
Ok, I must be on a flash kick today. However, if you are interested in creating your own games, you are probably considering using Flash as a possible platform. gotoAndPlay() is a great site to check out for inspiration and take a look at some cool indie flash games. There’s also something called “Smartfox” which is a gaming server you might find useful for your own projects.
posted by Andrew Wooldridge
Wednesday, March 02, 2005
Music games … and another new guy
Hi, my name’s Zack. I’m pretty (meaning totally) new to the indie game scene, so expect fewer links and perhaps more questions.
I wanted my first post to catalog existing indie music/rhythm games (think Parappa the Rapper, etc), but what I have found, after much searching, is just a handful of Dance Dance Revolution styled games for the PC, plus another DDR game for Dreamcast.
There’s gotta be a lot more to music games than just DDR, though. What am I missing?
posted by Zack
Adventure Quest – flash based adventure
Adventure Quest claims to be a ” free lunch break sized RPG that you can play daily using your web browser”. I’ve been playing this game for over a year now, and I have to say that while mindlessly repetitive, it also is extremely addicting. Beyond just mindless hacking and slashing, the developers are creating multiple classes like Mage and Rogue for you to customize your skills, story-driven quests to help boost your stats, and all kinds of hidden and quirky features like pets which make this game rise above your standard indie-fare.
Mind you, all you do in this game is fight monsters, collect experience, buy bigger weapons and spells, and go fight more monsters. If this is boring to you then you may want to pass this by. However, this game excels at what it claims to be – something you pick up for 10-30 mins at a time during lunch or odd times – and have a bit of diversionary fun. You can also fork over a small bit of money to become a “Guardian” which means you get choice weapons and armor, as well as priority in logging on to the server.
posted by Andrew Wooldridge
Yet Another Intro!
Hello, I’m yet another contributor to suck away all your time with these great links we all seem to be finding. I’m pretty good at finding obscure, indie game related things, so I look forward to posting cool stuff and making tigsource that eensie bit better!
I currently work at a gaming site myself – 1UP.com which is a social network / gaming news site where I do website design and other front-end stuff. It’s cool to be part of something that seems to be growing leaps and bounds every day. Till later!
posted by Andrew Wooldridge
Hominid Interview
Game Tunnel has a new interview up as part of their on-going coverage of the IGF. This one is with the developers of Alien Hominid, a slick, flash-gone-console title. The developers have some interesting things to say about indie development and their stated budget of 1.3 million (Which has caused some controversy in the indie development community as to what, really, defines indie game development.) Some choice quotes from the interview:
…We decided it was best to put a number which accurately reflected the amount due to all the people who worked on the game as well as the out of pocket expenses.
…As for our definition of “indie”, that’s simple too…indie means no one else had faith in your product so you went out and made the product anyway.
Check out the original flash game that started it all, and then browse over to the official web site.
Oh yeah, and go enter the The Sexiest Indie Gamer of All Time! contest; How could you not want to be judged by some of the coolest people in indie gaming?
… Edit: Oops, Cas previously commented on the Alien Hominid interview …
posted by Aaron H.
Wonderland Secret Worlds
Midnight synergy released Wonderland Secret Worlds. Here’s what they have to say about it:
The unique mix of puzzle solving and arcade/action is back in Wonderland Secret Worlds. A magical storm has blown into Wonderland and swept away the little Stinkers. It is up to you to rescue them. Control Wonderland’s four heroes – Stinky, Loof, Qookie, and Peegue – through over a hundred new levels in the diverse worlds of Wonderland. With exciting new features and the same compelling gameplay of previous games, Wonderland Secret Worlds re-introduces you to a world of adventure, mystery, and fun!
If you’re a fan of Wonderland you’ll probably lap it up. More details here.
posted by Cas
The Sexiest Indie Gamer Contest: Even More Sexy
TIGSource welcomes the newest Sexiest Indie Gamer Contest sponsor, Panic. Any Mac fan should recognize the name, since they put out some of the most popular software on that platform! I actually had the pleasure of hanging out with those guys a couple years ago, and all I can say is, damn, can they party. Thanks for donating the super-cool Adventure t-shirts!
Some of the judges revealed. Nick Tipping from Moonpod. Jane Pinckard from Game Girl Advance. John Romero from… wait a second, John f***ing Romero?! Things just got a little more interesting! Check out the site for the details.
There’s still two weeks left in the contest, but get those submissions in! Be creative, be funny, be sexy! You don’t want to miss out on this opportunity, ladies and germs. Overcome that inherent geeky shyness and have some fun!
posted by Derek Yu
Peasant’s Quest
In the classic tradition of King’s Quest and other popular adventure games, comes Peasant’s Quest, an all flash game made by the folks from homestarrunner.com. The game is a hilarious spoof on early adventure games, and will be funny even if you’ve never heard of Strong Bad, though you can familiarize yourself on the homestarrunner site before playing.
posted by Aaron H.
More crazy Japanese weirdness!
Dan! Da! Dan! from Omega. Page renders peculiarly due to its Japanese origins :) Uses an LZH archive so make sure you’ve got a decompressor that can handle it like WinRAR.
Thanks to whisperstorm from indiegamer for the heads up.
posted by Cas
Gametunnel interviews Alien Hominid developers
Title says it all. I liked this little soundbite:
DP: Nobody can muddle your junk. It’s all your own vision. Bake your own cake.
Check it out for another great read.
posted by Cas
Last Man On Mars
I always wet myself when a Robotron game comes along, and Last Man on Mars [(which is nolonger available)] from Dejobaan Games has made me change my underpants twice and I’ve only just gazed at the screenies.
They’re looking for feedback on their concept test demo (24mb) so don’t be thinking it’s anything like a complete game. But I’m sure they’ll appreciate your feedback using their forums.
Downloading it now…
(30 mins passes)
OMFG – my pants are soaked and I think my brain has dribbled out of my ears. This one is HOT.
posted by Cas
Tuesday, March 01, 2005
Odd Man In
Ben Garvey sends word that the next round of Odd Man In is beginning, and as of this writing, he’s still waiting for at least a dozen or so people to sign up.
Odd Man In is an interesting multiplayer online game that’s “part Reservoir Dogs and part Survivor”. First, all the players join the game and take on the persona of a Mr. Color (like Mr. White, Mr. Blonde, etc.). Then the game starts. During each round, each player gets a chance to take one shot. You get shot an even number of times, you die. Odd, and you live to see the next round!
The game’s getting pretty big now, so hurry up and join before you’re stuck as Mr. Burnt Umber!
posted by Derek Yu
[All images are copied from the websites of their respective games when possible.]
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jeppo
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Bob
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http://ithamore.blogspot.com/ ithamore
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Javet
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PHeMoX
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rz.
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