GDC 2008: OWL COUNTRY

By: Derek Yu

On: March 22nd, 2008

In a world… of gentlemen…

When filthy pigeons plague the city…

One owl will rise to the challenge…

To take back the night sky with fury and malevolence.

Will that owl be you?

PLAY OWL COUNTRY NOW. LEARN THE TRUE STORY.

Programming

Ivan “toastie” Safrin
Mark “Golds” Johns (Doomlaser)
Alec “Alec” Holowka (Bit Blot)

Art

Adam “AdamAtomic” Saltsman (Homepage)
Mark Johns
Ivan Safrin
Kevin “Greater Beast” Coulton

Music

Alec Holowka

Voices

Owl – Tommy “Tommunism” Refenes (Pillowfort)

Narrator – Phil Fish (Kokoromi/Polytron)

Gentlemen – Brandon “BMcC” McCartin, Ivan Safrin, Adam Saltsman, Tommy Refenes, Mike Lee

Combos – Mark Johns

Misc. Owl – Steve Swink (Flashbang)

Posted in Action, Community, Freeware, Highly Recommended, IGF / GDC, Macintosh, Nerd Love, Windows

http://www.sophiehoulden.com GirlFlash

the word epic just doesent do this justice, I declare this game: epidabulariffic!

…I keel you!!!!
TheTrav

that’s a rockin trailer, convinced me to download the game
Ogmobot

AWESOMENESS
Paul Eres

One of the best indie game trailers ever (up there with Zoo Race and Barkley: Shut Up and Jam: Gaiden).
Fishy Boy

Really slow, and the gameplay isn’t fun. Everything else is good. I personally think this would work better as a shmup of some sort, instead of the current madness it is now.
shinygerbil

you just don’t get it.

THIS IS THE WORLD OF THE OWL.

it is madness.
Alec

Fishy Boy: Learn how to play it.
http://doomlaser.com Golds

it starts off slow, but builds. the controls have a… learning curve. the swoop em up is a new genre.
Alec

Also, please note that Owl Country is not a “game”.

Its an “Interactive Experience”.

Do not attempt to trivialize our masterwork.
Cow

Runs crazy slow on my computer. And I was all ready to hail it as a masterpiece of modern interactive experiences. :(
toastie

It’s next gen and as such, you need a 3d card.
http://cymonsgames.retroremakes.com Guesst

how does this happen? I’ve been on several message boards but never have I seen the community built up with such… accessories like I have on the tigsource forums. The monocle, the owl, and now the pigeons. Can a single individual be credited with this or did it literally “just happen?”

One down side to this community’s unique esprit d’corps is it does make it hard for a newbie/lurker/what-have-you to feel like they can jump right in. On the plus side, tho, it’s a lot of fun.
Sic Jake

Epic presentation. Truly if God were to decend from the heavens he surely would sport a monocle, and should pigeons poop on said eyewear why by justice would our Lord not smite with the grand vengence only possible thru OWL?!

I THINK SO!!
Nikica

No Country for old Pigeons !!!
bateleur

One down side to this communityâ€™s unique esprit dâ€™corps is it does make it hard for a newbie/lurker/what-have-you to feel like they can jump right in.

I think all that’s needed is a simple FAQ.

TIGFAQ v0.1

Q: Are monocles awesome?
A: Yes.
Q: Are owls awesome?
A: Yes.
Q: Are dinosaurs awesome?
A: Yes.
Q: What about other awesome stuff? Is that awesome?
A: Yes.
Q: What about pigeons?
A: Not so much, no.
Gr.Viper

You forgot Tiger Sauce…
Fishy Boy

All the people arguing that I’m a fool because I just “don’t get it” are having the same ridiculous mentality of any console fanboy. I think the game itself is not very good, but the assets (art, writing, sound) are done very well. I’m sorry if liking good gameplay is wrong, but that’s how I feel.

Perhaps my computer isn’t doing it justice, since it feels like the frame rate was halved. Some graphics options would help.
Alec

The comments about you just not getting it are jokes, btw. ;)
Fishy Boy

I don’t know, TIGSource can get pretty fervent when it wants to.

I still think graphics options would be nice.
http://doomlaser.com Golds

fishy, you have a valid complaint. i think the controls and gameplay are unintuitive to the beginner. But I also think that once you get how it works works, it’s a really fun little jaunt.

But the point of the game to me was more the spirit of working with other TIGers, and trying to make something cool together in a short timespan. and in that it was a success. and i hope some of everyone’s talents shine through….

don’t hold owl country to a higher standard than diamond rider ;)
cactus

I beat it. I think… Only 95 kills, though. I was impressed by the presentation, the music and graphics really go well together! And the gameplay was cool too :)
http://blog.intuitiongames.com aeiowu

awesome job guys. this rocks
Will Vale

I like the idea of swooping, but I found the swoop controls a bit weird – maybe I was expecting something a bit more analogue?

Anyway, great presentation and I’m impressed that you’ve managed to make an in-joke game that’s still funny for those of us on the outside. Congrats on supporting the ‘occasional commenter’ market!

My one real gripe is that you need some real British v/o talent. Or maybe I should just acknowledge that it’s possible for gentlemen to hail from other nations…
http://doomlaser.com Golds

OC takes place in Montral so the accents make no sense, just like real life :)
jenn(atar)

Priceless. Once I mastered my swoop, I was hooked. I was that owl, filled with the boiling blood of a feathery night hunter.

That fog was MAD DASTARDLY, though.

Speaking of monocles, I was google-image-searching pince-nez for fun, and it was really lucrative.
http://magazine.divineabomination.com chrisk

Interesting art style.
Melly

TIGS is the kind of place that allows for a lot in inside jokes to pop out, yes, and I agree that a FAQ would help the newbs, but for the most part the community is very friendly (as long as you’re friendly yourself and follow the simple rules) and it’s easy to get into the hang of things. If you have doubt about something just pop a question and a thread link should quickly be available to answer all your doubts.
greg

Game is great but high score is reset after you quit