Ye Olde TIGSource (Part 3)
By: ithamore
On: August 19th, 2007
<img src=“http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1027/1171645734_9fe74020a0_m.jpg” width=“240” height=“193” alt=“Bob on bed censored” hspace=10 vspace=10 align=right />We now learn Flaming Pear fell upon such bad luck that not only did he have to abandon TIGSource; even the $40 refund he would receive by canceling service with his domain host would help out. Lucky for us, Puppygames donated the necessary funds and Derek took the controls. Then TIGSource began to shape into the site we know and love.
Of note for this installment: Cave Story gets its first appearances on TIGSource, PomPom is interviewed, we learn of Derek’s ex-girlfriend’s inappropriate relationship with Snood (might this ex be the Video Games we read about several posts ago), PopCap is mentioned thrice with no ill word typed, and the announcement of the Sexiest Indie Gamer of All Time Contest (which helped to bolster the self esteem of indie gamers while inadvertently gaining the website some additional search engine hits from “special” keywords).
Monday, February 14, 2005
Happy Valentine’s Day!
For those of you with special Valentines, good luck and may you get lucky. For those of you free of the burden, now’s the time for an extra helping of self-lovin’. Remember, you are all beautiful people. So here’s a little indie gaming treat on this romantic holiday.
posted by Derek Yu
Sunday, February 13, 2005
The First Contest Sponsor!
And it’s none other than (drumroll, please)…
That’s right, Moonpod, creators of the hit indie game Starscape, are sponsoring our contest “The Sexiest Indie Gamer of All Time”, and donating not only a copy of Starscape for the winner, but also a limited-edition mousepad featuring the lovable Mr. Robot.
The contest page has been updated with the appropriate info, and I’ve tried to reformat it to make it more clear. I knew that it would take some big names to get some of you to take the contest seriously (well, don’t take it TOO seriously, it’s all in the name of fun), so here you go! There will be more sponsors to come! Keep the submissions coming in!
And many thanks to Moonpod!
posted by Derek Yu
Doukutsu Monogatari Madness
According to my calculations, Doukutsu Monogatari (“Cave Story”) web searches are accounting for almost a third of our referrals. So, I was thinking that I’d actually give all you Cave Story fans what you wanted, and maybe put up a guide to the game on the site, with screenshots and such. If you’re interested, post in the comments!
posted by Derek Yu
The Power of Personality
Thomas Warfield, the creator of Pretty Good Solitaire, has an interesting, well-written blog that I just discovered. The post that caught my attention today was titled “The Power of Personality”, where Thomas discusses how a developer’s personality can show through in a game and really go a long way to making a game fun, or even just different. Specifically, he mentions Snood, a game that’s received the coveted status of mainstream popularity as well as the jealous eyes of other indie developers who see it as nothing more than an ugly Puzzle Bobble clone.
<img src=“http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1127/1116264474_feedb8afb7_m.jpg” width=“240” height=“188” alt=“snood” hspace=10 vspace=10 align=left />I think Thomas makes some very good points. However, in the case of Snood, I feel that he missed something key – namely, that so-called “hardcore” gamers have a much more discerning eye for graphics and originality and we definitely take it out on our games. As a fan of Puzzle Bobble, I dismissed Snood almost immediately as an ugly clone when it first came out (I probably ticked off a quick review of the game in my head and gave it like 1 floppy disk out of 5 or something). But for my girlfriend at the time, who’s not nearly as much of a gaming nerd as myself, those things didn’t matter. She was looking for a quick, SIMPLE, game to play, and that’s exactly what Snood provided. That fact that it had ugly graphics and redundant gameplay was moot.
A few months later, I walked in on her while she was in bed with Snood, so we broke up.
posted by Derek Yu
Saturday, February 12, 2005
TIGSource Interviews PomPom
Our stable of indie interviews grows as I shoot the proverbial shit with Michael Michael, head graphics and sound guy at PomPom Games. This interview is, dare I say it, about a million times more interesting than the last one we had – you know, the one with that idiot that made Eternal Daughter. Anyway, click here if you want to find out about PomPom’s next game and where you can buy the best drugs in the UK (just kidding about that last part).
posted by Derek Yu
Dark Horizons: Lore Invasion on Linspire
Garage Games has announced that Dark Horizons: Lore Invasion will be released exclusively on Linspire, a Linux-based operating system, with Windows, Mac, and other Linux distros to follow soon.
I’m kind of confused as to how Dark Horizons: Lore Invasion differs from Dark Horizons: Lore, as there doesn’t seem to be much info about the game anywhere. Is it a new game, or more of an expansion? Dur?
posted by Derek Yu
IGF Audience Awards: Vote Now!
In past years, the GDC attendees have voted at the conference for the Audience Award winners. This year, in collaboration with the IGF, GameSpot is offering our audience the opportunity to vote as well. Check out the 10 finalists in both the Web/Downloadable and Open categories, and cast your votes today!
This is going to be a tough election.
posted by Derek Yu
Moonpod’s January Dev Diary
<img src=“http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1179/1115214913_294b46f5a8_m.jpg” width=“128” height=“128” alt=“miniGuardian” hspace=10 vspace=10 align=left />Moonpod‘s development diaries are becoming increasingly good reads for me, revealing all kinds of behind-the-scenes happenings and lots of nifty screenshots. Their current project, Mr. Robot, is an isometric action/adventure game in the same vein as old Speccy classics like Knightlore and Head Over Heels. This month’s dev diary reveals a bunch of the enemies from the game and talks extensively about lighting and texturing. It’s looking great.
posted by Derek Yu
Friday, February 11, 2005
Dragon Spires 2
Dragon Spires 2 is the Java-based 2D multiplayer online RPG that puts lead in your pencil. A very non-traditional medieval RPG, DS2 currently has a very small, but active, group of members (including myself) that has been around since the very first iterations of the game. The current version is in alpha, but there’s still plenty to see and do, and the game’s creators encourage users to build their own mods for the game and help develop it further.
posted by Derek Yu
Valentine’s Pack for Magic Ball II
Alawar is releasing a Valentine’s Pack for Magic Ball II. The pack costs $14.95 and you must own the registered version of Magic Ball II to play it. Time to git yo’ indie game freak on, on Valentine’s Day.
The add-on includes 100 never-before-seen levels of 3D brick-busting action, six new animated characters and visual surprises that celebrate the beloved holiday of sweethearts the world over.
posted by Derek Yu
Blockland
<img src=“http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1288/1113803645_db6b82d552_m.jpg” width=“240” height=“180” alt=“Blockland” hspace=10 vspace=10 align=left />I don’t think I can describe this ANY better than the fine folks at Insert Credit can, so here you go:
If saucy polygons don’t tempt you, Blockland is “a non-competitive multiplayer game where you build with interconnecting bricks” – basically, a free online multiplayer ‘Lego’-style construction kit. It’s still an early Beta right now, but the first screenshots look quite promising. You might find some people from the forum working on spectacular projects if you log in.
posted by Derek Yu
Info on Darwinia Modding
The Next Game, a Darwinia fan site, has some interesting info on its front page about modding Darwinia. There is an editor, apparently, but you can’t unlock it until you beat the game. Check out the site for the complete story.
posted by Derek Yu
Thursday, February 10, 2005
Who is the Sexiest Indie Gamer of All Time?
CHECK OUT THE OFFICIAL CONTEST PAGE HERE!
posted by Derek Yu
Hunted to Extinction II
I just discovered this (very free) game today. It’s called Hunted to Extinction II, and it’s an online RPG/battle game that you can play in your browser. Using a party of four characters, you challenge other users to Final Fantasy-style battles and then gain experience and gold based on the outcome. From there you can upgrade to different jobs and buy weapons and armor. The game is mainly text-based, but the characters are displayed using graphics from various SNES-era Final Fantasy games.
It’s quite fun and easy to play. My username is “bossquibble”, so if you see me, feel free to challenge me to a duel (I’ll probably lose)!
posted by Derek Yu
Wednesday, February 09, 2005
Bring Your Resume to Seattle…
… for the Seattle Video Game Industry Job Conference and Resume Workshop this Saturday, February 12th. Lots of companies are hiring, including some indies like PopCap and Zango.
This event is designed for students and professionals looking to get into the industry as well as existing industry insiders looking for new opportunities. For artists, programmers, designers, business professionals, musicians and writers.
(Source: GameDev.net)
posted by Derek Yu
GameDev.net Interviews Max Gaming
GameDev.net just interviewed Adrian Wright and Logan Foster of Max Gaming Technologies, and it’s a good, long read. These charming gents are the masterminds behind the multiplayer online Mech game Dark Horizons Lore. Lore happens to be one of the finalists in this year’s Independent Games Festival. (Shoot, that was a lot of links in one paragraph.)
(Source: Garage Games)
posted by Derek Yu
Gamasutra: 2004’s Most Creative Games
Creativity seems to be a big issue in the game industry these days. Gamasutra recently posed a question to its readers: “What was the most creative game of 2004 and why?” Of course, a lot of people mentioned indie titles, including Alien Hominid, Gish, and Outpost Kaloki. Click here for the full skinny.
(I was also pleasantly surprised to see some neat pixel art from the designer drububu featured in the article.)
posted by Derek Yu
Burger King = Classic Games?
That’s right. For a limited time, if you can choke down a Kid’s Meal you can get a free handheld with a classic Activision game on it! The games available are Kaboom!, Grand Prix, Tennis and Barnstorming.
(Source: Joystiq)
posted by Derek Yu
PC Shmup Database
Roger Post’s PC Shmup Database has a huge collection of links to PC shmups, mainly of the indie and Japanese variety. If you’re in the mood for a good shmup (and honestly, who isn’t?), it seems like the place to go! Thanks, Roger!
posted by Derek Yu
Spellcaster Review
David Laprad sends word that he’s got a review of Superluminal’s Spellcaster up on Game Xtazy. Spellcaster is a word-finding game that’s similar to PopCap’s Bookworm, but with a dash of Harry Potter. Anyway, I’ve played the demo myself, and it seems like David’s review is pretty spot on.
posted by Derek Yu
Tuesday, February 08, 2005
Darwinia Demo v1.1!
Alright, the new Darwinia demo is finally out! This demo adds a more detailed tutorial and also fixes some registry problems and other stuff.
My take? It’s much better. Not perfect by any sense of the word, but much better. There’s actually a narrative this time, which immediately draws you in. You have… purpose (cue angels singing).
In fact, I actually finished this version of the demo and the highest praise I have to give the game is that when it was all over, I didn’t want to leave. I just kind of roamed around and watched my Darwinians for a while and admired the landscape. That’s impressive as hell.
So yeah, I think it’ll be worth the fifty some dollars (29.99 GBP) I’ll be paying for it. It’s expensive for an “indie game”, I know, but dammit, when is an indie game just a good game? When it’s Darwinia, of course.
[v1.1 can still be downloaded from 3D Gamers.]
posted by Derek Yu
Creativity on the Decline in Industry?
Well, no sh… excuse me. A couple of interesting articles from the “legit” gaming press. The first is a Gamespy report on a speech Tim Schafer – the founder of Double Fine – gave at this year’s DICE Summit. It’s on taking risks in the game industry, and here’s a choice quote from that:
He noted that, when publishers looked at a game, “Creative” almost became a stigma. “Wow, that’s really … creative,” people would say. He joked that when his team heard those fateful words they started packing up their bags.
What disturbed him the most was this actual quote from an executive at a large publisher: “This is really great. This is creative. It’s too bad people aren’t going for creative stuff right now.”
The other article is from IGN, titled “The Fight for Original Games”:
But depending on who you speak with, the videogame industry is either reaching the most impressive convergence of its entire 30-plus year old existence, or it’s falling into a never-ending death spiral of sequel-heavy, rehashed, franchise dominated blocks of stinking cheese.
Well dang, that’s just sad, really. Just remember, as a consumer, you have the power to decide what games get made and what games don’t. Next time you have 50 bucks burning a hole in your pocket, think about picking up an innovative little underdog (or maybe even two or three) over the next installment of some big-namer licensed crap. Oi!
posted by Derek Yu
ShortHike
<img src=“http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1103/1116264244_3b3e3fbbc2_m.jpg” width=“240” height=“185” alt=“ShortHike” hspace=10 vspace=10 align=left />ShortHike is Kai Backman’s rather interesting experiment in indie gaming. Rather than making people plunk down money once for a game that may or may not be supported a year from now, Kai is allowing people to buy a yearly membership into what he calls a “guild”. That is, a dedicated community around his game, and the assurance that, as long as you stay a member, he will stick around and provide top notch support for many years to come. That includes bug-fixing, updates, upgrades, and new content. Certainly a lot more than just a game and some patches.
What’s the game, you ask? Well, it’s a space settlement simulation, which means that most of you probably just went “YAWN”. But for the minority group that’s into these types of technical simulations, this could be a dream come true. The community does seem to be quite active, and with this guild business it sounds as though you’ll have the developer’s support for quite a long time.
If you want Kai’s full spiel on why you should join, go here. Otherwise, the game’s homepage is right here. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem like there’s a lot on the actual game at the moment, but maybe that’s not important if you know it’s a space settlement simulation. The renders seem nice.
posted by Derek Yu
Monday, February 07, 2005
Sea Wolves
Continuing with the naval theme, Alawar Entertainment has released Sea Wolves, which looks like it’s an action/arcade-style shooter on the open seas. You’re a pirate, I think. I don’t know, I wanted to try it, but I had some problems with the demo’s installation. Damn.
(Source: DIY Games)
posted by Derek Yu
Lost Admiral Returns
<img src=“http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1227/1115214891_52bc621b1b_m.jpg” width=“240” height=“180” alt=“Lost Admiral Returns” hspace=10 vspace=10 align=left />Fogstone Games has released Lost Admiral Returns, an update to the 1991 classic, Lost Admiral (which I never played). It looks like a solid turn-based strategy game for naval war buffs. The game is going for $19.95, but you can download a 30-day demo for free from their site.
(Source: DIY Games)
posted by Derek Yu
X-Box Live Arcade
X-Box Live Arcade seems like a very good thing for indie developers, and I hope it starts a trend. The basic idea is that you get to pay for and download classic and indie titles through X-Box Live. Sounds good in theory, and they’ve already signed with well-known indie developers like PopCap and PomPom. Has anyone had any personal experience with it?
posted by Derek Yu
Weird Worlds Site Up
Hey, I just noticed that Digital Eel’s got a page up for Weird Worlds: Return to Infinite Space, the sequel to its successful space-faring game Strange Adventures in Infinite Space. There’s not much up yet, but there’s a little information on the game, at least:
The universe is expanding in both size and depth. Whereas the tag line for SAIS was “Explore the galaxy…in 20 minutes or less!”, the Weird Worlds motto might be “Explore the galaxy…in 20 minutes or more!” Weird Worlds is larger, prettier, more detailed, more deadly and even stranger than its predecessor!
Sounds good to me!
posted by Derek
Doukutsu Guide
<img src=“http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1277/1159110195_f9ae610b43_t.jpg” width=“80” height=“80” alt=“Cave” hspace=10 vspace=10 align=left />Doukutsu Monogatari is full of secrets. Along with all the different weapons and stuff, there’s also a secret “Hell” level that’s supposed to be hard as dickens. Well, if you’re having trouble finding out how to find all these secrets (or maybe just having problems completing the game), check out this fairly comprehensive text guide, written by ReroRero. It should do you good.
posted by Derek Yu
Sunday, February 06, 2005
Beer Dude 2
[You can play it online here.]
posted by Derek Yu
Doom: The Roguelike
Well, this is a few weeks old, but… hell, I wasn’t around a few weeks ago! You read that right, it’s Doom: The Roguelike. Apparently, the author, Kornel Kisielewicz, abandoned the game two years ago, but recently has had a change of heart about it. Version 0.9.6. was released on January 16th.
Despite what you may think, it’s actually a very good Roguelike, and refreshing, too. Whereas other Roguelikes try to emphasize the number of things you have to do to survive (e.g. “Wow, I have to scrape mold off of my +2 Runed Codpiece or else my god will smite me!”), in Doom: The Roguelike, you just have to worry about keeping your weapon reloaded. Try blasting the radioactive barrels in a room full of bad guys – I daresay it’s almost more fun than in the real Doom, since you get to use your imagination.
posted by Derek Yu
Super Monster Painter Extreme
<img src=“http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1062/1116264670_4d94f936e9.jpg” width=“320” height=“240” alt=“Super Monster Painter Extreme” hspace=10 vspace=10 align=right />Ah, another free game from good ol’ Johan Peitz!
Free Lunch Design has released <a href-http://www.freelunchdesign.com/games.php>Super Monster Painter Extreme – a fun little highscore-driven reflex game. The object is to keep monsters from filling the screen by squirting them with two sets of colored paint tubes. Yellow monsters are killed with yellow paint and so on, but it gets harder when you have to mix different colored paint to kill some monsters! Like all Free Lunch games, it’s a tight package – the graphics, sound, and control are all very solid.
posted by Derek Yu
Saturday, February 05, 2005
Still Waiting on Darwinia Demo Update
<img src=“http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1285/1113803667_9c5286ace5_m.jpg” width=“240” height=“180” alt=“Darwinia” hspace=10 vspace=10 align=right />After Introversion released its demo for Darwinia a week or so ago, a lot of people were left very confused, me included. Let me just put it bluntly: the in-game tutorial for the demo is absolute crap. Any time you need help, you’re supposed to press ‘h’ – and then a bald guy comes on the screen to tell you what’s going on. This would be all fine and good, except that he has the annoying habit of leaving out some very important information, like what “officers” are and how to make them. Or what your goals are. Or even who the hell he’s supposed to be. The end result is that you’re left slamming the ‘h’ key repeatedly and getting frustrated because he keeps droning on about the same few things.
Not good. Darwinia, as beautiful as it is, and as much potential as I see in it as a great game, is not immediately intuitive. It involves understanding not only the basic controls for navigating the abstract 3D landscape, but also the “Task Manager”, a program which ostensibly allows you to create and control your units using “gestures”. I could see these controls being very easy to use after you’ve already learned them, but for someone just starting out, it’s less an exploration of the game’s interface and more of an exercise in frustration. (Keep in mind that at the time of release, there was no text reference accompanying the demo, either.)
Thankfully, Introversion has responded to players’ cries for help, and have said that a new demo is on the way, with a better tutorial. What bothers me, however, is this line (in that same announcement): “We have to admit to being slightly suprised by this, but we’ve obviously misjudged the amount of help that games players need.” It’s a little snooty-sounding, and it echoes similar statements that I’ve read on the Darwinia message boards by beta testers, telling confused players that the demo is ACTUALLY very easy to understand and that, basically, we shouldn’t be having the problems we are with it.
Well, screw that. The fact of the matter is that many players are confused, and if many players are confused, then the game is confusing. I refuse to feel like I’M an idiot (even though it’s very possible I am one) just because I can’t figure out how to get my Darwinians to ride the mine carts.
I guess I’m making a big fuss about this because I think that Darwinia has all the hallmarks of a great indie game: creative gameplay and innovative design. It would be a damn shame if it didn’t get the sales it deserved because of an esoteric demo and some righteous indignation. So yeah, Introversion, hurry up with the new demo. In the meantime, y’all try out the current demo with Introversion’s new tutorial. It’s fun.
posted by Derek Yu
Friday, February 04, 2005
Pardon Our Dust
Barring any unforseen problems, TIGS should get a little facelift this weekend. Then maybe we can get this beast rolling again, hey?
posted by Derek Yu
Thursday, February 03, 2005
Doukutsu Monogatari
Doukutsu Monogatari (“The Cave Story”) – by Japanese freeware developer PIXEL – is one of the finest freeware games I’ve ever played. This non-linear platformer boasts a great storyline, memorable characters, and great gameplay. The graphical style is clean and crisp and very cute. The sound effects and music are all retro and very fitting (no really, it sounds like he used an 8-bit chipset to produce them).
It’s been an “in Japanese”-only release for quite a while now, but just recently an English patch was released by the rom-hacking group AGTP (many thanks to them for that!). So if you want to try an 8+ hour non-linear platformer with lots of items and upgradeable weapons, plenty of secrets, 3 different endings (no joke!), and more killer bunnies than you can shake a carrot at, then give Doukutsu a try NOW. I pity the fool that doesn’t.
Get the game here, and then get the English patch here.
(Source: Insert Credit)
posted by Derek Yu
Do Not Adjust Your Monitor
Greetings, citizens! Due to unfortunate circumstances, Flaming Pear has been forced to relinquish control of the site to me, Derek Yu. Do not be alarmed. Even though I’m not half as sexy as Flaming Pear, I will do my best to continue the fine tradition that F.P. started, bringing you the best indie game news, ’round the clock.
If you wish to contribute to TIGSource, that’s great! I’m all for making this a community effort. The easiest way is to write in with news. If you want to be a front page poster, however, please send me an e-mail with some sample writing and your reason for wanting to help out. I want writers that are dedicated and can type like adults!
My e-mail address is: yu.derek[at]gmail.com (Please put something sensible in the subject of your e-mail)
Let’s wish F.P. well in his real life adventures, and hope that he comes back real soon! Signing off, your new best friend, Captain Sausage… I mean, Derek Yu.
posted by Derek Yu
Wednesday, February 02, 2005
TIGSource will continue!
Just a quick note to say that, thanks to a generous gift from puppygames.net TIGSource will be continuing! So check back soon!
posted by Flaming Pear
Tuesday, February 01, 2005
Hope for TIGSource
Ladies (are there any?) and gentlemen of the indie gaming world, do not give up hope: there may be life in TIGSource yet.
Due to the comments and flux of emails I have received pleading for the continuation of this site, I have wracked my brains for a solution to the downfall. Several people have contacted me about taking over the reigns of TIGSource, and make no mistake: I do not want to see this site die.
However, I am currently in need of any money I can get, and, unaware of quite how popular TIGSource had become, and how many people would cry out for its continuation, I was planning on shutting the site down and collecting my $40.00 hosting refund. I really do need money, and yes, even $40.00 will help me.
So here’s the deal: if you are truly behind this site, and would like to see it grow and thrive, I am asking that you support that end by donating that $40.00 to me by February 4th, the last day that I can collect my hosting refund. You can donate by clicking on the button below. All donations are fully refundable. I will keep track of the income, and will post an update three or four times a day regarding the $40.00 mark (you can also get the info in real time here).
If the $40.00 mark is received, I will pass the site on to Derek Yu, who is one of the people who volunteered to maintain it, and allow him to make any decisions regarding potential input from the others who also volunteered (and I’m grateful to all of you). I have the utmost faith in Derek, and think he’s is a great man for the job. It is possible that I will also be able to make posts every once in a while, but not with any kind of frequency, due to the circumstances that I’ve already noted.
Again, thank you all, and long live independent gaming!
Amount received: $40.00 (updated 3-4 times per day)
Amount needed: $40.00 (by February 4th, 2005)
Posted by Flaming Pear
[All images are from the games’ websites unless otherwise note. The original comments can be found here.]
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