Child of Eden

Wow, finally Rez gets a sequel. Why has it taken this long?

Could it be because the first one wasn’t the massive hit it deserved to be?

I mean, Activision wouldn’t leave a decade between iterations of Call of Duty or Tony Hawk’s would it?

Like many other beautiful and brilliant games (Ico and Katamari spring to mind), it was critically acclaimed in the press and thoroughly enjoyed by the players.

But also, mostly ignored by the general public.

I think now is the best time for a game like Eden.

Thanks to the huge rise of casual PC gamers on browser games and downloads playing everything from Bejewelled to Farmville, the amount of people playing games that weren’t before is huge.

Nintendo has put more consoles in family homes than ever. it’s also ensured there’s an eclectic range of games that everyone can play.

It’s also given us a generation of kids glued to DS’s.

TV ads of games that these days really do look good enough for anyone to be impressed by.

So, these days, a lot more people are aware of games. This is reflected in the press, especially the posh press. The target market for Microsoft has to be the middle class Guardian reader with enough money to buy a Kinect and a room big enough to use it.

Coming off the back of LA Noire which was high profile enough to not just just be a hot topic in print, but also feature in South Park.

Games at the moment are really, well, fashionable.

Another factor that really works in Eden’s favour is the fact that everyone these days (well, everyone with an Xbox 360 at least), has a big-ass TV.

Eden needs a big-ass TV.

It also needs complete darkness. Honestly, turn all the lights off. All you need to see is Eden.

It also has to be played multi-player.

Contrary to anything you may have read, it’s not a single player game.

Sure, only one player is in control, but you need to have at least one other person sitting down to just stare blankly at the screen with their mouth open.

You also need nother person as a co-pilot. Those moments where the player gets complete blindness and needs Goose to snap them out of it:

“Purple, purple, shoot the purple!!”

See, a great thing about Eden, for me anyway, is that it’s actually really hard.

You can play it with damage turned off, but you can’t unlock anything.

Someone has to finish the levels on the normal difficulty to progress.

I’m currently stuck on level 3!

I think I’ve been spoilt in the last few years. The games I’ve been playing have been too easy.

LA Noir for instance, is absolutely brilliant but deliberately designed so all players, male and female, will finish it without too much trouble.

That’s why it never asks you to park the car.

But Eden, it’s tough. It doesn’t ever feel unfair. In fact, at any point in the game, it never feels anything but awesome.

I do mean actually awesome of course- That’s what the second player on the sofa is for- to just soak up some of the awe.

Now and again, the second player will look away from the screen, just to appreciate the performance of the conductor.

Yeah, you have to play it on Kinect. The grasp and splay with the right hand, and a graceful sweep of the left to wipe out the purple- You feel like a frickin’ wizard!

I can see why other people have described it as an “experience”. It’s not. It’s a game. The basic mechanics are pretty easy to understand because it’s a game. But it is a game that you have to experience nonetheless. There’s a point in a level where you just become totally absorbed and everything just flows. Obviously, the better you get, the more frequent these moments become, and the game just comes alive.

So, you get out what you put in.

It has to make you replay the levels. You can’t begin to take everything in the first time. Coming back to the first level after the third makes it seem brand new.

In fact, it’s watching somebody else play a level that is the biggest education. You notice loads of incidental things that the player has filtered out because they are focusing on staying alive.

I really hope Child of Eden gets the commercial success it deserves. It will undoubtedly win a ton of awards. It will totally deserve them. But I want to see millions of people playing it and wanting more.

I want publishers inspired to release a wave of poorly designed, substantially indequate but also substantially psychadelic “experiences” that are really good fun for a couple of hours but have no depth.

Then they will all be on sale for a fiver on e-bay and be a decent evenings entertainment!

But more importantly, Mizuguchi will be encouraged to continue doing what he does best- really trippy shit!

I’d love to play a sequel to Space Channel 5. Surely that has to be next?

 

Ah, Ulala- She must be getting on a bit now. I bet she’s still hot though!

I have to talk about L.A. Noire……

Are you playing it?

Why not? Haven’t you read the reviews?

I am playing it. I’m thinking about playing it right now. I can’t wait until the kids have gone to bed. Then I’ll sit on the sofa twitching until my wife lets me play it.

My night job on the Homocide desk is making me haggard in the mornings and needing strong coffee.

I’m sure next time I need a torch I’ll instinctively hold it like a detective (they get taught to hold a torch on the first day, then a torch and gun combo a week later.)

The guy I put in jail on Monday night shouldn’t be there, I know that. His kids an orphan and he’s probably going to get raped.

That’s my fault- it’s eating me up. But I haven’t got time to replay the mission and get him out- there’s other murders to solve, more lives to save.

Anyway, they’re not making another series of “Heroes” so he’s not got a job to get back to.

The thing about L.A. Noire that’s deadly is the pace of it. It’s really chilled out, relaxing and just comfortable to play.

Once you understand the layout of the whole thing it’s very easy to plod through it.

That means that you can, and will, play it all night.

The interrogations are the hardest bit, making them actually quite tense.

The car chases are good fun and only pop up now and again, but the best pursuits are done on foot (and usually rooftops).

Running after people is more fun than chasing them in a car- who knew?!

Now, I’m only about 20% into the game, so these are only my initial thoughts.

This is not a review.

There’s plenty of reviews out there, but hopefully all written by people who have played the whole game (at least once). I haven’t. I’m assuming it’s more of the same with a few surprises and a bit more complexity.

I’m looking forward to it.

Then there will be downloadable content. Whole new cases and killers to crack, with the same great performances but less of the over-arching storyline.

I”m looking forward to them too.

The whole thing kinda reminds me of “Shenmue” which was a classic. It’s because of the relaxed pace of the whole thing and the high production values. Plus the amount of time it sucks out of your life but you still feel it’s worth it.

The whole experience is like playing your way through an HBO boxset, which I imagine is exactly what they were aiming for.

It’s interesting to read the reviews too. I haven’t read them all, but all the really positive stuff seems to come from the mainstream press rather than specialist games magazines/ sites.

Guardian readers everywhere will be talking about it at dinner parties and Charlie Brooker will inevitably be drooling over it on TV soon. Hopefully he’ll wait until he’s finished it.

It’s great to see something so good be a mainstream success. It just goes to show that gamers are a cultured bunch after all.

It’s also a great PR success for Rock Star surely?

Yeah, GTA 5 was brilliant, but Rock Star were still much maligned by (ignorant) non-gamers for warping tiny minds.

Red Dead: Redemption was good, but it’s not on the mainstream radar.

I wouldn’t mind my kids playing L.A. Noire if they were a bit older. It’s not going to traumatize them or turn them violent.

The morality of it is all positive and there’s no fun to be had from killing prostitutes.

It’s got a bit of muff and some swearing, that’s pretty much it so far.

It has gritty characters- some are racist and most are mysogonists, but this isn’t glorified, it’s used as a device to show they are ignorant.

It’s the most PC game on a console.

I would appreciate it if Cole would join me for a drink at some point in the game though- I feel bad for him when I’m drinking whiskey and he’s not.

I’m hoping that the commercial success of L.A.Noire will spawn a wave of decent story-driven stuff. GTA infuenced a lot of publishers to create similar games in its wake and a lot of them were pretty good too.

Hopefully more and more proper actors will be popping up in digital form in console dramas.

If someone could make one that had a strong multiplayer deathmatch bolted on the publishers would be laughing.

Yes, obviously that’s a stupid idea. It’s probably still being discussed in a boardroom somewhere right now….

Let your kids play games- they might become astronauts.

I’ve got kids. 2 of ‘em. Like most kids, they are into games and are rarely without their Nintendo DS.

Now, obviously I’m into games and have been since I was their age, so I don’t think it’s a bad thing.

I know plenty of parents that complain that their kids spend too much time playing games. I actually complain that they don’t play enough.

Now, I obviously don’t think all games are suitable for kids. They’re not. Some are completely unsuitable for obvious reasons- that’s what the PEGI ratings are for. But many games are unsuitable for a different reason- they might be age appropriate but if they are a simply a mindless distraction then they would actually be better off playing Grand Theft Auto.

I know a parent who thought games were bad. I expained that if your kid plays a good game, that they can appreciate as a designed object, that playing games can be a great thing.

If a game is challenging, not just as a test of co-ordination, but also as a mental exercise, then the child is spending their time constructively.

At the moment, their child is playing the same game as mine- Mario 64 on the DS.

Mario 64 is a perfect example of a great kids game. It’s a stunning piece of design, it gives the player a thorough mental workout and importantly it’s rock hard. Well, it is if you’re 8.

You see, the levels of concentration, determination and patience required are way beyond that of an 8 year old.

But once kids are sucked in by it’s smooth initial difficuly, it quite quickly becomes a real challenge- yet they stick with it.

An increase in a childs ability to focus and solve difficult problems is a huge payoff. So parents should encourage it.

Getting kids to sit still and concentrate is a constant struggle for any parent. Having them hooked on something that is good for them is also very useful as a bargaining tool- “Eat your broccolli then you can play DS….”

But having kids glued to a DS can cause tantrums, arguments and sulks. These can be avoided.

As a gamer, I understand that my kids will not be able to just turn off the game when I tell them to without an argument.

They are playing the game to make progress and asking them to turn it off will often lose that progress.

So, as a parent, you have to understand the concept of game saves.

Depending on the game, it might automatically save progress or it might have checkpoints.

Have a conversation with your child about the game they are playing- understand how progress is saved.

Mario 64 for example has checkpoints. The level needs to be finished before the progress is saved. Bearing in mind that it is a challenging and engrossing game, if you ask your kid to turn it off NOW then they will kick off.

Instead, make sure they turn off when they finish the level, or when Mario next loses a life.

Pokemon lets you save the game yourself, but only when you’re not in a battle.

“I can’t save now, I’m in a battle!!”

Save them the tantrum and let them finish it.

All this is easier if you are a gamer yourself- I know what the sound effects are when a level is cleared or the game is over. That makes it a lot easier to catch them out.

Now, a lot of you will read this and think it’s obvious. That’s ‘cos you play games.

It’s probably safe to assume anyone reading my blog is a gamer, but pass this information on- share it with your better half and they’ll appreciate it.

Another thing- Only let them play one game at a time. Buy them a new one when they finish. It’s hard to focus on a game if you have too many to choose from and the promise of a new game is a great incentive for them when it gets tough.

My kids biggest obsession is Pokemon. They’ve completed all of them and that makes me proud.

Finishing any game is a big achievement. I know there’s plenty on my shelf that I haven’t finished.

They have plenty they haven’t finished too. There’s no point me forcing them to finish a game if they’re not into it. That’s the thing with games- you only bother finishing the good ones.

So only get them good games. Read reviews, make informed choices. Don’t just buy whatever’s cheap or based on a TV programme. It will end up gathering dust.

Usually a good bet is to get anything with Mario in. MarioKart is probably the best game on the DS and is a great one for kids. Start them on that.

My kids are also playing Pokemon Snap on the Nintendo 64 at the moment. It’s teaching them how to aim and shoot in a first person perspective. A really useful gaming skill.

They think they are just photographing Pokemon but they are actually in training to play Goldeneye!

So, use games to teach your child new skills and habits. Have conversations about the games and get involved.

Then one day your child will pwn you in a game of Mariokart. That’s gonna be a proud day…

It’s April, fool!

OK, time certainly does fly. I can’t believe it’s April already. Makes me tempted to take all the games in development and put Easter Eggs in all of ‘em. But I’m not going to. It’s too late. They are already overdue, but they are definitely imminent. I have two developers who are about 8cm dilated. Yep. I can see the head. Time for the final push!

OK, game developers with their waters breaking isn’t the nicest image. It’s a valid metaphor though- We all know that the last bit is the hardest part of game development. The gestation period on these projects has been pretty smooth though, so I reckon there’s gonna be no complications on delivery.

So, what are these new babies going to be called?

Well, they are  both younger siblings, so I think we’ll call them Deathracers 2 and Moto X Madness 2.

I think they are both going to make me very proud!

I’ve been metaphorically impregnating several developers since Christmas, so there are a few Flash fetuses dotted around the world with my logo on them. But most of my time has been spent on Moto X Madness 2 and Deathracers 2. That’s why I haven’t blogged for a while- I’ve been having too much fun. Building tracks is the best job there is. Oh, apart from creating AI for 7 opponents and testing it. That was certainly a highlight.

So, they are both in heavy testing at the moment. All I can conclude at this stage is that they are definitely not too easy.

Now, Moto X Madness 2 will definitley be the first one to be delivered to the public. It was a commision so I don’t have to try and sell it. Sometimes that takes ages. It’s also for Spil, so I can’t foresee any complications. Should just pop right out in a couple of weeks time.

So, what’s new in the sequels? Well, lets start with Moto X Madness 2….

We’ve doubled the amount of tracks- there’s now 8 and they are all brand new.

The graphics are all new- we’ve set it in Vegas this time and the tracks all kinda look like big classic wooden roller-coasters.

To go with the Vegas theme, Eva ‘kin Evil has a sparkly new Gold bike. She also has 4 different outfits- one for each event.

Yeah, she’s very much the star of the show.

For me, the best bit of the game is the music.

So often overlooked in Flash games, it’s something I’ve always made a real effort with. Now, I usually commision all my music from a professional- “Arcade Noise”, but this game is different.

To celebrate Eva’s starring role, I decided to give her a proper theme tune. Something that just screams Moto X. Some real garage punk rock. Easy.

So after listening to a lot of Black Flag, Sonic Youth and Beastie Boys, I hit the studio with my best buddy Bruce- A total axe-man.

3 hours and 6 beers later, Eva had a theme tune. Punk drums, Metal guitar and someone (well, me)  literally screaming “Moto X”. Job done.

I don’t know what the players will make of it, but there’s always a mute button!

I hope it’s well recieved though, because we want to do it again. There’s talk of a bigger project next-  “Deathracers-The Album”

Yeah. Another project with 8 tracks.

So, Deathracers has 8 characters. But Eva is one of them, so there’s only 7 left.

Yeah, Eva is a guest star in Deathracers 2. Seemed like a good way of getting her to take her helmet off. In the first Moto X Madness most people didn’t even realise the rider was female!

So, I reckon that a game needs some strong characters in it to make it into a decent brand.

It makes development much more fun too…

The highlight in Deathracers 2′s development was definitely creating the characters. Instead of old school bitmaps, we’ve used real people to create 3D avatars. So I have a rogues gallery of nasty looking men and cool looking women.

Now, most of my mates are pretty nasty looking but I did have to use photoshop just to scar them up a bit!

I’d like to take this opportunity to thank everyone involved. I didn’t pay them so I guess I have to…

So, I’m very grateful to Matt, Daz, Fred, Tim, Bruce, Alice,  Leandra and my lovely wife Tara for starring as:

Joey Turbonelli, Major Damage, Gunther Von Rage, The Butcher, Bruce Cannon, Suzi 9mm, Eva ‘kin Evil and Deathanie.

Having 8 characters (and obviously 8 cars) has made the game so much better. It’s now very easy to get utterly destroyed before you can even finish a lap. It gives the game more strategy.

Technically, the game is way better than the first one. Just getting all the cars on the track at once (with 3 levels of damage) was a massive achievement. Balancing out the stats so they all have their own distinct personalities wasn’t easy either.

We’ve done it though, oh yes.

It’s the best game we’ve produced so far. I can’t wait to release it.

I’m hoping for a decent offer this week and a release before the end of the month. I want you to play it as soon as possible. I don’t like to make you wait, but sometimes it’s unavoidable……

Yep. Some games are inevitably overdue. I hope they are worth the wait.

Now, back in January I confidently announced that Destroy More Cars was due any day. There were complications but it was delivered at the end of February. It’s just over six weeks old now and it’s been played 8 million times so far. Pretty good. Should hit ten very soon.

I’ve put it on my site- www.makingfungames.com/portfolio/DMC

Go play it!

It should be hitting Newgrounds and Kongregate this week soon so I’ll be urging you to vote.

The last overdue delivery is Red Code 3.

It’s finished. It’s brilliant and it’s exclusively on Miniclip. They plan to release it on the 11th April.

I will put it on my site too so I’ll be blogging a shameless plug for it very soon.

Until then, have a look at the pretty pictures of Deathracers 2 and then play Destroy More Cars.

You weren’t actually gonna do any work today were you?

That Was Last Year That Was…

Didn’t it just fly by? Nope? Well, you were probably sat on your arse for most of it then. Mine flew by. Time does that when your busy apparently.

Too busy to play games unfortunately, at least as much as I’d like to. I did spend too much time watching TV though-it’s difficult not to.

I did try to watch decent TV though and obviously, even though I pay silly money for about 100 channels, I had to download the good stuff.

I got into Fringe in a big way- I watched the first 2 series’ in about a month to get myself up to date. Also, started watching series 4 of Dexter- brilliant. Like everyone else, I also watched The Walking Dead. Unlike everyone else, I wasn’t that impressed. By the end of episode 5 I would have liked the zombies (sorry, walkers) to tear all the humans apart for being so annoying.

Unexpected highlight on TV last year was probably Spartacus: Blood and Sand. I initially watched it for a laugh but ended up hooked and the last episode was completely mental. If you missed it then I’d recommend a download or box set. It is very rude and very violent, but at the same time, not very grown-up!

But I’m not supposed to be talking about TV- I’m supposed to talk about games.

I’d like to be original and declare an independent, quirky, undiscovered game as my highlight of the year. Unfortunately I can’t. I agree with a million other people that LIMBO was the best game of 2010. Not only was it gorgeous to look at, but the level design was sublime. Never before has a game made me want to put down my controller and just applaud. It was quite short, but it was perfect while it lasted. Again, if you haven’t got it, download it NOW!

Sticking with the theme of agreeing with everybody else, I thoroughly enjoyed Mass Effect 2. It obviously cost a lot of money to make but it was well worth it. Red Dead Redemption was good and I’m still enjoying Fallout-New Vegas, but they have the odd rough edge or dodgy texture here and there. Mass Effect 2 was sooooo slick it really feels like you’re in an average Sci-fi film and not a game at all. Can’t wait for part 3. I also managed to get laid this time- I didn’t notice the ship had an upstairs deck for the whole of the first game, so I completely missed out on the nookie!

As well as Limbo and a really good selection of DLC- notably Undead Red Redemption, 2010 was the best year ever for the Xbox 360 marketplace. I spent a lot of Microsoft points last year and they were money well spent.

I still played a fair bit of Peggle, with the release of Peggle Nights, but I’m trying to quit. I hope they don’t make another one. Really.

I’m replacing my Peggle addiction with Worms. Finally, last year Heaven 17 (is that right?) finally put a decent version on XBLA. Worth getting gold membership for. Obviously it’s much better with friends (I have 2). Shame there’s still  no way to create your own backgrounds like in the original Amiga version, but seriously, if you haven’t got it already, then get it already.

What else? Oh yeah, Halloween. I hate Halloween- Bah Haribo to the whole thing. But my kids love it and they especially love trick or treating. I especially love staying indoors and playing games by Double Fine. So when Costume Quest came out we were all happy.  Tim Schafer is one of the best designers around and Costume Quest is a really sweeeet game. Shame to have to read all the dialogue though, especially in that tiny font. Come on, if it’s not easy to read we WILL skip it. If you’ve got kids or a low mental age  and you like RPG’s then I’d totally recommend it.

When you’ve got some Microsoft small change left, there was a lot to spend it on last year with the Microsoft Community games really having a decent showing. I’m probably going to do a proper round up in another post- there’s a lot of them to cover. A lot of people haven’t checked out the Community section at all and it’s a real shame. There’s a stack of decent content at pocket money prices. Oh, and there’s also a ton of shite in there as well, but that’s a marketplace for you. There’s not a great ratio of quality/shite in any game shop. At least on Xbox you can play free demo’s.

Until I write an article for you, check out the Independent Charles Show. It’s a review show on the Xbox and it’s brilliant. What’s brilliant about it is mainly the fact that it exists at all. It’s like a really geeky version of Wayne’s World reviewing Community games. It would be great to see more stuff like this appearing on the Xbox channels, anything that boosts awareness and popularity of community games can only be a good thing and I’m all for it.

Other highlights of last year? Well, in the kitchen I finally discovered how to do roast pork with perfect crackling. Trick is to carve it up with a Stanley knife. Put a clean blade in it first though. I also stopped using little green chilli’s and started using Scotch Bonnet Peppers instead. Much nicer taste but don’t touch your eyes (or anything else) for about 3 days after touching them. Or  you could wear gloves I suppose.

Oh yeah, what about MY games? Well, last year, they were pretty good. I hope you enjoyed them. My favourite was Deathracers. We’re working on a sequel at the moment and it’s already looking really good.

Our biggest hit of last year was Destroy All Cars. The sequel will be out any day now and it’s much nicer than the first one. Hopefully it should kick this year off nicely.

Destroy More Cars will be followed by another sequel- Moto X Madness 2. This is also going to be a decent upgrade. The graphics are much better, there’s twice as many tracks and maybe 3 times as much madness. Oh, and Eva has 4 different costumes. Yeah, contain your excitement for a few weeks at least- it’s still pretty early in development.

For now though, check out a video of the first track in production.

OK, maybe there’s not 3 times more madness yet, but there might be 3 times more difficulty- This might end up being one of the later tracks!

Anyway, a belated Happy New Year to you. I’ll see you on the Worms battlefield. Or maybe in the pub.

 

 

Endings and Beginnings

Normally, with the amount of projects I work on at once, I’m always slap bang in the middle of something. That’s my favourite bit I reckon. There’s no thinking involved- decisions have already been made and you just have to get on with it. At the moment I don’t have that luxury. I’m using my brain nearly every day. It’s a bit of a shock!

It’s lucky I have a decent balance of Endings and Beginnings. When I have done a hard days decision making on one of the projects in early development, I can switch focus to one of the ones nearly finished, where the work is pretty brainless. Although, as any developer knows, the Endings are not as happy as they should be. The last 10% of any project always drags. It’s easy, yeah, but it’s also tedious and frustrating.

I did finish a couple of projects last weekend which was pretty satisfying. Unfortunately they weren’t paid work. They were personal projects.

Check out this picture>

That’s my TV, and they’re the credits for Red Dead Redemption. A personal project I’ve been working on for the last two weeks. Great game, but still satisfying to finish. It was very easy though, so I’m not too smug about it.

But…

See the floor underneath the TV?

That’s another personal project. 25 square metres of reclaimed teak parquet floor. Sanded down, arranged and stuck down one at a time. That wasn’t an easy project and it’s taken me two years.

As you can imagine, I am smug about finishing that one!

OK, I need to varnish it, but with a Christmas tree shedding needles all over the place it will have to wait until the New year…

So, it’s going to be time to take on 2 new projects. Skirting boards and Fallout New Vegas. I will probably finish them both about the same time I reckon.

So, just a short blog post, totally just to show off my new/old floor. If you feel disappointed and want to read more stuff written by me, then I’m touched.I didn’t know you cared.

As it’s nearly Christmas, I’ll let you read something else. Something a little less inane than my blog. An article what I wrote, for a proper website.

So proper in fact, that it has an editor, who managed to chop the article up and make it concise and snappy. Not the rambling diatribe I originally gave him!

Anyway, it’s here if you want to read it: http://www.casualgirlgamer.com/articles/entry/50/opinion-childs-play/

That’s all for today. I’ll probably write some more later in the week, I have got some news and stuff to write about, but after all this writing I feel I need a Happy Ending.

So I’m getting back to work.

 

Celebrating the lowest ever score on Newgrounds…

That’s right, We’ve even baked a cake.

We’ve avoided the awesome score on Newgrounds and provoked derision on Kongregate,

But, we also got 4 million plays on the Spil network in the first month, with an 80% thumbs up from their players.

You see, Spil commissioned the game and it was designed for them from the beginning. Just like Destroy all Cars, which performed almost exactly the same.

Just goes to show a game is gonna be more successful if it’s bespoke. Like a good suit or a meal for someone with allergies.

This is something for all developers to consider.

Make a good game, sell it to a good sponsor, then ask them what they’d like next.

They don’t have to sign anything, but just agreeing a design with them before you spend months coding can be useful. As well as ensuring you get paid for developing the game,  it can really make it easier to design.

I imagine it’s like writing a film script already knowing who the actors are going to be.

So, now I get to design Moto X Madness 2, with my cast already assembled.

It’s great news. Moto X was really good fun to make and I really enjoyed playing it.

The engine’s already solid so the developments just going to be adding as much madness as we can and giving Eva ‘kin Evil some sexy new outfits.

 

We’ve got an even bigger game coming out soon too, and it’s not going on Newgrounds or Kongregate. Yeah, fuck ‘em!

Seriously though, I don’t think we can because of the filesize. It’s way too big- It’s actually a shame because the game is Red Code 3 and the first 2 Red Code games were huge on both sites. The Red Code series owes a lot to the Newgrounds community with the massive amount of feedback given providing an impetus for the design of the sequels.

So, ironically, the one game we have really tailored for the Newgrounds community might not be going on there.

I will try though, ‘cos there are quite a few people looking out for it. If not, maybe a trailer with a link to the main game might be an option.

Still, it’s not sponsored by Newgrounds. It’s sponsored by Miniclip. So it’s not going to be as difficult as it could have been. But it is gonna get played by a lot of people and that’s the main thing.

Obviously, we’re well excited to be working with Miniclip. But Red Code 3 wasn’t commissioned by them. It’s not bespoke. So it’s not perfect for their site. We kinda have to make it fit. Hopefully we’ll be looking to get something commisoned next and we can really go to town, producing something that will be a really, really big hit.

 

Also, just around the corner, really, any day now, is Destroy More Cars. If the first one is anything to go by, it will do badly on NG and Kong, but we won’t care.

It’s a big improvement on the first one and it looks gorgeous so we’re looking forward to the release.

I have got my fingers crossed for a decent score everywhere though. Maybe you can please all of the people all the time…I’ll let you know with a gloating blog post if it does.

The Waiting Game

Well, the summer just won’t end, which suits me fine. Just when you think it’s over, it pops back up for one more go like a slasher in a horror movie.

Which is great. It means the games I said we would release “in the summer” still aren’t late.

And if they are, it’s not my fault. Honest.

We have 3 projects finished, but for various reasons they won’t be out for a week at best.

Moto X and Destroy More Cars will be the first off the blocks.

Any day now, I promise.

Red Code 3 might take a while though. Although it’s finished, it needs a sponsor.

Sometimes finding a sponsor takes ages, but it can take longer.

I’m trying to speed the process up, ‘cos I really just want to deliver this one to the players as soon as I can.

I’ve played it to death myself now and I’m very, very happy with it. I also played Red Code 2 this morning for a comparision and there just isn’t one.

Don’t take my word for it though- you can watch me playing if you like. I know it’s not the same as playing it and it IS a complete spoiler, but it’s all I can offer.

http://www.screencast.com/users/makingfungames/folders/Default/media/6a0f4954-d03f-4498-bb5a-bfb7e097c59c

I know, you want to PLAY it. Believe me, I want you to play it too. Nothing would make me happier.

But, like me, you’ll have to be patient.

In the meantime we’ll all have to just find something to keep us busy until then.

With all these projects coming to an end, it’s time for me to knock out a few design documents. Maybe even create a schedule for the next few months.

Deathracers 2 is around the corner too, then it’s a mystery.

I  do plan to be more prolific between now and Christmas.

**SPOILER ALERT **

Unfortunately there is no such thing as Santa (sorry). So I need to start saving for presents.

As a small treat for my kids, I’m going to let them both star in my next game.

Well, my next 5 games to be exact.

I’ve already starting work on the design for a 5 part episodic adventure. Hopefully we can produce an episode every month. It’s something I’ve done before, with the “Phantom Mansion-Spectrum of Souls” series, which was pretty successful.

As well as that, I’m hoping Moto X does well enough to warrant a sequel.

Plus another game featuring bikes that will also work very well on Android, A version of Deathracers for XBNA and something I’m calling “Rico the Space Ninja”.

Oh, and a cute little match 3 game for the ladies.

So hopefully, there’s gonna be lots of presents this Christmas after all, for the whole  family.

I don’t know how or when, but I’ve a feeling that horses are going to feature in our portfolio before the end of the year too.

I was at the Dublin Horse Show a few weeks back and it put me in a very Equestrian mood. So, I reckon a sensible Horse game produced in tandem with a completely stupid one would be a good idea.

This schedule is gonna be pretty ambitious and I think I’ll need to recruit at least one new development team. Which means playing more games and finding some new talent.

So I’ll be checking out Newgrounds to see if there’s any platform games featuring a Ninja on horseback. In space.

Then I’ll start doing some proper work. I promise.

Testing Testing 1,2,3….

Well, the fat lady is about to sing.

Moto X Madness is so close to being finished – It’s just waiting on a theme tune. I started testing the final version this week and it’s bug free first time. Unbelievable.

There’s some stuff it does that some people might call a bug, but they know nothing. They’re not bugs, they’re features.

Like when Eva’s head gets chopped off.  It happens, we can’t fix it. We could add some blood to make it look better but I don’t think our sponsor would like it…..

Does open up a few ideas for the sequel though, but I’m not sure that direction is going to do much for the franchise.

Moto X Madness has been our quickest game to develop so far, which is nice. It’s only my piss poor speed that held it up until now- The code only took a couple of weeks!

Like a lot of our games, it’s a proof of concept. An engine first and foremost.

We’ve deliberately put a strong character in there. Eva ‘kin Evil will definitely be starring in more games after this one.

Probably something a bit more over the top next time, with lots of stunts and things on fire.

So, testing. It’s so hard to not just bomb through a level at top speed, win a Gold medal and then pronounce it finished. So hard in fact, that I did it yesterday. On every level.

I have to play it like I’ve never played it before. This is harder than it should be, even though with most racing games I play every lap like I’ve never seen the track before.

Playing left handed doesn’t work- I’ve tried. Drinking doesn’t either. I can play the game in my sleep now.

I need more people to test it for me, maybe I could get some work experience kids for the week?

Actually, maybe not. Not the kids round here.

They’ll just tell me my game is wack and aksk me if they can stop working and go pub innit?

Obviously, if you know me, feel free to volunteer.

But you have to only say nice things about the game.

Oh, and don’t say anything stupid either, like “It would be nice if some of the game was from a different angle” or “Does it have to be a motorbike?”

And don’t tell me it’s too hard. I’ve played it a lot and I can get every Gold medal.

If you can’t then you’re obviously just rubbish.

Sod it, maybe I’ll just leave it.

….Where’s that BBW with the lovely voice gone?

Two games in the pipeline, one released today. Nice.

This blog is turning into a bad chat show. I only come on it when I have something to release. I like to think of myself as an entertaining guest though, more Jeff Bridges on Leno than Gordon Ramsey on Jonathan Ross.

So, what am I flogging this time? Is a book? A DVD? No, something much better- a cracking new game.

Well, I say new but it’s not really. It’s DeathRacers.

Yeah, it’s finally finished and released. I reckon it’s the best game we’ve made so far.

It’s been out a week on Spil and it’s doing well, hopefully well enough to warrant a sequel.

Normally you  feel like a break after finishing a game, that’s why I’d usually wait a few months before facing a sequel, but DeathRacers was not only a piece of piss to make, there’s also still tons of obvious things we can do in the next one.

Plus, I will never get sick of building tracks with my beautiful level editor.

So, I’ll be crossing my fingers the game goes big.  Cross yours too please, just for a few minutes.

“Anyway, what’s in the pipeline?”

Well Jonathan, you embarrassing dick, we have a lovely motocross game in development as well as the much anticipated conclusion to the Red Code trilogy.

Yeah, Red Code 3 is on its way. I’d love to tell you ALL about it, but that there would be a spoiler.

I’ll tell you a bit though, the title at least..Red Code 3- The Gun and the Blade.

See, sounds like a film now.

As you can guess, it’s now got a gun and a blade in it. The upgrades are simpler, but you can spend energy upgrading the Blade too, opening up loads of different attacking options.

I can’t say much else without spoiling the plot (yes, the plot). Suffice to say though, this is a true conclusion. It’s a final showdown between the last human warrior and the last of the Xyconian species.

As with Red Code 2, we had plenty of great constructive feedback – especially on Newgrounds. This was invaluable in designing the sequel. I don’t think anyone asked us to put a sword in it though- they obviously weren’t playing Bayonetta.

I was. So he’s got a sword.

Just as well I wasn’t playing Tiger Woods that week or he’d be tooled up with a Sand Wedge.

As well as that, there’s a motocross game looming large on the horizon too. Currently named “Moto X Madness” it’s shaping up to be a corker.

We’ve got the physics nailed and I’m just creating objects and building tracks out of them at the moment, which as I’ve said before, is my favourite bit of a project.

Problem so far developing is that I’ve been playing too much Trials HD on the Xbox 360.

Should be a good thing surely? It doesn’t matter that our game is similar- there’s hundreds of similar games, it’s a popular genre. We’re doing some funky stuff with physics to make sure ours stands out.

The problem is, that at the moment, seeing as I designed the tracks and all, I’m an absolute ninja at all of them.

I’m making tracks that I can fly round really easily, and they work really well. But I let someone else have a go yesterday and they were all over the place…

It’s gonna be a challenge keeping the game accessible and still making it hard enough for the erm, hardcore.

So, I’m gonna take a step back next week and watch some more people play the levels so far, trying not cry. It’s always frustrating watching a player stuck on something that I think should be obvious to them.

It’s not because they are stupid- it’s because it’s not been designed properly  (so stupid people can understand it.)

Anyway, DeathRacers is on NewGrounds NOW!!

http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/537358

Go play it.

Enjoy.

But please don’t forget to vote….