IndieGames.com - The Weblog

Weekend Bargains: Archibald's Adventures

editors@indiegames.com (timw) — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 11:06:25 +0000

Here's an absolute bargain: Game Giveaway of the Day is offering Archibald's Adventures as a free download for the next twenty hours or so. This puzzle platformer by Rake in Grass (of Jets'n'Guns fame) is probably the closest thing we have to a new Professor Fizzwizzle game. An 8MB download, 80% rating, and boasting over 160 levels to play, I cannot recommend this game enough so go get it before the giveaway expires.

There is no uninstaller since it basically unzips all game files into a folder, so if you want to remove the game just delete the entire folder instead. No point in keeping the installation file after installing it on your PC either, since the program checks for offer validity every time you try to install the game. You need to install Archibald's Adventures today to activate the full version on your computer.

Other bargains for the week will be posted here soon.

Browser Game Pick: Captain Forever (Farbs)

editors@indiegames.com (timw) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:46:08 +0000

In Captain Forever, you're the captain of a ship named Nemesis, stranded in space without a single clue about your current whereabouts. Fortunately an info buoy is around to help, providing you with some information about the sector you are in and supplying repair modules to rebuild your ship.

By destroying enemy ships with your default laser weapon, you can cause them to drop ship parts that can be attached to your own ship. Additional ship plating, extra weapons and increased thruster power are just some of the benefits to be gained from salvaging intact modules.

Captain Forever is a series of episodes to be launched by Farbs in the coming months, with the first game now available to play for free. Supporters who donate $20 for the project not only get to play the sequel Captain Successor right away, but will also have access to all future episodes in the series.

Round-Up: Gamasutra Network Jobs, Week Of November 20

editors@indiegames.com (Simon Carless) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:00:25 +0000

In our latest employment-specific round-up, we highlight some of the notable jobs posted in big sister site Gamasutra's industry-leading game jobs section this week, including positions from Relic Entertainment, Zoe Mode and more.

Each position posted by employers will appear on the main Gamasutra job board, and appear in the site's daily and weekly newsletters, reaching our readers directly.

It will also be cross-posted for free across its network of submarket sites, which includes content sites focused on online worlds, cellphone games, 'serious games', independent games and more.

Some of the notable jobs posted this week include:

Relic Entertainment: Senior Director Of Development
"The Senior Director of Development executes the developmental strategy of the studio in accordance with the GM and THQ’s strategic and tactical objectives. Responsible for ensuring project development achieves operating objectives and financial goals; ensuring development efficiency and product timeliness, and otherwise ensuring consistency and process improvements across projects."

2K Games: Channel Marketing Manager
"2K Games develops and publishes top-line PC, console, and handheld entertainment software, with a strong concentration in three distinct categories: sports, high profile licenses and specialty product. Some of the hit titles in 2K's lineup include the critically-praised Bioshock, Sid Meier’s Civilization IV, and The Darkness. 2K Games is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc."

Raven Software/Activision: Senior Game Designer
"Raven Software is looking for a Senior Designer for our latest unannounced action title, primarily focusing on combat systems and encounter design. Designers will work with the rest of the team to create and implement combat systems, AI behaviors, and scripted events in the game world. Additionally, the Senior Designer will act as the arbiter of quality for all the combat sequences in the game, working closely with other designers to make sure we have consistent, high-quality combat encounters throughout the game."

Sony Computer Entertainment America: Maya Technical Director
"Be a part of the most exciting and innovating computer entertainment in North America. Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA) markets the PlayStation® family of products and develops, publishes, markets, and distributes software for the PS one™ console, the PlayStation®2 and PlayStation®3 computer entertainment systems and the PlayStation Portable (PSP™)."

Zoe Mode: Senior Technical Artist
"As a Senior Technical Artist, you’ll define and drive the technical vision and art pipelines for multiple games throughout the studio. You will work closely with both the Lead Artist and engineering staff to create powerful, yet easy to use, systems for artists and designers to use in our ground breaking games."

To browse hundreds of similar jobs, and for more information on searching, responding to, or posting game industry-relevant jobs to the top source for jobs in the business, please visit Gamasutra's job board now.

Experimental Gameplay 2010 Open For Submissions

editors@indiegames.com (timw) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 03:01:12 +0000

The annual Experimental Gameplay Workshop is now open for submissions. Selected developers will be invited to give a short presentation on their respective games, prototypes and ideas to an audience during GDC this coming March 2010.

To submit for the workshop, just fill up a short submission form as per guidelines on the EGW site, then send it to workshop2010 [a] number-none.com before January 26, 2010. (source)

The Experimental Gameplay web site
Experimental Gameplay Workshop 2009

Spike TV's VGA 2009 Best Indie Game Nominees Revealed

editors@indiegames.com (timw) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 21:07:47 +0000

The four titles selected for the best independent game category in Spike TV's Video Game Awards were announced yesterday, with the winner set to be revealed live on Spike TV this December 12th, 2009.

Twisted Pixel Games 'Splosion Man, thatgamecompany's Flower, Hemisphere Games' Osmos and RedLynx's Trials HD make up the honoured quartet this year. Voting is already open, and fans can cast their votes anytime between now until December 11th. Games nominated in this category last year were World of Goo, PixelJunk Eden, Braid and Audiosurf, with 2D Boy eventually taking home the award.

Hecker: Indies Can't Do All The Heavy Creative Lifting

editors@indiegames.com (Simon Carless) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 18:02:37 +0000

[Thought this was worth reprinting from big sister site Gamasutra, since it talks to what indies are doing well that bigger games sometimes cannot. Go read Hecker's original speech first, if you haven't.]

If the video game medium is to reach higher levels of cultural relevance and reach, the mainstream industry must not abdicate responsibility to the indies, warns Chris Hecker, himself an independent developer.

Responding to a question following his Montreal International Game Summit keynote address, which largely mirrored his keynote delivered last week at the IGDA Leadership Forum in San Francisco, the Spore veteran and current SpyParty indie developer Hecker acknowledged that some of today's most interesting and meaningful game work is being done in the indie sphere.

But he noted that the notion of indie gaming inherently limits the broader impact such games can have. Rather, if games are to become a medium that is more widely accepted as capable of artistry and meaning, progress must come across the entire spectrum of games, from large-scale projects down to one-man endeavors.

Of course, the larger the team, the more risk-averse those funding the team are likely to be, which makes the job for those developers all the harder.

"I don't think it can all come from indies," he said. "It has to happen in the mainstream game industry as well. It's harder there, and it'll be smaller incremental baby steps."

But the rewards for such projects in games that sell millions upon millions of units could be monumental: "A couple different decisions in [developing] the No Russian level could have had more impact on humanity than Braid will ever have in its lifetime," Hecker said, referring to a much-discussed (and oft-spoiled) mission from Infinity Ward's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.

Hecker was sure to clarify that he's not denigrating the achievement of Jonathan Blow, Braid's designer. Its success bodes well for the medium: "The fact that it's a financially viable indie market now is great. ...[Braid] is incredibly risky, and it paid off for him, and that's awesome," he said. But the game's roughly 300,000 sales mean it won't have the same broad penetration a much larger-scale project could.

Evolution in the potential of games can come from any number of particular mechanics or design goals, Hecker said. There's no need for one model of meaning to dominate. Designers who consider why they make games, a topic he first discussed in the previous talk, can come up with any number of ways to convey meaning across a broad scale. "We need more pretension, we need more lowbrow, we need more of everything. We'll find ways that it will work," he added. "I don't think we're going to do it by analyzing what games mean from a semiotics standpoint."

In the end, despite the concern that permeates his arguments that one potential future for games will lead them into a permanent cultural ghetto, Hecker's view is actually more optimistic than not. The onus is on the game development community at large to seize the opportunities presented by the present fork in the road and the medium's relative youth.

"How often do you get to be there for a new art form? It's less than once every hundred years," he observed. "It's ours to fuck it up, and it would just be such an incredible shame for humanity if we did."

IGF 2010 Reveals Record Student Entry Numbers

editors@indiegames.com (Simon Carless) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:22:44 +0000

Following record Main Competition entries, organizers of the 2010 Independent Games Festival have revealed 193 Student Showcase entries, a record 33% more entries than last year.

After this year's 12th Annual IGF Main Competition -- just one of the three IGF competitions taking place this year -- amassed 306 game entries, information on the almost 200 Student Showcase entries is now available on the official IGF website.

Previous notable IGF Student Showcase honorees have included DigiPen's Narbacular Drop (evolved into Valve's acclaimed Portal), USC's The Misadventures Of P.B. Winterbottom (now signed by 2K Games for XBLA), Hogeschool van de Kunsten's The Blob (made into a console title by THQ as De Blob), and early USC/ThatGameCompany (Flower) title Cloud.

This year's IGF Student Showcase entries will be judged by an opt-in subset of the more than 160 notable game industry judges, before the student-specific finalists are announced in mid-January 2010.

Ten Student Showcase winners will be given all-access GDC 2010 tickets to show their games at the show, as well as $500 towards travel costs. The overall Best Student Game will be awarded $2500 at the IGF ceremony during Game Developers Conference 2010 -- run by Think Services, as is this weblog -- in San Francisco next March.

Finally, IGF 2010 organizers are reminding that entries to the IGF Mobile competition -- encompassing iPhone, mobile phone, PSP, DS, Android and other handheld games -- are due by December 1st, 2009.

Freeware Game Pick: rComplex (Roger Hicks, Brian T.)

editors@indiegames.com (timw) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 14:42:35 +0000

rComplex is a short demo created by two people in under eight days as a proof of concept, plays quite similarly to Canabalt, and features a strong narrative that tells the story while you attempt to outrun a giant squid-like creature. The objective of the game is basically to survive for as long as you can while trying to escape from a high-rise building.

Running is automatic and done at a steady pace, but the distance between you and the monster is reduced whenever you stumble over another piece of furniture or obstacle. You can also keep the creature away from you by shooting at it, although ammunition is limited to just twelve bullets only. The music tends to drown out the protagonist's voice often, and there are no checkpoints implemented, but you should be able to reach the end of the level after a couple of tries. (Windows, 47.2MB)

Freeware Game Pick: Focus (Jesse Venbrux)

editors@indiegames.com (timw) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 11:04:48 +0000

In Focus you find yourself trapped in a cave full of traps and robots that fire missiles at you on sight. You will learn a skill called 'focus mode' early in the game, which can be used to teleport yourself anywhere inside a blue circle. Some momentum is applied as well, but the longer you hold the focus button the smaller the circle becomes, hence your teleport range will shrink until it is no longer possible to perform the feat. The focus field also causes everything inside the circle to move in slow motion, and focus power is regained by not using it for a couple of seconds.

Players who complete the game will receive a rank and a medal to honour their achievement, although some might find the game a bit too challenging because of random elements such as the behavior of falling debris and homing missiles. (Windows, 17.5MB)

Links: Under the Sea

editors@indiegames.com (timw) — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 03:24:40 +0000

Today's pic is the cover image for Bit Blot's Aquaria two-disc soundtrack, drawn by Katie de Sousa (artist for Infinite Ammo's upcoming project Marian). Danny Baranowsky posted his remixed track from the album on the OCR site as a free MP3 download too.

On with the links:

Nifflas' Saira Release date set
A new commercial game from the creator of the Knytt series will be released on December 12th, 2009. Saira is for Windows only, and will cost around $15.

Canabalt Portable
A free offline version of Canabalt to download and play. Windows build only.

Unity3D Intro Tutorial
It does go on a bit, but Alec did a great job of showing how easy it is to start using the Unity3D game engine here.

Aquaria - Original Soundtrack
The soundtrack to Bit Blot's debut commercial release is now available for purchase.

JNK x 15 - 15 Fantastic Tip Top JNK Games
Fifteen of the best weekly games created by James, all collected into a handy zip file.

Braid is now available on the PlayStation Network
Probably not out in some territories yet, but if you're waiting for the PSN version then keep an eye on this one. And the new video walkthrough is a great watch if you haven't seen it.

Making Games Faster
A write-up of Flashbang Studios' presentation at the Unite 2009 conference in San Francisco recently.

Grappling Hook Now Only $14.95
The price of Speed Run Games' Grappling Hook has been reduced to $15 (originally $23).

Gratuitous Space Battles Now Available
...on Steam, that is. And with a 10% discount until Monday too.

Postmortem: Wadjet Eye's The Blackwell Convergence
An interesting analysis about the Blackwell series, written by the creator himself.

Procedural Content Generation Wiki
There's a lot of information about procedural content generation here, and the page even has a list of PCG games just for gamers. Thanks to Kenta Cho for this one.

Mystic Mine online version
You can now play Mystic Mine on Newgrounds.

PlayStation Minis: The Story So Far
A run down of minis available on the Playstation Store, which includes Brainpipe and Breakquest ports.

TUNING IGF 2010 Trailer
He's posted some screenshots from other ongoing projects here, here, and here as well.

Exclusive Look at 'Sword of Fargoal': Remake of an 80's Classic
They're doing a contest with a cash prize of $500 for the launch too.

Browser Game Pick: ClickPLAY 2 (Tom Vencel)

editors@indiegames.com (timw) — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 03:22:33 +0000

The premise of ClickPLAY 2 is that a play button is hidden somewhere in every level, and you must figure out the correct method to make it appear so that you can click on it and progress to the next puzzle. It shouldn't be too difficult to complete all twenty-four stages in the game, although some arcade sections requiring quick reflexes could prove to be a bit of a challenge to beat.

A video walkthrough is accessible from the main menu if you are seeking for hints on how to solve a couple of the trickier puzzles.

Freeware Game Pick: Devil's Tuning Fork (DGE Team)

editors@indiegames.com (timw) — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 20:22:28 +0000

Devil's Tuning Fork is an exploration game viewed from a first-person perspective, where you play as a child trapped in an alternate reality after catching a strange illness and falling into a coma. The unknown world is a dark one and has no illumination, but a tuning fork that you find at the start of your adventure can be used to feel your way around the maze of rooms and platforms.

Locked doors can either be opened by collecting all toys inside a room, or by ringing a bell or a gong using a sound wave projected from your fork. Progress is saved automatically at checkpoint locations scattered throughout the maze, although if you quit the game and return to it later you will find that your previous save is no longer accessible. Some of the challenges are repetitive as well, especially when you are waiting for a moving platform to reach you for the umpteenth time, or trying to stand on the right spot to bounce a wave off a mirror and hit a gong. (Windows, 42.8MB)

Freeware Game Pick: Dungeon (cactus and Arthur Lee)

editors@indiegames.com (timw) — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 15:51:51 +0000

Dungeon is a short 2D platformer created for the 14th Mini Ludum Dare competition, where you are thrown into a dungeon with minimal instructions on how to play the game displayed at the top of the screen. Each area presents a different challenge for players to overcome, and a small piece of the story is revealed the further you venture into the castle. Some obstacles are certainly designed to be harder to beat than the others, so you might need a small amount of perseverance and patience before finally making it through.

The game was developed with Multimedia Fusion. You can also switch to full screen mode by clicking on the square button located at the top right part of the window. (Windows, 3.41MB)

Dungeon Version 2.0

Freeware Game Pick: pixelProject (Balázs Sabransky)

editors@indiegames.com (timw) — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 22:32:30 +0000

pixelProject is a short 2D platformer consisting of four levels to play in the public beta release. Created with Game Maker, the story is about a hero who has to collect coins for points and reach the end of a stage without losing all of his hearts. You can smash or push certain crates by running towards them, which will sometimes reveal paths to secret locations that harbour more coins to retrieve. (Windows, 3.17MB)

Freeware Game Pick: Featherweight (Ben Chandler)

editors@indiegames.com (timw) — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 20:12:04 +0000

In Featherweight you play as Thadd, a scout for a rebel group fighting against robots who are out to capture all humanoids. Discovering that a fellow spy has been caught by the machines, he embarks on a mission to rescue her even with the knowledge that chances of succeeding is slim.

The interface is easy to use and puzzles aren't too difficult to solve, although there is a bit of reliance on challenges that require figuring out combinations for locks and doors throughout the adventure. Expect to do a bit of pixel hunting as well, but the game is short and the amount of frustration from retrying has been kept to a minimum. (Windows, 15.1MB)