Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com en-us Copyright 2008 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/Frozen Codebase, Vicious Engine liplock over Elements of Destructionhttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/08/frozen-codebase-vicious-engine-liplock-over-elements-of-destruc/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/08/frozen-codebase-vicious-engine-liplock-over-elements-of-destruc/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/08/frozen-codebase-vicious-engine-liplock-over-elements-of-destruc/#commentsFiled under: , ,


The bottle no longer spinning, its narrow mouth points squarely at Vicious Cycle as the company's middleware solution is taken in hand by developer Frozen Codebase to the closet for a little lovin'. The Green Bay, Wisconsin-based studio selected Vicious Cycle's increasingly popular (not to mention educational) Vicious Engine to power its upcoming XBLA title Elements of Destruction.

As the title suggests, Elements of Destruction will focus heavily on blowin' stuff up using "spectacularly destructive powers of nature." The game follows last year's Screwjumper and marks the second XBLA release from the studio, which was founded by industry veteran Ben Geisler and is staffed by vets from such companies as Raven Software, Radical Entertainment, and GarageGames. As with Screwjumper, Elements of Destruction will be released by THQ -- as soon as they can get that closet door open.

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]]>elements-of-destructionelementsofdestructionfrozen-codebasefrozencodebasescrewjumpervicious-cyclevicious-engineviciouscycleviciousengineJason Dobson2008-04-08T16:30:00+00:00Vicious Engine made available to Indiana University studentshttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/03/27/vicious-engine-made-available-to-indiana-university-students/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/03/27/vicious-engine-made-available-to-indiana-university-students/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/03/27/vicious-engine-made-available-to-indiana-university-students/#commentsFiled under: ,


Developers Vicious Cycle Software have offered up the studio's cross-platform Vicious Engine middleware to students attending the Indiana University School of Education, giving those aspiring to a life of game development some helpful hands-on time with real-world tools.

But don't go expecting the university to churn out the next Puzzle Quest or Dead Head Fred, as according to the school, students will be using the engine to make so-called 'serious games." Students' games will be "designed to teach various subjects of their choosing," and will be part of a larger university study on "how people learn through games." Even so, we imagine the experience will likely prove invaluable for those students wanting to eventually grease the wheels of game development with their sweat and blood.

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]]>dead-head-freddeadheadfrededucationindiana-universityindianauniversitypuzzle-questpuzzlequestserious-gamesseriousgamesvicious-cyclevicious-cycle-softwareviciouscycleviciousengineJason Dobson2008-03-27T23:00:00+00:00Joystiq Interview: Puzzle Quest, Vicious Cycle's Eric Peterson's 'Holy Grail'http://www.joystiq.com/2007/12/14/joystiq-interview-puzzle-quest-vicious-cycles-eric-petersons/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/12/14/joystiq-interview-puzzle-quest-vicious-cycles-eric-petersons/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/12/14/joystiq-interview-puzzle-quest-vicious-cycles-eric-petersons/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,


On paper, the genre-bending Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords reads like a madman's manifesto, meshing together elements of classic puzzlers like Bejewelled with those more commonly associated with traditional RPGs for an experience that is anything but traditional. Nonetheless, the game proved to be one of 2007's surprise hits, as it tapped into both the casual and hardcore gaming communities like few games before it. It also helps that in the span of just a few months Puzzle Quest has managed to be ported to nearly every platform under the sun, including the game's most recent incarnation for the Wii.

In the wake of this release, we got some face time with Eric Peterson, CEO and president at Vicious Cycle Software -- one of Puzzle Quest's two development partners, about this latest release, the series, and which version, to him at least, represents the definitive Puzzle Quest experience (Hint: It's not the Wii version). More on these topics and more after the jump.

So what's so special about Puzzle Quest on the Wii?

 We implemented head-to-head multiplayer as well as optional motion-sensitive controls using the Wii's remote pointer. Also, the latest and greatest gameplay additions and changes like the spell cool downs and the re-balancing of a few of the over-powered abilities that the XBLA version had were included in the Wii and PS2 versions of the game.

So did this version present any significant or unique challenges for the development team?

There wasn't anything dreadfully challenging in bringing the game to the Wii. Working with any platform, you have to get the standards correct to get all the proper approvals; that is par for the course. Eliminating bugs is always something you are doing during production as well. We did have to tie Infinite's code base into our own technology and platform engine, much like we did with the other two versions of the game (the PSP and the PS2), so that was slightly challenging and a bit time consuming.

As far as Wii-specific challenges, redesigning the PC version's mouse input system for use with the Wii remote pointer, implementing a "de-jitter" algorithm, and creating the idea of a hot swap between two pointers and using two pointers on screen at once for head-to-head were the big three.

You mentioned a "de-jitter" algorithm. So the Wii remote's accuracy was a consideration?

Our programmers did their best to reduce the jitter factor. They also didn't want to have the user accidentally click in the wrong location while aiming the remote at the screen. Players have the option of clicking one gem, then clicking the space to move it to, or clicking and dragging, similar to the PC mouse controls. Also, the user can optionally turn off the pointer control and use the controller in a more standard way, similar to the PS2 and PSP versions.

So now that Puzzle Quest is available on next to every platform available, what, to you, is the definitive version?

That is a loaded question [smile]. They are all great of course! Personally, I prefer the PSP version (no surprise there, right?). Because for me, I am an on-the-go type person. It is a great game for when I travel. Every trip I take on a plane, I make sure to bring my copy of Puzzle Quest along for the ride. If I didn't play that version, I think I would go for the PC version.

Puzzle Quest strikes me as a rare sort of game, which is quite popular despite not being part of a large marketing push. Were you taken by surprise by this success?

No, I wasn't taken by surprise at all actually. When we were first approached to be part of the game's development, I had a feeling that there was something special about this game. It combined casual gameplay with some fantasy and RPG elements. I thought this was something that even my wife could enjoy. I actually took the game home, showed it to her and said "give this a try and see what you think." My wife was immediately addicted to the puzzle element and to my surprise she wasn't turned off by the leveling up of characters, the story or the adventure portion of the game. She has always been more of a Bejeweled, Tetris, Brain Age, Sudoko type gamer and never really has been drawn to anything else.

When I saw that she kept on playing it, I thought this could actually be a good cross-over game, one that would reach out to niche/hard core gamers as well as the casual crowd. In many ways that is the Holy Grail in game development, making a game that appeals to all types of gamers.

But does its continued word-of-mouth popularity surprise you at all?

Again, no, it is doing exactly what I had hoped. Like any great game, big or small, hardcore or casual, it is spreading to the masses like wildfire. Great games get played for a long time, they don't fizzle out after a strong start. Puzzle Quest started out as very grass roots, word-of-mouth campaign. Our marketing and PR team at D3 got people playing the game before it ever came out, got people excited about the title and created a great buzz. Once gamers played it, they were hooked.

The game is certainly unique. Puzzle Quest also seems to be one of the few genre hybrids that's both successful and fun. I know I played up through Level 50, and it's still something I break out when I need a quick fix.

I think you hit the nail on the head. It is a genre hybrid. And like I stated earlier, the game appeals to casual and hardcore gamers alike. It is addictive and fun. A great game always leaves you saying, I'll play one more level, just one more level. And Puzzle Quest definitely leaves you feeling that way all the time.

And has the game's success convinced you to participate in making a sequel?

If Infinite Interactive and D3PA want us to be part of further releases, then we would definitely consider it.

Finally, this dovetails nicely into my last question. After having been working with the Puzzle Quest IP for so long now, what's next in Vicious Cycle's your pipeline? Surely the team it itching to create something entirely different for their next project?

Oh, we have a few things up our sleeve. As you know, we just finished Puzzle Quest Wii and PS2, as well as Dead Head Fred on the PSP. We are now in mid-swing on our first next gen game for the Xbox 360 and PS3 and will soon be starting another product for the PS2, Wii and PSP. As some people may or may not know, we have our own engine that we license to other developers called the Vicious Engine and it is important that we internally continue to work on as many platforms as possible to keep our code fresh and up-to-date not only for ourselves but for our clients as well.

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]]>Eric PetersonEric-PetersonEricPetersoninterviewpuzzle questpuzzle-questPuzzleQuestvicious cyclevicious enginevicious-cyclevicious-engineViciousCycleViciousEngineJason Dobson2007-12-14T10:25:00+00:00D3 acquires developer Vicious Cyclehttp://www.joystiq.com/2007/06/20/d3-acquires-developer-vicious-cycle/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/06/20/d3-acquires-developer-vicious-cycle/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/06/20/d3-acquires-developer-vicious-cycle/#commentsFiled under: ,

D3 Publisher of America and Vicious Cycle Software, makers of the Vicious Engine, have joined forces in that old, synergistic bond known as an acquisition. Vicious Cycle will become a subsidiary and will stay in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

The two have collaborated before on PSP version of Puzzle Quest and the upcoming Dead Head Fred. PSP Fanboy has been covering Dead Head Fred extensively; the game is due out later this year.

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]]>d3dead head fredDeadHeadFredpuzzle questPuzzleQuestvicious cyclevicious cycle softwarevicious engineViciousCycleViciousCycleSoftwareViciousEngineRoss Miller2007-06-20T18:26:00+00:00Vicious Engine envisions creative Wii FPS controlshttp://www.joystiq.com/2007/03/08/vicious-engine-envisions-creative-wii-fps-controls/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/03/08/vicious-engine-envisions-creative-wii-fps-controls/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/03/08/vicious-engine-envisions-creative-wii-fps-controls/#commentsFiled under: ,


While at the Vicious Cycle booth, we got a chance to view at Vicious Engine, now working on the Wii, and how the team sees to implement controls for first-person and over-the-shoulder titles.

Essentially, only the nunchuk is used for camera and movement. The top joystick moves and strafes your character, while left and right rotations trigger the accelerometer and rotate the characters perspective left and right and a forward / back roll with cause the camera to look down / up, respectively. In play testing the control scheme, using the accelerometer control to move the camera feels awkward, and the rotations seem to move in 15 degree spurts (as opposed to fluid movement). After a few minutes, however, the movement became more intuitive.

With the simplification of movement in one hand, the other hand (and, more importantly, the infrared motion sensor) is free to control whatever -- sword-fighting or off-of-middle cursor positioning. Level Designer Bryan West told us, rather bemused, that with how the control scripts are implemented in the engine that even he could build a game with what's available.

Visually, the engine looked slightly better than Red Steel, especially the character model we saw. West talked with us and lamented about the common trend of ignoring Wii's graphical capability and simply upscaling textures used for PSP titles. We're assuming, then, that we won't be seeing the same issue with Alien Syndrome, a PSP and Wii title using the Vicious Engine. West also told us that they are working on a Wii game internally that involves the Vicious Engine but cannot currently discuss at this time.

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]]>alien syndromeAlienSyndromed3gdcgdc 07Gdc07nintendoviciousvicious cyclevicious engineViciousCycleViciousEnginewii motewii remoteWiiMoteWiiRemoteRoss Miller2007-03-08T08:55:00+00:00