Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com Joystiq http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/http://www.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com en-us Copyright 2013 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[The Joystiq Indie Pitch: Guacamelee]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2013/05/15/the-joystiq-indie-pitch-guacamelee/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/05/15/the-joystiq-indie-pitch-guacamelee/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/05/15/the-joystiq-indie-pitch-guacamelee/#commentsIt's not that there are too many indie games; it's that there aren't enough hours in a day to play all of them. The Joystiq Indie Pitch curates the best indies to play now and watch out for in the future.

The Joystiq Indie Pitch Guacamelee
What's your game called and what's it about?

Guacamelee! is all about kicking ass and saving the girl.

Sell Guacamelee in one sentence:

Guacamelee is a Mexican-themed cross-platform cooperative multiplayer metroidvania dimension-swapping brawler. Warning: reading this sentence out loud may cause seizures or loss of bowel control.

Gallery: Guacamelee!

Continue reading The Joystiq Indie Pitch: Guacamelee

JoystiqThe Joystiq Indie Pitch: Guacamelee originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 15 May 2013 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>drinkbox-studiosguacameleejoystiq-indie-pitchplaystationplaystation-vitaps3vitaWed, 15 May 2013 19:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Joystiq Indie Pitch: Signal Ops]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2013/05/02/the-joystiq-indie-pitch-signal-ops/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/05/02/the-joystiq-indie-pitch-signal-ops/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/05/02/the-joystiq-indie-pitch-signal-ops/#commentsIt's not that there are too many indie games; it's that there aren't enough hours in a day to play all of them. The Joystiq Indie Pitch curates the best indies to play now and watch out for in the future.

The Joystiq Indie Pitch Signal Ops
What's your game called and what's it about?

Signal Ops has you assume the role of a handler, in charge of directing field agents on somewhat questionable missions. You do the bidding of one of the government's church divisions, seeking out traitors among other dirty work. As a seasoned officer, you stay back at base while the recruits go out and handle the dangerous bits. You won't be relaxing, though; these field operatives need constant supervision and someone to tell them what to do. It's a darkly comedic tale of clandestine operations, treachery, and doing what's wrong because it is right.

What's the coolest aspect of Signal Ops?

Just take a look! Signal Ops tasks the player with simultaneously controlling up to four agents from multiple first-person perspectives. Not only that, but they must also progress through missions strategically by seeking out power for your squad's radio, which is their lifeline to you. This coordination and tactics-first gameplay leads to tense and often challenging decisions on how to approach the many obstacles and puzzles that are thrown your way.

Gallery: Signal Ops

Continue reading The Joystiq Indie Pitch: Signal Ops

JoystiqThe Joystiq Indie Pitch: Signal Ops originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 02 May 2013 14:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Indiejoystiq-indie-pitchpcsignal-opsspace-bulletThu, 02 May 2013 14:15:00 EST<![CDATA[The Joystiq Indie Pitch: Survival Horror Story: Catequesis]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2013/04/08/the-joystiq-indie-pitch-survival-horror-story-catequesis/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/04/08/the-joystiq-indie-pitch-survival-horror-story-catequesis/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/04/08/the-joystiq-indie-pitch-survival-horror-story-catequesis/#comments It's not that there are too many indie games; it's that there aren't enough hours in a day to play all of them. The Joystiq Indie Pitch curates the best indies to play now and watch out for in the future.

The Joystiq Indie Pitch Catequesis
What's your game called and what's it about?

Survival Horror Story: Catequesis tells the story of Daniel, meeting his girlfriend's parents for the first time. His girlfriend, Sophie, confesses to him that her father suffers from an incurable disease and the only way to save him is to perform a religious rite led by her neighbour Isabel. Something turns out badly, weird creatures seize the building and Sophie and Isabel disappear. Fate makes Daniel walk along the floors of that old structure and its core, facing different horrors on his attempt to rescue Sophie and end the curse.

What's the meaning behind the game's name? Do you worry an unfamiliar name might prevent fans from talking about it?

Catequesis is the Spanish word for "catechesis," which in the Catholic religion is education in the faith and doctrine. So imagine how interesting the catechesis can be in a different, horrible and hideous new religion. Anyway, I wanted to put a complete name, more explicit and clear, with "Survival Horror Story," a great definition of our game.

Continue reading The Joystiq Indie Pitch: Survival Horror Story: Catequesis

JoystiqThe Joystiq Indie Pitch: Survival Horror Story: Catequesis originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 08 Apr 2013 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>8-bitandroidcatequesisIndiejoystiq-indie-pitchmacmobilepcSurvival-Horrorsurvival-horror-story-catequesisMon, 08 Apr 2013 19:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Joystiq Indie Pitch: Spate]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2013/03/11/the-joystiq-indie-pitch-spate/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/03/11/the-joystiq-indie-pitch-spate/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/03/11/the-joystiq-indie-pitch-spate/#comments Indie developers are the starving artists of the video-game world, often brilliant and innovative, but also misunderstood, underfunded and more prone to writing free-form poetry on their LiveJournals. We believe they deserve a wider audience with the Joystiq Indie Pitch: This week, Eric Provan dissects the beauty of rain, hallucinations and mystery with Spate, coming to PC, Mac and Linux in Q3.

The Joystiq Indie Pitch Spate
What's your game called and what's it about?

My game is called Spate. Spate is the journey of one man's descent into madness that is fueled by his addiction to absinthe, following the tragic death of his daughter. He is hired to investigate mysterious disappearances that have been occurring on an island offshore, and figures that he has nothing left to lose. The detective hopes to uncover some of the island's mysteries, but is finding it increasingly difficult to battle his own pain. As his absinthe use increases it becomes harder and harder for him to tell reality from fiction. Soon he finds he is fighting for more than just the missing people - he is fighting against the madness as well.

Out of all the drinks someone can be addicted to, why absinthe?

Truthfully, absinthe began as an excuse for me to make weird stuff. I love abstract art, and needed a logical reason to include it in the game. Today it is mostly debunked, but for hundreds of years it had been thought that absinthe caused hallucinations. This works for the steampunk theme, the gameplay, the story and the visuals.

Gallery: Spate

Continue reading The Joystiq Indie Pitch: Spate

JoystiqThe Joystiq Indie Pitch: Spate originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 11 Mar 2013 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>joystiq-indie-pitchLinuxmacpcRainspateMon, 11 Mar 2013 21:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Joystiq Indie Pitch: Back to Bed]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2013/02/21/the-joystiq-indie-pitch-back-to-bed/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/02/21/the-joystiq-indie-pitch-back-to-bed/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/02/21/the-joystiq-indie-pitch-back-to-bed/#comments Indie developers are the starving artists of the video-game world, often brilliant and innovative, but also misunderstood, underfunded and more prone to writing free-form poetry on their LiveJournals. We believe they deserve a wider audience with the Joystiq Indie Pitch: This week, Klaus Petersen and Bedtime Gaming talk about artistic IGF student finalist Back to Bed. Check out the Kickstarter here.

The Joystiq Indie Pitch Back to Bed
What's your game called and what's it about?

Our game is called Back to Bed. It is a 3D puzzle platformer, wherein the player has to help a sleepwalker reach the safety of his bed by navigating him through a surreal and dreamlike environment.

How did you hear that Back to Bed was an IGF Student Showcase finalist and has that changed how you approach the game's development?

Well, we just read it on one of the game news sites, when the student showcase "winners" were announced, which of course caused celebration.

But yes, the IGF nomination changed alot of things. Besides giving the team a giant boost, it also gives us the great window of opportunity to show our game to a lot of people. It also builds up a little pressure, I guess. But it's just things like this that makes the long hours during crunch worthwhile.

Gallery: Back to Bed

Continue reading The Joystiq Indie Pitch: Back to Bed

JoystiqThe Joystiq Indie Pitch: Back to Bed originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 21 Feb 2013 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>back-to-bedDADIUigfigf-2013igf-student-showcaseigf-student-showcase-2013iosipadjoystiq-indie-pitchmacmobilepcThu, 21 Feb 2013 21:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Joystiq Indie Pitch: Gratuitous Space Battles]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2013/02/13/the-joystiq-indie-pitch-gratuitous-space-battles/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/02/13/the-joystiq-indie-pitch-gratuitous-space-battles/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/02/13/the-joystiq-indie-pitch-gratuitous-space-battles/#comments Indie developers are the starving artists of the video-game world, often brilliant and innovative, but also misunderstood, underfunded and more prone to writing free-form poetry on their LiveJournals. We believe they deserve a wider audience with the Joystiq Indie Pitch: This week, English developer Chris Harris talks about the good ol' days of being indie and the continued success of Gratuitous Space Battles.

The Joystiq Indie Pitch Gratuitous Space Battles
What's your game called and what's it about?

Gratuitous Space Battles is a strategy/management game that plays in an unusual way. It's a "hands-off" battle simulator for giant space fleets, which puts the player in position of the designer of individual ships and entire fleets, and in control of the orders those ships will use during battle, but the actual battles themselves are out of your hands. You can watch your fleet fight, but cannot change anything mid-battle (although we have recently added direct control as an option).

The game is all about ship and fleet design, rather than arcade action, and plays more like a puzzle game or tower defense game than a conventional RTS.

Do you see yourself as part of a larger indie movement?

Kind of, although I am not a typical part of it. The indie scene seems to be younger, cooler and much more American than me. I find it weird that indie games are suddenly hip and cool, and acceptable to buy, and make millions of dollars, because this is a very recent thing, and there is no guarantee it will last.

When I started making indie games, there was no Steam, relatively few online stores and the majority of people were still buying CD-ROMs and downloading from sites like download.com. The scene has changed dramatically since then and I'm always slightly wary of the fact that it could change again. Some indie games now make tens of millions of dollars and that is definitely going to change things in the long term. How, I don't know.

Gallery: Gratuitous Space Battles

Continue reading The Joystiq Indie Pitch: Gratuitous Space Battles

JoystiqThe Joystiq Indie Pitch: Gratuitous Space Battles originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 13 Feb 2013 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>cliff-harrisGratuitous-space-battlesjoystiq-indie-pitchmacpcWed, 13 Feb 2013 19:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Joystiq Indie Pitch: Kentucky Route Zero]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2013/02/12/the-joystiq-indie-pitch-kentucky-route-zero/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/02/12/the-joystiq-indie-pitch-kentucky-route-zero/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/02/12/the-joystiq-indie-pitch-kentucky-route-zero/#comments Indie developers are the starving artists of the video-game world, often brilliant and innovative, but also misunderstood, underfunded and more prone to writing free-form poetry on their LiveJournals. We believe they deserve a wider audience with the Joystiq Indie Pitch: This week, Jake Elliot and Tamas Kemenczy of Cardboard Computer discuss the mad horse race of artistic game development and IGF nominations with Kentucky Route Zero.

The Joystiq Indie Pitch Kentucky Route Zero
What's your game called and what's it about?

Kentucky Route Zero is game about exploring a secret highway in Kentucky that runs through Mammoth Cave, and meeting the unusual characters who live and work there. We call it a "magical realist adventure game." Like most magical realist literature, it blends realism and fantasy pretty evenly. Like most adventure games, it's focused on story and characterization over tests of skill.

How did you find out about your IGF nods - including one for the Seumas McNally grand prize - and what was your reaction?

We released the game the same Monday morning that the IGF finalist announcements were made, with very little sleep the whole weekend prior, so it's kind of a blur! We're really honored to be in such fine company. Some of the other finalists - particularly Anna Anthropy's Dys4ia and Richard Hofmeier's Cart Life - have been our favorite games of the last year or two, so it's very meaningful for us to be placed alongside them in the IGF this year.

Continue reading The Joystiq Indie Pitch: Kentucky Route Zero

JoystiqThe Joystiq Indie Pitch: Kentucky Route Zero originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 12 Feb 2013 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>cardboard-computerigfigf-2013joystiq-indie-pitchkentucky-route-zeromacpcTue, 12 Feb 2013 21:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Joystiq Indie Pitch: Guns of Icarus Online]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2013/02/06/the-joystiq-indie-pitch-guns-of-icarus-online/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/02/06/the-joystiq-indie-pitch-guns-of-icarus-online/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/02/06/the-joystiq-indie-pitch-guns-of-icarus-online/#comments Indie developers are the starving artists of the video-game world, often brilliant and innovative, but also misunderstood, underfunded and more prone to writing free-form poetry on their LiveJournals. We believe they deserve a wider audience with the Joystiq Indie Pitch: This week, Howard Tsao, founder of Muse Games, talks semi-MMO, steampunk, co-op airship battles with Guns of Icarus Online.

The Joystiq Indie Pitch Guns of Icarus Online
What's your game called and what's it about?

Our game is called Guns of Icarus Online. It's a multiplayer airship-to-airship combat game where you battle it out in the skies on customizable ships with your friends and against other players, all set in a steampunk- and dieselpunk-inspired post-apocalyptic wasteland. Imagine if World War I never really ended; that's where we're at.

How does Guns of Icarus Online continue the narrative and gameplay of Guns of Icarus?

In the original game Guns of Icarus, you take on the role of Gabriel, who is basically an early pioneer of airship flight centuries after the Great War has laid waste to civilization. He builds his own airship out of scavenged parts and goes traveling across this hardscrabble post-apocalyptic landscape, visiting scattered settlements and fighting off sky pirates the whole way. Even though he doesn't survive the voyage, his doomed flight is an inspiration to the people he encounters, a brush of contact with the wider world and a sign of hope that things can get better.

Guns of Icarus Online takes place almost 100 years later, when Gabriel has become a legendary, almost mythic figure. With the rapid development of airship flight in the intervening years, the once-isolated towns have come into much closer contact, bringing both trade and warfare. It's a time of unprecedented prosperity, but also renewed conflict. In Guns of Icarus Online you are one of this new class of aeronauts, young men and women who have left their hometowns behind and signed up to serve aboard one of these airships in search of glory and adventure, seeking your fortune in the skies.

Gallery: Guns of Icarus Online

Continue reading The Joystiq Indie Pitch: Guns of Icarus Online

JoystiqThe Joystiq Indie Pitch: Guns of Icarus Online originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 06 Feb 2013 21:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>airshipdieselpunkguns-of-icarus-onlinejoystiq-indie-pitchmacmuse-gamespcSteamPunkWed, 06 Feb 2013 21:15:00 EST<![CDATA[The Joystiq Indie Pitch: Pocket Fleet]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2013/02/04/the-joystiq-indie-pitch-pocket-fleet/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/02/04/the-joystiq-indie-pitch-pocket-fleet/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/02/04/the-joystiq-indie-pitch-pocket-fleet/#comments Indie developers are the starving artists of the video-game world, often brilliant and innovative, but also misunderstood, underfunded and more prone to writing free-form poetry on their LiveJournals. We believe they deserve a wider audience with the Joystiq Indie Pitch: This week, Tolga Ozuygur of Overdose Caffeine talks massive online mobile battles with Pocket Fleet, out for iOS, Android and browsers.

The Joystiq Indie Pitch Pocket Fleet
What's your game called and what's it about?

It's called Pocket Fleet. It is a real-time multiplayer online battle game designed for mobile that takes place in an intergalactic conflict between three races. And it's free-to-play.

What's the coolest aspect of Pocket Fleet?

It is very hard to define that, because I think the coolest thing about this game is a weird feeling. It's something like, when you first enter the game without much expectation, you launch from your mother ship and find yourself in a battlefield filled with mad players tearing each other apart with a plethora of high-tech weaponry in outer space. Just at that split second before you get hit by a positron missile and blow up for the first time, you pause and say to yourself, "What the hell am I doing here?"

In my opinion, that specific feeling is the coolest thing about this game.

Continue reading The Joystiq Indie Pitch: Pocket Fleet

JoystiqThe Joystiq Indie Pitch: Pocket Fleet originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 04 Feb 2013 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>androidiosipadiphonejoystiq-indie-pitchmobileoverdose-caffeinepcpocket-fleetMon, 04 Feb 2013 21:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Joystiq Indie Pitch: Gunslugs]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2013/01/24/the-joystiq-indie-pitch-gunslugs/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/01/24/the-joystiq-indie-pitch-gunslugs/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/01/24/the-joystiq-indie-pitch-gunslugs/#comments Indie developers are the starving artists of the video-game world, often brilliant and innovative, but also misunderstood, underfunded and more prone to writing free-form poetry on their LiveJournals. We believe they deserve a wider audience with the Joystiq Indie Pitch: This week, Pascal Bestebroer of OrangePixel talks mobile development as a career and the draw of Ouya with Android and iOS action game Gunslugs.

The Joystiq Indie Pitch Gunslugs
What's your game called and what's it about?

The game is called Gunslugs, and it's all about over-the-top action, very much like the old action movies of the 80s. One man or woman taking down a complete army.

Gunslugs has a unique co-op system. Describe that and how important it was to have in the game.

The co-op is really like the good old days when you both grabbed a joystick and played together on a single computer. Or even worse, shared a keyboard in an uncomfortable way.

I also designed and added it to the game knowing the Ouya, an Android-based console, was coming. I figured it would be awesome to have Gunslugs on that console, playing it on your TV together with a friend. And since I'm a big supporter of another gadget, the iOS Game Dock, I made sure the iOS version of Gunslugs has the same two-player mode built in.

Continue reading The Joystiq Indie Pitch: Gunslugs

JoystiqThe Joystiq Indie Pitch: Gunslugs originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 24 Jan 2013 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>androidgunslugsiosipadiphonejoystiq-indie-pitchmobileorangepixelThu, 24 Jan 2013 08:30:00 EST<![CDATA[The Joystiq Indie Pitch: No Time To Explain]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2013/01/17/the-joystiq-indie-pitch-no-time-to-explain/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/01/17/the-joystiq-indie-pitch-no-time-to-explain/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/01/17/the-joystiq-indie-pitch-no-time-to-explain/#comments Indie developers are the starving artists of the video-game world, often brilliant and innovative, but also misunderstood, underfunded and more prone to writing free-form poetry on their LiveJournals. We believe they deserve a wider audience with the Joystiq Indie Pitch: This week, the team at tinyBuild take the time to describe their rollercoaster of crowdfunding before it was cool and being Greenlit, with No Time To Explain.

The Joystiq Indie Pitch No Time To Explain
What's your game called and what's it about?

It's called No Time To Explain and is about giant enemy crabs, time paradoxes and jetpack guns. We're fans of the whole wacky concept of time travel and wanted to make a game where we can get away with pretty much anything and make that funny.

How did you find out about being Greenlit and how did you react?

I was obsessively refreshing our Greenlight page for a couple of hours until finally the big green sign, "This game has been Greenlit," appeared. I had tears in my eyes at that point. We were losing hope to get onto Steam, and this felt like winning the lottery. You know the moment where you realize something great just happened and you don't entirely believe it? I called Tom, who apparently threw his dog out of happiness (the dog is fine).

Continue reading The Joystiq Indie Pitch: No Time To Explain

JoystiqThe Joystiq Indie Pitch: No Time To Explain originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 17 Jan 2013 21:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>greenlightIndiejoystiq-indie-pitchno-time-to-explainpcSTEAMsteam-greenlighttinybuildThu, 17 Jan 2013 21:30:00 EST<![CDATA[The Joystiq Indie Pitch: Potatoman Seeks the Troof]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2013/01/16/the-joystiq-indie-pitch-potatoman-seeks-the-troof/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/01/16/the-joystiq-indie-pitch-potatoman-seeks-the-troof/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/01/16/the-joystiq-indie-pitch-potatoman-seeks-the-troof/#comments Indie developers are the starving artists of the video-game world, often brilliant and innovative, but also misunderstood, underfunded and more prone to writing free-form poetry on their LiveJournals. We believe they deserve a wider audience with the Joystiq Indie Pitch: This week, Pixeljam co-founder Miles Tilmann discusses the philosophy behind Potatoman Seeks the Troof, which we learned about through this intense trailer.

The Joystiq Indie Pitch Potatoman Seeks the Troof
What's your game called and what's it about?

The game is called Potatoman Seeks the Troof. It's about an anthropomorphized potato that decides to leave the comfort of his family farm in search of enlightenment. Although, for some reason, almost everything he meets along his journey is trying to kill or mislead him.

What inspired you to make Potatoman?

The Potatoman character himself. Rich (Pixeljam's lead artist) had created him as just an animated gif years ago, and it was hard to look at him and not want to give him his own game.

Also, in October we had just finished a very long series of games for other companies (Adult Swim, etc.), and were itching to release something of our own. We were working on multiple things at once - Glorkian Warrior, Gamma Bros iOS, Dino Run iOS - but none were anywhere close to completion, and at the time it seemed that we would run out of funds before any of the games could reach a state acceptable to us for release. So we tried something we had always talked about: pour our time and hearts into a very short game and get it done in about two weeks. Several months later, the game was done.

Continue reading The Joystiq Indie Pitch: Potatoman Seeks the Troof

JoystiqThe Joystiq Indie Pitch: Potatoman Seeks the Troof originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 16 Jan 2013 15:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>joystiq-indie-pitchmacpcpixeljampotatoman-seeks-the-troofWed, 16 Jan 2013 15:45:00 EST<![CDATA[The Joystiq Indie Pitch: Edge of Space]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/12/30/the-joystiq-indie-pitch-edge-of-space/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/12/30/the-joystiq-indie-pitch-edge-of-space/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/12/30/the-joystiq-indie-pitch-edge-of-space/#comments Indie developers are the starving artists of the video-game world, often brilliant and innovative, but also misunderstood, underfunded and more prone to writing free-form poetry on their LiveJournals. We believe they deserve a wider audience with the Joystiq Indie Pitch: This week, lead game designer at Handyman Studios, Jacob Crane, talks Edge of Space, his space shark exploration game in beta and on Greenlight now.

The Joystiq Indie Pitch Edge of Space
What's your game called and what's it about?

The game we are working on is Edge of Space, and it is a 2D sandbox exploration game. You, one of the ArkCo Recruits, have been dropped into an area where terraforming should never have been attempted. Stranded in an unknown region of space on a busted-up planet where early terraforming protocols have gone horribly wrong, it's now up to you and whoever else you can find to overcome the obstacles ahead.

How is the beta going?

The beta is going very well. It has kept our feet on the ground and really helped us identify issues in the core system early on. Whenever you are developing multiplayer, we think it is key you get it out into the "wild" as soon as you can. We wanted to experiment with a different kind of development style to match our small team. After alpha, we pulled out all but the basic features for beta, and then started adding them back in layers as we found things were stable and the necessary iteration was put in place.

This is very much a bottom-up approach. To ensure our foundations are rock solid is paramount. Even though mod development is not being released right at release day, everything has already been made to support it when we do. This has served us very well. It does come with the drawback of not being able to show everything we want to, but it allows us make the code infinitely more stable.

Continue reading The Joystiq Indie Pitch: Edge of Space

JoystiqThe Joystiq Indie Pitch: Edge of Space originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 30 Dec 2012 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>betaedge-of-spacegreenlighthandyman-studiosjoystiq-indie-pitchpcreverb-publishingsteam-greenlightSun, 30 Dec 2012 17:30:00 EST<![CDATA[The Joystiq Indie Pitch: Ravaged]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/12/26/the-joystiq-indie-pitch-ravaged/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/12/26/the-joystiq-indie-pitch-ravaged/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/12/26/the-joystiq-indie-pitch-ravaged/#comments Indie developers are the starving artists of the video-game world, often brilliant and innovative, but also misunderstood, underfunded and more prone to writing free-form poetry on their LiveJournals. We believe they deserve a wider audience with the Joystiq Indie Pitch: This week, 2 Dawn Games' Carsten Boserup talks crowdfunding and indie publishing with his Steam game (now on sale!), Ravaged.

The Joystiq Indie Pitch Ravaged
What's your game called and what's it about?

Our game is Ravaged and it's a multiplayer-only first-person shooter focusing on vehicle combat and car chases in a post-apocalyptic Mad Max environment.

Why develop independently, rather than work for an established company?

Working with a publisher tends to mean that you are giving away parts of your game's creativity and control. We wanted to create a game exactly the way we wanted and imagined. Going independent also meant that our marketing capabilities were limited, which is why we created a Kickstarter campaign. The campaign was a success and we almost tripled the amount we asked for to help with marketing.

Our roots are with modding, as the core team created the popular Battlefield 1942 mod, Desert Combat, so we decided very early on to be 100 percent community-based. This means that we take feedback and ideas from the community and do our best to add it to the game. We also engage a lot with our community by hosting events and opening up our TeamSpeak virtual office to the fans, which is where we spent most of our time.

Continue reading The Joystiq Indie Pitch: Ravaged

JoystiqThe Joystiq Indie Pitch: Ravaged originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 26 Dec 2012 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>2-dawn-gamesjoystiq-indie-pitchpcravagedreverbreverb-publishingWed, 26 Dec 2012 12:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Joystiq Indie Pitch: Full Bore]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/12/19/the-joystiq-indie-pitch-full-bore/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/12/19/the-joystiq-indie-pitch-full-bore/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/12/19/the-joystiq-indie-pitch-full-bore/#comments Indie developers are the starving artists of the video-game world, often brilliant and innovative, but also misunderstood, underfunded and more prone to writing free-form poetry on their LiveJournals. We believe they deserve a wider audience with the Joystiq Indie Pitch: This week, Whole Hog Games' Jake Federico talks fundraising for Full Bore, a platformer about friendship and, well, boars.

The Joystiq Indie Pitch Full Bore
What's your game called and what's it about?

Our game, Full Bore, follows the story of a young boar named Frederick as he gets caught up in the troubles of the Full Bore Mining Company.

You can try the demo of Full Bore here, or visit the website to see a trailer, preview the soundtrack and see more screenshots.

The game is an open world, where players explore the old tunnels of the Full Bore Mining Company in search of ancient secrets, treasure and things better left undisturbed. The mechanics of the game are created by the interaction between Frederick and the various blocks that make up the world.

The Joystiq Indie Pitch Full BoreThe challenge of the game ramps up as block types are introduced and the player must figure out how to combine their unique behaviors to traverse the world. Exploration in Full Bore is driven by knowledge, instead of arbitrary goals and item collection.

We are running a Kickstarter for Full Bore. If all goes well, we will be releasing in March.

What will you do if your Kickstarter doesn't succeed? How about if it does?

If our Kickstarter isn't successful, Full Bore will have to become our side project. All three of us would have to get full time jobs and work on the game part-time. We would finish it eventually, but there's no way we would be able to make our goal of a March release without severely compromising the quality of the game. We love Full Bore, but it could take years without some outside help.

If funding succeeds, two team members will work non-stop to complete the game in time for March. Last member will work a day job to help pay for food.

Continue reading The Joystiq Indie Pitch: Full Bore

JoystiqThe Joystiq Indie Pitch: Full Bore originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 19 Dec 2012 22:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>full-borejoystiq-indie-pitchpcwhole-hog-gamesWed, 19 Dec 2012 22:15:00 EST<![CDATA[The Joystiq Indie Pitch: Triple Town]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/12/16/the-joystiq-indie-pitch-triple-town/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/12/16/the-joystiq-indie-pitch-triple-town/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/12/16/the-joystiq-indie-pitch-triple-town/#comments Indie developers are the starving artists of the video-game world, often brilliant and innovative, but also misunderstood, underfunded and more prone to writing free-form poetry on their LiveJournals. We believe they deserve a wider audience with the Joystiq Indie Pitch: This week, Spry Fox's David Edery discusses the real impact of social gaming with his Facebook and mobile title Triple Town, which launched on Steam this month.

The Joystiq Indie Pitch Triple Town
What's your game called and what's it about?

Triple Town is an original puzzle game about building a city. It's basically a re-invention of the match-three genre; instead of matching three-plus objects to clear a space, you match three-plus objects to create higher-level objects. Trees becomes huts, mansions become castles, etc. Meanwhile, giant bears move around the board blocking your progress. It seems simple at first, but this is a game that requires extraordinary practice and planning skills. Many people played for months before building their first castle (and there are two tiers beyond that!). We've heard Triple Town described as "the Civilization of match-three games" and we really like that. Triple Town won a bunch of awards in 2011 and we've been updating and improving it ever since!


Are you trying to break Triple Town out of the "social game" box with the Steam launch?

Not really; it's been doing fine as a single player game on mobile for over a year now. The goal of the Steam launch was to bring a flavor of Triple Town to people who might not otherwise have heard about it, to offer a full-screen and offline mode, and to satisfy fans who wanted an all-you-can-eat version of the game with absolutely no IAP in it.

Continue reading The Joystiq Indie Pitch: Triple Town

JoystiqThe Joystiq Indie Pitch: Triple Town originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 16 Dec 2012 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>androidiosipadiphonejoystiq-indie-pitchmacmobilepcspry-foxtriple-townSun, 16 Dec 2012 21:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Joystiq Indie Pitch: Unmechanical]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/12/11/the-joystiq-indie-pitch-unmechanical/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/12/11/the-joystiq-indie-pitch-unmechanical/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/12/11/the-joystiq-indie-pitch-unmechanical/#comments Indie developers are the starving artists of the video-game world, often brilliant and innovative, but also misunderstood, underfunded and more prone to writing free-form poetry on their LiveJournals. We believe they deserve a wider audience with the Joystiq Indie Pitch: This week, Jesper Engström of Sweden's Talawa Games talks his BIG win in Brazil with PC puzzler Unmechanical.

The Joystiq Indie Pitch Unmechanical
What's your game called and what's it about?

Unmechanical is a 2.5D, side-scrolling, puzzle adventure game about a small helicopter-like creature who gets pulled down into a bizarre, underground world. The rest you need to find out for yourself as you venture through this strange and slightly creepy place.

What's the story behind Unmechanical's strange name?

One of the key components we wanted for the game was the mixture of the organic and the mechanical together, so one of our team members just thought Unmechanical sounded good and we stuck with it. Unmechanical is obviously not a "real" word, and the appropriate phrase would be "non-mechanical" or "not mechanical."

Some figure it was a translation error from Swedish to English to go "unmechanical," but it's meant as a play of words in the same sense as "undead" probably was when it was first coined. In the end it suited us just fine as it gives our game more recognition with just one made up word and the meaning we wanted is still there.

Continue reading The Joystiq Indie Pitch: Unmechanical

JoystiqThe Joystiq Indie Pitch: Unmechanical originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 11 Dec 2012 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>iosipadiphonejoystiq-indie-pitchmobilepctalawa-gamesunmechanicalTue, 11 Dec 2012 19:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Joystiq Indie Pitch: Kaiju Combat]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/12/10/the-joystiq-indie-pitch-kaiju-combat/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/12/10/the-joystiq-indie-pitch-kaiju-combat/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/12/10/the-joystiq-indie-pitch-kaiju-combat/#comments Indie developers are the starving artists of the video-game world, often brilliant and innovative, but also misunderstood, underfunded and more prone to writing free-form poetry on their LiveJournals. We believe they deserve a wider audience with the Joystiq Indie Pitch: This week, former Godzilla dev Simon Strange is back to bring some mega-monster pain to Kickstarter with Kaiju Combat.

The Joystiq Indie Pitch Kaiju Combat
What's your game called and what's it about?

The game is Kaiju Combat, an online multiplayer game with behemoths fighting in destructible city environments.

What inspired you to make Kaiju Combat?

Sunstone Games is almost entirely made up of ex-Pipeworks employees, who made the very popular Godzilla fighting games from 2002 - 2007. We get messages every few days asking about a sequel, so making a game like this has always been something we've considered. The rise of Kickstarter funding this year presented a real opportunity to get the game made on our own terms - that's been the missing piece before now.

Continue reading The Joystiq Indie Pitch: Kaiju Combat

JoystiqThe Joystiq Indie Pitch: Kaiju Combat originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 10 Dec 2012 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Fightingfighting-gamejoystiq-indie-pitchkaiju-combatmonstermonsterspcsunstone-gamesMon, 10 Dec 2012 20:30:00 EST<![CDATA[The Joystiq Indie Pitch: Skulls of the Shogun]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/11/26/the-joystiq-indie-pitch-skulls-of-the-shogun/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/11/26/the-joystiq-indie-pitch-skulls-of-the-shogun/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/11/26/the-joystiq-indie-pitch-skulls-of-the-shogun/#comments

Indie developers are the starving artists of the video-game world, often brilliant and innovative, but also misunderstood, underfunded and more prone to writing free-form poetry on their LiveJournals. We like that. This week, Skulls of the Shogun lead designer Jake Kazdal discusses developing a game for four platforms at once, and what happened to that "launch alongside Windows 8" promise.

The Joystiq Indie Pitch Skulls of the Shogun
What's your game called and what's it about?

Skulls of the Shogun is an arcade-strategy game coming to XBLA, Windows Phone, Windows 8 and Windows RT (Surface) very soon. It's an original title, developed by a small team of highly experienced AAA developers over the past 3.5 years. It's a mash-up of tactical turn-based strategy, with a feel that is very arcade-like and action-packed. No grids, very few menus and quick, snappy rounds give it a very unique and charming aesthetic, easy for action gamers to adapt to, but with all the depth a good strategy game lover needs.

Why did you choose to go exclusively Microsoft? Is there any chance of Skulls of the Shogun launching through Steam or anywhere else?

Microsoft's XBLA group is full of old friends and co-workers from my past in this industry, they're close by so we can zip over there for lunch and meetings, and they have my favorite game console, along with a phone and a tablet and a new operating system.

For a micro-studio like us to be able to launch on four platforms simultaneously was a huge incentive. We own the IP and would like to do more with it in the future (not only gaming) but Microsoft is the publisher for these versions and that has kept our hands quite full for now.

Gallery: Skulls of the Shogun

Continue reading The Joystiq Indie Pitch: Skulls of the Shogun

JoystiqThe Joystiq Indie Pitch: Skulls of the Shogun originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 26 Nov 2012 23:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>17-bitjoystiq-indie-pitchmicrosoftmobileskulls-of-the-shogunsurfacewindows-8windows-phone-8windows-rtxboxMon, 26 Nov 2012 23:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Joystiq Indie Pitch: Beast Boxing Turbo]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/11/07/the-joystiq-indie-pitch-beast-boxing-turbo/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/11/07/the-joystiq-indie-pitch-beast-boxing-turbo/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/11/07/the-joystiq-indie-pitch-beast-boxing-turbo/#comments Indie developers are the starving artists of the video-game world, often brilliant and innovative, but also misunderstood, underfunded and more prone to writing free-form poetry on their LiveJournals. We believe they deserve a wider audience with the Joystiq Indie Pitch: This week, Gordon Luk of Goodhustle Studios knocks out some details about Beast Boxing Turbo, a collaboration with Hawken's Khang Le, for PC and Mac.

The Joystiq Indie Pitch Beast Boxing Turbo
What's your game called and what's it about?

Beast Boxing Turbo is a first-person monster boxing game for PC and Mac.

You play as a lowly human who has to fight wearing a monster costume, as humans aren't allowed in the Beast Boxing leagues. You find a pig coach who is willing to help, and you set off on a quest for strength, fame and glory.

Aside from the monster-punching action, Beast Boxing Turbo features frenetic, challenging gameplay, a story with four leagues to beat, skills that can be leveled way up, and 35+ unique pieces of boxing gear to mix and match. The whole game is rendered in a beautiful, hand-painted style, with detailed, imaginative monsters and environments.

Do you see yourself as part of a larger indie movement?

Beast Boxing has been more about quality of gameplay than breaking new ground, so it doesn't have the typical "indie" vibe, even though it's self-published. In indie games, people are a part of the products, and I'm more of a behind-the-scenes kind of person. Khang is too, but has been showing up a lot more lately because of Hawken. However, we're both passionate about our work, so maybe it's just about getting enough titles under our belt that people will know what to expect from one of our games.

Continue reading The Joystiq Indie Pitch: Beast Boxing Turbo

JoystiqThe Joystiq Indie Pitch: Beast Boxing Turbo originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 07 Nov 2012 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>beast-boxing-3dbeast-boxing-turbogoodhustle-gamesgordon-lukiosiphonejoystiq-indie-pitchkhang-lemacmobilepcWed, 07 Nov 2012 22:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Joystiq Indie Pitch: Humans Must Answer]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/11/04/the-joystiq-indie-pitch-humans-must-answer/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/11/04/the-joystiq-indie-pitch-humans-must-answer/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/11/04/the-joystiq-indie-pitch-humans-must-answer/#comments Indie developers are the starving artists of the video-game world, often brilliant and innovative, but also misunderstood, underfunded and more prone to writing free-form poetry on their LiveJournals. This week, former GSC developer and co-founder of Sumom Games, Eugeny Yatsuk, talks space chickens and shmups with Humans Must Answer. The babies are Yatsuk, co-founder Denis Matveenko and artist Olexa, by Olexa.
The Joystiq Indie Pitch Humans Must Answer
What's your game called and what's it about?

Humans Must Answer. It's a shmup, and one most will recognize as having an old-school vibe about it. You play as the pilot of a scout ship called The Golden Eagle, which is manned by chickens - they like to think they're a higher species of bird than they are.

They're on the lookout for something (we're not saying quite yet) and discover it within the solar system that us humans inhabit. As it is set far into the future, humans have expanded to the other planets and set up a number of industries upon them. They also have a huge legion of robots operating for them around space. So the enemies you'll come across consist of robots and humans. Yes, humans are enemies - there are far too many plots about evil aliens when, in fact, humans are most likely more evil than anything we could fictionalize.

The chickens attempt to contact them in a friendly manner but the humans respond by firing at them, which isn't particularly nice. They live to regret it though because we let you, the player, go on an explosive rampage against the aggressors. There is a purpose behind it other than mere carnage though, but that doesn't appear until later in the game's narrative.

How does working on your own indie project compare to working on a larger series such as S.T.A.L.K.E.R.?

Very different. Faster decisions and far fewer constraints. It's a very good feeling to be the author and be responsible for all aspects of the game, and not just some cogs as part of a big company.

I know some guys who work on bigger projects and ownership of their creations boils down to things like, "I made that table and chair on Level 25." You start to fear for yourself when hearing this and want to avoid ever being in that situation. When I am 40 years old I'll look at what I have created in my life. I hope to be proud of it.

Gallery: Humans Must Answer

Continue reading The Joystiq Indie Pitch: Humans Must Answer

JoystiqThe Joystiq Indie Pitch: Humans Must Answer originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 04 Nov 2012 22:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>greenlightgscGSC-Game-Worldhumans-must-answerigfigf-2013joystiq-indie-pitchpcsteam-greenlightsumom-gamesukraineSun, 04 Nov 2012 22:30:00 EST<![CDATA[The Joystiq Indie Pitch: Incredipede]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/10/26/the-joystiq-indie-pitch-incredipede/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/10/26/the-joystiq-indie-pitch-incredipede/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/10/26/the-joystiq-indie-pitch-incredipede/#comments Indie developers are the starving artists of the video-game world, often brilliant and innovative, but also misunderstood, underfunded and more prone to writing free-form poetry on their LiveJournals. We believe they deserve a wider audience with the Joystiq Indie Pitch: This week, Colin Northway describes how indie life in Honduras created Quozzle, the creature in his PC game Incredipede.
The Joystiq Indie Pitch Incredipede
What's your game called and what's it about?

Incredipede is a game about playing with nature and life. Quozzle is a creature that can change her shape by growing new bones and muscles wherever she wants so you can build any kind of animal you like. After you build your creature, you control it to overcome obstacles and rescue Quozzle's kidnapped sisters.

It's also a very beautiful game. Thomas Shahan and I worked hard to make the visuals unique and he did a truly amazing job.

What inspired you to make Incredipede?

Incredipede was inspired by the jungles of Honduras. My wife, Sarah, and I made the game over two years while also traveling the world. When we were in Honduras we lived in a little house slung out over the water at the end of a terrible dirt road. We climbed in the mangrove trees and snorkeled on the reef. Crabs scuttled and fish swam under the house, ants invaded the kitchen, birds ate our fruit and lizards and boa constrictors hid in the trees. Life was everywhere. I have always loved the creativity and variety of life and had to make a game about it.

Continue reading The Joystiq Indie Pitch: Incredipede

JoystiqThe Joystiq Indie Pitch: Incredipede originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 26 Oct 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>colin-northwayincredipedejoystiq-indie-pitchpcSTEAMsteam-greenlightFri, 26 Oct 2012 20:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Joystiq Indie Pitch: Symphony]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/10/25/the-joystiq-indie-pitch-symphony/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/10/25/the-joystiq-indie-pitch-symphony/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/10/25/the-joystiq-indie-pitch-symphony/#comments Indie developers are the starving artists of the video-game world, often brilliant and innovative, but also misunderstood, underfunded and more prone to writing free-form poetry on their LiveJournals. We believe they deserve a wider audience with the Joystiq Indie Pitch: This week, Francois Bertrand and Matt Shores of Empty Clip Studios discuss the battle to liberate your own musical library with PC game Symphony.
The Joystiq Indie Pitch Symphony
What's your game called and what's it about?

Our game is called Symphony. It's a vertical shooter that's 100 percent driven by your music. Your music is under attack by a mysterious evil entity and you must fight to liberate it.

What's the coolest aspect of Symphony?

We really pushed to have the tightest connection possible between the emotions, events and mood of your music and the game. The characteristics of each of your songs - the beats, the energy and the spectrum, all contribute to generate a unique level. We also wanted to add a lot of replayability and wrap everything into a coherent storyline so you have a satisfying, long-lasting gameplay experience.

You're not just playing individual songs - you're fighting to liberate your music collection. As you progress through the game, you'll fight boss battles, unlock difficulty levels, get rewarded for reaching score targets, collect items and customize your ship. Every song in your collection contains an item you can discover, equip and upgrade.

Continue reading The Joystiq Indie Pitch: Symphony

JoystiqThe Joystiq Indie Pitch: Symphony originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 25 Oct 2012 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>empty-clip-studiosIndiejoystiq-indie-pitchpcsymphonyThu, 25 Oct 2012 22:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Joystiq Indie Pitch: Brand]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/10/23/the-joystiq-indie-pitch-brand/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/10/23/the-joystiq-indie-pitch-brand/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/10/23/the-joystiq-indie-pitch-brand/#comments Indie developers are the starving artists of the video-game world, often brilliant and innovative, but also misunderstood, underfunded and more prone to writing free-form poetry on their LiveJournals. We believe they deserve a wider audience with the Joystiq Indie Pitch: This week, Guillaume Boucher-Vidal, founder and CEO of Nine Dots Studio, talks the craft of customization, XBLIG sales and launching near Diablo 3, with Brand.
The Joystiq Indie Pitch Brand
What's your game called and what's it about?

The game is called Brand and it's about building a sword fit for a king. The game is in 3D, but the gameplay is in 2D. It features three large explorable levels, in a somewhat similar fashion to games of the Metroidvania genre, although a little simpler.

How do you support yourselves, working full-time at Nine Dots with no salary? Is it worth it?

I had saved up about $25,000 before starting the business, and I started doing a few consulting jobs to fill in my pockets a little whenever I can. Some guys work on the side, while others get support from their parents. It's not an ideal situation for anyone, but we try to make the most of it.

We're all young and it's the right time to make these sacrifices. I think it's definitely worth it. The experience is unique, and even if Nine Dots was to fail, we'd still have a very strong portfolio piece, a unique background and we'd be of the very few developers who could proudly say: "We made the game we wanted to make, the way we wanted to do it." Some people have been in the industry for 15 years and can't say that.

Gallery: Brand

Continue reading The Joystiq Indie Pitch: Brand

JoystiqThe Joystiq Indie Pitch: Brand originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 23 Oct 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>branddesuragreenlightjoystiq-indie-pitchmicrosoftnine-dotsnine-dots-studiopcSTEAMsteam-greenlightxbligxboxTue, 23 Oct 2012 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Joystiq Indie Pitch: Cloudbuilt]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/10/09/the-joystiq-indie-pitch-cloudbuilt/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/10/09/the-joystiq-indie-pitch-cloudbuilt/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/10/09/the-joystiq-indie-pitch-cloudbuilt/#comments Indie developers are the starving artists of the video-game world, often brilliant and innovative, but also misunderstood, underfunded and more prone to writing free-form poetry on their LiveJournals. We believe they deserve a wider audience with the Joystiq Indie Pitch: This week, Johannes, Anders, Martin, Poi and the Coilworks team discuss going Greenlight and modern-retro challenges with Cloudbuilt.

The Joystiq Indie Pitch Cloudbuilt
What's your game called and what's it about?

Our game is called Cloudbuilt, and at its core it is all about challenging high-speed action and platforming. We are borrowing inspiration from old-school games, combining it with modern elements and adding some unique twists. We really think that we have brought booster powers to a whole new level with this game.

So what will Cloudbuilt bring in terms of challenge?

We want there to be plenty of room for the player to improve. We don't want to make Cloudbuilt challenging in the sense of simply killing the player. Sure, there are parts of the game where people tend to die a lot, but we make sure it's not because of unfair design. Our goal is to make you feel in control, thus should you fail, it would be due to your own fault. That makes it truly rewarding and when you clear a level, you'll feel like you've improved and mastered something.

Doing several easy tasks at once quickly becomes challenging. Wall-running on its own is not that hard, but wall-running while dodging mines and shooting at enemies, all while preparing to jump onto a new wall, is a little bit harder.

Because we are giving the player access to all abilities from the start, we will be focusing on the player's development instead of a character's. There is no difference in what a player can do in the beginning compared with the end. But there will most likely be a big difference in play style and the player's way of thinking.

Gallery: Cloudbuilt

Continue reading The Joystiq Indie Pitch: Cloudbuilt

JoystiqThe Joystiq Indie Pitch: Cloudbuilt originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 09 Oct 2012 21:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>cloudbuiltcoilworksgreenlightIndiejoystiq-indie-pitchpcSTEAMsteam-greenlightTue, 09 Oct 2012 21:30:00 EST<![CDATA[The Joystiq Indie Pitch: Party of Sin]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/10/05/the-joystiq-indie-pitch-party-of-sin/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/10/05/the-joystiq-indie-pitch-party-of-sin/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/10/05/the-joystiq-indie-pitch-party-of-sin/#comments Indie developers are the starving artists of the video-game world, often brilliant and innovative, but also misunderstood, underfunded and more prone to writing free-form poetry on their LiveJournals. We believe they deserve a wider audience with the Joystiq Indie Pitch: This week, Crankshaft Games' Daniel Menard talks about his PC co-op puzzle-platformer about breaking out of Hell and storming Heaven, Party of Sin.
The Joystiq Indie Pitch Party of Sin

What's your game and what's it about?

Our game is called Party of Sin. It's a puzzle-platformer where you get to embody the Seven Deadly Sins. The Sins are locked in a prison deep in hell after an angel sting operation lead by the arch-angel Michael. You must use the Sins' seven unique powers to solve puzzles and battle your way out of hell and take the fight to the angels in Heaven. You can swap sins at any time (much like Lost Vikings or Trine) and must combine their powers in interesting ways to overcome the challenges that await.

The game also has a coop mode, and in coop the Sins can directly interact with each other. They can use their to help the team, or fall to the other side of morality and backstab / grief each other. Two players can't have the same sins, so there is a lot of social interaction involved in solving the puzzles.

Gallery: Party of Sin

Continue reading The Joystiq Indie Pitch: Party of Sin

JoystiqThe Joystiq Indie Pitch: Party of Sin originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 05 Oct 2012 23:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>co-opcrankshaft-gamesjoystiq-indie-pitchparty-of-sinpcplatformerpuzzleFri, 05 Oct 2012 23:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Joystiq Indie Pitch: Anna]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/09/30/the-joystiq-indie-pitch-anna/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/09/30/the-joystiq-indie-pitch-anna/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/09/30/the-joystiq-indie-pitch-anna/#comments Indie developers are the starving artists of the video-game world, often brilliant and innovative, but also misunderstood, underfunded and more prone to writing free-form poetry on their LiveJournals. We believe they deserve a wider audience with the Joystiq Indie Pitch: This week, Dreampainters talks ancient Italian legend, modern murder and the beauty of point-and-click adventure games with its new PC release, Anna.
The Joystiq Indie Pitch Anna
What's your game called and what's it about?

The game is called Anna and is a point-and-click graphic adventure about a "sort of haunted" sawmill.

What inspired you to make Anna?

The main inspiration came from a real-life old sawmill in Valle D'Aosta, an all-mountain region in Italy (to be very precise, in Val D'Ayas). It is an ancient and beautiful place, with some legends about ghosts and hauting around it. We mixed all this with a set of local legends and personal stuff. This game is actually a true homage to Val D'Ayas and its heritage.

Gallery: Anna

Continue reading The Joystiq Indie Pitch: Anna

JoystiqThe Joystiq Indie Pitch: Anna originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 30 Sep 2012 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>adventureannaDreampaintershorroritalyjoystiq-indie-pitchpcPoint-and-ClickSTEAMSun, 30 Sep 2012 21:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Joystiq Indie Pitch: Colour Bind]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/09/24/the-joystiq-indie-pitch-colour-bind/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/09/24/the-joystiq-indie-pitch-colour-bind/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/09/24/the-joystiq-indie-pitch-colour-bind/#comments Indie developers are the starving artists of the video-game world, often brilliant and innovative, but also misunderstood, underfunded and more prone to writing free-form poetry on their LiveJournals. We believe they deserve a wider audience with the Joystiq Indie Pitch: This week, Melbourne developer Finn Morgan discusses the affects of color-coded gravity in Colour Bind, out today on Steam.

The Joystiq Indie Pitch Colour Bind
What's your game called and what's it about?

It's called Colour Bind (easy to misread, I know - it's "Bind" with no "l"), and it's a world where objects of a different colour fall in a different direction. Maybe red objects fall down as normal, but green objects fall up and blue objects fall sideways. You control a car thing that has to drive to the goal of each level, overcoming various obstacles and puzzles that are made possible by the weird outcomes of the fact that gravity is pulling different objects in different directions.

What inspired you to make Colour Bind?

It's kind of a silly story. I was walking through Melbourne during a traffic jam, and it occurred to me that, viewed from above, the shapes of the long lines of cars moving and stopping in streams would make interesting shapes for a 2D platformer. The cars in this scenario would have to have gravity pulling them away from the camera, but the character in this hypothetical platformer would need to fall "down" relative to the camera.

Thinking about this situation, of different bodies being pulled by gravity in different directions depending on their "type," distracted me from that game and eventually turned into Colour Bind.

Gallery: Colour Bind

Continue reading The Joystiq Indie Pitch: Colour Bind

JoystiqThe Joystiq Indie Pitch: Colour Bind originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 24 Sep 2012 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>colour-bindfinn-morgangravityjoystiq-indie-pitchmelbournepcpuzzleSTEAMMon, 24 Sep 2012 22:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Joystiq Indie Pitch: FTL: Faster than Light]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/09/19/the-joystiq-indie-pitch-ftl-faster-than-light/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/09/19/the-joystiq-indie-pitch-ftl-faster-than-light/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/09/19/the-joystiq-indie-pitch-ftl-faster-than-light/#comments Indie developers are the starving artists of the video-game world, often brilliant and innovative, but also misunderstood, underfunded and more prone to writing free-form poetry on their LiveJournals. We believe they deserve a wider audience with the Joystiq Indie Pitch: This week, Justin Ma and Matthew Davis of Subset Games describe their quick rise to space roguelike-like fame with FTL: Faster than Light, which recently launched on Steam for PC and Mac.
The Joystiq Indie Pitch FTL Faster than Light
What's your game called and what's it about?

Justin Ma: Our game is called FTL: Faster than Light and we've been describing it as a "spaceship simulation roguelike-like." The focus is on managing a spaceship and her crew as they explore a randomized galaxy. Combat requires you to control the crew to keep your ship running and fight off intruders, balancing your power distribution, and trying to wreak havoc on the enemy ship. In between fights the game is filled with "choose your own adventure" style text-based events with many possible outcomes.

Matthew Davis: The core game can be compared to something like Weird Worlds or Flotilla where the player is travelling to various star systems, encountering events and upgrading their ship. But the combat is focused on the ship interior as opposed to "dogfighting" in space.

What's the coolest aspect of FTL?

Justin: Each element of the game is pretty simple on its own: Blast doors can restrict enemy movement on your ship; oxygen can be vented by opening the airlocks; fire spreads through open doors. When all of these interact you can get some amazing and unpredictable situations. Your crew might be trapped putting out a fire in the weapons rooms while at the same time boarders are trying to break the doors down because they're suffocating after mistakenly sabotaging your oxygen system.

Gallery: FTL: Faster Than Light

Continue reading The Joystiq Indie Pitch: FTL: Faster than Light

JoystiqThe Joystiq Indie Pitch: FTL: Faster than Light originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 19 Sep 2012 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ftl-faster-than-lightIndiejoystiq-indie-pitchjustin-mamacmatthew-davispcroguelikespacesubset-gamesWed, 19 Sep 2012 19:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Joystiq Indie Pitch: Wyv and Keep]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/08/29/the-joystiq-indie-pitch-wyv-and-keep/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/08/29/the-joystiq-indie-pitch-wyv-and-keep/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/08/29/the-joystiq-indie-pitch-wyv-and-keep/#comments Indie developers are the starving artists of the video-game world, often brilliant and innovative, but also misunderstood, underfunded and more prone to writing free-form poetry on their LiveJournals. We believe they deserve a wider audience with the Joystiq Indie Pitch: This week, the happy crew from Jolly Corpse describes the joy of retro co-op on modern machines with Wyv and Keep.
The Joystiq Indie Pitch Wyv and Keep
What's your game called and what's it about?

Jesse: Wyv and Keep is a 2D platform-puzzler starring two rookie treasure hunters. It's packed with team-based puzzles where you must use both characters to unlock and reach a door to the next level. You can play solo, switching between the two, or cooperatively, locally on one computer, or online.

It's also full of adventure, twitch-action and comedy. You'll be dodging poison darts, snakes and spear-throwing pygmies, leaping over spike traps and pits of lava, and using TNT to blast through crumbling walls and floors. All the while you'll be entertained by the looney antics and witty banter of adventure-loving Wyv and cunning Keep!

David: It's about getting really frustrated with the person playing with you - or, if you are that person, it's about repeatedly making ever-so-slight mis-steps to wind up your partner.

Continue reading The Joystiq Indie Pitch: Wyv and Keep

JoystiqThe Joystiq Indie Pitch: Wyv and Keep originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 29 Aug 2012 23:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>co-opjolly-corpsejoystiq-indie-pitchmacmicrosoftpcRetroWyv-and-KeepxboxWed, 29 Aug 2012 23:30:00 EST<![CDATA[The Joystiq Indie Pitch: Resonance]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/07/25/the-joystiq-indie-pitch-resonance/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/07/25/the-joystiq-indie-pitch-resonance/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/07/25/the-joystiq-indie-pitch-resonance/#comments Indie developers are the starving artists of the video-game world, often brilliant and innovative, but also misunderstood, underfunded and more prone to writing free-form poetry on their LiveJournals. We believe they deserve a wider audience with the Joystiq Indie Pitch: This week, Vince Wesselmann throws it back to an adventurous era with his point-and-click title, Resonance, which launched today on Steam at 10 percent off.

The Joystiq Indie Pitch Resonance
What's your game called and what's it about?

My labor of love is called Resonance. It's a point-and-click adventure game where you take control of four characters and their memories to work your way through a complex sci-fi mystery. A scientist has died after creating a terrible new technology and the race is on to secure his secret vault before the technology falls into the wrong hands. The player can use the unique short-term memory system to talk to any character in the game about practically anything you see. So you'll have to do some logical thinking to figure out how to navigate the game's tricky puzzles and twisty plot.

What's the coolest aspect of Resonance?

One of the unique features to this game is the Short-Term Memory system, which is tightly interwoven with the dialogue system. In most adventure games, when you talk to a character, you choose from a small selection of dialogue options the designer has chosen for you. Resonance has that as well, but it adds on the ability to "remember" any object you see in the game using your Short-Term Memory. You can then use these memories in conversation with any character in the game.

Since the correct options are no longer served up on a silver platter, you'll have to think critically about which topics of conversation might help you in each situation. And with hundreds of possible objects to talk about, brute-forcing these solutions is right out the window. The window, by the way, can also be used as a Short-Term Memory in dialogue.

Continue reading The Joystiq Indie Pitch: Resonance

JoystiqThe Joystiq Indie Pitch: Resonance originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 25 Jul 2012 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>joystiq-indie-pitchpcPoint-and-ClickresonanceSTEAMvince-wesselmannwadjet-eye-gamesWed, 25 Jul 2012 16:30:00 EST<![CDATA[The Joystiq Indie Pitch: ErnCon]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/07/24/the-joystiq-indie-pitch-erncon/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/07/24/the-joystiq-indie-pitch-erncon/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/07/24/the-joystiq-indie-pitch-erncon/#comments Indie developers are the starving artists of the video-game world, often brilliant and innovative, but also misunderstood, underfunded and more prone to writing free-form poetry on their LiveJournals. We believe they deserve a wider audience with the Joystiq Indie Pitch: This week, Ernest Woo of Woo Games (we wonder how he thought of that name?) talks mobile, multiplayer space combat with ErnCon.
The Joystiq Indie Pitch ErnCon
What's your game called and what's it about?

The game is called ErnCon and it's a multiplayer shoot-em-up for Android supporting up to eight players over the Internet.

Does the eight-player Wi-Fi gameplay of ErnCon help it stand out from other Android titles?

I believe real-time multiplayer over the Internet (both 3G and 4G) is uncommon enough to set ErnCon apart from other games. I find that many games that call themselves "multiplayer" are only playable over local Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. Implementing true multiplayer gameplay over the Internet was/is extremely hard and not for the faint of heart.

One of the most important trends over the past few years has been the increasing prevalence of smartphones with mobile broadband connectivity. Mobile devices are finally powerful and fast enough to support the kind of multiplayer experience that was common on the PC 10 years ago.

The most common feedback I received from FRG players was to add multiplayer - I know the demand is out there. I'm making multiplayer mobile games the focus of Woo Games - keep an eye out for more multiplayer games in the future!

Continue reading The Joystiq Indie Pitch: ErnCon

JoystiqThe Joystiq Indie Pitch: ErnCon originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 24 Jul 2012 21:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>androidernconernest-woojoystiq-indie-pitchmobilewoo-gamesTue, 24 Jul 2012 21:30:00 EST<![CDATA[The Joystiq Indie Pitch: Oliver&Spike]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/07/04/the-joystiq-indie-pitch-oliverandspike/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/07/04/the-joystiq-indie-pitch-oliverandspike/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/07/04/the-joystiq-indie-pitch-oliverandspike/#comments Indie developers are the starving artists of the video-game world, often brilliant and innovative, but also misunderstood, underfunded and more prone to writing free-form poetry on their LiveJournals. We believe they deserve a wider audience with the Joystiq Indie Pitch: This week, Norway's Rock Pocket Games explores the universe in different dimensions through the eyes of a boy and his dog, with Oliver&Spike: Dimension Jumpers.
The Joystiq Indie Pitch Oliver&Spike
What's your game called and what's it about?

The game is called Oliver&Spike: Dimension Jumpers and it's, well, about Oliver and Spike (who is Oliver's loyal companion, a little British bull terrier) and dimension jumping. I can't really go into too much detail story wise, because the main objective is to help Oliver and Spike uncover the actual storyline, what happened in the past, what's going on right now and trying to influence the future. Describing it as a blend between old-school adventure and platform gameplay is probably the easiest way to answer your question.

What inspired you to make Oliver&Spike?

A documentary called Parallel Universes created in 2001 by BBC. The documentary has to do with parallel universes, string theory, super gravity and other theoretical physics concepts. It featured Michio Kaku, Paul Steinhardt and other physicists talking about gravity and physical laws and how gravity might not have originated on our planet, but might in fact be something that "leaked" through from another universe. This whole idea just lends itself perfectly to an exploration game with creative dimension-jumping gameplay mechanics.

Gallery: Oliver&Spike

Continue reading The Joystiq Indie Pitch: Oliver&Spike

JoystiqThe Joystiq Indie Pitch: Oliver&Spike originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 04 Jul 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>androidjoystiq-indie-pitchmacmicrosoftmobilenorwayoliverspikepcplaystationps3rock-pocket-gamesxboxWed, 04 Jul 2012 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Joystiq Indie Pitch: Beatbuddy]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/07/03/the-joystiq-indie-pitch-beatbuddy/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/07/03/the-joystiq-indie-pitch-beatbuddy/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/07/03/the-joystiq-indie-pitch-beatbuddy/#comments Indie developers are the starving artists of the video-game world, often brilliant and innovative, but also misunderstood, underfunded and more prone to writing free-form poetry on their LiveJournals. We believe they deserve a wider audience with the Joystiq Indie Pitch: This week, the boys from Threaks talk about the early indie success of music-mixing, action-adventure title Beatbuddy.
The Joystiq Indie Pitch Beatbuddy
What's your game called and what's it about?

Beatbuddy is an action-adventure that takes you into the world of a song. You take control of our main character Beatbuddy and navigate him through levels where everything you see, the enemies and challenges you encounter, are synched to the music and rhythm of the individual tracks that make up a particular song, which you can manipulate and basically re-mix through your interactions.

The game will feature licensed music that you will be able to move freely through, assembling and disassembling the track. We're planning to feature a great line-up of popular artists and songs and have developed a proprietary sound-filtering technology, which allows us to create levels matching each song with animations that are right on beat.

The Joystiq Indie Pitch BeatbuddyWhat was the IGF experience like - entering, waiting for finalist announcements, and getting an honorable mention?

Well, we here love to compete, so it was extremely cool especially to get the honorable mention. Getting the version ready to be entered was of course a bit of a crunch, as we tried to put as much into a short demo level as we could. Ahead of the announcement, we all got pretty nervous - I think none of us could sleep. Getting the honorable mention felt like a real milestone, especially considering the calibre of talent that was in the competition this year.

To be in the company of games like Fez, Tiny and Big and all the others, is a special thrill. We're looking to maybe do that extra step to a nomination with the game next year, when it's finished.

Continue reading The Joystiq Indie Pitch: Beatbuddy

JoystiqThe Joystiq Indie Pitch: Beatbuddy originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 03 Jul 2012 00:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>beatbuddyjoystiq-indie-pitchmacmobilepcreverb-publishingSTEAMthreaksTue, 03 Jul 2012 00:30:00 EST<![CDATA[The Joystiq Indie Pitch: The Dream Machine]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/06/26/the-joystiq-indie-pitch-the-dream-machine/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/06/26/the-joystiq-indie-pitch-the-dream-machine/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/06/26/the-joystiq-indie-pitch-the-dream-machine/#comments Indie developers are the starving artists of the video-game world, often brilliant and innovative, but also misunderstood, underfunded and more prone to writing free-form poetry on their LiveJournals. We believe they deserve a wider audience with the Joystiq Indie Pitch: This week, Anders Gustafsson and Erik Zaring explain how hallucinogens and Roman Polanski are making their award-winning PC and Mac title, The Dream Machine, "better than sex with Jesus."
Joystiq Indie Pitch The Dream Machine
What's your game called and what's it about?

Erik: Our game is called The Dream Machine and it's essentially a point-and-click adventure game, but we've handcrafted all the graphics using materials such as clay and cardboard.

Anders: The story revolves around a young, pregnant couple that's trying to establish a new life in a new city. While they're getting familiar in their new home, they uncover a seedy mystery involving the other tenant's dreams.

What inspired you to make The Dream Machine?

Erik: Believe it or not, back in 2008 I was driven by some kind of altruism. I sincerely wanted to give something back to the world rather than being on the consuming end all the time. I had a passion for games, handmade objects and lots of pent up frustration to fuel the development of this endeavor.

Anders: While at animation school, I read a lot about John C. Lily and his experiments with LSD and Ketamine. He had this notion that he was visiting an alternate reality during his drug-induced hallucinations, a place he thought had a coherent geography. Once he regained consciousness, he would draw maps of what he had experienced, noting down things like landmarks, geographical features and coastlines. He thought that if he had enough map pieces and then spliced them together, he would be able to slowly chart this new reality. To me, that idea just sounded so naïve and beautiful. In our game we approach dreams in a similar way.

Gallery: The Dream Machine

Continue reading The Joystiq Indie Pitch: The Dream Machine

JoystiqThe Joystiq Indie Pitch: The Dream Machine originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 26 Jun 2012 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>cockroach-incIndiejoystiq-indie-pitchmacpcSTEAMthe-dream-machineTue, 26 Jun 2012 20:30:00 EST<![CDATA[The Joystiq Indie Pitch: Ballin]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/05/27/the-joystiq-indie-pitch-ballin/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/05/27/the-joystiq-indie-pitch-ballin/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/05/27/the-joystiq-indie-pitch-ballin/#comments Indie developers are the starving artists of the video-game world, often brilliant and innovative, but also misunderstood, underfunded and more prone to writing free-form poetry on their LiveJournals. We believe they deserve a wider audience with the Joystiq Indie Pitch: This week, Ballin developer Derek Gallant describes his epiphanies relating to gravity and gaming.


Image

What's your game called and what's it about?

Ballin is a challenging, charming physics-puzzle game. The main character, the ball, is trapped in Block World, and must escape. You advance through the game by reaching the portal keys in each stage, but you can't control the ball directly. You must move around the stage by altering the pull of gravity itself.

Why develop independently, rather than work for an established company?

For me it was more of a circumstance than a personal decision. As I am currently in my final year at college, working for an established company really wasn't an option at the time. That being said, regardless of where I end up after graduation, I always want to work independently in some regard, whether that be as my full-time job or on personal projects away from work. The freedom of independent development is really attractive to me; it allows developers to really think outside the box and come up with something really unique and fun. I hope independent development is always a part of my career in some aspect.

Continue reading The Joystiq Indie Pitch: Ballin

JoystiqThe Joystiq Indie Pitch: Ballin originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 27 May 2012 22:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ballinDerek-Gallantjoystiq-indie-pitchpcSun, 27 May 2012 22:30:00 EST<![CDATA[The Joystiq Indie Pitch: Zytron II]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/05/20/the-joystiq-indie-pitch-zytron-ii/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/05/20/the-joystiq-indie-pitch-zytron-ii/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/05/20/the-joystiq-indie-pitch-zytron-ii/#comments Indie developers are the starving artists of the video-game world, often brilliant and innovative, but also misunderstood, underfunded and more prone to writing free-form poetry on their LiveJournals. We believe they deserve a wider audience with the Joystiq Indie Pitch: This week, Kevin Murphy of Trinosis unveils the neon beauty of Zytron II, a game that's firmly in the "If you like Geometry Wars..." category, and proud of it.


Image

What's your game called and what's it about?

Zytron II is a neon glow, twin-stick, multiplayer, scrolling shoot-em-up for Windows PCs. I like to describe it as a scrolling version of Geometry Wars.

What's with the "II" in the Zytron title? Is this game a sequel?

Yes it is. Zytron II is the sequel to my original 1990 C64 game Zytron Megablast, Sold though the classic Commodore 64 magazine of the time, Zzap64.

Continue reading The Joystiq Indie Pitch: Zytron II

JoystiqThe Joystiq Indie Pitch: Zytron II originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 20 May 2012 22:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>joystiq-indie-pitchKevin-MurphypcTrinosisZytron-IISun, 20 May 2012 22:30:00 EST<![CDATA[The Joystiq Indie Pitch: Offspring Fling]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/05/11/the-joystiq-indie-pitch-offspring-fling/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/05/11/the-joystiq-indie-pitch-offspring-fling/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/05/11/the-joystiq-indie-pitch-offspring-fling/#comments Indie developers are the starving artists of the video-game world, often brilliant and innovative, but also misunderstood, underfunded and more prone to writing free-form poetry on their LiveJournals. We believe they deserve a wider audience with the Joystiq Indie Pitch: This week, Kyle Pulver's Offspring Fling is the best PC and Mac game you could ask for in the week approaching Mother's Day. Or any other day, really.

Image

Pre-pitch-post-gray-intro note: Offspring Fling launched on Steam today for PC and Mac, and it's 20 percent off through May 18. It includes the Mother's Day Update, which has a level editor, replay and sharing features. Go make momma proud!

What's your game called and what's it about?

It's called Offspring Fling, and it's a game about a poor forest creature that has misplaced her children in a mostly happy but sometimes spooky forest. She'll have to make her way through more than 100 levels of baby throwing, puzzle solving, button pressing, bee-avoiding action if she wants to get them all home by dinner.

What inspired you to make Offspring Fling?

May 2011: I went to a local game jam in the Phoenix area. The theme: Motherhood. After an hour or so I had an idea of a puzzle-platformer game where you have to get a bunch of babies safely to an exit, and you could use them in all sorts of ways to solve puzzles and platforming challenges. Forty-eight hours later I had a pretty solid prototype of the game with 15 playable levels, and I ran with it from there.

Continue reading The Joystiq Indie Pitch: Offspring Fling

JoystiqThe Joystiq Indie Pitch: Offspring Fling originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 11 May 2012 23:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>joystiq-indie-pitchkyle-pulvermacmothers-dayoffspring-flingpcretro-affectFri, 11 May 2012 23:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Joystiq Indie Pitch: Here Comes Launchman]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/05/06/the-joystiq-indie-pitch-here-comes-launchman/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/05/06/the-joystiq-indie-pitch-here-comes-launchman/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/05/06/the-joystiq-indie-pitch-here-comes-launchman/#comments Indie developers are the starving artists of the video-game world, often brilliant and innovative, but also misunderstood, underfunded and more prone to writing free-form poetry on their LiveJournals. We believe they deserve a wider audience with the Joystiq Indie Pitch: This week, developers Zach Hinchy and Joe Pierce of The Layabouts describe the beauty in monochromatic simplicity with their PC, Mac and Linux title Here Comes Launchman.

Image

What's your game called and what's it about?

Zach Hinchy: Our game is called Here Comes Launchman. You play as the titular Launchman, an explorer for hire, who has been commissioned to explore the mysterious Puzzle Planet. It's a physics-centric puzzle-platformer with unique gameplay mechanics that allow the player to launch themself through the air like a rocket in any direction and manipulate objects telekinetically.

Describe your experience as a featured indie developer at Minecon 2011: how has it affected your industry perspective, networking abilities or development style?

ZH: Minecon was certainly one hell of an experience. We are admittedly a bit disappointed that Mojang didn't do very much to publicize the Indie Dev Theater and the associated kiosk area. However it was great to get some real in-person feedback about what aspects of the game do and don't work, and it was fantastic to network with awesome indie game people who were there, like Petri Purho and Terry Cavanagh. (Fun side note: Previous Indie Pitch spotlight A Valley Without Wind was the demo kiosk directly facing ours. They were cool guys!)

Continue reading The Joystiq Indie Pitch: Here Comes Launchman

JoystiqThe Joystiq Indie Pitch: Here Comes Launchman originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 06 May 2012 23:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Here-Comes-LaunchmanJoe-Piercejoystiq-indie-pitchmacpcThe-LayaboutsZach-HinchySun, 06 May 2012 23:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Joystiq Indie Pitch: Vessel]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/04/29/the-joystiq-indie-pitch-vessel/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/04/29/the-joystiq-indie-pitch-vessel/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/04/29/the-joystiq-indie-pitch-vessel/#comments Indie developers are the starving artists of the video-game world, often brilliant and innovative, but also misunderstood, underfunded and more prone to writing free-form poetry on their LiveJournals. We believe they deserve a wider audience with the Joystiq Indie Pitch: This week, Strange Loop Games explain how Fluros flourish in Vessel, a liquid-physics puzzler for PC.
Image
What's your game called and what's it about?

Our game is called Vessel. It's about a man with the power to create life, and all the consequences that ensue. As far as gameplay, it's a liquid-physics puzzle platformer.

How would you describe the style of Vessel - steampunk? - and why did you decide to use that template?

It's a mechanical world. Steampunk is the closest pop culture reference, but we don't really call it that because steampunk brings to mind so many other connotations that aren't accurate for our game. We wanted to create a world where the machinery of the world was very exposed, meaning you could see the inner workings of all the machines, how things tick, grind and whir. The goal was to put the Fluros in this nice little mid-point, a contrast between Arkwright, the main character, and the machines of the world. Fluros are the bridge between them.

Continue reading The Joystiq Indie Pitch: Vessel

JoystiqThe Joystiq Indie Pitch: Vessel originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 29 Apr 2012 23:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Flurosjoystiq-indie-pitchpcstrange-loop-gamesvesselSun, 29 Apr 2012 23:00:00 EST