Joystiq

Humble Indie Bundle 6 ends, earns over $2 million

David Hinkle — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 21:00:00 EST

316,258 individuals signed on for the latest Humble Indie Bundle, which is arguably the best Humble Indie Bundle yet. Humble Indie Bundle 6, which halted sales earlier this evening, managed to earn a total of $2,048,330.42 during the collection's sale.

Humble Indie Bundle 6 initially launched with the starting lineup of Rochard, Shatter, S.P.A.Z., Torchlight, Vessel and Dustforce. A week later, the bundle expanded to include Bit.Trip Runner, Wizorb, Jamestown and Gratuitous Space Battles for purchases equal or greater to the average sale price of the set. See? Best bundle yet!

Humble Indie Bundle 6 ends, earns over $2 million originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 02 Oct 2012 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Humble Indie Bundle 6 devs ask you to ask them anything on Reddit

Jessica Conditt — Wed, 26 Sep 2012 15:45:00 EST

A few of the developers with games in the rather fantastic Humble Indie Bundle 6 are hosting an AMA on Reddit right now.

In attendance is Runic Games co-founder Max Schaefer, representing Torchlight (and Torchlight 2, it seems); programmer Matt Bush and composer Terrence Lee of Dustforce's Hitbox Team; Jan Achrenius and Sampsa Lehtonen of Recoil and Rochard; Mario Wynands of Shatter's Sidhe, co-founders of MinMax Games Andrew Hume and Richard with Space Pirates and Zombies; and John Krajewski of Strange Loop Games representing Vessel.

Already the developers are discussing the likelihood of their Linux games on Steam, the benefits of being in the Humble Indie Bundle, and answering programming and gameplay questions galore. If you want to know what engines these guys use, how they handle physics or what those space pirates are doing hanging out with zombies in the first place, head on over to Reddit.

Humble Indie Bundle 6 devs ask you to ask them anything on Reddit originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 26 Sep 2012 15:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Humble Indie Bundle 6 shatters spatial reasoning with torches, vessels, brooms

Jessica Conditt — Tue, 18 Sep 2012 13:30:00 EST

Humble Indie Bundle part six is live, and it's a good'un. The current bundle includes Rochard, Shatter, S.P.A.Z., Torchlight and Vessel for any price you pick. Paying more than the average (currently around $5) unlocks Dustforce as well. The bundle includes soundtracks for each game, excluding Vessel. Normally priced, all these games would cost $86, Humble Indie Bundle reminds us.

As always, purchasers can decide how much of their payment goes to charity, the developers or Humble Indie Bundle itself. Humble Indie Bundle 6 will be live for 14 more days; check it out here.

Humble Indie Bundle 6 shatters spatial reasoning with torches, vessels, brooms originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 18 Sep 2012 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Joystiq Indie Pitch: Vessel

Jessica Conditt — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 23:00:00 EST

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.

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

The 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.

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PSA: Vessel available on Steam and dev's site now, 10 percent off

Xav de Matos — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 23:59:00 EST

After a long development process that began in 2010, the debut title from indie developer Strange Loop Games, Vessel, has been released.

Nominated for an IGF award in Technical Excellence -- which is an award we win daily -- Vessel is available both on Steam and via the developer's own site.

To sweeten the watery deal, Vessel is available for 10% off its regular price. Purchasing the game from the developer will net you a DRM-free version and a Steam code. The promotion, which drops the game down to $13.49 from its original asking price of $15, ends on March 8. Act fast because ... uh, something, something sink or swim? Vessel is liquid-based, so the joke holds water.

PSA: Vessel available on Steam and dev's site now, 10 percent off originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 01 Mar 2012 23:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Vessel transforms from liquid to Steam on March 1

Jessica Conditt — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 17:30:00 EST

Indie studio Strange Loop Games has been working on Vessel since at least 2010, when it was nominated for the IGF award in Technical Excellence and was a finalist in the Indie Game Challenge -- and the game hadn't even been officially announced then. Vessel is now set to launch on Steam and through Strange Loop on March 1, and it has gameplay videos showing off its liquid-loving mechanics, as seen above and here.

Vessel follows inventor M. Arkwright as he explores an altered world of his own creation, where liquid-based Fluro machines work tirelessly across all industries. Strange Loop Games was founded by three former EA employees, John Krajewski, Martin Farren, Mark Filippelli, and a veteran visual artist, Milenko Tunjic, so you can bet nothing about Vessel will appear, ahem, watered down.

Continue reading Vessel transforms from liquid to Steam on March 1

Vessel transforms from liquid to Steam on March 1 originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 22 Jan 2012 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Vessel preview: Don't forget to hydrate

Taylor Cocke — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 21:30:00 EST

You know how they say that water is the essence of life? In Vessel, water takes it one more step: It literally becomes life. Inventor Arkwright has invented what he calls Fluros, little creatures that attract any liquid around them and build them into a body. They're pretty great for doing work around his factory, especially because of their seemingly bottomless desire to step on buttons. Handily, Arkwright's entire factory seems to run on those little buttons.

Relying on the little guys probably isn't the best idea, though. If Fantasia taught us anything, it's that employing vaguely magical automatons to do your dirty work always goes awry. Soon, the Fluros have taken over the factory and start wreaking havoc, breaking down a variety of large machines that the good inventor needs to keep things running smoothly. So, obviously, he must go on a 2D-platformer adventure to solve that not-so-little issue.

Gallery: Vessel (XBLA / PSN / PC)

Continue reading Vessel preview: Don't forget to hydrate

Vessel preview: Don't forget to hydrate originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 31 Aug 2011 21:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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