GDC is crazy times!
Posted by Black Lab Games in Game Development on March 10th, 2010
I couldn’t get to the annual Game Developers Conference (GDC) in San Francisco this year, so instead have to read about it.
In the last 24 hours, I’ve seen 3 huge announcements that directly relate to tools, platforms and technology that I use.
First, Unity Technology announced a new version of Unity3D with support for Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and Android coming soon. Next, Microsoft announce XNA 4.0, a significant upgrade to .NET based game framework. Finally, Sony announce that they are releasing PhyrEngine for the PSP!
Why do these announcements matter? Because I do contract work in Unity, original games for the Xbox 360 with XNA, and I’m currently building a technology “platform” to allow my games to run on the PSP/PS3 - so every platform/toolset I use is being upgraded.
So much craziness, I can’t keep up! And that’s just day one of a five day conference!!
Prototyping
Posted by Black Lab Games in Game Development on March 9th, 2010
OMG, nearly a full month without a blog post. What the?? Why the blog silence?
Amongst other things…prototyping! I’ve been exploring a game idea by working on a simple, potentially throw-away prototype.
In bygone days, game developers would write game design documents to describe a game they wanted to build. Once the document was complete, they’d build the game. The problem is, not all game ideas are created equal, and you don’t usually find whether the game will be any good or not until the game is built. Over the last few years, as game development tools and technology have improved and gotten easier to quickly build games, it’s become more common to bypass the design document, and build a rough prototype of the game to test our the ideas at the core of the game.
And that’s what I’ve been doing. I started with a small idea about a platformy action game, and I’m exploring that idea to see if their is potential for a full game.
Oh, and I entered Star Hammer Tactics in the 2010 DreamBuildPlay competition. It’s one of about 155 entries. Wow.
Last Week - Vol 2, and musings about QA
Posted by Black Lab Games in Game Development, Star Hammer, Tactics, weekly update on February 15th, 2010
Last week was full of ups and downs in the Black Lab.
On the not so good side of the ledger, I had to pull Star Hammer Tactics out of peer review. I discovered a problem with one of the single player scenarios near the start of the game. It wasn’t a crash bug or anything nasty, just some data was missing that made the scenario almost impossible to beat. I figured that would possibly lead to bad reviews, so decided to take the game out of review and fix the problem. Although it was a 10 minute fix, there is a rule with the XNA Creator Clubs that games pulled from peer review (whether by the author, or as a result of a failure) cannot be resubmitted for 7 days. Therefore, I’ve had to wait around until this week before I can resubmit.
The time has been put to good use though! I’ve been making some excellent progress on building a game engine for the PSP. I can’t really go into much detail about it at this stage. NDA’s and all that. But I will say that it’s been great fun, and it’s interesting to have to program so “close to the metal” again - just like old times!
Lesson learnt pulling Star Hammer from peer review : Do not underestimate the value of QA (Quality Assurance). I realized that I need to expand my thinking about what “job roles” are important in building a game. My core skill is as a programmer, so obviously I understand the value of programming. I think of art and sound as being important - pretty obvious really, since a game is experienced by vision and sound. Also, there is an important role for marketing and promotion (if it’s a commercial release). This starts before the game is finished, but goes up a few gears when the game is finished. Although I’ve always been very aware of the need for QA, it never really registered how important it is. Developers can get too close to their creations to see problems, or changes to a system in the game can have flow-on effects in other parts of the game. A few years ago, Puzzle Quest on the PSP was released with a bug that caused a bit of angst amongst fans. If people are paying for a game, I think it’s fair to expect it to work and be playable to the end! So, note to self, need to work out a better solution for regular playtesting.
Finally, on a personal note, it was sad to see the implosion of Interzone Games Perth Studio. I have a number of friends who have worked, or until last week, did still work at that studio. I hope it all works out.
Last week
Posted by Black Lab Games in Game Development, Star Hammer, Tactics, Weekly News on February 8th, 2010
So, let’s catch up with what’s been happening.
Last week, I commissioned and received new “box art” for Star Hammer Tactics. I’m really happy with it, and I hope it gets peoples attention when they are browsing through the various Indie games available via Xbox LIVE.
I also started working on a game engine for the PSP. Last year, Black Lab Games applied to be an authorized PSP Minis developer, and was accepted. It’s taken a while to get around to it, but I’m finally starting development. Good times ahead, I’m sure!
Finally, Star Hammer Tactics was submitted for peer review for inclusion in the Xbox LIVE Marketplace. What this means is that other Xbox LIVE Indies Games developers can review the game, and providing they don’t find any objectionable contents (which they won’t, because there is none), or crashes, it will be available for sale.
Final Star Hammer Tactics box art revealed!
Posted by Black Lab Games in Game Development, Star Hammer on February 1st, 2010
Last week I posted some images of potential “box art” for Star Hammer Tactics. Well, having considered the issue for a bit, I decided to get some professional help.
I contacted my artist friend and former colleague Darren Yeow to get some assistance. I’m really glad I did. Here is the new Star Hammer Tactics box art that Darren created. Much better, I think 
Star Hammer Tactics Final Box Art
Star Hammer Tactics Boxart
Posted by Black Lab Games in Star Hammer, Tactics on January 26th, 2010
I’m getting close to the end of development of Star Hammer Tactics, so it’s time to start thinking about the evil M-word : Marketing. From reading about the experiences of other developers who have released games through Xbox Live Indie Games, it seems that box art is especially important to getting noticed (and in turn, getting sales). It seems many people do judge a game by it’s cover.
Although digitally distributed games don’t have boxes, they still have artwork and descriptions that are intended to communicate to potentials players/customers what the game is about and why you should click the Buy Now button…Now!
So, here are a few layouts I’ve come up with so far.
Layout 1:
Layout 2 (note the blue tint of the ship):
Layout 3:
Layout 4:
The concept is pretty simple, a big bad-ass ship and the name of the game. From the viewpoint of someone browsing through the online store, if you like big bad-ass ships, you’ll hopefully be interested in this game. The grid background suggests the strategy elements of the game. I thought about adding more action, but decided not too, since it’s not really an action game.
Does it hit the mark? Which one do you think is best? Am I missing something? Feel free to comment! (I’d love to hear from some graphics designers about simple tricks that can add some impact to the image!)
Star Hammer Tactics Beta 1
Posted by Black Lab Games in Game Development, Star Hammer on January 20th, 2010
I’m pretty pleased to say that Star Hammer Tactics has reached beta.
Just before the Christmas break, I submitted a build of Star Hammer Tactics to the Creator Club Online* for playtesting.
Star Hammer Tactics Battle Scene
So, since the pre-Christmas version, I’ve added quite a lot to the game. Here is a bit of a list of changes :
- Added a single player campaign
- Re-balanced all of the unit types
- Added instructions and improved in-game help
- Fixed some issues with graphics being displayed off-screen on some older TV’s
- Millions of other smaller tweaks and improvements!
Right now, I’m looking for beta testers. However there is a slight catch - being an Xbox 360 game, you’ll need a Creators Club Online account.
So, if that’s you, it would be really awesome if you could give it a go. Right here. Thanks!
(* In case you’re not familiar with Creators Club, let me explain. Microsoft provide a service called Creators Club Online as part of their efforts to serve the “indie” game development community. For an annual fee of US$99, members can build games for the Xbox 360 and be part of a community of fellow game development enthusiast. Services such as playtesting are provided, whereby other CCO members can download your game, test it out and provide feedback. Finally, there is a game distribution service, called Xbox Live Indie Games (XBLIG), in which Xbox 360 owners with an Xbox LIVE account can buy your game once it’s finished. The service is not without it’s problems, but it’s a fantastic way to get into developing games for consoles.)
Thick skin required
Posted by Black Lab Games in Uncategorized on January 11th, 2010
I came across this today whilst looking through some Google Alerts. I wondered how long it would take….
Quite amusing. I’m sure they’ll love the game if they ever play it.
Remember, all publicity is good publicity.
Happy New Year
Posted by Black Lab Games in Personal on January 4th, 2010
The start of a new year seems like as good a time as any for some reflection on recent events and progress, and for looking forward to update and set new targets and goals. I’ve had a break from game development over the last week or two to recharge the batteries, and in the interests of not being anti-social. (Christmas and New Year are supposed to be about family and friends, right?).
I’ve had time to review the progress of Black Lab Games. Here’s a list of some of the highlights of the year:
- Started development of Star Hammer. Initially, Star Hammer was meant to be a relatively short project, but as I’ve worked more on the game, the possibilities have opened up, and the scope has grown significantly. Initially a simple mission-based shmup, it’s morphed into an episodic space opera with characters and a storyline. I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or not, though I’d say that aiming high is better than aiming low.
- Contracted to Subversive Games for a serious games project. The project was completed late in the year, and was the first opportunity I’d had to work with gamejam luminary Simon Wittber. Although I’ve known Simon for years, it was the first chance I’ve had to work with him, and was a very positive experience. Simon has also since written some excellent music for Star Hammer.
- Approval to develop PSP Minis. It’s still early days for the Minis “program”, but it’s gratifying to apply and be approved early on.
- Co-Sponsored iParty. iParty was awesome. It was an end-of-year event arranged by Lets Make Games and the Perth IGDA Chapter. It was great to see such a huge turnout, and for the event to be so well supported by the Perth development community.
- Spoke at GCAP. I did a talk at Game Connect Asia Pacific 2009 on “Managed Code in Game Development”. Although the presentation wasn’t as good as I would have liked, presenting at a conference is something I’ve wanted to do for a long while. GCAP was an excellent conference too, btw.
- Announced Star Hammer Tactics. At the risk of over promising and under delivering, I quietly announced a new turn-based strategy game set in the same conflict as the Star Hammer action game. I’ll be saying more about this game in the coming weeks.
There are a few disappointments for the year also. I guess the main one would be not releasing anything. Note to self…beware of scope creep in 2010
Last year was in part of journey of discovery. I’ve worked out what I want Black Lab Games to be, and where I want it to go. This year will be about building on what I’ve done in 2009.
I’m hopeful that 2010 will be an exciting year for Black Lab Games. I hope it will be for you too.
Announcing…Star Hammer Tactics!
Posted by Black Lab Games in Star Hammer on December 23rd, 2009
Over the last few weeks, I’ve taken a break from working on the Star Hammer action shooter game. Instead, I’ve been working on a turn-based strategy game…and it’s called Star Hammer Tactics.
How to describe it…well :
Battle the alien Nautilids and decide the fate of the planet Novus! Star Hammer Tactics is a fast-paced turn-based strategy game that anyone can learn to play in minutes. Challenge the devious AI in single player mode, or compete against friends in local multiplayer. Achieve victory by outwitting your opponents, and blasting them to little pieces!
Whereas a lot of turn-based strategy games are long, complex and can get a bit dull, Star Hammer Tactics is a more stripped back tactical experience. It’s a bit faster paced, because turns have a time limit (though it can be set to unlimited if you prefer longer duels). Also, there is a bit of an RPG flavour in that each of the ships/aliens battling for survival can have a small set of stats (basically just attack and defence) tweaked how you like it.
My intention is to create an easy-to-learn game that can be played in short bursts. Also, as a bonus, Star Hammer Tactics features the same ship types and aliens as the action game series, so the two will compliment each other nicely.
And now for screenshots!
Star Hammer Tactics Battle Scene
Star Hammer Tactics Fleet Configuration Screen
The game has just today reached it’s first Alpha stage. I’m currently developing it for the Xbox 360, although other platforms are a possibility in the not too distant future.
Another feature is the awesome moody background music, composed by Simon Wittber!
Oh, and if you’re an XNA Creators Club premium member, you can playtest the game here until December 31.