Tag Archives: Fist Puncher

The Tough Choices of a Game Developer

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Dr. Karate Hates Zombies

Every videogame project starts with two surprisingly tough decisions: choosing a platform and choosing development tools. At present, developers are flooded with a ridiculous number of choices. Xbox, Playstation, PCs, web browsers, mobile phones, and pads are all viable platform options. Hardcore fans are even making new games for discontinued game systems like the Atari 2600 and the Colecovision. To complicate things further, after choosing a platform, gamemakers have a massive array of languages and development tools to choose from. A browser game, for example, could be implemented in Flash, Javascript, or HTML5 using anything from sophisticated, high-end authoring software like Adobe Creative Suite to bare-bones, rudimentary apps like notepad. In the end, you’re left with a sprawling, confusing decision tree with hundreds of nodes to choose from.

This leaves me at my current conundrum. As an indie gamemaker, what platform and what development tools should I be focusing on? No matter what, our first release, Fist Puncher, will be developed in XNA and released through XBLIG. However, subsequent projects are a little more open-ended. I don’t feel that we’re necessarily shackled to any specific platform or development tools. Ideally, we want to enjoy the development process and get our games into the hands of as many people as possible. Our experience in XNA is surely an asset, but will it continue to be a viable indie game option? Can XBLIG support a growing indie community? Will developers start packing up shop and leaving for the greener pastures of Steam? On a personal level, how do I find the motivation to code in Visual Studio for 8-10 hours at my day job and then come home to XNA development in, once again, Visual Studio?

This is all a little overwhelming. Currently I’m working on a Fist Puncher web browser game in Flash. For me, Flash offers a fun, flexible development environment and differs enough from my day job that I can actually sit down and code for long stretches without burning out. Regardless, Flash certainly has a hazy future at best and doesn’t have a very good track record with mobile devices. As more and more gamers trend towards iPhones and iPads, Flash could end up as a casualty of progress. Dumping time and energy into learning a language or a development environment that may soon be extinct is simply not a realistic path to success. You really need to sit down and carefully consider the long-term state of the industry. I’m not saying this is easy. In fact, it’s downright tough. Still, with all of the choices out there and all of the changes happening in the industry, it’s in every game developer’s best interests to make sure that they don’t commit to a lost cause. That being said, I guess I better go buy an iPhone.
-MattKain

[Below: Flash Development, XNA Development in VS2010, Stencyl Development]

Flash Game Development vs2010 Development Stencyl Development

Hella Fistgerald Virtual Trading Card

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Hella Fistgerald Card
I was actually at the Roller Derby just last week and saw the Harbor Hellcats take on the Lake Tahoe Derby Dames so I guess it’s fitting that the latest virtual trading card is Fist Puncher’s own derby girl, Hella Fistgerald. And for those wondering, Warrant did not play at half-time and there was no crocodile pit used during over-time ties. The Roller Derby sure has changed since I was 12.
-MattKain

Fist Puncher: Independent Games Festival Submission Update

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Fist Puncher
It’s official. Fist Puncher is in the mix at the 14th annual IGF this Spring in San Francisco. Visit
the Fist Puncher IGF page for more details. This year’s competition will include nearly 570 games! If nothing else, the indie scene is bursting at the seams. Congrats in advance to everyone else who put in those long, seemingly endless hours to get their game submitted before the deadline. Check out www.McFunkypants.com for a complete rundown of all 568 IGF games with thumbnails.

Fist Puncher: Independent Games Festival Submission

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Let’s go back in time for a minute, way back in time. The first video game I can remember ‘making’ was a slot machine simulator on a Texas Instruments TI-994A computer. I put ‘making’ in quotes because I think I copied the BASIC code out of the instruction manual. Still, it was a great feeling seeing those cherries get drawn on our black and white tv because I had taken the time to do the data entry that would make it happen.

Through the years I made, or attempted to make, countless games on my own. JM Invaders, Trojan Horse (honorable mention at the East Troy middle school science fair), monochrome Batman, a Tetris clone, and international tennis with player names that sounded suspiciously like Boris Becker and Michael Chang. After high school I got away from making games, I moved to California and decided there were better ways to spend my time.

About five years ago I felt the urge to transition from making electronic music to a more mature artistic pursuit. I found all these free tools to make video games, and fell in love with rudimentary computer animations all over again. Whether or not video games were a more mature outlet or a step back towards my youth, I invested seemingly endless hours with AGS and Gamemaker trying to create games that matched the tone of my Ableton mixes.

Being a bit of a hermit, I had no idea the indie games phenomenon was exploding all around me. I stumbled upon XNA and started working on an Xbox Live Indie Game to focus my efforts. An internet search one night introduced me to the Independent Games Festival (IGF). Living in the Santa Cruz mountains, I couldn’t believe my good fortune to find such a prestigious indie game event was taking place in my own backyard. I slicked my hair back, combed my beard and took a day off work to experience the GDC floor and the IGF.

9 months later Fist Puncher has been submitted to the IGF, the first attempt at competing with the most talented competetion the world of indie games can offer. Limbo, Castle Crashers, Octodad, BITTRIP.RUNNER, Monaco, Bastion, Retro City Rampage, World of Goo… I could go on and on with the amazing titles that the IGF has honored over the years. This year the storylines range from Fez to Pirate Kart to Twitter flame wars. For us, Fist Puncher is the story. I pushed myself right up to the midnight 10/17 deadline and uploaded the best game I could. Win or lose, nothing could be more exhilarating than entering and competing with the best. Thanks IGF!

– Jake

Guerilla Marketing

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Marketing. It’s easily one of the hardest things about being an indie. Making a unique, original, fun game is one thing, but actually getting people to play it is another. Like many, we’ve started the process of establishing an online Team2Bit presence through all the standard channels (website, twitter, facebook, youtube). So you sit back and twiddle every day, but what next? I suppose that’s where you need to be a little creative. This past weekend at IndieCade we made our first pass at guerilla marketing, covertly stashing Fist Puncher trading cards strategically around conference sites (maybe “randomly” is more accurate). Maybe next we’ll make Fist Puncher cupcakes.
-MattKain

[Below: Kid Justice and Dr. Karate cards at IndieCade]

Back from IndieCade

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We’re back from IndieCade, and a bit of the Monday gloom is starting to sink in (like many indie devs we have day jobs). Nonetheless, I’m hoping I can feed off of the IndieCade inspiration for as long as possible. As first time attendees, the chance to just be around other people who have similar aspirations is pretty incredible. There was too much great content to mention it all, but I thought the Richard LeMarchand, Steve Swink, and Adam Saltsman talks were particularly notable. As for games, I didn’t get to play them all, but here are a few that left a lasting impression: Deepak Fights Robots, Fez, PewPewPewPewPewPewPewPewPew, Sissy’s Magical Ponycorn Adventure, The Witch (bummed that I didn’t get to meet the developer), BasketBelle (never managed to even play it but loved the visuals), The Bridge (incredible art), Skulls of the Shogun, and Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP. Anyway, thanks to everyone who made IndieCade possible and we’ll see everyone again next year.
-MattKain

Fist Puncher: Dr. Karate Trailer

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Heading down to Indiecade in a couple days, but we had just enough time to wrap up the new Fist Puncher trailer starring Dr. Karate, everyone’s favorite brain surgeon/martial artist. We’re hoping to release some more character-driven trailers over the next few weeks so stay tuned.

In case anyone missed it, here’s the first Fist Puncher trailer. Enjoy.

Fist Puncher: Indian Summer

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I spent the last few weeks of summer on a push to polish up Fist Puncher so I can submit the best possible game to the Independent Games Festival by the October 17th deadline. It’s pretty easy to figure out how to play (mash buttons), but I’ve added an explanation of the controls and now you can scroll through your character’s moves on the pause screen. I’ve also greatly improved the cut scene scripting, so the story takes shape as you advance through the levels. It’s still an action game at heart, but I’ve always intended to include at least a loose plot to tie it all together. You can definitely play it as a straight beat ’em up, but there are also some branching paths and hidden alternatives to solving problems. Oh, and there’s finally some sound beyond the music, it’s amazing how a few little sounds effects bring the action to life. Bam!

Team2Bit Virtual Trading Cards

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A good motto in any type of conceptual development seems to be “stick with what you know.” During yesterday’s SafeBucks (you know, when there’s a Starbucks inside the Safeway) brainstorming session we kicked around the idea of integrating some sort of trading card scheme into our games. Like many children of the ’80s, we spent a good chunk of time buying, trading, and generally obsessing over baseball cards (heck, we even spent summers begging for stamps and packing letters full of cards in hopes of getting player autographs through snail mail). So, why not develop a fun little trading card framework that can be easily integrated into XBox games? With that being said, we are now officially working on our first set of Team2Bit Virtual Trading Cards. Collect ’em all and be on the lookout for appearances in upcoming games! And be sure to get a plastic sleeve for Dr. Karate’s rookie card.

Fist Puncher: Vacation

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I’ve been developing Fist Puncher for just about a year now.  I couldn’t begin to venture a guess about how many hours have gone into it, but I know I’ve worked on it almost every day for the last year.  Friday I begin a 10 day vacation to Wisconsin, and since I’m not bringing my computer, that means the first significant break from Fist Puncher.  The real vacation is from my day job, but I’m looking forward to clearing my head a bit on the game and energizing myself for the stretch run to completion.  It’s time to get some perspective on what belongs and what doesn’t.  Hopefully the mosquitoes don’t keep me from relaxing.