The basic RPG elements of Fist Puncher are now working. Each character has 5 unique qualities that you can assign skill points to after leveling up. By reaching different skill levels in each area, characters can unlock special attacks and perks.
You can’t really make a game like this without a leveling mechanic and character progression. As a hack and slasher myself, I like to have something to show for all of my button mashing.
-Jake
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]
|
|
|
A few months ago I played Kung-Fu Fight on XBLIG for the first time and immediately thought, “I want to make a game like that!” I have no problem confessing to my source of inspiration – I loved the simplicity, loved the gameplay, loved the look, but most importantly I was really turned on by the idea of a continuous scrolling platformer. Now this idea isn’t new. A game like Moon Patrol is almost 30 years old and is one of the pioneers in the genre. SMB3 was famous for its continuous scrolling levels. So I began tinkering with graphics and ideas in both Flash and XNA trying to come up with the right look, theme, and gameplay. However, this past weekend’s IndieCade left me feeling a tad hesitant. After seeing talks by people like Gaijin Games and Adam Saltsman, I started worrying that perhaps there are already too many indie powerhouses in this genre (games like Canabalt and BIT.TRIP RUNNER). When is a genre played? When do you move on? I really don’t have an answer. I guess for me, I just want to make the kind of game that *I* want to make regardless of what else is out there. Anyway, T2B did some brainstorming and we have a list of ideas that could potentially put a new spin on the genre so we’ll see… Heck, if Pac-Man would have been the last of the maze games, then we’d never have seen K.C. Munchkin. Wait… that argument doesn’t sound right.
-MattKain
[Below: Kung-Fu Fight, Moon Patrol, Canabalt, BIT.TRIP RUNNER]
|
|
|
|
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
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.
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!
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.
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.
Spent the last week working on game state management and a proper saving/loading scheme for Fist Puncher. This is definitely not the ‘fun’ part of making video games. It’s satisfying once you see things working right, but for me it takes some extra concentration to get to that point. Too easy to be distracted by a good baseball game when you’re adding pause menu logic or reading another article on how to avoid code 4s on the Xbox.
I did spend one night adding a new level. Here’s Dr. Karate, tempted to break the Hippocratic Oath with some hoodums he found squatting at the local playground.
Finished adding a new level to Fist Puncher tonight, the laundromat. It brings back a bit of nostalgia for me, because I spent many hours of my younger life playing video games in laundromats. Although I wasn’t usually harassed by some guy with a maul.