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MY GAMES
(working title)
This section is going to be dedicated to the games I have made myself, or am going to make.
Whilst there aren't any screenshots present at the moment, this is just something I need to get around to. It shall come at some later point.
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-The Start-
I have wanted to be a games designer for longer than I can remember. Whilst I didn't like the actual programming (and still don't), the idea of creating something which so many people could experience, the idea of creating an immersive world really fascinated me, and still does.
I first learnt to program on the BBC, and made some pretty rubbish games. I made a 2-player computerised version of tig, but whilst I had some nice ideas to implement, I was restricted by the fact that my programming wasn't that good and, more importantly, the BBC wasn't mine, so I couldn't spend the time I wanted with it.
-The Isle of Ørmänj-
My next opportunity came when I bought a TI83 graphics calculator. Whilst it was obviously bought for the mathematical functions, I had a great time making some simple games, which engrossed many of my class-mates. I was specially proud of my final game - 'The Isle of Ørmänj'. It was an RPG-type game where the world map was reduced to a set of co-ordinates which you changed by pressing in different directions. Once you got into the 1st level, you were shown a top-down view where you were a dot, guards were represented by pheta symbols and you ran around a big house with 5 floors, avoiding guards and mines, grabbing keys, opening chests and falling through cracks onto the floor below.
The 2nd level - 'The Worst Old Folk's Home in the World' - involved you encountering crazy old men, mad doctors and making your way through a few floors of 'action'. The last level was a piss-poor shoot 'em up. Which was a bit of a shame considering the goodness of the first 2 levels.
Whilst the game wasn't that great compared to what could be played on a Snes, the fact that loads of people (well, about 10...) enjoyed the game made me feel great. That's why I want to be a games designer. The feeling you get when you realise that people enjoyed your game is just incredible.
-1st year University-
Then I came to university (studying 'Computer Games Technology') last year. I learnt how to program in C, and whilst we were asked to make a game, it was a rubbish thing called Nim. I'll put it in the downloads section if anybody's interested to see it.
For one of our courseworks, we needed to make either a demo or a presentation of a game in Flash. Rather than create a simple game suited to Flash, I tried to work out some way of making a simplified version of a game I had long thought about - Fungus F***ing. Eventually, I realised I wouldn't be able to make the game and so I spent a couple of days making a presentation instead.
To see it, click here.
-2nd year University-
In 2nd year, I was introduced to the Yaroze. I was overjoyed as in first year, all programs I had made had been test-based. The first 2 games I made - a version of Pong and a game called 'Heat-seeking-missile Dodger' both proved great hits with my friends and class-mates. Pong allowed you to move forward up to a limit, and if you rushed forward as you hit the ball, it speeded up. I feel that the controls and ball-movement proved easy to learn and rather intuitive. 'Heat-seeking-missile Dodger' involved moving a pixel in an attempt to dodge 3 others, which circled around you. The aggressors occasionally disappeared, and were then replaced by faster, more competent ones.
I then started working on a couple of banana-tossing games and whilst none of these are that great, I viewed them more as a learning experience than a proper game. I worked out a great system for tossing bananas, but as it used analogue controls and the guys in charge wouldn't let us use analogue pads on the Yarozes (wankers), I couldn't persue this much further.
During the 2nd half of last year, I made a game I now call 'Wigs & Ribs'. It basically involves you shooting coloured squares with a red, green or blue laser in an ettempt to turn them white. Then you collect these white squares to re-gain a little time. However, all the while, you can do little tricks for points, and this is the objective of the game. Spinning around squares, steering dangerously close to them, shooting multiple enemies with 1 laser... that type of thing. As your points increase, more and more squares come at you and you there is less margin for error. Touching a coloured square, touching a block of 'scenery' or running out of time will end the game.
I'm quite please with what I've done, since I've incorporated a little manual, some options, a sort of front end and some secret modes into the game. If anyone's interested in playing this game, e-mail me, and I'll do my best to let you.
Also during 2nd year, I started visiting Newgrounds, a thing which got me interested in Flash. I started a game which soon evolved into a rather original game, one which you may already know as 'Skears'. Click here to play it.
-2nd 2nd year-
During the preceding year, I had grown a bit depressed, not sure whether my course would actually lead to anything. I started to question the point of even making any effort and ended up not handing in any coursework or sitting any exams at the end of 2nd term. As a result I was forced to either repeat the year or abandon the course. Eventually I decided that whilst my course wasn't perfect, and whilst I would rather be a designer than a programmer (which was what the course was meant to make you into), I would continue.
During the summer, I decided to make a sequel to Skears. However, this ended in failure since I didn't know how to manipulate scenes at the time and Flash buggers up after 1600 frames. This was a truly horrible experience as I had spent 2 months making it and had Flash allowed me to use infinite frames in a scene, I would have been able to finish it within a week. The project had to be abandoned.
I then decided that until I learnt how to manipulate scenes, I wouldn't attempt to create Skears 2. Instead I decided to make a series of 'Mini Skears' games of which I ended up making 4. The point of these games was multifold. I felt that I was pleasing the fans of Skears. Each game only took me around 3 days to make and was a pleasurable experience. Also, because of the rapid cycle of creation, submission to Newgrounds and reviews being recieved, I could improve the games more rapidly. I introduced a scoring system and music as well as learning a bit about design.
For a university project, I was required to create a bat and ball game. I didn't expend that much effort into it, doing it all within a weekend, but I was rather pleased with the gameplay. It's a basic high-score challenge, with 3 different levels of complexity.
Now I'm in the 2nd term of my 2nd 2nd year. I'm working on Skears 2 and plan to give that as much time as it deserves. I hope to get it finished before the summer but won't be too fussed (or at all surprised) if that doesn't happen. I need to finish a prototype for a sandbox game with truly emergent and groovy AI as a coursework. I'm also working on a 4-player shoot 'em up with some other folk.
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To finish, I'm going to give you some idea of the games I'm currently working on, or will definitely be working on in the future.
Current Projects
Skears 2
I started this around January and it's currently making slow progress. However, the artwork has just about been finished, which will motivate me to get it going a bit faster. This is the first game that I started as part of a team. I'm working with an artist and after I've got a demo up and running, I plan to use that to recruit as many level designers as possible. Then, after a large number of levels have been created, I'm going to recruit as many playtesters as possible. I also need a couple of folk who are knowledgable in Flash to help with the action script side of things. Needless to say, if you want to join in, just e-mail me.
Play the abandoned Skears 2 by clicking here. This version will be far, far superior.
The Start of a Life
I'm making another Yaroze game as a coursework. It was up to me what I decided to do and my decision was to make a game based around one of the chapters of A Simple Story (see below). This chapter is about the birth of a magical being into a world where it is not sure what to do, or even what it could do.
You find that you are able to manipulate wind, fire and water, as well as doing a sort of physical attack. You meet 3 different species of animals - some herbivores, some predators and some scavengers - who you can treat as you wish. If you attack a member of a race, then they will all get angry and may start attacking you. If you then kill enough of them, they would get so terrified that they would all run away.
At the same time, you can help the various beast in a variety of ways - helping them by providing their favoured habitat maybe.
Everyone needs to feed, so whilst their preferred methods/food is obvious from the above classifications, the scavengers, for example, would attack other animals themselves if they became desperate enough, whilst predators would eventually turn on their own kind. I don't intend on making an ending situation for this game, and view it more as an experiment than anything else. Anyway, as long as I pass, my mark has no bearing on my final grade.
This game is basically an extremely cut down version of what I intend one of the chapters to be, but since it's cut down, please don't take it as a representation of the quality of the final RPG, which will hopefully be made at some point.
QED
This is the first (and, so far, only) game I have worked on that was based on someone else's idea. Apart from the Bat'n'Ball thing maybe, but you surely know what I mean.
I agreed to code the AI for what is essentially a 4-player shoot 'em up. Each character has different abilities and all play a key part in survival.
The game is also playable in 1, 2 or 3-player mode, in which case the extra players will be controlled by the computer. This is obviously where I come in.
Since I am working with some people who are professional games makers, it's a real learning experience for me.
Back Burner
Letters
This started off as an attempt to make a typing tutorial which was actually enjoyable. That still remains my aim, and although it's turning into a sort of Skears spin-off, I think I'm going to be able to fulfil my goal of making this feel more like a game than a conventional typing tutorial.
At least, that's what I hope...
At any rate, click here to play a demo.
Wigs & Ribs
As I said above, I'm really happy with how 'complete' this game feels. However, I'd still like to add a few more modes to it. Stuff like a time challenge, that sort of thing. I also want to 'clean up' a few bits.
I've also got a good idea for an alternative game based around the same theory which I might call 'test-run'. I don't know when I'll do it, but I should get round to it eventually...
Once I've done that, I'd like to make a version which incorporates some 2-player modes. I haven't really thought much about this, but have some ideas of how it might work and am confident that it'll add to the game.
If I'm lucky, this'll all get done by the end of the year. If I'm unlucky, I'll never finish it.
Banana-peel tossing
I would love to improve my banana-peel tossing method and then create a sort of platform/puzzle game incorporating the peeling of bananas and the throwing of those peels.
I have the design worked out, and know pretty much how I'd go about making it. The main limiting factor is the difficulty in bringing analogue pads into the uni lab.
Stuff I'll probably do in the far future
Fungus F**ing
To see a presentation for this game, click here.
A Simple Story
A long multi-chapter RPG-type game (not your conventional RPG) which I've been thinking about since around 1994. It'll be good. It won't come out for a long time, but it'll be good. I promise.
Sound Game - a game which uses sound.
Escape - a game which has a large map.
Super Dream - a game which will play differently when played multiple times.
I really can't tell you too much about these last few games just in case some unscrupulous fag comes and nicks my ideas. But hopefully, some of you will be convinced by my current games (which I'm giving away free) of my abilities.
Incidentally, I'm having a bit of trouble putting Wigs & Ribs onto disk to be played by chipped Playstations. I know that this can be done, so if anybody out there can help me do it, I'd really appreciate it. Just get in touch with me and we'll take it from there...