Pollushot Timelapse + New Crazy Over Goo Art

My iOS game now has a working title, Pollushot. Here's a video of me making a new enemy from scratch. No editing was involved, this is the speed at which I actually work. Stick around to the end to see some regular-speed gameplay footage.

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MEANWHILE, after a number of comments on Crazy Over Goo flash I underwent an epic adventure that involved redoing all of the graphics in the game in the span of a couple weekends. PHEW. The new art style takes after the one I implemented for Pollushot, and will hopefully turn our luck around with getting the kind of bids we're looking for. Here are some screens of the new style.





It took a lot of time and energy in a painfully short period of time, but I'm really happy with the results.

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Hey, you guys remember Prophecy? The dude who made the soundtracks to Escape from the Underworld, Assassin Blue, Dubloon, Crazy Over Goo, and Wolf? Well he's now AKA'd as Jason Covenant and he's launched a new site after being mostly inactive on the internet for several years.

I urge you to check it out.

Oh, and did I mention that he's got some bangin' new music with new track due weekly? Yeah.

New Year, New News

Happy new year, everybody! (20 days late).

I'm pretty bad with remembering to post on here, so I guess I apologize for that. So, here's the news:

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New Game
Remember that iDevice concept I mentioned last month? I made a prototype over the course of a few days before Christmas after posting, and then just tis last weekend came back to it to update graphics and polish. At this point I'm basically working on it full-time, and you can expect to see the game finished and playable sometime soonish. My self-imposed deadline is February 15.

Screenshots! (Click to enlarge)


What do you guys think?

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Crazy Over Goo Flash
Still on the search for bids and stuff! We've been fixing and changing minor things based on comments we've gotten from sponsors and players; so far it's been something of a learning experience in what's expected of flash games vs. freeware. Not sure how many details I can release at this point beyond that!

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EoYear Awards
Indie Games blog had a lot of Banov love this year! They named Dubloon #8 in their Top 10 Freeware RPGs of 2010 list, and they named Escape from the Underworld number ONE freeware platformer! Quite an honor, indeed.

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Escape from the Underworld... wiki?
I find this pretty funny. It's a wiki on Escape from the Underworld, with a humorous take on the game. Only 10 (brief) actual articles on there, all worth a read if you're into that sort of thing.

Branching Out

Hey dudes!

So while I wait around on Crazy Over Goo sponsorship offers, I want to share with you guys a newer game idea I've had. This would be a casual iDevice game, and I have a couple ideas for how I'd like to get this on there. This is all part of my "maybe earn some money for once" plans.

Here's the basic concept (click to enlarge):

More details:
There'll be about 10-15 different varieties of enemies, each with a unique attack/defense pattern. You'll fight them one by one in random order forever and when you die you'll get a high score. It'll be moving quickly like other good replayable arcade iPhone titles (Sollipskier, Doodle Jump, Canabalt, etc.) so it won't feel repetitive.

The best way to kill enemies and score points is to break apart their shields, catch the falling debris, and fire the pieces back at them. If there's no debris on the screen and you're unarmed, the game will drop occasional default meta-ammo shots from the top of the screen you can use, but it's worth less points to use. Enemy attacks will be energy-based and can't be caught; but anything solid can be caught and used as ammo.

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I'm looking for some initial reactions + ideas. You like this idea? Would you pay $0.99 to get this on your iDevice of choice? What additions do you think would improve the game? This is still in the conceptual phase so I'm open to all ideas.

Thanks! :)

Crazy Over Goo FLASH Edition Trailer

This has been a long time coming. I've been working with a dude named Kristian Macanga and we've ported Crazy Over Goo to Flash. This new version has 63 levels over the original's 50, with many of the original's levels moved, edited, or outright replaced. New unlockables, a new "medal" system for players who are interested in getting high scores, and general awesomeness is all in this package.

As of now we're currently seeking sponsorship. Look forward to it!

Escape from the College Homework

So this is cool.

A class at Worcester Polytechnic Institute had to write critical analyses of Escape from the Underworld for homework this past week, which is pretty surreal/awesome as far as I'm concerned. Check it out here! (you might have to scroll a bit to find the relevant postings).

Not much else to say; just wanted to share that.
Oh, and be on the lookout for news on a secret ongoing flash project I've been doing... we're in the final testing stages right now.

Escape From the Underworld UPDATE

I've just added an update to Escape from the Underworld following some (fair) criticisms of the original.



Get it at: GameJolt / YoYoGames

What's NEW?
-"Challenge Mode" and GameJolt trophy integration--unlocked by reaching the credits screen. Adds replayability.

-Config menu added so you can edit scaling properties to make it look nice on larger monitors

-Small HUD/interface fixes in areas like the Game Over screen

-Some terrain edits in places that used to be troublesome to platform in


Overall I haven't changed too much as far as the world design goes and nothing as far as controls go. Yeah, the rough terrain can be tricky to deal with but it's never unfair or impossible... just tricky. And since now playtimes are going to get a little more competitive, I didn't want to change the nature of the game and its platforming. Get used to it, people out there who've whined about it.

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Indie Kombat/Press
For those who haven't heard, by the way, Escape from the Underworld won Indie Kombat.

But more importantly, I want to give a big shout out/thank you to the sites that posted it after its release and gave such glowing reviews of it. It got an incredible response over at Indie Games blog, where it got 62 (!) responses (many of them members who disagreed on whether it was awesome or terrible). JayIsGames gave it a longer, more thought-out look. There were a few other places that syndicated it but those two drew the biggest crowds. The game's about due to die out into obscurity now, but it had a nice run, methinks. Now I'm just hoping for a Let's Play to pop up on YouTube...

EDIT 11-11
Escape from the Underworld is on BYTEJACKER! I'm up against some really tough competition (cactus and Pixeljam) so any support would be super appreciated!

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Developer Commentary
Also, for those interested, I did a developer commentary that's currently on YouTube (of the old version)...

And here's part two

The Nuzlocke Challenge, Part 2

Remember those Pokemon comics I drew? Well, I've had a bunch more sitting around. I meant to put them up once I had 4 new ones, but laziness/game making/college/whatever got in the way so I never drew anymore. Figured I may as well put them up now rather than waiting for a comic that probably won't ever be done.

EDIT an hour later: after putting them up I magically felt like drawing another one. So I added it.

NEW:
5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |

OLD:
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |

In the actual game I got up to Victory Road and then just kinda stopped playing around a month ago, with the intent to catch up comicwise. Maybe I'll come back to this, I'unno.

Escape from the Underworld - Complete!

It's here.

Working on this game for the last month has been a thrill, and I am really proud of it. With its release comes an immaculate chorus of "oh snaps," raining down from the heavens onto a befuddled, defeated Andrew Brophy. This is victory. This is glory. This is Indie Kombat.

Get it at: GameJolt / YoYoGames

We Heart Fanfics

I've teamed up with a few people who live in my dorm to make a new YouTube channel, titled "We Heart Fanfics."

We find bad fanfiction and read it and laugh at it. We already have a couple videos up and there will be more to come. If laughing at others' poor writing is your thing, you should totally check it out and subscribe or something.

Here's the link to the channel page:
http://www.youtube.com/user/WeHeartFanfics

And here's our most recent video:


If you have any terrible fanfiction you think we should check out, we'd love to hear from you.

Escape from the Underworld - Second Demo

Yeah, it's here already. Since I only had a month to work, this has been moving pretty quickly... but I still like to put out a demo at major junctions. Here's the post from Indie Kombat, copied and pasted for viewing pleasure:


It's the same link as before, right here: http://www.box.net/shared/sttnon3e5z.

Playtime's been extended... drastically. And save files from old versions are still perfectly functional (and still will be for the final release) so you don't need to replay anything. Feel free to try it out, in addition to adding a ton of new content I've also gone back and fixed things that players didn't like before.

Hey, in other news, has anyone seen Andrew? I've heard rumors of sightings in Melbourne, where people have seen him shambling from place to place with a hopeless look in his eye, trying to cope with a loss so profound and so imminent. I guess I can't say I blame him, but at this point I practically feel bad for still having all these demos and screens to share while he remains silent. This is feeling less like "Indie Kombat" and more like "Indie Banov-kicking-Andrew's-pathetic-ass."

Escape from the Underworld - First Demo

I've just posted the first demo for Escape from the Underworld to IndieKombat. You can get the link/read the full post here!

Escape from the Underworld (Announcement)

So, this is my Indie Kombat game. It's a week into development, and it's frigging awesome. You should keep an eye on the posts Andrew I make on the Indie Kombat blog, because a lot of game updates show up there and it might be fun to watch us make fun of each other. I'm just going to reiterate stuff I've already said there:

It’s called Escape from the Underworld. It’s an exploration platformer and it has a bit of story, but no text or cutscenes. Most of the powerups you collect are items from Andrew’s games, and the exploration platforming has always been his shtick, so that all fits. But I’m going to be honest here: I don’t really see this game as an Indie Kombat game. This is a game I’m making for me, because it’s fun as hell to work on. I’ve been losing sleep at night because I keep getting little ideas for it. There are a lot of things in here that I’m trying for the first time, and they’re coming out surprisingly well. Bottom line: it’s going to be awesome.

And the fact that I will inevitably win this little scuffle with Andrew is a nice, secondary little bonus.

Look out for videos or a demo or something not too far from now.

Indie Kombat

I have a couple drafts I've been meaning to finish and post to this blog for a while, but for now I'm gonna forget about those and announce this: I'm in Indie Kombat this month.

"What does this mean?!" you ask. Well, Indie Kombat is a site based on indie game devs competing. Two or more developers state their rules and then each make a game, and at the end of their designated development time the games go up and people vote for the best game there. There is also some trash talking involved.

So over the course of October I'll be making a game against my friend hated enemy Andrew Brophy. You can read all about it --->right here<---

Excerpt of a Scientific Philosophical Discussion at 2 AM

Hey, why not. A friend (whose name has been altered) and I had recently learned through wikipedia that some scientific theories proposed that there were 10 or 11 dimensions, which got us a-thinking about misc. physics and math philosophy questions. It was kind of fun and enlightening, and here's an excerpt for your reading pleasure/brain food.

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[2:00:18 AM] Rose: but doesn't it freak you out that in the end all math is just a bunch of symbols we've agreed are real?
[2:01:07 AM] Banov: but math totally is real! right?
[2:01:21 AM] Rose: i mean to humans
[2:01:41 AM] Rose: but maybe it's only true in our minds? whatever that means.
[2:02:22 AM] Banov: I want to say that math
[2:02:30 AM] Banov: can't be just in our heads
[2:02:42 AM] Banov: rather it's our way of defining what we observe
[2:03:07 AM] Banov: like if I have a bottle of orange cream soda on my desk and put a second one there, I have 2
[2:03:12 AM] Banov: 1 + 1 = 2
[2:04:00 AM] Rose: yes but once you get into higher mathematics... and even zero!
[2:04:20 AM] Rose: like what's a cream soda divided by no cream sodas? No one knows
[2:04:27 AM] Banov: well
[2:04:43 AM] Banov: it approaches infinity on a graph…
[2:05:23 AM] Banov: it basically is infinity. but there's nothing to actually divide by so really the entire problem, and its solution, can't exist
[2:05:33 AM] Banov: (…is basically how I explain it to myself)
[2:06:02 AM] Rose: my point is even our own math proves that everything's relative
[2:06:15 AM] Rose: and these are only the phenomena we can personally experience
[2:06:40 AM] Rose: like there are dimensions we can't experience...
[2:07:19 AM] Rose: how can math that was created for four dimensions work for more than that without becoming horribly inaccurate or strained?
[2:08:24 AM] Banov: ah, you're totally right
[2:08:51 AM] Banov: well I think there are 2 ways of looking at it
[2:09:18 AM] Banov: I mean the theories and equations that we've come to accept DO accurately define and predict the things we can observe
[2:09:27 AM] Banov: and that's what they were made for
[2:09:59 AM | Edited 2:12:51 AM] Banov: so in the eyes of a dude who just wants a simple definition to explain the relationship of x and y, it's all true and acceptable
[2:10:25 AM | Edited 2:13:06 AM] Banov: but what you and i are talking about is what happens when we look at other dimensions beyond what we can observe
[2:11:01 AM] Banov: x and y might be influenced by an infinite number of other indefinable unobservable factors and only APPEAR to be related 3-dimensionally to us
[2:11:52 AM] Banov: so the theories we've made to define them, while accurate, might not be "absolutely" true as they don't account for every possible factor
[2:12:30 AM] Banov: and they probably never will. so when hawking says we'll never reach an absolute understanding of everything, he's probably right : d
[2:12:35 AM] Banov: probably.
[2:13:35 AM] Rose: yes. I guess it comes down to like if truth isn't finite or absolute, how can it be true?
[2:13:44 AM] Rose: and nothing is absolute, so nothing is true
[2:13:55 AM] Rose: and therefore nothing's wrong
[2:14:06 AM] Rose: it's a weird mental asymptote
[2:15:34 AM] Banov: I have gained an all new understanding of this jar of salsa

Banov Takes the Nuzlocke Challenge

It's been a while since I've posted here, and I apologize for that! Honestly lately I haven't been doing much game work (and for what I am doing, there's nothing I'm allowed to talk about yet), so I haven't had much to say.

Nuzlocke Challenge
I recently discovered Nuzlocke Comics, which revolve around a run of one of the Pokemon RPGs with special rules that make it much more difficult... and exciting! It's apparently spawned a lot of copycats, and on a whim I decided to do my own run + comic accompaniment. Below are the pages I've done so far. I'm not going to guarantee I play the run all the way to the end or that I keep doing comics, but these were fun to do for the time being.
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
For those curious, a couple of the pokemon nicknames (specifically, Strider and Lalonde) are pulled from this really wonderful webcomic series called Homestuck. Lately it's become among my favorite places to visit on the internet, updating frequently (often many times per day!) and I'm completely engrossed in the story. It's tough for me to recommend it outright as it starts slow and then starts to get hard to follow as the story goes deeper. BUT, if you invest the time to read through the archives and immerse yourself in it, Homestuck is a story that will really pay off.

And now, a slice of Banov's non-internet life:
My particular school starts very late, and at this point all but a handful of my friends have long since departed for college. This leaves me home alone pretty often. It's vaguely depressing.

Formspring
I'd just like to point out that my Formspring account has been getting some pretty poignant questions lately concerning my future plans for game making so for those of you who are interested in that stuff you might like to check that out too. And I love getting questions, so if you have any for me or if you just want to give me something to think about or whatever feel free to send one my way!

Dubloon Deluxe CDs
Just letting you guys know that they're still available for a couple more weeks, until I leave for college. Get them while you still can!

Okay, that's basically all I have to say for now. Happy September!

5 Video Game OST Songs I Really Like

I just found this post in my drafts, basically entirely written but unposted. I haven't laid out anything new for a while, so I figured I may as well throw this one out there.

These are just 5 OST songs that are mostly fairly obscure songs from popular games, which rarely are given an mention but I always treasured. Others are pretty popular well known OST songs but, whatever, they're good too.

So, in no particular order:

Mother 3: Someone's Memories (Pollyanna)

One of the most well-known tunes from a series known partly for its music, Pollyanna's been written about a thousand times before and there's little left for me to say about it. It's about friendship and nostalgia. It'smplayed in Mother 3 during a particularly nostalgic scene and when I first saw it as a youtube video it brought a tear to my eye.

Pokemon Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald: Petalburg City

Just some jolly town music! Seriously, this tune is catchy and I used to hum it pretty frequently.

Pokemon Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald: Ever Grande City

You know, the music from Ruby/Sapphire was pretty darn good among Pokemon titles, looking back. This music is played after you finish the games' final dungeon and are on your way to face the "final boss," the Elite 4. It's a song that congratulates you on a job well done, letting you know you've come a long way and you're finally at the top. You're ready to face the strongers trainers in Hoenn!

LOZ Wind Waker: Dragon Roost Island

Seriously beautiful stuff. A very evocative and pretty tune from a game whose music I dearly love. It's a bit reminiscent of Gerudo Valley, the classic from Ocarina--but if you ask me, this is even better to listen to. It really does give you a feel for the stubborn, proud people of Dragon Roost Island and the beautiful summery island atmosphere you're struck with with upon arrival.
Also recommended listening: A Live Version

Super Mario Land: World 2

Super Mario Land was one of my first games (as I once mentioned) and this particular world theme was just stunning. I used to play up to level 2-1, then turn up the volume and just hold it up to my ear so I could listen to the music until my time ran out and I died. Sigh.

More Crazy Dubloon Fun Times!

Hey guys! Got a couple cool links to show you!

FIRSTLY, Dubloon is on Bytejacker this week! Those of you who loved the game, please support it by voting for Dubloon!

SECONDLY, Dubloon has an entry on TV Tropes*! I find this be INCREDIBLY exciting!

Also I want to mention that the donations page has gone through a couple changes, pertaining specifically to the Dubloon Deluxe CD. Shipping is far less expensive than I expected it to be (under $5, even internationally!), but I do now ask that the shipping money be included with your donation if you intend to receive a CD. Specific rates are on the donations page.

You should ALSO be aware that I've added a deadline for sending out the CDs (September 2010) and a limited number (24 copies!) so if you're considering getting a CD it's better to it sooner rather than later.

Okay! That is all!


*WARNING: Viewing TV Tropes is likely to monopolize hours of your time and consume your social life for at least one evening, often more. Proceed with caution.

Dubloon Aftermath and Site Updates

First and foremost, I want to give a huge thank you to everybody who has played Dubloon thus far! Despite my best efforts the initial release had some nasty bugs, but thanks to very responsive fans most everything has been ironed out and the game's been bug free! So I'm glad everybody's been enjoying the game--for those of you who might have missed it, the main download link is right here: BAM

On the topic of Dubloon, fans might be interested in my Developer Commentary which I've been recording on and off for the last week. You can view all the episodes in a convenient playlist right here:

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As you've probably noticed, the site has undergone a few updates including the new title banner, a games page, and a donations page. It takes a lot of unpaid hours to make these games which I so generously give out for free, so any contribution back would be hugely appreciated! I'm also giving away a sweet Dubloon Deluxe CD to those who donate $15 or more--details on the CD and how to donate are on the donations page.

Dubloon (Complete)

Dubloon
It's finally finished! A point-n-click pirate RPG adventure game. There are dungeons, bosses, sidequests and secrets in a huge explorable world.

Edit 6/16: Because of last-minute changes, there were some nasty bugs in the initial release. I'm very sorry for those of you who had to deal with my unprofessional mistakes :[ A fixed version is now up (with GameJolt trophy compatibility!) so if you're experiencing errors in certain areas please redownload.


File Size: 29.7 MB (11 MB version also available; see below)
Download Links:
GameJolt
http://gamejolt.com/freeware/games/rpg/dubloon/254/

YoYoGames
http://www.yoyogames.com/games/show/83854

LowFi Version:
This version has low quality music, but is only an 11 MB download. Not recommended.
LoFi Download

Walkthrough:
If you're really stuck and don't know what to do or can't solve a puzzle, you can consult this.
Walkthrough (For Landlubbers)

Gameplay Video (First 6 Minutes):




Screenshots: (Click to enlarge)





Soundtrack:
If you're really into the music Prophecy made, you can download the full game soundtrack with high bit rate/album artwork/proper song titles here.
http://gamejolt.com/freeware/games/dubloon/soundtracks/download/254/

T-Shirts:
You can get a Dubloon T-Shirt here! Feel free to send suggestions for designs you want... I like selling shirts.
http://www.zazzle.com/banovg/gifts?cg=196438694018254966

Developer Commentary: http://tinyurl.com/24yw6v8

Credits:
-Game by Banov
-Music by Prophecy

Changelog: In some cases I uploaded a bugfix without changing the version name within a few hours of each other.
1.0.0.1
-(BUGFIX) Error message caused by running in the Navy base of Jolly Roger island
-(BUGFIX) Error message thrown by the Mole boss when he tried to attack
-(BUGFIX) Game would sometimes skip naming one of the main characters, leaving his name blank.
1.0.0.2
-GameJolt trophy compatibility
-(BUGFIX)After opening the last chest before the boss in Treasure Tower, if a player tried to go back to the previous room the game would enter a never-ending cutscene loop.
-(BUGFIX)Some attack effects would appear to aim at the user's crew instead of the opponent's in a secret mode of gameplay.
-(BUGFIX)Error message when using "Avalanche" (this was as a result of the previous bugfix :p)
-(BUGFIX)After completing the game and re-loading your file, the crew would sometimes be missing and leave only the silent protagonist.
-(BUGFIX)On the top floor of the treasure tower, saving immediately after getting the Key but before trying to leave the room and loading later would skip crucial cutscenes
-(BUGFIX)(6/17/10) You can walk on water in a certain room of Pyrite island
-(BUGFIX)(6/17/10) One of the statue puzzles in the final dungeon will not work if you push any buttons outside the correct order (but it does reset when you leave the dungeon).
1.0.0.3 (6/18/10)
-A number of typos corrected
-(BUGFIX)Talking to the viking on Jolly Roger or reading the map on Bowish would let you re-add islands to your map
-(BUGFIX)If a non-boss enemy was killed by poison damage, an error would be thrown and the battle wouldn't end
-(BUGFIX)One of the puzzles in Treasure Tower wouldn't take into account party order when it was supposed to
1.0.0.4 (6/23/10)
-New Feature: an NPC in Pyrite Tavern who helps you find undiscovered treasure
-More NPC dialogue changes after beating final dungeon
-"Save Fixer" auto-fixes common save file bugs (missing/unnamed crew members) from previous versions upon loading your file
-(BUGFIX) Returning to the Golden Key room in Treasure Tower had some weird effects
-(BUGFIXes) Misc/etc
1.0.0.5 (6/25/10)
-(BUGFIX) Characters level 40 or over couldn't easily equip attacks from special equipment items
-(BUGFIX) Saving your game when on a downed "color wall" and loading might find you stuck inside of it
-(BUGFIX) A rare error message thrown by a particular boss' attack
-(BUGFIX) Puzzles in Treasure Tower that require you to stand in certain patterns would not always register your position on the tiles properly

Dubloon Release Date, LPs

Hey everyone!

So today the private beta version for Dubloon went out to just a few people for final testing and proofing. I'll be away on vacation until June 13, and then I aim for the official release date of Dubloon to be June 15, 2010. (Assuming that I don't get so many bugs I can't possibly fix them all in a day, though that is unlikely).

To keep you entertained while you wait, maybe you'd want to check out this brief Let's Play series I did:


I've liked LPs since I first discovered them, so I decided to give one of my own a shot. It's a Game Maker game called Purple, and I chose it because people seemed to like it, I'd never played it before, and there were no LPs of it already. I quit after 5 episodes, but in those 5 episodes I had some fun times. My sister guest starred in episode 5, which is probably the series high point.

Okay! Next time I update, it'll be with the finished version of Dubloon! I can barely contain my excitement :]