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Archive for February, 2008
29 February, 2008 | No comments
Supernova 2: computer AI
Ok just finished to program a big milestone in Supernova 2 development… computer AI during the battles ! 
While not perfect, it offers a good challenge from what I could try on the game. In the last few days I was about to cancel this project or switch to a different battle mode (maybe similar to magic stones, with cards instead of real ships in a battlefield) but in the end I kept trying and I found a decent solution.
Now is all about balancing the game, finishing several custom ships for each faction, and testing everything. I thought I would have been able to finish it by end of february but of course I was wrong 
so this time won’t make any statement but I really think that, if I can work as the last week, I’d be able to release it in mid-April, just in time for my birthday…
29 February, 2008 | No comments
Free Game News: Even More Bloons
Even More Bloons, the latest installment of the never ending created by , is live! Even More Bloons introduces a new bloon type, the helium bloon as well as the angled rubber block.
Even More Bloons offers 50 new levels and players should be able to create their own new levels soon, thanks to the updated editor that is currently not available on the site.
How long will it take before we can play Bloons Player Pack 4? Who knows…?
29 February, 2008 | No comments
Jay Is Games: Happy Leap Year Day!
It's not often we get to post something on February 29th, so I'd like to take this opportunity to update you on a few things that have been happening around here, including the winner of our Lilo plushie giveaway!29 February, 2008 | No comments
Casual Gamer Chick: Browser Based RPG Game
NextGenBooks.com has announced the release of their new Role Playing Game (RPG), Warrior Quest. Warrior Quest is a little different than other RPGs because this RPG runs in your browser as well as browsers for the Nintendo Wii, PlayStation 3 and the PlayStation Portable (PSP). 
Warrior Quest is a classic RPG similar to Dragon Quest. Players have to complete different quests to gain new skills and collect Battle Cards. NextGenBooks plans to add new content to Warrior Quest throughout the year to give players a reason to keep coming back to play.
Role Playing Games are usually in depth and can be very addictive. It is interesting that NextGenBooks has decided to make a browser based RPG. Running Warrior Quest in a browser widens the audience that is able to play. There is no need for separate executables, but it may run slower than native code. I guess we will have to wait and see how Warrior Quest is liked.
29 February, 2008 | No comments
GameZebo: Just In - Miss Teri Tale
Someone has kidnapped a prize-winning show dog and it's up to you to figure out who in the latest hidden object game from Reflexive, Miss Teri Tale. The game launched today on Big Fish Games. to try it out, and stay tuned for Gamezebo's review.
29 February, 2008 | No comments
Jay Is Games: Link Dump Friday
Today's Link Dump Friday, much like the calendar date of February 29, doesn't really exist. Well, it does, but, you know, it's just kinda thrown in there. You see, each year we have precisely 487.25 units of casual gaming love to give to the world. Since none of us are particularly good with fractions, we just express that extra bit of love every few years in the form of a (special) Link Dump Friday. What? That doesn't make sense? Well... um... lookhereatthesegamesasadistraction!29 February, 2008 | No comments
Game Producer: The Pros and Cons of Setting Up a Forum
asked me if I could share some information about how has worked for me.
Since I’m using vBulletin for both this game production site, but also for one of my game sites, I have some experience to comment this.
Software overview
vBulletin has worked well for me, and while there are some free options (like or or ’s forum system), I think putting a few bucks for a software isn’t that big deal. I used PHPBB2 in the past, and the spam load was horrible (PHPBB3 + modifications, from what I’ve heard, are supposed to do good).
The vBulletin software does what I need and it does it well, so I think it is a good option if you want to set up forums.
In my opinion, the most important questions aren’t about the software. They are about having time and energy for the forums and figuring out if it’s beneficial at all to set them in the first place.
Pros and Cons of setting up a forum for a game site
are powered by vBulletin and I must admit that I considered using only a blog platform instead of a vbulletin. That way the site could be more developer journal oriented where users could comment.
After adding the forums, it seems that players have participated and there’s people who enjoy being on the zombie game forums.
The forums require some maintenance, so I really recommend getting a group of moderators on the board. With a game site that shouldn’t be a big problem, since you probably see interested people who are keen to discuss about your game.
I wouldn’t do quick “moderator hires”, since I’ve noticed that those guys who get excited really quick might tend to also lose their interest very quickly. I haven’t got any moderators on the Dead Wake forums yey, and that’s something I will do when the forums start to grow (and the moment I start seeing spam registrations on the forums). Right now the forums provide a 2-way street for me to get player feedback about the game.
I’d say that if your game is community oriented (and the discussion is interactive), a forum can be good option. If on the other hand it’s more like “you do the talk”, and “others listen” (like, if you announce new patches, or share some ideas which people can comment) then I’d suggest getting a blog in the game website.
Pros and Cons for a game development site forums
Having a combination of blog and a forum can be tricky. I’ve done some work to make replying to blog posts so that the discussion takes place at the forums, but the comments can also be seen on the blog. It’s about 30% smooth as I want it to be right now, but I’m improving the system in the future so that the blog and the forums work smoothly together.
The blog has the problem that old discussions tend to forget, and only the newest blog posts are discussed. Without forums, there’s no possibility to start new discussions on something else.
That’s not necessarily a bad thing, since forums carry a certain overhead and setting up a forum requires work. This means you gotta get yourself a team of moderators to help you out.
Here’s some things to consider before setting up the forums
Perhaps answering to these questions can help you decide:
- Why are you setting up the forums? What’s the benefit of having a forums? (For this site, the public forums are a natural extension of the and provides a place for game production oriented discussion and not only discussion about the blog posts)
- Is your game about having a community? (If your game relies heavily on modding and player support, then establishing a forum can be a good idea)
- Do you intend to get a publisher for your game? (If you intend to get a publisher, then you might want to consider what benefit the forums will bring - if any, or do you wish to leave the community building in the hands of a publisher)
- Do you want to use forums for player feedback? (If the forums help getting player feedback, then by all means consider setting up forums for your testers)
- How much time can you put on establishing a community? (Running a commmunity requires time, and you need to get a group of moderators to help you out.)
Forums require time and I wouldn’t set up forums if I wasn’t 100% sure I could get reliable people to help me out with the forums. I would also carefully ponder the benefits the forums offer for you and your audience, and if it’s in line with your strategy for your game.
If you liked this entry, feel free to to read more similar articles.29 February, 2008 | No comments
Free Game News: BrickS
BrickS is an interesting match three game from . BrickS is a Flash based game that has players attempting to make three or more of a kind of a certain color. The interesting part is that players need to change colors of the squares by clicking on them, but the squares change colors based on the color they are pointing to.
Each square has an arrow on it that points to another square. The square the arrow points to is the color it will turn when you click on it. BrickS gets complicated because you have to remember to look at the arrow before clicking the square. It is not always easy to see the colors in the vast amount of arrows. That being said, BrickS is still a lot of fun to play.
To add to the challenge, players have to get as far as they can before time runs out. The higher level you can achieve the higher your score at the end of the game. The levels are complete when you make the allotted amount of matches. There is a graph off to the left side of the board that lets you know how many matches of a certain color you need.
BrickS is challenging, but a lot of fun at the same time. BrickS combines a and a match three game into one game. If you like puzzle games or match three type games, check out BrickS.
29 February, 2008 | No comments
Free Game News: 25 Boxes
 In 25 Boxes, you search for numbers, letters or symbols and you click as quickly as possible on the boxes in the opposing grid where they fit. To use your peripheral vision, try to keep your eyes focused on the grid that is filled. Play through all 20 levels to be able to enter the highscore. |