Getting Feedback

My brother-in-law doesn't play games. So when I showed him the Alpha build of my latest casual game I was excited to see him start playing the game and instantly "get it". But what was really cool was that he didn't read the instructions (just like the average player) yet knew exactly what to do. And he kept playing without me forcing him to.

Now that's great feedback.

Still, I'm about to start my wider focus testing to make sure that the game is as clear and balanced as possible. This is one of the most rewarding and frustrating parts of game development. Frustrating because stuff you think is obvious sometimes isn't - and you have to accept that end users experiencing the game for the first time have a very different set of expectations. But it's rewarding when you fix these issues and create something that is truly accessible.

Music To My Ears

I received the final piece of music yesterday and added it into the game. I have to say one thing, the music is awesome. It suits the style of the game to a "T".

So here's a big thank you to Mick Gordon and Game Audio Australia for producing such high quality work. Not only does Mick and his company produce great game audio, they also score movies - including The House of the Dead: The Directors Cut and the upcoming Postal feature.

With the music squared away my main focus now is on tuning the game and collecting as much player feedback as I can.

Almost at Beta

The new casual game is just about at Beta.

The majority of graphics are done, almost all sound effects are complete and I'm organizing music right now. The gameplay is at a stage where it works but needs tuning - some sections more than others - but as a whole it feels good.

I've registered the domain name for the game and am about to send it out to people for some major game testing.

Visually the game is very minimalist but suits the game style down to the ground.

One thing I was looking at doing for the game was to implement a procedural music system. I developed a very crude prototype, which worked, but decided to use more traditional linear music in the end. This suits the style of the game much better.

Expect more news when I hit Beta!

Go, Go, Go!

GO3 is a new gaming conference kicking off in Perth, Australia this year. It's aimed at industry people as well game players - and features a 3 day expo showcasing games and a 2 day conference featuring some top notch industry speakers.

Check out their site here: http://www.go3.com.au/

For a first time event they've managed to rustle up some pretty amazing speakers including Tetsuya Mizuguchi (Parappa the Rapper, Mojibribbon), Goichi Suda (Killer 7), Rod Ferguson (producer of Gears of War) and Hideo Kojima (Metal Gear Solid).

So, if you're in Australia between the 30th of March and the 1st of April then you should definitely attend.

I'll also be speaking at the event and will have some cool stuff to show from the Japanese version of Destroy All Humans!

Should be a great event.