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Last Friday, Dave and I were asked to speak with a computer science course at Inter-Lakes High School. We gave them a brief history of how we managed to stumble to where we are today, and explained things that they can do in order to make video games for a living. Half way through, we were unfortunately interrupted by a fire drill...it's been awhile since I've had to leave a building single file.
Inter-Lakes High School, Class of 2010
I had a phone call when we got to the parking lot, and took it a little ways away from the class so I wouldn't disturb anyone. A teacher actually came over and yelled at me to get in with the rest of my class. I even had to serve a detention, lame. Okay, I made the detention part up.
If you're a high school student (or early in college) reading our blog, then you probably already have a good grasp on the indie scene and know how to get started. In case you don't, I encourage any aspiring game developers to take a look at various middleware programs like Gamemaker, Flash, Unity...maybe some readers could comment on any tools they use too.
Also, get yourself to a traditional university after high school. I know those "game design degree in two years!" programs sound perfect (I almost pursued one myself), but you'll be much more versatile with a degree in computer science or the arts.
And as always, shoot us an email anytime with questions you have about making games. We love our jobs, and we love to help.
One more thing! Get your cameras ready, the next Snap-A-Shot Contest is a mere blog post away...
Inter-Lakes High School, Class of 2010
I had a phone call when we got to the parking lot, and took it a little ways away from the class so I wouldn't disturb anyone. A teacher actually came over and yelled at me to get in with the rest of my class. I even had to serve a detention, lame. Okay, I made the detention part up.
If you're a high school student (or early in college) reading our blog, then you probably already have a good grasp on the indie scene and know how to get started. In case you don't, I encourage any aspiring game developers to take a look at various middleware programs like Gamemaker, Flash, Unity...maybe some readers could comment on any tools they use too.
Also, get yourself to a traditional university after high school. I know those "game design degree in two years!" programs sound perfect (I almost pursued one myself), but you'll be much more versatile with a degree in computer science or the arts.
And as always, shoot us an email anytime with questions you have about making games. We love our jobs, and we love to help.
One more thing! Get your cameras ready, the next Snap-A-Shot Contest is a mere blog post away...
A few weeks ago we held a game jam in which some people participated in Ludum Dare 17. I ended up throwing myself into the competition when the theme was announced, and thus began another incredible journey of 48-hour game development. You can witness this journey from start to finish right here!
After the dust cleared and the voting was over, the top 20 games were posted. My game, Gaiadi, ended up getting first place overall! I'm a little surprised it turned out so well, and incredibly honored by the Ludum Dare community. You guys are freaking awesome and it's incredibly motivating to have something like Ludum Dare around. You never know what you're capable of until you have a deadline of 48 hours to make something awesome.
I encourage everyone to check out future Ludum Dares, and make awesome stuff. I intend to continue work on Gaiadi and I'll be attempting to make it into a full game sometime in the future, so stay tuned!
After the dust cleared and the voting was over, the top 20 games were posted. My game, Gaiadi, ended up getting first place overall! I'm a little surprised it turned out so well, and incredibly honored by the Ludum Dare community. You guys are freaking awesome and it's incredibly motivating to have something like Ludum Dare around. You never know what you're capable of until you have a deadline of 48 hours to make something awesome.
I encourage everyone to check out future Ludum Dares, and make awesome stuff. I intend to continue work on Gaiadi and I'll be attempting to make it into a full game sometime in the future, so stay tuned!
What a weekend. Over 15 people showed up, made some games, and ate some cake. There were some spectacular results. If you haven't checked out our RAjam Feed, you should probably do it now. There, you can find a great summary of all the different projects. We'll be posting some of the results in the coming weeks but in the meantime, enjoy some of the photos taken during the jam, courtesy of Matthew Wegner from Flashbang.
making our final presentations
What game from the jam do you want to play the most?
making our final presentations
What game from the jam do you want to play the most?
It's true! We're hosting another game jam. This time in conjunction with Ludum Dare, an online jam. We're expecting a decent sized crowd, and more than a few awesome games. Make sure you check out our RAjam page. There you can watch us work, chat us up, and keep an eye on our project's progression.
We joked around about starting a Wall of Game after last E3 when we met two famous designers by coincidence. Both times we were in our prestiges Retro Affect apparel and managed to snap a photo with each. Who would have thought it would happen again? Well, last week the stars aligned and I had the chance to meet and speak with Sid Meier!
Famous for his Civilization series, Sid Meier is one of the most prolific game designers. Gamespot even named him the most influential person in computer gaming in 1996. He's famous for his dedication to strictly gameplay, with graphics as existing to support it. More recently, he reshaped the Civilization franchise, innovating an already successful game. Personally, I cannot wait for the release of Civilization V and I know I'm not alone.
It was great meeting him; he's an incredibly kind and patient person. After I geeked out a bit, we actually had a chance to talk for a minute or two about Snapshot. Whether or not he was humoring me is irrelevant. Once he heard the Snapshot pitch, he said that it's "really innovative," which is definitely going on the box art.
Box art may change during development.
Famous for his Civilization series, Sid Meier is one of the most prolific game designers. Gamespot even named him the most influential person in computer gaming in 1996. He's famous for his dedication to strictly gameplay, with graphics as existing to support it. More recently, he reshaped the Civilization franchise, innovating an already successful game. Personally, I cannot wait for the release of Civilization V and I know I'm not alone.
It was great meeting him; he's an incredibly kind and patient person. After I geeked out a bit, we actually had a chance to talk for a minute or two about Snapshot. Whether or not he was humoring me is irrelevant. Once he heard the Snapshot pitch, he said that it's "really innovative," which is definitely going on the box art.
Box art may change during development.
Depict1 on Bytejacker (Go Vote!)
Posted by Kyle Pulver on February 11th, 2010 in Games
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Through the tubes of the internet my global game jam game Depict1 has reached all the way out to Bytejacker, an awesome indie games centric internet video show.
The game was featured in the Free Indie Rapid Fire for this week, so that means it's up for voting in the Free Indie of the Week as well! So if you really liked Depict1, then you can go show your love by voting for it right here on the right side of the page.
It's kind of awesome how far this little 48 hour game has gone.
The game was featured in the Free Indie Rapid Fire for this week, so that means it's up for voting in the Free Indie of the Week as well! So if you really liked Depict1, then you can go show your love by voting for it right here on the right side of the page.
It's kind of awesome how far this little 48 hour game has gone.
This past weekend Retro Affect hosted a Global Game Jam location for the great city of Gilbert, Arizona. Think Phoenix if you don't know what a Gilbert is. It was a great time filled with friends, games, and jam. Raspberry jam... LONESTAR!.
So I proudly present to the world the game that I created in 48 hours. (6 of those hours were spent sleeping.)
I don't actually want to give too much away about the game, so hopefully that screenshot will entice you enough to give it a whirl. It works on Windows platforms, but should run well enough on OSX with one of those fancy run-windows-programs applications.
This was created from nothing using Game Maker 8. The Game Jam actually started at 5pm on Friday, and I spent a majority of that night brainstorming with the other jammers. An idea for a game that uses a tutorial to deceive the player came up, and I thought it would be a cool idea to pursue.
Saturday was spent making every single component for the game that I could, and Sunday was spent making all 30 (!) levels that are in the game. I also asked a good friend of mine Alec Holowka to pitch in for music, and like a true hero he always delivers.
Oh, and I totally did not sleep between Saturday and Sunday. In fact, right now while writing this blog post I have been awake for 34 hours. And hey, look at this! It was featured on Indie Games Blog!
I would love to hear any feedback about the game, so if you have any be sure to drop a comment in the form below.
So I proudly present to the world the game that I created in 48 hours. (6 of those hours were spent sleeping.)
I don't actually want to give too much away about the game, so hopefully that screenshot will entice you enough to give it a whirl. It works on Windows platforms, but should run well enough on OSX with one of those fancy run-windows-programs applications.
This was created from nothing using Game Maker 8. The Game Jam actually started at 5pm on Friday, and I spent a majority of that night brainstorming with the other jammers. An idea for a game that uses a tutorial to deceive the player came up, and I thought it would be a cool idea to pursue.
Saturday was spent making every single component for the game that I could, and Sunday was spent making all 30 (!) levels that are in the game. I also asked a good friend of mine Alec Holowka to pitch in for music, and like a true hero he always delivers.
Oh, and I totally did not sleep between Saturday and Sunday. In fact, right now while writing this blog post I have been awake for 34 hours. And hey, look at this! It was featured on Indie Games Blog!
I would love to hear any feedback about the game, so if you have any be sure to drop a comment in the form below.
Global Game Jam a go go!
Posted by Peter Jones on January 29th, 2010 in General
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The Global Game Jam starts....now! Developers from all over the world come together for a most creative 48 hours and Retro Affect has opened its doors as the Phoenix site. Watch us while we work at the Global Game Jam website or you can watch AND chat us up here.
This year's theme is deception. We set up a progress board where we'll upload images of our work throughout the weekend. If you're lucky (and we're productive...), we just might post the fruits of our labors when we're finished...
This year's theme is deception. We set up a progress board where we'll upload images of our work throughout the weekend. If you're lucky (and we're productive...), we just might post the fruits of our labors when we're finished...
It's so quiet around here!
Posted by Kyle Pulver on December 26th, 2009 in Snapshot
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...and I'm here to explain why!
We're working really really hard on Snapshot, and sometimes we just forget that we have an awesome website to update. So far we haven't shown any media involving the new version of the game. We have a single screenshot currently posted on the site, but for now that's all we want to reveal. I know, the prototype trailer released last year is getting a little old, but I think you'll be happy once we start revealing what we've been working on.
You see, these things just cannot be rushed. We need to make Snapshot as good as we can possibly make it, and well, these things take time. Eventually we will get to the point where we will want to show off more and more of the game, but for now we'll just have to keep our faithful readers on the edge of their seats.
I know things have been unusually quiet, and some are beginning to question "Where did Snapshot go? Is it vaporware?! Was it abandoned?" Fear not, my internet brethren, Snapshot is alive in well in our hearts and in the computers at the Retro Affect studio. So while you wait patiently to find out what exactly has been going on with Snapshot, you should go play some other amazing indie games, like Captain Forever for example. Or how about some Blurst games to hold you over? And even check out the upcoming gravity platformer vvvvvv!
That's all I've got for you for now, so keep your eyes peeled, and at some point in the coming weeks we will have some new Snapshot stuff to reveal to the world!
We're working really really hard on Snapshot, and sometimes we just forget that we have an awesome website to update. So far we haven't shown any media involving the new version of the game. We have a single screenshot currently posted on the site, but for now that's all we want to reveal. I know, the prototype trailer released last year is getting a little old, but I think you'll be happy once we start revealing what we've been working on.
You see, these things just cannot be rushed. We need to make Snapshot as good as we can possibly make it, and well, these things take time. Eventually we will get to the point where we will want to show off more and more of the game, but for now we'll just have to keep our faithful readers on the edge of their seats.
I know things have been unusually quiet, and some are beginning to question "Where did Snapshot go? Is it vaporware?! Was it abandoned?" Fear not, my internet brethren, Snapshot is alive in well in our hearts and in the computers at the Retro Affect studio. So while you wait patiently to find out what exactly has been going on with Snapshot, you should go play some other amazing indie games, like Captain Forever for example. Or how about some Blurst games to hold you over? And even check out the upcoming gravity platformer vvvvvv!
That's all I've got for you for now, so keep your eyes peeled, and at some point in the coming weeks we will have some new Snapshot stuff to reveal to the world!
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