Tag Archives: Project MSG

April and Pseudo 3D Shenanigans

April turned out to be an eventful, fruitful and an exceptionally busy month over here at 16-BIT Shock HQ. Unfortunately all that activity didn’t translate to regular blog updates which isn’t something I’m particularly happy about. Ideally I would love to post an article at least once a week but that’s not possible with my current work schedule. Nevertheless, I do plan to post on more regular intervals in the coming months.

The increase in workload over April was due to fine-tuning and tweaking of existing game projects. Some further fine-tuning was also applied to the current business model. In order to deal with a shifting gaming landscape, some changes were necessary in how future projects are to be executed. PC & mobile game development are two entirely different beasts and require their own unique approach.

Another area I spent considerable time on is sharpening my physics GML scripting skills. While GML shares a lot of similarities with Java and even C++, it does have it’s unique quirks which can be both funny and frustrating. Generally I only foresee limited use of some of the physics code I put together. Mainly for craft and character movement as that’s what it’s most suited for.

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Sega’s Galaxy Force II showcased impressive 2D scaling

I even got round to using GM Studio’s 3D features, quite a change for a 2D game developer. Surprisingly it seemed a lot easier to implement a 3D environment than I expected it to be. There are no plans to develop any 3D games but if I ever decided to move in this direction, I would love to make something similar to Namco’s Cyber Sled or Sega’s Virtual On. However I’ve been experimenting a bit with pseudo-3D – the type of 3D that consists of scalable 2D bitmaps ala After Burner, Out Run, Galaxy Force, Space Harrier etc.

Now this is far more challenging than I expected but I finally got some neat results. There is quite a bit of math involved and precision is mandatory. Any scalable bitmap that is 1 – 2 pixels out of place will seriously mess up proceedings. It’s evident why this type of 3D fakery fell out of favour and 3D polygons were readily adopted back in the mid-90’s. Far from a practical way to depict a 3D world effectively, but nonetheless it’s cool to see again – and quite the nostalgia trip.

This technique will find it’s way in some of my game projects, simply because it’s interesting and not commonly used nowadays. One of the games I’m currently busy on, comprises of scalable 2D but in a subtle manner. It will also be a title that is drenched in 80’s aesthetics to the hilt – I wouldn’t have it any other way 🙂

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Top 10 Articles Of 2014

We’re almost a fortnight into 2015 and I hope it’s been going great for everyone. Here at 16-BIT Shock HQ, things are moving along at a brisk pace. Work on game projects resumed early last week, after a short holiday break.

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Before moving on with fresh content for the new year, let’s take this opportunity for a brief recap of top posts on this blog. Several articles proved to be quite popular with readers and it would be great to showcase them again. Particularly for those who discovered this blog, only recently. The following list features a quick rundown of those posts truly, resonating with folks during 2014, and my personal viewpoint of why that is the case.

Just click on the relative heading and you will be taken directly to the article:

  1. Tools Of The Trade – GameMaker : Studio – Certainly the most read article on this site by a large margin, and quite understandably so. With the explosion of indie game development in recent years, everyone is looking around for the best ways to make games. This article gives a brief overview of one of the most popular game engines in existence today.
  2. Project MSG – Early Development – The game project I’ve been working on and has fortunately excited a few people. It’s a 2D retro-style shooting game with a top-down view perspective set within a cyberpunk universe. Many folks loved the logo and the pixel-art style, and in turn generated some interesting conversation between us. I appreciate all the input I’ve received and will be sharing more about this project in the near future.
  3. Developing For Vintage Hardware – It’s a no-brainer why this post struck a nerve, after all the number of retro gaming and computer aficionados keeps growing. Homebrew development is both intriguing and reinvigorating within the game development scene. Vintage consoles and computer systems, with their limited capabilities offer alternative, frankly more interesting roads for creative expression.
  4. Cybermanga – I’m a huge fan of anime & manga, particularly from the 80’s – 90’s. And it seems so are plenty of people visiting this site, even attracting significant traffic from Japan. The influence of these art forms play a big part in my own creative path and this post gives a brief overview.
  5. This Is For Retro Lovers – On the 2nd of June 2014, I wrote this blog’s very first post. Short, sweet and straight to the point – ultimately setting the general tone for future articles. Surprisingly it attracted a far larger audience than I was expecting, considering it was very early days for the blog.
  6. The 16-BIT Shock Design Philosophy – Probably one of the more important articles I’ve written here. The goal was to convey the direction that my game development projects were to take. Worth a read for recent visitors.
  7. Prototyping And Arcade Presentation – A fairly recent article, managing to gain far more traction than I was expecting. I covered an issue in games that I feel should gain more attention, and that’s the matter of how they are presented. Arcade games in particular are a great example of how this could be done.
  8. Anti-Establishment – Another one of those articles that had a significant impact with readers. Further reiterating key points from the 16-BIT Shock Design Philosophy article. Perhaps a tad more cheeky, but still attracting small trickles of traffic several months after it was published.
  9. Tools Of The Trade – GraphicsGale – At one point, pixel art seemed like it was a dying art form. Fortunately it has been rejuvenated recently with all the interest in retro and indie gaming. One of the better, if not the best pixel art editor is GraphicsGale. A personal favourite of mine which I go into more detail in this post.
  10. FM Synthesis & Video Games: Kick Drums & Toms – Last but not least, is this excellent article by Joe Giliver from Ocular Audio. Joe’s vast knowledge in music composition and FM synthesis is a great help in understanding what is substantially niche subject matter. Lately FM synthesis, is enjoying growing interest which is in line with the resurgence of retro gaming, computing and 80’s synthesizer music.

Plenty of reading there, great way to start the new year I would think. Future articles will tread similar ground for the most part. However, there will be a shift in focus around the periods when I’ll be releasing my game projects. Naturally there will be greater emphasis on these as should be expected.

 

 

 

 

Have A Happy New Year!

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I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a very happy and prosperous 2015!

We wave goodbye to the old year, and welcome in the new one. Hopefully it will be an even better year for everyone, dreams materializing and wishes fulfilled. If you’ve enjoyed a great year, I hope good fortune will follow you through to 2015. However, if 2014 was troubling for you, I am empathetic of the difficult times you may be going through – stay strong, better days are ahead. Sooner or later, we all encounter those dark periods in our lives and we have no choice but to deal with them. As trite as that may sound, it really is one of those truths that life bestows upon us.

I know many of the fine folks reading this blog are predominantly gamers, fellow game developers or those involved in other creative fields. Your interest and moral support is highly appreciated. This blog took off around mid-year and has gradually earned a small audience which I’m pleased about. Regardless of the niche subject matter covered here, the enthusiasm is great and that’s what counts in the end.

My own game development endeavours are moving forward steadily. I spent much of December streamlining my development pipeline and reorganizing the work schedule. As I’m now involved with two game projects, an efficient development process is now of even greater importance. There are plans to release both games in 2015, there are no set dates yet. If all goes well, at least one title will be available in the early part of the year.

At this point in development, I can safely say that both games are high on coolness factor. So high, that I sometimes wonder if they wouldn’t be better served as a kind of fashion accessory. Weird as it sounds; comparisons to wearable accessories aside, I do see these games as a form of expression – both for creator and player alike. As a creator I get to express my influences, personal style cues and signature within my projects. On the other hand, players who take to my games will also be expressing their own tastes. Of course the entertainment value of any game is of utmost importance, but our tastes often define us and that’s important to.

It’s time to wrap-up, I’m sure many of you are preparing for the end of year festivities. If there’s one thing I regret about 2014 is that I didn’t get to play many games. I just happened to be incredibly busy with business issues, and developing games on top of that doesn’t actually help matters. For those aspiring devs, thinking that they will have more time available to spend on their favourite hobby should think again. You’re more likely to spend time playing your own game over and over and over. Not necessarily a bad thing but missing out on gaming does sting. While one of my new year’s resolutions is to play more games during 2015, I’ll hold out until I have released my own games.

For the rest of you, happy gaming in the coming year!

Best

Demos Antypas / 16-BIT Shock