Righty then,
Apple Jack 2 on PC is basically finished now, with just a bit of testing to be done on it by the excellent folks at Tofu Testing, who helped with the original XBLIG release.
Once that's done I will need to copy across many of the PC alterations to Apple Jack 1, which I'd LIKE to say won't take very long at all, but given my track record at estimating these things will probably take three years or something.
Then I'll look to stick both games on as many PC distribution services as will have it. Clearly Steam is where the bulk of the audience is but the chances of these two UK-centric 2D platformers getting anywhere on their crappy crowd-sourced Greenlight system are roughly zero. It might still be worth submitting to it for publicity reasons, but otherwise I'll have to look elsewhere.
For several reasons I'm tempted to try and port the games to Ouya too:
i) It's a console (of sorts) and consoles are what I like best
ii) It'll be a nice way of learning Monogame, which looks to be a good successor to XNA
iii) It'll give me an excuse to buy an Ouya, to replace the original Xbox which I still use as an emulation console.
iv) Ouya is fun to say. Oooya! Oooooya!
A 3DS or Vita version of AJ2 would be great too, but I'm probably too smalltime to be allowed on those, even with the great reviews it got.
Thursday, 18 July 2013
Saturday, 4 May 2013
Seven months later...
Hello!
It's been an absurd amount of time since I posted an update on here, during which not a lot of progress has been made on the PC versions of AJ1&2, or indeed much else programming-wise.
This is mostly due to my poor, abused back, which has spent several years propping up my arms and head while I tap away at the computer, with no back rest to support it. Turns out that this is VERY BAD, and the final stretch Apple Jack 2 pretty much knackered it completely, to the point where I had to lay off the computer work until I could make it stop bloody hurting all the time.
Thankfully, after getting a proper chair and doing stretches for several months it's finally back to normal and I can get on with finishing the conversions. No more testing is required at this stage, but thanks to everyone who has continued to offer help in that area.
Once THAT'S done, I can finally start to work on a new game! There are dozens of ideas ready to go, from the simple to the absurdly ambitious. The one I really want to do is a very peculiar shoot'em up, which would involve hooking up with a decent artist (due to the amount of drawing required), and an actor to play the part of a giant space orange. Brian Blessed would be the perfect man for the job, but he's a bit expensive and there's a lot of dialogue.
Other ideas include a stealth game, a one-button platformer, a 3D platformer, a body-hell beat'em up and a puzzle game. I've also got the set-up and plot of Apple Jack 3 nailed down, but I really want to work on something else first.
Progress should be swift on the PC conversions, so keep your scanners peeled for more updates.
P.S. To Futil1ty in the comments section of the previous entry - there isn't really a trick to completing 5-13, you just have to be good at wall jumping. It was actually even harder when the game was first released, but so many people got stuck I had to patch it. Think yourself lucky!
It's been an absurd amount of time since I posted an update on here, during which not a lot of progress has been made on the PC versions of AJ1&2, or indeed much else programming-wise.
This is mostly due to my poor, abused back, which has spent several years propping up my arms and head while I tap away at the computer, with no back rest to support it. Turns out that this is VERY BAD, and the final stretch Apple Jack 2 pretty much knackered it completely, to the point where I had to lay off the computer work until I could make it stop bloody hurting all the time.
Thankfully, after getting a proper chair and doing stretches for several months it's finally back to normal and I can get on with finishing the conversions. No more testing is required at this stage, but thanks to everyone who has continued to offer help in that area.
Once THAT'S done, I can finally start to work on a new game! There are dozens of ideas ready to go, from the simple to the absurdly ambitious. The one I really want to do is a very peculiar shoot'em up, which would involve hooking up with a decent artist (due to the amount of drawing required), and an actor to play the part of a giant space orange. Brian Blessed would be the perfect man for the job, but he's a bit expensive and there's a lot of dialogue.
Other ideas include a stealth game, a one-button platformer, a 3D platformer, a body-hell beat'em up and a puzzle game. I've also got the set-up and plot of Apple Jack 3 nailed down, but I really want to work on something else first.
Progress should be swift on the PC conversions, so keep your scanners peeled for more updates.
P.S. To Futil1ty in the comments section of the previous entry - there isn't really a trick to completing 5-13, you just have to be good at wall jumping. It was actually even harder when the game was first released, but so many people got stuck I had to patch it. Think yourself lucky!
Wednesday, 31 October 2012
Hello!
Just a quick post to say that the 10 or so testers that kindly gave up their time to put Apple Jack through it's IBM compatible paces have done an excellent job, and left me with a long list of things to do before I can finally release it.
The first attempt was a bit of a non-starter, since it failed to install properly on all but one computer.
The second version ran properly for the most part but generated the aforementioned list of shame, which I shall work through over the coming weeks.
No more testing is needed now. Thanks to everyone who helped out or offered help once I already had enough helpers; names will be added to the credits menu before release and I'll send the finished games to you once I know better where they are going to end up.
Just a quick post to say that the 10 or so testers that kindly gave up their time to put Apple Jack through it's IBM compatible paces have done an excellent job, and left me with a long list of things to do before I can finally release it.
The first attempt was a bit of a non-starter, since it failed to install properly on all but one computer.
The second version ran properly for the most part but generated the aforementioned list of shame, which I shall work through over the coming weeks.
No more testing is needed now. Thanks to everyone who helped out or offered help once I already had enough helpers; names will be added to the credits menu before release and I'll send the finished games to you once I know better where they are going to end up.
Wednesday, 10 October 2012
Testers needed!
Hello!
The PC versions of both Apple Jack games are now basically done, and they both run well on MY computer.
But PCs are a varied bunch, and I'd like to see how they work (in fact, if they work at all) on as many different computers as possible. Would you like to help test the two games? Simply seeing if they install and run would be a great help, regardless of whether you actually play them or not.
Also the keyboard and mouse controls need a good test, and I'd like to see how smooth the games are on lower spec systems.
Testers will get the full versions of both games when they are released, and also I'll put their name in the credits section (buried right on the last page, but still).
If you're interested, please email me at the my_owl email address on the top right, and I'll get back to you.
The PC versions of both Apple Jack games are now basically done, and they both run well on MY computer.
But PCs are a varied bunch, and I'd like to see how they work (in fact, if they work at all) on as many different computers as possible. Would you like to help test the two games? Simply seeing if they install and run would be a great help, regardless of whether you actually play them or not.
Also the keyboard and mouse controls need a good test, and I'd like to see how smooth the games are on lower spec systems.
Testers will get the full versions of both games when they are released, and also I'll put their name in the credits section (buried right on the last page, but still).
If you're interested, please email me at the my_owl email address on the top right, and I'll get back to you.
Wednesday, 5 September 2012
Hello!
Since I last, er, blogged, I've been s-l-o-w-l-y working on converting the two Apple Jack games to PC. Not a difficult task, you might think, given that they were developed on a PC in the first place, but you reckon without three important factors:
1) I was a bit burned out after the year+ working on AJ2 and haven't been motivated to do much programming.
2) While the games runs perfectly with a controller on PC, keyboard & mouse controls are a different story and 'aim mode' has been a pain to implement. The best I could come up with is a system which uses the keyboard to move and the mouse to jump, pick-up and throw. By holding the throw button the aim arrow appears which you can then move around with the mouse. Takes a bit of getting used to but it works.
3) Reprogramming all the menus has been a proper pain in the arse. It's almost as if I didn't plan ahead when I did them initially and made things ten times harder for myself!
That said, most of the work has been done now, and after a bit more polishing up they'll be ready for testing.
Since I last, er, blogged, I've been s-l-o-w-l-y working on converting the two Apple Jack games to PC. Not a difficult task, you might think, given that they were developed on a PC in the first place, but you reckon without three important factors:
1) I was a bit burned out after the year+ working on AJ2 and haven't been motivated to do much programming.
2) While the games runs perfectly with a controller on PC, keyboard & mouse controls are a different story and 'aim mode' has been a pain to implement. The best I could come up with is a system which uses the keyboard to move and the mouse to jump, pick-up and throw. By holding the throw button the aim arrow appears which you can then move around with the mouse. Takes a bit of getting used to but it works.
3) Reprogramming all the menus has been a proper pain in the arse. It's almost as if I didn't plan ahead when I did them initially and made things ten times harder for myself!
That said, most of the work has been done now, and after a bit more polishing up they'll be ready for testing.
Monday, 23 July 2012
Stuck? Youtube has you covered!
I think we can all agree now that Apple Jack 2 is the best game ever made. A Gameranking of 83.33% is proof enough of that.
However, it HAS received criticism from some quarters for its high degree of difficulty, and while I'd never dream of making it any easier (man up, pussies), a chap called hwogrillo on youtube has helpfully decided to play through the whole game level by level, which may help you out a bit if you're stuck.
Here's his video showing him completing level 30 : Stacking, and one of the more problematic puzzles in the game:
Very useful!
If you need help on another level or just want to watch the ending credits (he uploaded them too) his channel can be found here: http://www.youtube.com/user/hwogrillo?feature=watch
I assume it's a him.
However, it HAS received criticism from some quarters for its high degree of difficulty, and while I'd never dream of making it any easier (man up, pussies), a chap called hwogrillo on youtube has helpfully decided to play through the whole game level by level, which may help you out a bit if you're stuck.
Here's his video showing him completing level 30 : Stacking, and one of the more problematic puzzles in the game:
Very useful!
If you need help on another level or just want to watch the ending credits (he uploaded them too) his channel can be found here: http://www.youtube.com/user/hwogrillo?feature=watch
I assume it's a him.
Monday, 9 July 2012
Review Roundup Vol.2
Apple Jack 2 has had several more reviews since that post a couple of weeks ago, and here they are:
First up, the pleasingly named CHUD.COM do an indie round up every week and their reviewer Robert Ottone was very fond of the game, calling it 'an absolute masterpiece' and placing it alongside Botanicula as one of his favourite indie games of the year. Read it here.
Wesley Copeland at VideoGamesInteractive starts his review with ' Apple Jack 2 is: Zany, funny, beautiful, weird, pulse-racing and most importantly fun!, and continues to rave about the game throughout the rest of the review. And I didn't have to pay him a penny! Read it here
Long term Apple Jack supporters Armless Octopus weren't quite do effusive in their praise, raising concerns about the game's difficulty and hit detection. That said, they still call AJ2 one of the best games in it's genre and award it four stars, which will do me just fine. Read it here.
TheXBLIG had similar concerns about the game's difficulty, although their reviewer Tim Hurley felt that the rewind feature helped in softening it slightly. He then goes on to call the soundtrack 'Coldplay-esque', which I'm not so sure about. Does it sound like Coldplay? I don't immediately want to punch someone when I'm listening to it, so on balance probably not. Read it here.
Lastly, Keza MacDonald gave the game a full, front page review at IGN, calling it 'One of the loveliest things on the Xbox' and awarding it 8/10. Apparently my personality shines through 'in every piece of artwork or puzzle setpiece' so it's almost as if she awarded ME 8/10. I'll take that, frankly! Read it here.
EDIT: Since I posted these reviews, both Eurogamer and Edge have reviewed the game:
Eurogamer loved it, giving it 9/10 and comparing the variety and invention of the levels to Bangai-O, which pleased me greatly (I love Bangai-O). Read it here.
I hope the Edge review ends up in the magazine like the first one, but I can hardly turn my nose up at an online review that calls it 'every bit as inventive and challenging as the original'. 8/10! Read it here
Good eh! A ton of positive reviews overall, including three from major gaming sites. Special thanks to intro artist and professional copywriter Neil W for preparing the press releases.
First up, the pleasingly named CHUD.COM do an indie round up every week and their reviewer Robert Ottone was very fond of the game, calling it 'an absolute masterpiece' and placing it alongside Botanicula as one of his favourite indie games of the year. Read it here.
Wesley Copeland at VideoGamesInteractive starts his review with ' Apple Jack 2 is: Zany, funny, beautiful, weird, pulse-racing and most importantly fun!, and continues to rave about the game throughout the rest of the review. And I didn't have to pay him a penny! Read it here
Long term Apple Jack supporters Armless Octopus weren't quite do effusive in their praise, raising concerns about the game's difficulty and hit detection. That said, they still call AJ2 one of the best games in it's genre and award it four stars, which will do me just fine. Read it here.
TheXBLIG had similar concerns about the game's difficulty, although their reviewer Tim Hurley felt that the rewind feature helped in softening it slightly. He then goes on to call the soundtrack 'Coldplay-esque', which I'm not so sure about. Does it sound like Coldplay? I don't immediately want to punch someone when I'm listening to it, so on balance probably not. Read it here.
Lastly, Keza MacDonald gave the game a full, front page review at IGN, calling it 'One of the loveliest things on the Xbox' and awarding it 8/10. Apparently my personality shines through 'in every piece of artwork or puzzle setpiece' so it's almost as if she awarded ME 8/10. I'll take that, frankly! Read it here.
EDIT: Since I posted these reviews, both Eurogamer and Edge have reviewed the game:
Eurogamer loved it, giving it 9/10 and comparing the variety and invention of the levels to Bangai-O, which pleased me greatly (I love Bangai-O). Read it here.
I hope the Edge review ends up in the magazine like the first one, but I can hardly turn my nose up at an online review that calls it 'every bit as inventive and challenging as the original'. 8/10! Read it here
Good eh! A ton of positive reviews overall, including three from major gaming sites. Special thanks to intro artist and professional copywriter Neil W for preparing the press releases.
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