This week a new milestone in the history of roguelikes was reached. The first episode of the Roguelike Radio podcast was released! To my knowledge this is the first time a roguelike podcast has been produced and I do hope many more episodes will be released. The first podcast does a deep analysis of the recently released commercial roguelike Cardinal Quest.
The podcast is being produced by Darren Grey, Andrew Doull and Scott Edgar. Darren and Andrew are veterans of the roguelike scene and they've contributed in many different ways to the progression of the roguelike genre. Andrew is the guy behind the popular Angband variant Unangband and the Procedural Content Generation wiki and Darren is the developer behind the innovative Gruesome roguelike and he has contributed to the r.g.r.dev news group for years. Scott Edgar was previously unknown to me, but he did a good job in the podcast. Keep it up guys!
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Monday, August 29, 2011
Hawken Story Teaser
Adhesive Games, the people behind the in-dev mecha combat game Hawken, have released a teaser trailer revealing some of the backstory of Hawken. Not only does the video feature some really nice environments but it also shows some more in-game combat footage. For some weird reason I begin to drool every time I get some more mecha videos to look at. I wonder why?
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Kingdom Rush
I've never really enjoyed tower defence style games, but I do believe Kingdom Rush is a bit of an exception. Your task is to protect your kingdom from raiding Orcs, Goblins and other monsters. You build barracks, archery towers, mages, call in reinforcements and use abilities such as meteor rain to stop the advancing hordes. The graphics is really cute and cartoony and the audio is fitting. You play in a campaign mode across a big map and you earn stars that can be used to buy upgrades or abilities when you complete a zone.
/ ESCAPE \
It seems like games where you need to reach as high as possible while dodging obstacles are very popular. Have a look at previous reviews such as Cuboy Hot Pants, Tobe's Hook Shot Escape and The Blocks Cometh to find more of the same kind. In / ESCAPE \ you need to jump and slide on the sides of a vertical shaft while avoiding spiky sections of the walls while at the same time not getting caught by the slowly advancing laser beam. The game is surprisingly addictive (as is most games of this genre). The "one-more-time" feeling immediately hit you.
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Dweller status update
I'm guessing that you're starting to wonder what happened to the next Dweller update? I haven't had much time to work on Dweller these last few weeks, but progress is steady (although slow) and it shouldn't be to long until a new version is released. My main area of focus since the last release has been to pave the way for more spells and making spell casting more interesting. What I've done is to externalize spell definitions into it's own configuration file. This will allow me to add new spells much easier and faster than before. Spells will now also be able to have different areas of effect such as line, chain, cone, circle, single target or all visible targets.
Another important area where Dweller need some attention is the user interface. There are too many menus in Dweller and it becomes a hassle to do simple things. It is a big task and it needs to be broken down into manageable pieces for each new release. What I've worked on in this release is to make it easier to access commonly used items from your inventory. Things like healing potions, scrolls and spell books should be accessible with a minimum of interaction. Starting from the next release you will have access to something I call quick-slots. In these slots you will be able to put often used items such as potions and have access to them immediately from the main UI while playing.
Another important area where Dweller need some attention is the user interface. There are too many menus in Dweller and it becomes a hassle to do simple things. It is a big task and it needs to be broken down into manageable pieces for each new release. What I've worked on in this release is to make it easier to access commonly used items from your inventory. Things like healing potions, scrolls and spell books should be accessible with a minimum of interaction. Starting from the next release you will have access to something I call quick-slots. In these slots you will be able to put often used items such as potions and have access to them immediately from the main UI while playing.
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Blipzkrieg
I'm really in love with the graphical style of Blipzkrieg. The combination of Tron like graphics and the organic flowing movement of the swarming opponents is really appealing. Your avatar is a circular "blip" that you control by clicking and dragging a path on the map. Nearby allies attract to your avatar and follow you. You need to guide yourself and your allies to an end-point on each map by cleverly utilizing the features of the level, attacking enemies when you outnumber them and fleeing when outnumbered.
Mr.Runner 2
Mr Runner 2 (MR2) is a side scrolling runner variation of Canabalt. In MR2 you jump and slide through levels filled with obstacles such as spikey floors, walls and large gaps. You mostly run left to right, but at times you need to jump up walls to proceed through the level. While running you can collect coins that together with time will accumulate to your level score. The game feels a bit sluggish and it doesn't scroll as smoothly as Canabalt. It is well worth a try though!
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