ID:85961
 
Keywords: techtree

Random Facebook friends of Tayoko are now sending me friend requests.  I don't mind, but I'd appreciate knowing why.  If you're one of them, please send my Facebook account a message with your BYOND key (or include it in the request).

...Especially if you're a minor so I don't look like a pervert. ;)

Devourer Of Soul's hybrid, Witches Chess, is now featured!  Give it a try even if you have a mental block regarding normal Chess!  The spells give it quite a different feel.  =)

Witches Chess was incredibly close to meeting the featured checklist and a quick reply to my post in the Suggestions forum sealed the deal.  Other developers might want to note that I now regard Wikipedia links to common game rules to be acceptable.  This is because the site is likely to be accessible for quite a long time.  Granted, those seeking true immortality might still want to compile their rules with their project no matter how common they are.

Kylemark's empire-building conquest, World at War, has been added to the guild.  I'm wary of the outside helpfile, but the YouTube tutorial is a nice touch.  There's a download available and a server up as I type this.

Taking a break from developing the scenario editor for Wargames2, Acebloke released an update for his aptly named path defense game, Micro Defense.  The helpfile has been updated, enemies now give hints as to how much damage they've taken, a scoreboard was added, and 2 new medals are being tracked by AceMedalTable.

Acebloke also updated his GIAD 2007 entry, Two Towers, but I'm not clear on it's genre yet.

Oasiscircle updated his defense game, Turtle Towers.  Unfortunately, he has not made his usual notes in the forum so I'm not sure about all of the changes.  I'm going to go out on a limb and say that he used the latest version of BYOND though.  The old version I'm using won't run it.

On the bright side, I figure I'm temporarily off the hook for not suggesting some interface changes...  I'm not sure what my excuses are for Oasiscircle's other nifty games.  Granted, I shouldn't need any because all developers read the feature checklist and post alerts in the forums when we volunteers miss things, right?  (I wish.)

Rushnut released an update of his version of Abra's base defense game, Castle.  He fixed bugs, changed the interface a bit, and dared to trifle with wizards.

Keeping track would be a lot easier if Rushnut simply created a new hub entry.  The audience is already divided.  Let people use BYOND's automatic updates.

DarkCampainger has been busy.  Of particular note to the guild is the announcement of a turn-based, tactical boardgame called Breach.  In it, players try to break through the enemy line with a small formation of units whose stats are based on their equipment.  DarkCampainger is currently trying to decide how much of the game state he wants to display.  Hopefully, a version will be playable soon.

Darkjohn66's Tactical Spellcasters team appears to be in flux.  They're currently looking for someone to create the icons.  (I'd settle for a banner to label them in Tech Tree.)

I was a little nervous when the art requirements were described as "the stuff any good RPG needs", but Darkjohn66 revealed the inspiration is an RPG/RTS hybrid for the Nintendo DS called LostMagic.  Good news, mom!  We can stop pretending I'm a pervert who only mentioned Tactical Spellcasters for its sexy title screen request.

Tyebye is looking for a team to help with a game inspired by Spore.  Compensation and doing more than organizing might help.  There is a concept posted, but I find that the real work of designing a game comes from all of the minor details that might not be anticipated until implementation.

Dragonblix appears to be working on a version of Chess.  Well, he was anyway.  And then the RPG zombies came.  Frelling zombies.

EmpirezTeam's Empirez has been removed from the guild. It can be listed again if it gains a functional download link or a frequent server. Perhaps it's just the small window of time I've been checking, but I have not been able to track the latter.

I've been distracted with a new game design, but I'm still working on the next version of my card-battling boardgame, PathWrath 2.  I have yet to test the individual phase interfaces.  Fortunately, I did manage to reformat card events and modifiers so there are no longer issues with automatic scrolling.

Fooldom Come: One subscription. Many games.

I had two reviews from The Dice Tower, the latest offering from The Dogface Show, and a Scott Nicholson report from the Filofilo Fiesta Ludiq board game event in Montreal. However, it's probably better to encourage BYOND game videos.

Got news? Molly Lewis, otherwise known as sweetafton23, released a CD and has a few shows coming up.

Along The Tech Tree CXXXVII: I'm Not a Pervert
I had a problem with a couple BYONDers stalking my wife on Facebook. Creepy, creepy, creepy.
Nor am I, I guess its another borderline. Its not that detailed enough to be clear cut strategy.

As for Facebook, I've found people (that by and large I do personally know) would rather friend my wife than me, even though many of them have never met her.
SilkWizard wrote:
I had a problem with a couple BYONDers stalking my wife on Facebook. Creepy, creepy, creepy.

Lol, if you go on the BYOND Facebook group, you'd be surprised at how many winners you'll find.
Video tutorials are a good idea.
SilkWizard wrote:
I had a problem with a couple BYONDers stalking my wife on Facebook. Creepy, creepy, creepy.

When you invite people you've never met into your life via a blog, you're kind've asking for it. It was probably more of a joke than actual stalking, considering your reputation here.
@Zxcvdnm: No. There is no point where harassing someone's family members becomes fair game.


@Acebloke: In your defense, part of the reason I'm not sure about Two Towers is because I can't appear to run it in the old version of BYOND I'm using. I'm holding out while I upgrade a couple of my games.
Jeff8500 wrote:
Lol, if you go on the BYOND Facebook group, you'd be surprised at how many winners you'll find.

Oh boy... didn't even know that existed. Browsing the pictures of the people in the members list is at once hilarious and not surprising at all.


ACWraith wrote:
@Zxcvdnm: No. There is no point where harassing someone's family members becomes fair game.

Exactly.
Foomer, you should think about posting these on ScrewAttack as well. They just overhauled the site and now support member blogs, video/image uploading, and a bunch of other stuff for free.
SuperAntx wrote:
Foomer, you should think about posting these on ScrewAttack as well. They just overhauled the site and now support member blogs, video/image uploading, and a bunch of other stuff for free.

Foomer?! 137 columns and I don't get the credit? ;)
Sorry, my mistake. lol
ACWraith wrote:
Foomer?! 137 columns and I don't get the credit? ;)

I'm just so l33t he figured it was me. :P
I looked into ScrewAttack. I'm trying to figure out is if it's just another time sink like IGN was.

Do people actually read blogs about that which is not already popular there? There's a certain mindset that cares more about mainstream tidbits than learning anything new unless you spend eons ingratiating yourself in other aspects of the community. (And even then it's a crap shoot.) Frankly, I only have the resources to get in, post, and get out.

Also, how many people are posting? If Tech Tree can't get some time on the front page then nobody is likely to find it. Right now, I'm looking at a front page that was filled in about half an hour. That doesn't speak well of Tech Tree's chances.


At this point, if I have to advertise a blog that in itself serves as a form of advertising, then I'd rather link to BYOND Strategy itself. Gamasutra is only an exception because Tech Tree gets a little bit of face time and possibly some credibility.
I see where you're coming from and for the most part, you're right about not getting enough exposure. You have to keep in mind the site just updated two days ago and everyone is excited and trying out all the new features.

I posted a simple help wanted ad on my blog and in a few hours it received around 150 hits, all non-BYONDers. I got a few nice comments and some interesting personal messages.

I don't think you'll notice a huge difference, but it's more hits for BYOND and more links from a non-BYOND site. I was actually thinking of starting a "so you wanna be a game developer?" series over there and introducing them to BYOND.
I'm probably stubborn and stupid enough to give it a shot for any number of non-BYOND views. IGN usually had zero, never went over double digits and never had any comments.

That said, the first few sentences of your post mentioned Gears of War, CoD4 and a chance to get credit on a related game. I'm not sure Tech Tree has the same mainstream/glory hound bait.
Haha. To tell you the truth that was unintentional, I just wanted to describe the game in as few words as possible. It's a good strategy though, I'll have to keep that in mind.

Let me know if you make an account over there and I'll friend you.
ACWraith wrote:
@Zxcvdnm: No. There is no point where harassing someone's family members becomes fair game.

I never said it was fair game, but it would be ignorant to assume that people won't abuse Silk's misplaced trust when he starts arming people who quite frankly don't like him at all with simple things like names, photos, and social networking profiles.
ACWraith wrote:
the first few sentences of your post mentioned Gears of War, CoD4 and a chance to get credit on a related game.

Then I'll create a fake project called Assassin's Call of Duty: the Halo Gears of Star Wars Creed for you.