BYOND Strategy's site

Along The Tech Tree #191 TIMBER!

Fri, 31 Dec 2010 02:46:02 +0000

Welcome to what I plan to be the final column of Tech Tree. The BYOND site will soon be redesigned and, while guilds will still be available, I think my efforts would be best spent site-wide. Fugsnarf appears to be planning a schedule for BYOND Weekly, but I have a different style and some years of experience that might still be of use. I've turtled long enough with open standards and regular content. It's time to expand.

Congratulations to Starcraft analyst/commentator Sean "Day[9]" Plott. He is PC Gamer UK's Gamer of the Year! Frell yeah! Funday Mondays are the only time I laugh anymore.
Congratulations to Spryfox and Radial Games as well. Steambirds won the grand prize in IndiePub's Mobile Games Competition.
Over on Big Download, John Callaham interviewed Iron Helmet founder Jay Kyburz about the browser-based strategy Blight of the Immortals.
GDC Vault has released the First Annual GDC Independent Games Festival Finalists Showreel. Party like it's 1999! Then check out the juries and Nuovo award finalists for 2011.
I tend to run a little behind in my podcasts, but I recommend listening to episode 7 of Infinite Ammo. Alec Holowka and Derek Yu celebrated the third anniversary of Aquaria, but the most interesting bit might be about what it's like trying to run TIGSource.

I'm still handling BYOND's Facebook page. Developers, please polish your work to get it featured! I don't like constantly linking to the same game or two, but it's the only material available. I will be pushing for open standards across the site.

Last I knew, Acebloke was planning on releasing a bunch of updates before the end of the year. The next version of his featured abstract board game, Exploder, should have been available by Saturday. The next version of his military/economic sim, Wargames, should be out today. And there's five more... Unfortunately, I have yet to see anything released.

What has been released is news of the prizes for this year's AceMedalTable. The top three will gain short subscriptions to Acebloke's projects. Pre-release access to the Spore-inspired graphical MUD Dreamland is also on the menu. Along with the prizes, a poll is being held to help determine whether to allow players to purchase access early (sort of like Minecraft).

Tsfreaks has posted his year in review for 2010. His small RTS, MRTS, remains less than half finished and is unlikely to be continued due to the amount of moving parts and lack of a perceived audience. His turn-based Hexwar, however, could still see a release.

Of course, there are plenty of other projects included in his review and some are much more successful. However, passing up the chance to appear strategy-biased in the final Tech Tree seems like sacrilege. MUHUHAHAHA!

Mecha Destroyer JD hosted a test session for Ultra Strife. He doesn't appear to be thrilled with the results, but he manged to uncover some gamebreaking bugs. I figure that's what testing is for. He's currently keeping a new project close to his chest and thinking of entering a contest.

...BTW, The BYOND Cartridge Classic II ends at 12AM BST on February 1st!

Last announced in October, Twin II is back to work on his tactical RPG engine. Along with a couple new screenshots, he describes some animations and the difficulties of arranging art for an isometric perspective.

Thejackalofevil is looking for programmers, designers and artists to help create a tactical RPG with the working title Celestial Battlefields. Players will collect units, gear perks and abilities with persistent upgrades. Compensation is up in the air. TheJackalofevil will be focusing on promotion and management. My hopes for the project are low after considering those factors, but perhaps the ability to help define the mechanics will tempt someone.

Inspired by Game Boy Advance renditions of Fire Emblem, Wardrake is looking for a programmer, music composer and graphical artist to help create a tactical RPG called The Divided Kingdoms. No money is offered and Wardrake has been merely recoloring sprites. Ouch.

I've announced The Gift Me Games Deal for lifetime Fooldom Come subscriptions. Fooldom Come is my passport for benefits in my current and future projects. A lifetime subscription currently costs $20, but you can get one for the key (username) of your choice just by gifting me a game from my Steam wishlist. The offer ends on my birthday, February 2nd.

The most recent addition to Fooldom Come is my award-winning (watch me run that into the ground) rhythm action game with procedurally generated music. As of version 4, Fused Finale has added level selection and score records for subscribers. There have also been a plethora of tweaks to improve the pacing. Songs begin with shorter durations and the durations of later songs increase much more slowly. Meanwhile, those who are good enough to keep earning extra life bars can trade them for score multipliers.

I'll be back to implementing my racing combat board game, StarScurrier, soon. I've been thinking of adding sound effects just to ease myself into it.

Got news? Post it! I don't know where I'll start the next column, but the new site's moderator options should help make developer updates easier to find.

Along the Xmas Tree 2010

Fri, 24 Dec 2010 00:02:27 +0000

News has been thin around the holidays and I should help prepare my house for the relatives gathering tomorrow. I'll save the few links I collected for later. With the site redesign making my guild column obsolete, next week could be the final Tech Tree!

If you're still looking for presents:

The Humble Indie Bundle #2 now includes the games of from the first bundle if you pay more than the average price. That's Braid, Cortex Command, Machinarium, Osmos, Revenge of the Titans, World of Goo, Aquaria, Gish, Lugaru HD, Penumbra Overature and Samarost 2 for what's currently less than $8.
There's also Bundle of Wrong. It currently includes SYNSO: Championship Edition, Squid And Let Die, SYNSO2: Squid Harder, SYNSO2: Squid Hardest (Special Edition), War Twat and War Twat Color Blindness Edition.
Naturally, sites like Steam and GOG are having some great sales as well.
Meanwhile, being stuffed from Thanksgiving sales has not stopped me from offering lifetime Fooldom Come subscriptions in return for less expensive Steam gifts. Check out The Gift Me Games Deal for benefits in Flesh And Drone, Fused Finale, Gears & Peers, Grim Prospects, GrimTunnel, Occupied Forces, PathWrath 2, Wrangle Warp And Weep and my future projects.

For now, let's enjoy some holiday videos. And by "holidays", I appear to mean Christmas. Unfortunately, I have not stumbled on much variety in that regard. Sorry!

Don't forget the classics:

Got news? It could be your last chance!

Along The Tech Tree #190

Fri, 17 Dec 2010 00:22:46 +0000

It's a good thing I started buffing the column up with external links. This appears to have been the guild's slowest news week in quite some time. Let's blame it on the holidays.

Amagam Software's Chris Kaitila has been collecting a list of indie game jams. Check it out if you're interested in meeting to develop games in a short amount of time.
The Game Crafter is teaming up with Queens New York Board Games and Card Games Meetup. Organizer Jay Huang is offering reviews and exposure.
I mentioned an interview with Ralph Baer last week. However, I missed that GDC Vault recently made a speech of his free to view. Check out "How To Create an Industry: The Making of the Brown Box and PONG".
Starcraft commentator Sean "Day[9]" Plott spoke with the University of Washington's StarCraft Club. The hour-long interview is available on Ustream. Check out Day[9]'s new Facebook fan page as well.
Actually, I have a lot of interviews bookmarked this week. Andrew Vanden Bossche spoke to Dejobaan Game's Ichiro Lambe about about business models, Simon Parkin spoke to Matt Rix about the global iOS hit Trainyard and Travis Boisvenue spoke with Captain Forever's Jarrad "Farbs" Woods. Meanwhile, Quote Unquote interviewed Crawl's Linley Henzell, the conflicted Krimelo and AGameInAWeek's Jayenkai.
Speaking of Jayenkai, somehow I missed his Retro Sprite Tool. It lets developers adjust a few sliders to create random graphics with animation. Providing you like the retro style, you can can combine it with Tomas Pettersson's sfxr and then focus on the programming. =)
The Humble Indie Bundle #2 is now available! This time the bundle includes Braid, Cortex Command, Machinarium, Osmos and Revenge of the Titans... At least two of those are on my Steam wishlist, but I always feel too guilty to make my measly offering.
Members of Spry Fox have been describing the development of their turn-based strategy game Steambirds. On his Lost Gardens blog, Danc expressed that he learned static, handcrafted levels decrease the depth of games. I agree. Procedural generation or die. That's sort of a theme this week.

Acebloke is aiming for seven updates to seven games before the end of the year. His Spore-inspired Dreamland has been shifting to an isometric perspective. Screenshots and descriptions of the steps he takes to generate the universe have been posted.

I keep focusing on the project's earlier "Spore-inspired" description rather than the phrase "graphical MUD" that is right on the hub page. I think I'm in denial.

Geldonyetich has been making progress and doling out what he has learned. He has also decided on the direction of his project. It's a roguelike... A roguelike?! Fifty-three columns of Tech Tree and it's a roguelike?! *GASP* *SPIT* *SPUTTER*

Flick, where are you?

I had planned to release an update to my procedurally generated rhythm action game, Fused Finale. Subscribers to that game (or Fooldom Come) will be able to start from any level they have entered and view their high scores in each. Little fixes include things like a redesigned fourth map that removes turns which were too close to the scanners. I also decreased the rate at which song duration increases so it doesn't feel as dragged-out and boring.

Unfortunately, I ran into a simple bug that I didn't have time to fix this week. The new version should be uploaded before Christmas.

...FRELLING A! You mean I didn't work on a strategy game this week either?!

I give. Play me out, Branks. I've been sitting on this for a while and I haven't decided if there will be a Tech Tree next week. Happy holidays, everyone! =)

Got news? I didn't have to edit the Gamasutra URL this time. Nifty!

Along The Tech Tree #189

Fri, 10 Dec 2010 00:59:06 +0000

I've been spending my time off the computer playing Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. My cousin was kind enough to let me borrow the PS1 version for research on my own projects. I beat the normal game and I'm now playing as Richter. I don't find it as fun without exploring for new abilities... On the bright side, Batman: Arkham Asylum has been giving me that thrill on the PC.

The deadline for Experimental Gameplay Workshop 2011 has been announced as February 1st. Meanwhile, the results have been posted for last month's Night & Day competition. This month, the theme is drawing.
indiePub has posted the official rules for the Independent Propeller Awards at SXSW Screenburn. All entries must be received by 11:59PM EST on February 18, 2011.
The Game Crafter is now offering a Designer Table Sponsorship Program. Participants can get some money, schwag and prizes to raffle off while promoting their personal creations at conferences.
The Asian and Australian winners of the second Independent Games Festival China have been announced. At least some are free to play. Give 'em a try!
The results of the 16th annual Interactive Fiction Competition have been posted. Sadly, I'm so out of the scene that I don't even recognize some of the programs handling the file extensions. Fortunately, it appears many are available to play online.
Alec S and David Prior have finished their round of Indie Kombat. All entrants released games this time! They didn't do a lot of trash talk though. It's too bad that's probably what gets the views. The next round has yet to be announced, but that could be due to the holidays.
While writing his history of the videogame industry, Tristan Donovan conducted a series of interviews. Only excerpts made it into the text. Gamasutra has now posted the full interview with the creator of the first game console, Ralph Baer.
Gambit Game Lab has posted videos of Scott Nicholson explaining the way in which a board game goes from completed prototype to published game. They're from the game design class he teaches.
Want to see another take on managing a videogame-related link digest column? Eric Swain has this to say about his time working on Ben Abraham's This Week In Videogame Blogging on Critical Distance.
Check out Mission In Snowdriftland. It's a platformer and an advent calender. Each day of December, downloads for indie games are made available.

Keep an eye out. Mecha Destroyer JD will be hosting his RTS Ultra Strife sometime after the 17th. Attendance at the previous test session was lack luster. Despite the measures he took to return the game to the guild, I didn't list it until days later when I was writing Tech Tree. Try to check it out this time.

Geldonyetich has actually been implementing something. He's been merging various map generation algorithms into... Well, he's not really sure what's it's for. However, one of the elements is an empire-building 4X game and another is a compelling simulation like Dwarf Fortress. If I can link to his blog when he merely talks about game development then I figure those two things are enough for when he actually performs it. ;)

Jamckell is looking for people to help test Gadalim Online. Players will control armies of archers, infantrymen and more in an effort to capture opposing bases. Compensation shall be offered through in-game currency.

LastonSama is looking for a programmer to help create a system for managing tournament brackets. LastonSama himself hosts such events. While not directly strategy-related, I imagine such a project could find a use with many of the session-based games the guild offers.

After last week's call for a programmer, SephCypher is now looking for an artist to help with his tower defense project. No money is offered. I assume SephCypher is completing at least some of the art himself.

I finally released my Board Game Framework. It's a library offering multiple game rooms, chat filters, turn phases and more in a flexible and automated interface. A demo is included.

Hopefully, Flick will be able to use the library to recreate his lost projects. I'd try it in StarScurrier, but that's been taking long enough without scrapping what I have. Maybe I'll use it for Genetic Fork.

Got news? With all of my new games on PC, I have little to do on my old consoles anymore. :(

Along The Tech Tree #188

Fri, 03 Dec 2010 01:19:30 +0000

Apologies for the unannounced break last week. I live in the US and celebrated Thanksgiving with my family.

The Game Crafter is holding their first scheduled live chat this Saturday at 3PM Central. Their special guest is Matt Worden. He's the creator of GAMES Magazine's 2011 Traditional Game of the Year, Jump Gate.
Over on Boardgame News, Hank Panethiere shall be Mining The Game Crafter for treasures worth your time.
Starcraft commentators Mike "Husky" Lamond and Sean "Day[9]" Plott were recently interviewed by Eurogamer for Jason Schreier's The Men Who Stare At Protoss... Honestly, I'd rather stare at Dodger.
Having watched Extra Credits: So You Want To Be A Game Designer, I was pleased to read Tadhg Kelly's rebuttal, The "Game Designer Polymath" Myth.
Congratulations to Tom and Melody Vasel on making it to the end of their Top 100 games countdown. Wishes of health go out to the new addition to their family, Jack, who was born premature.
Bytejacker's latest episode features their picks for the toughest "baby punchers". (Those are games so hard they'll make you punch a baby.) Host Anthony Carboni is taking questions on VYou... I should ask why the frell he set me up with this horrible juxtaposition. Get 'im, Jack!

Congratulations to Mastermatthew for attaining the number one position in November's AceMedalTable. This month, Acebloke is thinking of offering timed subscriptions to the top three if he can manage to release or update another game.

Acebloke is currently holding a poll to help figure out whether his military/economic sim, Wargames, should get more political with features like formal declarations and public displays. The next version might also include world organizations and terrain selection.

Ginseng's featured strategy RPG Dungeon Master went open source in January. Geldonyetich was tempted to remodel it after X³: Terran Conflict for his 4X space RPG. However, he decided to create his own game from scratch and got inspired by the icon style instead. His current step is to play more of "the right kinds of games".

...I so want to make fun of you, Geldonyetich. Unfortunately, the metroidvanias I've been researching would make me a hypocrite.

SephCypher is looking for programmers to create a tower defense game. The project is intended to be a free game with the possibility of a pay-to-play game later on. No money if offered.

The BYOND Cartridge Classic II has has its deadline extended. Entrants now have until February 1st to submit their game's 8,192 bytes of source. Remember that replayability is a factor and good luck!

BYOND Action is raffling off BYOND memberships during their Character Battle's round of four. To enter, argue which character would win in the comments of the current battle. The winner will be declared in the next.

I've been working on a board game framework for the past two weeks. (I wanted it done earlier. Sorry, Flick!) Essentially I'm linking the libraries I tend to use together with a default interface and allowing people to override it. Most of the details are automated so developers can focus on the mechanics of their game. In theory, the library is just about done, but the demo has revealed a design issue that I want to iron out.

In the process, I've made some small updates to the included libraries. Phase handlers can now be cleared and accessed through their phases, People handlers now have a proc to call for disconnected players and handlers from Multiple Game Rooms now have procs to add/remove interfaces.

Meanwhile, I recently beat The Maw after being gifted The Mawsome Pack. (BTW, I still owe you another Fooldome Come subscription for the second game, dude.) I got to feed an invincible beast. Considering that I'm about to have my newly-discovered fatty liver tested tomorrow morning, it was a nice change.

Got news? I actually managed to stop myself from buying Street Fighter IV during a Steam sale. Granted, it's mainly because I was drooling over BlazBlue on Games For Windows, but it was a victory I tells ya!

Along The Tech Tree #187

Fri, 19 Nov 2010 00:58:21 +0000

I've been trying out various indie metroidvanias as research for my own. Thus far, what I've discovered is that I hate platforming and inconvenient checkpoints... No, wait. I already knew that.

Here's a nifty concept from Pekka Kujansuu and Mike Meyer. Indie developers with Twitter accounts are welcome to post links to screenshots with the hashtag #screenshotsaturday. Those pictures are then collected in the Screenshot Saturday Gallery... I might actually get a Twitter account now.
IndieDB is holding their first Indie of the Year Awards. (They were previously part of ModDB's Mod of the Year Awards.) Readers are encouraged to vote for who should win the Player's Choice. Year in review articles to help the undecided are expected.
Tom and Melody Vasel have finished the first 50 of The Dice Tower's Top 100 games. The list is available along with the results from the past 5 years. Links to reviews and BoardGameGeek pages are included.
The first week of December is being dubbed The Indie Games Winter Uprising... by a marketing team anyway. New games ranging from 80 to 400 Microsoft points will be available on Xbox Live Indie Games. Check out the link for details on the games themselves.
Victor "Dogface" Ratliff is finally out of the bathroom! Check out the first part of the next episode from The Dogface Show. Then forget to point out that I have not even touched Street Fighter IV yet.

Acebloke was hosting sessions of his featured abstract board game, Exploder. I was only able to log in briefly and didn't get to see all of the new interface in action. Fortunately, it appears people like Sonder and Zaltron were around to help test it. Expect the update after a few more adjustments. Meanwhile, those who witnessed any bugs are encouraged to report them.

He's been absent for ages, but Flick lives! Unfortunately, his games are not so lucky. Apparently the files have been lost. It's a death sentence for projects without downloads. His formerly featured board game of simultaneous battles, Mano A Mano, is no more. Unreleased projects such as Flindal BoardGame, Flindal: Kingdoms and Squadrons are gone as well.

I've been wanting to release a framework for board games that essentially links all of my libraries together and includes a default interface. I'll probably create an early version soon so Flick can get going... He pointed out that it means he can nag me for a change. Aw frell.

This is what I get for linking to a rant. Last week, VcentG said he would be working on the horror defense game Wyllshire Road solo. This week, Branks announced that he and Saki have the pixel art covered. Along with the new look, expect new enemies, new weapons and extended stages. The option to changes routes seems especially promising.

Here's a friendly reminder that Vexonator is working on a final update for the tactical fantasy Surreal Dreams. Get your feedback in now! I left mine a few versions ago, but perhaps it should be updated.

There's still quite a bit of work to do, but the final phase of my racing combat board game, StarScurrier, is almost implemented. It's the Trade phase. Once complete, I'll finally have some contracts to hire workers for the other phases. A silent version of the game should then be ready for at least some private testing. Once the bugs are worked out, the science fiction theme will allow me to get away with bleeps and bloops from sfxr.

Got news? How about a law that allows US Supreme Court cases to be recorded on camera so their citizens can see what happened?

Along The Tech Tree #186

Fri, 12 Nov 2010 01:30:01 +0000

...And, after a bit of filler, I'm back. Does it strike anyone else as strange that the guy writing a link digest column has digestive problems?

Librarian and board game expert Scott Nicholson has been answering questions through Vyou. The service allows viewers to type in questions that can be answered with two-minute videos. Quite a few have been asked. Be polite.
Starcraft commentator Husky has been interviewed by eSports site MYM. He also recently celebrated 100 million views with a match between the old Emperor, Boxer, and the new hotness, The Little One.
On GameSetWatch, Tom Curtis has interviewed Red Redemption on their climate change-based strategy title, The Fate Of The World.
The International Center for the History of Electronic Games has acquired papers documenting the career of Dan Buntun (Dani Duntun Berry) from the developer's family. Buntun created games such as M.U.L.E., Modem Wars, Wheeler Dealers, Robot Rascals, Heart of Africa, Cartels & Cutthroats, Cyber Masters, and Computer Quarterback. Check the exhibit out if you're around Rochester, NY.
Over at GameHounds, Edie Sellers has written an open letter to G4 upon hearing that it has been dumped form DirecTV... You're mean, but I love you Edie. ;)
Speaking of mean, the fourth round of Indie Kombat has ended. Andrew Banov's metroidvania, Escape from the Underworld, has been making the rounds. Andrew Brophy appears to have been given the chance to make a late entry. (They're probably sick of people dropping out.) Alec S and David Prior are up next.
Pixel Prospector is attempting to create a video compilation of indie games. You can both help and earn prizes that include recording software and games.
If you'd like to give rather than receive, The Digital Cowboys are accepting donations. I've been a fan of their intelligent podcasts for ages.
Can't think for yourself? Here's a bunch of quotes from indie game developers.

Acebloke has a new computer to host his games. The latest version of his featured abstract board game, Exploder, should be available to test soon. I'm anxious to see the new interface in action.

Barring connection problems, Wargames should be hosted in its economic/military simulation glory soon after. A map screen for easier targeting might be included. Likewise, positioning schools and hospitals might become more important.

Meanwhile, a wiki has been created for the Spore-inspired Dreamland.

Mobius Evalon's Board Game Chat is back in the guild after a brief removal. I don't know why I wasn't seeing a public server before, but there's been at least one running since the last Tech Tree. Meanwhile, the in-game log lists an update from October 18th. That means players have access to the recently added medals. =)

Vexonator is going to attempt to update the tactical fantasy Surreal Dreams before the end of the year. For reasons unmentioned, he claims that he will not be able to update again. Get your suggestions and bug reports in NOW!

It appears VcentG will be working on Wyllshire Road solo from now on. The accompanying rant hints that the game's art could get an overhaul, but motivation appears low... Ya know, I probably wouldn't be linking to underage Halloween sluts and possible drama if I wasn't making up for a column. Screw you, pancreas!

An update has been released as I write this. Honestly, the interface appears big and bulky, but I suppose I should actually, you know, play to see if the space serves a function.

Continuing attempts to give BYOND Anime some mechanical variety outside of RPGs, Maximus_Alex2003 posted some design notes for an RTS within the Dragonball universe. There's at least one mechanic I find interesting. Characters could be purchased with resources, but each would be unique. Those owned by opponents could be killed and revived on one's own side. This stays true to the way franchise's characters get both wished back to life and possessed for dream matches.

NanayaZero is attempting to create a trading card game. It appears help with implementing card collecting, deck construction and battling would be appreciated. Fortunately, NanayaZero has some ideas to get the ball rolling. Unfortunately, nobody has replied to his thread... and I went into bookmark-blogger mode instead of offering my experience from PathWrath and Occupied Forces. *sigh*

It took my hospitalized pancreas and I longer then expected to implement the third phase of my racing combat board game, StarScurrier, but it's done. Players can now choose whether to spend energy attacking each other or save it for their shields. The post also discusses a mechanic used during the phases with simultaneous turns.

Sign the petition from the Electronic Consumers Association submitted along with their amicus brief in the case of Schwarzenegger v. EMA... Granted, it's a bit late now. Where was your concern before last week's dedicated digest? I've been displaying this banner since early July. You don't read this thing do you?

Schwarzenegger v. EMA

Thu, 04 Nov 2010 23:04:58 +0000

I'm going to skip Tech Tree this week. I'm running low on solid news items and I spent the last couple days in the hospital. Instead, I offer more links regarding Schwarzenegger v. EMA. Those of you outside of the US can ignore it or sit back and laugh.

If you're still wondering what this is all about, California has put violent videogames on the same level as porn and banned their sale to minors. The case will decide whether it is unconstitutional. OC Weekly offers this article on how the result will affect you.

Now that the case is in session, it's getting some attention from more mainstream press like Bloomberg, Forbes, The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post. Due to the restrictions on speech, the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund and First Amendment Center are keeping an eye on things as well.

Of course, the gaming press has been aware for a while. Joystick offers this summary of the 72-page transcript of the oral arguments and Game Politics is tracking the eleven attorneys-general who penned and signed California's amicus brief. Meanwhile, Kotaku offers these reactions from both sides:

The Electronic Consumers Association is keeping a list of more articles. It's likely too late to matter, but you may also sign the petition that was submitted along with their amicus brief.

Along The Tech Tree #185

Fri, 29 Oct 2010 01:02:43 +0000

I believe I've mentioned this before, but I'm more of a console gamer. It's not exactly by choice. I just spend all of my computer time programming or catching up on video streams. However, I finished early this week.

After finding out that GOG gave me Jagged Alliance: Deadly Games, I decided to sort through items for my wishlist. Not that I'm obsessive-compulsive or anything. 'Cause, you know, it's so important to track things you're unlikely to spend time on. (Besides, I don't give a crap about GOG's advertising debacle.)

Then I went on Steam and did the same except that I actually played some demos. I have not done that in ages! Some mainstream titles that I've missed out on made my list, but I tried to focus on indie games... Now if only my session time wasn't so pathetic.

Last week, I mentioned that the entrants to the 13th Annual Independent Games Festival have been posted. According to Simon Carless, there's more games than ever. Check out these Youtube playlists and this list of games available to the public.
Condolences to The Married Gamers. As announced on GameHounds, they were recently robbed of their game systems, games and recording equipment. Donations have been accepted and a new podcast where they give the details has been posted.

Happy Halloween!

Acebloke released an update for his empire-building game, Wargames 2. Resources are displayed more readily and a warning is displayed when research opportunities are being wasted. Also included are ringwalls, plows and roman walls along with balance changes for tracks.

This and a recent update for Acebloke's zombie action title, SurviveThis, have pushed the interface update for the featured board game Exploder into mid-November. It almost spoiled my celebration of metal victory. ;)

Mobius Evalon has been struggling to create a new interface for Board Game Chat. Plans to include Go and Backgammon have been resumed a year after they were announced. Battleship is on the way as well.

Unfortunately, the lone server is in closed testing. I don't know how long this has been the case, but I'm going to remove BGC from the guild for now. It will be welcomed back when players can finally attempt to earn some of the recently implemented medals.

Gah, I missed this a few weeks ago! Stephen001 is continuing work on the mecha strategy game he mentioned in a BYOND Anime interview with Mista Dougie back in July. The design is currently leaning towards a squad-based RTS. Ideas for round objectives and game modes are welcome. The framework might be released for others to use in a competition.

According to the game's Discuss tab, VcentG has been working on the interface of the horror defense game Wyllshire Road. The release appears to have been delayed due to an inability to make good-looking art to fill space on larger resolutions.

Honestly, I'd just go with extended chat boxes as they make use of the space. I'd rather play in a window than fill my screen with a static picture.

Once upon a time, I was confused by some round-based RPGs. They were listed here under the guise of simulations even when roleplaying was required. Deadly Waters was one such entry. Its developer, Justin Knight, recently posted a blurb about its history. I figured I'd give people a heads-up for old time's sake.

I implemented another phase of my racing combat board game, StarScurrier. In theory, players can now manage their sectors. This means they can order their assassins to kill enemy workers and order their administrators to transfer ally workers. Screenshots are included.

Sign the petition from the Electronic Consumers Association submitted along with their amicus brief in the case of Schwarzenegger v. EMA. Protect your gamer rights!

Along The Tech Tree #184

Fri, 22 Oct 2010 01:01:56 +0000

Thank you again to Tiberath and DarkCampainger. I'm still using my CRT, but I've been trying to keep the spirit of their donations by saving the money for computer repairs. My mouse has been dying for a week or two. I've been struggling with my Wacom tablet instead, but I'm not used to it and there isn't really any room for it on my desk. Fortunately, the package containing my new Microsoft SideWinder 3 just arrived. (I also got an adapter that lets me use my PlayStation controllers. They'll take some adjustment, but I'm hoping they'll provide an ergonomic alternative.)

Congratulations to Matt Worden. GAMES Magazine has claimed Jump Gate as their "Traditional Game of the Year". That's a print-on-demand game from The Game Crafter getting respect.
Congratulations also go to Sean "Day[9]" Plott for the 200th episode of Day[9] Daily. His analytic style has been my favorite way to enjoy StarCraft II. *THUG SNAPS*
BTW, professional gaming is finally fun to watch according to PC Gamer's Tom Francis. StarCraft II commentators have made the difference. Gee, I feel all validated now. ;)
Can I mention StarCraft II again without making you sick? Joel McDonald recently made a post on his Gamasutra blog that examines how the RTS does a better job capturing the experimentation and challenge of cooking than games like Cooking Mama.
Here's some variety to cleanse the palette: David from Gamer Melodico compared Valkyria Chronicles to Xcom and Rob Zacny wrote about the game's stuggle to rescue downed soldiers. Better now? I could also mention that Valve announced Defense of the Ancients 2 last week. However, as long-time Tech Tree readers know, I'm not convinced by the "S" in "action-RTS". (Granted, I have not watched many replays.)
Bytejacker interviewed the Super Meat Boy team in their latest episode. I wish them well, but, like Minecraft, there appears to be a certain hype threshold within indie circles that rubs the nerves of other developers raw. Part of it is jealousy. However, I can also see how games that can get mainstream coverage might not require the only channels available to the rest... Granted, going broke by ignoring them is probably enough reason to do it anyway.
The Dice Tower's Tom and Melody Vasel have begun announcing their top 100 games of the year. Or at least the method they're using to decide the winners. For future reference, Melody likes "games that are fun, not boring". She's also a 10-year-old cutie. When you give inarticulate feedback like that, I want to slap you.
Speaking of which, the entrants to the 13th Annual Independent Games Festival have been revealed. That goes double for the judges.

...Remember when BYOND news made the bulk of this column?

IainPeregrine battled illness to deliver the results of this year's Game in a Day event. Ten people battled the time limit to submit their entries. Congratulations to D4RK3 54B3R on his first place victory. Jp's chess variant with base-racing and morphing pieces tied with F0lak's offering for second place. Meanwhile, SuperAntx entered what appears to be an RTS game called BitWars and Oasiscircle created a base defense game called Bear Barbarians after a personal challenge from IainPeregrine himself.

The game files have been uploaded. Attempts to nag Oasiscircle for game updates are forthcoming.

VcentG announced that Wyllshire Road will indeed be getting an update soon. Suggestions have been tossed around the horror defense game's Discuss tab after a request from co-owner Branks, but the nature of the update is undetermined. We'll likely see more content with an effort made to tell a story in later versions.

Jedhaury is looking for an artist and a programmer to help create a strategy RPG where players begin in medieval times, create a civilization and eventually colonize different galaxies. The game will be free to play and the compensation appears to match. Jedhaury himself hopes to contribute some programming.

I've been implementing phases in my racing combat board game, StarScurrier. The Move & Hire phase seems about done. Screenshots are included. I shall be changing one of the fonts to be more legible. (Thank you for the feedback, Dark Campainger.)

Hopefully, last week's offer to improve the interfaces of a few games wasn't viewed as insulting. Nobody took me up on it. I guess I'll be focusing on my own work for a while.

I've been waiting for ages to post a video of the time-traveling RTS Achron. Meanwhile, I find the simultaneous turns in Conquest intriguing.

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