I’ve scanned one of the more complex of my hand drawn game levels, created in several stages to test out a 2D side scrolling platform game engine I have been working on (whilst running the UK-based Drupal web design company Curve).

First of all I came up with a really rough concept level design on a scrap of paper (no-one can over estimate the value of scraps of paper!).  Some tweaks were needed, but this concept contains the basic ideas for puzzle mechanics within the level design.

After I was satisfied with the level design, I planned it out a little more accurately on an A4 piece of squared paper. Graph paper has too many squares. In fact it is worth getting hold of squared paper that is as feint as possible, so that there is more contrast with your drawn design. This step helps to ensure that the player character can make certain jumps up to platforms, and across gaps.  You don’t want to player to find it either impossible or nearly impossible to access certain areas, unless that is intentionally part of the level design.

The draft level was adjusted in places on squared paper, then tested in the game engine, playing with the character to ensure that the various areas were the right height and widths etc.  This squared paper version was then photocopied for use as a template when drawing the final level.

The final level was drawn using tracing paper, masked to a photocopy of the squared level drawing, so that there was an accurate guide for where the platforms, walls and ceilings should be placed.

The drawing was done starting at the top-right of the image, across and downwards, to minimise smudging.  The rough details were placed with 2B pencil, and then filled in with extra detail over the course of the drawing.

I have got a playable demo of thifor and I’ll pop it on here shortly. In the meantime, here is a short video of a different level from another post.

Halloween Paraspud game screenshot 1

Halloween Paraspud screenshot number 2

Explore the infinite, quirky hand-drawn neon world at night time, collecting candy, pumpkins and cupcakes.  Once you have found all the pumpkins, the pumpkin key will be revealed, somewhere in the level, same goes for the cupcakes.  You must retrieve the right key to unlock one of the doors of the castle, where you will find whether you are …rubbish, MONSTROUS, or some creature of the night?

The music was created on my Korg Electribe EMX-1.

I’ll appreciate comments, good and bad.

Play my halloween hand drawn game free, here on Kongregate.

Plants Vs Zombies in the UK iTunes App store

A superbly balanced easy-to-play-and-get-addicted-to tower defense / strategy game mixed with the expected polish from Popcap, masters of casual gameplay.

Plants vs Zombies on iPhone / iPod / iPad released February 15th 2010

Charismatic, colourful illustration style, amusing animations, fitting sound effects and catchy music only add to the experience which is guaranteed to help you lose a few days to protecting you house from an onslaught of all manner of zombies (including bobsledding Zombies – apt considering the Winter Olympics have just begun).

The iPhone / iPod / iPad is a perfect platform for Plants vs Zombies.  The game actually works better than on the PC – no more frustration moving the mouse around to collect Sun – the all important currency for growing and adding to your plants.

Right down to the different game modes that are basically tailored for varying lengths of Bus or Train journeys.

It’s a must buy for all ages, and is bound to become a top grossing game on the iTunes app store, based on it’s previous success as a PC and Mac game sold through Steam and Popcap’s own website.

There are a fair few cheeky little illustration ‘easter eggs’ in the desktop version of PvZ – so expect to find a whole load more on the iPhone version, such as these oriental zombies found in the title screen achievements area.

PvZ on iPhone iPod Touch iPad Oriental Zombies illustration easter egg - dig deep to find them!

The International Football Association Board decided to rule out the introduction of goal-line technology for the foreseeable future on March 5th 2010.

Daily Mail reports that the officials at Fratton Park failed to award a goal,

McLeish said: ‘FIFA are doing the officials a disservice. It’s not easy for them to see things in a split-second.’

Ridgewell added: ‘It was definitely in. James caught the ball behind the line.’ And even one of James’s teammates, Jamie O’Hara, admitted: ‘I was on the goal-line and the ball was so far over I thought it was going to hit the back of the net.’

The controversy over Thierry Henry’s blatant handball in France’s World Cup play-off against Ireland last November seemed to have opened the door to embracing scientific help for referees, even if it were only used to rule on whether the ball had crossed the line. Thierry Henry’s handball helped France qualify for the World Cup.

On March 5th, Dr Paul Hawkins, whose Hawk-Eye technology is used successfully in tennis and cricket, presented his camera and computerbased system, while Cairos Technologies, a German firm owned by adidas, updated the board on their device, which involves a microchip in the ball.

But FA chief executive Ian Watmore and Scottish counterpart Gordon Smith, who backed testing the systems in matches, were outvoted by FIFA and the Northern Ireland and Wales delegates.

FIFA general secretary Jerome Valcke said: ‘They are saying, “Why should we have technology in a game where the main part should be humans – players and referees”.’

Watmore insisted that ‘The credibility of football is always improved if you get the critical decisions right,’ he said. ‘I don’t think it’s obvious that if we experimented with technology we would then go on and use it, because we might find there were lots of issues out there in the real game. But I would like to try it out in the real game to see whether it is good or not. I think there is enough evidence and enough quality of the technology to do an experiment that we could have learned from.’

Manchester United keeper Roy Carroll fails to stop Pedro Mendes’ lob from the half way line – but the goal wasn’t given anyway

Jonathan Ford, chief executive of the FA of Wales, said: ‘The human element of the game is the critical component. Think of the debate they had with Geoff Hurst’s goal in the 1966 World Cup final – that’s the beauty of the game and that’s what keeps people talking in pubs and keeps the game alive.’

But Watmore insisted that agreeing to test the different systems in realistic rather than theoretical situations would not commit football’s rulers to go ahead with the technology.

‘The credibility of football is always improved if you get the critical decisions right,’ he said. ‘I don’t think it’s obvious that if we experimented with technology we would then go on and use it, because we might find there were lots of issues out there in the real game. But I would like to try it out in the real game to see whether it is good or not. I think there is enough evidence and enough quality of the technology to do an experiment that we could have learned from.’

Smith added: ‘Traditionalism is something that it is strong in the game. We should be looking beyond this human element side of it because the human that suffers the most when the decision is incorrect is the referee. And the fans suffer and one of the teams suffers.’

So do the companies who have spent millions of pounds and man-hours developing technology after being told that if they produced a system that worked, it would be adopted.

Hawkins heard about the Ridgewell controversy after landing back in England and when told of the IFAB decision said: ‘The technological gods are clearly not looking down on us.’

Well it looks likes they most certainly are not.

At first, and from the screen-shot below, Braid appears to be similar to any other platform game, with no apparent difference other than the look of the graphics.

However, the game revolves around puzzle-solving largely by using the innovative ability of the player to rewind time at any point – even after dying. In fact, for reasons initially unexplained, the first world which the player encounters, is World 2.

As the game progresses, more complex puzzles arise by various means. For example, a combination of objects that do rewind and objects that don’t rewind with the rest of the environment.

The game is developed by independent software developer Jonathan Blow, and the playable previews have already received high praise from the gaming press. In fact there are a few similarities with another game titled “The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom”, a unique – looking black and white film / cartoony styled USC project which was supervised partially by Jonathan Blow.

The platforms, environments and background graphics were created by David Hellman, and the character visuals were created by Edmund McMillen.

Even in it’s early stages, a couple of years ago at the 2006 Independent Games Festival, Braid won the Innovation in Game Design award. Look forward to this gem sitting on your Xbox 360 (or PC when it’s out), in an all too often neglected (but resurging) genre.

Check out the Braid official page

The unbelievably cute and cool character, Gomez, is 2D and the environment which you have to navigate can be twisted between 2D and 3D.

If all this doesn’t make complete sense to you, read on and then watch the Fez gameplay footage video from GDC 2008, and all will become clear. It may seem like any other platform game, but keep watching it to see the surprise innovation.

Nintendo’s Paper Mario used a similar 2D-to-3D game mechanic that enabled the player to change the world from 2D to 3D in order to solve certain puzzles or reach hidden areas and platforms.

At the 2008 Independent Games Festival, Fez was nominated for both the Design Innovation Award and the Excellence In Visual Arts.

Fez deservedly ended up winning the Innovation in Game Design award…

The graphics are obviously going to be very appealing to a wide audience. It would be a smart move to try and get this on the Wii, or at least on the PSN or XBLA (or all!).

This nod to ‘old-fashioned’ 8-bit graphics (The good old days of the NES / Famicon) is a nice touch, especially whilst also maintaining clarity and a modern slick twist or two.

The music also obviously post-modernises the 8-bit era in cool, trippy, downtempo electonica.

Check out this video (below) of the music producer from Fez DJ-ing at a retro-themed videogame party in Tokyo called Fami-Mode.

You can read a load more information about Fez on the official Kokoromi blog.

Oh and here’s a photo of a toy version of the Fez character (who is called Gomez) which you can apparently buy for just $9.99USD from here.

This is a work in progress. New and different versions of the game will be posted when they are finished, visually documenting the development progress. All previous versions can be played for free in the Game Project section.

Play this demo game level for free…

This game is in development – this is the latest working prototype demo level rather than the final game. I’m using different graphics, control settings and pseudo-physics for each prototype to demonstrate the flexibility of the game engine.

You will need the (free) Adobe Shockwave Player (similar to Flash and made by the same people) plug-in to play this game for free in your web browser.

The simple platforms are just place holders to test out collisions and scrolling.

You will need the (free) Adobe Shockwave Player (similar to Flash and made by the same people) plug-in to play it in your web browser.

Other versions based on this platform game engine are available to play for free in the Game Project section.

The mouse-click control is a temporary experiment. If you like it, or alternatively find it annoying then feel free to post a comment.

Any feedback would be useful in helping me develop this game in the right direction.

This trend is due to the recent mass popularity of ‘casual games’ through both mobile devices and also friendlier new ways of user input (Nintendo Wii, Nintendo DS, PS3 Six-axis, Eyetoy, etc). Casual games can be played for just a short period of time, thus suiting many people’s hectic, time-deprived lifestyles.

They have a much shorter development cycle – which means there is less risk associated with the development of an experimental or new idea. They can be seen as a form of temporary escapism or relaxation, and benefit from not having the time-sapping qualities of a Massively Multiplayer Online game or a hardcore single-player experience – the type of gaming that has been common for sometime on both consoles and PC.

Click on read more to view more videos of other experimental games, some of which are available as demos or full downloads, and some not available yet. I’ve tried out Crayon Physics as a demo on PC, and Jelly Car – available through the XNA Creators Club, free as a demo on Xbox 360 with a Live Account.

Everything is in early stages of development. The graphical environment elements in the initial playable prototypes are just place-holders for testing out controls, collisions, scrolling and other fundamentals.

You will need the (free) Adobe Shockwave Player (similar to Flash and made by the same people) plugin to play it in your web browser.

I’m developing much larger levels with far more elements and animation. I’ll post a playable level soon, but for now you’ll just have to hold on for this update which will include a much larger explorable world, acoustic music and sfx, and puzzle-solving elements.

You can play some of the prototypes for free on the Game Project pages.