Here you can play the latest version of an experimental free scrolling platform game I’m developing in Adobe Director.
The simple platforms are just place holders to test out collisions and scrolling.
Screen-shot of this playable prototype demo level from the scrolling platform game project
Here are a few videos of original games that stray from the mundane, with some toppling over into a meaningful world of interactive experimental artworks… something that is gradually picking up pace in the game development field.
Crayon Physics Deluxe
This trend is due to the recent mass popularity of ‘casual games’ through both mobile devices and also (more…)
This is the first playable prototype of a free side-scrolling platform game I am developing using Adobe Director.
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.
Playable demo platform game level made in Adobe Director by Peter McClory
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.
One of the most important games of all time has to be the first Super Mario Bros game on the NES (Nintendo Entertainment System). The legendary series is credited to globally renown Japanese game designer Shigeru Miyamoto (b.1952), who also created Donkey Kong, The Legend of Zelda, Pikmin and other series of games for Nintendo.
Screen shot from the opening level of Super Mario Bros on the NES
In Mario, the abstracted design and clarity of the platform elements were most definitely a form of art. Even more so now, knowing the ridiculous (compared to present day) restrictions on what was possible graphically. The blue skies and clumpy clouds puffing by; the jolly Italian plumber, Mario; the lumpy green abstract trees and bushes; the cutely designed enemies; the colourful changes of scenery. (more…)
The infuriatingly addictive Line Rider, which since it was first seen via website deviantART as a free Flash-made interactive ‘toy’ on the PC in 2006 has become an internet phenomenon, is now to be released on Nintendo Wii and the Nintendo DS in Spring 2008.
One of the many highly acclaimed Youtube videos showing Line Rider in action
It is easy to say that the best thing about this game is its simplicity, after all, all that the player needs to do is draw a series of lines for the “dude” to sled down. However, getting the lines in the right place to ensure the little bob-hatted character does not crash and burn on one of your ambitious vertical creations is itself an exercise in advanced geometry. (more…)
The Wii Fit Balance Board is a new accessory from Nintendo, which, following almost two years of intensive development by a full-scale Nintendo team, is now available on the shelves in Japan, with the European release date scheduled for 25 April 2008. Australian and North American release dates are set for 8 May 2008 and 19 May 2008 respectively.
Nintendo Wii Fit Balance Board
To use the Wii Fit Balance Board, the user stands on the board and controls the on-screen action with their movements. Essentially, the Board is a highly accurate set of scales which measures body weight and tracks the user’s centre of gravity. The initial concept for the board was inspired by sumo wrestlers who, because they are so heavy, need to use two sets of scales to weigh themselves. (more…)
It’s not that I think people who play or create shooter games are stupid (although the Publishers are lacking in vision for the future).
It’s just that I generally get tired of repetition. Some people find this comforting, indeed there are many people who choose to play just one game for years.
I don’t just mean WOW (World of Warcraft) players, I mean Solitaire, Poker, Scrabble, Counterstrike, Sims players… you name it, they’ll play that one game for years and years. Take UO (Ultima Online) – that game’s been going for over ten years and still thousands upon thousands play it day in, day out.
However, there is a big reason why I relish the reality of a much wider spectrum of games currently being developed and appearing on shelves. (more…)
After yet another onslaught of ‘Shooters’ in 2007, including Halo 3, Crysis, Unreal Tournament III, Quake Wars, Call of Duty 4, Mass Effect… OK there was Portal (bundled with Half Life 2 – but essentially wasn’t it just reiterating what Prey had innovated, albeit in a much slicker, more puzzlesque way.
I for one am getting tired of seeing one after another of these male-teen-targeted games pouring into an overflowing ultra-stereotypical genre. It’s like movie-makers only made action and horror films. It’s patronising to the average gamer, we’re not all stupid.
Shooters galore, taken from in-game screen-shots. All images are from ‘different’ games
But, alas, no, they just keep on coming, like an infinite loop. It’s almost as if one team produced a game engine (and called it Unreal Engine), then a bunch of different artists created ever-so-slightly different textures and packaged these into similar-looking boxes with similar-looking advertising campaigns. Oh, how creative, how imaginative. (more…)