Archive for October, 2008
More IE Fixes
Friday, October 31st, 2008
It has come to my attention that the site was broken in IE 7. Looking at my web stats it looks like about 10% of my visitors use IE 7, so I apologise that the site has looked awful to you. It should be fixed now. At this point I’ve verified it in FireFox, IE 6, and IE 7. If anyone else is using an a different browser and notices some strange behaviour, please let me know.
Happy Halloween! Have a good weekend.
Owen
Refactor or Rewrite
Friday, October 31st, 2008
I posted my blog information on the indiegamer forums a couple of days ago, so welcome to everyone who is joining us from over there.
I’ve spent the last couple of days trying to determine what code from the prototype is good enough to carry over into the final product. While a large chunk of the prototype code is messy and ugly, there is some stuff that’s worth saving. Originally I thought I could refactor it without rewriting it all, but that’s turned into a real mess.
The main problem stems from the fact that I’m starting with my iPhone prototype code. All the code in there that handles the user interface stuff is fine and I wanted to avoid rewriting that stuff. So I started with that XCode project and decided to move forward with that. The problem is that I never brought over all the improvements I had made to my Mac prototype. So I’ve got two sets of code that diverged about a month ago and I’m trying to take the best bits and pieces from each and rewrite the stuff that sucks. It’s a mess.
In retrospect, it might have been a better idea to try to bring my iPhone prototype in line with the Mac prototype before I started to refactor and rewrite things. I think it would have made the processes easier. Oh well, live and learn. Next time I’ll know what to do…
Unrelated to code, I’ve started my search for a 2D artist. I think this may end up being the most challenging part of the project. I have a vision in my mind of what I want the game to look and feel like, but I need to find an artist who can execute that vision, but within my indie budget. This could be difficult. If anyone knows a good 2D artist who is willing to work for a reasonable rate (I’m not looking to rip anyone off) please have them contact me: owen[DOT]goss[AT]streamingcolour[DOT]com
Owen
Bejeweled Twist
Wednesday, October 29th, 2008
Big news in the land of casual gaming today: PopCap just released Bejeweled Twist for sale.
- Bejeweled Twist (www.popcap.com) – PopCap’s latest version of Bejeweled introduces the concept of rotation instead of swapping. In this version you rotate a 2×2 block of gems 90 degrees clockwise with each move.
- In-Depth on Bejeweled Twist (www.gamasutra.com) – In-depth article on the launch party for the game along with some details on how PopCap uses the “mom test” on their games.
PopCap has been working on this version of Bejeweled for 4 years now. They said that they basically had the game working after a year and they’ve spent the last 3 years refining and polishing it, as well as making it easier to pick up and play. I suspect that the main reason for the 4 year delay is because Bejeweled and Bejeweled 2 were still making them oodles of cash. Why release a new version if you’re still making a few million bucks a year off the older titles?
The biggest shock to me is that the game introduces the use of bombs as an end condition for the game. The previous two versions of the game ended when there were no more moves available to the player. However, with the new rotation mechanic (in which you’re allowed to rotate even if it doesn’t form a match) I’m not sure it’s ever possible to run out of moves. I guess they needed something in there (like the bombs) to ensure that the game ends at some point.
The game also tracks a bunch of cool stats that you get to see at the end of the game (best move in terms of gems, cascades, or points; % of points from special items; the number of each kind of special item you received). It’s pretty cool. At the end of the game you can also watch instant replays of your three best moves, which is really cool.
I played the demo for about an hour this morning and I’m pretty impressed. It’s very much like the other Bejeweled games, but with more complexity and depth there to appeal to people who really understand the game. I took a lot of notes while playing, as this is the kind of game I hold up as the ultimate goal in terms of presentation and polish. Few casual game companies produce games of such a high quality. If I can get anywhere close with my game, I’ll be very happy.
Owen
Moving Along
Tuesday, October 28th, 2008
Yesterday I got a lot of emails or IM’s from people urging me to “keep at ‘er”, so thanks to everyone who sent me a note. I’m feeling much better about the state of things this morning. I think the act of just laying it all out there and listing it all out has helped me immensely.
The other thing I did yesterday was to download a free project management tool called GanttProject. It’s free software written in Java (so it runs cross-platform) that basically mimics Microsoft Project’s most basic functionality. As it’s free, it does have a lot of UI quirks (bugs) that are kind of annoying at first, but hey…you get what you pay for. At any rate, I spent a little while yesterday and kind of roughed out a schedule for the next month or so. It has made me feel a lot better about the state of things and where I’m heading.
Today I need to finish up my UML diagrams. I’ve got the main logical side of the game broken down into its new structure, but the big change that’s still to come is the conversion to more of a Model-View-Controller architecture. This is the structure that the iPhone kind of forces you to use and there’s no reason I can’t use it with Playground SDK to clean up the structure a bit.
Then tomorrow, I start recoding the prototype properly. Hooray! As they say in Galaxy Quest, “Never give up! Never surrender!” Hmm…have I just exposed some nerdy part of me that I shouldn’t have shared?
Owen





