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[Messofanego]

Eidolon is the game set in Washington, right? Yup.

That info about Path of Shadows is super interesting. But seriously lacking Tenchu death from aboves! XD

Nothing To Hide is super cool, really liked the demo.

 

[8 X 11 Printer Paper]

Almost done with Cube & Star just got to color the world a bit more, then I can finish Journal and hopefully get it written up before Monday. On Cube I would best describe it as the child between De Blob, Sim City and Noby Noby Boy. It has the coloring the world elements of De Blob, has the god like aspects of sim city and the lack of goal and relaxing randomness of Noby Noby Boy.

 

[More_Badass]

Eidolon is the game set in Washington, right? Yup.

That info about Path of Shadows is super interesting. But seriously lacking Tenchu death from aboves! XD

Nothing To Hide is super cool, really liked the demo.

Yes, Eidolon is set in far future Washington

I know, I can't wait for the PoS Kickstarter. Maybe more than most, since I had got the team info and advice on how to set up a Kickstarter from the Paradise Lost devs

I'm really impressed by Nothing To Hide. It's fun, challenging, thought provoking. It must be funded

---
@Toma & others, the Extrasolar dev is in that Reddit post, to answer questions and comments

 

[Toma]

Here's the link of the subreddit: http://www.reddit.com/r/gamedev
The Showcase thread will be up around midnight EST

Reposting for emphasis, and here is the link to my impressions again:
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=100173251&postcount=381

If you like squad strategy games, you really should grab it for $1.

 

[More_Badass]

That info about Path of Shadows is super interesting. But seriously lacking Tenchu death from aboves! XD

Don't worry, that's probably coming too

Our first 'new' mechanic already implemented is climbing and teleporting to roofs, ledges, etc.

The new powers we've decided to implement in the next months are Shadow Blending (Blend against a wall in the dark to stay invisible and evade enemy patrols) and Shadow Twin (create an humanoid shadow as a decoy to mislead enemies). We already thought about other shadow powers like ranged weaponry or the wall running [think Contrast]...

 

[xDavidLeon]

Don't worry, that's probably coming too

Definitely.

 

[Messofanego]

Definitely.

Aww yeah! Best of luck

 

[phantomspiker]

One of the Devs for Sir You Are Being Hunted posted this on twitter a while ago...

"Sir's final baddy: The Landowner pursuing us across the waterlogged fields"

https://twitter.com/jimrossignol/status/435025084239990784

Not lookin' forward to seeing one of those at night!

*edit*

https://twitter.com/jimrossignol/status/435092419474755584

The cane is used in an AoE attack.

 

[More_Badass]

Bosses Forever - Free (PC, Mac, Linux)

http://www.bossesforever.com/

This game is a lovingly crafted homage to the days of yore, when men were robots and bosses needed destroying. Days which are no longer to be found.
Seriously though, this is a game about fighting bosses. Bosses who learn and adapt every time you play. It gets hard...

Retrobooster - Free demo/$17.99/on sale for $12 (PC, Mac)

http://www.reallyslick.com/retrobooster/

Retrobooster is a reinvention of the cave-flyer for players who love games of skill. You control an extremely responsive ship, which opens up new possibilities for speed flying challenges, puzzles, and bullet hell scenarios. At its core this is an old school action game, plus updated visuals and audio and new types of levels.

Lenna's Inception - Free alpha (PC, Mac, Linux)

http://bytten.net/devlog/lennas-inception/

Lenna’s Inception is an action-adventure game with procedurally generated locations. It has a Gameboy-like aesthetic and a top-down view. The gameplay consists of action-driven combat segments, seeking out new items and upgrades, and solving simple puzzles, which has been compared to the gameplay of The Legend of Zelda and The Binding of Isaac.

The LootCastle - €5.00+ (PC)

http://the-lootcastle.stevencolling.com/

The LootCastle is a strategy game in which you defend a castle from invading knights. Instead of controlling your skeletons directly, you improve them with skill trees constructed by you.

Black Ice - Free (PC, Mac, Linux, Browser)

http://superdupergc.com/

Black Ice is a Hack and Shoot – a Cyberpunk First-Person Shooter / Hack & Slash RPG about hacking. Think Borderlands meets Tron. The cyber-world is procedurally generated, the colors are neon, the loot is randomized, and the lasers are loud. Black Ice is currently in Open Alpha, with updates every Friday.

Sands of Osiris - Free alpha/releasing late 2014 (PC)

http://www.indiedb.com/games/sandsofosiris

Sands is a multiplayer base defense game based on Vampirism: Beast. Creatures spawn in the middle of the map in waves of increasing difficulty. You must harvest resources to improve your defenses and fight back!

Rebirth - mid 2014 (PC, Mac, Linux)

http://www.indiedb.com/games/rebirth

Rebirth is a game about survival. The world is in shambles, shattered to the core due to a mix of mysterious events. The air is barely breathable, society has crumbled, governments have been toppled. What will you do, when your way of life no longer exists? Will you survive?

Cyberpunk 3776 - Free browser demo (PC, Mac, Linux)

http://www.peter-hann.de/projekte/cyberpunk-3776/

Cyberpunk 3776 is a classic Sidescrolling Shooter. A psychedelic lunatic Cyberpunk Novel taking place at the postapocalyptic Earth while fighting a lost battle against an Alien Invasion. A very dark, hopeless hypnotic nightmare.

Grabbles - Free demo (PC)

http://www.grabblesgame.com/

You are a Grabble! Pull yourself around an alien world using your two sticky elastic appendages.
Explore strange environments populated by mysterious creatures as you journey to discover the source of a recent string of catastrophic occurences that are threatening to destroy your home and possibly the entire world!

CubeStrike - Free pre-alpha (PC)

http://cubestrike.com/

CubeStrike is a multi-player 2D action platform game. It's currently in PreAlpha, and is completely free. It features grappling hooks, concrete guns, railguns, miniguns, lasers, weapons of mass destruction and huge destructable maps.

More Project Outlaws

GIFs of ship regrowth

- The world is procedurally generated and very large but not infinite.
- Battles happen emergently. The world generator just places asteroids, plants, ships, space stations, etc, and everything else is emergent.
- You can definitely build a really fast ship and fly around discovering stuff and observing AI interactions without fighting, but the progression system is centered around combat and the main way to interact with the world is by shooting at it.

 

[Quixzlizx]

This is looking good! Always wanted a Civil War strat game.

Ultimate General: Gettysburg - In Greenlight

Just voted for this. I've been following it for awhile, but didn't know it was on Greenlight.

 

[More_Badass]

Okay, Bosses Forever is legit. It's a simple, fun, charming game and deserves way more attention.
It's stuck in Greenlight hell at the moment, which is a damn shame because the game is a challenging twist of Warning Forever's concept that quickly enters bullet hell territory and requires precision to survive.
Definitely give it a try.

 

[SapientWolf]

Gunnihilation

http://www.robopixelgames.com/games/gunnihilation/gunnihilation.php

Gunnihilation was way better than what I expected. It reminds me of Broforce crossed with a shmup. Really fun and frantic, and it has great performance considering it's a flash game.

 

[arcanadei]

Bosses Forever - So much an echo of what MB said already, but completely agree. The core concept of Warning Forever done with a very different execution. It works. This is a nice little pick up and play game that I'll likely be coming back to over and over.

Black Ice - This one I liked. The Tron visuals work for me, the gameplay is pretty solid. I know it is an alpha so I am not holding this against the game in any way, but it does need a little more polish still. More enemies are needed, and the loot pickups need some work. You can get rare and powerful items fairly easily either by picking them up, or just offloading all the other loot and buying them in the store. Maybe some level requirements on the high end stuff would fix that. Could be I didn't figure this out, but there is a red ship that comes along occasionally and is just nasty. It is pretty much a guaranteed death when it decides to show up. Running and hiding didn't seem to be effective, neither did plinking and healing as best I could. I can't wait to see this one evolve, it is fun to play.

 

[ninjarr]

Spent some time tuning up our fog lighting a bit. This scene is using some temporary art with a bunch of trees splatted down randomly, but I thought it showed off the lighting well. Let me know what you think.

 

[Burt]

I had seen Operation Smash a long time ago, but no idea it had released. Well, it's been out a while apparently, and is on sale at Indie Game Stand and Desura for $1.35 and $1.79, respectively.

Decided to have a go at it, and having put an hour in, I can say that it's well worth it. Combat and platforming are both fun and forgiving, the world seems well designed and fairly expansive, and the game keeps the pace up with a steady stream of upgrades and has plenty of little secrets to keep you engaged. Not the prettiest game ever, but it works, and the music is pretty good as well. My only real complaint would be that the running/jumping are a little slow and floaty, but it's never been a hindrance. Definitely worth dropping some change on if your schedule's open.


Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5crwALx7I0o

 

[More_Badass]

Nothing To Hide thread

 

[Toma]

Spent some time tuning up our fog lighting a bit. This scene is using some temporary art with a bunch of trees splatted down randomly, but I thought it showed off the lighting well. Let me know what you think.

Way better with the fog. Nicely done.

 

[eyeball_kid]

From Hell's Heart is a first-person, steampunk, sea hunting game. A great sea beast is roaming the ocean and you must use your tools to hunt it down and end your blood sport against the devil! Using your tools, you'll track and slay whales to collect oil to fund your ship's endeavor, collect lost journal pages of your past, and clash against the sea monster!

WTF. You might as well have a game that says, "using your weapons, you'll enslave natives and sell them to fund your adventure". Look, I understand people love to glamorize that era with the glossy brass of steampunk, but whales are very intelligent mammals, and there is an international ban on whaling for a good reason (aside from the fact that whaling almost caused the extinctions of many species). The fact that this game nonchalantly uses whale hunting as an economic means-to-an-end is pretty repulsive.

 

[Toma]

WTF. You might as well have a game that says, "using your weapons, you'll enslave natives and sell them to fund your adventure". Look, I understand people love to glamorize that era with the glossy brass of steampunk, but whales are very intelligent mammals, and there is an international ban on whaling for a good reason (aside from the fact that whaling almost caused the extinctions of many species). The fact that this game nonchalantly uses whale hunting as an economic means-to-an-end is pretty repulsive.

I see where you are coming from and I am having this debate rather often with my gf about other topics, but it really is trickier than that.

If the game replaced the whale with a mythical creature that basically looked exactly like the whale but has a different name, would you be fine with that? If the game called the creature "whale", but it actually wasnt and wouldnt look like one and the people in the game only refer to it as a "whale" because of an association, woul you be fine with that? And any other small distinction in between. If its not called a "whale", how different would it need to be not to fall under what we would consider a "whale"? Its an endless debate that neither side can win. People playing this game are awed by the feeling of fear the game is instilling, and not because they want to become whale hunters.

On the other hand, I do agree that morally such issues arent exactly perfectly fine either, but honestly... how many games have you kill people? It is what you make of it.

For the record: I tend to be on both sides of the discussion, depending on who I am talking to and decided that everyone himself should decide whether he is consuming media that he doesnt agree with on a fundamental level. Similar to the religious outcry about Binding of Isaac being such a devilish game, I guess.

 

[wanderingprostheyltite]

NaissanceE is very good for the moody first person exploration crowd. Amazing atmosphere, reminds me of the old point and click adaptation of Arthur C Clarke's Rama in capturing that feeling of being in a very alien world to yours with its own set of laws and physics. The sound design and music is phenomenal and even creepy at times. Minimalist visual style but I think it works well with your mind filling in the blanks and creating even more of a sense of mystery to the surroundings. Well worth the download.

http://www.naissancee.com

 

[Toma]

NaissanceE is very good for the moody first person exploration crowd. Amazing atmosphere, reminds me of the old point and click adaptation of Arthur C Clarke's Rama in capturing that feeling of being in a very alien world to yours with its own set of laws and physics. The sound design and music is phenomenal and even creepy at times. Minimalist visual style but I think it works well with your mind filling in the blanks and creating even more of a sense of mystery to the surroundings. Well worth the download.

http://www.naissancee.com

How long is/was it?

 

[eyeball_kid]

If the game replaced the whale with a mythical creature that basically looked exactly like the whale but has a different name, would you be fine with that? If the game called the creature "whale", but it actually wasnt and wouldnt look like one and the people in the game only refer to it as a "whale" because of an association, woul you be fine with that?

I do understand the distinction that this is a game and a work of fiction/fantasy. But I feel that using whale hunting can lead to desensitization of the issue, even if subconsciously so. I think there's a difference with games where you shoot people as there is already a strong cultural bias against killing other people, so any desensitization there may be more subtle. Would I have a different reaction if you were hunting zozthars on the planet Ursula 23b? Probably. But this game is about whaling for the purpose of selling whale oil, which is exactly what historically led to the current whaling ban. It doesn't 'feel' right or appropriate to me, and though I haven't played the game, the action is presented in a cavalier manner.

For the record, the last time I had this kind of immediate repulsion to a game's premise was Prison Architect, so it's not just about the animals or killing for me. In that game, I felt again that the game was presenting a very callous, one-dimensional view of the modern corporate prison system (and missed a great chance at social commentary) and treats the whole thing in a cartoony way. That felt wrong to me.

I think in both cases, I would say that as a developer if you're going to include topics that are controversial in your game, you should treat the issues with sensitivity and thoughtfulness.

 

[CheesecakeRecipe]

How long is/was it?

Took me 5 and a half hours, took fellow GAF member Blizzard about 8.

 

[More_Badass]

How long is/was it?

Dev said five hours. My playthrough was about 7+. I think the experience is well worth it. The atmosphere and sense of being in an alien place you don't belong is is just masterful. It never holds your hand; even though it's linear progression, it feels like you're exploring and finding your way through this place. My main gripe was how spread out some of the checkpoints were. It's also a challenging platformer and has some tough puzzles too

 

[More_Badass]

Not The Robots, Bleed, No Time To Explain, and others are in the current Indie Royale bundle
If you enjoy a fast arcade action, Bleed is a must play. And I really enjoyed Not The Robots

 

[Toma]

I do understand the distinction that this is a game and a work of fiction/fantasy. But I feel that using whale hunting can lead to desensitization of the issue, even if subconsciously so. I think there's a difference with games where you shoot people as there is already a strong cultural bias against killing other people, so any desensitization there may be more subtle. Would I have a different reaction if you were hunting zozthars on the planet Ursula 23b? Probably. But this game is about whaling for the purpose of selling whale oil, which is exactly what historically led to the current whaling ban. It doesn't 'feel' right or appropriate to me, and though I haven't played the game, the action is presented in a cavalier manner.

For the record, the last time I had this kind of immediate repulsion to a game's premise was Prison Architect, so it's not just about the animals or killing for me. In that game, I felt again that the game was presenting a very callous, one-dimensional view of the modern corporate prison system (and missed a great chance at social commentary) and treats the whole thing in a cartoony way. That felt wrong to me.

I think in both cases, I would say that as a developer if you're going to include topics that are controversial in your game, you should treat the issues with sensitivity and thoughtfulness.

You are of course perfectly right with the cultural bias against killing another human beings, but this doesnt take other factors into account that might actually affect the social outcome of this. Lets say (numbers from my arse) that 1/1000 people playing CoD start thinking that the thrill of the battlefield and murdering is a good feeling., while 1/10 people playing the whale game consider it awe inspiring to take down such a behemoth and might develop the thinking of wishing to be able to do that.

Now you need to take into account how many people actually ARE affected, because obviously the more people are affected by a certain opinion/event, the more likely it is that it will remain in public conscience and form an unwanted social development. Lets say 10,000,000 people playing CoD, while 10,000 people playing the whale game, which would result in 10,000 vs 1000 negatively influenced people.

On top of that, you'd need to consider the chance of this line of thinking actually resulting in unfavorable outcomes. To make it short, I'd say it wouldnt be exaggerated to say that its way more likely that the 10,000 people get their hands on a weapon that can be used for killing, than the 1000 to get into a position of whale hunting or advocating. And then where do we start? Do we ban every form of media that even slightly might give the hint of glorifying a topic and affecting 1/10000 people into thinking something because they were not intelligent to think for themselves?

These are obviously not correct stats and I am no expert (meaning there are probably a million different things factoring into this), but I would definitely argue that the prevalence of Military first person shooters have more impact on public opinion than that whale game, and even though I think everyone should be AWARE of the point you are trying to make, I think people should be allowed to form their own opinion about it without being told they are bad people for playing/enjoying a morally ambiguous piece of media. Same with the prison architect thing, which is a game representation and not meant to be an accurate view on current societal structures and I am sure most people also know how to handle these different types of experiences or keep them apart from the "real" world.

Btw, this does not mean I am dismissing any of your arguments, your line of thinking is perfectly valid and also important to be informed about. I absolutely understand what you mean, its just... that I have some issues seeing these things so strictly black and white, especially in comparison to other occurences of that topic.

 

[Messofanego]

Looking at Witchmarsh, where did the tall lanky pixel style start from?

I remember first seeing it in Sword and Sworcery. Love it so much.

Gods Will Be Watching. RIOT. Any more examples?

 

[More_Badass]

Looking at Witchmarsh, where did the tall lanky pixel style start from?

I remember first seeing it in Sword and Sworcery. Love it so much.

Gods Will Be Watching. RIOT. Any more examples?

Galactic Princess
Westerado (kind of)
Path To The Sky

And on a related note, Witchmarsh Kickstarter is soon! "Hopefully less than two weeks"

 

[eyeball_kid]

Btw, this does not mean I am dismissing any of your arguments, your line of thinking is perfectly valid and also important to be informed about. I absolutely understand what you mean, its just... that I have some issues seeing these things so strictly black and white, especially in comparison to other occurences of that topic.

Indeed, I'm not suggesting people will go out and whale hunt any more than people go out and shoot people after playing CoD, but public opinion does drive policy. In any case, I just think the issue could be handled better. But everyone (developers included) have different sensitivities to social justice issues, and care more or less about different specific issues. I wasn't trying to say that the developer should alter their game to suit my taste, but I couldn't help but be shocked by their blithe copy.

On a different note, sometimes I think that games are not taken seriously by the general public because games don't seriously try to engage in social commentary, except for the indiest of indie games which 99.99999% of the public will never see or play. What the public sees of games is the equivalent of action movie blockbusters and football matches. Meaning, there's not much relevance in major game titles to societal issues, at least nothing that's done in a smart way. Games are simply seen as vapid entertainment and masculine power fantasies. It would be fantastic if independent publishers like Valve tried to tackle this problem with more mature, thoughtful titles, but no one seems to want to rock the money/hat boat.

 

[Toma]

Indeed, I'm not suggesting people will go out and whale hunt any more than people go out and shoot people after playing CoD, but public opinion does drive policy. In any case, I just think the issue could be handled better. But everyone (developers included) have different sensitivities to social justice issues, and care more or less about different specific issues. I wasn't trying to say that the developer should alter their game to suit my taste, but I couldn't help but be shocked by their blithe copy.

On a different note, sometimes I think that games are not taken seriously by the general public because games don't seriously try to engage in social commentary, except for the indiest of indie games which 99.99999% of the public will never see or play. What the public sees of games is the equivalent of action movie blockbusters and football matches. Meaning, there's not much relevance in major game titles to societal issues, at least nothing that's done in a smart way. Games are simply seen as vapid entertainment and masculine power fantasies. It would be fantastic if independent publishers like Valve tried to tackle this problem with more mature, thoughtful titles, but no one seems to want to rock the money/hat boat.

Yeah, totally true. The most meaningful and deepest experience are usually hidden away under a mountain of the videogame equivalents of fast food. There are some games that do manage to shine into the mainstream a bit (Journey, Gone Home), but overall soooo much is lost. Truly a pity that those 99.99999% and 99% even among gamers, have no clue what this media is actually possible of.

 

[eyeball_kid]

Looking at Witchmarsh, where did the tall lanky pixel style start from?

Wow, this sounds pretty interesting, like a 1920s Scooby Doo RPG. Digging the art style. But um, is the bard class supposed to be a blues-singing black man?

 

[More_Badass]

Yeah, totally true. The most meaningful and deepest experience are usually hidden away under a mountain of the videogame equivalents of fast food. There are some games that do manage to shine into the mainstream a bit (Journey, Gone Home), but overall soooo much is lost. Truly a pity that those 99.99999% and 99% even among gamers, have no clue what this media is actually possible of.

I totally agree. I've said before, many indie games treat the medium as an art form while many mainstream games are all about pure entertainment. From Toma's examples to Proteus to the recent Nothing To Hide or Papers Please, these developers try to deliver a message, explore a theme, with their visuals, gameplay, narratives in ways that many of the big most popular games don't

 

[More_Badass]

Frozen Synapse Tactics trailer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWLisssuqAw
I like the other visual style, this one seems too busy

 

[CheesecakeRecipe]

Frozen Synapse Tactics trailer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWLisssuqAw
I like the other visual style, this one seems too busy

ew why did they change it

 

[Toma]

ew why did they change it

To appeal to more people ("2d/vector graphics are so hipster and boring") and to make it similar to the style of Frozen Synapse to use some synergies for the sales of both titles.

 

[More_Badass]

Factorio 0.9.0 has been out since Friday, although it's not the official release so download at your own peril

The 0.9.0 will probably be "very experimental" which is a diplomatic way to say that we expect a lot of bugs to come up

The oil industry brings the oil spills, the pumpjacks, the refineries and a recipe redesign. We took the opportunity to do some more significant changes to other existing recipes as well. We went after having more "meaningful" intermediate products than before. The car will require an engine, the robots will need a flying robot frame, the rocket is made from the explosives and the list goes on ... . The feeling from the internal playtesting was more interesting gameplay compared to before when everything was made from the iron plates and circuits. However the result will be that most of the existing factories will just stop working. You can either take it as a challenge to get it up the speed or just start the new game

Have you tried this build yet, Toma?

 

[Toma]

Factorio 0.9.0 has been out since Friday, although it's not the official release so download at your own peril


Have you tried this build yet, Toma?

I actually wanted to jump in with the last one, but noticed that the next one wasnt too far off yet. Will give 0.9.1 some decent time.

I also love the new elements they added, which potentially makes it all way more complex. Looking forward to dive in again.

 

[More_Badass]

Tower of Guns releasing on Steam on March 4th!
http://store.steampowered.com/app/266110

 

[Ingueferroque]

Frozen Synapse Tactics trailer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWLisssuqAw
I like the other visual style, this one seems too busy

That just looks horrible... The original style would have looked great on Vita.

 

[Chainsawkitten]

You are of course perfectly right with the cultural bias against killing another human beings, [...] snip

That people emulate the acts isn't really the concern. The concern is promoting a narrative which causes acceptance of these kinds of acts and an eye-for-eye mentality which in very real ways affect policy. We see, not just in games, but in all kinds of media, a reoccuring theme where the bad guy always gets it in the end, and that's the happy ending (regardless of what came before). A narrative in which all forms and amounts of violence is justified as long as it is done by the good guys against the bad guys (as long as it was initiated by a bad guy (note: not necessarily the bad guy that gets it, it's okay to shoot the goons with no consideration)).

We see it in an acceptance of a private prison system, with no concern for its prisoners. We see it in a juridical system as revenge rather than rehabilitation. We see it a dismissal of prison rape as an issue (and even using it as a controlling measure) because it happens to bad guys anyways. We see it in an acceptance of foreign policies that terrorize other countries because it's done against "terrorism".

Media did not create any of these issues, but it seems perfectly happy with promoting them rather than questioning them.

I haven't played From Hell's Heart, so I don't know if it's problematic or not. It's all a matter of presentation.

 

[One Foul Note]

Factorio 0.9.0 has been out since Friday, although it's not the official release so download at your own peril

Hmm, once they hit the safe version of that I might use it as an excuse to leap back into factory building. I haven't played it for more then half a year by this point so I imagine that their should be a good level of new stuff for me to play with.

 

[Toma]

Hmm, once they hit the safe version of that I might use it as an excuse to leap back into factory building. I haven't played it for more then half a year by this point so I imagine that their should be a good level of new stuff for me to play with.

Same, yeah. Did you read the changelogs? Really excited to jump back in.

 

[Messofanego]

I do understand the distinction that this is a game and a work of fiction/fantasy. But I feel that using whale hunting can lead to desensitization of the issue, even if subconsciously so. I think there's a difference with games where you shoot people as there is already a strong cultural bias against killing other people, so any desensitization there may be more subtle. Would I have a different reaction if you were hunting zozthars on the planet Ursula 23b? Probably. But this game is about whaling for the purpose of selling whale oil, which is exactly what historically led to the current whaling ban. It doesn't 'feel' right or appropriate to me, and though I haven't played the game, the action is presented in a cavalier manner.

For the record, the last time I had this kind of immediate repulsion to a game's premise was Prison Architect, so it's not just about the animals or killing for me. In that game, I felt again that the game was presenting a very callous, one-dimensional view of the modern corporate prison system (and missed a great chance at social commentary) and treats the whole thing in a cartoony way. That felt wrong to me.

I think in both cases, I would say that as a developer if you're going to include topics that are controversial in your game, you should treat the issues with sensitivity and thoughtfulness.

I wouldn't say the game is glorifying whale hunting. Heck, I didn't even get to kill a whale often, you just get extra oil from them which you can get also by going to clue areas. The main objective is to catch the big sea monster, not whaling.

I'm sure most people are aware of whaling being bad, but there's a difference between portraying historic things that fit the world and exploitation which I don't believe the game is going for while playing it.

I was bothered with killing Middle East and Arab people in CoD games because they're only shown as terrorists rather than any good characters from those groups. That series sells millions and I've seen people use that as anti-Arab propaganda. Heck, there are people who go into the military because of CoD. I don't think we'll get to that level with From Hell's Heart.

 

[One Foul Note]

Same, yeah. Did you read the changelogs? Really excited to jump back in.

I haven't read any bulletpointy style of change logs, but I've been checking out their blogs ever so often so I got an idea of what they are working on like the oil systems, trains, better sprites and more connected looking land etc. Although I'm not 100% sure of the stuff that is actually in this alpha and the stuff that is still being worked on.

 

[Toma]

I haven't read any bulletpointy style of change logs, but I've been checking out their blogs ever so often so I got an idea of what they are working on like the oil systems, trains, better sprites and more connected looking land etc. Although I'm not 100% sure of the stuff that is actually in this alpha and the stuff that is still being worked on.

Just went through the best stuff from 0.4 to 0.9:
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=101144540&postcount=282

 

[allansm]

I played a few Indie games in the last couple of weeks, so I thought I should share my impressions:

Teslagrad: It has a lovely art style, controls well, has variety, and doesn't feel derivative in being part of a crowded genre. However, it left me wanting more challenge. The game gives you some cool abilities to play with but rarely challenges you. The puzzles are generally too easy, only getting some of scrolls was actually challenging and made me stop to think how to reach them. Despite its flaws, I recommend the game to anyone who likes the genre.

Oozi: Earth Adventure: This one was a surprise. I got it in some bundle and although expecting not to like it, a gave it a chance. I must say it isn't a good game, it is an average one, but given the right mood it can be very fun. When I decided to play this, I was in that kind of mood when you don't want to think, you just want to sit down and relax while playing an entertaining game. And this worked well.

The main mechanics are the standard platforming mechanics (double jump, wall jumping, stomp), nothing original. The level design is good, nothing outstanding however. Same for the art style. The platforming, however simple, has a old-school few to it. It reminds me of the non-nintendo platformers on the SNES. Moving through the levels is a relaxing task and has a nice rhythm too. Although there weren't any clever or memorable moments throughout the game, it was difficult to stop playing, thanks to the mix of nostalgia and relaxing gameplay. Worth buying on sale if you like platformers.

Mutant Mudds: Another surprise. As Oozi, I got this game on a bundle and I wasn't expecting much. And also similarly to Oozi, Mutand Mudds has a old-school feel to it and carries no original mechanic. The level design, however, is clever, with different kind of enemies and objects bringing a lot of variety as well as difficulty to the game. Definately reccomended.

Girls Like Robots: I bought this puzzle game based solely on the nice visuals thanks to its cheap price, and it was totally worth it. It has a lovely art style and a charming story connected to the puzzles you're solving. The puzzles are varied and challenging (at least if you're trying to get Gold). New elements and introduced until the last level and the objectives change too. This and the crazy logic the puzzles are based on (Girls like robots and dislike Nerds unless there is a pie adjacent to them, Nerds like girls and robots, Cows use milk to extinguish fires, etc...) helps to keep the game fresh throughout the campaign. It took me 7 hours to finish the campaign getting gold on every level and it left me wanting more. There are also unlockable bonus modes I haven't tried yet. Girls Like Robots will definitely be in my top 20 Indie games list this year.

 

[daydream]

Girls Like Robots: I bought this puzzle game based solely on the nice visuals thanks to its cheap price, and it was totally worth it. It has a lovely art style and a charming story connected to the puzzles you're solving. The puzzles are varied and challenging (at least if you're trying to get Gold). New elements and introduced until the last level and the objectives change too. This and the crazy logic the puzzles are based on (Girls like robots and dislike Nerds unless there is a pie adjacent to them, Nerds like girls and robots, Cows use milk to extinguish fires, etc...) helps to keep the game fresh throughout the campaign. It took me 7 hours to finish the campaign getting gold on every level and it left me wanting more. There are also unlockable bonus modes I haven't tried yet. Girls Like Robots will definitely be in my top 20 Indie games list this year.

If it's the same as the iOS version, then I definitely agree, it's a fun puzzler (certainly not in any top X for me, unless we have a really terrible year, but hey, it doesn't have to be). Anyway, I'll have to see where I left off, maybe play a bit more of it. I remember liking the music?

 

[One Foul Note]

I also played some of Girls love Robots when it was an iOS only. Must admit I found the base puzzle mechanics a little boring although the general presentation was really nice. I certainly played it for a lot longer then I otherwise would if not for the graphics and ambiance.

 

[epmode]

La Mulana 2's Kickstarter met its goal with five days remaining. I'm posting about it here because they just released an early demo: http://playism-games.com/games/lamulana2/#

Paypal is now being accepted, if you're into that.

 

[More_Badass]

Type:Rider - $3.49, 50%
As a platformer, might not reinvent the wheel, but in terms of atmosphere and art style, it's one of the most original I've had the joy of playing. Traversing these levels crafted from the history of typography is both a visual treat and educational.

Cargo Commander - $1.99, 80%
A fun roguelike action platformer. The way your orientation will change from area to area and the thrill of racing back to your base as the level is torn apart makes the game stand out

SteamWorld Dig - $4.99, 50%

Savant: Ascent - $0.99, 50%