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Indie Games 2014 [April] Now Voting - Post 542!

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P

PandaPedinte

Member
Thank you for your impressions One Foul Note.

M_B, I understand where you're coming from, I still consider them indie games even when they signed with a publisher because, usually in mostly of those cases the publisher doesn't have a say in how the game is developed it's just for marketing and distributing purposes.

I think many members here still associate indie with retro styled platformer, just see their reactions when there is a polished 3D indie game, many will "can't believe this is an indie game", the same thing can be said about mobile games, how many times you saw someone summoning diminishes a game because it's only on iOS/Android even if it's a cool game?

I think people try to validate their tastes when they diminishes independent games, last year a site/publication choose Spelunky as their personal GOTY and we got many replies questioning how a "cheap indie game" could beat an AAA because they can't be the "main meal", but in the end of the day they are all video games.

I hope I made sense too. xD
 
B

Burt

Member
Dascu said:
Early #screenshotsaturday. Don't lose your head!



Having fun with development lately. I love making boss fights.
Click to expand...

Holy shit that looks amazing.

I need a week off to catch up on everything. I haven't been through Screenshot Saturday in weeks.
 
D

daydream

Banned
Yeah, it does make sense. First of all, what you say about how indie games are easily on par, if not way more interesting and better than the big budget titles, I think that can apply to movies as well.

But to get back to the subject at hand, I think having full creative freedom over your game is the distinguishing factor, not necessarily the lack of a publisher. There's also a certain liquidity to the design process that involves transparency and user participation.

That brings up another question, though. Indies are starting to outsource parts of their game and/or hiring devs to bring their own idea to fruition. Now, even in that case, development is much more liberal and dynamic than in a big studio, but still you lose some of that personal investment on the dev side of things by having one, sometimes two or three people dictating the course and making the decisions ('Volume' comes to mind). I think that's the point where we eventually will have to operate with some sort of hybrid term.

Thing is, 'indie' as a label is still very practical and, after all, consensually determined, but far from defined.

And to answer your final question, I use indie in a very positive sense (for obvious reasons) and will continue to do so. No plans to back down on it because some philistine doesn't get it.
 
D

daydream

Banned
PandaPedinte said:
I think people try to validate their tastes when they diminishes independent games, last year a site/publication choose Spelunky as their personal GOTY and we got many replies questioning how a "cheap indie game" could beat an AAA because they can't be the "main meal", but in the end of the day they are all video games.
Click to expand...

Oh boy, don't even get me started on that. There was also that RPS thread and.. ugh. A low-point, for sure.
 
M

More_Badass

Member
Remember Darkwood? In fact, it was one of the games featured in the first Indie Thread last March.

Well it's finally coming to Early Access next month
 
T

Twinduct

Member
More_Badass said:
Remember Darkwood? In fact, it was one of the games featured in the first Indie Thread last March.

Well it's finally coming to Early Access next month
Click to expand...

Woo finally!
Been looking forward to this. Really hope I enjoy it!

Next month is sounding pretty cool so far!
The Forest
Endless Fantasy (I know it's april)
Darkwood

And a few Non Indie Games :p
 
S

SapientWolf

Trucker Sexologist
cloudbot said:
Capsule Force - PC / Mac

Just get our retro-space-anime-inspired competitive multiplayer action game up on Greenlight.

tumblr_n2m296XWz41s4kymto1_1280.gif


tumblr_n2mjw2Tub11s4kymto1_400.gif


WebMs
http://www.klobit.com/capsuleforce/CapsuleForce.webm

http://www.klobit.com/capsuleforce/CapsuleForceGameplay.webm
Click to expand...
Well, this is relevant to my interests. These are the type of games people go nuts over at Indie Cade.
 
B

BPoole

Member
Dark Drive looks really cool. I saw the dev didn't meet his goal on Indiegogo, I hope he is still able to make the game
 
M

More_Badass

Member
On The Lam: Fugitive Simulator
V6QREnn.png
Click to expand...
The game is out on IOS now so here are the impressions I posted in the Toucharcade thread
I'll get the bad out of the way:
- Some aspects of the game make this a poor port of the PC version. The How To Play screens are just crammed with text, some UI elements are way too small and hard to read.
- Overall the game has a decidedly low-budget vibe. Now of course it's a one-man indie project, but On The Lam is nowhere as slick or well-designed as other menu-based simulator games like Organ Trail and Plague Inc.
- The game is pretty slow. There's no fast forward and at times events and actions drags on. And it can be kind of boring. The extent of gameplay is watching markers moving across a map, reading text, and selecting choices.

But while these aspects do diminish On The Lam in some ways, the game and the experience shine. There's a ton of depth here. From the get-go, you can choose between three different scenarios: murderer on the run, escaped prisoner, fleeing terrorist. Each changes the starting scenario in interesting ways (murderer has a few hours before the police are alerted, prisoner has nothing, the police is out in full force looking for the terrorist). Not only that, you can alter your stats (endurance, dexterity, perception) and select perks (armed, driver, etc.). There's even a hardcore Realistic mode, where you won't be notified of police activity or what info they have.

That's all before you're on the lam. To give an example of the game's depth, here was my first (failed) playthrough. I choose to be a murderer, and a driver so I'd start with a car. I headed south. A witness called the police so they were aware of the car I was driving. Abandoning my vehicle, I found a house with no one inside, broke in, and searched for supplies. I found a necklace and decided to wait till the owners came home. I could have killed the mom and her kids, but instead tied them up and stole their car.

As I drove south, I learned the police had acquired my phone number and could track my location. I decided to destroy my phone, but that would prevent me from calling friends and family for help until I found a new phone. Then my car ran out of gas so I was on foot again. My character was thirsty, so I sold the necklace at a pawn shop and bought a bottle of water from a store. I could have stole it or robbed the place, but decided not to. Soon my past decision to spare the family can back to haunt me. They had escaped and called the police so the authorities knew my appearance and that I was in the area. I decided to hide in a nearby wooded area. Increasingly tired and hungry, losing health from spider bites, I went to sleep..and soon died from exhaustion and starvation

So would I recommend On The Lam? While the presentation is lacking, I feel the depth more than makes up for that aspect. I doubt there'll be a game as unique and politically incorrect as this one on the App Store for a while. For a mere $1, I think On The Lam is worth a try.
Click to expand...
---
1. Luftrausers
2. Escape Goat 2
3. Javel-ein
4. Catcher
5. Secret Formula
6. Umbragram
7. David.
8. Goat Simulator
9. Copod
10. On The Lam
11. Spidren
12. Friction
13. Gang Beasts
14. Meltdown
15. Landslide McQueen
 
C

charlequin

Banned
daydreaming said:
Yeah, the success of HFA makes me really happy..

..but I'm also intrigued. Like with every project I ask myself - what makes a campaign an instant success (like in HFA's case) or why can it end up being a long uphill battle?
Click to expand...

It's not really that complicated. Games get big boosts from well-designed reward tiers, unique and professional-looking art, well-described mechanics, clearly articulated vision, a concept that combines something familiar and desirable with something unexpected and new, and popular names being attached. Games get slowed down by poorly thought-out rewards, unclear or shifty scopes, noticeable content omissions, questionable art choices, and inability to convey what playing the game will be like.

The most successful Kickstarters since the initial gold rush died down tend to be titles that look unique and make you feel like you already know what it's like to play the game (Darkest Dungeon, Hyper Light Drifter, and HFA all being pretty solid examples.)

I don't think anyone really gives a shit about the "7 years in the making" thing.
 
M

More_Badass

Member
Trolls are so stupid
http://steamcommunity.com/app/291270/discussions/0/558753804515954841/?tscn=1398234768

I'm so tempted to reply with one last snarky comment, especially after that last post, but it's not really not worth the effort

On a related note, any impressions of Vitrum?

charlequin said:
I don't think anyone really gives a shit about the "7 years in the making" thing.
Click to expand...
Personally I disagree. Idk, I think that at the very least might motivate people to check out the game, out of curiosity of where the game is after 7 years. And I think a long development time like that + a detailed devlog can convince people to support a game. Rain World had been in development for three years before its Kickstarter and has an 100+ page devlog detailing its progress. I think that shows people that a game is more than just a pretty video and interesting concept made to impress backer, but something that a developer had putting a lot of hard work and time into making
 
R

rybrad

Member
It looks like a non-F2P version of Shattered Planet is coming to PC. It is a fairly fun (but simple) sci-fi roguelike. I played a fair amount of it on iOS but I hate F2P and I don't really like touch controls so this is welcome news for me. While the game will never be as complex as other recent titles like Sword of the Stars: The Pit, I still think it is fun and doesn't require the same time investment. If you have even a tangential interest in roguelikes I would suggest giving it a look (and Yes vote) on Greenlight.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exYN2eMtr_0
iOS: https://itunes.apple.com/app/id698929655
Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.kitfox.shatteredplanet

CDD05BD8B9CA64CEBD86E84E9A7EDC8371201734


4A153B17E521CD17170968CAF188281F8462DB40
Click to expand...
 
D

daydream

Banned
More_Badass said:
Trolls are so stupid
http://steamcommunity.com/app/291270/discussions/0/558753804515954841/?tscn=1398234768

I'm so tempted to reply with one last snarky comment, especially after that last post, but it's not really not worth the effort
Click to expand...

Solforge is really well-designed btw, but the F2P elements drag it down considerably.

----------
Probably the last OP impressions:

The Way of Yiji: A game I would have to spend more time with to be able to write more clearly about it. The story is rather opaque (the game is rather wordy), the gameplay minimalistic, the art very unique (I'd say it's hit or miss, but definitely unique). It's free, so there's no reason not to check it out if it speaks to you. It didn't draw me in as much as I expected it to, but perhaps I was in the wrong state of mind (though that normally shouldn't be an issue with good games).

Gargantua: As the name implies, this is about fighting giants, well, giant rock formations. Man, was it frustrating. It's a somewhat decent try to create something interesting, visually, but the controls are very frustrating and it just feels cheap on several layers.

Goat Simulator: It's unadulterated stupidity that is a lot of fun to mess around with and indulge yourself in. Comically, it is a one-trick pony for me (unlike something like Jazzpunk) which is fine since this genre has a ton of untapped potential as it stands - and this is a more than solid (very dumb) effort.

Code: 
[B]Excellent:[/B]

Luftrausers
Escape Goat 2

[B](Very) Promising:[/B]

Mini Metro
Gang Beasts
Meltdown
Krautscape

[B]Good:[/B]

Museum of Parallel Art
Mizuonawa
Towerfall Ascension
Betrayer
Goat Simulator
The Way of Yiji
Friction

[B]Decent:[/B]

Catcher
Javel-ein
Broken Robot Love
Landslide McQueen

[B]Disappointing:[/B]

Aerobat
Labyrinth of Keys
Gargantua
We Are Subjects
Spidren
Beautiful Prison
 
M

More_Badass

Member
Releasing tomorrow

Depths of Fear: Knossos - $5.99 (PC)
ss_fd0471394c03bc2c632578f27242f2d0b6819487.600x338.jpg

http://store.steampowered.com/app/252570

The fate of Athens is in your hands as you step into the role of legendary Greek hero Theseus. Offering yourself for tribute unto the corrupt King Minos, you embark upon a perilous quest deep beneath the city of Knossos to slay the twisted mythical beast - The Minotaur. But, before you can complete this hero's journey you must steadfast the trials of ever-changing creature-filled labyrinths. Collect gold to deal with Daedalus, building up your armory whilst seeking out the mythological medallions that unlock a master sword, the only weapon known that can pierce the Minotaur's cursed flesh. May the gods of Greece be with you, son of Poseidon!
Click to expand...

I thought the monsters looked bad in the screenshots but then I saw the trailer and read a comment on Steam, and realized the designs are probably meant to be homages to the clay/stop-motion creatures from Clash of the Titans, Jason & The Argonauts, etc. Which is actually brilliant
 
D

DocSeuss

Member
charlequin said:
It's not really that complicated. Games get big boosts from well-designed reward tiers, unique and professional-looking art, well-described mechanics, clearly articulated vision, a concept that combines something familiar and desirable with something unexpected and new, and popular names being attached. Games get slowed down by poorly thought-out rewards, unclear or shifty scopes, noticeable content omissions, questionable art choices, and inability to convey what playing the game will be like.

The most successful Kickstarters since the initial gold rush died down tend to be titles that look unique and make you feel like you already know what it's like to play the game (Darkest Dungeon, Hyper Light Drifter, and HFA all being pretty solid examples.)

I don't think anyone really gives a shit about the "7 years in the making" thing.
Click to expand...

What exactly are well-designed reward tiers?

I'm sad all the Kickstarters I've wanted to succeed recently have failed. There was that weird apocalyptic game with terrain deformation and quake-like art, the city builderish space settlement game from ex-Insomniac staff, and Dead Crusade.
 
P

phantomspiker

Member
More_Badass said:
Releasing tomorrow

Depths of Fear: Knossos - $5.99 (PC)


I thought the monsters looked bad in the screenshots but then I saw the trailer and read a comment on Steam, and realized the designs are probably meant to be homages to the clay/stop-motion creatures from Clash of the Titans, Jason & The Argonauts, etc. Which is actually brilliant
Click to expand...

That game looks kinda neat, but Dark Souls 2 is out tomorrow.
 
C

charlequin

Banned
More_Badass said:
Personally I disagree. Idk, I think that at the very least might motivate people to check out the game, out of curiosity of where the game is after 7 years.
Click to expand...

Curiosity is basically irrelevant to Kickstarter success in comparison to having a solid pitch once people are already on your page. You put this game up and say someone's been working on it for two years and you get the exact same amount pledged, pretty much.

DocSeuss said:
What exactly are well-designed reward tiers?
Click to expand...

A few things I tend to look for:

  • Tiers that are easy to understand. I've seen a few projects load up reward tiers with junk that made it too much of a headache to figure out what you're actually getting for your pledge.
  • Tiers that are separated enough. Similarly, I've seen projects that just have way too many finely-graded tiers that produce analysis paralysis. Make every tier a clear upgrade so people are thinking about exactly what they want: do you want the game, or the game AND soundtrack, or the game, soundtrack, AND t-shirt?
  • An easy, simple tier to get just the game at a discount from the eventual launch price, and the ability to choose platform later when the survey goes out (instead of making you commit upfront.)
  • A clear progression upwards. Don't futz around with tiers that have gaps from previous ones. Define one physical-reward tier and one all-digital tier and just tack on top with each, and maybe introduce add-ons near the end if there's things people really want to get individually.
  • Make sure low-price and super-high-price backers each have something appealing. If your base tier with the game as a reward is above $25 you're going to have trouble getting people to back in volume. If you don't have cool, unique rewards at $250+ you're gonna see a lot fewer big pledges than you could otherwise get.
  • For every game you'll have people who want the game, a soundtrack, an art or lore book, and some lower-end ($50-75) custom content. For almost every game you'll have people who will go up to $60 to get a t-shirt.
 
M

More_Badass

Member
Watching the video again and I must admit, I think Universim probably has the best Kickstarter trailer I've seen yet. I think it's even better than Heart Forth Alicia's or Hyper Light Drifter's. The voice-over, the scope and scale, the visuals...it's just feels epic and the music just adds to the atmosphere
 
T

Toma

Let me show you through these halls, my friend, where treasures of indie gaming await...
Voting March!

RULES THIS MONTH IN SHORT: Up to 10 games, at least 4.

Why?
Because we want to offer people who first step into the thread an easy go-to list for great games. Plus it gives more attention to the titles that really deserve it.

How?
Everyone votes on his top 10 games out of the ones that already have been released AND are mentioned in the OP (So everything in Post 2). I'll tally the results and put the best 5 in the next thread. A minimum voting count of 4 is required. Feel free to vote for games that you deem "important" or the ones that you enjoyed the most. Since this is a rather communicative thread, feel free to include a short description why these games ended up on your list or a "honorable" mention if you feel that one game deserves another mention even though it wont count for your list. That way it would also make it interesting to read which games we should check out that others might have enjoyed. You dont need to "rank" the 10 games. Every list entry gets 1 point for the overall ranking.

When?
This thread is still open until the end of the month, so you can drop your list in here whenever you want. You can also change your list up to the last day. I wont start the count before the last day of the month, so everyone has still time to revise their lists and play some games. Speaking of which, if you dont even KNOW 7 games to vote for, there are plenty free games in the OP to check out. Most of which are rather short too. Use the remaining week to catch up with 1 or 2 titles you didnt get around to yet!

Which?
Since the list got rather long, here is the complete list of games to vote for for this month:

Aerobat - Free beta (PC)
BeatBlasters III - $9.99 (PC, Mac, Linux)
Beautiful Prison - Free (Browser)
Betrayer - $19.99 (PC)
Broken Robot Love - Free (Browser)
Capsule - $8 (PC)
Catcher - Free beta (PC, Mac, Linux, Browser)
Cloudbuilt - $19.99 (PC, Mac, Linux)
Copod - $5 alpha (PC, Mac, Linux)
Corridors of Uncertainity - Free pre-alpha (PC)
Daily Espada - $4.99+ (PC, Mac, Linux)
David. - $2/sale for $1 (PC, Mac)
Escape Goat 2 - $9.99 (PC, Mac, Linux)
Fingerbones - Free (PC, Mac)
Friction - Free/Name your price (PC)
Gang Beasts - Free alpha (PC, Mac, Linux)
Gangs of Space - 10$ for alpha access/Free if you wait for alpha invite (PC, Mac,Linux)
Gargantua - Free (PC, Mac)
Goat Simulator - $9.99 (PC)
Icarus - Free 7DRTS version, in development (????)
Iubes - Free alpha (PC)
Javel-ein - Free (PC, Browser)
Joylancer - Free Demo/ $7,99 (PC)
Krafters - Free alpha (PC)
Krautscape - $7.99 (PC/Mac)
Labyrinth of Keys - Free (PC, Browser)
Landslide McQueen - Free (PC, Mac)
Lost In Her Eye - Free (Unity)
Luftrausers - Free Alpha/$9.99 (PC, Mac, Linux)
Mammoth Gravity Battles - Free browser demo (PC, Mac, nux, Android, iPhone, iPad, Blackberry, Windows Phone, Windows Tablet, Ouya)
Meltdown - $3.99 (PC, Mac)
Mini Metro - Free alpha, Mid 2014 (PC, Mac, Linux, Browser)
Mizunoawa - Free (PC, Mac)
Museum of Parallel Art - Free (PC, Mac, Linux Browser)
On The Lam: Fugitive Simulator - $10 (PC, Mac, Linux)
Operation Starcrusher - Free Demo/$4,99 (PC)
Outpost - Free beta (PC)
Paragon - $4,99 (PC)
Paragon - $4 (PC)
Pilota - $3.99 (PC)
Portal Mortal - Free alpha (PC, Linux)
Project Night - $2.99 (PC, Mac, Linux)
Project Temporality - $11.99 (PC)
Protactor - Free (PC)
Qvadriga - $19.99, Free demo (PC)
Secret Formula - Free (PC)
Self Destruction - Free (PC)
Sol 0 - $2.99 Alpha, Free demo (PC, Mac, Linux)
Spidren - Free (Browser)
Starship Corporation - Free alpha, $5+ to preorder (PC)
The Dungeoning - Free Demo/$9,99 (PC)
The Way of Yiji - Free (PC, Browser)
Towerfall Ascension - $13,99 (PC, PS4, Ouya)
Umbragram - Free (PC, Mac)
Uncanny Valley - Free alpha, 2014 (PC, Mac, Linux)
We are Subjects - Free (PC)
Click to expand...
 
M

More_Badass

Member
1. Luftrausers
2. Escape Goat 2
3. Javel-ein
4. Catcher
5. Secret Formula
6. Umbragram
7. David.
8. Goat Simulator
9. Copod
10. On The Lam
11. Spidren
12. Friction
13. Gang Beasts
14. Meltdown
15. Landslide McQueen

I really enjoyed Escape Goat, Catcher, and other games, but Vlambeer's aerial bullet hell shooter easily took the number one spot. It's frenzied and chaotic and challenging but you're always in control. Just a fun satisfying game to play, with mechanics finely tuned to perfection
 
M

More_Badass

Member
An upcoming GAFfer-made game, looks really cool

The Flock - ???? (PC)
the-flock.jpg

http://www.vogelsap.com/theflock/

The Flock is a thrilling asymmetrical online multiplayer game. Players can play as the monster - the Flock - but can also become, and will want to become, the prey - the Carrier. The game features a dark and ghastly atmosphere.
Each player starts the game as one of the Flock, a race of large and agile monsters, who seek out the coveted Light Artifact. Once one of the players grabs the Artifact, he/she turns into the fragile, slow, but more humanlike Carrier. That player also accumulates score over time, and with enough score the player wins. Surviving is key.
Click to expand...
Trailer
 
M

More_Badass

Member
Spy Chameleon: RGB Agent is the new IGS deal

Spy Chameleon: RGB Agent - $5.99 (PC, Mac, Linux)
637x358.resizedimage

http://www.spychameleon.com/

Spy Chameleon RGB Agent is an arcade-puzzle game where the player needs to avoid being spotted thanks to the color-changing mechanisms of the main character.
Across 5 crazy missions and 75 levels the player will discover different enemies and mechanics in order to complete super secret missions only achievable by a RGB Agent: taking pics of a celebrity and her lover at her bedroom or getting the secret formula of a famous drink company are only some examples.
Observe the moves of your enemies, choose the right path and start running to the next safe spot. The length of the levels make this game perfect to spend a few minutes completing some levels or hours finishing missions and getting all the challenges, speed-running through the game or getting all the achievements.
Click to expand...
 
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