The Arkedo Series Official Thread of 240MSPoints Down a Month

Sydle · Dec 29, 2009

Jump and Pixel are awesome. I'm not good at puzzle games so pass on Swap.

I would totally buy a bigger 2D platform game from them.

EDIT: OMG, Slash sounds awesome. Can't wait to demo it.

Keikoku · Dec 29, 2009

I just don't get the rockhead's riddle.

Relaxed Muscle · Dec 29, 2009

Keikoku said:

Those numbers are the numbers of pixels of each heart container, so you have to input the life left (red pixels) you have at that moment, you know how much pixels is one heart and how much is one half

Keikoku · Dec 29, 2009

Relaxed Muscle said:

Awesome :lol Thanks

Timedog · Dec 29, 2009

forgeforsaken said:

I guess that makes Bill Gates and Steve Jobs sons of bitches, right? Let the good games become full blown arcade releases srsly. Fuck Bill Cosby Gates and Steve McQueen Jobs.

Warm Machine · Dec 29, 2009

Timedog said:

I hope this is a terrible sarcastic comment. That the little guy can publish to the console at all and with a 70% profit margin is a pretty huge landmark in gaming.

AzBat · Jan 1, 2010

Warm Machine said:

Actually $99 for a year, $49 for 4 months or you can get a free trial through the Dream. Build. Play. contests/challenges. However, the free trial won't allow you to Peer Review or Playtest games that are submitted via the Creator's Club. It will only allow you to deploy .ccgames to your Xbox for playing & testing. BTW, all the software tools are free including XNA Game Studio & Microsoft Visual C# 2008 Express Edition.

Check here for more info on the subscriptions... http://creators.xna.com/en-US/membership

Martial Loh · Jan 1, 2010

Just had a quick peep at the dream-build contest and signed up for the xna creator account - but my membership shows no indication of subscription or 12month trial...anything I'm missing?

edit - nevermind realised the code was within the contest membership and not the standard xna one..:lol

Pharoah · Jan 7, 2010

Spotted on a messageboard, the best description for PIXEL that I have found so far:

"It's like Tamagochi went out on an adventure and ducks, acorns, and fruit are assholes. Basically."
:lol :lol :lol
Perfect.

I wish I made this one myself, for the PIXEL description. Our Avatar joke is quickly getting old.

PopfulMail · Jan 7, 2010

Pharoah said:

Hahah.. True!

Warm Machine · Jan 9, 2010

Just finished Pixel! I don't see how Meow City could possibly be paradise for cats when it is so damn hard to get through.

Beautiful game all the way through however.

Is there another ending if you have all the useless relics?

Oli · Jan 9, 2010

I was trying to remember where I saw the name Arkedo before and it hit me, Big Bang Mini!

I love you guys!

These are officially on my "to download" list. Which should I go with first? Pixel has my interest the most.

Alphahawk · Jan 9, 2010

Bought Pixel, love it so far. I love the art style that's at the same time both retro and HD at the same time. I love the little mazes and everything also.

I'm glad I'm not the only one thatt got stuck on the Rockhed riddle either. I think a lot of us over thought that. :lol :lol

Also one question about Jump: Do the bombs start ticking down only when you discover them or are they all active from the start of the level?

intheinbetween · Jan 9, 2010

still no news about Slash?

womp · Jan 9, 2010

Damn, thanks for this thread. I'm a big fan of Arkedo's DS games and since I never really browse the indie games section I'd of missed them. I'm going to be checking these out tonight after work. Awesome.

Rlan · Jan 9, 2010

We have a quick, awesome interview poppibg up on Gamerbytes next week, so keep a lookout. Lets say, I'm jeleous of their French cooking

Sydle · Jan 9, 2010

Alphahawk said:

Some are activated only after you've collected a certain amount of coins. For example, one level had three bombs with different values right next to each other, 1000, 1200, and 1500, respectively.

celebi23 · Jan 9, 2010

Loved Jump. Didn't realize that the developers made two more XBL Indie Games :lol Fucking bought

Oli · Jan 9, 2010

I tried the Pixel trial. It's great, but the edges of the screen are slightly cut off on my screen. Anyone else have that problem? It doesn't seem to affect anything, but some of the text is a little cut off.

Warm Machine · Jan 9, 2010

Oli said:

Yeah I've noticed that on TVs with overscan. I run dot by dot so it doesn't affect me, so check to see if you are using the appropriate zoom mode on your set if you have an LCD/Plasma.

intheinbetween said:

Funny that when a developer releases games about every month and a half news about their next one is expected so soon

Alphahawk · Jan 10, 2010

F the last level. F it up it's rectum. Is it even possible to past that first spike cave without taking damage?

Warm Machine · Jan 10, 2010

Alphahawk said:

Yes it is but you need to be going just the right speed and using the half jump technique they teach you earlier in the game. Wait until you get to the next part for the real frustration...

Alphahawk · Jan 11, 2010

Warm Machine said:

WTF is a "half jump"?

Considering that the goal of this series is to release a game every month, and in a couple weeks Pixel will be one month old, I say it's a valid concern...

Warm Machine · Jan 11, 2010

Alphahawk said:

The half jump is a fast press of the jump button while the cat is running. This is so you don't go as high but can jump farther than on a regular walk. There is a sign on either that level or the level before that explains it, and they give you a circumstance where you have to use it immediately.

The time between Swap and Pixel seemed a little longer than one month. I'm sure it'll get revealed when Arkedo is ready and when Pixel sales have slowed.

Dash Kappei · Jan 11, 2010

lyre said:

Oh.
No sale then, for shame since I quite like Big Bang Mini (currently at £5 on most online store, buy it!) and I even beat Nervous Brickdown :/

RadarScope1 · Jan 11, 2010

Warm Machine said:

Good point. They don't want to step on their own toes. The monthly schedule might turn out to be a curse if they have a winner with bigger sales at some point.

Alphahawk · Jan 12, 2010

Warm Machine said:

Hmm I think that was in the "Space" level, and I somehow completed that level without having to use it.

Rlan · Jan 13, 2010

Finished up Pixel last night! Curse you Space Cows!

Over the next few weeks on GamerBytes we'll be looking at a ton of developers and publishers for XBLA, PSN, WiiWare, DSiWare and PSP Minis to ask them about what they enjoyed from 2009, and what they'll be improving on.

Our first two parts are now up, including CapyBara Games:

http://www.gamerbytes.com/2010/01/developer_reflections_capybara.php

And Arkedo! Their talk is awesome! Just look at their office!

http://www.gamerbytes.com/2010/01/developer_reflections_arkedo_s.php

Screw the French and their glorious wine and dine

Any feedback would be great! Look forward to more in the coming weeks

TheUnknownForce · Jan 13, 2010

So far, I've really enjoyed the quality put into the series, and I hope they can keep up with this any perhaps flesh out some of the bigger titles into larger projects in multiple systems, even! But this is cool, too. *still hates the need to be online to play the games*

01 JUMP had a great design to it, but something didn't fit well with me to go to purchase.
02 SWAP is a great puzzle game concept, but I'm burnt out on the genre.
03 PIXEL was my first purchase of the Arkedo series, because it is a platform adventure title that does a rather unique twist to it all.

Unfortunately, the game glitched out on me. I was in the last level, the last big mouse, and when I made a mistake, the game crashed, and I was sent back to the dashboard.

So...yeah

I'd prefer the last level have been split into two. It felt a lot longer and more difficult than I'd like (I blame how smooth Pixel climbs ladders).

Looking forward to the next installment!

Keikoku · Jan 13, 2010

intheinbetween said:

They said in a french interview that Slash would be "Zelda meets Geometry Wars"
Can't wait !

TheUnknownForce · Jan 13, 2010

Keikoku said:

As long as it isn't another overhead dual-stick shooter of sorts. Talk about a quickly-milked genre on XBLIG D:

Warm Machine · Jan 13, 2010

Rlan said:

Thank you! Excellent bit of insight into Arkedo. I'd love to work on a short game in Paris after visiting in 2007.

Anso · Jan 13, 2010

TheUnknownForce said:

It has spawned some of the best games on XBLIG though including the bloody brilliant Atomhex, the visual masterpiece Squid Yes! Not So Octopus! and the quite frankly amazing Echoes+.

gafster1 · Jan 17, 2010

Rlan said:

And here it is.

...the XNA ecosystem. It was so smooth and streamlined, that we could almost immediately focus on the gameplay and experiment stuff out of the box. It is like if, when building a house from the ground, you would almost immediately have everything done, and all you had to do was taking care of interior design

It made the whole "Arkedo Series" possible, because it was the only place where we could make so many games in so little time.

AzBat · Jan 17, 2010

Great interview with Arkedo on Edge...

http://www.edge-online.com/features/interview-arkedo-studio

Looks like we'll be getting an upgraded compilation of the Arkedo Series! on XBLA and PSN. They said not to expect the exact same games, since they think it deserves more. Plus, a a non-Series project that's being prototyped for a unspecified platform. In about 3 weeks they continue finishing 04 Slash!. Maybe we'll get some screens or video before then?

AzBat · Jan 17, 2010

Looks like that announced project could be the Natal XBLA concept that was mentioned in the DIYgamer back last October...

http://diygamer.com/2009/10/oh-no-squid-arkedo-studios-camille-guermonprez-intervew/

Maybe this will coincide with new Natal details released at Gamefest in February.

Pharoah · Jan 18, 2010

No it's not!
No it won't!

The Natal project never saw light (even though our little concept document was discussed by two big publishers, but the deal eventually fell flat in the end. The Natal SDK and hardware changed quite a bit down the road, and I guess we were not relevant with Natal final design, as the game was quite demanding on one of the specs which got apparently toned-down). No, I cannot discuss this any further, go away. Please.

This project was something we did while waiting for our former publisher to pay for our first milestone for Big Bang Mini for the Wii (we were halfways; he never did = we are suing). Then, after we did the Natal project doc, we decided to start the Series.

Mmh. I would love to show you what we are talking about, it was fun ^^

...

OK, fuck it. Let me check a few things before doing so

Don't expect too much, though: from the time we started thinking about it, to the time we made the little 8-page design document, there was only 10/12 days of work for just one (talented) guy: Aurélien, the co-founder and artistic director for Arkedo.

It was a very silly concept, we loved the idea, we still do, and we will probably have our revenge by releasing some kind of variation of it through our Series now (well, it will miss the Natal appeal, but we still believe it is going to be a nice game).

A small hint (will come back tomorrow on this, I guess): the project was called "2-Finger Heroes", and here is a little sketch on one of the foes you would have encountered in the first minutes of gameplay.

We wanted "OK-you're-cute-but-I-still-want-to-smack-you-in-the-face" annoying foes.

"Let's be friends instead! Yaaaaaaaaa!"

I guess tomorrow I'll show you 2 bullshots

AzBat said:

Psychotext · Jan 18, 2010

Pharoah said:

Given what you mention later its actually fairly easy to work out what you're talking about there.

AzBat · Jan 18, 2010

Pharoah said:

Sorry, hope that's being tongue firmly in cheek.

Love your concept though. Sounds like your trying for a shadow puppet 2D-scrolling fighter game!

Thanks for all the cool details even if I slightly baited you there.

Pharoah · Jan 18, 2010

ONE OF THE SPECS WE CANNOT DISCUSS!!!111
(Course I'm kidding. Was a tad obvious, no, with such a name? ^^)

SecretBonusPoint · Jan 18, 2010

If its the kind of idea I think it'd be, players walking along the screen with 2 fingers as "legs" to kick enemies, thats a great idea and actually would have convinced me Natal could bring some great games to the table. OH WELL EH?!

Gotta love non-paying developers as well :lol Bet they gave you a supreme list of bullshit excuses as per the norm.

nli10 · Jan 18, 2010

Will look at these later. For some reason I presumed Pixel was a Picross clone and ignored it :lol

fernoca · Jan 18, 2010

Well, all I know is that anything that Arkedo releases on the Xbox (Live, retail, Indie) is day one.

And great concept (the Natal stuff) too!

Kafel · Jan 19, 2010

May we see the bullshots now ? : )

Pharoah · Jan 20, 2010

Kafel said:

No!

Hopefully later today

Nemesis_ · Jan 20, 2010

Fuck I wish we had Indie Games here. I really want to try out some of those titles. =(

Diablohead · Jan 20, 2010

Did I just read this thread correct that these games are coming to the xbla section at some point? that's awesome.

But this is where my hate for how games are managed on live comes in, now that I know that they might be coming to live arcade it puts me off buying the community version, no achievements, having to always be connected to live to play them, these things make me want to wait for a real live release :/

Monty Mole · Jan 20, 2010

Nemesis556 said:

Why not set up a UK/US XBL account and then just buy a points card/code from eBay? Unless there's some region protection I'm not aware of?

Nasreddin · Jan 20, 2010

Diablohead said:

Where did you read this?

Pharoah · Jan 20, 2010

Hello,

As promised, please find some bullshots and a small excerpt from our design document for our -now dead- Natal project. Please remember that we could only allow ourselves to work 12 days on this, so it's very far from being polished stuff. The screenshots are bullshit of course, but they respect the technical limitations, and also were designed so they could fit in with our tools. So they are semi-bullshots.

...

Ok, there's no such things: they are bullshots.

To put it in perspective, after having "upgraded" from the DS to the Wii, we wanted to see if we could do HD games without having everyone going facepalm and telling the world we should have sticked to simpler games. It may sound silly, but as Aurélien and I started making games in 1999 for mobile phones, and our first games were in 96X65 pixels resolution, in B&W... each year we are wondering if taking the leap of faith towards more pixels is a good idea or not.

So Natal had a great user interface, and we tried to play with concepts which were not possible before. Something that would not feel old, hopefully. And most important, something we would have fun making.

So, introducing 2-Finger Heroes, a silly tale of friendly invaders who did not have enough time to scan the entire human body! So they are left on Earth as merely fingers (yup, scan was 3% complete), but with the WILL TO LIVE AND FIGHT THEIR NEMESIS, THE GIANT FOOT FROM OUTERSPACE!

Ahem.

↓ ↓ ↓ Click for fullscreen ↓ ↓ ↓

One of the designs flaws of this, apart from the fact that it demanded some very precise pattern recognition from the Natal system, is that it would have been HELL to localize. Yup, what can be understood as the victory sign in France, could be a terrible insult in the UK, for instance. And we are not even talking about Italian. Oh, the possibilities...

Still, would have been fun.

The final Boss had to be given 25 real headbutts to be defeated, ffs... >_<'

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