I’ve previously mentioned that I’m working on a Special Edition of my adventure game Frasse and the Peas of Kejick to celebrate that it’s becoming playable on Mac OS X, but I have not talked much about what the update will contain.
.I don’t recall what started it, but today I got thinking on the topic of collaboration in game making. Although I’ve made some attempts at it, the two complete games I’ve made so far have been solo efforts. (I’m not forgetting all the people that made my games possible: Tool programmers, beta testers, voice actors and so on. I’m very grateful for what they’ve done. I couldn’t have done it without them, but I still count both Frasse and Rocket Duel as solo projects.)
My first attempt (in 2002) at making a game with the SLUDGE adventure game engine was a collaboration. (more…)
In case you’re wondering what’s up, here’s a quick update.
I got a lot done on the SLUDGE adventure game engine during the summer. (If you’re interested in knowing more about that, and maybe trying it out, you should head on over to the Adventure Developers forum. That’s where the SLUDGE action is.)
Now my SLUDGE-making speed has slowed down a bit, for two reasons. One is that the vacation is over, and my paid work naturally has priority over this stuff. The other is that I’ve been spending a little time [i]using[/i] the SLUDGE development kit, making Frasse and the Peas of Kejick: Special Edition. No estimated release date for that yet, but I’m hoping to get it done this side of Christmas.
I was happy to find that “JD” has reviewed Frasse and the Peas of Kejick on his blog, where he reviews a lot of freeware adventure games (check it out). He mostly liked it, and I agree him where he mentions things he didn’t like so much.
Thanks, JD, for taking the time to write reviews! (And I’m not saying this because he liked my game. If anyone who doesn’t like my game would like to review it, I’d be equally grateful. I’d probably learn more from that review.)
I’ve only done minor things with Sludge this week. (Done some small fixes, and changed how resolution is handled.) The rest of the remaining work will have to wait until I have the books I mentioned in my previous post.
Instead I have spent some time with Frasse. The original game, and not the sequel. When I release it for the Mac, it will be an updated game, and the area where I really want to update things in in the sound department. I want to use real instruments in the music. Here’s an example: The original version, and the updated one with a live trombone. The new version is far from perfect (I need to practice recording myself) and I’ll probably return to it again before the game is re-released, but I hope you’ll agree it’s an improvement anyway. I plan to do this all over the place, and also add other sounds.
…or maybe a “lack-of-progress” update. Since my last comment on my last post, I haven’t done anything with either Frasse or Sludge. Time, you know, and so on. I wrote in my last update that expected to get some things done in the week before Easter. True, I have had time to program, and I have gotten things done, but those things have been in another area: I have a brother who is a farmer, and I have helped him with his site where he sells sheep fells. (The site is in Swedish only.)
But you can rest assured that I will return to both Sludge and Frasse. Neither is abandoned. Maybe I’ll get some things done tomorrow…
Happy Easter!
I’ve been working on the engine that powers (among other great games) Frasse and the Peas of Kejick (and will power its sequel). Tim Furnish, who made the engine, opened up its source code almost a year ago (how time flies!) and I immediately downloaded it and started looking at it with the intent of porting it to Mac OS X. As you might imagine, that’s not a completely straightforward process. It took me a while simply to get it to compile and run in Windows (using another compiler than the one Tim used).
The game I talked about earlier, where Deirdra Kiai was collecting graphics in different styles to put together, has been released. It’s called Des Rêves Élastiques Avec Mille Insectes Nommés George, and I recommend that you take a look at it. I was only slightly disappointed that there are no insects named George (I love the title!), but I enjoyed it. This is another dialogue thingy from Deirdra, and contains some things well said. I’ve only played it through once, but I intend to return to it.
My contribution is a badly animated tuba player (me) on a beach, and some tuba playing. (I’ll update the Other Games page eventually.)
Another released game that I’ve done a little work on is 8 Squares in the Garden. I’ve made the soundtrack for this game, based on Lewis Carrol’s Through the Looking Glass. The game doesn’t have a web page for me to link to, so I’ll point you to a forum thread at Adventure Developers instead. (The thread is labeled “open beta…”, but you’ll find the download for the finished game there too.) I’m generally happy about how the music turned out – I wrote it as a wind quartet – but there are some things I’d do differently if I get asked to write music for the sequel. (I hope the planned sequel will get made. “Ad7venture” is currently working on another project.)
I’ve been too busy lately to get much done on either my new game or my porting of SLUDGE to the Mac (neither project is abandoned), but I have been making some quick art for others.
First is the Cover Art Drive for interactive fiction run by Emily Short. I made a cover for one of my favourite games of all categories: Augmented Fourth. It got accepted by the author and is now the official cover art for the game. How cool is that!
Another game I’m currently making some graphics for is Deirdra Kiai’s new project. She’s collecting graphics in different styles that she are going to put together into a game. It may sound crazy, but I think she can pull it off so I’m halfway through making a contribution.
Both projects have deadlines of last April (more or less).
Now it’s decided. My next game will be a sequel to Frasse and the Peas of Kejick. I’ve had the idea for a while, but I have other things I’d like to do too. Last Sunday I wrote the idea down and started to think a bit more about how to put it together, so now Frasse 2 is officially in pre-production even though the design isn’t much more than an idea at the moment. I call it a sequel, but it’s not simply more of the same. I don’t even know if Frasse or Gurra will appear at all in this game. They will not be playable characters anyway. I’ll call it Frasse 2 for now, but I do have a secret title for the game that reveals a bit more about the game.