Bytesize Adventures

Astro Noughts is currently “In Review” and with any luck should be in the App store next week. Whilst I’m impatiently waiting, I though it would be interesting to write up all of the hardware and software I used to create the game.

Each game you create is going to require different tools and it’s highly unlikely you’ll find a single piece of software to cover all of your needs. In fact, you’ll likely need multiple pieces of software to cover each of the disciplines. I’d encourage you to explore and be creative. Find tools you like, stretch them to their limits, and find alternative uses for them. Sometimes you can achieve the effect you’re looking for in really unlikely places. Its not the software that matters but the effect you can produce with it.

I’ve tried to make this list as comprehensive as possible and it therefore does include some obvious things (such as a desk) as well as some luxury items. I’ve included my reasoning behind each so I’ll leave it up to you to decide how necessary they are. I’ve split this list into sections to make it easier to refer to. keep reading…

By Chris | Posted in: Development Diary, Tangents | Tags: astro noughts, audacity, brainwave, cfxr, coffee, gorillapod, imovie, instruments, macbook pro, opacity, particle designer, photoshop elements, sennheiser, thumbjam, twitter, wacom, wordpress, xcode
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About 5 months ago I spent a weekend creating a project management tool (named BrainWave) for my game development. I received positive feedback and a few developers were interested in trying it out so I launched a private beta. During the last 5 months I’ve had a steady trickle of invite requests. I’ve also continued to develop BrainWave. keep reading…

By Chris | Posted in: Development Diary, Tangents | Tags: brainwave, ideas, project management
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This week I’ve really worked on refining the core exploration mechanic – there’s still more to do but the experience is beginning to take shape.

I suppose one of the key differences from last week is the fog. The purpose of the fog was to drive exploration – the idea being that if you can’t see something, you’re more likely to want to go and investigate. The problem was that the fog just wasn’t working the way I had hoped. I struggled thinking of a way to cover the level without fog. Then it dawned on me, I could just zoom closer to your immediate surroundings. This effectively means that you cannot see the rest of the level thus creating a virtual fog and enhancing the element of exploration. The other advantage is that the explorer becomes more prominent which means the layers of customisation I plan on adding will be more relevant. keep reading…

By Chris | Posted in: Development Diary, Weekly Update | Tags: brainwave, explorer, fog, next game, reward, risk
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Project Management – It’s perhaps the least sexy part of independent game design and development. If you’re anything like me, you’ll have struggled endlessly with existing products trying to cram your “unique” workflow into their stubborn interfaces, only to not even bother opening it again after a handful of attempts.

I’ve often resigned myself to the fact that project management tools just don’t suit my style of game development. It is true afterall that developing games for the iPhone involves a much shorter time frame – rapid development and multiple iterations are key (at least for me). Still, without these tools I find myself floundering. Where do i write my new ideas? How do I track my progress? What are my next steps? keep reading…

By Chris | Posted in: Development Diary, Tangents | Tags: basecamp, brainwave, gtd, ideas, omniplan, pivotal tracker, process, project management, the hit list, things, todo, trac, workflow
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