Hello there,
As you may know by now, if you follow me on Twitter, things didn't turn out to be all that great for "A Forest Life". As I made good progress in the original concept, I realized that it was simply not as fun as I first thought it would be.
Since I can`t release a game that is not as fun as I want it to be and still consider myself a Gamedesigner I decided to let it rest for a few months and redesign parts of the original concept until it is a game I would proudly call my own.
As you remember I couldn't work on anything the past few months because I was as busy as...well someone who is really busy. So I can't just sit there and doing nothing but think about the concept. If you also remember the first Trailer of Retro Arcade Adventure, I promised to deliver the PC port later this year. If I want to keep that promise, I think that this is the right time to work on the PC Port.
So, that's it. My current situation explained. I can't give a specific date yet for when the PC Port of Retro Arcade Adventure will be released but I set the time around christmas as my personal goal since there is a lot to do(A lot of things need improvements in the original RAA).
I hope you weren't to excited for "A Forest Life" and still are able to look forward for Retro Arcade Adventure on your PC.
Yours sincerely,
Marcus
Donnerstag, 16. August 2012
Montag, 30. Juli 2012
I Am Back In Action!
After a very long time of unproductivity, I can finally say that I am completely back in action and will continue my work on "A forest life". Gone are the months in which I could only design some small little minigames in html5(however I will still make those because it is a lot of fun).
This morning I went to my local supermarket and bought me some energy drinks, grabbed my design documents and copied all the important files to my laptop, so I can work everywhere I want.
It is all set up again and I am very excited to get back into development. My first task will likely be to rename the game since "A forest life" is not quite the interesting title I wanted it to be.
That's it for now, expect more updates soon. I am going to make me a coffee and afterwards, I will rev up!
Marcus
This morning I went to my local supermarket and bought me some energy drinks, grabbed my design documents and copied all the important files to my laptop, so I can work everywhere I want.
It is all set up again and I am very excited to get back into development. My first task will likely be to rename the game since "A forest life" is not quite the interesting title I wanted it to be.
That's it for now, expect more updates soon. I am going to make me a coffee and afterwards, I will rev up!
Marcus
Sonntag, 1. Juli 2012
No progress but "something" to play...
Hey there, yeah it's been a while since I last updated this blog. The problem is that I still have not the time to work with full momentum on "A forest life". This will hopefully change in a few weeks. Yeah, real life can be a bitch sometimes.
Nontheless, I am creating minigames in html5 and javascript whenever I have the time, so I still have my training for the big one later on.
Since all of those games are more or less moodbased, and because I was in a really bad mood the last two days...well just play it, it is strange and creepy and was inspired by Marilyn Manson and Fatal Frame.
I just can't wait to continue work on "A forest life" with full momentum, but at the moment, all I can give you are these strange little games.
By the way, urban legend has it, that if you played this, you actually played it...just to let you know!
Just click on the picture to start "playing"...
Nontheless, I am creating minigames in html5 and javascript whenever I have the time, so I still have my training for the big one later on.
Since all of those games are more or less moodbased, and because I was in a really bad mood the last two days...well just play it, it is strange and creepy and was inspired by Marilyn Manson and Fatal Frame.
I just can't wait to continue work on "A forest life" with full momentum, but at the moment, all I can give you are these strange little games.
By the way, urban legend has it, that if you played this, you actually played it...just to let you know!
Just click on the picture to start "playing"...
Sonntag, 27. Mai 2012
Second Gamejam - Results!
Finally, here they are: The Results of our last gamejam.
This time I went even more retro and tried to build a short action adventure in the style of a famicom game.
It has no music but it is playable right here, right now in your browser! It is programmed in javascript because I thought it was a little much to download a whole SDK just to play a microgame(if you remember our last jam).
Wingman tried to make a little microgame about the one and only Leisure Suit Larry himself. He used java and eclipse but did not manage to get it done in the short amount of time. However, everyone interested in how a Leisure Suit Larry game in topdown view could work in eclipse, feel free to check it out.
As last time, here is the link for the recording if you want to see the stream:
Watch live video from LiveGamingabende mit Obi und Wing on TwitchTV
And here are the games for you, served in little mock up boxes for your enjoyment.
This time I went even more retro and tried to build a short action adventure in the style of a famicom game.
It has no music but it is playable right here, right now in your browser! It is programmed in javascript because I thought it was a little much to download a whole SDK just to play a microgame(if you remember our last jam).
Wingman tried to make a little microgame about the one and only Leisure Suit Larry himself. He used java and eclipse but did not manage to get it done in the short amount of time. However, everyone interested in how a Leisure Suit Larry game in topdown view could work in eclipse, feel free to check it out.
As last time, here is the link for the recording if you want to see the stream:
Watch live video from LiveGamingabende mit Obi und Wing on TwitchTV
And here are the games for you, served in little mock up boxes for your enjoyment.


Freitag, 11. Mai 2012
A Forest Live - New Screenshots
Hey there,
As I was trying to make a little video with some footage of the game, I realized that my computer is not able to handle both, the game and the capturetool at the sametime. Now I need a solution for this(another computer to capture the footage or a capturetool for low spec machines). However I am not able to show you some gamefootage as of yet.*sadface*
But I am able to show you at least some new screenshots!
You can see some of the new enemysprites and the (rather simple) talk to a NPC in order to complete a quest.
In addition, you can see a feature I will explain at a later date(it has to do with attacking a small army).
Enjoy,
Again, I am very sorry for not being able to show you some videofootage. As soon as I found a solution, I will make you the most sweetest video of them all!
As I was trying to make a little video with some footage of the game, I realized that my computer is not able to handle both, the game and the capturetool at the sametime. Now I need a solution for this(another computer to capture the footage or a capturetool for low spec machines). However I am not able to show you some gamefootage as of yet.*sadface*
But I am able to show you at least some new screenshots!
You can see some of the new enemysprites and the (rather simple) talk to a NPC in order to complete a quest.
In addition, you can see a feature I will explain at a later date(it has to do with attacking a small army).
Enjoy,
Again, I am very sorry for not being able to show you some videofootage. As soon as I found a solution, I will make you the most sweetest video of them all!
Sonntag, 22. April 2012
Our own little Jam - PreLDjam Resluts
As many of you know, Ludum Dare is currently rockin the indiecommunity. Unfortunately I was not able to take part in it this year, because I had far too much going on.
But because I like making little games in a short time, I decided to have my own little jam before LD started. So basicaly a friend of mine came over and we jamed for about four hours.
We actually got something finished in that time and live streamed the process all over the world.
You may see the recording here:
Watch live video from LiveGamingabende mit Obi und Wing on TwitchTV
Since we had quite a lot of fun jaming around live on the internet we will have another short livejame in the next few days(of course after LD has finished). Since this was a PreLDjam the next one will be our AfterLDjam.
That next one will look a little fancier than this(it was our first...).
I will let you all know the exact date and time as soon as I know it.
No for the games:
Blocky Knights
Blocky Knights was my little microgame. You control a Knight and have to battle another Knight. In order to defeat your opponent, you need to behead him. To do this you need to be a little skilled in the use of your Sword and your Shield.
Don't loose your shield...or your head
DOWNLOAD:
The Game:
http://obivanhelgen.webs.com/Games/Blocky%20Knights.rar
You will need this to play the game:
XNA Redistributable 4.0
http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?id=20914
.NET Framework
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/netframework/aa569263
Zelda Mini Test
This one was made by the other jamer and friend of mine who's nickname is Wingman233.
Unfortunately it is not completely finished. He was aiming to have a little "onescreen" Zelda with the objective of destroying some onscreen enemies.
It may be incomplete but it is nontheless very interesting since he didn't used a premade engine or framework like I did. He just coded right away and if you play it, you will agree that it feels really solid.
He did all of this in about four hours and I personally think that he has done good.
DOWNLOAD:
As I said, I will tell you the precise day and time, we will have our next little jam as soon as I know them.
I can tell as of now, that the jam will be in the next few days(Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday)
I would really enjoy chating with you guys during the livestream.
Till then, enjoy LD!
UPDATE:
So, as it seems we won't have another jam this week. That is sad, I really wanted to have one but unfortunately both of us have very little time at the moment and we are not able to find a day where both of us have the time to jam. We will have this jam but I can't tell if it will be next week or the week after that. I will let you know.
If you want to have the newsest updates about SIACTRO and our Games just follow us on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/#!/SIACTRO
UPDATE:
So, as it seems we won't have another jam this week. That is sad, I really wanted to have one but unfortunately both of us have very little time at the moment and we are not able to find a day where both of us have the time to jam. We will have this jam but I can't tell if it will be next week or the week after that. I will let you know.
If you want to have the newsest updates about SIACTRO and our Games just follow us on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/#!/SIACTRO
Sonntag, 15. April 2012
Announcement - A Forest Life
Now is the time to show you what I was working on the last few weeks.
A game I called, A Forest Life.
As I mentioned earlier, this game evolved out of a little mini game idea I suddenly had some time ago.
Since a picture is worth a thousand words, here you go:
Yep, nothing too breathtaking, right? What you see is what you get, a retro looking Action RPG in a forest.
That alone, of course would be a bit boring so there is more to it, but let me explain step by step.
In A Forest Life, you play as a whit haired guy who is living in a randomly generated forest not much bigger than your average Harvest Moon farm(we are talking SNES/GB size here). You can do all the stuff you would except from an ARPG. You are able to fight enemies(as of now there are four different types), level up your character, get newer and stronger weapons(which you throw at your enemies), solve some quests for a bunch of NPCs and get better armor.
Now for the differences to your typical ARPG:
For starters,the game has a day/night cycle that affects your character. If it is time, your hero gets hungry and you need to find him some food or otherwise he will bite the dust.
You are able to get yourself some foot by solving a quest for a NPC or become a selfmade man and get yourself a fishing pole.
If you succesfully fished yourself something you need to find a fireplace(there are a few in the forest from the beginning) to fry it in order to make it eatable.
As soon as the night falls, it is getting really cold in the forest. To avoid getting yourself hurt through the coldness you should take cover near a fireplace and wait till dawn.
Or you could be an adventuresome rebel and wander through the night for some hidden treasures. But beware, for what lurks in the darkness!
It happens from time to time that you will encounter some rain. If this happens all the fireplaces in the forest are getting destroyed and there is no way to fry your fish or be warm in the night anymore.
If this happens you need to make your own fireplace as soon as the rain stops. To do this you must first find yourself some firespells. With those you may throw a fireball at a tree in order to make a new fireplace.
If you want to be a little more foresighted you can get yourself some seeds and plant them wherever you want. As soon as they bloom and carry some fruits, you can easily eat those in order to feed your hunger and regain energy. However it takes some time for them to grow, but at least they won't be destroyed by rain.
Please, keep in mind that all of this is still in an alphastate and some of it may change in the future. At the moment I don't have any budget for this game what so ever, unfortunately. So I use royality free music and soundeffects. The game is planned to be released only on PC at the moment.
I am trying to find a way to fund the game but as of yet, I have not found any.
I may try a crowdfunding site like 8-Bit funding in the near future or something like that., but I am not sure if there is someone out there who would be interested in a game like this.
So if you find something about this game concept interesting or would like to see more of it, please let me know, and please tell whomever you want to about it.
As of now all I have to say is, Thank you for your interest in my games.
A game I called, A Forest Life.
As I mentioned earlier, this game evolved out of a little mini game idea I suddenly had some time ago.
Since a picture is worth a thousand words, here you go:
Yep, nothing too breathtaking, right? What you see is what you get, a retro looking Action RPG in a forest.
That alone, of course would be a bit boring so there is more to it, but let me explain step by step.
In A Forest Life, you play as a whit haired guy who is living in a randomly generated forest not much bigger than your average Harvest Moon farm(we are talking SNES/GB size here). You can do all the stuff you would except from an ARPG. You are able to fight enemies(as of now there are four different types), level up your character, get newer and stronger weapons(which you throw at your enemies), solve some quests for a bunch of NPCs and get better armor.
Now for the differences to your typical ARPG:
For starters,the game has a day/night cycle that affects your character. If it is time, your hero gets hungry and you need to find him some food or otherwise he will bite the dust.
You are able to get yourself some foot by solving a quest for a NPC or become a selfmade man and get yourself a fishing pole.
If you succesfully fished yourself something you need to find a fireplace(there are a few in the forest from the beginning) to fry it in order to make it eatable.
As soon as the night falls, it is getting really cold in the forest. To avoid getting yourself hurt through the coldness you should take cover near a fireplace and wait till dawn.
Or you could be an adventuresome rebel and wander through the night for some hidden treasures. But beware, for what lurks in the darkness!
It happens from time to time that you will encounter some rain. If this happens all the fireplaces in the forest are getting destroyed and there is no way to fry your fish or be warm in the night anymore.
If this happens you need to make your own fireplace as soon as the rain stops. To do this you must first find yourself some firespells. With those you may throw a fireball at a tree in order to make a new fireplace.
If you want to be a little more foresighted you can get yourself some seeds and plant them wherever you want. As soon as they bloom and carry some fruits, you can easily eat those in order to feed your hunger and regain energy. However it takes some time for them to grow, but at least they won't be destroyed by rain.
Please, keep in mind that all of this is still in an alphastate and some of it may change in the future. At the moment I don't have any budget for this game what so ever, unfortunately. So I use royality free music and soundeffects. The game is planned to be released only on PC at the moment.
I am trying to find a way to fund the game but as of yet, I have not found any.
I may try a crowdfunding site like 8-Bit funding in the near future or something like that., but I am not sure if there is someone out there who would be interested in a game like this.
So if you find something about this game concept interesting or would like to see more of it, please let me know, and please tell whomever you want to about it.
As of now all I have to say is, Thank you for your interest in my games.
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