Menu...

Menu for my new game, " Dalmar's Feathers "

Here's the menu! ( Without writing )

I'd like to thank everyone who has played my games and who has supported the blog and my artwork, recently I've been in need of a laptop for a programming course - if any of you have one you want to donate to me and help me make further content of for you - that would be gladly accepted!

- Sean Parnell

New Game in Development!

Started development on a new game involving a bright red bird with this guy called Guilhermo.

Progress looks good so far!  Screen shots -

- Sean Parnell

Jay's Next Combat Hero Adventure Looks Awesome...

Jay is cooking up his latest entry in the soon to be Combat Hero Adventures series, ( Which Jay and I released HERE)  I actually didn't do any art for it! ( Unless he reuses something ) So Jay's going solo and it's looking very, very nice. In this game the former hero of Combat Hero Adventure's is battling Zombies on funnily enough-

Zombie Planet. You'll be saving survivors, discovering dark and dingy places with your flash light and AI buddies

and getting awesome weapons!

Expect some big asses to kick.

  

Let's hope for a speedy release!

-Sean Parnell

Epic Cute Gameplay Video

Second gameplay video of me and Jay Armstrong's newest game!, Coming very soon.
( sorry 'bout the sound)

 

Talk With The Developers Final : The Musician

I have my final interview in my Talk With The Developers feature with a musician DVGmusic.

Thanks for taking time out to talk to me DVGmusic!, First I'd like to ask you how you came about making music for games and how you record, mix it, edit it etc. !

Different projects evolve different ways, but basically I start with a concept that I take from playing the game.  I try to get a good feel by both my own perceptions and talking with the developers and we find out what kind of mood we want the player to be in.  From there I'll start composing the music.  Almost all of my music is written in the program FL Studio with an arsenal of virtual instruments.  When I need to record an instrument or a sound, I head over to my friends at Make Believe Studio (http://www.facebook.com/MakeBelieveCo) and do it over there.  The big trick about working with flash games is just about everything is loop based, so the main work goes into the composition.  You need everything to layer and flow so that it stays interesting over a long period of time.

Say if I wanted to start making music, What should I do? Perhaps start playing a musical instrument? Buy a music editing program? What do you suggest? 

 

The best thing to do is to start making music in whatever way that interests you.  If you like rock music, grab a guitar and learn some of your favorite songs.  If you like electronic music, grab a synth.  The best way for me to learn was to find a diverse range of things I like and break the songs down and study them.  Once you can start replicating these songs you can branch out and start being original!

Music is an immersive thing, But sometimes it can detract from the atmosphere. When do you think it's appropriate to have music and when do you think it isn't?

 

That's probably the first time I've heard that question!  I think that well executed music will never unintentionally distract the player, but it's really an issue of dynamics.  You need to know what the flow of the game is and to use negative space in audio just as much as in visual forms.  If a part is really low-intensity the music shouldn't be blasting a battle theme, just as a boss battle shouldn't sound like a stroll through the park.

 

And the final question, What's your favourite flash game with great music?

 

Haha, honestly the first game that came to mind was Robot Unicorn Attack but I'm not positive how much of that was original. I just loved the audio direction of that game.  Meatboy was a game that grabbed me really quickly with that fast, intense soundtrack.  DannyB is king of the funk.

Thanks for the talk, DVGmusic, I wish you the best with your music!

___________________________________________________________________

 

And that's the last interview, Thanks for reading. Tomorrow  I'll be back to the usual sketches.

 

Sean Parnell 

 

Talk With The Developers : The Artist!

I talk with corestudios!, an extremely talented artist.

Sean: Hey corestudios!, Can you tell me what you do to make flash games happen?

corestudios: Hi Sean. I do pixels! I love them, and I love to use them in games. I know people usually see flash games using vector art 9.9 out of 10 times, but I think pixels just are more fun to work with, more shadings, more options etc.

Corestudios place of work, and much needed play!

When did you start making art and what should people do to start?

Hmm, I think I started when I was a kid, everyone wanted me to draw robots for them at school.
Later on I did some art for some Amiga games, but unfortunately the games never saw the light of day, too big plans and all that. I've also done a lot of art for a living for about 12 years at a advertising agency.
If people want to start making art, I'd say the best way to do it just to fool around and have fun, that's what I did. Best way to start is to go to some inspirational site like deviantart.com, then when you're feeling inspired just set a theme that you want to create and work towards it. Practise makes perfect and all that jazz.

Can you give us any tips on drawing?, programs to use?, Style?

Corestudios art is sharp and great looking!

I think style is something that is very personal and I think each artist will find their own style sooner or later. If you're into pixels, like I am, I recommend using photoshop.
If you're new to it it might be a bit confusing with the layers, but once you get around how they work - layers are invaluable. Actually, I'm a bit of a layer-whore. I tend to have too many of them, usually about 3-400 per design :-)
As for tips, the best I can say is to just practice, there's also tons of tutorials on deviantart, which is a great place for study I think. Also, don't compare yourself to the bigwigs at the art sites, I think those guys are from outer space or something, insane how they can make masterpieces in a few hours compared to what would take me weeks to make, and I wouldn't even come close.

 And finally, What is your favourite flash game art wise?

Hmm, It's a big question as there are a lot of great games out there. I know there was one game that had super wicked awesome graphics, but I just can't remember the title. I love the games that Berzerk do. I think I love the stuff Photonstorm does most. Especially the latest game Cat Astro Phi, love the retro art feel to the game!

Thanks corestudios!, Good talk.

_____________________________________________________________________

 And that's the interview!, For the final of Talk With The Developers I'll be talking with a musician!

Sean Parnell 

Talk With The Developers : The Programmer

Here's another interview for my Talk With The Developers bonanza! This time I talk with ShooterMG, an experienced programmer over at Flash Game License.

Sean: Hey ShooterMG!, First off ,Can you please explain your position in the flash game design process?

Before my current project, I generally worked by myself. Art,
programming, design... I did everything. That was great for when I was
getting a feel for the whole process and trying to learn a bit more
about each of the roles, but it had the negative trade off of being
very time consuming. I did work on a couple projects with a couple
different artists, and I think that helped me realize that it's time
to get more of a "team" going. My current project involves me and two
other people. Only having to focus on programming this time takes a
huge weight off of my shoulders!

Ben's TumbleStump 2: The Next Episode is a really fun platformer with some impressive lighting effects.

How long did it take you to learn to program, and what do you suggest people do if they want to start?

For me, learning to program has been a life-long journey. I started
back when I was a kid, programming little game/animations in BASIC
with my best friend at the time. Nothing really fancy, nothing
earth-shattering. Then I took a break for many years and didn't return
to programming until maybe around 7 years ago, when I got into web
development. I was quickly disgusted with the web standards and having
to code for several different browsers, so I started looking for
something different. I tried many languages, including C++, Ruby, and
Java, but none of them were capable of giving me quick results that I
was demanding. I then turned to Flash and Action script, and it felt
almost like they were designed just for me. I had a bit of an art
background by then as well; my grandfather is a commercial artist and
I had been sketching cartoons since I was a kid. Combine Flash's ease
of creating artwork, and it's simple and effective language, and I was
in heaven. Haven't looked back since, although I'm looking toward
the future of mobile gaming.

What's your best tips for optimizing flash games?

There are quite a few well-known ways to optimize Flash games, and
while I don't really have any specific tricks up my sleeves, there are
always a few I rely on. Firstly is to make little use of filters.
Filters can easily kill performance if there are too many of them, or
if the graphics they are applied to are too large. Secondly, pay close
attention to the FPS you've set for your game. Setting the FPS *too*
high can actually reduce performance in certain situations.

Finally, What's your favourite flash game and why? 

I really don't have a *favorite* game. There are plenty that I've
enjoyed and played quite a bit, including SteamBirds, GemCraft, and
physics games like Crush the Castle and Demolition City. I don't
really have a lot of time to play games (irony!) so I tend to
gravitate towards games that are very pick-up-and-play friendly.


Thanks for the chat, ShooterMG -  I hope you and your newest game the best!  
__________________________________________________________________


Tomorrow I plan on having an interesting chat with an artist!, and no!,  It's not myself.


Sean Parnell
 

Talk With The Developers : The Gameplay Designer/ Beta Tester

I caught up with one of the guys behind making flash games tick-tock and asked a few questions.


Sean: Hello Dabor!, First - Can you tell me what you do in the flash game process?

Dabor: I started out as a late stage tester, and now I'm moving to design with a few projects on the way. I suppose I can even be a bit of a coding consultant at times when I discuss certian features, but I can't code. I just make ideas.

Sean: Nice, Can you give any tips to anyone who wants to test and help out in games and where they should go to start?

Dabor: I was just rolling through the Kongregate "New Games" section, bumped into a new multiplayer game, got into playing it, met the developer, and a nice chat and a few random ideas later, we started developing a relationship.

 Eventually, as she got busier, she just invited me to FlashGameLicense.com so I could do the same for other developers. They liked what I did so it caught on. As long as you have enough ideas and throw them at people often enough, they'll hit a developer. But there isn't really a perfect way to get attention. Too many people want to be testers to let the few with good ideas to get through without a fight.

Sean: What is your favourite flash game, and why do you think it's so good?

Dabor: Starfighter: Disputed Galaxy, back when it had multiplayer. The first reason it's good is just the ability to interact with people. Simple being able to do things together offers a lot of new gameplay options.

Second, it has some amount of random generation. You'll get into different fights, some of which will go swimmingly, and other times you get swarmed. Third, there is a lot of raw content to begin with. Lots of ship classes, weapons, and a lot of combinations to use them in.

Fourth, a solid, soft soundtrack that never gets annoying and immediatley reminds you of the comfort of the game, as well as solid graphics. Just having good colors on an explosion adds a lot to the satisfaction of a kill.

It isn't the best short expereince out there, but all of these traits combined make it playable for a long time, and keep it memorable. You don't really ever forget those lazy evenings trying to suck your friends into a black hole.

Sean: What is your single most hated cliche you find in flash games?, And what can you say to improve it?

Dabor: Starting in an overworld, a series of menus, or anything else that stalls me getting to the gameplay. The actual gameplay is what motivates me to upgrade, explore, or keep playing in general. Expecting me to hold D and talk to some villagers before I get to kill things doesn't add to atmosphere, just frustration.

There are ways to motivate people much deeper than the upgrade screen 15 seconds away. A long term goal to accumulate money for a cool sword works, the important thing is to make me care. An RPG game can work in flash, but the first thing I should see after pressing play is myself. Preferably armed. Preferably with some cool weapons.

Just get the gameplay to me, and make me like it. Never try to do it the other way around. Seeing is believing.

Thanks Dabor, Good talk. Moral of the story is - Make good games!  
______________________________________________________________________

That's the first interview done, Expect a nice chat with a programmer next and plenty of tips!
-Sean Parnell

Immunosuppresion

Immunosuppresion is this game I'm making with these guys over at ww.flashgamelicense.com
(They're aliases are ShooterMG and Dabor)

Immunosuppression is a combination between a defense game, phage wars and frogger. You operate from a single static, permanent lymph node generating antibodies. There is a limited jump range, unlike all other games of this genre, and your enemies, rather than coming from bases, come down the moving bloodstream which you must rapidly jump your white cells across, and keep populated while moving to counter incoming viruses that will destroy red cells while using them to replicate.

Also unlike most games of the genre, which also include selecting multiple nodes to launch from and using them from long ranges, you have to click and drag a single node. Upon selecting it, your cursor will be marked with a number (Half of the selected node’s population rounded up), and a radius showing how far you can drag the cursor. Holding shift will change this number to the entire population of the node. Holding ctrl sends a single white, for use in rapid populating. Attempting to send more whites than a target can fit will lower the number to how much you can fit.

( taken straight out of Dabor's design doc btw!)

The process has gone extremely smoothly, They've made working a breese. The art's finished so now
I'm just waiting for ShooterMG to peice together the final picture!

Here's a picture of the menu! -

What are those red and brown things on the table!, Gamers don't use those! Get 'em outta' there!

I really hope I can be sending you guys a link to the game soon!, But we still have to program, find a sponsor etc.   But things are going swimingly.

-Sean Parnell