New game coming soon.

I've started a new iPhone game. Rather than specialise, like I did with Surf Prodigy (go get it), this time I'm focusing on a mainstream market idea - fun for the whole family and all that. I'm wondering if I should just come out with the idea or not. I feel it might be worthwhile blogging my progress on this one to increase the hype, but I'm not sure - because I perhaps want to keep it secret.

I think I might go halfway and start blogging more specific details when a release candidate is ready.

If you are interested in Surf Prodigy and how the sales are going, I have blogged on my old favourite site GarageGames.

Second Hand Dealer Sux to the Max

So I won't mention the second hand game franchise name but you know who I mean.

Not so long ago, I had a nice long chat with the manager on the first day they opened their store, and the manager pointed out clearly that unlike other stores of this ilk they would offer a higher rate of return on second hand games, with a minimum of $5. The manager said they were a special type of store that could offer a higher rate.

So I go in with my 7 games, expected to get $35 minimum trade, and two punks are at the counter, no manager on the weekend. Punk #1 scans all my games and comes back with a trade value of $20. I look at the screen and see they are offering mainly $3 and 1 for $2. I look at Punk #1 and #2 and repeated what their manager had said.

Punk #2 says, "you'll have to take it up with the manager. Our rates are the same, state-wide. We are like the other stores". "Yes, yes you are, and very special", I thought to myself and took my games home.

Skeleton Pack revamp

Since Torque just got engine of the year, I've been asked to update the Skeleton Pack for Torque 3D. Here's the plan..


Pack update 1.2 ( Project duration 4 weeks - then put it up again - free update for existing users )
- Fully tested in the latest TGEA.
- Normals maps for everything included in the original pack
- Lights upgrades to TLK
- Bloom and DRL in small doses to enhance the look.
- Packs 1.0 and 1.1 combined into one convenient install for 1.2
- Documentation in video and pdf format for all changes.

Pack update 1.3 ( Project duration 4 - 6 weeks )
- Monster maze, includes generators, portals, checkpoints, start and exit
- My own version of multiplayer deathmatch - collect all the coins to get access rights to doors, be the first player to find the goal and go back and hamper the other players before the time runs out. Best score wins round.
- DIFs included which are the segments to "make your own maze"
- Documentation and video tutorials as extensive as before on how to make mazes and compelling level design.

Pack update 1.4 ( Project duration 4 - 6 weeks )
- Blender and/or Milkshape support
- Fully documented with docs and video

The reason for update 1.4 is because I believe a lot of people don't buy the pack because it only supports Lightwave. I don't have a Max license and providing it in an open source format should satisfy most people.

File Storage

BRAVE Beta Released

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The Beta 1.0 Is Released.

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1) Go here to download it.
Register as BRAVE Beta Tester


2) Play it.

3) Please click on the link below here to send me Feedback and Bugs by clicking on this link for the Beta release of B.R.A.V.E.

[ Feedback Form ]

4) Click me to Sign up for future updates!

2 days to Launch!

Well it's coming down to the wire now and things are taking shape. I had real problems with L3DT trying to generate a decent terrain so for the launch I've resorted to using the legacy terrain for now. My sister's got the landmarks well underway and should look really good when they are done. Here's some screenshots. I've got the saucers to work, the landers, trucks and humans are ready and all the weapons systems are up and running. Tomorrow I'm going to get the mission working and Wednesday will be polish on the game design doc, website and game - then it's upload time!!!!

Very, very, VERY happy now. I started spending some money and time on content and started getting some VERY pleasing results. This is an update of my world building of London for BRAVE - due in 2 weeks EEK!!!

So kudos to RRGT (Really Really Good Things Studio) for the amount of effort Alan and Kyle put into helping me. I was uncertain of the speed and performance of their District Pack so Alan sent me a sample city block "on loan" to trial it. He even went ahead and added another LOD so that buildings go to simple blocks at a distance, which was really important for me to make sure I could cram heaps of buildings into the scene.

I generated these pics below and on my crappy lappy the frame rate rarely dips below 60 fps.

The guys also stayed up til 3:45am to deliver files for me even though they were restructuring their website - how cool are they? Kyle painstakingly typed the same info over and over again in email after email of me asking "so do I get the source files too?" and he's like "well, yes, yes you do" - he didn't flinch and go "jesus Hawkins, read your frickin emails properly the first time", even though I asked the same question twice - so these guys deserve lots of praise.

Finally they saved me heaps of time. Considering how long it would take for me to model all these objects, not to mention downtime tracking bugs and problems, these packs have saved me heaps of time - thanks guys!!! Content packs save you time - remember that!

So finally I'm adding several ship classes, there are ally planes, landers, mutants, harvesters and motherships. Once I get the code from the previous alpha in to TGEA I will start creating missions, adding content and polish and polish and polish.

These screens are my shape replicators, London aerial map, RRGT sample city block, and my new British Aerospace Harrier AV-8B, leveraging FGE - Decane's Flight Game Engine all running in TGEA 1.0.3