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Video: Over 20 amazing demos at GDC 2013's Experimental Gameplay Workshop

2013-05-21T21:50:00Z

Over 20 demos of some of the most innovative game designs were on display during the 11th annual Experimental Gameplay Workshop, as shown in this free GDC 2013 video.

Courtesy of the GDC Vault, all of these fascinating micro-demonstrations are now available to view and learn from, including Brenda Romero's bold restaurant research for Mexican Kitchen Workers, Keita Takahashi's Tenya Wanya Teens with an LED-lit, 16-button controller; Itay Keren's Indie Funded, indirect side-scroller Mushroom 11; game design challenge grand champion winner Jason Rohrer with home defense MMO The Castle Doctrine; and Michael Brough's extensive collection of local multiplayer games.

The video starts after the jump.

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Session Name: Experimental Gameplay Workshop

Speaker(s): Brenda Romero, Robin Hunicke, Richard Lemarchand, Chelsea Howe, Ben Esposito, Alexander Martin, Ezra Hanson-White, Daniel Benmergui, Eric Zimmerman, Henry Smith, Itay Keren, Jason Meisel, Jason Rohrer, Jongmin Jerome Baek, Kaho Abe, Kevin Cancienne, Marc ten Bosch, Margaret Robertson, Martin Middleton, Michael Brough, Michael Molinari, Pohung Chen, Ryan Pelcz, Sun Park, Adnan Agha, Emily Short, Richard Evans, Keita Takahashi, Ricky Haggett

Company Name(s): UC Santa Cruz, Funomena, School of Cinematic Arts, University of Southern California, TinyCo, Independent, Droqen, Independent, Independent, Independent, Independent, Independent, Independent, Independent, PokPoong Games, Independent, Independent, Independent, Hide&Seek, Funomena, Independent, Independent, Perspective, Independent, Turtle Cream, Hide&Seek, Linden Labs, Linden Labs, Uvula, Honeyslug

Track / Format: Design

Overview: The Experimental Gameplay Session, which debuted games like Katamari Damacy, flOw, Braid, Portal and Storyteller is back for its 11th year at GDC! In this fast-paced, game-packed session we will showcase a selection of surprising and intriguing prototypes made by innovation-minded game developers from all over the world. By demonstrating games that defying conventions and traditions in search for of new genres and ideas, this session aims to ignite the imagination of all game makers. Come see what's happening on in the world of Experimental Gameplay... and be inspired!

About the GDC Vault

In addition to this presentation, the GDC Vault offers numerous other free videos, audio recordings, and slides from many of the recent GDC events, and the service offers even more members-only content for GDC Vault subscribers. Those who purchased All Access passes to events like GDC, GDC Europe, and GDC China already have full access to GDC Vault, and interested parties can apply for the individual subscriptions via a GDC Vault inquiry form.

Group subscriptions are also available: game-related schools and development studios who sign up for GDC Vault Studio Subscriptions can receive access for their entire office or company. More information on this option is available via an online demonstration, and interested parties can find out more here. In addition, current subscribers with access issues can contact GDC Vault admins.

Be sure to keep an eye on GDC Vault for even more new content, as GDC organizers will also archive videos, audio, and slides from other events like GDC China and GDC 2013. To stay abreast of all the latest updates to GDC Vault, be sure to check out the news feed on the official GDC website, or subscribe to updates via Twitter, Facebook, or RSS.

IndieGames and GDC are sibling organizations under parent UBM Tech.

Browser Pick: Steel Novella 2083 (Folmer Kelly)

2013-05-21T19:08:00Z

Folmer Kelly, one half of Sets and Settings, has released his latest small, impeccably crafted game. Steel Novella 2083 is a tough-as-nails platform adventure made according to the restrictions of the NES hardware. It was Kelly's entry in the 1st Annual NESFan Game Jam.

]]> Use the arrow keys to run through an alien complex and use X to blast your mindless enemies, and also to disintegrate blocks that might stand in your way. Use Z to leap across gaps and jump over spikes and other obstacles. It probably won't take you more than a few minutes to beat the game, but it's a sweet ride. Play Steel Novella 2083 in your browser on Game Jolt or the Stencyl website.

Ludum Dare 26 crowns minimalistic MONO, Leaf Me Alone as winners

2013-05-21T15:10:00Z

The voting for Ludum Dare's latest game jam has ended, and its winners have been chosen. Timtipgames' art-inspired puzzler MONO takes home the virtual gold for the 48-hour compo, and Clawhammer Mark and David Fenn's minimalist metroidvania Leaf Me Alone takes top honors for the 72-hour jam.

]]> Maybe you are in the mood for the most innovative, funnest, or most humorous game? Then check out the categorical break down for whatever suits your mood.

Lastly, I wanted to mention McPixel dev SOS's voting boost effort, the Ludum Dare Rating Rescue Rangers, which attempted to call attention to those games that had few votes. Hopefully that will stay in place, or something similar, for future game jams.

John Milton's Paradise Lost rediscovered on the Amiga

2013-05-21T12:37:00Z

Silicon Twins, a developer from the era when almost everyone was indie, originally released Paradise Lost for the Amiga back in 1991 and have only decided to re-release it as freeware in the year of our lord 2013. The game can be downloaded from oagd.net and, in order to actually play it instead of just having it lie around your hard drive, you'll also be needing an Amiga emulator; WinUAE is a fine choice for Windows PCs.

]]> Paradise Lost, besides obviously drawing inspiration for its plot and setting from John Milton's famous poem, is a really good and pretty taxing action/fighting game too. It's varied, polished, more than a little reminiscent of Shadow of the Beast and definitely worth your time.

(via Commodore Is Awesome)

Browser Pick: rioting French steelworkers take on the police in Kill Mittal

2013-05-21T01:22:00Z

Alexandre Grilletta wrote in to let us know about his new Unity game, Kill Mittal. It is a little rough around the edges, but I found myself engaged enough by its central mechanic to play through to the end. It's not a long game, and it's not that difficult once you get the hang of it, but it's pretty to look at and fun to play. Also, the pulsing, gltched-out soundtrack is great. The game definitely has a certain je ne sais quoi (sorry).

]]> This is an openly political game, based on recent events in France. As the developer explained in his email, "after the closure of a big steel factory in France all the workers were fired and there was a lot of riots". Those rioting steelworkers are the heroes of Kill Mittal (Mittal is a gigantic steel company, now part of ArcelorMittal, the world's biggest producer of steel).

If you have an AZERTY keyboard, you can use ZQSD to move your steelworker(s) around each arena-like level; if you're a QWERTY user, like me, you'll have to make due with the arrow keys. Either way, you use the mouse to aim, and you pick up things by depressing the left mouse button. When you release the LMB, you hurl whatever object you are holding in the direction you're facing. You can also click on other workers to recruit them. Each level, you are beset by waves of police in riot gear, some armed with (non-lethal?) firearms, and your only defense is to grab objects from the environment and throw them.

You and your recruited workers move as one unit. When other workers join you, the group of you can pick up heavier objects, but you also make for a bigger target. A green circle around an object will let you know that you have enough workers to pick it up. In the first level, the cops lay siege to your factory, and you arm yourselves with oil drums, steel girders, and a vending machine. In later levels, you'll be throwing things like potted plants, cars, bombs, and more. There are also a few boss levels, the last of which gave me a good chuckle.

There is more to the story, eventually involving a robot army being created to take over the world, but it is presented in French, so I only got bits and pieces of it. Regardless, Kill Mittal is a stylish and entertaining experience that won't take up too much of your time.

You can give Kill Mittal a play in your browser or download builds for Mac and Windows. There is more information about the author's motivations and inspirations on the website (which is in French).

Video: Terry Cavanagh, Porpentine offer highlights from Free Indie Games

2013-05-20T21:44:07Z

Developers Terry Cavanagh (Super Hexagon) and Porpentine (Howling Dogs) call for other developers to highlight interesting games, as they have been on their Free Indie Games blog, in this talk from GDC 2013.

Courtesy of the GDC Vault, this free, 30-minute session focuses primarily on the innovation in a large list of games, including Merritt Kopas' Lim, which deals with the gender topic of passing, and Droqen's platformer Asphyx, which asks the player not to breathe in real life whenever their avatar is underwater.

The video starts after the jump.

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Session Name: Free Indie Games: Curating the DIY Revolution

Speaker(s): Terry Cavanagh, Porpentine

Company Name(s): Independent

Track / Format: Independent Games Summit

Overview: By hunting down and curating games that defy convention on both cultural and technical axes, Free Indie Games is one of today's most important game-related sites. In this presentation, Porpentine will describe how outsider voices are challenging and redefining the nature of games, talk about Free Indie Games as a response to the huge growth in indie DIY, and present some of the best, most overlooked indie games of 2012.

About the GDC Vault

IndieGames and GDC are sibling organizations under parent UBM Tech.

Former Grubby Games, Big Fish dev Ryan Clark on his DDR-like roguelike

2013-05-20T18:30:00Z

Upcoming rhythm and roguelike hybrid Crypt of the NecroDancer developer Ryan Clark recently spoke with me to fill in the gaps left from the early alpha trailer above. His latest project is certainly different from his earlier work at Grubby, such as FizzBall and IncrediBots. He still likes creating title words with capital letters in the middle of them, though.

Now running Brace Yourself Games, Ryan speaks here about the groove meter that dictates how players can crawl, how enemies and your own music collection work, and how he aims to incorporate Dance Dance Revolution to make this Windows and Mac dungeon crawler aerobic.

]]> What are the funnest things about NecroDancer that people can't see from the video?

When you kill an enemy and keep moving without missing a beat, you stay "in the groove". If you get hit or miss a beat for some reason, the groove chain ends. While in the groove, you receive a multiplier on the number of coins that enemies drop. I personally find it very satisfying to chain up big combos, especially while playing with some of the higher tempo songs! And if you really want a challenge, try killing a dragon while staying in the groove! That'll net you a ton of coins for your next shopping spree.

Also, we haven't talked a lot about the beat detection algorithm: it will be possible for players to use any digital music on their machines to play Crypt of the NecroDancer! Slay zombies while listening to Rob Zombie! Deliver beatdowns while listening to Beethoven!

Michael Jackson's "Thriller" was a big inspiration (the way the zombies move to the beat!), and it was quite fun the first time I got Thriller working in the game. You can also try hilariously incongruous stuff like Abba or high tempo death metal, if you like!

How do you do stay alive?

Well, the main survival strategy is to observe the movement patterns of the enemies and use those to your advantage. (Every enemy has a predictable, repetitive movement pattern.) Most enemies move only every second beat, while the player moves on every beat. This means you have time to hit an enemy and retreat before it has a chance to strike back. And, for the enemies that do move on every beat, we've generally made them weaker such that they can be killed in a single strike. The player simply needs to wait for them to approach, and deliver a timely blow!

What kind of research did you do for this game, and what did you find?

I didn't do a lot of intentional research, though I've certainly been inspired by a few recent games. Spelunky and FTL both rekindled my love of hard, roguelike games. So much so that I went back and played the heck out of the original Rogue, thereby reliving my childhood.

But by playing Rogue in such close proximity to Spelunky and FTL, I realized that Rogue is an extremely unfair game. Often it is simply unwinnable, regardless of your skill level. Games like Spelunky and FTL, on the other hand, boast fairly high win rates for truly skilled players. When you die in Spelunky, for example, it's usually your own stupid fault!

I did do a little explicit research on the rhythm game side, but that research quickly devolved into hours and hours of playing Rhythm Heaven Fever with my son. What I found on the rhythm game side is that there are many ways to inform the player of upcoming beats, and that we needed to iterate until we found the best match for NecroDancer. That process is still ongoing!

What are the most interesting things about the game to you?

I like the fact that it's reasonably close to a true roguelike, but while still preserving that same feeling of "when you die, it's your own fault!" of games like Spelunky. I want players to gain something from each death, not throw up their hands in frustration at the unfairness of the game.

Some roguelikes, such as Hack, also boast high win rates, but only after years of study. I want NecroDancer to be based on a player's skill more than knowledge of arcana. (I love secrets as much as the next guy, but I contend that a game should still feel fair and winnable, even without knowledge of those secrets.)

I also like the fact that the game's simple controls allow it to be played on a DDR dance pad! We've had some fun times with this at recent Vancouver indie gatherings, and I hope that I can bring that experience directly to fans if the game is accepted to upcoming festivals such as IndieCade and PAX. It's great fun roasting your enemies with a fireball (press LEFT and RIGHT arrows simultaneously) on a DDR pad! I want to share that with as many people as I can!

Any chance of hacking a DDR arcade cabinet for expos?

Hacking a DDR cabinet would be awesome! Not sure how the border guards would like me going back and forth from Canada with that much gear, though! Maybe if someone in the states already owns such a cabinet, we could set it up. It certainly would be attention grabbing if we could pull it off!

[We're going to talk some more soon about Ryan's past dev experience and about how he has created and works with a super indie team, including those behind Canabalt, Aquaria, and Infinite Blank.]

Freeware Pick: The World Is in Your Hand, an emotional one-button adventure

2013-05-20T15:30:00Z

Though its reach may frequently exceed its grasp, The World Is in Your Hand is such an ambitious and interesting game (especially considering that it was originally crafted in less than 48 hours) that it bears repeated plays. Don't get the impression that developer Jack LeHamster's execution is entirely flawed; on the contrary, the silhouetted graphics are beautiful, and the gameplay is satisfying more often than not. The lack of precise controls can get frustrating, and the puzzles can be on the obscure side, but what can we expect from a one-button exploration-puzzle adventure?

]]> The game's premise is ingenious and fraught with emotion. It could be the My Left Foot of videogames. You play as a person who has been completely paralyzed, except for your right hand. The introduction, which is a mini-game in itself, explains how your partner created a flying chair which can be controlled with a single motion. So off you go to explore a small world of labyrinthine platforms dotted with people who could use your help. Pressing the spacebar applies both forward and upward thrust, and navigating the wraparound world can prove to be a bumpy affair. If you land next to some people and wait a few seconds, they will hop aboard your air-chair. They wish to be delivered to other people or places on the map. The developer originally intended to include dialogue to explain the various situations, but opted not to in honor of the Ludum Dare 26 theme of minimalism.

You can play the 48 hour competition version in your browser, but I recommend the more polished post-compo version, which is free to download for Windows, for OS/X, and for Android.

Browser Pick: death and dismemberment come swiftly in samurai game Bladeless

2013-05-20T12:33:30Z

Bladeless, a Ludum Dare 26 jam entry by kidevil, really captures the swiftness and brutality of what samurai duels must have been like (or at least as they are in chanbara flicks). This is a game of tactics, observation, and reaction. By paying attention to the position of your opponent's sword as he draws it, you can predict his attack and block it, then counter with your own blade. That's the rhythm of the gameplay: approach an enemy, wait for his thrust or slash, block it, return a devastating counter, repeat until one of you is dead.

]]> The slick silhouette graphics, sounds of clanging steel, and red gouts of blood make for a visceral effect, and the tension is thick as you wait for your foe to strike. You never deliver a blow first in this game; you only parry and counter (maybe it's some odd code of honor). There are 3 types of attacks: low, middle, and high. Observe the angle of your enemy's blade and you can tell where he'll strike. As soon as you make up your mind, you can lock in your block (A for high, S for mid, and D for low). Choose swiftly but carefully, because you can't change your block until the next attack. Anytime after you set your blocking stance, you can lock in your counter-attack (up arrow for high, right for mid, and down for low). If all goes well, you'll block the incoming attack and then land your own. After a few blows make contact, one of you will generally end up in 2 or more pieces.

It may take you a few rounds to get used to how the game is controlled, but once you do, you'll be slicing up samurai as efficiently as Zatoichi himself. A nice touch is that you may never encounter the same samurai twice; all of them are randomly assembled from a large assortment of parts--parts which you'll be easily hacking off with a bit of practice.

Go on, test your mettle against samurai steel. Play Bladeless in your browser.

Iubes are intelligent cubes. Why do we hate them all, in this RTS + god game?

2013-05-20T01:27:00Z

Developer Codrer tweeted us about their tunnel battlefield, RTS and god game Iubes coming to Windows, which is described as mix of Populous and Age of Empires. The intelligent cubes (iubes, get it?) gather food, seek materials, fight and defend all by themselves. You just tell them where and what to build. You can speed up or slow down time to make the game progress. However, you must be careful of when the Iubes die. I think this is why "we hate them all," as the game says.

]]> The Iubes have souls, and they rise from the grave at night for revenge. If you're moving time too quickly, I imagine this revenge becomes quite swift.

Unfortunately, I haven't played Iubes to know if it's as fun as it looks. Beta registration is open and seems to be starting soon. Those curious to know more of why we should hate all those Iubes can check out the extensive dev blog.

Indies now have more choices for demoing at the Tokyo Game Show

2013-05-19T20:22:00Z

Tokyo Game Show officials have announced several ways for independent developers to showcase at the September 19th-22nd event, including its annual Sense of Wonder Night (SOWN) experimental session and a new Indie Game Showcase.

The Experimental Gameplay Workshop-inspired SOWN is now accepting free entries for its 2013 session. Antichamber, Incredipede, Q.U.B.E., Eufloria, and several other critically acclaimed, innovative titles have made an appearance in previous years. Instructions for SOWN entry are available on the main website, and the submission form is available here.

The Indie Game Showcase offers two different spaces, the bigger of which is for its business days. Pricing ranges from roughly $200 for one day to $1,000 for four days, and space is limited to 50 games a day. Applications are available here.

]]> SOWN has typically been recorded and live-streamed every year. While it shows off to a room of hundreds, the rest of Tokyo Game Show sees traffic of over 200,000 annually. Full details on all exhibit choices are available on the Tokyo Game Show site.

GDC China will also be that same week, September 15-17. Why not make an extended trip out of Asia? I sure wish I could!

Free Mobile Pick: Mulled, simple but challenging puzzle game

2013-05-19T16:52:00Z

Mulled is a simple puzzle game made by HakoGames (the people behind Reunion game). The goal in Mulled is to make all white balls go in the golden holes. It sounds simple but it is super challenging. The game provide more than 200 levels and more than 90 badges and adorable music and different backgrounds.

]]> iOS one year ago, but it didn't have any Android version at that time. Now both versions are free for you to try!

Browser Pick: A Trigger Darkly, azurenimbus' one-button sound puzzle

2013-05-19T12:53:01Z

Indie developer azurenimbus (André Camacho) has proven himself to be a master of minimalism with games such as Microscopia, Linescape, Oneway, and escuro. So when the theme of minimalism was chosen for Ludum Dare 26, I was sure that he was going to come up with something special. What approach did he take to make a game even more minimalist than his usual work? In A Trigger Darkly, his Ludum Dare jam entry, he did away with graphics entirely.

]]> A Trigger Darkly (named in tribute to the Philip K. Dick novel A Scanner Darkly, I hope) is a one-button game with no graphics. It's essentially an audio puzzle and a test of your timing. There is some text used to set up the game and to let you know when you've been eaten, and also to show your remaining ammo and your tally of kills, but the rest of the game is presented purely through sound. You are in a dark corridor, armed with a gun and a few bullets, and various monsters approach you in hopes of having a quick snack. Each type of monster emits a particular sound, which gets louder and otherwise changes as it closes in on you. It's up to you to learn these audio patterns, and to pull the trigger (spacebar or left mouse button) at the correct moment. Your timing must be exact; you will miss if you fire too soon, and the monster will gobble you up if you wait too long.

This is not an easy game, but it does let you continue pretty much where you left off each time you are eaten. With another great concept and his trademark challenging, deceptively simple gameplay, azurenimbus has once again given us an exciting, minimalist gem of a game.

Play A Trigger Darkly in your browser, and don't forget to turn up the volume!

Release: Reus, playing God rarely looks this cute

2013-05-18T18:06:00Z

Abbey Games' gorgeous 2D god game Reus is now available, allowing us mere mortals to create vibrant colonies from dying planets. Thanks to helpful tutorials, I easily learned first how to control a water giant to bring forth the ocean, the origin of life. From there, other giants could build forests, deserts, and mountains and nourish over 100 plants, animals and minerals... or bring it all down. Reus is about maintaining balance, after all.

]]> Links to buy the Windows version of Reus through Steam, GOG.com, GamersGate, Desura, Green Man Gaming, Gameload, or Humble Store for $9.99 are here. Mac and Linux versions are being looked into.

Preview: under heavy fire in twin-stick shooter Assault Android Cactus

2013-05-18T14:35:00Z

I recently had the pleasure of spending some time with a preview of the upcoming co-op focused, twin-stick shooter: Assault Android Cactus by developer Witch Beam - a three man team from Brisbane, Australia. Although you may have seen a few games with a similar premise (in a broad sense it feels like a modernized version of Smash TV with a number of twists), the execution and general polish of presentation in Assault Android Cactus set it apart from many others for me. Players will need to shoot through wave after wave of enemy robots which get progressively more chaotic while keeping kill chains up. Players must also adapt to frequently changing and dynamic environments, or even other quirks like the lights going out. If that wasn't enough, every few levels leads up to a huge boss battle which may contain some bullet-hell style dodging madness.

]]> In addition to a number of power-ups like extra mobility, extra drone guns and a slow/freeze effect - players will also have a number of characters to choose from, each with their own main and timed-use (extra powerful) secondary weapon. Depending on the level, it may make more sense to pick the android with the shotgun for limited range and slow speed but huge damage, while other times maybe you'd want a longer range weapon which fires extra fast for less damage per hit. Ideally if you're playing online with friends you'd customize a group which is somewhat compatible with the task at hand.

Assault Android Cactus is definitely shaping up to be the type of game I'd love to spend lots of time with and I'm looking forward to getting my hands on the full version which should be releasing sometime this year for Windows, OSX and Linux. If this sounds like a game you might be interested in, check out the Greenlight page (and consider giving it a vote) and visit the developers on Twitter and their official site.

[Nick Reineke is a YouTuber and indie advocate and can be found on Twitter]