Joost van Dongen of Ronimo Games, and the creator of Proun, is one of the more forthcoming developers I have come across. Many of his articles on game development are very technical and surprisingly revealing, with a particular nod to his dissection of Proun’s sales statistics. His latest article delves into the process of pitching a game to publishers.
By no means is the article a tell-all of dirty secrets, but it does shed a little light on the difficulties that many developers face when trying to get to market, and why so many developers have in turn chosen the more arduous route of self-promotion and -distribution.
While I still think the whole “silhouette platformer” bit has been played out and resurrected beyond death, I might make an exception for Electronic Super Joy. Maybe it’s my fondness for super-hard platformers coming out, or maybe it’s just that I have a weird soft spot for the DDR-esque tunes, courtesy of ENVY.
Electronic Super Joy is set to launch on December 7, for iPad, Android, Windows, Mac, and Linux… yep, Linux.
As I continue to make my way through my second Dark Souls playthrough (review coming this week but if you don’t already have this game then there’s just no hope for you) I have a special announcement today as Conquistador Games has launched a Kickstarter campaign for The New Science (TNS).
Before I get into what TNS is all about, I promise that we are not just making boardgames set in the 17th century.
Anyway this is a worker placement/area control game set during the Scientific Revolution.Whereas Road to Enlightenment is this big, somewhat sprawling combination of deck building and Diplomacy, The New Science is a quicker play designed to take about 60-90 minutes for 2-5 players. Well, technically, 2 to 5. Ideally this is a game that is best played with 3 to 5 players.
I had more of a hand in developing this one, and had a much larger role in the rulebook editing so if this rulebook is an issue…you can yell at me. I may yell BACK but you are free to yell.
Speaking of which if you’d like to read the rulebook in PDF form you can do so here at BGG.
OK, here’s what the game is about:
You control one of five famous scientists from the era (Newton, Galileo, etc.), each of which has slightly different “stats” in researching, experimenting, and publishing. The game is played on what is essentially a large tech tree full of important discoveries from the era. Each player attempts to earn prestige (victory points) by first researching, then successfully experimenting on, and finally publishing their works on a specific discovery. The trick here is that when you do decide to publish, every other player can take your findings and build on them, racing up that part of the tech tree (in this case they literally read your book) so deciding when to publish is a key part of the game.
There’s more going on as well with “happening” cards that throw a monkey in the wrench and other areas in which you can spend your limited energy each turn. You are only allowed three actions per turn so deciding where to use them is a big part of the game.
So take a look, see what you think, ask me any questions either here or at my CQ email address billATcqgames.com
Back the project so my family doesn’t starve. Think of the children.
I loved the original Rocketbirds from Ratloop Asia, so you can imagine my disappointment when Rocketbirds: Hardboiled Chicken was announced as a PS3-exclusive. The scales of justice have tipped in my favor! Hardboiled Chicken is coming to the PC and can be pre-ordered at Rain Digital Games and GamersGate for $9.99.
Rocketbirds: Hardboiled Chicken is also slated to hit Steam, although customers who pre-order through the above outlets will also receive a four-track EP from New World Revolution, which includes a remix of “Once I Was Lost.” I purchased the original New World Revolution EP two years ago, and it is most definitely worthy of a pre-order bonus.
I won’t be at PAX Prime in Seattle this year, but if I were, I could tell you exactly where most of my time would be spent. 10 games will still be showcased in the PAX 10, but no longer will other indie video game developers be confined to the peripheral tables wedged between vendors selling trinkets of dubious quality.
The Indie Megabooth will host 30 developers displaying 32 games, including Super Time Force, Mark of the Ninja, Snapshot, Yata, Chasing Aurora, Guacamelee!, Monaco, and Antichamber. If you’re heading to PAX and you get the chance to try out some games at the Indie Megabooth, let us know what you think. You can find a full list of games and developers at the Indie Megabooth website.
