Along The Tech Tree: 165

ID:96718
 
Jun 10 2010, 2:33 pm
Keywords: techtree

There doesn't appear to be a lot of solid news this week so let's start off with some links I've been saving:

  • Chris Remo recently interviewed Blizzard's StarCraft II design director Dustin Browder.
  • Troy Goodfellow wrote another Gods at Play column around the end of May.  This time it focused on the importance of zoom perspectives in RTS games.
  • Julian of Little Bo Beep has been posting a series of articles on how board games explain everything.

I should be starting this column off with either a featured game or feedback on why it isn't currently featured.  Unfortunately, I didn't manage to review Vexonator's updated tactical fantasy, Surreal Dreams, after stating my plans to do it.  I apologize.  (It would have made for more solid news this week too. *sigh*) :(

Vexonator is currently welcoming thoughts on a custom spell creator with no due date.

Mecha Destroyer JD has created five units for his replacement to Ultimate Strife, Ultra Strife.  Details are still scarce and he appears to be in need of an artist.  However, there might be a playable alpha version soon if he can implement a decent interface.  He's currently looking for good examples of aesthetics and functionality.

D4RK3 54B3R posted a preview of his Dynamic Filtered Lighting system.  He has yet to mention if he has any projects that will use it himself...  Granted, I'm probably only mentioning it so I can link to his RTS, FrostBurn, while waiting for the Get Something Done Challenge results. ;)

Librarian is working on a board game.  What kind of board game?  What are the mechanics?  I have no idea.  It could be random and Casual-bound.  (Either way, you might be interested in the library I mention below, Librarian.)

Ashi Productions is looking for an artist to help with an unnamed hybrid of action and tower defense.  Up to four players will buy weapons, ammo and turrets in preparation for incoming waves of zombies.  Money might be offered "down the road".

I updated my mining card struggle, Grim Prospects.  Twice.  The first made multiple improvements to the interface with the goal of making the display more legible.  (Hopefully it succeeded.)  The second focused on fixing bugs... which were mostly created by the display changes.

I've also been continuing to design my economic/combative space race, StarScurrier.  Lately, I've been trying to fit it into something that could work as a physical board game so I can sell it on The Game Crafter.  This means I have to consider issues like how many pieces are moved around and how much information can be reasonably hidden without allowing for a lot of cheating.  (BTW, congratulations to The Game Crafter on their move to larger facilities.  The service is already improving.)

Both projects, combined with Genetic Fork, have convinced me to once again reveal my Multiple Game Rooms library.  The changes that caused me to hide it from the hub have been stabilized.  The library has had a reasonable amount of testing and I'm likely to use it in my strategy games often.

Fooldom Come: One subscription. Many games.

I have multiple videos bookmarked this week. The wedding contest appears to be on hiatus so displaying Sonder's entry doesn't make much sense. Morsel is beginning a series of game design discussions, but I have not viewed any yet. HDstarcraft posted an interview with the tournament gamer PainUser. Normally that would be great, but... The Dogface Show is back!

Got news? Is anyone else happy that Bruce Campbell is actually in a show for a fourth season?

Jun 10 2010, 2:37 pm
Also, congratulations to NakaTeleeli on his 5000+ subscribers.
Jun 10 2010, 2:49 pm (Edited on Jun 10 2010, 3:01 pm)
I have some disappointing news to tell you ACWraith.

Partly due to some inherent BYOND bugs and due to my college finals, which took up more time than I had anticipated, I did not reach a playable product with FrostBurn and did not submit it to the GSDC.

I am presently waiting for a BYOND update that fixes the bugs that I encountered before continuing development of FrostBurn. This also means that those bugs are delaying the closed/open beta testing for FrostBurn.


Yes, the Dynamic Filtered Library was created for a project other than Frostburn. That project has little to do with BYOND Strategy, however.
Jun 10 2010, 2:50 pm
=(
Jun 10 2010, 6:26 pm
I'll be waiting. ;)
Jun 11 2010, 9:41 am
"What great big blogs you have." I think I'm going to keep tabs on it. I'm glad someone is doing something like this.
Jun 11 2010, 11:30 am
@Hiro the Dragon King: I don't know if I should be flattered that you like Tech Tree or concerned that you're just noticing at column #165.

I'll welcome you either way... despite your nostalgic support of Castle and Last Robot Standing. ;)
Jun 11 2010, 12:35 pm (Edited on Jun 11 2010, 3:03 pm)
ACWraith wrote:
I'll welcome you either way... despite your nostalgic support of Castle and Last Robot Standing. ;)

I wouldn't say "nostalgic support" so much as "fleeting hope." I added those to my favorites years ago, before my daughter was a displeasuring thought of an upcoming period. I added Castle five years ago and LRS, more than three. I wish they would be updated. But hope is lost.
Jun 11 2010, 2:58 pm
@Hiro the Dragon King: Yeah, you're not alone. It's just frustrating to see the projects of active developers go unrecognized while abandoned projects get the glory. It makes it harder to motivate developers to add polish.

Granted, a couple abandoned projects are featured. However, that's because they're grandfathered in and I've argued too much on the side of expanding catalogs to cut them without good reason. (For instance, LRS was removed when BYOND updates introduced bugs.) I'm hoping for a tag system so they can get recognized for their donation to BYOND's history without taking advertising from those still around to use it.