Developer Links has plenty of focus on what came out of this year’s GDC, as well as discussions on Kickstarter and crunching to make a game.

Developers should ‘think like a fan,’ be transparent when pitching on Kickstarter, says Double Fine producer (Polygon)
“Indie developers looking to launch projects for crowdfunding on Kickstarter should “think like a fan,” altering their mindset and tailoring pitches to best inform their gaming audience, according to Double Fine Productions producer Greg Rice.”

Mark of the Ninja creator: Innovation no excuse for crunch (Gamasutra)
“Jamie Cheng, founder of Klei Entertainment, creator of the XBLA games Shank and Mark of the Ninja had strong words for any game maker who might claim that working extensive overtime is an intrinsic part of making ‘art’.”

Food, firing, and freedom (Games Industry)
“Other Ocean, 17-bit, and Capy Games give tips for creating positive studio cultures without breaking the bank”

Nintendo’s indies guy tells you how to get your games approved (IndieGames.com)
“If you want to get your indie game onto Nintendo’s platforms — the Wii U and 3DS — you’ll want to talk to Dan Adelman, who works as the company’s liaison with indies. While his title is “business development manager,” he’s best known as the man who helped World of Goo and the Bit.Trip series, among many others, land on the WiiWare service for the original Wii. He joined Nintendo in 2005 to help build that service; Since then, the company has transitioned to new platforms, and offers a much better shop on them, called the eShop.”

Exploring game design through technology (Wolfire Games)
“This is a blog post adaption of my GDC 2013 Indie Soapbox talk, I hope you like it! I will link to the GDC vault video of it if it becomes publicly available.”

Gameplay – Espionage (Purple Orange Games)
“Espionage, much like diplomacy, feels completely underdeveloped in 4X games and almost non-existent in strategy games overall.”

I Want to Make Video Games, But I Don’t Know How to Program, And I Don’t Have Any Money (Indie Game Insider)
“You have that hungry look on your face. You know, the kind you get when you haven’t eaten for a while. Only this time it’s a hunger to make games. Being a game developer, I can understand the passion that you may possess to create a game can be killed by the lack of patience it takes to learn to program. You have an idea, and you want to make a game now!”

Initial thoughts about my first GDC (Positech Games)
“So here I am, post-GDC, from my point-of-view (I was only there for two days), reflecting on what I thought of my first ever trip there. I made a deliberate decision to only spend two days there, to attend the indie talks, meet some people, and then combine the trip with a short holiday, so I’m in a hotel room typing this up.”

Source: The Indie Game Magazine – Dev Links: Memorable Trip

They Came From The Sea is a well put together mini game that reminds me greatly of the early Nintendo Gameboy games such as Pokemon and Zelda.

This game however has you protecting a bunch of eggs from strange creatures that are coming from the sea, with your only task to prevent the eggs getting eaten by these creatures.

The game starts out quite easy with you just having to protect the eggs from a few of these sea creatures. However it is not long before you must protect the eggs from all manner of creatures that are coming from the sea.

The game mechanics are quite simple as you just have the arrow keys, space, and S which give you all the utility you need to defend these eggs. Space will use your sword to slash at these creatures and help you protect the eggs from these sea creatures, but don’t let them get too close or else your HP will take a beating.

Average play time – 10 minutes

They Came From The Sea is a fantastically simple game with some great retro graphics and great music. Everything comes together well in this  fantastic little arcade game.

They Came From The Sea was created by Omaromeir and can be played now on Newgrounds.

If you are a developer with A fun indie game that can be played over a coffee break, we want to hear from you! Private message us on twitter @IndieGameMag or shoot us an email at editors@indiegamemag.com with the subject “Indie Intermission” and you could be our indie intermission pick of the day!

Source: The Indie Game Magazine – Indie Intermission – ‘They Came From The Sea’ A Great Little Arcade Game

This article has been a long time coming especially in conjunction with our IGM awards which will be announced very shortly.  I’m going to start by covering all the games that made it into our IGM nominations and then move onto the games that we missed.

Starbound by Chucklefish

How could the spiritual sequel and successor to the immensely popular Terraria not make this list? While Chucklefish is a new studio, it was started by Tiyuri one of the designers behind Terraria and their game Starbound looks to be incredibly grand in scope. Starbound begins with you fleeing your homeworld in a space shuttle, just as it’s destroyed by an unknown enemy. With nothing to guide it, the escape pod shoots into space without direction, becoming hopelessly lost in a sea of stars. Starbound promises to expand on Terraria’s core gameplay mechanics by mixing in influences from Diablo, Metroid, Castlevania, and Pokemon while promising an endless number of procedurally generated planets to explore.

Gnomoria by Robotronic Games

Gnomoria is clearly inspired by Dwarf Fortress, a game that I could never quite get into because of its crazy ASCII graphics and steep learning curve. Gnomoria makes the core gameplay and depth of Dwarf Fortress much more accessible. For those that don’t know, Gnomoria is a sandbox village management game. You help a small group of gnomes start a new kingdom and survive as long as possible. The game has already been in development for over a year and was one of the first games to get Greenlit despite being in alpha. Gnomoria already has huge promise and a ton of features even in it’s current state so it will be very exciting to see what the full and final release entails.

The Banner Saga by Stoic Studio

The Buzz for The Banner Saga started with a massively successful Kickstarter (raising $723,886) partly due to the fact that Stoic is made up of a bunch of Bioware RPG veterans in the industry. The game boasts a fantastic art style that harkens back to the fluid 2 dimensional graphics of adventure games like Dragon’s Lair, Monkey Island and more. The Kickstarter was so successful because of the amazing trailer that oozed production and the faith that gamers have in folks from Bioware, but it’s the solid Multiplayer in the current beta that has us so excited for this epic RPG to come out.

Project Zomboid by the Indie Stone

One thing the Walking Dead tv series and the slew of zombie movies out there have taught us is that When the Zombie Apocalypse happens, you eventually die. One of the coolest things about Project Zomboid is that there is no winning. The game is all about how long you can survive said Zombie Apocalypse. At it’s core the game is a survival RPG sim with plenty of ways to die: starvation, exposure, disease, mental breakdown, zombie bite… you name it – you can die from it. It’s great to see the game building up a community of modders and fans especially after the theft and setbacks that struck the development team. That’s all behind us now and each new update to the game proves that Project Zomboid’s isometric survival game may be one of the best indie games of 2013.

The Witness by Jonathan Blow

What the heck has that guy who made Braid been up to? Jonathan Blow has been hard at work on the Witness since late 2008. The Witness is described as an exploration-puzzle game on an uninhabited island. Blow has been tight-lipped about what the game is about, so there is a degree of mystery surrounding the game. That coupled with the fact that Blow made Braid makes this game one to add to your watchlist.

Kenshi by Lofi Games

Here’s another game that was recently greenlit that is still in the early stages. Kenshi is an open ended, squad-based Strategy RPG that revolves around some cool concepts: You can play the game as 1 character or 50 and the player characters and NPCs are always on equal footing making survival an ever present struggle in Kenshi. The open world spans 400km and is seamless and open. All of these features work together to create an enticing, interesting and different kind of RPG.

Proteus by Ed Key and David Kanaga

Proteus represented on the Indie Awards circuit last year picking up a slew of nominations and awards at the IGF, IndieCade, and AMAZE. Proteus is also very close to being “released” as a final version (it’s been playable and purchaseable in beta for quite some time). Described as a game of audio-visual exploration, Proteus really isn’t about anything more than stopping and smelling the digital flowers. It’s an escape, a gaming vacation if you will. Now is the time to buy your ticket.

Originally released as WiiWare in 2009, and then later on Nintendo’s 3DS in 2011, Gaijin Games’ BIT. TRIP CORE has finally made it to PCs and Macs.

Released yesterday on Steam, BIT. TRIP CORE is available on PCs running Windows XP or better, and Macs running Snow Lepord 10.6.3 or later. Both versions require half-a-gigabyte of RAM.

BIT. TRIP CORE is the second game in the BIT. TRIP series, directly following BIT. TRIP BEAT, and was inspired by Cosmic Arc, an Atari 2600 game which was a personal favorite of the game’s designer Alex Neuse.

Players control a small four-sided core at the center of the screen. The objective is to fire lasers from each of the four sides and hit incoming blocks for points. The rhythm of the soundtrack helps keep players in-tune to when to fire at the incoming blocks, essentially making it a rhythm game akin to Guitar Hero.

The game reviewed favorably with most critics, and carries an 80/100 score on Metacritic.

BIT. TRIP CORE features a single player mode and a 2-player local co-op mode, a “thumpin’” chiptune-inspired soundtrack, epic boss battles, leaderboards, achievements, and a new easy mode for newer players.

Steam is offering BIT. TRIP CORE in three bundles. There is the standard game-only package which is $9.99. Buyers can elect to purchase the game with the soundtrack for $11.99, or buy the standalone soundtrack without the game for $5.99. Finally, for mega-fans, Steam is offering a $35.96 BIT. TRIP collection which includes BIT. TRIP CORE, RUNNER, and BEAT, and the soundtracks for the three games.

Pick up BIT. TRIP CORE on Steam today, and follow the developers on Twitter.

Source: The Indie Game Magazine – ‘BIT. TRIP CORE’ Releases on Steam, First Time in HD

One of the dreams I had growing up with video games was to visit E3, the Electronic Entertainment Expo. I mean, who wouldn’t want to be a part of the biggest event in the industry, where surprises and big names are there for all to see? Unfortunately as dreams go, they aren’t always that easy to attain in real life (I live a long, long way away, for example). So imagine my delight to see EB Games, the Australian division of GameStop, create the next best thing in the EBExpo. It’s a chance for Australian gamers to get in on the act and get some hands on time with the biggest names, and I’m going to be there!

This is the expo’s second year in action, shifting from last years debut in Melbourne to Sydney this time around. It brings with it a host of massive titles that everyone can’t wait to get stuck into, familiar faces such as Assassin’s Creed III and Call of Duty: Black Ops 2, many of which are playable for the first time anywhere. But there’s another new element to the expo’s schedule that has me far more excited, one that I’m sure many of you will be keen to know about.

The Home Grown Gaming exhibit, which has its own area within the rather large and well planned out Olympic Park (former home of the Sydney 2000 Olympics), will play host to a number of local Australian talent in both software and hardware development. Not only will it act as a showcase, but it could very well open the eyes of many gamers who are yet to taste the indie gaming world.

Many of these companies you may not have heard of, but soon you will know all about them. Take Blunt Instrument for example, a small studio based in Sydney who are working on two soon to be released mobile and PC titles, Missile Control and Ignite The Skies. Or Epiphany Games, who are hard at work on the ambitious RTS Frozen Hearth, the first part of an expansive and ongoing series. That’s just two of many hard working and respected studios who will be at the show, mixing it up with the likes of Nintendo, Sony, Electronic Arts and Activision.

The exhibit will also play host to a number of e-sports events and the opportunity for local fans to check out some of the newest gaming hardware developed down under as well up and coming items of worth. But the chance for new and young developers to show off their work will be of special interest, especially with a sell out crowd of near 17,000 (and counting) over three days of action.

As a fan, a gamer and a lover of all things indie, you can be sure I’ll be there taking it all in and meeting some of the talented artists and devs right in my own back yard. I’ll be getting the lowdown from all of them, so you’d better keep it logged to IGM as the event kicks off this weekend!

Source: The Indie Game Magazine – IGM Headed To The EBExpo 2012 Australia

This month, I made the trek over the DelMemBr (that’s the Delaware Memorial Bridge for those unfamiliar with the area) to New Jersey to hang out with indie developers, Island Officials.  After parking in quaint and historic Woodbury, I opened the door to Tiki Tiki Games, the board game retail store that makes up the front of Island Officials’ office.   After touring the offices filled with gaming swag, action figures, analog games, and more, I knew that this game developer story was going to be different.  Most of the indie games that we focus on are made for the computer by a small team of developers who work together virtually.  Their games are made for low-barrier of entry platforms like Windows PC, Mac, Android or the iPhone.  Island Officials has a very different story than most game developers.  Their first retail game was for Nintendo DS, they’ve funded two analog card game via Kickstarter, and they still have yet to put out a game for the computer.  After eating some pizza and playing a round of Languini, I sat down and interviewed Ryan Harbinson and Ryan Morrison, two of the executive team members of Island Officials.

[This Content is Exclusive for Insider]

Source: The Indie Game Magazine – Island Officials – A Different Indie Developer Story

Frozenbyte has just released a PC and Mac update for Trine 2 and its DLC pack Trine 2: Goblin Menace on Steam. The update was released yesterday, but today Frozenbyte pushed out a hotfix for a minor issue that was found in the update. The new update from yesterday includes a number of different achievement and gameplay fixes while also improving the audio and multiplayer capabilities.

The developer has said that all of these fixes are in addition to the Goblin Menace DLC launch update that had brought a number of different features for anyone who owned Trine 2 to try out. That includes an arrow indicator that will drastically help players in multiplayer find their teammates, a new controller configuration menu to help with keyboard and gamepad setup. There’re a many more features that were added, which you can check out on the Trine 2 website in their official changelog.

Frozenbyte also announced  the Trine 2: Directors Cut for the Nintendo Wii U as well as other platforms. For the Wii U, Frozenbyte is aiming to release on November 18th to coincide with the console launch. As for the Mac App Store, Goblin Menace should be releasing within a month as an in-App purchase. Finally, while Valve may have forgotten about Linux users, Frozenbyte certainly have not. One of the new platforms fans will be able to enjoy Trine 2 on will be Linux. No official release date has been provided for the Linux version but Frozenbyte have said that the game should be ready to release in a month or two.

Source: The Indie Game Magazine – New Features And Platforms Announced For ‘Trine 2: Goblin Menace’

Nicalis, the publisher responsible for porting Terry Cavanagh’s rage inducing VVVVVV to Nintendo’s three dimensional magic machine is busy making yet another port of the ever popular Cave Story. This time around the title will see itself realized in 3D using its original two dimensional engine (much akin to Mutant Mudds). Considering most of us have played Cave Story in one form or another, Nicalis has gone ahead and included several new features and game modes to hopefully breathe a bit of life into an otherwise old title, giving players a new reason to pick it up all over again.

The coolest of which is “Curly Story” in which I’d assume you get to play through the story from the perspective of Curly Brace as she tries to protect the Mimiga from the evil doctor. Other notably fresh additions include: Nemesis Challenge, Boss Rush, Hell Time Attack, and Wind Fortress challenge modes. Nicalis has also stated Cave Story for eShop will support a native 4:3 and “real” widescreen resolutions for the 3DS as well as two button configurations.

fyi: this is a normal cavestory screen

Expect to dive back in come October 4th for the rather fair price of $9.99, those of you without a nifty new 3DS can still get in on the Cave Story fun (if you have yet to experience it) by picking up one of the various other versions avaiable as DSiWare. Hopefully players won’t confuse this for NIS’ Cave Story 3D which runs on an entirely three-dimensional engine unique to that title.

Source: The Indie Game Magazine – Nicalis to release ‘Cave Story’ 2D in 3D

After a successful launch of the beautiful Trine 2 late last year, Finnish developer Frozenbyte began work on an expansion to their excellent physics based platformer. Announced just a few weeks ago Frozenbyte has worked fast into adding more to an already substantial game. The expansion titled Trine 2: Goblin Menace features a new story adding to the Trine world.

The original Trine was interesting, because it allowed a player to control three separate characters to solve puzzles. The player would switch between each as needed, or play with two others in co-operative multiplayer. The three characters  – a Knight, Wizard and Rogue, would each used their own skills to help each other move past areas. Trine 2: Goblin Menace adds six new abilities and skills to the player characters, which are useable in Trine 2 as well.

The new story of Trine 2: Goblin Menace focuses around, you guessed it, Goblins. The three protagonists will travel through heat, ice, and “the insides of a giant sand worm.” The expansion also features improved graphics, new enemies, puzzles and Steam achievements. All of the content included in Trine 2: Goblin Menace will also be available in the Trine 2 Director’s Cut when released on the Nintendo WiiU

To find out more about Trine 2, read the Indie Game Magazine review here.

You can purchase Trine 2: Goblin Menace on it’s Steam Store Page. Doing so before September 15th will earn you a 15% discount on the expansion pack. Trine 1 and 2 are also both on sale for a 75% discount. You can visit the developer’s website here, or tweet them here.

Source: The Indie Game Magazine – ‘Trine 2: Goblin Menace’ Released

Of all the fan released content that I have seen in the past the update of the Tecmo Super Bowl to the current roster (as of 09/02/12 done in true stylings of the original)  is one of the most interesting. This fan service has been carried out by the good people over at TecmoBowl.org, bring this updated version of the highly acclaimed cult classic for free.

Tecmo Super Bowl when it was originally released for the NES in 1991 it was the first sports video game that had licensing privileges with both the league (NFL) and the player’s association (NFL: Players Association), this allowed the game to be the first to use both the real player names and team names simultaneously.

Tecmo Super Bowl has forever been a cult classic and this new update is a highly welcomed one being as it has been one of the most modified Nintendo games in existence, showing just how influential it has become. Currently Tecmo Super Bowl 2013 requires a Nintendo emulator to play however this edition comes with a whole host of updates including:

• 32 Teams
• Adjustable quarter length
• Half-time stats
• Enhanced passing accuracy and control
• Countless bug fixes from the 2012 version

The whole spirit behind these Tecmo Super Bowl releases are great and is rooted back in the golden age of gaming. If you would like to download Tecmo Super Bowl 2013 you can from the tecmobowl site over here, just in time to get into the spirit of this new football season.

Source: The Indie Game Magazine – ‘Tecmo Super Bowl 2013′ Fan Updated Release Of This Cult Classic