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[TwistedSyn]

Yesterday Refract Studios posted this big announcement for Distance.

Hi everyone!

Just wanted to give a brief update and share something really cool that we've been working on with Humble Bundle. Since our last alpha update I had written a full Kickstarter update to be posted once Humble had completed a special project for us, but unfortunately it took quite some time to complete. I'm sorry for the silence, but luckily it seems that the wait was worth it.

For existing $15 - $50 backers we're now offering the ability to upgrade your tiers to the Alpha ($55) tier! This is the first time Humble has done anything like this, so we're really excited to be the flagship team/game for enabling tier upgrades. Without their assistance the workload on our end would have been massively distracting to actual game development, so we decided to wait until they implemented this feature before allowing upgrades.

How to Upgrade

It's really simple to upgrade. Just open up your Humble Store page on http://humblebundle.com, click the section labelled "Want to upgrade to a higher tier? Click here to increase your order amount!" (see the image below), and follow the instructions to upgrade to Alpha! After paying the difference between your tier and the $55 tier, you should have instant access to the latest alpha build. If you don't have access to your Humble page, use the key resender to gain access: http://www.humblebundle.com/store/keyresender

A Couple Important Points

After upgrading, your Humble page won't necessarily mention everything that you will receive with your Alpha tier and will continue to mention what your previous tier received. No matter what you'll get everything a $55 tier backer receives:

Distance Private Forum Access
Alpha access
Beta access
Distance, cross-platform and DRM-free
Distance original soundtrack
Distance artbook (PDF)
This is the first time Humble has offered this service so it's possible bugs may arise. If you run into issues please contact Humble (http://support.humblebundle.com) to let them know of the bug, and if you're still having issues email us at team@refractstudios.com

We are not incredibly far away from releasing the Beta, and our current rough estimate is "as soon as possible Summer 2014". In other words we hope that it may only be a month or two before the Beta is released (much more on that in the upcoming Kickstarter update), so be aware of that before purchasing an upgrade.

I believe this also includes people who pre-ordered the Beta directly from HumbleBundle as this quote states.

Crehl
Is this just for backers who backed at the Kickstarter stage? I'm not being shown the option to upgrade.

Jordan (Dev)
Did you purchase through Humble Bundle directly? It might unfortunately be a technical limitation of their system which would be a bummer. It that's the case I can try to bother them about it.

http://survivethedistance.com/

 

[More_Badass]

^^^
Cool! That's a big step forward, hopefully we see other Kickstarters do this post-release (I'm looking at you, Hyper Light Drifter)
---
Picked up Ultimate General, haven't played much yet. Crimsonland is too addictive. At first I was sure how I'd like open flat levels without any barriers or interesting structures, but having played for almost 4 hours now, I don't mind. The enemies themselves and the mob spawners create a fluid battleground that's always shifting

 

[Toma]

^^^
Cool! That's a big step forward, hopefully we see other Kickstarters do this post-release (I'm looking at you, Hyper Light Drifter)
---
Picked up Ultimate General, haven't played much yet. Crimsonland is too addictive. At first I was sure how I'd like open flat levels without any barriers or interesting structures, but having played for almost 4 hours now, I don't mind. The enemies themselves and the mob spawners create a fluid battleground that's always shifting

How far are you?

 

[More_Badass]

How far are you?

Normal difficulty, Chapter 5, Level 8

 

[Toma]

OP impressions, Wormhunter:

Cool artstyle and premise but there really isnt much to this game and its easily cheatable too. I cant even call this "decent" to be honest.

You have to win the game

Fun! A little bit of tricky platforming, a lot of exploring without any directions, a mysterious castle, devious traps, tight controls and some metroidvania style level exploration. Lovely, little game that you guys definitely should check out.

Wooden Floor

I really, really like the concept of traversing a mansion/house and having my expectations subverted by the house layout, but the game relies a bit too much on jump scares and needs some more polish to not feel quite as cheap. A game with mid-tier budgets like the PS2 Horror games and a similar premise could be quite spectacular. Additionally, althought that might be fault of me only playing the demo, the game feels a bit like its traversing all kinds of classic cliches. Room upside down - check. Endless corridor - check. Unfortunately, this game just leaves me wanting for a more ambitious project, even though it has some nice ideas.

>----------< Highly Recommended >----------<
Grid Legion, Voyage
Jet Force
Epic Flail
You have to win the game
Shipwreck
Unmanned
>----------< Recommended >----------<
Antisquad
Fearless Fantasy
400 years
Shütshimi
Kitsuni
Icebound
Ascendant
>----------< Decent-ish >----------<
8BitBoy
Among the Sleep
Steam and Metal
Deity Quest
Wooden Floor
For Science!
Farsh
The Hot Dog Parable
Prisoned
Social Justice Warriors
>----------< Bleh >----------<
Wormhunter
Pyroeis
Crashed Lander
AnimalAlbum

Notes:

- TimeFrame dl and web player is borked. Anyone got this to work?

Done with the current month! Surprised how satisfied I ended up with on my highly recommended games list this month. Speaking of those, the Grid Legion dev wants to make an update with a removable fog option soon, I cant wait to play some more

 

[More_Badass]

Haven't posted many impressions from this month, because I was dealing with some issues, but I'll try to find time next week. I have Flockers, The Sun At Night, Battleblock Theater, Sarcia

 

[PandaPedinte]

Cities of Day and Night - It's a puzzle game if anyone is wondering what this game is about, I didn't get too far in the game and I was able to only solve one of the puzzles maybe I'm being too dumb to understand how to solve the other puzzles. I didn't like the music, it sounded too compressed and it was clipping.

Epic Flail - It's in alpha but the concept so far is good and very solid, the gameplay is tight and works incredible well and as other have pointed out the game is very addicting and it kept me making me going back to "one more match" even though I'm pretty bad.

OP impressions, Wormhunter:

Cool artstyle and premise but there really isnt much to this game and its easily cheatable too. I cant even call this "decent" to be honest.

The dev said they are reworking the Worm AI.

 

[Toma]

The dev said they are reworking the Worm AI.

Good to know, but that wont change my current opinion on it. Even if they rework the AI, the game is devoid of any interesting content tbh. I mean, just compare ot to Epic Flail, both are games with a simple premise.

 

[xDavidLeon]

Our Kickstarter campaign for Twin Souls: The Path of Shadows just got accepted! Yay!

We will work on some stuff this Monday and get ready for a Kickstarter launch this Tuesday!

 

[Signor Rossi]

In The Kingdom - 5$ (PC)

http://amon26.itch.io/in-the-kingdom

In The Kingdom is a twisted retro first person shooter inspired by the classic titles like Wolfenstein, Doom, Quake, Rise Of The Triad, and Chasm. Explore the hellish ruins of a forgotten castle fortress poisoned by dark magic and evil forces. Survive to the last and become born again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I liked it. I guess it's expensive for what it is, a very short (20 minutes?) 'vertical slice' as the developer calls it (I consider it a demo), but the atmosphere is great and I loved the minimalistic industrial music and the enemy design. The Dev wrote in the the readme that he considers this a "Pilot Episode".

 

[Toma]

In The Kingdom - 5$ (PC)



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I liked it. I guess it's expensive for what it is, a very short (20 minutes?) 'vertical slice' as the developer calls it (I consider it a demo), but the atmosphere is great and I loved the minimalistic industrial music and the enemy design. The Dev wrote in the the readme that he considers this a "Pilot Episode".

If you consider it a demo, does that mean you'll get the rest as well if you buy the pilot episode?

 

[Signor Rossi]

If you consider it a demo, does that mean you'll get the rest as well if you buy the pilot episode?

I really don't know.

The readme says:

In the kingdom is a small vertical slice of a larger concept we hope to elaborate on. We chose to create this as a "Pilot episode" in order to gauge peoples reactions to the idea. This is our first attempt at a game created in the Unity engine and as such glitches are bound to show up. We will be welcoming feedback and continuing to improve upon this build in order to make a more stable experience as time goes by.

This sounds like a "yes"?
I wrote the Dev a mail, if I get an answer I'll post it here.

 

[Nabs]

You guys see the new Ghost Song update? He increased the field of view and it looks something likeeee: http://gfycat.com/BlondInconsequentialApatosaur

Here's the rest of the blog post with more footage.

 

[daydream]

You guys see the new Ghost Song update? He increased the field of view and it looks something likeeee: http://gfycat.com/BlondInconsequentialApatosaur

Here's the rest of the blog post with more footage.

Definitely looks better with the camera a bit more zoomed out. Great stuff.

 

[phantomspiker]

I really don't know.

They better, I would never pay $5 for a concept alone.

You guys see the new Ghost Song update? He increased the field of view and it looks something likeeee: http://gfycat.com/BlondInconsequentialApatosaur

Here's the rest of the blog post with more footage.

She's a beaut!

 

[PandaPedinte]

You guys see the new Ghost Song update? He increased the field of view and it looks something likeeee: http://gfycat.com/BlondInconsequentialApatosaur

Here's the rest of the blog post with more footage.

I saw it early today and forgot to post here. -_-

The zoomed out camera works better.

 

[Moobabe]

Ok - be honest - who's playing Spintires?

 

[Toma]

Ok - be honest - who's playing Spintires?

Spinwhat?

 

[PandaPedinte]

Spinwhat?

A driving simulator of heavy trucks on off-road. It was the top seller on Steam for a few hours and apparently is a really good game.

 

[xDavidLeon]

Sharing some 1080p screenshots from Twin Souls: The Path of Shadows before the Kickstarter.

 

[One Foul Note]

Ok - be honest - who's playing Spintires?

Is that the one that has a strong focus on mud and dirt deformation? I think I remember playing an alpha build/demo of it an age ago. Seemed interesting although not really my think to be honest.

 

[phantomspiker]

Sharing some 1080p screenshots from Twin Souls: The Path of Shadows before the Kickstarter.

Great looking game! Good luck on your KS.

 

[alllen]

In The Kingdom looks cool, but the trailer is pretty bad. Having that red filter and all those effects obfuscates the gameplay. And 5 dollars is a steep price for a 20 minute demo/pilot/whatever he wants to call it. Almost feel like a jerk saying I'd probably be comfortable paying about 1 dollar for it because I know the work it takes to make something, even of this length. But it just seems a tad overpriced for what it is.

Though if he makes it into a full game I'd be glad to pay for that.

 

[Toma]

In The Kingdom looks cool, but the trailer is pretty bad. Having that red filter and all those effects obfuscates the gameplay. And 5 dollars is a steep price for a 20 minute demo/pilot/whatever he wants to call it. Almost feel like a jerk saying I'd probably be comfortable paying about 1 dollar for it because I know the work it takes to make something, even of this length. But it just seems a tad overpriced for what it is.

Though if he makes it into a full game I'd be glad to pay for that.

Same line of thought, I am waiting for the confirmation whether it will include the full game eventually or not.

 

[Wozman23]

I'm really looking forward to Twin Souls. I loved the mechanics in the prototype! I'm not even generally a fan of stealth games, but that art direction got me in the door.

 

[alllen]

OK I bit the bullet and bought In The Kingdom. He indicates in the readme that it's a small vertical slice/pilot but he should really say that in the itch.io page. I knew beforehand what I was getting into, but I could imagine feeling sour with my purchase if I didn't know.

Performance is terrible and it shouldn't be on my computer, I imagine because it's Unity Free and they don't have access to Unity's static batching or occlusion culling. There are still ways to solve the performance issues, but it's their first Unity game so I don't think that was a priority or if they even had the knowledge. Changing the resolution and graphical settings had no effect, so I'm 100% certain it's excess draw calls due to the way they built their level. Which would be solved by static batching and occlusion culling on Pro. On Free he could manually combine the meshes through code. if Amon26 reads this he can reach me at @goodmorningcmdr and I'd be glad to assist him.

The atmosphere and art is great. Very lo-fi, but I think it pulls it off well. The effects were a nice touch. Combat was serviceable, though the AI was bad even for Doom-clone standards. Enemy variety was sufficient for how short it was (about 20 minutes like the other guy said). What I really disliked was the respawning enemies, kind of forced me to fly through the levels and I couldn't really savor the atmosphere or get a good look at things.

The game lacks feedback though. There are rarely any sounds other than the gunshots and the ambient noises of the level and the enemies. The game needs to have noises for when the enemy respawns and attacks, and when the player gets hit. I felt like I was playing on mute, had no idea an enemy respawned or was attacking me until I saw my health drop. The brief hit flash is barely noticeable. Gates, doors, your footsteps don't make any noise either. It's a shame because the ambient noise is great, but that's pretty much all there is.

Fix all those issues and expand upon the game, it could be enjoyable. I love a good Doom clone now and again and this one sets itself apart with a nice horror atmosphere.

 

[Toma]

OK I bit the bullet and bought In The Kingdom. He indicates in the readme that it's a small vertical slice/pilot but he should really say that in the itch.io page. I knew beforehand what I was getting into, but I could imagine feeling sour with my purchase if I didn't know.

Performance is terrible and it shouldn't be on my computer, I imagine because it's Unity Free and they don't have access to Unity's static batching or occlusion culling. There are still ways to solve the performance issues, but it's their first Unity game so I don't think that was a priority or if they even had the knowledge. Changing the resolution and graphical settings had no effect, so I'm 100% certain it's excess draw calls due to the way they built their level. Which would be solved by static batching and occlusion culling on Pro. On Free he could manually combine the meshes through code. if Amon26 reads this he can reach me at @goodmorningcmdr and I'd be glad to assist him.

The atmosphere and art is great. Very lo-fi, but I think it pulls it off well. The effects were a nice touch. Combat was serviceable, though the AI was bad even for Doom-clone standards. Enemy variety was sufficient for how short it was (about 20 minutes like the other guy said). What I really disliked was the respawning enemies, kind of forced me to fly through the levels and I couldn't really savor the atmosphere or get a good look at things.

The game lacks feedback though. There are rarely any sounds other than the gunshots and the ambient noises of the level and the enemies. The game needs to have noises for when the enemy respawns and attacks, and when the player gets hit. I felt like I was playing on mute, had no idea an enemy respawned or was attacking me until I saw my health drop. The brief hit flash is barely noticeable. Gates, doors, your footsteps don't make any noise either. It's a shame because the ambient noise is great, but that's pretty much all there is.

Fix all those issues and expand upon the game, it could be enjoyable. I love a good Doom clone now and again and this one sets itself apart with a nice horror atmosphere.

Hm, thanks for the in depth impressions. Guess I'll skip this for now and hope the dev does expand on it and polishes the game.

 

[More_Badass]

Don't have much time today, will do a bigger post tomorrow

Laser Fury - ????

http://laserfury.com/

A 4 player co-op Action RPG

Bad Transaction - PC, Mac, Linux

http://www.badtransaction.com/?page_id=22

Bad Transaction is a turn-based roguelike set in a procedurally generated city in a dystopian future. You'll be able to earn credits by performing missions which you can use to buy better tech, buy food, or pay off debt. The game has perma-death, so when you die you're dead. Form a gang, or hire a gang to assist you as you take on dangerous assignments from your operator.

Previously Mentioned

A Curious Expedition

NeonXSZ

Blood Alloy - New trailer

 

[rybrad]

I have been following Tallowmere for awhile now and the dev is having a sale on IndieGameStand ($2.99) so I went ahead and picked it up. It is fairly raw right now but still fun. One interesting aspect is that your shield is really important and blocking is essential on some enemies or you will live a short, stun-locked life. You can also jump as much as you want without ever touching the ground which sounds overpowered at first but makes for some cool dynamics. As an example, one room was entirely lined with spikes and you need to jump the entire time while killing the enemies. You have to get a key to get out of each room and it randomly drops from one of the enemies so you can't just skip tough rooms either (you can get extra keys but those are better saved for freeing NPCs).

Some bullet points of noteworthy aspects of the game (besides standard action, roguelike stuff):

• Randomized loot with different rarity levels
• Wide variety of weapons (daggers, axes, wands, rocket launchers, grenads, flamethrowers, etc.)
• Interesting Bosses
• The weapons are distinctly different. For example, a dagger is not just a re-skinned sword, it actually lunges you forward with each attack to stab your target
• Your shield is extremely important and adds a strategic element to fights
• Controller support with the option to display Xbox or PS buttons. I don't use a controller but I like the button options being included for PS controllers.
• You can sacrifice kittens to make the game easier but what kind of monster would do that?

The game is still pretty early but I think it has interesting potential and if you like platforming roguelikes (who even knows what to call these things anymore?) I would say give it a chance for the sale price. At the very least give it a thumbs up on Greenlight.

Here are a few screenshots but they really don't capture a lot of the interesting parts of the game. I will try to add it to Steam so I have an easy way to take screenshots and add some of my own.

Boss fight!

Epic loot!

Treasure!

The Inevitable!

 

[More_Badass]

I have been following Tallowmere for awhile now and the dev is having a sale on IndieGameStand ($2.99) so I went ahead and picked it up. It is fairly raw right now but still fun. One interesting aspect is that your shield is really important and blocking is essential on some enemies or you will live a short, stun-locked life. You can also jump as much as you want without ever touching the ground which sounds overpowered at first but makes for some cool dynamics. As an example, one room was entirely lined with spikes and you need to jump the entire time while killing the enemies. You have to get a key to get out of each room and it randomly drops from one of the enemies so you can't just skip tough rooms either (you can get extra keys but those are better saved for freeing NPCs).

Thanks for the heads up. Been following it since I saw you could kill a Hydra with a rocket launcher

 

[Speevy]

I don't know how old this game is, but I've been playing Lifeless Planet.

I like a lot of things about it, but there are some really bad bugs in the game. Like for example hitting buttons and nothing happens, and getting stuck in areas that you can't get out of because the jetpack fuel is gone. Game-ending stuff, in other words.

 

[More_Badass]

Played Tallowmere for about 30 minutes, have to agree with rybrad. Understandably feels early, but worth the $3 (or even $5 if you miss the sale). A lot of things to like here:

- No main menu, it's all in game. Talk with NPCs at your home area to learn what version the game, Vsync, other options
- Interesting pixel style, a bit weird that your legs don't move, but the enemies are varied and dangerous.
- The shield aspect adds an element of timing and skill. When to attack, positioning, choosing which enemies to focus on.
- The weapons are all unique. For example, the katana teleports you with each hit
- Liking the humor. Sacrificing kittens for a health boost (you monster), the weirdness of using modern weaponry against magical foes.

Tallowmere is fun and has a solid foundation. I don't think it'll top Spelunky or Catacomb Kids, but it is a good roguelike platfomer with a lot of promise and potential

 

[Znedd1]

Grand Theft Pizza Delivery (On kickstarter now!) PC, Mac, Linux, android, OUYA

Kickstarter
Grand theft pizza delivery is a 2D Open-world driving game with comedy characters, varied game-play and quirky graphics. It is made by two 13-year-olds in the UK.

[/code]

 

[Lissar]

I didn't see this before, but thanks for including my game "Where Gods Sleep"! I'm glad to see it's actually getting some attention considering I was only able to work on it for a day and a half!

 

[Toma]

I didn't see this before, but thanks for including my game "Where Gods Sleep"! I'm glad to see it's actually getting some attention considering I was only able to work on it for a day and a half!

Cool artstyle, though I was stuck pretty quickly

 

[Lissar]

Cool artstyle, though I was stuck pretty quickly

Thanks! Yeah, it's super confusing. I have the whole map in my head and even I have trouble getting around. I would have liked to be able to straighten things out and made it a little more obvious how things connected, but that's the nature of Ludum Dare I guess! No time!

 

[Toma]

Thanks! Yeah, it's super confusing. I have the whole map in my head and even I have trouble getting around. I would have liked to be able to straighten things out and made it a little more obvious how things connected, but that's the nature of Ludum Dare I guess! No time!

Doesnt mean you cant to a post-competition version O

If you do, let us know.

 

[More_Badass]

The World Beneath - Free (Browser)

http://clementduquesne.com/LD29/theworldbeneath-postcompo.html

This is an exploration/discovery game. There's no clear goal but the deeper you go, the more you'll find interesting stuff (and the more you'll need torches to find your way in the dark). The level is randomized at every play.

Pale - Free (Browser)

http://oneliferemains.com/game.php?game=pale

"PALE is a minimalist experience flirting with the limits of non-perception. In this vein of thought way, this exploration game can also be seen as an attempt of radical refinement. The asceticism of the graphics, sound and modality of the interactions enforces the oppressive atmosphere of the experience."

Mother Machine - Free (PC, Mac)

http://benswinden.itch.io/mothermachine

Explore the dormant ancient organic construct. You are the peaceful traveler. You are the destroyer.

 

[More_Badass]

So is this thread going to be resurrected for the Summer Sale?
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=621131

 

[Toma]

So is this thread going to be resurrected for the Summer Sale?
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=621131

Why not, will take me while to update the prices though.

 

[Moobabe]

I didn't see this before, but thanks for including my game "Where Gods Sleep"! I'm glad to see it's actually getting some attention considering I was only able to work on it for a day and a half!

Cool artstyle, though I was stuck pretty quickly

Playing it right now and I'm stuck on the third damn screen!

 

[Toma]

Playing it right now and I'm stuck on the third damn screen!

On the third screen, you just need to press "Up", but I am stuck in the scene with the tree that says "click"... which is basically the one after the third.

 

[Moobabe]

On the third screen, you just need to press "Up", but I am stuck in the scene with the tree that says "click"... which is basically the one after the third.

That's the one I meant! If you go down from that one to the "underworld" section with the purple door and run to the left and then go back up you're in a new zone. I've explored a fair few screens but whenever I encounter something that asks me to click I'm never sure what it is I'm supposed to press.

 

[Toma]

That's the one I meant! If you go down from that one to the "underworld" section with the purple door and run to the left and then go back up you're in a new zone. I've explored a fair few screens but whenever I encounter something that asks me to click I'm never sure what it is I'm supposed to press.

Yeah, it seems like the "click" never goes away, making it feel like a bug because you dont get any feedback on the action you did.

 

[Lissar]

Yeah, it seems like the "click" never goes away, making it feel like a bug because you dont get any feedback on the action you did.

Ah, I see. You're supposed to click on the symbol. I guess that wasn't as obvious as I had thought. My mistake.

 

[Toma]

Ah, I see. You're supposed to click on the symbol. I guess that wasn't as obvious as I had thought. My mistake.

Its completely bugging out for me so I couldnt try again to check what my issue was, but I think I clicked a symbol on my first try, but nothing explained what it was actually for and after walking around I didnt notice any change in the scenery either. It just felt weird because I seemed to be stuck already at that moment.

Anyway, this is what I get now:

 

[Lissar]

Its completely bugging out for me so I couldnt try again to check what my issue was, but I think I clicked a symbol on my first try, but nothing explained what it was actually for and after walking around I didnt notice any change in the scenery either. It just felt weird because I seemed to be stuck already at that moment.

Anyway, this is what I get now:

How odd, I've never seen that bug before! I'll have to look into it later.

The symbols are for opening a door later. It's a pretty simple game: exploring, picking up symbols, opening a door. Unfortunately due to lack of time some of the exploration isn't as smooth as I would like it to be! I'm really going to have to fix this when I have time.

 

[charlequin]

Why not, will take me while to update the prices though.

If you (or anyone else) goes through with this, lemme recommend starting a new thread to increase the visibility, and maybe trying to focus on some of the deserving games from the last year. I think it would be a good idea, though!

 

[Toma]

If you (or anyone else) goes through with this, lemme recommend starting a new thread to increase the visibility, and maybe trying to focus on some of the deserving games from the last year. I think it would be a good idea, though!

The way the thread worked was by having all the deserving games together and then people could recommend more games in the thread itself that I would add, since I definitely dont have enough time these days to make such a huge list myself (as compiling the info takes a huge amount of time). Any particular reason why you would leave out the "older games"? With the current thread layout, people would recommend them again anyway, meaning I'd have to add them at one point again once someone posts them in the thread.

On the other hand... thinking about it, I do get your idea though, considering that most Gaf regulars saw that game list 2-3 times already and it might be more informative with a smaller list of games that contain more recent releases. If its a smaller list with more recent releases, I could actually work on creating that list. Hmmmm. Any input appreciated, guys.

I'm curious though, why would you say that a new thread increases the visibility comapred to taking the old thread, changing the title, updating the info and then bumping it again for the sale, which we did for the past few sales? Honestly curious whether there is an aspect about this I didnt consider/dont know of.

 

[More_Badass]

Unrest has a demo now, game is releasing July 23rd