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Xbox LIVE Indie Games - The April 2011 Thread

Kafel said:
I've tried Ninja360° this evening, an original game I've missed at its release.

It's a timing-based platformer with a sweet background. The game plays well but the trial already seemed repetitive enough for me to keep my points.
The music is pretty nice too.

I wonder, how would you have made it less repetitive? What could they have done to make you drop that dollar?
 
Kafel said:
I've tried Ninja360° this evening, an original game I've missed at its release.

It's a timing-based platformer with a sweet background. The game plays well but the trial already seemed repetitive enough for me to keep my points.
I dunno how you missed it, it was game o' the month last month! Yeah, a lot of the enjoyment comes from how much you like time attacking stuff. If you're a fan of Trials HD or Super Meat Boy and the leaderboards within, you'll love it. If you don't care about getting better times I can see how you wouldn't get as much from it.

Didn't think much to Monsters Swimming. It looks alright in screenshots but it's kind of a mess when you play it. The tail controls are pretty awful too, I never really felt in control of it at all. And the scores are SO VERY LOW. Two points per kill? Give me 200 per kill and make my score look impressive.
 

Kafel

Banned
Dark Octave >> More actions to perform, new objects to interact with, varied enemies etc.

Something new introduced every 3 levels would have been enough for me to think I wouldn't get bored in the complete game.
 
Kafel said:
Dark Octave >> More actions to perform, new objects to interact with, varied enemies etc.

Something new introduced every 3 levels would have been enough for me to think I wouldn't get bored in the complete game.
I see, thanks.
 
Kafel said:
Dark Octave >> More actions to perform, new objects to interact with, varied enemies etc.

Something new introduced every 3 levels would have been enough for me to think I wouldn't get bored in the complete game.
It's not really that kinda game, though. That's like complaining that Forza gets boring quickly because there isn't spike pits on the second lap.

It's a puzzle game, it's about working out how to manipulate the environment to achieve the insane times you need to get to get a gold medal. It's almost impossible not to go "whoa" when you watch a gold medal run, at just how ridiculously clever and impressive the game is.

It's not about getting to the end of levels, it's not about traditional platforming. You're expecting it/wanting it to be something it's not.
 

Kafel

Banned
I never said the opposite. I only said I couldn't give my points to a boring game (to me).

I've bought SMB and Trials by the way.
 
This is pretty inspirational to any indies out there who are currently struggling. Maybe old news, but new to me.

http://thestartupfoundry.com/2011/03/11/angry-birds-overnight-success-only-took-8-years/

Did you know that the guys at Rovio spent 8 YEARS working on other games before they finally caught a huge break? That takes dedication.

Heck when Angry Birds came out on the iOS app store sales were pretty slow for the first 3 months. The Rovio guys believed in their product and kept their nose to the grindstone. Through an iterative process they were able to grow Angry Birds into the massive success that it is today.
 

OnPoint

Member
toythatkills said:
It's not really that kinda game, though. That's like complaining that Forza gets boring quickly because there isn't spike pits on the second lap.

It's a puzzle game, it's about working out how to manipulate the environment to achieve the insane times you need to get to get a gold medal. It's almost impossible not to go "whoa" when you watch a gold medal run, at just how ridiculously clever and impressive the game is.

It's not about getting to the end of levels, it's not about traditional platforming. You're expecting it/wanting it to be something it's not.

I guess that's a good way of thinking about that game, and maybe explains why I didn't enjoy it as much as I hoped I would. The difference for me, though, is that the controls weren't as spot-on as I would have liked for time-trialing. I went for high ranks in every level in Meat Boy. Ninja 360 was just too frustrating to do that with.
 
There's an interview with the dev on my my blog, if you're interested. Thought it was pretty cool that he had the balls to ask bands like Franz Ferdinand, and pulled it off!
 
Reposting from the March thread(as Im still stuck)

Can anyone help me out? I'm stuck in Wizard's Keep, at the Wizards lab.
I've got to a bit where the path disappears & it says I need to find a map before the path will become visible to me. There is a door where I can enter the Wizards lair but I need a copper key to go any further there. Does anyone know where the copper key is?(I assume the map I need is behind that door.

Thanks for any help, I am really enjoying Wizards Keep & it would be annoying if I had to stop now. Also anyone have any similar XBLIG to check out next?

Dark Octave said:
This is pretty inspirational to any indies out there who are currently struggling. Maybe old news, but new to me.


It took 8 years to copy a flash game?
 

SmallCaveGames

Neo Member
Does Wizard's Keep have an xbox forum? (last I knew, devs have to ask for one) If so, that's where I look for questions about my games sometimes. I haven't played through it or else I would try to help.

The angry birds story is interesting from the "catch a break" perspective. Because that's essentially what it was, they caught and rode a wave of luck where success went viral. Physics games like that have been around a long time. It just took a cute approach on the right platform.

Speaking of which, I wonder how FishCraft did in it's first month.
 
SmallCaveGames said:
Does Wizard's Keep have an xbox forum? (last I knew, devs have to ask for one) If so, that's where I look for questions about my games sometimes. I haven't played through it or else I would try to help.

The angry birds story is interesting from the "catch a break" perspective. Because that's essentially what it was, they caught and rode a wave of luck where success went viral. Physics games like that have been around a long time. It just took a cute approach on the right platform.

Speaking of which, I wonder how FishCraft did in it's first month.


Nah, Miner Dig Deep did but Wizards Keep doesn't unfortunately, guess I'll keep walking around the level hoping I've missed something obvious.
 
Cerebral Assassin said:
It took 8 years to copy a flash game?
I assume you are talking about the Crash the Castle game. I've heard this assertion made before, since the gameplay is the same, but I think it's an invalid comparison. Angry Birds is more polished and crunchier, plus the game feel of playing this type of game on the touchscreen is better than in a browser.

I think XBLIG devs could take a lesson from Angry Birds: marketing makes the game. Yes, the game is cute and a lot of fun, but that's not enough for a game. You need to have some sort of marketing campaign, and you can't depend on someone else (Microsoft or Apple) to do it for you.
 

OnPoint

Member
SmallCaveGames said:
Does Wizard's Keep have an xbox forum? (last I knew, devs have to ask for one) If so, that's where I look for questions about my games sometimes. I haven't played through it or else I would try to help.

The angry birds story is interesting from the "catch a break" perspective. Because that's essentially what it was, they caught and rode a wave of luck where success went viral. Physics games like that have been around a long time. It just took a cute approach on the right platform.

Speaking of which, I wonder how FishCraft did in it's first month.

We could have asked the dev if we didn't scare him off lol
 
the_dannobot said:
I assume you are talking about the Crash the Castle game. I've heard this assertion made before, since the gameplay is the same, but I think it's an invalid comparison. Angry Birds is more polished and crunchier, plus the game feel of playing this type of game on the touchscreen is better than in a browser.
.

OK 6 years to polish a flash game, that sounds much better.


New video out for Sequence! Now everyone can actually understand the gameplay. = D

Sequence: How To Play

Wow that looks hard.
 

Feep

Banned
Cerebral Assassin said:
Wow that looks hard.
THAT'S WHAT SHE S...

Don't worry, there's an easy mode. One of the playtesters was absolutely horrible at rhythm games, but he managed to get through it. = D
 

SmallCaveGames

Neo Member
I am music-game-stupid too and I was okay once I got the hang of it (I tested it).

I thought it looked impossible too but:

Mana Screen: cannot hurt you - only there for recharging mana.
Magic Screen: only active when you're casting, also cannot hurt you directly (but can be a big miss if you can't land these as they are your only form of offense)
Defense Screen: This is really the only screen that can hurt you. And on "normal" in the early levels it's very easy to manage (or just ignore really since you have enough life to just absorb it)

That's not to say that it's easy to pick up and play, especially compared to most games on the platform. You need to invest in this game, at which point it'll pay off with more hours of enjoyment. My only concern for the dev is how this platform is basically designed to reward the opposite - but he knows that. ;)
 

mujun

Member
Feep said:
New video out for Sequence! Now everyone can actually understand the gameplay. = D

Sequence: How To Play

I found that pretty funny, a rare occurrence with game trailers.

Your game also looks very polished, chock full of content and an conceptually interesting.

I'm surprised it wasn't snapped up for XBLA.
 

Kafel

Banned
Feep : you should take pics and write down on them how the game works and what happens, like how we get controller schemes. Or even make notes in your video.

English isn't my first language and I didn't really get what this video was about.
 

Feep

Banned
mujun said:
I found that pretty funny, a rare occurrence with game trailers.

Your game also looks very polished, chock full of content and an conceptually interesting.

I'm surprised it wasn't snapped up for XBLA.
That's some serious high praise. = D

I actually informally met with an XBLA team member in September. It's VERY hard to get them to accept first-time devs...and to be honest, I probably shouldn't have shown off the game in that state. It was too early. = (

No worries. I'm pulling for Steam, even though I haven't quite figured out a great KB/M scheme yet.

Kafel said:
Feep : you should take pics and write down on them how the game works and what happens, like how we get controller schemes. Or even make notes in your video.

English isn't my first language and I didn't really get what this video was about.
I'll see what I can do. The trailer was made for humor, which I can definitely see compounding confusion for a non-native speaker. (By the way, I had no idea you weren't native. Rad English skillz.)
 
Feep said:
No worries. I'm pulling for Steam, even though I haven't quite figured out a great KB/M scheme yet.


Maybe just keep it simple, but also allow for customization. And don't forget to support the 360 controller, guitar and drums as well.

But for KB/M as defaults I would go with WASD, arrows, and 8426 on the 10-key and use the mouse to change columns. You could also give the option for an all mouse interface, LB,RB and scrolling up or down, though I dunno how well that would work. Or even a combo scheme might work well. Using the left and right mouse buttons for the up and down arrows and using A and D for the left and right, switch columns with Q and E or scroll up and down on the mouse. That would allow for some pretty fast gameplay while keeping it intense.

In any case, just give the PC dudes a lot of options and full customization and they'll more than likely be happy.
 
Not keen on Shield The Beat. I don't like the way your ship is at the bottom of a perspective well, like a sort of inverse Gyruss. Pity, as it's really well put together.
 
Dr Zhivago said:
Not keen on Shield The Beat. I don't like the way your ship is at the bottom of a perspective well, like a sort of inverse Gyruss. Pity, as it's really well put together.
I like it. Mainly for the music, but I didn't have any issue with the perspective, because everything's on-beat, so you know when it's gonna hit.

Shifters is an awesome looking drag racing game, with customisable cars. You control the acceleration and clutch, and when to change gears and use your boost. You bet on races, and can use your winnings to buy new parts and go faster. I never quite got the hang of it, but did go faster and faster each time so was getting there. It's interesting, certainly, but I'm not sure you'll play it for very long.

Cell is a kind of puzzle game. You're a cell, and you press A to move around, which makes you slightly smaller. You then absorb smaller cells than yourself to get bigger again, and keep going until you've consumed everything or met the level's target. Three different modes to keep it interesting. Some people might say it's a rip-off of Osmos. They might be right.

Cow Catch could almost be alright, if the controls weren't so ridiculously twitchy so as to make it barely possible to play. You just catch cows in a basket at the bottom of the screen, the more you catch without dying, the quicker they fall, the more you curse the terrible responsiveness.

Origin X is some kind of space colony shooting asteroid simulation game. I'd tell you how to play it but I don't have the faintest idea because it has one of the worst tutorials ever. Dev, your game is complex and weird and baffling and there's too much going on, telling me what's on screen is useless, I can see that, tell me how I'm supposed to play the damn thing.
 

Nelo Ice

Banned
Feep said:
New video out for Sequence! Now everyone can actually understand the gameplay. = D

Sequence: How To Play

that looks more like an xbla game than an indie game

may pick this up despite being insanely stingy on buying indie games no matter how much praise they get lol
btw what controller do u recommend for the game?
wondering since my friend currently has my guitar hero controller
 

Feep

Banned
Nelo Ice said:
that looks more like an xbla game than an indie game

may pick this up despite being insanely stingy on buying indie games no matter how much praise they get lol
btw what controller do u recommend for the game?
wondering since my friend currently has my guitar hero controller
= D Thanks. Though, of course, you should check out the trial first, before spending your hard earned three dollars.

As far as controller, honestly, all three are fun. I'm used to the controller since that's all that was available for the majority of testing, but several playtesters preferred the guitar, and I'm sure there are some DDR nuts out there, too.
 

Kafel

Banned
I'm playing a bit of Hexothermic to relax now. It's a game released at the very beginning of the service that got overlooked I think.

You should try it for the calm atmosphere if you haven't done it yet (and also to wave at me in the credits).
 

qupe1975

Neo Member
Kafel said:
I'm playing a bit of Hexothermic to relax now. It's a game released at the very beginning of the service that got overlooked I think.

You should try it for the calm atmosphere if you haven't done it yet (and also to wave at me in the credits).

No I recommended this back when it first came out on here, the facebook indie page and on the GRcade Indie page I do. It's changed price a few times hasn't it. Isn't it back at 240pts now? Did you playtest it, I haven't looked yet at what you in the credits for.
 

Kafel

Banned
qupe1975 said:
No I recommended this back when it first came out on here, the facebook indie page and on the GRcade Indie page I do. It's changed price a few times hasn't it. Isn't it back at 240pts now? Did you playtest it, I haven't looked yet at what you in the credits for.

It's 240 MSP, yes. I don't remember prices changes but I was graced with an update when I launched it today.

I offered to translate it.


edit : by the way I recommend newbies to play the Puzzle mode first, so you train your mind to attack the main Marathon mode
 

Kafel

Banned
At first sight.


Action & Adventure :

xboxboxart.jpg
xboxboxart.jpg



Platformer :

xboxboxart.jpg



Puzzle & Trivia :

xboxboxart.jpg
xboxboxart.jpg



Sport :

xboxboxart.jpg
xboxboxart.jpg



Strategy & Simulation :

xboxboxart.jpg



Once your list is updated, why not make a "best of XBLIG" thread on GAf if you don't mind ? For those doing some catch-up, just like in the iPod thread where every other page someone asks what are the best games that should be tried.
 
toythatkills said:
Shifters is an awesome looking drag racing game, with customisable cars. You control the acceleration and clutch, and when to change gears and use your boost. You bet on races, and can use your winnings to buy new parts and go faster. I never quite got the hang of it, but did go faster and faster each time so was getting there. It's interesting, certainly, but I'm not sure you'll play it for very long.
Whoa, someone just posted this on Eurogamer:

What is even better is getting Shifters and playing against the "AI" which is a recording of actual people's races... what they said over their mics included. I have had a discussion with his family. Someone saying gay at the end of the race and other weird and wonderful noises. Its a bloody addictive game to boot. I don't buy many 240 points indie games.
This changes EVERYTHING
 

qupe1975

Neo Member
Thank you Kafel.

I had Pluckys and Junkyard on there before but had a major change around on the front page and knocked them off for some reason. It was previously based on points.

I need to update it to have direct links for each game to the marketplace too. It takes ages to update each part. I really appreciate you looking though.

The other games you have mentioned I haven't played yet.


@Toythatkills - Think I shall give Shifters a go sounds interesting.
 

Kafel

Banned
I am very disappointed in Shield the Beat. It could have been a great game.

If you've watched the trailer you can easily see what it does well so I'll write about what it does wrong : you don't feel a thing playing this game. (Noooooooo, that's the point of the whole genre!)

Why am I not rewarded for protecting the ship in rythm ? In fact I WANT TO LOSE at this game because when the missiles and beams touch you that's actually when the controller rumbles! :facepalm.gif:
Another issue arises with how much the player is involved by the control scheme. While the sole use of the sticks may seem original for a music game, that's not enough to get sucked up in the game. Quarters of circles performed by your tumbs are just not exciting.
 

SmallCaveGames

Neo Member
qupe1975 said:
Can I be cheeky and ask if people could look at the front page on the link below and suggest games that are missing that should be recommended?

http://www.grcade.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=11888&p=760583#p760583

I am sure you'll find some gems in the lists.

Was sad not to see Opac's Journey on the platformer list. :( We're rated higher than some of those others, but I'll admit the competition is heavy.

Thanks remembering Light's End in the RPG's - that game is still one of my favorites.

Alpha Squad? (it's patched and solid now - actually sitting on the top rated list)
 
PepsimanVsJoe said:
Holy shit that is amazing.
Looks like it's not true. There's a bug that puts "AI" at the end of a player's name when you're actually racing them in real time over Xbox LIVE. So that person thought they were playing offline when they weren't.

Shame, it would have been amazing. Totally illegal, but hilarious.
 

qupe1975

Neo Member
SmallCaveGames said:
Was sad not to see Opac's Journey on the platformer list. :( We're rated higher than some of those others, but I'll admit the competition is heavy.

Thanks remembering Light's End in the RPG's - that game is still one of my favorites.

Alpha Squad? (it's patched and solid now - actually sitting on the top rated list)

@SmallCaveGames

Sorry I haven't played your game and no one in the topic has mentioned it. I'll give it a go.

As for Alpha Squad and I only played it pre patch and didn't like it at all, but if you and others think it's worth recommending I will put it on the list.

The ratings system on Marketplace has left me feeling a little bit sceptical lately I have seen some fairly average/poor games rise up the lists. And this was before the recent issues that have been raised.


@ToythatKills

I played Shifters, it's a game I can see people getting bored of quickly, but if you persevere and can use the risk versus reward system to upgrade your vehicle then it will offer some longer plays as you attempt to get a faster time but it is pretty limited in what it does at the end of the day. Hope the "online" players don't dry up, as Indie games do tend to do this quickly.

It's also fairly glitchy. I had over 3 races where the other vehicle DNF and yet I lost the race.
 

SmallCaveGames

Neo Member
I tried Shifters as well and while the menus and graphics are flashy, I was having a pretty hard time navigating and racing. I am not sure a drag race game can hold my interest in general though - not my thing. Does looks really nice though and the custimization options seem fun.

@quepe1975 no problem man, it's from last July and did pretty well, but it's a crowded space - it did win a silver award on these forums though (thanks to ttk)
 

OnPoint

Member
SmallCaveGames said:
I tried Shifters as well and while the menus and graphics are flashy, I was having a pretty hard time navigating and racing. I am not sure a drag race game can hold my interest in general though - not my thing. Does looks really nice though and the custimization options seem fun.

@quepe1975 no problem man, it's from last July and did pretty well, but it's a crowded space - it did win a silver award on these forums though (thanks to ttk)

I bought it after seeing it recommended in here. I got kind of far but then couldn't figure out how to save. I haven't gone back since.

How do you save, for future reference?
 

qupe1975

Neo Member
OnPoint said:
I bought it after seeing it recommended in here. I got kind of far but then couldn't figure out how to save. I haven't gone back since.

How do you save, for future reference?

It saves after each race.
 
HadesGigas said:
Fortress Craft passed peer review and should be up Thursday/Friday.
That seems a bit suspicious to me.

There was a blatant fail, and then suddenly it passes peer review in about an hour or so? Not sure about that at all.
 
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