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Xbox LIVE Indie Games - The April 2011 Thread

K

Kafel

Banned
And I thought that once peer review was passed it was almost automatic for the game to be available. Like, only a matter of a few hours.
 
T

toythatkills

Member
Kafel said:
And I thought that once peer review was passed it was almost automatic for the game to be available. Like, only a matter of a few hours.
Click to expand...
Nah, it takes 48 hours. If a game's in peer review for 47 hours, then it'll go on sale an hour later.

If it passes in an hour, it'll go on sale 47 hours later.
 
K

Kafel

Banned
toythatkills said:
Nah, it takes 48 hours. If a game's in peer review for 47 hours, then it'll go on sale an hour later.

If it passes in an hour, it'll go on sale 47 hours later.
Click to expand...

oh ok, thanks, I didn't know the game passed peer review that quickly (for some reason I thought they had submitted on Monday)
 
T

toythatkills

Member
HadesGigas said:
Looks like it took 8 hours and the developer said he thinks MS will probably check for abuse because that's really fast.

http://twitter.com/Fortress_Craft/
Click to expand...
I guess I'm just suspicious, knowing that other people involved in the game have valid App Hub accounts that could have been used to pass it. Keemstar, for example, who is exactly the kind of person that would do it.

EDIT: And nobody actually posted in the thread to say they passed it, so who was passing it?
 
S

SmallCaveGames

Neo Member
toythatkills said:
EDIT: And nobody actually posted in the thread to say they passed it, so who was passing it?
Click to expand...

That piece is def shady. It's normal for the reviewer to at least pop in and give their judgement. If these are new accounts doing shady reviews, they wouldn't want their profiles to be seen.

I hope it's not like that. Or this guy is really shooting himself in the fortress.
 
K

Kafel

Banned
OXM UK posted a nice list on their website, go there read what they say (they have links and all).

50 Best Indie Games

http://www.oxm.co.uk/27179/features/50-best-indie-games/


Like always, everyone has a different list of favorites and this one might convince some to try new games. That's what really important.

For the sake of potential debate :


50. Retrofit: Overload
49. Twin Blades
48. Radiangames Crossfire
47. Groov
46. Radiangames Inferno
45. Treasure Treasure: FFEE
44. Gravitron360
43. Air Forte
42. Arkedo Series 01 - Jump!
41. Madrism
40. Dysnomia
39. Breath of Death VII
38. Apple Jack
37. Solar
36. Sleepwalker
35. Shoot 1UP
34. ZP2K9
33. Avatar Golf
32. Text Zedventure
31. The Tempura of the Dead
30. Iredia: Atram's Secret
29. Platformance: Castle Pain
28. Miner Dig Deep
27. Inertia!
26. I MAED A GAM3 W1TH ZOMB1ES!!!1
25. Home Run Challenge
24. Aah Impossible Rescue
23. SFG Soccer
22. Tobe's Vertical Adventure
21. Soulcaster
20. CarneyVale Showtime
19. Beat Hazard
18. Vampire Rage
17. Sketchbox 360
16. Hypership Out of Control
15. The Impossible Game
14. Lumi
13. Aesop's Garden
12. Weapon of Choice
11. Radiangames Fluid
10. Gum Drop Celestial Frontier
9. Mithra - Episode 1: The Calling
8. Zombie Estate
7. Explosionade
6. Garden Gnome Carnage
5. Ancient Trader
4. Kodu Game Lab
3. Arkedo Series 03 - Pixel!
2. Flotilla
1. Leave Home
 
Trumpets

Trumpets

Member
Ultimately if it releases with a bad crash bug it'll get pulled shortly after anyway, so no one really wins, least of all the developers. Probably better to wait and see what happens.


Apple Jack's Great Escape screenshot:
sss.png
 
S

SmallCaveGames

Neo Member
OnPoint said:
Opac's Journey?
Click to expand...

Haha I thought you meant Shifters too.

Yeah the green orbs are checkpoints but there is no permasave. You can read the post mortem on http://smallcavegames.blogspot.com in which we admit this being a kick in the nutts. Game can be beaten in about 30-40 minutes however.

Lesson learned - Legend of Kilflame will certainly have a save function.

EDIT: Applejack screenshot is amanzing.
 
R

Ranger X

Member
Trumpets said:
Ultimately if it releases with a bad crash bug it'll get pulled shortly after anyway, so no one really wins, least of all the developers. Probably better to wait and see what happens.


Apple Jack's Great Escape screenshot:
sss.png
Click to expand...


Wow. Looks nice. Is this out?
 
P

Princess Skittles

Prince's's 'Skittle's
PepsimanVsJoe said:
I'm absolutely amazed and disgusted that this happened.
Click to expand...
Yeah, opinions and all that.. but Protect Me Knight is something special. I really don't care that other of my personal favorites aren't listed (Aban Hawkins, for example) and trash like Zombie Memes makes EVERY SINGLE FUCKING ONE (but hey, I lost that one ages ago, this is the "Double Rainbow" generation we're dealing with), but Protect Me Knight really seems to be shafted in these Top XBLIG lists. And I don't think it's for lack of being an awesome game, I just think people STILL don't know about it, even though it's pretty much been in the very near the top of the Top Rated section since it launched.

I almost think (might be crazy) that since the game's title is in kana, it just gets overlooked subconsciously or on some strange principal. I really wish they could just change it to English.
 
K

Kafel

Banned
Trumpets said:
Ultimately if it releases with a bad crash bug it'll get pulled shortly after anyway, so no one really wins, least of all the developers. Probably better to wait and see what happens.


Apple Jack's Great Escape screenshot:
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/_T-YRiSu3YBY/TZwuaPiVOLI/AAAAAAAAAJE/dfIf0oPiPxw/s800/sss.png[/IMG]
Click to expand...

what's going on there ?

giant enemies Shadow of the Colossus-style ? : P
 
Trumpets

Trumpets

Member
Ranger X said:
Wow. Looks nice. Is this out?
Click to expand...

Cheers! no, not even nearly. I may have something ready for Dream Build Play but even that will be a stretch.

Kafel said:
what's going on there ?
Click to expand...

Jack is pushing those blocks towards the tree stump so he can use them to jump over it, while a huge panda stomps inexorably towards him.
 
S

SmallCaveGames

Neo Member
Trumpets said:
Cheers! no, not even nearly. I may have something ready for Dream Build Play but even that will be a stretch.



Jack is pushing those blocks towards the tree stump so he can use them to jump over it, while a huge panda stomps inexorably towards him.
Click to expand...

That's very Castle Crashers (in a good way). ;)
 
C

charlequin

Banned
Princess Skittles said:
I almost think (might be crazy) that since the game's title is in kana, it just gets overlooked subconsciously or on some strange principal.
Click to expand...

I actually think this has a lot to do with it, yeah.
 
B

barkers crest

Member
Wow I'm glad I finally get to show everyone what I've been up to...The Avatar Legends.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4SlIQs-o6I

•10+ hour single player adventure.
◦Level up your character by earning XP.
◦Complete quests to earn gold for purchasing better equipment.
◦Fun and engaging story line.​
•Up to 6 players Xbox LIVE Multiplayer
◦Conquer multiplayer maps with friends to earn Gold and XP for character leveling.
◦Global High Scores.
◦Join matches in progress.​
•Level Designer
◦Multiplayer
■Build terrain, add trees, water and structures to your map.
■Setup combat waves ( enemies )
■Players can download the custom maps to their hard drives after playing them.​
◦Single Player
■Tell your story in the story designer.
■Define all of the quests and objectives for the player to complete.
■Define all of the items in your world, such as swords, shields, magic, and general world items like books, rings, etc...
■Place your friends on your maps and give their words life in the dialogue designer.
■Trigger events to change weather, show/hide objects, give rewards (gold, xp, world items), complete quests...
■Define your enemy types and place them on your map inside combat zones.​
•Unlockable Titles
•Unlimited Replay Value

Coming late April 2011.
 
W

wwm0nkey

Member
barkers crest said:
Wow I'm glad I finally get to show everyone what I've been up to...The Avatar Legends.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4SlIQs-o6I

•10+ hour single player adventure.
◦Level up your character by earning XP.
◦Complete quests to earn gold for purchasing better equipment.
◦Fun and engaging story line.​
•Up to 6 players Xbox LIVE Multiplayer
◦Conquer multiplayer maps with friends to earn Gold and XP for character leveling.
◦Global High Scores.
◦Join matches in progress.​
•Level Designer
◦Multiplayer
■Build terrain, add trees, water and structures to your map.
■Setup combat waves ( enemies )
■Players can download the custom maps to their hard drives after playing them.​
◦Single Player
■Tell your story in the story designer.
■Define all of the quests and objectives for the player to complete.
■Define all of the items in your world, such as swords, shields, magic, and general world items like books, rings, etc...
■Place your friends on your maps and give their words life in the dialogue designer.
■Trigger events to change weather, show/hide objects, give rewards (gold, xp, world items), complete quests...
■Define your enemy types and place them on your map inside combat zones.​
•Unlockable Titles
•Unlimited Replay Value
Click to expand...
Oh man can't wait to play it :lol

Seriously though guys this game is pretty damn awesome, you should all get it :)
 
H

HadesGigas

Member
Only thing that looks off is the npc avatar clothes, couldn't you use some of the avatar marketplace type clothes that would fit in a bit better? I thought that was allowed.

Modern attire + medieval fantasy setting just looks wrong.
 
B

barkers crest

Member
HadesGigas said:
Only thing that looks off is the npc avatar clothes, couldn't you use some of the avatar marketplace type clothes that would fit in a bit better? I thought that was allowed.

Modern attire + medieval fantasy setting just looks wrong.
Click to expand...

Avatar Marketplace clothes are a big no-no unless you have permission from the copyright owner...which isn't going to happen.

The modern attire + medieval fantasy setting makes lots of sense once you play the game and start learning about the world. ;-)

------

Thanks a lot for the compliments everyone. Definately couldn't be 80points even if it wanted to. I can't wait for everyone to get a chance to play it...it's a blast.
 
R

Ranger X

Member
Trumpets said:
Cheers! no, not even nearly. I may have something ready for Dream Build Play but even that will be a stretch.



Jack is pushing those blocks towards the tree stump so he can use them to jump over it, while a huge panda stomps inexorably towards him.
Click to expand...


Just realised it's Jack 2. Gotta try the first one then!!
Keep up, it's definetely appealing to me (at least visually)
 
S

SAB CA

Sketchbook Picasso
barkers crest said:
Wow I'm glad I finally get to show everyone what I've been up to...The Avatar Legends.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4SlIQs-o6I
Coming late April 2011.
Click to expand...

Hmmm, so I'm guessing no same-console multiplayer, eh? Doh! Understandable, however.

Sounds like your world creation engine is robust enough to relive some of those RPGmaker dreams from times past... which is great! Might be able to get a few friends on board, who don't even pay attention to Indies, due to that.

It's really great that the game has it's own personal sense of style, despite the avatars. Really makes it feel more like a "real" game, rather than just a playground to use novelty avatars on, y'know? Your water, enemey, spell, and weapon designs also look quite cool. And you probably have better 3rd person animations than Oblivion! :lol:

I wouldn't be suprised if people who buy a game such as this, suddenly buy a piece or 2 of avatar gear, either. Watching Avatar Ryu, A FFXIII member, or Buzz Lightyear smashing orcs at sunset on a rainy beach, is oddly tempting...

That brings up a question, would there be any way to tie avatar items to in-game stuff? I know you can't do anything TOO specific, but could there be something like... giving a buff to magic stats if you had something out of the "Fable II" avatar items collection, or stronger melee if you had items from the "Deadliest Warrior" collection? Would be a cool little extra incentive for those who spend money on those things, to buy your game as well! (and vice versa)
 
Fess

Fess

Member
barkers crest said:
Wow I'm glad I finally get to show everyone what I've been up to...The Avatar Legends.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4SlIQs-o6I

•10+ hour single player adventure.
◦Level up your character by earning XP.
◦Complete quests to earn gold for purchasing better equipment.
◦Fun and engaging story line.​
•Up to 6 players Xbox LIVE Multiplayer
◦Conquer multiplayer maps with friends to earn Gold and XP for character leveling.
◦Global High Scores.
◦Join matches in progress.​
•Level Designer
◦Multiplayer
■Build terrain, add trees, water and structures to your map.
■Setup combat waves ( enemies )
■Players can download the custom maps to their hard drives after playing them.​
◦Single Player
■Tell your story in the story designer.
■Define all of the quests and objectives for the player to complete.
■Define all of the items in your world, such as swords, shields, magic, and general world items like books, rings, etc...
■Place your friends on your maps and give their words life in the dialogue designer.
■Trigger events to change weather, show/hide objects, give rewards (gold, xp, world items), complete quests...
■Define your enemy types and place them on your map inside combat zones.​
•Unlockable Titles
•Unlimited Replay Value

Coming late April 2011.
Click to expand...
I generally dislike avatar games, don't like the character design, but this looks awesome, and from the sound of it I can pretty much make my own RPG, my own Zelda, if I want to.
 
D

Detox

Member
Great looking game barkers crest. I don't know if it's too early to say but how would you describe the combat? Is it similar to Fable or something different?
 
B

barkers crest

Member
SAB CA said:
Hmmm, so I'm guessing no same-console multiplayer, eh? Doh! Understandable, however.

That brings up a question, would there be any way to tie avatar items to in-game stuff? I know you can't do anything TOO specific, but could there be something like... giving a buff to magic stats if you had something out of the "Fable II" avatar items collection, or stronger melee if you had items from the "Deadliest Warrior" collection? Would be a cool little extra incentive for those who spend money on those things, to buy your game as well! (and vice versa)
Click to expand...

No same-console multiplayer but it does support system link.

Unfortunately, from a technical angle the game has no idea what the avatar is wearing so bonuses based on what your avatar is wearing wouldn't work. I think it is a cool idea.

The good news is, when people build their single player maps they'll be able to import their friends or any signed in gamer into their maps including what gear they have on...so the story opportunities here are endless.

Fredrik said:
I generally dislike avatar games, don't like the character design, but this looks awesome, and from the sound of it I can pretty much make my own RPG, my own Zelda, if I want to.
Click to expand...

You'll be able to make pretty much whatever you want.
  • You can name your gear and world items whatever you want.
  • You can trigger events that unlock treasure chests, reward XP/Gold/World Items, change the weather, change the music, hide/show structures/npc/treasure chests.
  • You can build shops.
  • You define your enemies such as their type, skin, and skill attributes.
  • You can set up show/hide conditions on dialogue trees so that only certain branches on the tree are available at any given time.
  • You can control NPC's animations/expressions both while in the world and during dialogue as well.
  • You can pop up story events for situations that require more text than a dialogue node allows.
  • You can set up travel locations so people can travel from map to map and set up events that toggle them on/off.
  • You can add annotations to maps so when the gamer pulls up the overhead map view you can have text overlay key locations ( such as '?', 'My House', or whatever you want to type in ).
There is so much everyone will be able to do. Here are some psuedo-examples.

  • Talking to Bill starts Quest "Enemies by the water".
  • Opening this treasure chest rewards you the "Sword of Awesome +3".
  • Give this NPC 30 gold and he will completely heal you.
  • Give this NPC the letter "Permission from the King" and the gate to the castle will open.
  • Give this NPC 'wood' and a house appears.
  • Give this NPC a 'gear' and the windmill starts animating
  • Enter this perimeter, change the weather to rain, trigger this combat zone active(deploys preset number of enemies).
A lot of the stuff in the designer is set up in a generic fashion so the permutations for combining events to create 'situations' is substantial. Plus, you get to name everything in the above examples so the personalization factor is quite high. It really will be your world and your story...you won't feel inhibited by hard coded constraints at all.

Heck, someone could even make a neogaf world if they wanted to.
 
K

Kafel

Banned
How does the "world sharing" work ?

You invite people in your world and/or you can send them the world you've created ?
 
B

barkers crest

Member
Cerebral Assassin said:
That looks awesome, one question though, does the game have a lock on in combat?
Click to expand...

No lock on. Most of the trailer has the battle camera in the medium position ( which I don't prefer but was hassled to add it in ). If you look at 1:27 on the trailer you'll see a bit of combat from the default (top down) view. The combat controls work really well from top down perspective. However, once combat is over the camera goes back into adventure mode where it basically follows behind your character.

Detox said:
Great looking game barkers crest. I don't know if it's too early to say but how would you describe the combat? Is it similar to Fable or something different?
Click to expand...

Combat was certainly inspired by Fable, but I would have to say Fable combat is more of a dance while this game's combat is more like a dual-stick shooter only without the second stick...and not a shooter. Make sense? I guess I would just simply say it pays to be aggressive and to max out your skills based on your attack preference ( melee or magic ).

It certainly is a ton of fun for sure. I'd be interested to have wwM0nkey chime in on how he would describe the combat.

Kafel said:
How does the "world sharing" work ?

You invite people in your world and/or you can send them the world you've created ?
Click to expand...

Two different kind of map sharing scenarios, single and multi, and each have their own kind of sharing.

Single player simply requires someone to host a sharing session. People jump into the session and the host shares the world. Just like golf course sharing.

In multiplayer, maps are shared by playing a multiplayer match on them. A host sets up a match and decides what map to play based on the maps they have on their hard drive (created themselves or have downloaded from other people). Once the match is complete all remote gamers can press X to save the map to their hard drive. The process only takes a couple of seconds and its that simple.

toythatkills said:
D'you mind if I don't? :p

It sounds awesome. Can the single-player games we create be shared online?
Click to expand...

LOL. See above.
 
R

Ranger X

Member
wwm0nkey said:
well the idea of commanding people in a Minecraft game is pretty cool. Will wait till chapter 3 to see if he lives up to his promises.

EDIT: Also his new video shows non-regular landscapes.
Click to expand...

Yeah, it's just a deformation effect. Looks extremely algorythmic and filterish.
Do not want.
 
D

djtiesto

is beloved, despite what anyone might say
Nice @ Apple Jack 2... still slowly making my way through the first one, it's one of my favorite games on the service. Also Avatar Legends is looking better and better... lots of great Indies upcoming, it looks like.
 
S

SmallCaveGames

Neo Member
I agree those warped cubes in moderation could be a nice way to add some interest to block world.

Yeah I am looking forward to more of the DBP candidates come out of the shadows. Hard to get a pulse for it right now.
 
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