Friday, October 7, 2011

Rebuild 2 Released!

Rebuild 2 has been officially sponsored. Check out the news at Sarah's blog.
She made a nice little killing financially and I didn't do too bad myself :-)

Now that the game is out I can release some of the art that didn't make the cut into the final version here on the blog. I am currently about to release a Gallery slideshow on this site, which will include most of my art from all my games (+ comments), and I will be uploading the Rebuild 2 stuff to it pretty soon.

But the real news is the game is available online here

So go ahead and play it!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
OTHER NEWS

The guys at FETTSPIELEN have done an interview of the dude here. Seems they love the 'Insanity' series over there in Germany and wanted to find out a little more about moi.
It's been translated so here's the original transcript for those interested. Trying to get lost in my own hubris here, lol.


> Please introduce yourself.
My name is Kris Foxton. I'm 33; born and raised on sunny Hastings seafront in the UK, and have been residing in Fukuoka, Japan for the last 7 years.

What made you want to be a game developer?
I have been a game addict my entire life, going right back to when I was a toddler playing Chuckie Egg on the Acorn Electron. Even now I spend an *embarrassingly* long time rinsing up the latest video games and trying to convince myself I'm not a geek. I don't have a Darth Vader suit yet but I do think I'm something of a walking encyclopedia of game knowledge. In school I was always a total dreamer and an artist- kinda the wistful, insular youth battling dragons in my head at the back of the class. I was respectable at creative writing, and I found myself craving to express those internal fantasies in some way; therefore it was my early wish was to be a writer, however I came to a stage where I felt i needed a more visual and faceted medium to express my stories than through words alone. So that+deep and endearing love for games = obvious natural progression. It's a labour of love more than anything but the good news is I occasionally make money doing it. Not the worst hobby in the world, I guess.
>
> What platforms do you develop games for and why?
Flash. No particular reason other than I seem to jive with it pretty well. It's the most popular and growing and available platform out there; for artists and coders alike, with a good support community and anything produced has wide potential to be seen by millions.
>
>
> What are your experiences in porting games between two platforms?
Pretty much zero to none! Anyone looking to make a quick buck and some royalties? :-) I am in conversation with some teams about doing iOS ports of my games later on next year but nothing green-lit as of right now.
>
>
> How do you get inspiration for a game?
Inspiration is an elusive thing, and it can surface anywhere. I can say the vast majority of my ideas emerge while playing other bigger games on consoles and such; not just the play mechanics but also ideas for the vibe I'm looking to recreate. Example; Fallout 3. It gets me thinking about the fun of exploring the unknown. Another one; Just the other week I was diving in Okinawa and I came face-to-face with a shark, it was a scary moment that got me thinking about doing a game which involved some kind of shark theme, Man vs Giant Shark...Man diving into dark treacherous ocean to hunt the world's biggest shark..etc...you know, that's how it goes I guess. First an epic story is formed and then it's down to the brass tacks; how to flesh it out to become a 'game' and not just a tale. One thing for sure, I'm all always looking to give a game a certain flavour and for me a game has to be 50% playability and 50% mood/atmosphere. Anyway, I have literally zillions of ideas that never become anything other than thoughts in my head .
Oh and back to the topic, lastly, it's nostalgia. I wan't to rejuvenate my youth through games in a way.So I make a game that reminds me of the old days, UltraSports Archery is clearly dedicated to HyperSports. Trivia Casino kind of reminds me of the old slot machines in pubs. Some of them may be crappy games but to me they have an inside meaning and there's not a single game I've made that I hate.

>
>
> How long does it take for you to write a game from start to finish?
Anything from 2-6 months depending on the grandeur of the title. The Flying Chicken only took me 4 hrs though.Working as an artist on Rebuild 2 took me 3 months. A lot of it is not so much development time, but training in the latest software. At the moment I'm studying Zbrush (and loving it!).
>
>
> What are the biggest technical challenges when you develop a game?
Keeping the filesize down to a reasonable level. Tracking down obscure bugs that manifest out of nowhere. Getting the aesthetics down.
>
>
> What do you think the future of gaming will look like?
CG characters right up there on the 'uncanny valley', full-body motion& holographic touch controls, advances in social interactivity between players, mind-blowing AI, an evolution in scale and the way people play online multiplayer (not only deathmatch team vs team), games that stimulate more ranges of emotion. Also I think good game designers will be the next new-age celebrities. And you can quote me on that.

>
>
> What is your favourite game at the moment and why?
It's not my favorite game of all time but right now I'm playing Monster Hunter 3rd on the PS3. It's has a superb, relaxing co-op mode without any competitive stress, and is a nice challenge that can burn away a few hours easily. Favorite game of the last 5yrs would be a toss up between Metal Gear 4 and Demons Souls. I have a hunch the sequel 'Dark Souls' will be even better.
>
>
> What is your advice for new developers?
Well I don't think I'm in the right kind of success stratosphere to answer this question as well as others can but here goes-
Don't give up the day job. It's only the top 5% of developers who're making serious $$$ so it's unlikely you'll get rich. Let passion be your fuel. Have a strong proof of concept when you start a game, prototype it and get feedback from friends and your internet peers before you commit it to full project status. Don't be afraid to trash a game if it's not working out as planned; time is valuable so move on quick. Try to find good online mentors.




No comments:

Post a Comment