Episode Catch-up - 06-19-2009
From the mouth of Wesley:
Greeting to all my fellow DRODers; I’m Wesley Chua (agaricus5), long-time player, and first-time Illuminator. In this edition, we revert back to the more classic Illumination style and bring you a bumper selection of the finest stuff from around the Forum, catching up on the stuff you might have missed over the past few months.
So please, don't be shy: come on down to the Eighth for your daily mind-enhancement. Backwards-incompatibility with reality guaranteed, or the next session's free! (See the following for more details):
http://forum.caravelgames.com/viewtopic.php?TopicID=4871&page=10#198979
The Eighth's Latest Infestations
It’s been a productive few months for DROD architecture; the Dungeon Architects’ Association has reported an increase in output, while over at the Smitemasters’ Guild, meeting attendance appears to have fallen significantly. Unfortunately, we haven’t been able to get any reviews for the most recent holds released (clearly our runner system appears to have malfunctioned somewhere), but that’s not a problem, right? Get in there and report back to us on the double!
The Great Adventure by DyRsOfDh14
http://forum.caravelgames.com/viewtopic.php?TopicID=29019
Token Effort by Jacob
http://forum.caravelgames.com/viewtopic.php?TopicID=29291
If, however, you’d prefer to get some advice from surviving explorers before recklessly going in yourself, then why not take a look at some of these older holds, reviewed courtesy of CuriousShyRabbit.
El Dorado by BoyBlue
http://forum.caravelgames.com/viewtopic.php?TopicID=28456
El Dorado is a full-length, rather difficult hold. In some clever lynchpin puzzles, BoyBlue tricks the player into trying and trying to do the impossible. Other movement order and horde rooms might better be described as strategy puzzles. These have multiple solutions, and it’s up to the player to develop an effective approach.
Grud’s Dungeon by mxvladi
http://forum.caravelgames.com/viewtopic.php?TopicID=28491
With every hold he builds, mxvladi becomes more creative in his use of game elements. Grud’s Dungeon is a short, fairly difficult set of player role stalwart puzzles. It includes some races against timers, some slayer and snake manipulation rooms, and some puzzles where trapdoors limit the path you can take.
The Old School by calamarain
http://forum.caravelgames.com/viewtopic.php?TopicID=28493
Calamarain’s latest offering is a one-level Architect’s Edition hold of medium difficulty. Each room involves a different combination of two or three classic AE elements. The puzzles are not too complicated, but not too easy either. Some optional challenges are included for those so inclined .
Further Up and Further In by Dischorran
http://forum.caravelgames.com/viewtopic.php?TopicID=28559
Here’s a set of medium difficulty efficiency puzzles. The player races east across every room, through different monsters and obstacles, with briar growing close behind. Secret rooms are accessed by solving puzzles “the hard way.” Dischorran has added a deliciously surrealistic story on level entrance screens that appear between puzzles.
Missing Pieces by Jacob
http://forum.caravelgames.com/viewtopic.php?TopicID=28706
In April, Jacob posted a set of impossible rooms and challenged contestants to find game elements that would make each room possible. Missing Pieces is the resulting “theme and variations” set of possible rooms with the various game elements added in. Overall medium difficulty, with some very challenging variations added in a secret level.
The Ice Caverns Part -I-: The Cleaning by DyRsOfDh14
http://forum.caravelgames.com/viewtopic.php?TopicID=28864
DyRsOfDh14 has created a short, easy hold based on JtRH game elements. Each room has a very simple trick to it.
In-progress DROD Architecture
In addition to the completed holds above, a number of architects are also busy at work on a number of in-progress works down at the Architecture board. Why not drop by and lend a hand in testing them and poking the authors to completion?
http://forum.caravelgames.com/viewboard.php?BoardID=9
Homeward Adventure by Jeff_Ray...
http://forum.caravelgames.com/viewtopic.php?TopicID=17561
This rather expansive construction features an interesting storyline and quite a number of lynchpin puzzles. In particular, Jeff needs some help reordering the levels and rooms to get a more even difficulty gradient.
Gigantic Jewel Lost by Zch
http://forum.caravelgames.com/viewtopic.php?TopicID=28646
Apparently in the making for some time, this nearly-finished hold features custom room styles, difficult rooms and a quest to return a jewel. If you’re interested, why not join the beta-testing to find and fix the hold’s unintended solutions?
Gobrid’s Dungeon by 12th Archivist
http://forum.caravelgames.com/viewtopic.php?TopicID=28484
A Kangaroo’s Dungeon by HEROACE
http://forum.caravelgames.com/viewtopic.php?TopicID=28545
Delving Time by 13th Slayer
http://forum.caravelgames.com/viewtopic.php?TopicID=29000
Directions of the Compass 2 by brian_s
http://forum.caravelgames.com/viewtopic.php?TopicID=29318
Aurelia Keep by Pinnacle
http://forum.caravelgames.com/viewtopic.php?TopicID=29038
The Puzzle Catacombs by NoahT
http://forum.caravelgames.com/viewtopic.php?TopicID=29038
High Path Journey by Melvin
http://forum.caravelgames.com/viewtopic.php?TopicID=29373
These works may only be small now, but with your help, who knows what these fledgling holds might become one day?
DROD: RPG - Quests and Adventures
Architects working on DROD: RPG continue to excavate ever larger and more mysterious constructions. Dare you enter to seek the truth? Or at least whatever lies at their end? Sure you do; here is a selection of the latest adventures on offer, courtesy of a mysterious adventurer.
Fetch the Pie by Chaco
http://forum.caravelgames.com/viewtopic.php?TopicID=27149
An excellent, if more or less orthodox, RPG hold, complete with an interlude containing more DROD-like puzzles, a silly story, and (it's built by Chaco, so what do you expect?) simply gorgeous use of lighting and room design to make this a very enjoyable all-round hold.
Einar by Fang
http://forum.caravelgames.com/viewtopic.php?TopicID=27996
A novel idea with the experience level system, but what really makes this hold stand out is the variety of its levels, including a water level in which you move around on platforms, and one in which your player-character is caught in an earthquake!
Invasion of the Critters by Jeff_Ray...
http://forum.caravelgames.com/viewtopic.php?TopicID=28231
If you like your DROD:RPG brain-numbingly tough, then this is the hold for you! You don't even get a sword until well into the second level. After this, you'll never think of roach queens and evil eyes as "easy" monsters again.
Four Rooms by budja
http://forum.caravelgames.com/viewtopic.php?TopicID=28241
This began as a puzzle with just four rooms: no more having to explore a wide area and restart so you know where everything is! It's tricky and great fun to solve, but not frustratingly difficult. There is now a second level with another four rooms, continuing the theme, and if you encourage the author, there may be more coming soon!
You can find these in-progress works and more over on the RPG Architecture board.
http://forum.caravelgames.com/viewboard.php?BoardID=267
Our Contest for June - The Suicidal Beethro
http://forum.caravelgames.com/viewtopic.php?TopicID=29301
Are you a budding creator? Do you feel your works are some of the most groundbreaking and novel? Are you architect enough to enter this month’s contest? Sure you are – it’s time to get out your hard hat for some DROD architecture with a twist!
In this month’s contest, by NiroZ your aim is to build a hold where the purpose is to die. It must be enjoyable, stylish and straightforward. But you must die! In a twisted take on the DROD puzzle, one must build rooms that require one to commit suicide but at the same time make this task difficult. Prepare yourself and start building; do you have the courage to take on this challenge?
Contests Galore!
Since the last DRODistic Illumination, we have completed four forum contests. All were varied, interesting, amusing at times, and most importantly, good fun to take part in. If you missed them, now’s your chance to catch up on all the action, courtesy of NiroZ!
Paper Scissors Rock, run by NiroZ (February 2009)
http://forum.caravelgames.com/viewtopic.php?TopicID=28361
Paper, Scissors, Rock. You know what to do, right? Okay: 1...2...3...
Paper! Did you win?
This was a contest about prediction and a bit of strategy. Each contestant challenged every other contestant over several rounds; the goal was to win as many points as possible. In the end, randomness prevailed over strategy somewhat, since it got a bit tedious to try to predict the moves of so many people. However, it was nonetheless quite fun; the contest winners were:
1st – Dischorran with 153 points.
2nd – Lopsidation with 147 points.
3rd – DanielFishman and Nuntar tied with 144 points.
Also, big thanks to Jutt, who created a program during the contest that worked out all the scoring for us. If it wasn’t for that, the contest would have flopped, since scoring manually was pretty tedious work.
Limited Room RPG Contest, run by Nuntar (March 2009)
http://forum.caravelgames.com/viewtopic.php?TopicID=28518
This contest reuses an old (unofficial) DROD contest idea, this time making use of the superior scripting and new gameplay in DROD: RPG, at the expense of room size. The holds built were varied, many contained some original concepts, and even the holds with little or no scripting were still pretty impressive. The only downside was that combination of the rooms into a single compilation hold introduced a number of bugs. Fortunately, these were quickly fixed. The winners were:
1st – mxvladi, taking both #1 and #2 in the poll with Sand Trap, rated 7.84, and One room, rated 7.68!
2nd – Mazer, taking #3 in the poll with The Dungeon, rated 7.21
3rd – Rheb, taking #4 in the poll with Tomb of the Zombie King, rated 7.10.
If you’d like to do some exploring yourself, you can find the entries here:
http://forum.caravelgames.com/viewtopic.php?TopicID=28639
Bluffhanger, run by noma (April 2009)
http://forum.caravelgames.com/viewtopic.php?TopicID=28651
Your challenge this month, if you accept it, is to write fiction that “is so bad, it's good”.
In Bluffhanger, participants were asked to write two sentences, one setting the scene for a story but leaving a cliffhanger, and the second resolving said cliffhanger. The winners would be badly written, suspenseful, amusing and with surprising conclusions.
This contest had a good turnout, with 24 groan-inducing entries demonstrating the humorously bad creativity skills possessed by various forumites. You can find them in the following thread.
http://forum.caravelgames.com/viewtopic.php?TopicID=28652
Warning! The consequences of viewing the entries while drinking or eating may be as amusing as the entries themselves.
In the end, the winners were:
1st - Tahnan taking #1 and #2 in the poll with entry 15, “As he felt his life draining...”, rated 7.89, and entry 10, “So when Jackson threw his harpoon”, rated 7.72.
2nd – Lamkin, taking #3 and #4 in the poll with entry 19, “Time works wonders...”, rated 7.44 and entry 2, “The resonant rumblings of methane...”, rated 7.39.
3rd – Mouse, taking #4 in the poll with entry 7, “As Jane looked at her baby...”, rated 7.39.
Flags of the Eighth, run by Nuntar (May 2009)
http://forum.caravelgames.com/viewtopic.php?TopicID=28972
For the month of May, we decided to delve into the culture of the Eighth; way, way deep into its culture. And how better to do that than by creating some fictional flags to fit with the backstory of the nations of the Eighth? Besides, flags also make good souvenirs to have with you when you regale your fellow smitemasters with your tales of adventure and daring in far-off lands.
The contest turned out rather well, with some really breathtaking flags on display. The winners were as follows:
1st – Jutt’s flag for Sun Island, rated 9.0625
2nd – Mikko’s flag for Akandia, rated 8.6875
3rd – brian_s’s flag for Oyst, rated 8.3125
All of these were of very high calibre; I'd also recommend... actually, why not take a look at the entries and decide for yourself?
http://forum.caravelgames.com/viewtopic.php?TopicID=29206
Updates From Beyond the Eighth
If you feel you’ve been smiting too many monsters, or have finally succumbed to the Mothingness, why not take a break and have a look at some of the other games hosted on the Caravel Forum?
Crystal Shard Games
http://forum.caravelgames.com/viewboard.php?BoardID=17
According to their main webpage, Crystal Shard is described as “a team of hobbyists participating over the internet to bring the challenge to your mouse”. Indeed, you will find your mouse will be challenged even to decide where to start playing; with quite a varied selection of games on offer, you’re sure to find something you’ll like.
In particular, both Subterra 1 and 2 were updated in April and a monthly level design contest is currently being run, involving the designing of levels based on a template. If you’re interested in getting those creative juices flowing in a somewhat different subterranean context, then why not give it a go?
http://forum.caravelgames.com/viewtopic.php?TopicID=28630
Wonderquest
http://forum.caravelgames.com/viewboard.php?BoardID=91
This DROD-like RPG and its sequel are the creations of googa, part time programmer and musician. If you’re interested in a different take on the DROD:RPG theme, the Wonderquest games are definitely worth a play.
I got in touch with him just before May, and although his work on Wonderquest is more-or-less complete, he is currently recording a new album. According to our brief correspondence, this was how he described his music: “Rock and Roll, Soft rock, blues, jazz, alternative. My main goal is always to create something new rather than trying to fit in a genre. I'm very eclectic.”
So, Gustav, if you still receive our Illuminations, and are reading this, please do drop by the Forum some time to tell us about your music. It sounds pretty cool!
Topic Picks for May/June
Finally, if you’ve still got room for afters, why not check out some of the more interesting discussions on the forum, courtesy of RoboBob3000?
What is your DROD playing style?
http://forum.caravelgames.com/viewtopic.php?TopicID=28956
PurpleKoopa asks: How do you tackle a newly discovered room? Do you reach for the pen and paper, or do you just rush in with your sword swinging? Do you optimize first, later, or never?
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
http://forum.caravelgames.com/viewtopic.php?TopicID=29317
Dischorran, in an apparent effort to destroy the community from the inside out, has proposed an unofficial contest wherein competitors compete to design the ugliest room possible. What a lunatic!
Tomato?
http://forum.caravelgames.com/viewtopic.php?TopicID=29202
Weird gets weirder as forumites attempt to understand the enigma that is the user prrringles. Is he a spambot without a purpose? Is he part of a bigger conspiracy? Can we be reasonably certain that he'll post on 11/11/2011? What kind of soup is he making?
DROD Survivor 2 Finale
http://forum.caravelgames.com/viewtopic.php?TopicID=28109&page=24#285004
After months of competition, fourteen forumites eliminated each other one-by-one, all hoping to earn the coveted title of DROD Survivor. True drama unfolded as the three finalists - noma, TripleM, and Dex Stewart - each made their final pitch for victory. Witness the finale of one of the greatest forum games ever played!
Pontifications and Portals - 05-26-2009
This month's newsletter deviates a bit from our usual approach of sharing some of the awesome activity on the Caravel Forum. There be time-sensitive material here, so read on! We plan to return to a normal newsletter format in June, but for this month, we have a special offer I'd like to share with our dedicated fanbase. If you want to skip the pontifications on evangelizing DROD and indie games in general below, you can just skip to the bottom for the meaty part.
The Pontifications
There are many steps along the way to making an indie game successful. So you design your very own special game with solid gameplay, unique premise and engaging story. The hallmark of indie game development is innovation, but "success" hinges on more than this crucial element. To make sure people look twice, there's naturally the need for nice graphics and a striking visual style. However, success is typically framed in terms of market penetration. As many before me have argued, the greatest obstacle to success is obscurity.
Caravel has a nice, growing suite of DROD titles. One reason I myself have spent so much time with DROD is because of the way it pulled me in from the start with its unique gameplay. When Erik Hermansen announced an enhancement to his original (Webfoot) DROD around 2002, I embraced his vision and supported it wholeheartedly. From that time, DROD has held a special place in my gamer's heart. This story has been repeated for many other developers and players, including those of you who have experienced and championed DROD in some shape or form. Though DROD is a niche franchise by design, many of you would probably agree with the sentiment that the greatest obstacle to DROD's success is still obscurity.
While we've rarely worked with dedicated marketers, we've experimented with a few different distribution models, including your usual gamut of game portals. As you can imagine, just putting DROD as another spot on the endless wallpaper of games on a big game portal doesn't bring in most of the sales. What has been effective at getting the word out is, as you might expect, word-of-mouth: some love shared in a write-up on someone's blog, a kind mention at a gaming venue, a personal promotion on a well-travelled gaming site. Knowing that DROD brings joy to someone is our main motivation. And that brings us to the meat of our Illumination...
The Offer
I'm pleased to announce a one-time limited offer to acquire the DROD games at half-price this week, only on Game du Jour!
Game du Jour (GDJ) is the first "One Deal a Day" website ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_deal_a_day ) dedicated to indie and casual games for the PC. GDJ's home page features a different game every day at a steep discount (typically 40% to 60%.)
The following games will be discounted this week on Game du Jour, the first 'one-deal-a-day' website dedicated to indie and casual games:
*** Tue. May 26th: 50% off on DROD RPG: Tendry's Tale
*** Wed. May 27th: 50% off on DROD: The City Beneath
*** Thu. May 28th: 50% off on DROD: Journey to Rooted Hold
*** Fri. May 29th: 50% off on DROD: King Dugan's Dungeon
If you don't have one or more of these DROD titles yet, or have been thinking of getting a copy or three for a friend or family member, this is a great time to buy! We are providing this promotion as another step in bringing DROD out of obscurity, and I'm mentioning it here as a bonus to dedicated players who love the game but might not have enough cash to buy at full price. Buying a title for this promotion helps support the Game du Jour site as well as Caravel Games in bringing you new DROD titles in the future.
Till next month, happy smiting!
-Mike
Edit: You can purchase Windows, Mac or Linux versions of these games through this offer on GDJ.
Spring 2009 Smitemaster's Selection Released - 04-28-2009
In between our full game releases, Caravel works closely with forum architects and play testers to bring you Smitemaster's Selections, one or more holds built at the same level of quality as our full game level sets. Smitemaster for Hire is the name of our newest DROD expansion pack. It contains two puzzle-packed holds from master architects Jason Fedor and Rasmus Björling.
Suit Pursuit is of medium difficulty. It picks up where the story of Devilishly Dangerous Dungeons of Doom left off last autumn. Beethro is making his way back to Rooted Hold to learn about the Grand Event, but someone in the Empire seems to not want him to know about it. This time, a border checkpoint requires him to start taking his Imperial "profession" seriously. Hilarity -- and a lot of smiting -- ensues. A cast of new and old faces make an appearance along the way.
Complex Complex is a difficult hold that harkens back to the days when Beethro is running his famed Roasted Roach Grill after clearing out King Dugan's Dungeon. Beethro receives a call to infiltrate the secret base of a rogue architect. The price is right, but when Beethro finds himself pinned between two warring factions, will he find he has bitten off more roach meat than he can chew?
You can order this Smitemaster's Selection for immediate download through your Caravel Forum account here:
http://caravelgames.com/Articles/SmitemastersSelections/SmitemasterForHire.html
You may also pre-order the limited-edition CD version of this Smitemaster's Selection. Ordering the CD version gives you a nice collectible item, allows you to download the holds immediately and also provides you with lots of bonus content on the CD. This issue features Chapter 3 from Alan Marshall's four-part audio drama This Pointless Thing Called Life. There is also a full-sized wallpaper of the beautiful CD cover drawn by Erik Hermansen, a DROD TCB in-game avatar portrait of a Negotiator from The City Beneath for use in your own holds, demo and full games, and more!
Mike Rimer has Taken Over the Caravel Basement
A while ago, Erik Hermansen, creator and 1st Builder of DROD, expanded his creative endeavours to building up ethicalspender.org and recently sold his share in Caravel Games to Mike Rimer. However, Erik plans to stick around as an emeritus member of the Caravel development team and continue contributing story, art, and music to upcoming expansions and full game titles. You can see his art featured on the CD cover of the Spring 2009 Smitemaster's Selection on our web site.
DROD RPG Upgrades
We have CaravelNet scoring of RPG holds almost ready to go. When this feature comes on-line, we will make available general promotion of the many excellent user-made RPG Holds that have been in the works. Soon after, we will release DROD RPG version 1.2, with bug fixes and new level editor features.
Frogs and Mice -- Not Dead Yet
People have been asking about the status of Frogs and Mice, a game planned for distribution through Garage Games last year and then cancelled. I promised some tidbit of news about this after the Smitemaster's Selection is released, so here goes. Caravel owns the rights to this game and the materials we've been acquiring for it, such as game levels, music, art, etc. At this point, the game is over halfway done but was on the back burner while DROD RPG and the latest SmS were developed and released. Now, the F&M project will move forward in our priority queue onto a medium or front burner. (Yes, the Caravel basement has a stove with some multiple of three burners on it. Vonnifa Budkin would love it.)
Since we no longer have a publishing deal with another company, Caravel has the freedom to produce and release this game how we want. The F&M theme is intriguing, but we have heard many fans express interest in receiving more DROD-world lore and fleshing out the canon and history of the Eighth, the world where Beethro lives. So, we are discussing retooling the story to take place in the Eighth, with a protagonist that is not-Beethro and not-Tendry. The game will still feature generally simpler puzzles with a lighter difficulty and easier learning curve than more recent DROD games. This is not all finalized, but we will share more information about this upcoming new full game as it becomes available. Look for updates in future issues of the Illumination.
Don't Ask Award
Robobob3000 has been nominated and selected as the recipient of a Don't Ask Award for his friendliness, responsibility, and wicked forum gaming. Forum member zwetschenwasser relates, "I'll never forget those fond days killing and healing the other fourteen people participating in his amazing forum game, The Circle. Robobob3000 has participated in everything from controlling the outcome of 15 lives with 15 HP each to musing on NaNoWriMo and the future of crazy scripting in traditional DROD. He's made Developers worry about evil RPG build 48 conspiracy theories and parted squabbling factions with telegrams. Heck! He even got Intelligent Qube right on Forum Games! This guy kicks butt!" Rob-o-bob, please select a prize from the forum prize list!
DROD Holds
And here are the latest DROD:TCB Holds, neglected by the Illumination since October, and now compiled by Robobob3000 for your smiting pleasure!
October: Under the Mountains, Advanced Concepts
November: Dungeon of Broken Orbs, RePuZla
December: Beethro's Search for Home, Christmas Tower, Wolly Olly and the Adder, Imperial Catacombs
January: Lightning, Reflections
March: El Dorado, Grud's dungeon, The Old School, Further Up and Further In
April: Missing Pieces
Forum Topic Picks
So, what did you do today?
I made a sandwich. I turned my computer on. I read this topic. I came to the realization that people on the internet are actually real people actually doing real things. I dropped my sandwich on the floor.
Activity Questionnaire
The forum community turns an eye on itself - how can we make our little corner of the internet more active and vibrant? Newbies, lurkers and old-timers alike, share your thoughts in this thread!
Simplification
Community architect calamarain wonders: where have all the simple holds gone? Not every hold needs to be a 50-room dungeon, complete with flashy scripting, dozens of interacting elements and custom tilesets. Any architects out there want to scale their work back a bit?
The Game of Empathy
Word, association, forum, game, competitive, majority, points, quick, easy, inviting.
Till next month, and good smiting!
-- Mike
2008: The Year of the Big Splash - 02-22-2009
From the mouth of Patrick:
Call it egotistical, but most people who write columns in regards to gaming always like to make a "Game of the Year" pick. Usually, these people pick the same games....the Call of Duty's, the Half-Life's, and the World of Warcraft's. (My apologies to everyone for misspelling the expansion pack last Illumination.) It's a shame, really, because there are a lot of good games out there that don't manage to make the spotlight. This year, all of my favorite games were outside the spotlight, but they were all fantastic.
I mentioned last month that there weren't any major releases planned for the year that excited me. Yes, a couple of sequels to big games got released, but nothing new, exciting, or even all that innovative from the major studios. This is what gave independent game developers such a big break. That being said, let's look at my personal contenders for this year's best game.
*Disclaimer: I'm aware of the irony of picking a game that isn't DROD in a Caravel newsletter, but hear me out. We all love DROD, and if I were to spend every Illumination with the sole intent of glorifying DROD, you might get annoyed. The intent of my Illumination articles are to showcase independent (usually puzzle) games.
The Contenders
When I looked at the list I made last month of my favorite games, there was a universal theme for most of them: physics-based gameplay. That being said, I knew that my favorite game would most certainly be a game that used physics in a creative and ingenious way. This narrowed my list down to five games. Which ones? Let's look at these a little closer...
5. Trackmania Nations/United Forever:
(Just to clarify, these are essentially the same game, it's just that Nations has limited content and is free.)
As much as I enjoyed this game, I knew that it wouldn't be my favorite game of the year, but that it was at least worthy of a mention. I consider this to be a puzzle racer in many ways, mainly because of the pure difficulty of some of the custom made tracks out there. Sometimes, you need to spend a good twenty minutes on a 30 second track simply to figure out how to pass it. Of course, once you finish that, there's the grinding trying to get the timing perfect in order to get yourself that gold medal. Is the grinding too frustrating? Possibly, but even I was able to tolerate it, as the feeling of betting the time by milliseconds is incredibly satisfying. And heck, there's even an option to play the game in 3D if you've got those glasses lying around. I actually bought some just to try the effect out, and it works fairly well.
So what held this game back? I don't know if it was just me, but the track editor seems like you need a PhD to make a good track. That, and ultimately racing games do suffer from a bad case of repetition, and I'm more of a varied gamer. Still, you owe it to yourself to at least give Nations a shot. It's free!
http://www.trackmania.com/en/
4. World of Goo
If you went up to someone inside a game store and asked them to name an independent game made last year, I'd bet that over half would mention World of Goo. It's won various Independent Game of the year awards, and quite possibly the most popular independent game out there. It's a game that's simple in design, yet very complex in terms of objectives and detail. I had a hard time describing the game myself, so let me quote Wikipedia:
"The main objective of the game is to get a requisite number of goo balls to the pipe representing the exit. In order to do so, the player must use their various abilities to build bridges, towers and other structures to overcome gravity and various terrain difficulties such as chasms, hills, spikes or cliffs."
So why did the game rank so low? Honestly, it would have ranked higher, but I enjoyed the next three games more than this one. Nothing personal, World of Goo, but I simply enjoyed the next games more. I do suggest people give the demo a shot, simply for the sake of trying it!
http://2dboy.com/games.php
3. Crayon Physics Deluxe
Yes, yes, one could argue that this isn't a game that was released in 2008, considering the official release date was January 7th, 2009, but let's look at the facts - I probably will have forgot this game by the end of the year, and considering the game won the 2008 IGF main prize, I think it's fitting to put it on the list. Describing the game is as simple as saying "You need to draw objects to complete simple objectives", but that simplicity is what makes the game so difficult and interesting. You can draw pretty much anything. Will it help you? Probably not. But it allows for some creative puzzles to be made. And plus, with a level editor, you can find some very ingenious user-made puzzles.
So, with all the hype and excitement regarding this game, what kept it at the middle of the list? As nice as the user-made content is, the main content itself was fairly simple and quick to finish. As well, I felt the developers didn't use a lot of the possibilities well in the campaign. Still, it is an incredible game, and user-made content does fill a lot of the gaps.
http://www.crayonphysics.com/
2. Crazy machines 2
I don't think I've met anyone who can honestly say that they don't enjoy Rube Goldberg machines, which is what makes Crazy machines so much fun. Take crazy contraptions like those, remove a couple of parts, add some red herrings into the mix, and you're got yourself an enjoyable game. Maybe it's the physics nut in me, but this game was just so incredibly enjoyable and easy to get into. And, like most of the games on my list, has a level editor, but the ease of use on this one is probably the best out of all of them.
That being said, some levels will make you want to throw your monitor to the ground, and it doesn't offer you a lot of help when you get to that point. I was thankful that I bought the entire Crazy machines series at the same time, so I pretty much had a rotation of games that I played as I kept getting frustrated. As well, I almost found the original Crazy Machines a little better than Crazy Machines 2 simply for simplicity. The sequel starts to add some pretty odd elements to the mix that can get confusing.
http://www.crazymachinesgame.com/
So which one made number one? Well, let's look at some facts about the game:
This game is made from a relatively new French developer, and this is actually the second game they've made (I had never heard of the first one). This game is entirely about physics, and objects lying around can either help you out by making you stronger and bigger, or can cause you to shrink. And, of course, paper towel will kill you. What game is this?
1. I-Fluid
I could probably name more faults with this game than I could with any of the other games on the list (picky camera control is worth a couple of faults alone), but this game is so enjoyable that you forgive the game for them. In this game, you control a small droplet of water, and are assigned various tasks, ranging from knocking walnuts off of shelves to moving cherry tomatoes into fondue dishes. Doesn't sound like fun on paper, but what makes it great is the environment. All of the scenarios take place within a house, and taking a familiar environment and being able to look at it from a new angle is always an interesting approach. The graphics on a lot of objects are incredibly detailed (I think a lot of them are actual photos put into the game) and it gives the game a feel of realism.
While there are only fifteen levels, they are all fairly varied, and there are three different modes to each game, which should keep you busy for a while (I'm a big fan of the petal attack modes myself). Honestly, you owe it to yourself to at least give the game a shot. While the main website does have the game for $30, it's $20 less on Steam, so I strongly advise that you save money where you can.
http://www.i-fluid.com/
Personally, which games did you enjoy this year? Feel free to discuss your favorite game at the topic below:
http://forum.caravelgames.com/viewtopic.php?TopicID=28290
---------------------------------------------------------------
TCB Deluxe Set "pre-orders" have become "orders"
Mike Rimer brings us good news that a limited-edition TCB boxed set has been shipped to everyone who pre-ordered one. Those on the TCB "blacklist" (you know who you are and what you did) will also be seeing something soon. And there's good news for everyone else too -- there are some boxed sets remaining to order. If you already have the download-only version of TCB, you may write Mike at Caravel for a coupon code to discount the price of your original order when purchasing a CD or Deluxe set from our web site.
http://caravelgames.com/buyTCB.html
The Winter 2009 Smitemaster's Selection is wrapping up
The finishing touches are being placed on two fantastic expansion holds by forum architects Jason and Rheb. One continues Beethro's adventures following "The City Beneath" and the other reveals the untold story of a clandestine job Beethro ran after starting up the Roasted Roach Grill. If you're interested in receiving the next Smitemaster's Selection on a limited-edition CD, you need to pre-order it from the Caravel Games web site before its release at:
http://caravelgames.com/buySS.html
Grading the Illuminator
In the past six months, I'd like to hope people have, for the most part, enjoyed reading these little Illuminations. Yes, I know I've had some issue, but once I realized that there were two topics I should stop bringing up, it's been a lot better. So, feel free to give your thoughts on the past Illuminations, and
comment on what you'd like to see more of in these things.
http://forum.caravelgames.com/viewtopic.php?TopicID=28291
The Prodical Mycologist
agaricus5, our resident DROD know-it-all (and I mean that in the highest regard) has returned after a two-year hiatus. Be sure to welcome him back!
http://forum.caravelgames.com/viewtopic.php?TopicID=28212
Topic Picks for January/February
After a holiday break, Robobob3000's back with some of the latest and greatest wisdom from the forums.
http://forum.caravelgames.com/viewtopic.php?TopicID=28036
I want to learn programming
Something like 130% of the population of our message board possesses a master’s degree in physics, and as such, they are expected to know programming. Blondbeard poses the question: How quickly can someone go from zero to programmer? Well, this thread’s a good place to start.
http://forum.caravelgames.com/viewtopic.php?TopicID=28132
Mafia 3
The other -30% of the forum population lack esteemed physics degrees. That’s why they’ve resorted to what they know best: thuggery and brutishness. The long-form forum game is blossoming on the Caravel Forum, and whatshiswhistle is working to get our third game of Mafia started. Sign up! Actual murder not permitted.
http://forum.caravelgames.com/viewtopic.php?TopicID=27921
Tower of the Sorcerer
The last 0% of the population (TFMurphy, to be exact), has put together an intriguing RPG hold. He has fully recreated the game "Tower of the Sorcerer", the inspiration for DROD RPG, within DROD RPG. It’s still a work in progress, but it sure demonstrates the flexibility of the engine. Check it out, and be inspired!
http://forum.caravelgames.com/viewtopic.php?TopicID=28098
Akella cover art for the Russian version of DROD: The City Beneath
And as always, Russia continues to be totally rad.
Have a fantastic rest-of-the-month!
-Patrick
2008: The Year of the Independent Game - 01-18-2009
From the mouth of Patrick:
Part 1: A Restrospective on 2008.
2008 turned out to be a surprising year. Yes, I could go on and on talking about all the crazy real-world events that took place in the longest year on record (Bonus points to the first person to mention why that was), but you can do that on any news site around. Yes, the USA elected a new president. Yes, the Canadian government almost ended up in the hands of a coalition, but all of that's unimportant in my world. What made 2008 so surprising for me was that I went into every single month of this year not looking forward to a single game's release, and yet ended up with a couple of new favorite games.
And what's even better is that all but one of those games were independent.
2008 was the year that independent gaming finally entered mainstream. A lot of this was to do with the the consoles letting independent developers gain access thanks to content delivery systems such as WiiWare, XBOX Live, and, you know, that five-lettered service that PC owners have. That solved a problem that indie developers have always had – lack of exposure.
Secondly (And this is just my opinion), mainstream developers dropped the ball when it came to the PC. If someone offered me a hundred dollars to name five big name titles that got released for the PC in the last year, I would still have the same amount of money in my bank as I do now. Well, let's take a look at my list:
-Left 4 Dead: A game that shouldn't technically be on this list because there's a XBOX port of it, but it is, in my mind, a PC game. This game, while incredibly fun and intense, does start to lose it's replay value rather quickly. Still, I do play it regularly, and look forward to the custom content if/when it comes out.
-Spore: Any game that makes it difficult to play legally thanks to the magic of DRM barely deserves a mention. Plus, every single one of my friends who's played the game says it gets dull very quickly.
-WoW:Wrath of the Lich King: I have never played this game, nor do I ever intend to play it. RPGs aren't my thing, and subscription games certainly aren't my thing.
Now, if that same person were to ask me to name five independent games made for the PC last year, I'd be able to buy a new hard drive. DROD:RPG, Audiosurf, World of Goo, I-Fluid, Crazy Machines 2, Crayon Physics Deluxe, Multiwinia, Sam & Max 2. The list goes on. I've played all of the games above with the exception of one, and they were all fantastic. In fact, one of these games I would even claim to be the greatest game of 2008. But which one? Well, I'll cover that next month. 
Right now, we need to get onto the news at hand.
Belated Holiday Greetings
First of all, I'd like to wish everyone a rather belated holiday season. I hope it was filled it laughter, joy, and a lot of food (That's usually my sign of a good holiday season). Of course, if your holiday season wasn't as great as you expected, look on the bright side: you have more than three hundred days to plan out the next one!
You Owe Us An Illumination!
My apologies to everyone in regards to last month, but the lack of an Illumination last month was not only due to the busy holiday season, but I took a new job at the start of the month. The problem with that? A couple of days before I started, they told me I would be spending the first week of my job in Altona, Manitoba, a small town where my company's headquarters are located. This meant an entire week of no non-job computering.
Things should start to be a little bit more regular now, especially considering that because I'm working around computers all day, I can type out articles like this in my free time.
DROD:RPG nominated for the 2009 Independent Games Festival
Well, it got a spot in as an entrant, but sadly didn't make the finalists. Still, there are other interesting games on the list, and they're worth taking a look at.
http://www.igf.com/02finalists.html (List of Finalists)
http://www.igf.com/php-bin/entry2009.php?id=626 (DROD:RPG entrant page)
DROD Hops Onto The Online Content Delivery Train
No, it's not on....that five-letter-word system. The entire DROD series has been released onto Direct2Drive, a system run by IGN that promotes games that don't have DRM attached to it, including indie games. Yes, the DROD series is completely DRM free if you buy it online through them. Its game library is rather large too, and pricing does seem competitive with most other online retailers.
And yes, it takes Paypal, which is always a good thing.
http://www.direct2drive.com/ (Direct2Drive)
http://www.direct2drive.com/buy-indie-games-download (the Indie Games section)
Great New Holds Released
There's been a few great ones since I last wrote here, so be sure to check them out!
http://forum.caravelgames.com/holds.php
Have a great rest of the month!
-Patrick