TIGSource Forums

Hi Everyone!
My name is Jacob Stevens. My brother and I run the small, independent, developer Riverman Media in Tucson. Most of our games, I will admit, are casual mobile games. However, recently we've started work on a new game I think the group here might be interested in. It's called Pizza Vs. Skeletons.

(http://www.rivermanmedia.com/images/stories/img_pizza/pizza_preview_1_tn.png)

The basic idea, simple as it sounds, is that you're a huge pizza smashing through an army of skeletons. However, we are taking it much further than that with lots of gameplay variation, a goal of 100 levels, and lots of other features.

This game has been a major challenge so far because of the sheer size of the main character. We've had to play a lot with the camera, which is pretty unusual for a 2D game.

We've got more information here:

http://www.rivermanmedia.com/games/pizza-vs-skeletons (http://www.rivermanmedia.com/games/pizza-vs-skeletons)

I know there's not much to go on yet, but I'm hoping to post updates every week or so.

Thanks!
Jacob

One more thing:

Today I posted an article about the animation process we're using for the game, which is a hybrid 2D / 3D approach that I've never seen used before.

http://www.rivermanmedia.com/art/157-from-2d-to-3d-and-back-rotoscoping-in-pizza-vs-skeletons (http://www.rivermanmedia.com/art/157-from-2d-to-3d-and-back-rotoscoping-in-pizza-vs-skeletons)

Here's a little sample of the results:

(http://www.rivermanmedia.com/images/stories/img_pizza/spearman_front_anim_final_small.gif)

Thanks!
Jacob

The title reminds me of Plants v. Zombies. And some games just need some abstractness like this one. Loving the skeleton's spear's reflection.

Thanks! The title is actually meant to parody all the ridiculous "vs." games that have come out lately. There will be a lot of game and industry references for those who are looking ;)

Jacob

This sounds pretty cool, and the artwork is fantastic so far. I'll be interested in how the gameplay works out.

Sounds pretty awesome. The premise alone is worth a few brownie points. Looking forward to seeing and hearing more about this soon.

Woah, what a gorgoeus style! That is such a unique way of doing it; I can't wait to see what other masterpieces you pump out!

The skeletons remind me of one of the best Silly Symphonies (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h03QBNVwX8Q), which is always a good thing.

Thanks for the support and encouragement everyone. I'll do my best to post regular updates. And Inanimate, the silly symphony clip was great. Thanks for posting that!

Jacob

TUCSON EH?  You should take a road trip up to phoenix wednesday night for the IGDA meeting, YEAH!

They are all parodies too. And the circle continues.

kinda like a pizza pi

@xerus I've been up to IGDAPHX awhile ago, but I don't think you were there. We're good friends with a guy named Tim who I'm pretty sure you know. Anyway, nice to finally "meet" you! Wednesdays are bad for me but I'll do my best to make it up to IGDAPHX again soon!

Jacob

It's got pizza on it, it can't be bad!

Nice art and interesting article, I've used a similar method in the past but to make low res sprites. I've also used vectorial dolls with movable/rotating limbs to make sprites out of them. It's a good trick.

Looking forward to see some in-game screens, keep it up!

Nice blog post!  I do think I've read about a similar technique being used in some games, particularly the 2D fighter BlazBlue (http://www.blazblue.com).

King of Fighters XII  (http://kofaniv.snkplaymore.co.jp/english/info/15th_anniv/2d_dot/creation/index.php)did the same thing.

I approve of this game, and your other game Deathfall.
Anything specifically starring skeletons are A+ in my books.

(http://www.rivermanmedia.com/images/stories/img_pizza/spearman_front_anim.gif)

Though I'm not sure it was necessary to draw each frame from a 3d, because his ribs are like inflating and deflating.
They look rather jiggly, I would prefer if it was a solid framed ribcage moving around.
Kind of looks like his rib-cage is breathing while he walks in the 2d version.

(http://www.rivermanmedia.com/images/stories/img_pizza/spearman_front_anim_final_small.gif)

You could have likely done this same animation in less time if you just had focused on the 2d aspect rather then making it 3d, then animating from 3d. It would probably just be easier to have drawn & animated it in 2d in the first place.
But other then the rib-cage I do like the skeletons design.

You could achieve this same kind of movement using joints or simple 2d rotation of limbs.
I also don't know if it's just the angle of the model or me but it looks like his front leg is stepping further then his back leg making it appear like he's doing half steps. (if that make sense...)

Anyways carry on, looking good otherwise.

I like the idea a lot, it reminds me of the Silly Symphony skeletons as well.

Maybe you could somehow put together your own pizza and have the ingredients affect the pizza.

Like a tuna olive pizza would have different statistics somehow than a pepperoni and cheese one, just something that came to mind to make it even more diverse  :)

Hi Everyone!

First of all, thanks for the great feedback, comments, and suggestions. We really appreciate it.

(http://www.rivermanmedia.com/images/stories/img_pizza/spearman_up_before_after.gif)

All week I've been redoing all the animation that I wrote about last week! Why? Because I thought it could be better. In the process, I wrote an article that talks about redoing work on a game, and how it defines who you are as a game developer. I'm really curious to see what you all think.

http://www.rivermanmedia.com/home/3-game-design/160-good-vs-better (http://www.rivermanmedia.com/home/3-game-design/160-good-vs-better)

Have a great week, and thanks again!
Jacob

It looks so much better and have some climax.

I have to read your article when I have some spare time.

edit: good piece of read. But that was only the buissnes approach tho.

That's true! But when you rely on games to put food on the table, for better or for worse you have to acknowledge the business aspects.

Jacob

Yup that's true, but I think it's the reason that I won't be making games for mobile devices, couldn't work on a game that I don't think is fun enough, making games like they are no longer games but just products. I'll probably change my thinking about it when I start living on my own, but that's my opinion for now.  ;D

For me, it's not a question of whether to make a fun game. Of course I should make fun games!

The real challenge is how to make fun games while remaining viable from a business perspective. The real great companies (Nintendo, Blizzard in my article) manage to do both. I wish I could say I understood how they pull it off.

Jacob

We've got a very special update this week: Due to popular demand, we are pleased to announce that Yes, you will be able to choose the toppings on your pizza. And more! Not only that, but we want your suggestions on what you'd like to include on your pizza. Read the article below for details!

http://www.rivermanmedia.com/news/165-better-ingredients-deader-skeletons (http://www.rivermanmedia.com/news/165-better-ingredients-deader-skeletons)

Thanks!
Jacob

Thanks for all the suggestions so far! Keep 'em coming!
Jacob

http://www.rivermanmedia.com/news/16...ader-skeletons - this link doesn't work.

Whoops, try this one:

http://www.rivermanmedia.com/news/165-better-ingredients-deader-skeletons (http://www.rivermanmedia.com/news/165-better-ingredients-deader-skeletons)

Hello everyone,
We made great progress on Pizza Vs. Skeletons (http://www.rivermanmedia.com/games/pizza-vs-skeletons) this week. However, nothing is ready to show off *quite* yet. So instead, I've written an article on a little GUI design tip that I've recently discovered. I know that GUIs aren't the most glamorous part of a game, but they are important, so I hope you find this useful and interesting.


Hope to have more to show next week!
Thanks,
Jacob

Will this be free?

It is an iOS app for iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad. We haven't set the price, but it will not be free except for special promotions. Probably between $0.99 and $2.99. However, we are planning a "lite" version that will be free and have a few demo levels.

Jacob

Finally, finally made some video footage. It's really early and rough, but I think the basic idea comes through: You're a big pizza :)

Read more here: 100 Seconds of Pizza Vs. Skeletons (http://www.rivermanmedia.com/news/178-100-seconds-of-pizza-vs-skeletons)

Thanks!
Jacob

Hi Everyone!
For this week's update, I went into an in-depth discussion of Pizza Vs. Skeletons' camera system. Even though the game is 2D, which usually means you can get away with a simple camera, we've had to add a lot of extra logic because the main character is so big (maybe the biggest playable character ever put into a 2D game???)

This is fairly in-depth and technical, so read at your own risk :)

Camera Design for a Super-Sized Character
http://www.rivermanmedia.com/home/3-game-design/184-camera-design-for-a-super-sized-character (http://www.rivermanmedia.com/home/3-game-design/184-camera-design-for-a-super-sized-character)

Thanks!
Jacob

One more thing! Which background art style do you prefer, the top one or the bottom one?

(http://www.rivermanmedia.com/transfer/public/new_bg_style.png)

Thanks!
Jacob

new but pizza is less readable!

Thanks!

Again, better or worse?
(http://www.rivermanmedia.com/transfer/public/brown_ground.png)

PS: The pizza is bloodier/saucier in the bottom one because it's taken damage.

i think the background is heading in the right direction. the softer, smoother treatment makes a good contrast to the crisp characters.
one thing that really distracted me in the video was the spinning pizza. for me it was just off putting and as far as i could see it did not contribute to the gameplay.
i must say this has been a very educational project for me. thanks!!

Interesting! That's the first time I've heard a comment in that vein. The pizza is physically modeled as a circle. You tilt the iPhone/iPad to make it roll. So I think spinning is necessary to give the controls proper feedback.

Jacob

Hi everyone. Sorry for the lack of updates. Everything with the game is proceeding well. We've been adding content, content, and more content. There really will be 100 levels, and not just those 1-screener physics/puzzle levels so common on iPhone. Each one has a different set of enemies and obstacles.

I'm guessing a Halloween release date, fingers crossed!

Thanks,
Jacob

I finally got around to typing up a proper update! Here it is:

http://www.rivermanmedia.com/news/193-quick-pizza-update (http://www.rivermanmedia.com/news/193-quick-pizza-update)

Thanks!
Jacob

EDIT: And as an added bonus, I finally feel comfortable pushing our completion icon up to 40%!

I want to see this new video already!  ;D

What a shame I have no iPhone nor iPad :(

Looks cool, does the face roll with the pizza yet? Or don't you like that.

Nah, the face will definitely not rotate with the pizza. Think Meatwad from Aqua Teen Hunger Force.

Jacob

Hey all! I think it's time for another Pizza update. We've got a lot done this month. Slowly but surely things are coming along. Click below for more details!

http://www.rivermanmedia.com/news/197-pizza-update-august-13 (http://www.rivermanmedia.com/news/197-pizza-update-august-13)

Jacob

Day one for me.

@Reives @mooosh Thanks :) I really think you're going to like it.

Jacob

*Hey my name is Ron, I'm new to the forums*

I love the art, and the concept's cool. I like the multiply modes, it's very inspiring. I think in a indie game it keeps the game more enjoyable. Kudos and can't wait to play it!

Hi Ron, welcome! I'm actually fairly new here as well. Thanks for the positive feedback on the game, I really hope you enjoy it!

Jacob

As promised! Today we posted a new gameplay video of Pizza Vs. Skeletons, along with announcing its release date and price! Have fun!

http://www.rivermanmedia.com/news/206-pizza-vs-skeletons-holiday-update-video

-Jacob

I'd like to see how playing as a toast looks

Well, it's actually a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, but yes, it's pretty interesting!

We've got good news and good news! Pizza Vs. Skeletons has been submitted to, and approved by, Apple! It will be released on February 25, 2011. We have also released 12 new screenshots of the final build, available right here:

http://www.rivermanmedia.com/games/pizza-vs-skeletons

congratulations.  it looks incredibly good from the screenshots. 

Thanks @sabajt!

This looks fun. As of right now 4.99 is a bit much for me. But I'll definitely pick it up when I get the cash. I totally respect your decision to bump up the price a bit more than the usually iStore junk.

Pizza... Mmm...

$4.99 isn't too much for me, this game looks unbelievable. I can totally respect your asking more than the average $0.99 or $1.99, I think indie games with quality like this should definitely be asking more!

This'll be a day one purchase for me! Can't wait!

Quick update! We've changed Pizza's release date to February 16!

Also, check out two interviews with us!
http://www.rivermanmedia.com/news/225-feb-16-is-pizzas-new-release-date

We released the official Pizza Vs. Skeletons trailer today. Enjoy!

http://indie.gram.pl/newsy/trailer-pizza-vs-skeletons-data-premiery/ :)

@ANtY Thanks for posting! Is that your site?

Jacob

Man, I'm more excited about this release than pretty much any other release since Arcade Edition for Super Street Fighter IV.

I don't own an iPhone, but I'm getting my girlfriend hyped up about this so she'll download it on hers, and we'll play it together!

Very very excited, and I'm spreading that excitement to all of my friends. Anticipation is through the roof, man! :D

Yeah, mine and my friend's :)

Thanks @jamiebell. Please let me know what you think!

-Jacob

I am ecstatic to report that Pizza Vs. Skeletons has launched and is now available worldwide. Thanks so much for the support of everyone here on this forum. I can't wait to hear what you think!

http://www.rivermanmedia.com/news/227-pizza-vs-skeletons-available-now

-Jacob

Hey, Wanted to congratulate you on being Apple's Game of the Week. game looks great.

Bought it, downloading now :)

Congrats, what a shame I have no iDevice :(

Thanks Jason, Claw, and ANty!

Jacob

My girlfriend and I are sitting at 291 stars, and I really want to have 3-starred everything before cracking open the final boss.

I love this game, man. I really thought the tilt controls would bother me but the controls are pitch perfect. Graphics are stunning, sound effects are perfectly detailed and crunchy, the charm is lathered on and every little bit of presentation is perfect.

I've also never heard my girlfriend swear as much since we've been together.

5+/5, one of my favourite games of the last while, mobile or not!

I bought this about two weeks ago, finished it in 3 days, trying to 3 star stuff now. Lovin' it. worth every penny.

Finally got around to playing this (just got an iPad  :)) and... it's GREAT.   :beer: good job guys.

pizza vs skeletons is a witty title you will make lotsa of money on that alone, you should just sell it now

they already do :)

Make an Android port pls :D

though "pizzas Vs Zombies" would have been a wee bit wittier.

Maybe too similar, he might have even got sued for that. :P

I was just playing a game called Slims vs Mushrooms and it was exactly the same as Plants vs ZOmbies