Sky Garden
The Peaceful Puzzle Game



Official Blog with Goodies

I made a Flash prototype of Sky Garden that was honored in the Casual Connect Innovation Showcase and have decided to make it into a full commercial game. I look forward to providing updates and getting to know all of you better.  

I'll also be posting updates on my blog here. You can also go there to sign up for updates and get a Desktop version of the prototype.

More soon!

Augh.

This is the end of the console era. It's over. It had a good 30 year run from Atari to Xbox 360, but it's just not growing any more. The disappointing WiiU, PS4, and XboxOne show that. Sure, more consoles will keep being made, but they will become less and less relevant.

Hopefully Ouya and Steam Piston will be fun.

Makes me sad. I grew up on consoles.

Personally I just don't see HTML 5 becoming relevant like everyone says.

If you are making games for the PC in a browser then Flash is the way to go. Much easier to use, lots of tools and support, great penetration. And on mobile devices the vast majority of usage isn't in the browser, it's in the apps. There was a study that said this, unfortunately I can't find it. It's definitely how I use my iPhone.

Just my 2 cents. Others may disagree, but for long term skills I'd recommend learning Unity or Flash.

This is GREAT! Thanks so much for sharing!

Btw, I had no idea that the famous Oryx from Realm of the Mad God was named after the artist. That is amazing. I've been in your cellar before and it was terrifying! 

I'm listening to Hell's Kitchen. Does that count?

Also, I think it's worth noting, I posted on this same exact thread YEARS ago. And now I'm back. This thread is timeless. My great grandkids might post on this thread.

Ha! This looks really fun. I haven't had a good "JUMP JUMP THE LAVA IS COMING" experience in years. Reminds me of the good old days of Super Mario.

I could go for a code! 

In between jobs I took a few months to make some indie games. Or so I thought. I hadn't made any games on my own in years however, but I figured I could get up to speed and get a game out rather quickly.

That was a big mistake.

It took me a few months to get up to speed on Flash and Flixel. That was a lot longer than I expected. In addition, the game I was trying to make was a zelda-style action RPG. That was a big mistake as well because it required enormous amounts of content for a 1-man team.

In the end I ended up running out of time and getting another job that I'm very happy with. But I learned I should have prepared better.

If I was going to do it again, I would:
- Make sure I already had lots and lots of experience making games on my own before making the leap
- For a first game, pick something that can give hours of fun without much of content, like puzzle games

Best of luck!

Highly recommend San Francisco Bay Area. EVERYONE is here. TIGJam is here. EA is here. Nintendo has an office here. Sony is here. Microsoft is here. Zynga and Kixeye are here. Game Developers Conference is here.

It feels like this:
         

As a Lead Designer in the industry who also took off some time once to work on indie projects, I have a few thoughts:
- I totally agree with Archibald in making a small game on your own before you make the leap. Then it doesn't need to be as much of a clear cut choice - you can take small steps towards the life you want, including games, before you leave. Then if things are going well you'll take the logical next step.
- If you do decide to leave, make sure you don't burn bridges. Go until the end of your current project, be open with your manager, and say you'd like to take some time off to try something new. This will leave the option open to come back if you want some day.
- Both of these said, go after your dreams! If there is something you want to do, see how you can move yourself towards it.

I also think that this quora article is highly relevant to your situation.

Best of luck!

So when people go to these things, do people usually already have a project they've been working on for a while, or they spin something together entirely over the weekend like a Ludum Dare contest?

You'll probably get far on the name and concept alone.    Keep the gameplay interesting for players who want to min-max for an hour+ and you'll have something fantastic.

Best of luck!

Thanks!  I'm going to continue working on it and posting updates on the site, so we'll see how it goes.

[Game Description]

Hello everyone!  I'm posting an unusual...feedback request.  I'm working on a game that is far from a demo.  However, I'd like to see what people think of the concept.  Please vote in the poll! Homepage/updates/blog here.

Game Description
Jelly Wars is an action-adventure game in the style of Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past.  It features clever puzzles, a delightful plot and cast of characters, and enough side quests and secrets to keep players having fun for hours on end.

But one of the most important parts of the Jelly Wars experience is the Guide.

What’s the Guide?
In today’s world of virtual farms and downloadable content, sometimes you just want something that you can literally get your hands on, something that’s real.

Back in the 80′s and early 90′s, popular games often came with a Guide, a color paperback that helped players through the game.  Today, Guides of this quality are unheard of; we’re left with cheap cookie-cutter pamphlets or flimsy instruction booklets, “guides” that barely stack up against an online text-FAQ.

The elegantly-designed Guides of the 90′s had:

• Original, hand-drawn artwork and sketches found nowhere else
• Extensive back stories about the characters, the world, and the lore
• Incredible maps and images of the game’s world, levels, and characters
• Fun facts about  the developers of the game and the game’s history
• Enough entertainment in itself that you could read it for hours

In short, Guides that were made with love, Guides that were made to satisfy the game’s greatest fans.

With Jelly Wars, we’re bringing back the honor and prestige of a well-crafted Game Guide.  Every copy of Jelly Wars will come with a Guide, an honest-to-goodness, full color printed, delightful around-the-game fun Guide.

And not only will it include all of the wonderful features that made classic Guides so great, the Guide will also be integrated deeply into the gameplay experience, walking players through an adventure that jumps from the virtual to the real, and back again in a way that no Guide ever has before.

Is the Digital Edition a no-go for you? I tried to develop it with international readers in mind - much cheaper and instant delivery, and you get a great bonus.

As for a price drop, sales are going well right now, and Amazon gets grumpy with hasty price changes, so no, there's no plans for a price drop any time soon.

Best of luck and thanks for asking though!

(Meta forum update: To any moderators, I tried to move this post from the General Forum to the Announcements forum, but found out that I can't delete my own posts.  Sorry for the confusion; having it in two forums wasn't my intention.)

Hello everyone!  I just wanted to let you all know that my book, Game Development Hero: Create Games, Get Job Offers, and Find Your Way in the Games Industry is finally out and available in Print and Digital format!

I wanted to thank everyone here on the TIGSource Forums who helped with the making of the book.  I took (with permission of course) a couple of great quotes from people around the community (Tuba, Alistair, and others), and everyone was very supportive when I posted questions as to what people thought would be helpful to other developers.  The suggestions led to some great research and great resources for those interested in making games and getting jobs.

Overall I couldn't be prouder with how it's turned out.  I was able to get some great advice and interviews (all captured in the book) from some high profile indie developers, including people from Narbacular Drop(Portal predecessor), thatgamecompany(flOw/Flower), and an IGF Finalist.

So, thanks so much again to everyone for your support, I hope everyone enjoys it, and best of luck in your careers!  If you do purchase the book, I would love to hear your feedback.  

Ok, I'll go ahead and move it over.  Should I delete this one?

(Meta forum update: To any moderators, I tried to move this post from the General Forum to the Announcements forum, but found out that I can't delete my own posts.  Sorry for the confusion; having it in two forums wasn't my intention.)

Released my first book!  (This is a big one for me).

Hello everyone!  I just wanted to let you all know that my book, Game Development Hero: Create Games, Get Job Offers, and Find Your Way in the Games Industry is finally out and available in Print and Digital format!

I wanted to thank everyone here on the TIGSource Forums who helped with the making of the book.  I took (with permission of course) a couple of great quotes from people around the community (Tuba, Alistair, and others), and everyone was very supportive when I posted questions as to what people thought would be helpful to other developers.  The suggestions led to some great research and great resources for those interested in making games and getting jobs.

Overall I couldn't be prouder with how it's turned out.  I was able to get some great advice and interviews (all captured in the book) from some high profile indie developers, including people from Narbacular Drop(Portal predecessor), thatgamecompany(flOw/Flower), and an IGF Finalist.

So, thanks so much again to everyone for your support, I hope everyone enjoys it, and best of luck in your careers!  If you do purchase the book, I would love to hear your feedback.  

(Forum-Meta question: I spent a while debating where to post this; is this the kind of post that would go in announcements, since it's not a game, though it's indie-game related?)

I've been trying to figure out what that does...any tips?