Hi everyone!

We are a small team of Unity developers from Studio Pepwuper, and we started working on this project about 3 months ago. The idea is simple - to re-create our childhood memories of playing with neighborhood kids. Essentially it's a family-friendly version of CTF where players are divided into two teams and compete in real-time against each other.

And here's the twist: each player brings one Giant into the game to help them. The Giants are AI-assisted so you don't control them directly, but rather you issue commands and they act accordingly. We have our first Giant in the game now (the powerful Rock Giant George) and will be adding another Engineer-Robot-type Giant soon.

Development Screenshot:



Here's

, click the image below to go to the YouTube video (don't know how to embed it on the forum directly...)



We are building it for both touch and mouse/keyboard interface. Let us know what you think! Especially on the art style and game concept/idea. We are still early in the process so the more feedback the better! And don't forget to check our blog http://www.pepwuper.com/blog/

Thanks!!!

This looks amazing. Congrats and can't wait to give it a go!

Just a quick update, the game is available for download today! 

iTunes Link: http://itunes.apple.com/app/megan-and-the-giant/id415139920

The game is approved! We are set to release on Feb 1st.  

I've just uploaded a new video to explain how the game and the control works.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pgzIOAm70s4

(acquired funding elsewhere) 

Just a quick update for you guys, the game is finally completed and submitted to Apple for App Store Approval. I've posted some update on this thread: http://forums.tigsource.com/index.php?topic=17231.0

Thanks again!

[Description:]

Dear Fellow Indie Game Devs,

We have finally submitted our first game "Megan and the Giant" to the iPhone App Store! It's currently in review, and we are hoping to hear back from Apple in the next week or two, and plan to release it to the App Store early February! Here is a bit more information about the game. Hope you like it and let me know if any comments or questions!

You can find a video trailer here:



Description:
Megan and the Giant
Episode One: The Giant of the River Thames

Sneak, Hide, Run! Play hide-and-seek in the city of London in the latest family-friendly iPhone stealth action game "Megan and the Giant" released by Studio Pepwuper this February 2011!

In this first episode, you will be introduced to wonderful world of "Megan and the Giant". Guide Megan, the curious, good natured, and talkative main character, on a journey to rescue a mysterious new friend. Sneak around London with the intuitive tap control, and outsmart the pursuers with strategic planning and the use of hilarious items!

FEATURING:

- Cute illustration-style 2D characters mixed with a colorful 3D environment
- Easy, minimum effort control. Just tap on the screen and move around!
- 30+ Levels, 4 Chapters taking you through different London scenery
- Lifelines! Bananas, Cardboard Boxes, Cups of tea... and more. Gain new items to help you as you advance through the game
- Escape scenarios from the London City Police, Angry Dogs (not birds), and other fun pursuers throughout the city
- Kid-friendly story and gameplay.

How to play:
Tap to move, tap and draw to designate a path.

Tips:
- Be patient! Observe the pursuers behaviors, and plan your moves accordingly.
- Timing is important!
- Can you finish the game without using items? Or even without being spotted?!


Find out more at our website http://pepwuper.com. And add us on Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/pepwuper) and Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/pepwuper)!

Thanks for trying it out! Yeah the execution isn't quite there yet. Still a very rough prototype (with my terrible art). And yeah it is a bit unintuitive, especially when you first start playing it. People seems like like the concept so I might spend more time on it and see what I can do

[360 iDev Game Jam]

I participated in the 360 iDev Game Jam last night to complete an iPhone game prototype in 11 hours from conception to finish. The theme of the event was "Change the World", and I came up with an idea for a puzzle game where you have to grow trees while juggling three elements of life - water, air, and sun! It's done in a short amount of time so gameplay needs lots of tweaking, but the basic is there. And I could definitely use an art upgrade. Should I develop it into a full App Store release? Let me know what you think!

More info: http://gamejam.360idev.com/water-air-sun/

Click the image below to Play The Game!

[Brief description:]

Brief description:
Looking for an awesome developer to join our team to create the best narrative casual games. The Programmer will work closely with the team to make the design and art come alive on social game platforms (iPhone/iPad and Facebook).  

Target aim:
To create games targeting casual gamers. We aim to create games that are easy to play, with an emphasis on story-telling and character-building.

Key Responsibilities:
Create client-side 3D/2D games (iOS, Browser) and build server-side system for in-game purchases and social interactions, with an eye towards quality player experience.
Work closely with cross functional team with local and remote members.
Understand, implement, and extend game designs.
Manage and debug data flow from server to game client (via PHP, Java, or Javascript connections).

Candidate Requirements:
Experience building games, either by yourself or within an organization.
Knowledge of PHP and/or Javascript a big plus - understanding how to interface with these technologies.
Game design or production experience a plus.
Ability to meet tight deadlines and work closely with team members.
Ability to learn quickly. Self-starter with strong ability to work independently and figure out how to solve problems quickly.

Compensation:
Compensation will be comparable to industry standard.

Technology:
The target platforms are - iPhone/iPod, Facebook, and PC/Mac downloadable. Experience with Unity3D, Facebook games, iOS.
Experience with PHP, Java or Javascript


All experience level welcomed. Please include your portfolio and work samples.

Website:
http://www.pepwuper.com/

Contacts:
Please email me at [email protected]

Additional Info:
The aim of our studio is to create games “for people young at heart” and introduce games to people who are not currently playing games. We believe there is a big opportunity in bringing this interactive entertainment form to the mass. We are located in Los Angeles and prefer local candidates, but we are also open to working with remote team members.

That's a good point that I didn't think of before. Definitely a lesson in marketing communication. Thanks! 

Haha yeah I loved hide-and-seek as a kid, wish they had stealth games when I was a kid. 

yeah you can go to the kickstarter project page (if it's still up) and I've uploaded some development screenshots and early video footage of the game. If anyone's interested I can put the prototype up on a website and you can give it a go. 

Thanks @Inane, I should also try to spend more time in the forum to connect with other devs as well!

@moi, yes 4 weeks wasn't much. I wanted to get back to development without distraction sooner and that's why it was 4 weeks. Definitely need to re-think about time-frame next time I do it.

[3 Quick Lessons from My Failed Project on Kickstarter]

After 4 weeks of fund raising, I wasn't able to raise the full funding target amount. I've written a blog post on some of the things I learned from having my project on Kickstarter.com for those of you who might be interested in using it in the future.

3 Quick Lessons from My Failed Project on Kickstarter

 

Kickstarter Project Page:
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/pepwuper/the-giant-of-the-river-thames-little-megans-giant

Hi everyone!

Not sure if this is the best place to post this... I have been working on a stealth adventure game for kids for the past 5 months. As many of you know, raising fund for indie game development is always an important task, and I decided to give http://Kickstarter.com a try and put my project up on Kickstarter to raise money to pay for artists and software licenses for the game. The project started last night, and I have only 29 days left to make it happen!


Having the project successfully funded will mean two things for me.
1. People like the game and the concept of the studio. (market research)
2. I can finish the game and have it polished to it's full potential. And the 5 months I put into it isn't going to waste! (funding purpose)


And I's like to ask for your support! You can find the project here (http://kck.st/cNnvZS). It is currently also being recommended by the staff at Kickstarter (http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/by/recommended). Make a pledge if you like the project, post it on your blog/twitter/facebook, forward it to other people who might be interested, or just leave me a comment! Every bit would help making this project closer to reality!

Besides giving out the game and various rewards, I will also write a "the making of" book to detail how the game is made in Unity3D, complete with all the codes I've written for the game!

In the mean time, I'll continue documenting the experience and share with the forum! Also please let me know if you have any comments or feedback about the game or about the project on Kickstarter. Thanks!

-Brandon

Make a Pledge for My Awesome Project on Kickstarter Today!
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/pepwuper/the-giant-of-the-river-thames-little-megans-giant

Cool thanks for the information. I'll start with those first. 

Hi everyone,

Indie game development is a lonely process, and I've been thinking it'll be great to have some kind of support group for indie developers to communicate and support each other, to give feedback on others' ideas and games, and to share resources and helps to each other. The various forums serve this purpose, but at the same time I desire something more personal and tangible, something specifically for small teams of dedicated people. I am thinking to have bi-weekly Skype conference calls for participants to give updates on their progress and to talk about their challenges and how we can help each other.

What do you think about this idea? Would you be interested in participating in it? This is just something I came up with this past weekend so the idea is still very rough but I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Thanks!

I like the concept and the "feel" - which I think is very important in music games. You want the player to feel like they are playing the music, and this game did that for me. I wish there are more things you can do besides moving left and right, maybe some sort of power-ups or additional goals to achieve.

great work!

Hi everyone,

My name is Brandon Wu. I decided to quit my job and jump into the world of game development a few months ago and have been having a blast - learning new things and making stuff everyday. I found TIGSource a valuable resource, especially when I need a bit of a motivational boost.

Some of my favorite games: Metal Gear Solid series, Rollercoaster Tycoon, Zelda, Warcraft 3, Half-life series, and TFC! I am sure I missed a bunch important ones, but these are the ones I can think of right now.

I am developing games for the iOS (iPhone, iPad) and have been playing various games on it. The quality really differs, but there are some really cool games on the platform. Mobile gaming is growing fast and it is very indie friendly. Hopefully I'll create games people enjoy on their phones soon!

Cheers~

I've updated the original job posting to reflect changes and also to incorporate suggestions from the forum.

Thank you,
Brandon