UI is nearly fully fleshed out and the menu system is looking awesome… no sneak peeks yet but soon!  Beta invites should go out this week or next.

Tomorrow I will be working on… escalators.  Yes, escalators.

And remember that giraffe game?  Should be out soon.

Busy life.  Happy Cinco de Mayo!

And now, today.

RER refers to Run Elephant Run.

Hedgehog Launch has made it to the iPhone and iPod Touch!  Touched up with a fresh coat of paint the game looks awesome (and it displays really pretty on the iPhone 4 retina screen).  The game is free now, but will probably go back to 99 cents.  It’s all the fun of the Flash version complete with high scores (through game center), multiple endings, and new music.  It’s top 25 in the entire app store for free games as well!  Download now!

Currently we’re updating the iPhone version to v1.1 which will fix a few small issues with the launch version.

My next project is still in sketch mode, but it’s looking like an Elephant title for late-December (or early-January by my punctual schedule).  Still trying to finalize everything but I’m aiming for longer game that includes a few paths of play.  I’ll post more once I get more things ironed out.

And finally, I found a grasshopper in my garden a few nights ago!

•  At the Armor Games office we made a streamer fort for Ian:

•  Flock Together released.  It’s a chill game, about catching birds and flying higher.  Good reception so far.

•  Some press for Treadmillasaurus Rex: Entertainment Weekly, IGN, Kotaku AU

•  Website was updated with a few new features.  I am experimenting with a top-bar image to see how that works, you’ll probably see me messing with it for the next few weeks.  I am also STILL working on the forums.  Software is working, just working on the theme.

•  Here’s some Macro Photography:

•  I finished my 13.1 mile run with Carlie.  I signed up for a full marathon (26.2 miles) next year, get ready to see me in pain!

•  My next game has no animals or blobs in it.  Start wondering.

-J

Bird eating bread picture unrelated.

Edit – July 25

Owen asks: Why do you make some games with elephants?  Is that a stupid question?

No, it isn’t.  Elephants started when I made a random forum post that said “ELEPHANT.” and that was it.  It confused people.  Then others thought I was enthralled with elephants for some reason.  A few months later the website celebrated Elephant Day by bordering the website with little elephants, and the release of Elephant Rave.  I don’t have any good explanation for all of this, but this is where the elephant came from.  He’s made cameos in several games now and continues his book club on Tuesdays.

NitroX72 asks: How do you manage to stay fit enough to run marathons, especially considering that your job is to sit in front of a computer and push buttons for hours on end!

Buttons burn a lot of calories.

I started running and working out last year when I realized I was going to propose to my then girlfriend.  I decided that although I felt stable enough (finally) with my job and such that I was out of shape and not really happy with how I treated my body.  If I was going to commit to taking care of her I had to take care of myself … so I geared up for the goal of running a half-marathon.  I finished too! I work out after the job and on weekends for a few hours. I have another half marathon in a few months.

Einstein1896 asks: I can use flash for animating, and I’m pretty good with some programming languages (basic, etc), but how can I learn to make flash games?

Three good ways… classes, books, and the internet.  Classes are a great tool if you have the chance to take them because they’ll really help you get to what you want to do.  Some community colleges and high schools teach Flash now (mine did).  Books are great for reference, and although they are really dry sometimes they’ll help you out at your own pace.  And of course, the internet is chock full of places to learn Flash programming (check places like kirupa.com).  The internet will also provide many help forums so you can get your tough questions answered.

Jimmy Asks: Dark Cut 4?

Maybe.  I don’t have a good direction for the series quite yet but once I do I’ll consider another.

Orgum Asks: People have been exploiting glitches in Exit Path, like double jumping – do you intend to fix these glitches?

The double-jumping is interesting.  It’s a problem with the tile engine I built and I have actually found the source of the issue, I just haven’t patched the game yet.  Might be something worth investigating soon.

Paula asks: Why aren’t Bagel and Muffin [John's cats] training for the half marathon?

Because they are cats and do not have human length strides.  One John stride equals about 4-5 Muffin strides.  I can’t imagine the cat getting into that much shape to do 13.1 miles.

xXanthx Says: Oh! You bring up a very good point John, how is the new house? Will we get to see pictures? Where is it located?

I haven’t really publicly announced this but Carlie and I purchased our first home.

How’s photography going for you? What lens do you want next?

Good, I just shot my first wedding!  Scary, but I think it turned out real nice.  Next lens I’ll get is one of those nice zoom lenses, 70-300mm so I can take pictures of small things far away.

Cheese Asks: How long has it been since Mr. Rubix sent you that letter? Is tis the future yet?

We haven’t talked recently, and no, none of his time-warping dimensional moments have come true yet.

Edit – July 22

Socisiris asks: First what is your favorite animal? Second is what are you working on right now?  I actually have another question it is how long have you been with armor games?

Elephant of course!  Tapir is a close second, followed be a hedgehog.  I’m working on Achievement Unlocked 2 right now.  I’ve been with Armor Games since 2007, but I have been doing sponsorships since 2004ish.

Xxanthx asks:  On that note, how is Carlie? How are you? How are Muffin and Bagel? We nag you so much about business and making us happy, but you’re a person too, a very interesting person with a very interesting life. So tell us more about yourself!

Carlie is doing well, she’s training for a half marathon right now with me (we’ve run about 5 miles in one go so far!).  Muffin and Bagel are doing well, they are adjusting to life in a new place.

Wire asks:  Will “Red: Part 2″ ever see the light of day? On a related note, have you thought of doing an animation recently?

Red Part 2 has actually been started but has long since been stopped. I just haven’t had the time.  I want to return to animation eventually, just hope I can find some more time.  This year, next year?  Don’t know, but it is on my mind.

Chuck Norris wonders: Will you ever give you characters better graphics? or will we continue to see silouhettes with accessories?

I have teamed up for graphics on some projects before.  Frontier, Super Mafia Land, and other projects have had touches from other developers.  However, when working on my own I try to work in the simplest graphics possible.  There’s reason for this, in that my art style is incredibly simple and heavy on design more than art.  Exit Path guy is an example of this… the man is inspired by simple graphical signs (like crosswalk signs or bathroom signs).  It’s not out of laziness that my work is silouhetted, its just the way I like to work in artwork.

Paula inquires, is Timemu pronounced tim-emu or time-mu?

I didn’t realize the name was pronounced weird until Dan (AG) tried to pronounce it to me.  I pronounce it TIME-mu, not TIM-emu.

Hiperson asks, Do you expect to do more work in the multiplayer department? Will multiplayer in your games ever be available to play on websites besides armorgames?

Yes, of course.  There’s a multiplayer project coming up .  Multiplayer is currently only on Armor Games for a few reasons.  For one, keeping multiplayer on our site means we have control over the file.  Let’s say we launch version 1.0 on our site.  20 sites steal our game.  Now we have 20 sites playing version 1.0.  So now we roll version 1.2.  Now 20 other sites have old versions of our games, doing things differently (possibly with exploits or other bugs).  Keeping it on our site makes updates much easier.  We also have beta features rolling on Armor Games (like login systems and such) which allow us to keep data for you.

For another, multiplayer is offered for free meaning you’re not directly paying for servers and bandwidth for games played (like Xbox Live or other services).  That exclusivity is nice feature for visiting our site.

Besides rave music, what else do you listen to? I would be interested to see what you could do with a game set to classical music.

I don’t listen to rave, honestly.  I listen to reggae and indie music mostly.  Classical music games… Dark Cut 2 and 3 did!

What is the meaning of life and how do your games bring the player closer to understanding the meaning?

42!

Edit – July 20

Bran asks:

Do you see yourself moving to other platforms in the future?

I did take part in some of the artwork of a recent iPhone game, I Love Traffic.  Beyond that, not sure.  I love working in Flash, its the perfect medium for the size games I do.

How much growth has Armor Games seen in the past year?

We’ve seen good growth, as we start to see more growth in areas like social media (Facebook, Twitter) and through highscore/game share features.  Our multiplayer games are taking off too, so lots of interesting things in the works!

Is it difficult to come up with new intellectual properties for your games, or are you easily inspired?

Sometimes.  Most of the time I have at least four or five ideas I want to tackle and I start developing the ideas slowly, emerging with a few strong ones.  Sometimes I have no ideas, and then I start to wonder if I should start making prequels for games (which I don’t think I’ve ever done).

What are your favorite programming languages, other than ActionScript?

I love Basic, way too much fun.  Also, HTML and CSS is fun for me.

Tass Asks: How can I be as awesome as you, John? And where can I find the elephant love of my life?

Why would you want to lower your awesomeness to my level?  Also, I don’t know how to intrepret your second question in a decent way.

Focus Asks:  Why did you change the elephant’s shade? Did her wife’s shade change, too?

Because Elephant pops differently on different backgrounds.  I have problems with the elephant standing out on dark or bright backgrounds so his shade changes slightly per game.  In Obey the Game his shade changed every round.  The original shade is actually very, very dark blue.  Also, his shape and trunk has changed dramatically over the original (much smaller, curved trunk inward towards the front foot).

Matt Asks: How did you get started in the industry?  Where do you think the flash platform is headed?

I started with animation in high school.  Friend has animating a kid floating in an ocean of sewage waste and I wanted to try to do something similar.   I made some simple animations, decided I wanted to be an animator.  After a few stints and film festivals I started to try to advance professionally but realized I didn’t want to do it for a living.  I moved into game development and made it with the Ball Revamped 2 game (2005ish?).  That put me on the board enough to get sponsorships and move onward with development.

Short-term answer to your Flash question is mobile.  Flash is advancing to mobile devices and I think this is a fantastic (and necessary) move.  I have seen Flash running and for the most part it is great on the phone (obviously you need to make games for mobile/computer a bit differently, but overall I like the experience).  The long-term, I’m not sure.  Flash is fairly ingrained in the internet and I like Flash, so hopefully we’ll see Flash start to pick up some more savvy tools for both developers and consumers alike so it can keep its mainstay in the industry.

Redfox552 asks: When is your next game coming out and what will it be about? I think you should make a zombie game! Who here agrees?

I certainly don’t!  I only have one zombie game idea and I have been holding off on it for nearly 3 years now.  It’s my reserve, I don’t think I’ll touch it soon.  My next game coming out is Achievement Unlocked 2.  It’s a broad poking of the entire video game industry.  It may or may not feature a lot of achievements.  It may or may not have elephants.  It may or may not have a hamster wheel.  It may or may not have a spaceship.

Elijah Asks: Will there be a ball revamped 7? On ball revamped 6, at the end there was a text that said “to be continued”, and that was like 3 years ago. When will the 7th come out?

Ball Revamped is a project very close to my heart.  I think it’s a broad overview of where my skills have come in game development.  Each one gets more complex and features more elements, but its interesting… I’m finding that I am moving towards bring the game back to simplicity instead of power ups in the future version.  Ball Revamped 6 is nowhere near development stage, but its absolutely been in brainstorming ever since Ball Revamped 5 released. I won’t start working on this project until I’m 100% ready.

SonicGTR asks:  Will there anything new in regards to Exit Path?

There’s been discussion on a Multiplayer expansion around the Armor Games office.  New Level Cap, Items, Achievements, and more have been brought up.  I’ll have to look into it more after my next few projects.

Diego Ponders: I wouldn’t mind seeing you move to different engine like Unity and such, though that’s a bit far into the future for most game developers, I think the best thing you can do is just get a pencil and a paper and just start jotting down ideas and plots, I’m sure you’ll make something kickass : )

That’s the thing about Unity… I would use it if I had a reason to.  I haven’t ever created a game in real 3D, or can I come up with a concept I would want to build in 3D.  I would really have to come up with a game idea to pursue in 3D.

Win Guy Asks: Is there really any sort of a last room in Llama Adventure, the one indicated on the level map as a “P”? If there is, how do you get to it? And what is the purpose of the sixth five-digit code that you get after you complete the side task on level three?

No, there is not a way to get to the Penthouse.  The purpose of the codes will be revealed in time.

Pablo Asks: What kind of schedule do you have for future development games?

Few games:  Achievement Unlocked 2, Flock (working title), a stealth multiplayer game, and a resource management game (working concept).  This will hold me over until Septemberish.

Josh Says:  When did you first realize you were awesome?  Also, what do you think about open-sourcing all your flash games. That would be my FAVORITE way to learn!

Open-source is scary to me, for several reasons.  First, it’s real easy for someone to take my game, remove the sponsor logo, and add their own logo, republishing it as their own game with no due credit.  I trust people, but I’ve had nearly every game I’ve made ripped apart and edited without my permission (sometimes to earn money off my work).   Sometimes its cool… someone recently made a winamp plugin that’s themed to Elephant Rave.  Most of the time it isn’t… it’s a terrible ripoff game slapped with new logos.  As far as being a game developer working for a company this makes it hard for me to release source without somehow having to compete against my own work.  This even applies to 4-5 year old games that get just a few plays.

xXanthx asks: When will the forums be back?

I’m guessing two weeks.

Once again, it’s a way for me to see how users play games.  I am definitely an arrow key guy, btw.

Game development is so much fun sometimes.  A lot of times it’s a monster rearing its ugly head, but recently I had an opportunity to make This is the Only Level Too, which quite possibly was the most rewarding game development experience I have had of late.

If unfamiliar to the game, its a game about playing the same level over and over again in various forms.  In the first level you may have to push a button to open the door, but in the second pass of the level you’ll have to drag the door open with your mouse.  Each time the level changes just enough within the level design to create a different experience 30 times over for 30 stages.

I worked on this project with a hardcore Flash gamer Tasselfoot, who is maybe better known for making walkthrough videos for various Flash websites and managing the community of the late Flash Flash Revolution.  His position in this project was level design and testing.  I’ll give myself enough credit as to say I was fairly involved in level design as well but it was really his initiative and design that rolled this project along.  I did the programming and the artwork, as well as porting my own homebrew tile engine to Actionscript 3 finally (its been missing in action for a while).

We met in Irvine, CA one day for a grinding section of brainstorming and level design.  Tass came with a general level design (as seen at the top of the post) and together we came up with a good 30 stages.

Post-it Notes are really good for laying out level ideas, and the more and more we looked at each of the levels and progression we got closer and closer to nailing down level design.

It’s a back and forth though.  Some level schemes break other level schemes which means levels are incompatible with each other.  These have to reach compromise or be forfeited.  Luckily we managed to find a median for most level choices.  Levels such as the Ice Level (move in one direction until you hit a wall) nearly dictated the entire design (but we just HAD to have it).

One choice we made was to list all the level design on Google Docs.  With Google Docs you can share information between multiple individuals quite easily.  Since Tass wasn’t onsite for most of the project it was essential that we had a central meeting point to list notes and level progress.  It’s amazing how much incentive to finish a few more levels before the end of the day comes out of simple colour coding of spreadsheet squares.  I was printing out spreadsheets every day to see what my day was shaping up to be.

Tass was constantly testing and providing feedback while I coded, which is different than what I am used to.  Usually it’s a an unaided experience until the last few moments of the project, in which I start getting feedback before features get locked down.  It’s a whole different experience when you are constantly working with a game tester.

There was plenty of research too.  I ran a poll on the website to see who knew what “Sticky Keys” were just to make sure levels were easily understood.  We have an alphabet-based level too, and we went into keyboard layouts to make sure that a good majority of the players could hit the keys for that level (or at least replicate them).

One of the more interesting things are the levels we decided NOT to include. We had planned a Left Gravity level but I decided to nix it towards the end of the project.  Some ideas sound really good on paper but once you realize you have to rewrite your entire character jumping and interaction script it becomes a deadly time sink.  Another level that was modified was the “Rembrandt” level, which we instead went with a fingerpainting-style art (I thought it looked better).  We even had a brown-bag artwork choice for that level that was never implemented.

There are so many tile types in this game.  In the first game every tile functioned the same, but in this game we had a lot of features that relied on changing tile types.  If you’ve played through the game you’ll probably be able to relate all these tiles to those levels.   This was an easy reason why this game took so much longer to produce than its predecessor.

In the end we ended up with a solid 30 stages inside the one level design.

Once again, it was a fun project because its fun level design and programming.  It’s like taking a VW Bug and adding more and more random accessories to it until it has everything including an ejector seat.  I appreciate Tass’s enthusiasm to help me finish the project and work on it with me and I appreciate the warm reception the project has received.

I love fonts and typography.  There’s something so amazing about the power of text in design beyond the meaning and words.  I really love UI and organizing things on screen in meticulous ways and today I have a confession to make: I’m addicted to this font.

There’s something so balanced and eloquent about the font Futura. It conveys modern yet simple typeface and can deliver practical use for most situations in my games.  I’m typically a sans-serif guy and have employed many fonts over the years including Myriad, Helvetica, and Calibri… but these days Futura is fulfilling all my needs.

Here’s as few of my recent games with the font in-use:

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In the end I have come to realize that every game I make seems to adopt a font or two that it persists through the entire game.  As a developer knowing fonts is crucial to changing a tone or style to a game.  When I want to go cruise control with a good, balanced, well-rounded font it doesn’t seem to get any better than this.

Oh, and in case you are wondering… yes, I do dislike Comic Sans (purely from overuse, not from its actual style) but I have more of a qualm from Impact (purely from misuse, it’s like a world where everyone types in Caps Lock).

Click Here for Full Size

Today I recorded where my mouse went.  Thanks to a small program by anatoliy_zenkov, a fine six hours of programming and art mouse work went documented.  I have discovered several things… first that I open my Spaces a lot to tab to other programs, and that I open the Adium program a lot to IM.  I also tend to tab a whole lot between my different Actionscript windows (a bit tricky to see with these grey paths but its clearly visible since you can’t read the tab names).  The dots on the screen are moments when my cursor is idle, so can see a lot of places where I clicked the Actionscript window and just left the cursor there while I typed things out.

I’ll do it again another day to see if similar results occur.

Have a good weekend!

I have just spend 20 minutes rewriting the same paragraph over and over again about why I like this game, but I feel like I can’t really put my finger on it.  It’s that strange mixture of the unnecessary, random events, artwork, and strange button programming.  The graphics are bitmap and look like they were drawn in MS Paint even though they could have easily been drawn in Flash.

I don’t know.  I just had to beat it and it felt good to conquer this game.  And the ending was marvelous.

I am inspired (and once again, I don’t know why).