Slay Zombies in
DAYBRINGER Plus an interview with the developer!
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Pages!
Table of Contents Games Hellbound..………………………………………….….... Shooting Star Saga…….….………………………….... The Misadventure of Melon……………...…………..... Robot Champions……………………………………..... Electro Ride………….…………...……………………... Sparklite……………………………………………….…. Daybringer……………………………………………….. Bloody Rally Show…………………………………….... Raji: An Ancient Epic…………………………………....
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Interviews Shooting Star Saga - Kelyn Crandall...……………...... The Misadventure of Melon - Rhys Anderson……...... Robot Champions - Andrew Bennison…………….….. Electro Ride - Sylwester Osik…………...…….………. Sparklite - Lucas Rowe…………………………………. Daybringer - Sam Lopez....…………………………….. Bloody Rally Show - Tomas Varaneckas..…………....
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Indie Gamer TV It’s been 12 months! This is issue #12 and features 52 pages, that’s 16 more than normal! Discover more games, read more developer interviews and more! Follow along a great timeline of the last year, from the Kickstarter to the recent launch of “Indie Gamer TV”! Read a special article all about the Kickstarter itself and remember to order your 1-year bundle today! There’s a lot I wanted to fit into this month’s issue, but let me start off by again telling you about “Indie Gamer TV”! It is available for free on YouTube and will be a weekly show following the same vein as this very magazine. Each episode there will be 3 featured independent titles and a Skype interview with developers. I’m choosing to pursue this route as video is a more in demand medium and I will be able to reach more people and build a larger presence by doing so. If you’ve been following along on Facebook, as most of you have, you probably already know that my main focus will be on this new video content. As for the actual magazine, I believe I’ve come to the decision that this will be a quarterly magazine adding onto the show. It will contain more interviews not seen in the show, have more articles, fun graphics, fan submissions and more things I haven’t included or tried in the magazine yet. I’m keeping the magazine because I know there’s still a demand for it and I can’t give it up entirely. I believe doing it quarterly will allow me to really focus on “Indie Gamer TV”, providing great content and allow me to edit effectively while working on the magazine in between. Information about subscriptions and purchases will be coming soon as I continue to work it out.
I want to thank everyone who has been involved in pledging to the Kickstarter a year ago, subscribers, family, and friends who have supported me, and even if someone only bought 1 issue, everyone who has had anything to do with the magazine has had a deep impact on me and my life the last year. Before I began the magazine, the company I worked for had just shut down and sent several people back home, some across the state lines. I considered myself fortunate I was close to my home filled with a supportive girlfriend and the two cutest little girls I could have ever imagined. This lit a fire under my butt to figure something out and test my limits. It didn’t take long before I realized what I wanted to do and for the most part, this magazine has supported me, with the help of some part-time hours. It’s been an incredible journey and one I will never forget, I’m proud to say that when I’m older and look back at my life, I will have taken a chance to pursue something I truly love. Stay connected on Facebook and Instagram, @indiegamermag. Be sure to head over to YouTube and subscribe as well! In the following weeks, I will be detailing more information about where and how to subscribe or stay subscribed to the magazine. I will see you around social media, and see you again in the next edition. Thank you.
Jeff Porter Creator / Editor of The Indie Gamer
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Want To See Your Game In Here? Want your game to be in our next issue? Please reach out to as at Jeffporter@indiegamermag.com We can set up an interview or include your game and progress. We can’t get to every game every month but we love hearing from developers about their projects!
Cover This month’s cover is from Sparklite
All images used within are from Independent developers and belong to their creators.
NEW AvailablE Now!
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From Cover #1, To Episode #1 By Jeff Porter
“Hellbound” will forever have a special place in my heart, as when I approached Tobias Rusjan and the team at Saibot Studios about being featured in a new, upcoming magazine about indie games were more than generous to accept my offer. Very simply they could have said no, and ignored the opportunity but they took a chance with something new and became my very first cover page, as well as my first interview. It was also a no brainer that my first episode of “Indie Gamer TV” feature their game again, as after one year of development it has changed and become even better. “Hellbound” has a free-to-play survival mode available on Steam right now, and their campaign mode is set to release this year. It has been on my list of games for a very long time and after the last year of anticipation, I
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cannot wait to see the finished product. To get a taste of what “Hellbound” is going to offer, you should definitely go download the survival mode right now. You are Hellgore. You're as badass Kratos, and have more ammo than Rambo! Your only goal in life is to slay these demons from Hell and look cool doing it. And, sound cool. You gotta sound cool doing it. That’s why Saibot Studios (who received the Unreal Dev Grant Recipient (June 2018) recruited voice actor Artie Widgery (Lord of the Rings Online, Cabela's Big Game Hunter) to lend his deep, brawny voice as Hellgore. All animation was captured using motion capture technology. The user interface is very reminiscent of the era as well, displaying the character's face at the bottom, getting beaten
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and bruised the more damage you take. Enemy corpses will remain on the ground until you destroy them, and the amazing title and menu screens will take you straight back to when you were playing “Doom”. You'll be able to cycle through many different weapons, including shotguns that shoot multiple rounds, rocket launchers, a spiked club, and much more. There will be items spread around like ammo and health boosts as well as power-ups! Power-ups can be used to boost different stats for 30 seconds. Hell damage increases damage dealt by three times and automatically breaks enemies upon death! Hell speed doubles your movement speed and increases your attack speed for 30 seconds. Last but not least, Hell skin reduces damage by 90 percent and you can cause no self-inflicted damage for 30 seconds.
With recent revamps like “Doom” and “Wolfenstein” now is the perfect time for Hellbound to get all the glory it deserves. Head over and pre-order the campaign on their website now, and head over to test our your survival skills and shoot some stuff in the face until then. Show Saibot Studios the love they deserve
NEW IN DEVELOPMENT
A Procedurally Generated Fantasy By Jeff Porter
he role-playing genre seems generally set in their ways and how studios go about creating them. We all know the basics, create a huge world map filled with cities and mountains. Add in NPC’s across all the villages and farms with additional quests, and of course, creatures and monsters around every corner. A tried and proven formula that has worked for decades with little new features or changes. Why fix what’s not broken may be going through your head right now, and while it is a formula that gets results, adding or creating new
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features doesn’t have to ruin the original. This is precisely what “Shooting Star Saga” looks to do. The world of “Shooting Star Saga” will be constantly shifting and changing based around your interactions with the land, NPCs, and the different societies. The world around you is procedurally generated and will always be something new and exciting. Not only is the land around you constantly changing, but there’s also a dynamic NPC feature that gives them a mind of their own! These NPCs don’t just offer you generalized fetch and farm quests, but each has their own unique motives behind what they need to be done, whether it’s killing a group of bandits or a corrupt
politician. Be aware of their requirements as well, if you just throw it into your side quests and forget about it for a while, they may forget about you! These quests won’t last forever and if you don’t return with results they may find another adventurer to do it, or end up just doing it themselves. Travel around and gain reputation as an adventurer by helping said NPCs, or if combat’s not your thing, simply sell your trade skills to the highest bidder. There’s something for everyone to do and achieve in “Shooting Star Saga”. Trade information between factions, scam townspeople out of their money, become a healer, alchemists or even your own
trader! There is no shortage of content for whichever style you choose to play and this leads to a ton of different custom options and ways to play and progress through the game. If you are a noble warrior or keen mage however, there’s plenty of bandits and monsters that need your attention! Players can create their own spells, enchant weapons and armor and lead the charge against these dark foes. The progression system is deep and robust as well, with a giant “Path of Exile” inspired perk tree that will also lead to deep character customization to ensure there are no two players completely alike! In “Shooting Star Saga” every
island, character, quest, deity, and piece of history is procedurally generated and features simulated governments, societies, and economies. It may seem like a lot to take in at once but you are guaranteed to never be bored! With so much to do, players will have complete freedom to progress through the game as they see fit. Whether by a simple trader looking to make his next sale or a noble warrior set for fame, “Shooting Star Saga” will have it for you!
INTERVIEW
Kelyn and Corbin From
Shooting Star Saga Q.) "Shooting Star Saga" is a very ambitious title, how long has the work been going on behind the scenes before it was set in motion? A.) “Shooting Star Saga” was a project the two of us had been thinking about a lot independently before we met at our college. We started talking about video games and found we had the same vision for a procedurally generated fantasy RPG around November 2017, and almost immediately after that, we started shaping the game that became “Shooting Star Saga”. Q.) "Shooting Star Saga" will feature a unique skill's tree for
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players to follow, will there also be classic RPG classes to choose from? A.) It isn't in our plan to include classes as they appear in “Dungeons and Dragons” or earlier Elder Scrolls titles, but specialization will still be possible through a large, interconnected skill tree, a bit like “Path of Exile's”. A player who wants to focus their character on magic, or stealth, or melee combat will still be able to do so. We decided not to go with a class-based system because it can be limiting to a player who wants to explore the game's mechanics before settling on a build for their character, or to a player who wants to roleplay
gradual development of their character. Q.) While a classic style RPG, has there been any discussion/plans for co-op/multiplayer in the future? A.) We're not currently planning on adding multiplayer features to the base game. However, the game will be highly moddable, so something like “Skyrim Together” or OpenMW Multiplayer (for “Morrowind”) will be possible.
Q.) With every island, quest, and NPC procedurally generated, what is the "end game" for a player? Or can it go on forever? A.) We think of “Shooting Star Saga” as an avenue for storytelling; the player's character is their way to interact with that story. When a character reaches their end, the story continues, with the effects of their actions still persisting within the game world. The player can then create a new character whose story will take place in the same world. Q.) Can you tell us more about your unique quest system and the lack of boring fetch/clear quests? A.) We designed the quest system to generate interesting stories, rather than just to extend play time. The NPC's themselves are active agents in the world, so they always have a purpose when they ask the player for help. Any situation where an NPC asks help from the player will feel realistic rather than phony and will have a tangible motive. Also, the player's character is just like any other in the world, so they won't be the only one completing quests. The player may find themselves trying to complete an objective that another NPC party is already working towards, or doesn't want them to complete. Q.) Could a player progress through the game without ever engaging in battle? (scamming townspeople and tradeskills) A.) It sort of depends on what your definition of "progress" is. If you want to roleplay a peaceful craftsman or trader, you can
certainly do that. There will be plenty of quests that don't require combat or dungeon crawling. The player can still progress skills like cooking, fishing, commerce, pickpocketing, or healing magic without ever entering combat, while still meaningfully interacting with the world's story. Q.) What are your biggest inspirations behind "Shooting Star Saga"? A.) Kelyn: I definitely took a lot of inspiration from “Dwarf Fortress”, “Unreal Tournament”, and “Delver”. I like how open-ended and interactive “Dwarf Fortress” is, and I also like how responsive the combat is in “Unreal Tournament” and “Delver”, and I've always wanted to incorporate those two aspects into a single game. Corbin: I've always been a huge fan of fantasy games like “Dwarf Fortress” and “The Legend of Zelda” series, as well other classic Western and Japanese RPGs. The idea of exploring a living and breathing world through a game has always fascinated me since I was a kid. Actually, one of the biggest impacts on me in that regard has been “Runescape” (as it was from around 2004-2010). Apart from video games, Tolkien's “Middle Earth” and “Terry Pratchett's Discworld” series have been two really awesome worlds that have always captivated me. Q.) What's been the biggest hurdle thus far and how did you overcome it? A.) Corbin: Some of the biggest challenges so far have probably been from the beginning stages of
development. Discovering what does and does not work for our game could definitely be difficult during the initial period where we were playing around with artstyle, mechanics, and design. The amount of work and research the two of us have done to create a functional and effective image for what we want our game to be has paid off though, it's become easier and easier to make assets and design parts of the game world that feel appropriate. Kelyn: There are a lot of challenges to overcome when designing and creating a procedural world that is interesting for the player and that NPC's can have agency in. Even seemingly simple tasks like creating a building that has a place in the world and that NPC's can navigate and associate meaning with is difficult in a procedural context, but we're learning and inventing new ways to overcome those hurdles, and I'm proud of what we have and will accomplish. Q.) What does it mean to you to be an independent developer? A.) To us, being an independent developer means making games that a community of passionate people will enjoy, not answering to publishers or businessmen, and having the freedom to make new and innovative things.
NEW IN DEVELOPMENT
Beat Em’ Up With Your Pet Dug! By Jeff Porter
Have you ever had the hankering to play as a Yeti and just beat up stuff? Maybe you have, maybe not but one thing is for sure, you can now! “The Misadventure of Melon” is a side-scrolling, beat em up where you play as the yeti fitly named, Melon. An evil has come over the land and has corrupted all the living creatures, and has captured your friends! It’s up to you to smash your way through each level and boss fight to rescue your friends and restore the land back to normal. The levels are beautiful, 2D hand-drawn and feature hand-drawn animation as well! It definitely shows the artists passion and ability as you wander through basing enemies in the face. The results are fluid and smooth and simply look great! These were achieved drawing on a
"Cintiq 27 Q HD, which is a drawing monitor. It is basically a 27" tv that can be drawn directly on with a special pen”, 14
according to creator Rhys Anderson. Venture through a single player campaign that will have you follow the story of the evil, and rescue your friends. There is also a collection of multiplayer mini-games that you will be able to take part in while you're taking a break from the main campaign mode. Throughout your campaign, you will find several collectibles which you will use to restore health, increase health, purchase things from the in-game shop and more. As well as the collectibles, there are apparently a plethora of secrets the player will be able to uncover.
If you find your first campaign run too simple, however, there is a different challenge mode that will add some difficulty to your life. Tougher enemies, stronger bosses and less collectibles to help upgrade Melon. If you’re a hardcore player, go for it and let us know what you think! I’ll be staying in the normal realm. Join Melon on his quest alongside his pet, Dug, and attempt to rescue your friends in “The Misadventure of Melon.” This will be available on Windows in the Steam store, and Itch.io. Follow them on Facebook to stay up to date on the progress and start training now so you can keep up with a Yeti!
INTERVIEW
Rhys Anderson of
Misadventure of Melon Q.) What kind of collectibles can players unlock and how?
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A.) There are plenty of collectibles throughout the game such as watermelon, coins, Golden melon pieces and hats. All collectibles serve a purpose such as a watermelon heals you, coins can be used to buy things in the shops to help you progress, Golden melon pieces extend your maximum health and hats let you customize your characters look and almost serve as trophies to show off on your character.
helps balance the game for younger players making it slightly easier the more you play. The level system is capped so you cannot be overpowered. If this makes the game too easy for other players then we have that covered too. We have a hard mode in the game that gets rid of checkpoints and doubles the final bosses health to add a challenge for those hardcore players. Players will also be rewarded with extra hats showing up in the shops and the best cosmetic item for completing the game too.
Q.) Melon can level up with experience, what does this do for a player?
Q.) Will we be able to purchase possible upgrades/unlockables with the coins collected?
A.) Melon will level up by gaining experience from defeating enemies and will gain more strength from doing so. This
A.) Upgrades & unlockables are available by collecting the coins found by defeating enemies, bashing objects, in bonus levels
and finding secrets. These coins can be spent in stores that are between levels that hold at leased one power-up/upgrade and a hat. An additional hat will be added if the level had been completed in hard mode. The different upgrades can help you through your journey by doing things such as having your pet (Dug) pick up coins when in a certain radius so you do not have to frantically run around before the coins de-spawn. This is not the only upgrade that applies to Dug, there is also a upgrade that makes Dug bark when they are near a secret to give you a hint that something can be done around that area but this does not work for all secrets. Upgrades for Melon can be used to unlock hats in previous areas such as using a boomerang to hit an eyeball that hides when you get too close or
using a bag slam to knock down an egg to land on your head. There is also a roll dodge move to allow you to dodge attacks which is helpful for the bosses as they have attacks that can cover a large portion of the screen. Q.) Players can engage in multiplayer games, what games are available and are there also secrets to be found there? A.) Not long after the game is out there will be FREE DLC which i think is important to do as it was planned to be in the game from the start but was later removed to be properly implemented and made properly. The DLC is a take on some of the bonus levels with added scoreboards and local multiplayer interactions as we want people to have the option to experience at leased a part of the game together. Although there are no secrets or collectibles to be unlocked in these bonus levels there is scoreboards for people to compete against one another. Q.) "The Misadventure of Melon" features hand-drawn art and animation, what was this process like and what does it mean to you? A.) The art and animation is made on a "Cintiq 27 Q HD" which is a drawing monitor. It is basically a 27" tv that can be drawn directly on with a special pen. This allows for all the animation and art to be hand drawn in without having to use a mouse which can make art seem made almost by a robot as that usually makes the art too clean cut and can often rely too much on simple shapes and struggles to carry any personality in my opinion. I think that it was important for me to use the
hand-drawn style because I think even flaws can add personality and bring things to life. I have always been a fan of cartoon animation and wanted to carry the same practices to the games I work on to add that little personal touch. Q.) What's been the biggest hurdle in development and how did you overcome it? A.) The biggest hurdle whilst working on the game is the software and coding language i have been using to create the game. I used a free release of flash that Adobe released a while ago but this came with some disadvantages such as having to use the old scripting language (Actionscript 2.0) and the limitations of flash in general. I had to come up with a lot of different ways to even be able to run the game such as splitting the levels into separate files that get loaded in dynamically and i also had to build my own projector to be able to have the game compatible with steam. Flash can not handle too much at a time so i had to optimize the game a lot for it even to run on the lowest settings. The only game i can compare to my game is the original version of "The binding of Issac" as it used the same engine and programming language but had a third party projector to run the game. Making the projector i use was one of the biggest hurdles i have done during my time as an indie developer. The first prototype took about 2 years to figure out how to make and even had to be ported to several programming languages to get it to work with steam and Actionscript 2.0. It took a lot of digging into the
history of how people made things like game trainers and hacks for games and was made using outdated software and really old methods but was deferentially worth the time invested to create the custom projector. Q.) What are your inspirations behind "The Misadventure of Melon"? A.) A lot of 80s arcade beat em up games come to mind when I was referencing how things should work and really helped inspire the main gameplay and style of the game. The art and animation were inspired by "Dan Paladin" who worked on a more recent beat em up game called "Castle Crashers". I spent a lot of time playing this game as it gave me nostalgia and the same amount of fun as the arcade games and my favorite beat em up "Golden Axe". I played a lot of the popular beat em ups such as the Simpsons arcade game and turtles in time but "Golden Axe" stuck with me because i played it the most. Q.) What does it mean to you to be an independent developer? A.) As an indie developer, I think smaller teams/solo developers are important as there is a bigger chance that everyone working on projects are doing it mainly out of love and can really see there opinions and designs shine through in there work. Larger teams usually seem to lose this as they work on things in small pieces so its hard to see themselves within the project as a whole and can alienate them from associating themselves with the project so i think making the project your own is super special.
NEW IN DEVELOPMENT
3! 2! 1! Fight! By Jeff Porter
veryone wants to fight robots, I’m pretty sure it’s just in our blood. Shows like “BattleBots” has been around for years and allows people to create their very own killing Roombas and duke it out in a barricaded arena filled with traps and fire. Now you don’t have to be a mechanical genius to make your own bot and battle it around the world! You can do so from the safety of your own home and only have to worry about smack talkers online. Take control of your own fighting robot in a battle to the death, in “Robot Champions”! “Robot Champions” is developed by Prospect Games and has a ton of great features that will have you battling your way through bots in no time. Choose from the selection of pre-made bots with special weapons, advantages, and disadvantages and take to special arenas to duke it out! Be aware of your surroundings, however, as
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each arena has multiple traps around like hammers that strike down to smash your bot apart, tiles of the floor will begin to give way and hydraulic springs that will hit you with speed and power! Play single or multiplayer, but first, let me tell you about the single-player adventure. There are numerous ways to progress through the game, you can take part in challenges, tournaments and even the story mode, where you take your little bot and together become number one in the world! This mode is great and fun to play against the AI, but once you’ve mastered the controls and are feeling confident in your abilities, it’s time to take it over to multiplayer modes! Multiplayer features an online world to fight through or even local co-op with up to 6 people! In online modes, you can create custom games, enter online tournaments against other players and rank up through the world. This is where you’ll truly test your skills to see if your bot measures
up to other players. The ability to play local co-op is not to be forgotten though. As I’ve mentioned before, this is not to be taken lightly in today’s online world. A lot of games don’t even offer the option anymore, or even the ability to play the story mode without an internet connection! Play your buddies for bragging rights or who is gonna buy the first round on the next night out. Perhaps the only thing that is holding “Robot Champions” back at the moment is the lack of robot customization, though it is planned! As of now, there are 1,000s of skins, antennas, and other appearance options but the chance to build your own bot with specific weapons and armor isn’t ready yet. That’s no reason to worry though, “Robot Champions” is scheduled for release in 2020 so there is plenty of time for the addition. There is also some talk on their social media pages about possibly introducing an arena editor as
well. While this may be speculation at the moment it is a very cool feature that I think would add that little extra to an already exciting title. “Robot Champions” is planned to release on both console and PC, so be prepared to take your bot to the top!
INTERVIEW
Andrew Bennison Of
Robot Champions Q.) What are the plans for bot customization and progression? A.) We are going to try to do both. So at the moment, yeah, it's very much like a hero system where you choose a robot, you can tweak some of its stats, give it perks, changes, cosmetic. I give it fun antennas and whatnot. And beyond that, we are actually, right now prototyping not just a robot builder, but also an arena builder. And that would let people basically choose from predesigned chassis weapons wheels and combined them in different ways. Same with the arenas. So there'd be different floor pieces at different hazards, wall pieces, and backgrounds, lighting, all that kind of stuff. So we wanted the game to be very configurable, but in a way that's also very accessible and that's really beneficial to a design ethos. We tried to weed through every aspect of the game. So you should be able to pick up and play as a robot. Within 10 seconds, you should be able to pick up the arena builder and immediately start placing blocks down, pick up the robot builder and start attaching wheels to a chassis. So we're, we're trying to avoid anything, anything close to simulation territory. We're really trying to make an arcade game that's very fun, very picnic and
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playable and it, and just intuitive. Like you shouldn't have to watch a tutorial or look up a Wikipedia to figure out how the, how any aspects of our game works. It should just be obvious from the get-go. Q.) How will the different perks for your robots work? A.) At the moment they started with perks and skills and we're probably gonna keep it that way when we're not a big fan of the concepts of, of locking kinds of core gameplay features like robots or abilities or in a thing behind either progress walls or paywalls. I, especially as an online game, I don't, I don't think that kind of methods particularly suits, you know, especially in, in the online game. In terms of the system itself. Yeah, it's something that we're, we're, we're adapting and working on a sort of, sort of an in-progress feature, but the perks basically let you apply different modifies to your robot. So and things that upgrade its base stats. So say like giving extra armor, actual weapon damage or reducing the cooldown on your weapon. There's a whole range of things that we're trying out at the moment. differently Q.) How many bots and arenas are there planned?
A.) So at the moment, we've got over 10 robots and over 10, not necessarily in the Pre-alpha that's playable in all for about discord, but behind the scenes at the office and with our testing groups. Yeah, we've got at a 10, ultimately we'd like to be hitting a lot more than that a lifetime. I couldn't even put a number on it if things go well. We want to keep adding, arenas, hazards, robots, all sorts of features till the cows come home. But we, we'd very much like to launch with, with the sort of solid 10 to 20 a figure for both of those categories for the actual game launch. Definitely. Q.) What's been the biggest hurdle in development and then how did you overcome it? A.) I'd say the biggest hurdle has been funding the operation. And it's not necessarily certainly not a hurdle we've overcome. I guess we're in mid-leap and we'll see how things go over the next couple of weeks. A month. Yeah, definitely funding. I mean titles, like “Unbox”, were extremely expensive to make and it ended up paying off. But yeah, there were colossal risks involved. And you make making high-quality independent games in 2019 is very different to, you know, making, doing these kinds of things in 2009 like the bar has been raised
so incredibly high. And the such a blurring of the lines in terms of, yeah, what is AA in India, it doesn't really matter anymore. People might be an EA originals title and compare it to something that we're making, you know, entirely self-funded and consider them actively the, you know, at the same level. Q.) What does it mean to you to be an independent developer? A.) I guess into, in 2019. I'm not really too sure because you know, you've got so many people describing themselves as, as independence when they're really not. You know, the teams have like a hundred people that publish a backing. So to me, independent, I'd say what we're doing at Prospect is independent. You know, we've got a small office, a handful of employees. You know, we all wear multiple hats and we, you know, we're on the grind everyday sort of just to try and get through the next month, let alone actually getting our game finished. So to me being independent is, is taking colossal risks. Both, you know, financial and you know, mental, you know, investing yourself entirely into a venture that nobody else would ordinarily back or be a part of because you have some kind of belief that it's going to be
successful or it's going to be rewarding in some way when it is finally complete. So, so yeah, to me, being independent is truly taking gigantic risks with, with no real tangible evidence or loose evidence that things are actually going to go well for you.
NEW IN DEVELOPMENT
A Flashy, Neon Race!
By Jeff porter
n an alternate timeline of history, socialism hasn’t fallen and is still prominent in the former Eastern Bloc. A new form of entertainment has thus shined through, literally. At night the streets and cars flood the moonlit sky with bright and colorful neon. Exclusive night racing is the biggest thing to hit the area and people from all walks of life compete in it, from blue collar workers to rich and powerful company CEOs. These races are heavily televised and broadcasted throughout the area and other countries. Everyone is going crazy for the blaze of colors, the roar of engines, the untamed power, and adoration of the crowds. The cars themselves are only models from the 1980s, in appearance that it. They are retrofitted with powerful engines and bright neon lights to stand out. The powerful corporation in charge of the new event has dubbed it Electro Ride!
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You play as an amateur who belongs to no team, no affiliation, just someone trying to make something of themselves. You may not have much but you have a car and a track you know like the back of your hand. Begin your first race, earn your first qualification, then race against a large team before you can finally challenge the leader. This is how it all starts, begin your career here. Afterward, there are more tracks, larger than life opponents, new cars, exciting cities and even bigger teams to take down. Each race will, of course, be unique, with special nitro zones, bonuses, special prizes and course records to beat! Race through brightly colored lanes for quick boosts of speed, crash through different bonuses and beat your opponents all at the same time, while experiencing the bright, neon lights across the city.
Win races and challenges to keep your star rising. Complete almost all of the challenges and unlock the biggest one of all, compete against a professional team that is sponsored by none other than the Russian corporation themselves. Beating them in their own town, on their own streets will be the ultimate slap in the face and a surefire way to superstardom. Electro Ride is a brilliant racing game set in an alternate history that is appealing to not just the eyes but racing fans as well. In fact, if you’re one of those people who have a steering wheel control for racing games, this is probably the best feature for you. Electro Ride will be compatible on not just keyboard, but with a gamepad or, you guessed it, steering wheel control!
Electro Ride is planned for release later this year but you can still head over to Steam right now and add them to your wish list. Stay notified and get a message when the game is available for purchase!
Gameplay Modes: • Career - you start as an amateur, then a professional, to finally challenge a champ • Quick race - training and breaking records, available unlocked tracks and cars • Split screen – a multiplayer mode for two players to race and beat the record
INTERVIEW
Sylwester Osik of
Electroride Q.) How many tracks/cars are available for players to unlock through challenges?
cars which shape was inspired in huge part on classic models of cars produced in a given country.
A.) In our game is going to be a total of 20 cars to ride on 10 tracks.
Q.) "ElectroRide" features models of classic 80's cars. What was this process like and how did you achieve it?
The game gives the opportunity to unlock 5 futuristic capitals inspired by the architecture of selected countries of the Eastern Bloc. They are filled with clear influences of modernist trends, socialist realism, and brutalism. I mean gray concrete house units and neons, a lot of neons. We also used some social realism sculpture-monuments inspired by authentic monuments of communism period. In each city, there are 2 tracks available in 2 directions. After defeating the best driver in the city, the player gains another 4
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A.) Once upon a time I’ve been told: If You want to make a good game, you have to make a game about what you really love, what you know from the inside. It just doesn’t work if little indie studio tried to go by trends and demand. According to work with passion, we are able to show the most important things in this field, we are able to make interesting mechanics around this. Those mechanics can give us away from all the feelings and story that we want to show. I am familiar with old cars. I restored Polski Fiat
125p, and I did it by myself. For a long time, I wanted to play a game - a racing game that you can drive one of these classic cars from our region. In this game, we want to show people our motorization. We want them to find out why we have a fondness for them. And these cars also have their place in the history of racing. When we wanted to have good quality engine sound, Dawid W. Mika put some microphones to my Fiat and recorded engine riding around the city by night, that's the sounds, which players would hear through their own rides, almost like with us. During the development process, we added most interesting (in our point of view) cars of Eastern Block. Q.) Can you tell us about the Soundtrack for "ElectroRide" and
why it was important for you to add? A.) Film without music isn’t the same. Same with games. The soundtrack in “ElectroRide” is a neon socrealistic synthwave. So a mixture of different styles from the borderline of the melodious retro wave with a hint of folk music. Mix matching graphic. Each city has its own dedicated musical theme. It helps to bring the pace of the game and bring the player into the rhythm and the seriousness of the race. When Maciej Kulesza composing them, he put a lot of emphasis on dynamic switching of individual layers of music. Thanks to this, music reacts to how you drive a car and boosts the impression of momentum. Even the looped tracks sound different each time and they don’t bored so quickly with the next approach to the race. Q.) What's been the biggest hurdle in development and how did you overcome it? A.) Life. And also a lack of time. And I'm still not as good at it, as I wonder. With every step, I see a new thing, which I need to learn to be good at. We create the game after hours so I have a lot of overworked evenings and days off work. Fortunately, Robert and Wojciech Miedziocha have been working on the visual sphere for over a year, thanks to them the game has taken on colors. And in June, Piotr Urbański - an experienced programmer will join us, so I won’t be alone anymore and I would have more time for my family and friends. Q.) What are your biggest inspirations behind creating "ElectroRide"?
A.) It began with a chase in the movie "Le Casse" from 1971, thanks to it I thought it was a great topic for the game. Later there were Polish films from the '80s, mainly due to my passion for motoring from those years. There, I found a lot of inspiration for the decor of our maps. Synthwave music videos, pop music covers from the '70s and' 80s and propaganda posters brought quite a lot to the game climate. We also take a lot of inspiration from local folklore, the more knowledgeable ones will certainly find it. The solutions related to vehicle physics were patterned on "Forza Horizon 3", and the track pacing was inspired by the "Wipeout" series. The story for singleplayer, which will be the reason to visit the next tracks, is a typical "From zero to hero" present in the anime "Initial D". Q.) What does it mean to you to be an independent developer? A.) Its freedom in choices. I decide when and what to code, how my project gonna looks like, and how its gonna work.But it is also a difficult work: managing tasks, watching deadlines. I am also doing guerilla marketing in the meantime. Coding of course. Fortunately I am not alone in this project.
NEW IN DEVELOPMENT
Sparklite
Renew Your Life Force Today! By Jeff Porter eet Ada, a brilliant engineer, and pilot who is thrust into a new land and world by a strange storm. When she awakens from this new death experience she has lost her robot companion, who she learns has been taken hostage by The Baron, a sinister being who is actively attempting to take over the world, or destroy it to create his own. Ada is now the only thing standing between The Baron and his attempt to mine out all of the Sparklite of the world. Start your adventure by saving your friend, but by the end of it, you’ll be the biggest hero in the world. Let’s experience the world of
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“Sparklite”. “Sparklite” is a top-down, action-adventure game developed by Red Blue Games for PC, Mac, and console with plans to release Fall of this year. Though all the art in “Sparklite” is 2D, you will move through the 3D world as you meet new characters, discover chests and fight off enemies. Venture through the gorgeous, procedurally generated world on your quest to stop The Baron from mining all of the Sparklite from the world’s core. What is Sparklite though? Sparklite is the life force of the planet. The inhabitants have learned how to channel it for their own gain, now though, The Baron
looks to completely mine out all of the Sparklite Core to destroy these lands and create his own to rule over. It can be harnessed for power, or consumed for a powerful burst of power that will have irrevocable ramifications. As he extracts the Sparklite, he burns it to fuel his machines of war and keep on his dark crusade. Resources are running low and the pollution from his numerous machines are poisoning the world and turning animals into ferocious beasts. The Baron has set up mining camps all across the lands extracting Sparklite and now Ada is dropped in the middle of this. She cannot stand by idly while this mad man consumes the world.
Take control of Ada with her robot companion and venture zone to zone taking out the mining encampments and restore balance to the world. Fight the Titans of the mining industry with a large selection of gadgets, guns, and gear with great action mechanics and battles. You won’t be completely alone in your eort, however, as the Sparklite does possess a natural defense for itself. Periodically the core causes a disruption that rearranges the world as you know it and sets The Baron's progress back just enough to give you a chance at defeating him. The power is in your hands now. Gather your gadgets and weaponry and defeat the
monstrous Baron before he completely drains the life force from the planet.
INTERVIEW
Lucas Rowe of
Sparklite
generated so players will end up seeing new arrangements every run. Since the biome gets
Q.) Can you tell us about our hero
learns that her friend is alive, but
regenerated each time the world
Ada, and why she's taking a stand
has been taken hostage by the
fractures there will always be new
against The "Baron"?
Baron and his gremlin Foremen.
puzzles and secrets to discover.
Ada ventures out to save her
Some rewards will be permanent,
friend from the clutches of The
which means players will
Baron’s henchmen, knowing that
maintain a good amount of
she’ll need to become much
progress, even when they are
stronger if she’s ever going to
“knocked out” during a run.
A.) Ada is a genius engineer and pilot from another land, attempting to circumnavigate the world alongside her trusty robot companion. When a strange storm compromises her gyrocopter, she barely escapes, leaving her robot companion to go down with the ship. When she awakens in this
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world, which is procedurally
new land, she
succeed. Q.) How many zones are there for
Q.) "Sparklite" features a bright
players to explore, and will they
and colorful art style, can you tell
change as the game progresses?
us a little about the process and
A.) There are five biomes in the
why you chose this style?
A.) We initially chose pixel art
heightmaps, and identifying
able to partner with Merge
because, being a team of
problematic design that needed to
Games. Creating Sparklite itself
programmers by trade, we felt it
be avoided. Ultimately the
has felt much more like being an
was an achievable style to do
solution we have feels pretty good
indie band than a business, where
in-house. We had a good sense of
and allows us to generate worlds
the product being produced is
the tone we wanted for the game’s
that have several heights, which is
tightly associated with who
art; bright, whimsical, colorful.
awesome.
creates it. One of the great things
But when we started doing our main character, we realized we’d need some help fleshing out the style further to give our world and characters the personality we wanted them to have. Eventually we found Anders Gullmsarsvik on Twitter who really helped define the toony style we landed on. Since then, we found other amazing artists like Rafael Françoi (@rathaelos) and @Enchae to help out full-time. Sometimes it feels like insane luck that we have been able to find such talented people from around the world to work on Sparklite. Q.) What's been your biggest hurdle in development and how did you overcome it? A.) There are so many hurdles to indie gamedev it’s hard to pick just one! One of the bigger hurdles has been our use of a fake 3D perspective. Sparklite is a top-down 2D game but players can move in 3d space. Allowing movement up and down in height meant having to implement a way of tracking the player’s movement along the Z. Not to get in the weeds but doing that required a ton of crazy math, implementing
Q.) What are your inspirations behind "Sparklite"? A.) Sparklite began as a story about greed and corruption, inspired by the Gilded Age, when oil and railroad tycoons dominated over the US. The gameplay inspirations come from classic top down 2D games from our childhoods as well as many modern games. Our initial interest in doing a roguelite game came from playing FTL which had fairly short, impactful play sessions. We thought the idea of applying short sessions to a 2D adventure game was really interesting, especially as we found ourselves with less and less free time in our adult lives. Q.) What does it mean to you to be an independent developer? A.) Being an independent developer sometimes feels like a mix of being in a startup and an indie band. Startups spend much of their time pursuing investors, creating a product that fits a market, and building a team that can create that product. We did all of those things while pursuing publishing, and fortunately were
about indie games is you can get a sense of the personality and intent of the creators in a way that AAA games can’t convey. The hope that people will see a bit of all of our personalities and passion in Sparklite is one of the most exciting things about being an indie.
$79.99
!!!
Get your 1 year anniversary bundle today! Bundles include a special 1 year t-shirt with every game listed on the back that’s been in the magazine. A great hat with the new logo, a car window decal, a sticker, rubber bracelet, poster and the special 52 page issue. The only things available outside this special bundle are the shirts and magazine. Everything else is EXCLUSIVE to the bundle!
$25
Celebrate 1 year with this special shirt that showcases every game covered in the magazine through the ďŹ rst year!
NEW AvailablE Now!
Thank Your Guardian Fairy ip-hop, fantasy, action role-playing, the list goes on for “Daybringer”! It’s a beautiful combination of everything with an amazing soundtrack to pair with it. All hand-drawn, the world of “Daybringer” feels unique and is great to look at with fun graphics, great animations, and a beat to bounce your head to, you won’t want to quit playing. Developed by DarkLab, the demo is available now, and with a name your own price tool. Sure, you can download and play today for free but why not toss in a few bucks to help the developer. Head over to Itch.io,
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By Jeff Porter
search “Daybringer” and start playing it today. The music is what sets this apart from almost every other game in these genres. As you progress through the game, you will find mixtapes that unlock a song that begins playing as you lay waste to enemies ahead of you. They are upbeat and catchy as hell. You’ll be bobbing your head killing zombies in no time! We really need the soundtrack to download, so, DarkLab, get on that! So all you’ve heard so far is the genre and my obsession with the music, which is great. What exactly is “Daybringer” though, and what is the story? You are the Daybringer, stuck in purgatory
fighting against the reflections of decay that exist in your world. These reflections come in the form of zombies, floating brains, and special weapons that can lay waste to you. You’re not entirely sure how you got here, luckily though, you won’t be alone as you have a guide through this dimension. A magical fairy who can restore your health and provide shielding when you have accumulated enough life force from slaying enemies. Not just any flying, interdimensional fairy though, this one is a bit of a smart alec and will give you a hard time throughout your adventure. As you progress you’ll fight through beautiful hand-drawn levels. “Daybringer” is also a
platformer that will have you jumping across buildings, over holes, and up walls to get to your next objective. You’ll have to use your abilities to dash in mid-air and jump off walls to achieve your goals and it adds another great level of depth to your playthrough. Also watch out for cans of soda, as these act as a sort of power up to restore some health, which is always important. Battling the undead is a key element in “Daybringer”. You have a few weapons and will learn exciting combos as you progress. You begin with a magical sword that harvests the life force of defeated enemies, this is what allows you to use abilities from the fairy. It is wide and sturdy, so along with slashing enemies into pieces it also makes a great shield to block attacks off, though it won’t hold forever so be aware of your situation. Your other weapon is a gun that you can use in increments. Below your health bars are 2 magazines of bullets. You can fire your gun twice in a row with a quick burst of bullets,
but then you will have to wait for these to refill before firing again. Learn powerful combos and dish out punishment with your sword and gun. With these two tools, you will defeat your enemies and leave this purgatory to restore balance in the world. The RPG elements come into play as you meet a blind DJ known as the Spirit of Hip Hop. Gain new abilities when you spend your skill points with the blind DJ. Choose between different skill trees stemming from your attributes of Attack, Defense, and Magic. You will gain a more custom approach to the gameplay as you choose your strengths. “Daybringer” is an exciting combination of platforming, RPG, hip-hop and more that deserves recognition. From the gorgeous artwork to the great gameplay, it’ll sit as one of the greats upon full release. Remember, this is just the demo version!
INTERVIEW
Sam Lopez Of
Daybringer Q.) Will there be upgrades available for our Hero? Or do our weapons scale as we progress through the game? A.) Upgrades can be provided through a blind DJ known as the Spirit of Hip Hop, which the character encounters frequently throughout the game. Attack, Defense and Magic are our heroes primary attributes. As the player progresses they can choose to strengthen any of these attributes and gain different abilities through a skill tree depending on
34
their chosen play style. Q.) Can you tell us about our Hero, and why he's slicing and dicing zombies? A.) He is stuck in a sort of interdeminsional purgatory. The death and destruction that he encounters is a reflection of the futile decay of the universe. The Daybringer (our hero) and his Fairy companion are part of only a handful of beings who are still alive. It is the Daybringer's fate to restore harmony and growth and
bring balance back to the universe. Q.) "Daybringer" features beautiful artwork and style, can you tell us about the process and why you chose it? A.) Justin and I are both artists by profession, but when we first started discussions of creating a Hip Hop Fantasy game we did not have the slightest clue of how it would turn out. We started sketches of the main character and we would go back and forth
iterating on top of each others designs. After about 4 times between us of revising the main character we finally settled on a design that captured the 90s nostalgia look we were going for. Justin has developed a very unique comic book style over many years of practice; so for the most part of the design process, I conceptualize the designs with sketches or rough drafts and he pens, colors and animates them – finalizing any details so that we may have a consistent art style. Q.) What's been your biggest hurdle in development and how did you overcome it? A.) I've had to wear a lot of hats. The game is high definition and demands a lot of attention to detail, so Justin's focus has been 100% on creating the artwork and animations. For the first half of our development my focus was divided between game design, programming, concept sketching, writing, social media presence, and basically all other development tasks. Travis joined our team about half way through the demo as a programmer and
immediately began alleviating much of the burden. It's been great working with another programmer because we can make up for each others knoweledge gaps and find solutions much quicker than I ever could alone. Travis took over a lot of the combat and mobility mechanics and has really polished them out to near perfection; which has given me time to focus on other tasks. Q.) What were your inspirations behind "Daybringer"? A.) The 90s era Hip Hop is our biggest inspiration for the game; we would really like to capture that 90s nastalgia of boom bap rap, cassette tapes, baggy pants and pump-up sneakers. For the main character it was Huey Freeman from the “Boondocks”, “Final Fantasy 7” for many of the story elements, “Dishwasher: VS”, “Bloodrayne: Betrayal”, and “DMC” for the gameplay style. Q.) What does it mean to you to be an independent developer? A.) This is my passion. Making
games is something I've always wanted to do ever since my brother and I saved up our money and bought a Playstation. To me it means living my purpose, and for my team members I know it means the same thing. But it also means making the sacrifices, putting in the hours and late nights and early mornings. It means learning the skills we thought we would never know, and taking the risks of dedicating so much of our time to something that may or may not work in the end. So yea, I think it's about challenging ourselves and becoming better because of it, regardless of the outcome.
May 2018
June 2018 In June that year, I threw caution to the wind and announced I was going to be launching a magazine. I quickly gained confidence after the great response I got.
The initial idea of the magazine came to me after the company I was working for went under. I was without a job, but knew I didn’t want to rush back into the hellish 9-5.
June 2018
I mocked up a few different ideas of a cover, and how the magazine would look. After a few YouTube videos and a couple tries, I ended up with this. I was onto something.
August 2018 The first issue was released, August 1st, 2018. My nerves were skyrocketed and my gut was on fire. I hadn’t been this nervous since I first saw my children’s faces.
July 2018
After finalizing a cover, and producing a few spreads, I took to Kickstarter and spread the word and help give me a boost to the new production. I was left speechless from the result.
October 2018 January 2019
Looking to get a boost on social media, I employed the help of some of my friends and made a “public service announcement” style video to promote the magazine. It worked...
November 2018
My work was being noticed across the world. I was reached out to by the great Ray Ronan about having my magazine at in event in Dublin, Ireland. I couldn’t say no to that!
After trying several websites to host my magazine, I ended up creating my own that would host and check out subscriptions and orders. I couldn’t agree to print prices on the other sites.
July 2019
12 issues later, it was time to celebrate. I created this special bundle that is available right now! The t-shirt features over 80 games on the back, all of which have been in the magazine.
July 2019
The introduction of “Indie Gamer TV”! I launched the same day this magazine was due to release, July 1st. With a great reaction and popularity of video formats, I look to video for the future!
NEW IN DEVELOPMENT
Rally Racing: Rated R By
Jeff
Porter
lood, cars and a reality TV series. A perfect combination of chaos, destruction, and raging fans. “Bloody Rally Show” is a crazy mixture of “Twisted Metal” and “Dirt” set in a dystopian near future where the Government hosts the popular TV show, “Bloody Rally Show”. Racers drive the fastest and most powerful rally cars to ever be built in an attempt to recreate Group B, and race for the spotlight. Group B was a set of regulations that fostered some of the fastest, most powerful, and most sophisticated rally cars ever built and is commonly referred to as the golden era of rallying. However, a series of major accidents, some of them fatal, were blamed on their outright speed and lack of crowd
40
control at events. “Bloody Rally Show” takes this to the next level, with car attachments, and over the top action. As well as a call back to Group B, “Bloody Rally Show” also includes dozens of unique features and includes track customization, Racer leveling, and of course car tuning and upgrades. Follow along the campaign mode with a dystopian storyline and level up your racer while winning races and causing mayhem. While racing through the campaign there are also side missions you can take part in for extra rewards, such as taking out hipsters on the side of the track. No one said it was going to be a gentle mission! When you are progressing through many racing games you tend to see the same track twice, maybe with a different route and new blockades, however in “Bloody Rally Race”, each track is randomly generated so you will never see the same track twice. You will also be able to not only create your own unique tracks but through Steam’s Workshop, you
will be able to share and upload so other players will be able to race through them as well. If the randomly generated tracks just aren’t enough carnage for you, look through the workshop and download some other created tracks, you won’t be sorry! This all sounds great, but what about our car? Isn’t that the most important thing in a racing game? Absolutely! Upgrade the looks of your car with custom paint jobs, attachments and more. Though, that’s just the appearance. You want to go fast. Really fast. Upgrading your cars performance and fine tuning it will be the catalyst of your race quality. Like I’ve said though, this isn’t your regular racing game. Throw some guns on there, a circular saw or maybe even just drag a wrecking ball behind you on a chain. The choice is yours. Wreck havoc the way you want! There is so much more to experience than just the cars though. “Bloody Rally Show” features an original soundtrack
with dozens of full-length songs that will have you pumped up and ready to take on the world. Race over jumps and catapult through your opponents. By the way, did I mention that you can have up to 100 different racers on one track? With the slick over the top view, it’s easy on your computer and you’ll be set to take out as many as you can. Perhaps one of the most exciting features, at least to me, is the ability to play split screen co-op with up to 4 people! In today’s world, split screen is mostly a thing of the past so it’s always a delight to play a couch co-op game with your buddies in the same room! “Bloody Rally Show” is still in development, with plans of a release 2019-2020. You can head over to Steam now and add it to your wishlist though to stay up to date and prepared to download it when ready!
INTERVIEW
Tomas Varaneckas From
Bloody Rally Show
Q.) Can you tell us about the original soundtrack and why it was important for you to have it? A.) I've been into electronic music as a hobbyist since around 1998, so I just wouldn't allow myself to reuse some bland game music that everybody has heard over and over again. I wanted to compose the soundtrack myself, but since I already have a lot of fish to fry with programming, I reached out to my old friend Harry Damm (D Fast), who is light years ahead of me when it comes to producing high-quality tracks, and he agreed to join the project. I'm really happy about this, as D Fast is one of the most talented musicians I happen to know. You can find his music at http://dfastmusic.net/. Q.) What will players be able to unlock or progress as their Racer XP fills and levels?
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A.) The main unlockable is, as you may have guessed, new cars. There are 10 cars included out of the box, plus a possibility to create and share custom cars using an in-game car editor. But there's a catch, even if you create a custom car, you will have to unlock it though Campaign mode, and the level required to unlock it will depend on how fast and powerful the car is. As you level up, you will also unlock car upgrades, new paint jobs, and possibly new game modes, weapons, missions, etc. Q.) Can you tell us about the track builder and how players will be able to create their own? A.) All developer tooling that was built for Bloody Rally Show, was designed to be part of the game, so players will have exactly the same tools as developers do.
Tracks can be procedurally generated, but surely, not everyone will enjoy racing in a new, unknown circuit every single time, and custom tracks that can be shared in Steam Workshop is a solution for this. You will be able to compete for best custom track times with other players, and player made tracks can be mixed into procedurally generated campaigns as well. Also, with Track Editor players will be able to build crazy designs that procedural generation would never come up with. Q.) "Bloody Rally Show" features procedurally generated tracks, can you tell us more about why you chose to do this instead of the classic pack of tracks? A.) I always had a thing for games that are different on every
playthrough. For example, let's take Diablo. Every time you started a new game, there were new, unique dungeon layouts, along with unique loot, and it was almost like playing a new game. I loved that, and games with procedurally generated content always felt superior to those that you can only play just once without seeing the same locations again. There are other, more practical reasons. When I started working on Bloody Rally Show as a solo developer, it was (and still is) my part-time pet project. I wanted the game to be rich in content, and the only efficient way to do this was to focus on generative tools rather than trying to manually craft all the content myself. Now the game has millions of different race tracks, instead of a standard dozen. Another reason is my software engineering background and lack of artistic skills. I see procedural generation as a fascinating and challenging technique, and as a powerful tool that can give a competitive advantage. And finally, I have found so few racing games using procedural generation for tracks. It is definitely an unexplored direction, which I believe to have big potential, so I set on the journey to explore it, and so far I am quite satisfied with results. There is still a lot of untapped potential in Bloody Rally Show's procedural track generation tooling, and with time I am hoping it will start producing even more diverse and unexpected track designs. Q.) What's been your biggest
hurdle in development and how did you overcome it? A.) The biggest hurdle is going for the long haul to finish and polish the project of such scope while still having a day job. Finding the time and energy to keep pushing forward takes a lot of dedication and sacrifice. There were times when I was asking myself "why are you doing this?", and once I have abandoned the project for a couple of months. The only reason I got back on track was discipline, I just forced myself into it. I am now way beyond the point of no return, which makes it easier to grind on development tasks while seeing the finish line somewhere in the distance, but it still takes a lot of willpower to spend most of my free time working on the game. Game development seems like a dream job to so many people, but in reality, making a small prototype that works is fun, but it's less than 1% of a finished game. The rest 99% is mostly grueling, exhausting grind. There is a funny but quite accurate saying on the subject: "Give a man a game and he'll have fun for a day. Teach a man to make games and he'll never have fun again". Or in other words, just because you like driving cars, it doesn't mean that building a car yourself will be so much fun. Q.) What are your inspirations behind "Bloody Rally Show"? A.) I loved old school racing and car battle games, and Bloody Rally Show has definitely got some genes from my old favorites, like original top-down “GTA”, “Rock'n'Roll Racing”,
“Carmageddon”, “Road Rash” and “Twisted Metal” to name a few. I also adore roguelike games, like “FTL”, “Rogue Legacy”, “Streets of Rogue”. Since “Bloody Rally Show” has procedurally generated content, and in it's Hardcore Mode it also features permadeath (completely damaged or stolen cars are lost forever), and quite challenging level of difficulty, I believe it falls under roguelite genre, making it a unique "roguelite racing" game. Q.) What does it mean to you to be an independent developer? A.) Despite the fact that game development is just my hobby, I love the freedom it gives me. It feels like being a true craftsman you are making artwork, and if people like it, they will buy it, otherwise they will go elsewhere, and that's ok. For me, it's a liberating feeling. I would happily do this is a full-time job, if I can ever afford to. These days I play exclusively just indie games, because they feel genuine, not "designed by committee", and not designed to be just another blockbuster cash cow with marketing budget equal or greater to development one. I believe indie games are the only ones that can push the boundaries of game design because these games are genuine and made with love, they are not mass market products made to make investors happy. Indie games are where innovation happens, and I am happy to be a small part of it.
It’s Video, Baby! It is here! “Indie Gamer TV” is launched and you may have already seen the first 2 episodes! If you haven’t, head over to YouTube right now and subscribe! “Indie Gamer TV” will be a weekly video show that showcases gameplay and trailers from new and upcoming games as well as Skype interviews with developers!
Now On Instagram! TheIndieGamerMagazine
A Look Back One Year Ago…..
It all began with a Kickstarter campaign... One year ago, on July 4th, “The Indie Gamer Magazine” was officially funded and completed on Kickstarter. The nervous excitement I felt on that day has stuck with me for these last 12 months as a constant reminder that anyone, even myself can achieve something if they set their mind to it, even if it’s something like a print magazine in a digital world. This nervous excitement almost turned into fear as I realized that sudden impact of success, and what it brought with it, people were going to depend on me for results. 25 people pledged to me, not just money, but an interest in the product I was offering. This weighed on me far more than the financial side. What I did the Kickstarter for, was not so much about the money to help pay for the costs associated with the magazine, but to see if the interest was even there for what I was offering. It suddenly put me in a spot where 25 people, a classroom of chairs, was now looking at me and expected me to act now. It was this gut-wrenching fear that not only motivated me to get to work, but to create something special and unique. I couldn’t remember “GameInformer” or “PC Gamer” doing developer interviews when I was a kid, and if they had, I might have skipped past them at my young age. The interviews in the magazine were a huge driving force of getting interactions, not just from the development community, but the readers as well. I knew there was something special here, and wanted to create something that both groups would see as something new, and bring the content that both were hungry for. Developers seeing other developers processes is always great practice and allows them to share new techniques or styles. While the readers found it exciting and seeing great looking games broken down and told how they were put together. I believe this as being a large reason why the magazine has lasted a year already. I am very proud of what I’ve achieved over this last year and where it is going, video. It is here that I want to officially announce what is happening with the magazine with the switch to YouTube. “The Indie Gamer Magazine” will not disappear, and will still be around, however, I believe I’ve decided to make it a quarterly release, with 4 issues a year built around the YouTube show. It will include further, in-depth articles, interviews with more developers and people within the community, fan pieces, and more new content that hasn’t been implemented in the magazine before. This will allow me more time to focus on “Indie Gamer TV” and produce high-quality videos that showcase independent games and still feature developer interviews. The show will be released weekly, and the best part is, it’s free for you! I will take a little bit of a financial hit at the beginning but believe it will be worth it in the long run. I am super excited for the video show and hope you will head over and join me there. More news concerning the magazine's subscriptions and quarterly prices will be coming soon. It’s important to note that it will remain digital and print! I love the print style and will continue to offer that as an option. This last year and the next are all due to the Kickstarter campaign I launched more than a year ago and again, I want to thank all of you for taking this journey with me and I hope you stay with me on the next one. In the words of Tony Stark, I love my subscribers 3000. -Jeff Porter
NEW IN DEVELOPMENT
By The Power Of The Gods By Jeff Porter
aji: An Ancient Epic” is a Video game set in ancient India. Darkness arises from the past, demons are set to conquer humanity and drive them to the brink of extinction. They’re here to avenge themselves for the last great war that took place 1,000 years ago, in which they were embarrassingly defeated by humans. While the last 1,000 years have proven prosperous for the humans, they have fallen content with their safety and nearly forgotten the great war, making this the prime time for the demons to again rise from the darkness and take what they believe is theirs. Raji has
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been knocked unconscious for days after the of Jaidhar, and upon awakening has noticed she has gained godlike powers. Now you must help her find her little brother who was taken that night of the siege and fend off the demons from taking over the land. Take Raji through a beautiful, hand-painted world and explore fallen cities and forgotten forts inspired by the medieval architecture of Rajasthan, which was the pinnacle of architectural achievement during the medieval era of India. This kind of art style requires numerous hours of dedication and skill, so every pixel within “Raji: An Ancient Epic” is truly important and plays a special part in telling part of the story. Through each of these gigantic maps, players will also
find hidden locations containing secrets that may aid Raji in her quest. Be careful, however, as they are not always beneficial. You may run into a trap or even more enemies. Puzzles are placed throughout the levels as well, adding another challenge for players between the challenging battles. Solve these puzzles to continue your quest and unlock more of the story behind the locations and quest as you advance. The combat in “Raji: An Ancient Epic” is very fluid, and against the hand-painted world, looks smooth and gorgeous. Raji will have access to several different weapon types as well as numerous powers that the Gods have granted her. Between the different weapons and powers, players will be able to
create a unique playstyle that suits them while facing different demonic creatures with strengths and weaknesses, as well as mini-bosses and powerful boss battles that will require patience, skill, and fluidity.
seen in the gaming industry to date.” Taking an original story and infusing mythology into it creates a unique experience and adds curiosity to the players, who often time look up the figures in question.
Hindu and Bali mythology plays a huge role in the story of “Raji: An Ancient Epic”. While they may not be a direct representation, many figures from each series of myths come into play. According to the team at Nodding Heads Games, “Various level locations, demons, bosses and characters will be representing distinctive features, which draw inspiration from both Hindu and Bali mythology. The team at Nodding Heads Games wants the world to be a witness of the grandeur and bizarreness of a game coming from India, which has never been
“Raji: An Ancient Epic” is an exciting indie game that has gained a lot of popularity among the culture, and it’s not hard to see why. With its hand-painted art style, infusion of Hindu and Bali mythology, powerful protagonist and exciting story it’s a gaming experience that you won’t want to miss. Download a demo right now from Steam and begin playing! You can follow along with the progress on Facebook and other social media, plus add it to your wish list on Steam. “Raji: An Ancient Epic” is set to release next year.