I still have to come up with a good title..

I’m currently working on the visual aspects of the game: For now I did the menu, navigation etc.

Tomorrow I’ll be refining the ingame graphics, and hopefully improving that horrible attempt of drawing a credible representation of the Nishin Maru

You can try the prototype following this link.

As usual, any comment will be a helpful source of reflection

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Oh yes, you read it well.

The scary moment of having to begin to design the graphic user interface is arrived, brought more by deadlines than by motivation..

(yes, i do hate designing stuff SO much)

Nevertheless, here a quick preview of what’s going on behind the scenery.

The levels are ready to be dispatched, those which i chose to develop (just a more polite way to say that i didn’t code the last one yet.. )

So, here ye go, some graphic beauties!

edit: ..ah, sorry for the misleading ultra mega spectacular tweet.. just fishing visitors, you know, business..

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Ok, here finally the moment in which everything begins to come together getting the form of a game..!

Here follows a script of what’s going to happen in the game, how and most importantly why.

Read the rest of this entry »

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In my life I bought 2 DVDs.

First one, an ACDC concert, just after having been at my first Roskilde Festival.

The second instead arrived just a few hours ago, after a long wait since its pre-order.

“The Cove tells one of the most inspiring true stories of our time.
When an elite team of activists, filmmakers and free divers embark on a covert mission to penetrate a remote and hidden cove in Japan,they shine a light on a dark and deadly secret.This unforgettable blablablah..”

Now it’s time to build the right occasion and atmosphere for enjoying what it seems to be a great and important documentary..

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bababababababababababababababababababababababababababababababababababababababababa..

Read the rest of this entry »

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The weapons are finally coded. Now it’s just a matter of tuning them to make them usable..

From the zodiac the player will have three available strategies to harass the whaling vessels (according to the level):

• Photocamera. Get near to particular spots of the vessels (harpoons, etc) and take a picture to expose the whaling methods.

• Bottles of butyric acid. A limited number of bottles to be thrown on particular areas of the vessels.

• Prop fouler. People seem to run slower if you cut their legs off. Shutting down the propeller will do too..

You can finally try this version of the game here: Whatever you do DO NOT CLICK ME.

It would be great if you could spend a minute to reply to the following questions regarding the gameplay..

1. How do you feel the movement of the zodiac? is it “boat like” enough? is it hard to control? Why?
2. Press 1, the camera will be activated. Try to take pictures to the harpoon of the vessel: Do you get how the camera works? Any suggestion?
3. Press 2, and you will enter in “bottle launching” mode. Try to throw some bottles on the harpoon area. Impressions? Do you get how to throw bottles at different distances? Why do you think sometimes the target is red and sometimes is green?
4. I’m still tuning the Prop Fouler, but you can already try it by pressing 3. When you deploy a propfouler the infobar will tell you if you succeeded or not: Are you able to deploy it properly in a limited amount of tries? How realistic do you feel it to be?
5. Anybody experiencing lag?

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I’m currently working on the functionality that will allow you to take pictures to the whaling vessels.

This will be one of the first challenges, teaching the player how to navigate the zodiac.

The camera in fact has a very short “range”, and this means that the player will be forced to drive very near to the vessels, dodging icebergs and avoiding to crash against the enemy ship. This requires good control over the throttle, making the player understand the enhanced control over the vehicle if managing the speed appropriately.

The player will have only a limited number of possible shots, in order to make the function more challenging.

When activating the camera a target will appear, indicating the point that the camera is directed to. Getting targeted by a watercannon will influence this function, making it more difficult to aim the right spots.

A new prototype will be posted on Wednesday..!

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In a hurry?    Try the game

Otherwise take your time to keep reading through..

You can finally try the latest prototype, with the following improvements:

• Boundaries limited. You won’t get lost out of the screen ever again. Your world is limited now.

• Watercannons are more annoying than ever. They will slow you down and they will push you away from the ship. Hopefully into an iceberg.

• Luckily crashing into an iceberg is not so annoying as the latest versions: You will still slow down, but eventually you can “run over” them. This makes the game usable, and easier for less able zodiac drivers.

• I’m siiiinging in the raaaaaiinn. Yes, it rains, if you get hit by a watercannon.
• You can try to deploy a propfouler! I still need to tune that function not to make it too hard either to easy, but it begins to take form.

I also changed some settings of the gameplay: Now the zodiac will seem to have more inertia. It feels like driving a Camaro in Need For Speed.. It’s a pleasure to send it in drifting

Try the game and comment what you think..!

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What a better way to test a new control mode than during a stealth antiwhaling operation on pitch black Antarctic waters..?

This version has some new stuff: Read the rest of this entry »

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Lots of user testers begged for a different control mode.. Well, here you go.. ye pirates!

The new version allows you to drive the zodiac entirely via keyboard, while still permitting you to use the mouse if you want more control over the vehicle.

..and don’t forget the stilish effect of driving with one hand like a real cowboy!

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