Monday, November 17, 2014

Hobbi Games at ESGS 2014


After experiencing game conventions for the first time at PGF 2014, I kept wanting more. A little over a month has passed, and here we are at another gaming event. This time it's the E-Sports and Gaming Summit. For those who have yet to hear about this, the event's main draw are about e-sports tournaments. Aside from these tournaments, however, they also gave the indie developers a chance to showcase their games for the visitors to play. IGDA Manila was given a booth and Hobbi Games was a very honored recipient of an invitation to be one of the exhibitors. For the first time, we are attending an event as as an exhibitor!
IGDA Manila exhibitors

IGDA's lineup consists of Warrior Defense, Barber Hero, Caves & Chasms, Project CQB, Super Tiny Monkey, and Fizz + Hummer. I gotta say, aside from our own game, the lineup amazed me. The quality and fun factor of the games in our booth has transcended the image and appeal of local indie games, at least in my mind.
Sponsors and showcases. Can you spot the STM logo?
From time to time I sneak out of our booth and let my partner do the work, because I wanted to check out all the other games. It would have been such a waste if I didn't get to try them out, no?



Quickfire Games was here, and just like with PGF, they're showcasing Wild Season and Hayaku Ninja. Finally, I had the chance to play both games. Playing Wild Season immediately reminded me of the Harvest Moon days, what with a farm, a mayor, and a bunch of single girls that I'm sure you're bound to have a relationship with. The game is still in alpha, so it would be too early to make judgment calls on anything. While Wild Season has a relaxed pace, Hayaku Ninja is the opposite. It's got a frantic "catch falling stuff" (in it's case it's falling mochi) gameplay, and a boss battle to boot.

As I wander around I also took pictures of other booths and their on-going events.















Other games that I was also able to try were Super Awesome Quest by Boomzap, Nightfall by Zeenoh Games, Limbones by St.Benilde, Kaloka by Pepe Berba, and Jumping Jean by Javi Almirante. I wanted to try more games, but as an exhibitor myself, I have to get back to work!
St.Benilde booth. I remember when I was making DOS games in college...

Boomzap booth. I got reconnected with an old colleague here

Zeenoh games with their horror game Nightfall

"Kaloka" is a must try. The title is very apt.

Jumping Jean. I enjoyed playing this.
Going back to the IGDA Manila booth, people are just pouring in. Maybe it's because we're showcasing good games, or was it because we're next to the snack station?










Some media reps also came in to try our games. I felt especially nervous around them, because I don't know how to be a salesman! I built my career around software engineering, and selling my own product is a first for me. Getting interviewed is also a first for me.


Haogamers was here

TooMuchGaming was also here






The event went for 2 days, and considering the drive from and back to Bulacan, manning the booth, standing and walking around for an entire day, it was exhausting to say the least; but it all paid off when I think about the great experience I had talking to fellow developers, industry veterans, and the players themselves. Hearing their feedback on how they enjoy the game is such a fine feeling that just wipes all the exhaustion away. On the other hand, listening to their comments, suggestions, and advice made me so happy, because it proves that they are interested in what I offer. I may have been making games for more than 10 years, but it was primarily  just a hobby, and I'm a complete neophyte when it comes to designing commercial games. I also don't have a full understanding of the market yet.Their words gave me direction and motivation. You guys are simply awesome!


Mr.Evan Spytma, Regional Country Manager for Unity Singapore

Me talking to Mr. Nimit Panpalia of POKKT. We had a very insightful conversation about market standards and business sense. I was so lucky to have met him. Also in the frame is Mr. Evan Spytma playing Project CQB
To celebrate each day of the event, we at Hobbi Games went out to dinner.






A special shout out goes to the 4 winners of the Super Tiny Monkey t-shirt!


Jose Rafael Dimatera

Jan Michael Lim

Jerome Delos Santos

Rafael San Antoni [sic]


-- LJ


To contact the author, just send your e-mail to hobbigames@gmail.com

Thursday, October 30, 2014

Razor Wings

We're formally announcing boss battles for Super Tiny Monkey. There is a planned total of 5 bosses for the game, and we'll reveal them one at a time. We'd like to introduce you all to the game's first boss: Razor Wings.



Razor Wings is an eagle experimented upon by Dr. Zoo. Continuous experimentation brough about the discoloration of his feathers and turned red-maroon. He's larger than ordinary eagles, which can also be attributed to the experiments done to him. He has the laboratory tag BZ-1497, and one of the five favorite creations of Dr. Zoo. He is also very loyal to his master. He will be the first minion to be dispatched by Dr. Zoo in an attempt to recover the escaped experiment BZ-1538, A.K.A. Goggles -- our Super Tiny Monkey.

The following images are actual in-game shots. Because the game is still in development, these images are not representative of the final product. 



True to his name, Razor Wings can harden his feather that can cut like a sharpened blade. It's even more dangerous when he throws them towards a target. He can throw these feather blades in any direction, and with varying velocity. Fortunately for our hero, he can use the shield to deflect these blades and send them back to Razor Wings.

Red featherblades can be deflected using shield

White featherblades cannot be deflected!
Aside from his feather blades, Razor Wings can also use his wings to send a powerful gale force towards his target. Unlike his feather blades though, he takes a little more time building up the wind around him. The whirlwind he projects cannot be deflected, and is stronger than his feather blades. These whirldwinds will bounce around the screen and simply die out eventually. They can also hit Razor Wings.



Aside from projectiles, sometimes he will also resort to melee attacks. He will use his powerful claws to damage his target. This attack is his strongest, but also poses a high risk for him as he becomes very vulnerable to Goggles' power dash.


Power Dash at the right moment

Finally he has the "Raining Blade" ability. He will fly up the sky, far from our hero's reach, and his feather blades would start raining down. While it's not his most powerful move, it poses no risk for him, and it's quite difficult for the player to dodge it.

The "Raining Blade" is his ultimate attack
The screenshots shown are not final. Scoring will be different from the normal "Adventure" mode in that the number of platforms you pass by are not counted at all. Instead, you will be scored based on the number of combos you were able to perform while dealing some damage to the boss. Your damage per hit is also part of the calculation, as well as your remaining life.

The release of this boss will have completed "Act 1" of the game. I will talk more about our plans regarding the episodic nature of Super Tiny Monkey on future articles. Until then, please stay tuned and bookmark us to keep yourself updated on our progress.

-- LJ


To contact the author, just send your e-mail to hobbigames@gmail.com

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