studio-gameOn

So, WHY did we do this to everyone involved in the studio? Heh heh … listen to John Passfield and others talk about the way of the small fast indie on TripleJ’s Hack Half Hour (Thurs 19 Feb)

http://mpegmedia.abc.net.au/triplej/hack/daily/hack_thurs_2009_02_19.mp3

It has been strangely quiet in the studio this last few days - as the final deadline looms, it is the programmers who are under pressure - they have all gone into hiding upstairs with Abbey the animator while the rest of the art team tweak away and do things like create the BOX art - yes, the game has a name!

and with only three (3!!) days to go before everyone is expected to walk out of the studio holding a playable game in their sweaty hands, the game has finally been given a formal name!

many thanks to everyone who contributed to the discussion and who made fabulous suggestions - the name was chosen today with _just_ enough time for it to be put into the final game and onto the box art work!

what IS the name you ask? box art image coming tomorrow via our studio websites - watch this space and spread the word

And a brief hiatus before the team face the final week! They have moved back to their old premises and the web cams are back on …  it has clearly been a tough old week but some leaked footage of the game does indeed make us think they might actually make it to the finish line!

Endgame announced:

The team have been given a brand shiny new FINAL date: Friday Feb 20th @ 5.00pm.

If you want to get an invite to this auspicious occassion, pop over to our facebook event site or our forums and ask Gemma (Phantomess_Jekyll)

Open public competition - Poster and Comic Art:

Feb 7 - Feb 20th - Can you design a poster for the B-Movie or contribute some comic art to the Stunt Man comic?

If you think you can, we invite you to post your work on our forums or our facebook event site and join in for the chance to be part of the studio-gameOn process and game!!

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Ah week four, what a week you have been - the Australia Day holiday cut into the studio time but also gave the team a chance to relax and come back on the Tuesday ready for the next stage. Our esteemed Industry Board came by for a review of progress so far and to advise on what could actually be achieved in the time frame!

Images: John Passfield gets to play the game and the industry board give the team their feedback on the progress so far - the whiteboard during the feedback meeting - some important notes!

Other news

Studio-gameOn is looking for play testers for next week - if you want to help and you live in Brisbane - drop by the forums and add your name to the list!

Ah week three - what a week you have been! The week started with us moving the team over into temporary premises while our own studio was rented out to some paying customers (we are only squatting in the glasshouse - courtesy of the kind precincts people, but when someone offers rent - what can you do?) …

Once back in the studio on wednesday, the production returned to full swing .. but as Duncan of the 3 blokes studio noted right at the beginning (youtube) this team is not together for ever - like the denizens of big brother house, they are in for an intense period, they are being watched, filmed, photographed and made to write up daily progress! Week three saw the storming stage of the intensity of the production timeline started to exert its pressure and those compromises that Duncan mentioned right at the beginning had to be made!

Did we sympathise? Huh, no chance - we stole yet another device from the erstwhile BB show and gave them the video camera to go and do a DIARY ROOM ENTRY …  this particular show is all about our fabulous team going through the game development process and we are not ones to miss an important crisis point …

Will they manage the production within the deadlines? Of course they will - team process and exhaustion and stress aside, this is one extra-ordinary group of skilled people and we love them!

All is quiet for the Australia Day long weekend (even though we believe many team members were back in the studio for a Saturday working stint) - back on Tuesday and let’s hope many sausages have been thrown on many BBQs and one or two cold beers consumed and that all will return to the second leg of the studio-gameOn process feeling mighty refreshed!

Greetings and salutations explorers of the digital world

It is I Pixel bringing you the latest and greatest news from the studio.

Well we are looking good and on schedule. Looking to have finished the art assets for the entire first movie. That’s three stages for those who arn’t following at home.

The design team has moved on to the next movie and designing levels for it. Ninja is the theme and we are having fun. But there is one thing that is missing. Imput from the public. We needs it, we wants it. If you have an idea go to the forums and tell us. But don’t listen to me, if you did you would turn into a minion and I don’t have a dental plan.

This is Pixel Live from the Studio

And where last week saw the team producing a first very (very) early prototype ready for feedback from our honoured Industry Board, week three throws them all a bit of a curve!

We have to move out of our premises for 24 hours and into our temporary premises - the block - the same place where the 48 hour game making challenge was held!

The webcams have ben moved and the artist work is up on the big screens - it looks fabulous … Some of the team (possibly Pixel) immediately feel at home!

Images of the move and its whole story over on our flickr photostream

Enjoy

And taken by our intrepid camera man IAN - the programmers are putting together the first prototype to send to the industry board - a glimpse of it here:

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