I haven’t forgotten Grande but we’ve put it aside for a minute. We’re trying to spark some inspiration from a quick little turn-around prototype.
I’ve been developing my own basic platformer engine which is more lightweight than Box2D and it also means I’m not fighting the engine as much to do simple things. It only has the bare basic stuff for block-shaped tracks, but it does the job. I’ve learned quite a bit about using the hitTest() method in Flash through hours of debugging. Odd things like easing the virtual camera can cause the player to go from ‘grounded’ to ‘airborne’ without moving its x and y coordinates. Probably something to do with shape testing against fractions of pixels.
We’re still working out the core story behind the game, but the mechanic is almost done with some placeholder graphics. Hopefully I’ll be able to update soon.
One month in and ’some’ progress has been made. A fulltime job and no set due date means things are being developed rather slowly.
Our concept is now well rounded and we’re in the stage of prototyping the various types of effect we wish the throw in. I’ve got a fairly solid physics sandbox setup with a character running and jumping around, and B is scribbling away with more character designs and environment designs within the technical constraints of Flash. I suppose that is a mantra that we’re strongly adopting for this project… “embrace the constraints”
Nothing that we’re ready to reveal yet, as things could still backflip from here.
No sooner has Brian and I finished off Haku, we’re looking forward to our next big thing.
Enter Project: Grande
This project is a bit unique for us, as we have no deadline or contest in mind. It’s all about aiming bigger than before, with a stronger story and pushing the limits in Flash.
We’ve spent about 2 months so far just concepting and experimenting, trying to find that winning idea to run with. I’m not going to give out many specifics yet, but we’re pretty sure we’ll be leveraging the Box2D engine. For a bit of a teaser check out some early concept sketches from Brian:
The results are in and I’m happy to announce that Haku has won a prize in the latest MochiAds contest for best integration of the Freespin3D plugin. There were around 600 entries in the contest and even though not all games had to include the Freespin3D plugin, B and I are pleased with the result.
Check out the contest page and the other winners here
For the press release on Reuters go here
If you’ve not yet given Haku a try, find it here.
There’s been some radio silence on the blog but Brian and I been tapping away on a top secret project, codename: Haku
I won’t reveal too much, just that it’s interactive and set to be some of our best work yet.
Okay, okay. I’d hardly call it acting, but still some fun at work (Bullseye). I’m the one with the shifty eyes… NOT the reindeer!
Check it out
