Blogs - DigiVoodoo

Hey guys,

Firstly - check out this link to sign up for the free pre-alpha demo

fpza0yjk.launchrock.co/

That's our new game: #TwinTurbo

Sign up to get involved with the free pre-alpha demo which will be launching shortly.

So what have we been up to recently? We've been writing the script that generates our awesome 3D track pieces (corners, banked corners, loop the loops, corkscrews, jumps and chicanes) in a random, never ending and manic way.

You'll be hurtling along the track at thousands of km/ph twisting, turning jumping and trying to build up a high score!

The hardest bit so far has been ridding this code of bugs. For example at the moment there's a likely chance the track will loop back on itself. Which is awesome if the track is flat as you cross back over your old track. But if there's a loop the loop there you just crash into it - which isn't as fun, is not the players fault and needs to be fixed!

So stay tuned and follow our game page for more news.

And sign up for the free pre-alpha demo of Twin Turbo

fpza0yjk.launchrock.co/

Mike
Lead Designer for Twin Turbo
DigiVoodoo

#HackSundays is occuring because we've come in over the weekend, firstly to finish off a client project, secondly to start a new one, and thirdly to try and squeeze as much of our own games dev time in as possible. For those of you expecting a blog about game #3 - Tides Of Turmoil, that will have to wait. In the meantime I'll bring you up to speed with with the latest DigiVoodoo wizardry to come out of the e4f - our incubator at the Birmingham Innovation Campus.

Nik and Scott (both 3D) along with Alexi (2D) have been mad at work on our three game prototypes, generating as many art assets as possible in two weeks (we're aiming for playable prototypes in 4 weeks, pre alpha for Launchconference.co.uk)

They're almost done, we also have a new dev joining us on Monday who is going to be working on the programming side of the three prototypes in Unity. I myself have been researching the metrics we want to track in the free pre-alpha versions of the games. For those of you who are thinking 'metrics in indie games?' I say to you:

Yes. Metrics. In indie games.

Why? Because there are free tools such as gameanalytics.com which will help improve the quality of our game in the early stages of development, tell us whether people are interested in the ideas and mechanics or not, and help us track, analyse and respond to data in order to improve the design of the game.

Hence the whiteboard, start-up stickers and hoodie. Essentially, we're on target for the week 2 sprint, you'll have something playable on your PCs soon. Stay tuned amigos.

Mike
Designer
DigiVoodoo

Its a sad day, Blitz Games Studios based in the midlands UK (where we are) is shutting down after 23 years developing great games.

The firm had been creating games for 23 years, and employed 175 people - 50 of which will be kept on to work on current unfinished projects.

Blitz is known for many popular titles, including high profile tie-ins such as Shrek, Spongebob Squarepants and Mickey Mouse. The company was set up in 1990 by twins Philip and Andrew Oliver. The pair also worked closely, mostly during the 1980s, with games publisher Codemasters.

Philip Oliver said the disruptive influence of the mobile games market - where titles are much cheaper or even free - has had a serious negative impact on their revenue. "The budgets for games has fallen dramatically," he said. He also said companies such as Microsoft and Sony had taken too long to bring out their next generation games consoles, a major cash boost for developers as gamers are eager to stock up their new hardware. Another major contributor to the company's downfall had been a reluctance for some of its publishing clients - who also face tight financial pressures - to commit money to long-term projects, Mr Oliver said.

In a statement announcing Blitz's closure, Mr Oliver said: "Major clients have felt unable to commit to investment in significant projects, others have changed strategy whilst appearing committed, and others have been slow to commit at all - all of these things have continued to hurt our finances. We have also sustained the business for some time with our personal savings, but even those reserves have now been exhausted.

The closure in 2011 of one major client, US based published THQ, had hit the company especially hard, Mr Oliver added.

Blitz's demise has been described as a "bitter blow" to the UK games industry by Tiga, the trade association for video games makers.

"Blitz is an iconic British games studio," said Richard Wilson, the group's chairman. "Philip and Andrew Oliver... have made an enormous contribution to the UK video games industry, having been involved in the sector since its beginnings in the 1980s."

Mr Wilson added: "It is vital that the government takes steps to support the growth of new studios by the provision of business incubators and by working with the [European] Commission to introduce games tax relief as speedily as possible. "

Tiga has been calling for tax relief for games companies in the UK, a policy that would bring the UK's industry in line with countries such as Canada and France. The government has said it plans to implement tax breaks, but it has been delayed by European Union regulators.

Despite the closure of Blitz, Mr Oliver has said he remains optimistic that the UK games industry can adapt and survive.

Courtesy BBC

Mike
CEO
DigiVoodoo

Wow, what a week so far! We're wrapping up a client project ready to ship (always rewarding) and have begun development of the three titles which we are aiming to prototype and release in the next few months (Alpha/prototype versions).

We're doing the development of these games completely openly and iteratively so we'll have some super early pre-alpha prototype screenshots ready to go in the coming weeks. In the meantime you can check out our IndieDB page and follow our activity on there and support the development of the games.

Also, a big welcome to Nik, Scott and Alexi who are all joining the team on the three game projects as artists. Great to have them on board.

Once we have launched our social media strategy the channels of communication for development of the titles will be open a lot more and you'll be able to keep track of things from several places at once.

For an inside peek into what exactly has been going on in the studio, our development philosophy and our methods and tips for games dev stay tuned.

Mike
CEO
Digivoodoo