Windows 10 and Project Plasma

So Windows 10 is finally upon us and I never knew that an operating system could create so much hype on the internet. Wow.

So anyway, I have currently been developing games using Windows 7 Professional (formerly Home Premium) and have always focused on Windows Vista, Windows 7, and Windows 8 (and 8.1 which is basically just Windows 8 Service Pack 1, same OS pretty much) as well as the Android mobile operating system.

Anyway Microsoft has been developing Windows 10 for a while as I'm sure many of you are aware of by now but up until now it has been a mere preview of the OS, as such, I have never been given it much attention although Project Plasma should still work on there. I have not had chance to test the game on Windows 10 as I don't have the OS yet (still on 7 but I'm downloading the upgrade as I type this but the internet round here doesn't exactly set the tarmac ablaze) and I was only able to test on Windows 8 (and 8.1) due to the fact that my old college had Windows 8 installed. Project Plasma was still in development back then so I had the chance to test it out on that system. That is how I found out about the audio bug that caused the game to crash.

What I'm trying to say is, I do not know how Project Plasma will run on Windows 10 at this moment in time as like I said I've not been given the chance yet to test it out on this operating system since I have not used the technical preview of Windows 10 so obviously I haven't tested Project Plasma on Windows 10. I'm fairly confident that it will work, but not certain. I shall attach an update to the bottom of this blog post tomorrow once I've done testing it out on Windows 10 and let you know how things pan out.

Alternatively if anyone here already has Windows 10 and has played Project Plasma on that operating system, feel free to hit me up on Twitter or through a comment below to tell me how it ran (if it did,) this would be much appreciated.

UPDATE: I have just finished testing Project Plasma on Windows 10 (brilliant OS by the way, Microsoft really learnt from their Windows 8 fuckup) and I encountered no issues. It may tell you to install something called DirectPlay but once this is installed Project Plasma will run with no issues. (Tested with PP v1.0.3)

Project Plasma v1.0.3 Changelog

So here's PP v1.0.3, I am aware that it is overdue (the to-do list I posted stated this would be out on 5th July) but development of CHAOS 3 hasn't been going as smoothly as I had hoped (PPM v1.1 will also be delayed.) I'll be going into more detail on that in a future blog post but for now, here's PP v1.0.3.

This update is exclusively for the full version of the game and will not be ported to the demo version (so the free demo will remain on v1.0.2.)

• Save files now have their own file extension and go under a different file name.
• The save file for most levels is now called "pp1save.PLSV" (previously called playersave)
• The save file for level X is now called pp1Xsave.PLSV (previously called playersaveX)
• The long thin lasers fired by the bosses Dynast and Crystalline now deal 25 damage. (Up from 20)
• The thin shots fired in Crystalline's final phase now travel at a higher speed. (13 speed up from 10, re-fire rate has not been changed.)
• Health packs now heal the player by 20%. (Down from 30%)

Also from this point on, all PP updates will be uploaded as .7z archives (they were formerly .zip archives) to keep the uploaded file size down. This means faster uploads for me and faster downloads for you although it will mean you'll need to download some external third-party software to open the files. I personally suggest using 7-zip as its free and doesn't nag the shit out of you for not buying it like WinRAR does.

7-zip can be downloaded here

Project Plasma can be purchased/downloaded here

Project Plasma Mobile (prototype) can be downloaded for Android devices here

Things To Do

Here's a little list I made of things I need to do regarding Chaos Symbol. I figured I'd make this public so you guys can see what I'm working and in some cases when it will be released.

• Create and release CHAOS3. (Target date - Early October, no exact date yet)
• Create and release CHAOS4. (Target date - Same as above)
• Release that rant I keep promising. (Target date - None in mind, probably some time this month)
• Make a "Year in Review" post. (December 31st)
• Release Project Plasma v1.0.3 (Target date - 5th July)
• Release Project Plasma Mobile v1.1 (Target date - Late July)
• Expand to other distribution sites 
• Currently exclusively on itch.io and will be there for the foreseeable future.
• GOG is my first choice when it comes to expanding to other distributors.
• I did plan to expand to Desura and I even set up a page for Project Plasma on there ready for publishing, but...
• Steam? Not yet, probably not for a while but it will likely happen at some point.
• I am open to suggestions if anyone knows of any other places that will accept indie games.
• Submit Project Plasma (and Mystery Game 1) to reviewers.
• CHAOS3 will be sent to reviewers from January 2016.
• Project Plasma will be sent out from 13th June.
• Project Plasma Mobile will not be sent to reviewers due to it being a prototype.
• Add official Chaos Symbol branding to PP and PPM.
• Start work on Project Plasma 2 (Most likely beginning of December)

So that's my list of things I need to do. Like I said I made this public so you guys can see what games I'm working on and when to expect certain things that I may have promised in the past have not yet delivered.

New Game Naming Scheme!

Mystery Game 1 is dead.

Say hello to CHAOS 3!

CHAOS 3 is the new codename for Mystery Game 1. Why CHAOS 3? Because this is Chaos Symbol, and Mystery Game 1 is Chaos Symbol's third game. Hence, Chaos 3rd, or CHAOS 3.

This is a matter I brought back in late-February when I introduced the concept of Bonus Games to you all (see here) but I'll reiterate some of the key things relating to this here. Using Mystery Game 1, Mystery Game 2, Mystery Game 3, and so on just seems too relative - in other words after Mystery Game 1 is done, Mystery Game 2 would become Mystery Game 1 and so on. With a naming convention like CHAOS 1/2/3.etc, that issue completely goes away.

Here are first five CHAOS games.

• CHAOS 1 - Project Plasma
• CHAOS 2 - Project Plasma Mobile
• CHAOS 3 - Mystery Game 1
• CHAOS 4 - Bonus Game 1 (to be released with CHAOS 3 as a pre-order bonus)
• CHAOS 5 - Project Plasma 2

And there you have it, I also revealed my next project after CHAOS 3 and CHAOS 4 are both done (I'm combining those into one game project but they have different codenames because they are different games.)

So from now on, there is no Mystery Game 1, just CHAOS 3. Have fun.

Next post may very well be a rant, this one is long overdue. I will also be updating and appending a long section onto one of my previous rants. Stay tuned.

Mystery Game 1 - Now In Production!

I am happy to announce that production has now officially started on Mystery Game 1! Mystery Game 1 is a platformer game which will be designed to run at full HD resolution - that's 1920x1080, although if your computer is running on a lower or higher resolution it will be scaled downwards/upwards to fit your monitor's resolution.

A release date is not yet known but I'm hoping to have Mystery Game 1 out by late-September/early-October this year, putting its release around Project Plasma's first anniversary (23rd September.) Mystery Game 1 will also be up for pre-order hopefully around mid-August where people who pre-order the game will be able to bag a special bonus game!

Names have been decided for Mystery Game 1 and its accompanying bonus game, but will not be revealed until nearer the release. Expect to see teasers for the next game flooding down my Twitter wall over the next few months along screenshots of the game and no, it won't be a half-arsed prototype like Project Plasma Mobile nor will it be up as an initial open beta - this is a full game and will likely be released as such although I reserve the right to change this if I see fit.

Mystery Game 1's production would have started around 6-7 weeks ago during my college's Easter holidays however this unfortunately didn't happen due to coursework and Project Plasma Mobile being delayed. I am still yet to put an update up for that to increase its level count from 8 to 10 however PPM really isn't at the top of my priorities right now since it is just a prototype.

It has been over a month since I posted here so I figured this post would also be a good way of giving this blog a bit of a reboot.

Watch this space...

I

An Apology To Those Who Do Follow-4-Follow (Mini Rant)

I would also like to apologise to those who follow me in the hopes of getting a follow-back. I'm sorry that I don't do follow-to-follow and I'm sorry you aren't interested in my content and I'm also sorry for letting you down with all of that.

And I TOTALLY meant all what I just said up there...

Look it says in my damn Twitter profile description in big all-caps that I don't do follow-4-follow...

It doesn't take a fucking rocket scientist to work this out...

If you choose to follow me for the sole reason for wanting a follow-back then you're gonna be disappointed. If you want followers then earn followers by posting interesting content, not follow others in the hopes of getting a follow-back - that's just fucking cheap.

This rant isn't aimed at people who follow others because they are interested in their content, this is directed at people who follow others in the hopes that they will get a cheap follow-back. This rant could also apply to sub-4-subbers on YouTube who do a similar thing to get subscribers.

End of what could very well be the shortest rant you'll see on this blog ever.

Project Plasma Mobile Released!

Project Plasma Mobile is now up and ready via itch.io! This game is available as a free game that is available to be downloaded and sideloaded onto pretty much Android-powered device!

Download Project Plasma Mobile

Now, this is something I can't stress enough - this game is a basic prototype, it will not amaze you, it probably won't even look good. My focus here wasn't to make a great game (I know many of you aren't going to want to hear that but it's the truth I'm sorry) it's just a prototype, an experiment to see how a touchscreen device copes with what is essentially a pseudo-port (wrong terminology?) of Project Plasma.

If you're wanting good gameplay, go download the original Project Plasma. It's not a freebie, although there is a free demo available now. Project Plasma Mobile is an experimental game and nothing more, but hey at least it's free.

Project Plasma Mobile Is Coming! What To Expect

Wow April 2015 has officially overtaken October 2014 in blog post count. Well putting that aside let's get on with the real point of this post.

Project Plasma Mobile is right on our doorstep - it's being released tomorrow at 10pm BST time which I know is a little later than normal. The reason why it's so late is in case I run into any technical issues like I did when I was uploading PP v1.0.2 on Easter.

PPM will initially have 8 levels however I will likely add two more levels onto it to round it up to 10 in an update. In the highly likely case that this will happen, then levels and 9 and 10 will be Elite levels, like levels 23-25 and X in the PC version.

Most of the graphics here are being re-used from the original PP however the backgrounds (mostly) and the bosses are new. As I'm releasing this game as a mere prototype and not as an actual release per-se (like with the PC version) these boss graphics will be kept in their basic, MSPaint-looking form. This will not be in the case in future, non-prototype games. The point of this game isn't to create an impressive mobile game, it's more of an experiment to see how a game like Project Plasma would cope on a mobile device.

The game's audio has also been widely re-used from the original game.

Updates for this game will be very few and far between. The first update will probably come fairly quickly, this will likely be the update that adds levels 9 and 10, but after that expect very, very few updates for PPM except for a few bug fixes. Again, this is due to it being a prototype.

Most of the weapons available in Project Plasma will be available in its mobile equivalent however we'll be saying goodbye to the Directional Cannon as the aiming of this gun would interfere with the movement mechanics of this game. All other weapons are still there.

As for compatibility, it has pretty much every single Android mobile device covered.

• ARMv5 support. This is in place to allow compatibility with extremely old devices that use old ARM architectures such as ARM11.
• ARMv7 support. The vast majority of devices have this kind of architecture. By extension it will also be compatible with 64-bit ARMv8 devices.
• MIPS support. I don't know any Android devices that use this architecture (although I'm sure there are some out there) but if you have managed get hold of one then it should work on it. MIPS64 devices should theoretically be able run PPM as well.
• x86 support. Intel devices. If you have a phone/tablet that has an Intel Atom chipset in it then it will run PPM. 64-bit x86 devices (x86_64, or just simply x64) should also run PPM by extension.

If you're on a WinPhone or iOS device then sorry, but you're out of luck this time. Project Plasma Mobile is an Android-exclusive title. Watch this space though, as I do have plans to expand to other platforms both in the mobile space and the desktop space.

Project Plasma Mobile's itch.io has been officially made public but there's nothing to see there yet. Still if you want to check it out then follow the link below and you'll see... pretty much nothing right now...

http://archangelatom.itch.io/project-plasma-mobile

Remember, 10pm BST time tomorrow... although remember, it is just a prototype game and little more.

Playthrough Program - A Way To Get Chaos Symbol Games For Free, Coming Soon

Soon I will be introducing what I'll be calling a "Playthrough Program." This is basically a way to get certain paid games that I sell for free. This upcoming program will be open to gaming YouTubers who have a certain amount of subscribers. My motives behind doing this are to simply help me get my games out there.

Mystery Game 1 will be the first game that will be a part of this program and I will likely expand it to Project Plasma at some point as well. Bonus Game 1 will also likely be eligible for this however I have not made a decision on this yet.

I will be providing more information on this via a separate page on this blog at some point. This page will state the following.

• What games are eligible for the Playthrough Program. (Games will come and go from this list as I see fit)
• How to get free games through this program.
• The requirements of getting games through this program.
• Any terms and conditions you need to be aware of.

Obviously free games will never be eligible for this as free games are free anyway (Project Plasma Mobile for example.)

Bonus games will also appear on the Playthrough Program from time-to-time, typically around the release of their accompanying mainstream game or during said mainstream game is up for pre-order.

Watch this space...

Mystery Game 1, Bonus Game 1, and Project Plasma 1/M/2 Info

Sixth day in a row. Oh baby this blog's on a roll this April. Anyway as the title suggests this post is all about Mystery Game 1 and its accompanying bonus game, Project Plasma, Project Plasma Mobile, and Project Plasma 2. Let's do each game in order of its planned release.

Project Plasma

I mentioned in the v1.0.1 changelog for Project Plasma that PP has pretty much ran its course now and that I want to devote more time to working on future projects which will hopefully be much better than PP. The main reasons for this is the fact that I want to make something that is better than PP since PP was basically a result of me vomiting my ideas into GameMaker 8.1 one cold December night and I probably didn't put as much effort and time into as I should have and complete revamp would take far too much time which could be used in making a game that is better from the start in less time.

The other reason is simply because I want to get experience at working with other game engines and other genres. Anyone who was following my Twitter last night will have seen a multitude of tweets that were posted by me which were literally just me going on about what game engines I'm looking at and what game engines are going on the shitlist.

There will be a v1.0.3, however this update will be exclusively for the full version of the game so the freeware demo version will be staying at v1.0.2 for now. Don't expect much from v1.0.3 however, and it certainly won't be coming before Project Plasma Mobile is released.

Oh and this is a little callout to the cheapskates who I used to talk to on Skype who kept asking it to be free... go fuck yourselves. That is all, thank you kindly. (There is a demo now so there really shouldn't be any excuse anymore asking PP to be a freebie, save some cash and buy it or just play the demo.)

Project Plasma Mobile

Project Plasma Mobile is a GameMaker: Studio game which has already suffered one delay and hopefully it won't suffer again. PPM's release is scheduled for April 12th and will be an Android-exclusive mobile game. PPM will be released as prototype however because of its nature as a prototype, it will be subject to very few updates (but there will likely be some) and work on Mystery Game 1 will begin pretty much straight after.

Mystery Game 1

Mystery Game 1 will be a platformer game made with GameMaker: Studio. I have decided on a name for this game, but I've decided not to disclose it yet. There really isn't much I can divulge about it at this point in time other than the fact that the storyline, and likely the gameplay as well, will be in a similar vein to the Japanese indie platformer Cave Story by Studio Pixel. You could consider that as this game's "role model" or inspiration if you will.

If you've not heard of Cave Story... here it is. It's considered by many to be the original indie game as we know it (although there were indie games around before that.)

MG1 will be available for pre-ordering shortly before the game's release, and that's where the next game comes in...

Bonus Game 1

This elusive game won't be made with GM: Studio. Remember earlier when I was talking about experimenting with other game engines? Yeah this is where BG1 comes in.

BG1 will not be made with GameMaker: Studio, instead, it'll be based on a game engine called "Duality" by Adam's Lair. It looks pretty complicated but I'm sure I'll be able to work it out... maybe with the aid of a few tutorials. This game will be a bonus game that will be exclusively handed out to people who pre-ordered Mystery Game 1. This game will be handed out as soon as MG1 is released, after that, BG1 will become a rare gem, although I may still offer it as a prize if I do any competitions in the future.

As this will be my first game with the Duality engine, you could consider this to be a prototype as well. This game will never be made public and no I will not be giving it out to anyone so don't bother asking.

Project Plasma 2

The final game I'll be covering in this round-up will be Project Plasma 2 which will see a return to GameMaker: Studio regarding its engine.

Project Plasma 2 will continue from where it's prequel left off in terms of the game's storyline while looking over towards the game's technical side it will fix many of the issues and qualms people had with the original PP. Expect better graphics, audio that I actually made myself instead of going to Creative Commons websites like I did with PP, and better mechanics overall.

There will be no Project Plasma Mobile 2 however, you can read more about why that is the case here.

Project Plasma 2's accompanying bonus game may or may not surprise some of you...

After PP2

I do have a few games planned after PP2, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. I like focusing a short distance into the future when it comes to stuff like this, but I don't want to focus too far into the future as I'll end up focusing on that instead of everything else I planned before it. I'll probably do another post like this when we come up to the release of PP2 but until then, watch this space...