We're not done yet!
In order to further our quest to redo DS08 in Bigginess, we've also got to redraw all of SirVoe's wonderful alternative graphics that he designed for DS08.
There's 3 extra sets of sprites, and it's taken me about 2 hours to redraw about 1/4 of the first sheet.
Uhoh!!

It's Platdude Time!
<a href="https://AGameAWeek.com/complete/JNKPlat_2010_20100420A.png"><img src="https://AGameAWeek.com/complete/JNKPlat_2010_20100420A_thumb.png"></a>
Guide Platdude through 45 puzzling platform levels, dodging darts, fleeing flames and always being mindful of mines!

It's been three whole weeks since I made a post with that title, but we're ready to get going with the whole JNKPlat 2010 thing, and nothing short of a complete hard drive failure could stop it, now!!
*Jay quickly does a backup*
<a href="https://socoder.net/uploads/1/JNKPlat2010_BigShot5.png"><img src="https://socoder.net/uploads/1/JNKPlat2010_BigShot5_thumb.png"></a>
Mmm.. Luvly big shot!!

Woot! He's on his way! Everyone excited? Probably not!!
JNKPlat 2010's first release will be right here, Tuesday morning.
There's a handful of bits and pieces yet to be done, but as it stands it's entirely playable. Tomorrow I've got to set up lives and midpoints, but other than those there's nothing too "missing" in the game. I've even enabled one-button-method. Euwww!
Level makers should be preparing to send in their packs, for the end release, and I'll...

On Sunday we had a new bathroom fitted, during which time we discovered an old leak which had previously gone unnoticed. In what can only be described as "Water Timing" the leak decided to smash through part of our kitchen.
dangit.
So, this week, we've been busy doing house destruction, removing part of the ceiling, and preparing to get a whole new one.
Although I've not really been doing too much towards it, the ceiling coming down isn't the big job, that's coming soon when we put the ne...

To the 7 people who asked, the editor has been sent.
This kinda counts as a release, but since it's not a public release, it also kinda doesn't.
2 weeks in, and the game's coming along in leaps and bounds. There's a couple of DS08 tiles that aren't in there yet, but otherwise it's about the same game.
<a href="https://socoder.net/uploads/1/JNKPlat2010_BigShot4.png"><img src="https://socoder.net/uploads/1/JNKPlat2010_BigShot4_thumb.png"></a>
...

Think you've got what it takes to make JNKPlat levels?
Want to get your name into a game before the game's even finished yet?
Want to even get to play the game before it's even finished?!

Things aren't going too badly in the Level Editor.
<a href="https://socoder.net/uploads/1/JNKPlat_EditorShot2.png"><img src="https://socoder.net/uploads/1/JNKPlat_EditorShot2_thumb.png"></a>
A nice bar, Selectable objects, Test button, Tabs..
In many ways, things are about the same as they were before, and that's exactly how Platdude likes them!
Keen observers might notice the lack of lights and switches. The whole purpose of the lights was to limit what th...

(note, this is a bit waffley, and tends to jump about from point to point!!)
Today I've been working on the editor.
It's been a bit of a challenge, trying to think of every little think you might use, and also the keys for all of it, but I think it's coming along quite well.
Draw with the mouse to draw, left for the selected tile, right for blank.

<a href="https://socoder.net/uploads/1/JNKPlat_2010_edition_(Screenshot_08_Apr_2010_121224).png"><img src="https://socoder.net/uploads/1/JNKPlat_2010_edition_(Screenshot_08_Apr_2010_121224)_thumb.png"></a>
It's amazing that, a week and a bit later, there are still loads of old things that must be put into the game.
I completely forgot about those little mines, and the TNT Plunger based mines, too!
Then getting them all working on Travellators, too.
Plenty of wor...

Yeay! Platdude's on his way!
Here's the first teaser..

Odd things to spot.

No release yet, it's nearly ready, but still so far away!
Not to worry, it's Platdude's month, so let's carry on.
By the end of this month there'll be a PC version, and a Linux version, too.
That's hopefully apparent by now.

Blocks and Spikes are in the engine now, as are the default sound effects!
Seems a bit of a long time for Blocks and Spikes, but those Blocks are always more complicated than they oughta be!
Work is coming along at the regular rate, but I'm now starting to think about the frontend of the game. Not entirely sure what I'll be doing for it.
I might try to replicate the DS's menu screen, since that seemed to work out nicely.

I've spent ages working on the whole Music Engine thing, and so far it's not sounded 100% great.
Today's work got it up to about 75%, or thereabouts.
As Background music, it does it's job. As anything more, it's a little lacking. So I think I'll just say "That'll do!" and carry on.
JNKPlat 2010 + random'ish music, coming soon!
I'd post a new High-Def screenshot, but you can't really screenshot music, and I've not really done any new graph...

I haven't really been updating this like I oughta be, so here's the "So Far"
Day one (Tuesday 30th March 2010)
Make it Big
Decided to go with the "upped size" style, so set about redrawing all the old background tiles at a higher resolution.
I considered making 50-odd brick tiles, and give them all a slight texture, but figured that'd kill your memory, so instead created an overlay texture that would be added to the screen once the game's done it'...

Today I've made a start on the next JNKPlat.
Everything will be sprite based, but MASSIVE compared to previous outings.
Where previously they'd been 8x8 pixel tiles, this time around they're going to be 64x64 pixels.
That's a 6400% size increase! (Assuming I did the maths right!)

First up, this week's game will be Blockman in a Mario Costume. Greenie looked great in his costume, but he's a lost cause, and I'm moving on.
Blockman will return to his original Flicky style gameplay, with the Mario Costume acting as a power up to give him an amazing new ability! Combo scores aplenty!
After that, we're done with Mar10, so I can start playing with fresh, original, and fantastically new ideas..
Speaking of which, Tetripong is apparently needed on the DS, so that'll probab...

August 26th 2009
That's the last time I did a Mailbag post!
Blinkin' eck!
Over the past 6/7 months, I've occasionally dipped into the mailbag and plucked out little snippets, but I figured it was about time I did a proper one.

On Tuesday I'll be posting the last of my planned Mar10 games, and it's going to be a wild ride to see what oddities appear for the next couple of weeks.
After that I've got the whole JNKPlat10 to do, but that'll probably be more of a background thing.
In the meantime, I'd like your game ideas, and what better place to pop them, than into our ever-present Suggestion Box, over on the right.
I'll peek inside the spam filled mass of suggestions once I've posted this game, and try to dig out a...

This week, Munky in a Mario Costume.
Next week, possibly Blockman in a Mario Costume.
Third week, I should probably do Greenie in a Mario Costume, but that's more 'cos he'd look funny, than for any gameplay reasons!
That brings us to April, and with my head spinning with ideas about "The BIG JNKPlat game", I'm not sure if I really want to attempt that.

Ever since I came up with this whole MAR10 Costume idea, I've had three games in mind.
1. Ted Bob was a great game, and needed an update. By making it More Mario, I could easily add extra bits into the mix.
Job done, turned out nicely.
2. "Monsters Upside Your Head" played bizarrely, but nicely! Redoing that in DK style seemed obvious, but didn't quite turn out exactly as expected.

Eeek..
It's scary to even consider this, but there's no free-forming games for a while.
We're in a zone now, and I can't stop it even if I tried!
Tomorrow's game is about ready, although I'm still missing 4 little parts that I might wimp out on!

This week, I've decided to try something a wee bit different.
If you're a fan of previous AGameAWeek games, you'll notice that I'm more than a little crap at designing levels.
It's a slight issue, but one that I've never bothered to care about.
Usually, any games that NEED levels will include a built in level editor. And folk who like the games will spend minutes trying to make one, and that'll be half the fun.
The trouble with this theory, of course, is ...

<a href="https://AGameAWeek.com/JNKx15.zip">Download JNKx15 Right Here</a>
A nice neat 36Mb download, with 15 lovely little games included.
Download, Unzip, Play away!

I'm sat here at 11pm on Sunday night, trying to think of a game for Tuesday.
It's not happening..
I've spent all week long adding games to the archive. That's to say, I've spent all week playing all my old games, and having a whale of a time..
I guess that has a disadvantage, being that I haven't coded jack all, all week.

It's that unexpected time, where I randomly choose to rummage through the bundles of silly game ideas, and pluck out the best/worst!
Let's throw out the spam, and get started.
..
FFS, there's a lot of spam!