Developments

Yesterday I tackled something different. For a while, I've been wondering if I should attempt to create a larger PixelArf site to accommodate everybody's entries. I started by creating a barebones webpage with a couple of scrolling sections and a little bit of AJAX to hold it all together. VERY barebones! And, if I'm honest, not that great looking. Scaled up pixelart looks NASTY in a browser. (Although it looks fine on my iPad!!) (URL "https://AGameAWeek.com/wp-content/uploa...

Well, @Jayenkai , I've always supported you in the past. And I warned you focusing on piracy would turn you into something untenable. Point one : I'm NOT focussed on the "Piracy" I'm focussed on the twat that took my game, and uploaded it to Amazon, then tried to make a profit from it. That, to me, is a million times worse than anyone who simply finds the game online and downloads it. That's not just taking something, that's taking something then trying to profit from someone else's hard work...

Developments

I really should be getting back to Boxsplosions, but watching SpikeDislike3's journey through the AppStore has been so much fun!! Yesterday, (URL "https://twitter.com/craiggrannell">@CraigGrannell) posted a glowing review over at (URL "https://www.pocketgamer.co.uk/r/iPad/SpikeDislike3/review.asp?c=66176">PocketGamer.co.uk) (URL "https://www.pocketgamer.co.uk/r/iPad/SpikeDislike3/review.asp?c=66176"><img src="https://AGameAWeek.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/SD3_Po...

One month, Three games!? Sure, why not!! It might not be "AGameAWeek" but getting 3 games onto iOS in a month is still a pretty decent achievement, especially when they're all nice and big. As you might know, my old MacMini (from 2010) was starting to rot away due to lack of use. This month, knowing that SpikeDislike3 was due to arrive, I attempted a quick test compile, and.. well.. it didn't go very well. So, out with the old, and in with a brand new MacMini. Further compiles were quick and pai...

Developments

HURRAY! After 20 (TWENTY!) days in review, SpikeDislike3 is finally available on iOS! o/yeayo/ And it's about damn time, too. ( width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/KnfnkRnT2Ag" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen>> Feel the full dislike, as you bounce your way through the 15 different themes, and 150 levels of spikes! You can buy the complete SpikeDislike3 (URL "https://itunes.apple.com/app/spikedislike3/...

Developments

Further rejections, this month, as a game gets rejected from yet another format. I'm not going to give them the publicity of a good rant, but suffice to say they rejected Invisible Munky 2 because, within the End Credits, I bothered to thank the people at OUYAForum.com, who helped me when I needed to test the game's physics. ( width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Y-Oi5a8TTuU" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen>> ...

Right in the midst of "AGameAWeek Meets iOS Month", with SpikeDislike3 (hopefully) incoming, and two other games already out, and ... well.. I'm having a teensy tiny problem with iTunesConnect. Usually, at the bottom of a game's info-page, is a little "Request Promo Codes" link, which you click on to get promo codes for that game, that you can then send out for promotional reasons. The link USED to be there.. In fact, I used it mid-February to grab a bunch of SpikeDislike2 codes. But, for some curio...

Developments

Yesterday's doings. Boxsploding I continued work on Boxsplosions, and got a nice new control scheme up and running for touchscreens. I might have to zoom out a little bit, though, as you can currently only see an area of about 8x8 tiles, whereas the whole arena is 128x128!! Today I'm going to be playing with the actual Splosions, and seeing if the gameplay matches the previous edition, or whether it all needs to be rethought and reimagined.. Hmm...

Developments

With SpikeDislike3 out the door ('ish), ChuckABall ready to relaunch (chuck?) and Invisible Munky already getting played by at least one person, it's time to think ahead to what project comes next. For a while, I've been wondering if I should attempt a newer edition of (URL "https://AGameAWeek.com/GameList.php?ShowJust=325">Boxsplodings). It's a fun little game, but was quite limited by the number of levels and how they were organised. (URL "https://AGameAWeek.com/complete/B...

Developments

Aaah, iTunesConnect. When Invisible Munky 2 launched, the other day, I noticed something odd in my iTunesConnect pages. Where there's usually a "Request Promo Codes" link, there was none. Basically, I can't give away Promo Codes for my iOS games, because I can't bloomin' well get any codes in the first place. I was baffled, and tried many things to get them back, including emailing and chatting with Apple themselves about the situation. After a good number of hours, they don't ...

Developments

After a game's release, half the fun is watching the aftermath, and scrawling the internet for comments. On this occasion, however, I pretty much know what's coming. Invisible Munky 2 isn't a game that I'm expecting to be popular, or fondly remembered, (it hasn't thus far, anyway..) so any comments and feedback will be minimal. And yet I wait, and I watch, and I hunt the net to try to find ANYTHING to do with the game. But. Nope. The WorldWide Web has fallen mostly silen...

Developments

Well it's about sodding time!!! After just over a week and a half, Invisible Munky 2's finally gotten through Apple Review, and is now available on the AppStore. Unfortunately, for some bizarre reason that I've not yet tracked down, the "Promo Codes" button appears to be completely missing from iTunesConnect. For this game, I was hoping to dish out a few promo codes to folk with different devices, to ensure the game runs as it oughta on those iPhings. Due to my lack of ability...

Developments

Last night, I decided to open up my old projects. Over the past couple of years, my iOS releases reduced to practically nothing, yet I still built up an alarming number of games over the weeks. Hopefully with the new faster, more usable MacMini in place, I can keep up a better rate from here on, but last night I found myself digging through the archives, seeing what would and wouldn't be suitable for iOS. At which point, I stumbled upon (URL "https://AGameAWeek.com/GameList.php...

Developments

(URL "https://AGameAWeek.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/IMG_9694.jpg"><img src="https://AGameAWeek.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/IMG_9694-1024x768.jpg" alt="IMG_9694" width="604" height="453" class="alignnone size-large wp-image-4688" /> And so ends our journey of creation. or, rather, HOPEFULLY ends the journey! We'll find out in about a week, whether I managed to click all the settings in an accurate manner. With any luck, I...

Developments

A somewhat eventful day, yesterday, but one that took WAY too long!! As I finished off the last of the levels, and got the game working toa moderately lovely standard, I figured I might as well start throwing bits and pieces into iTunes. I've still got a number of days until Invisible Munky (hopefully) passes AppleReview, so I can relax and take my time with all the iTunesConnect gubbins. Starting with the the description, the screenshots, the icon, I continued on and decided to ...

Developments

Yesterday was spent tweaking a few odds and sods that I never really got around to doing previously. I, of course, added a few extra levels, and I added "OUYA Controller Button Icons" to the main menu, so it's marginally more obvious that you can use the shoulder buttons to open the Options menu and Scoreboard. (URL "https://AGameAWeek.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/HeavilySubtle.png"><img src="https://AGameAWeek.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/HeavilySubtle-1024x597.png" a...

Developments

A busy day, yesterday, as I set about building more of those Mission/Level things for SpikeDislike3. I've now got marginally different Mission modes for 10 of the 13 themes, although "Super X!" seems to appear a fair number of times! With only 3 more sets of levels to create, I'm pretty much nearing the end of development, although there's a bunch more extra bits that I might end up throwing in. Anyway, I figured now's about as good a time as any, to give you an idea of my targ...

Developments

Guess who forgot to hit the "Submit for Review" button on Invisible Munky 2!!? That's right!! I blame Apple.. It used to be that you'd have to have iTunesConnect open at the same time as Application Loader, and juggle the two until it did what you wanted to. Recently, though, they've completely overhauled iTunesConnect, and I found myself doing 99% of the tasks via the Windows Laptop. By the time it came to uploading the release, I was using the Mac, and stupidly forgot all a...

Developments

OK, I *think* I managed to post Invisible Munky 2, correctly, to iTunes Connect! Unfortunately, due to the world in which Apple operates, we're going to have to wait just over a week to know for sure, as we wait for it to get through the stringent Apple Review gubbins. No doubt, even if it's as broken as Cardagain is, it'll still get through, so I'll be counting on the masses of Twitter-folk to let me know if it works on all the different types of devices that are out there. My...

Developments

RAWR!!! Wednesday went swimmingly well, with all the pieces falling into place, and everything being awesome and cool. It stands to reason, then, that my Thursday didn't go quite as well. I decided to try my hand at getting Invisible Munky 2 into the AppStore. It started with me having to upgrade my "Icon Resizer" tool, to account for the 150,000 new icon sizes that have appeared since iPhone 6 and Plus came out. I also just about managed to figure out the new "Launch Scree...

Developments

A quick video.. ( width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/SUFKcQothYI" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen>> About a week ago, I booted up the MacMini to test compile SpikeDislike3 onto my iPad. I was SHOCKED by how poor the functionality of the MacMini was. Slow, unresponsive, and certainly not what you'd call "Useful" in any way shape or form. I guess that's what happens when you buy a Mac Mini in 2010, and only e...

Developments

Yesterday, I made this! (URL "https://AGameAWeek.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/SD3_016.png"><img src="https://AGameAWeek.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/SD3_016-1024x597.png" alt="SD3_016" width="660" height="385" class="alignnone size-large wp-image-4623" /> Taking sprites, sounds and music from (URL "https://AGameAWeek.com/GameList.php?ShowJust=350">Invisible Munky 2), I quickly cobbled together a SpikeDislike2 theme, and re...

Developments

Yesterday, I took the phrase "Sleepy Sunday" and worked the heck out it. My cat woke me up at 6:15am, and I managed to stay mostly awake until just after 9, when I realised I was too tired to code, and instead went for a nap.. .. A long nap!! I also had a second nap later in the day, too. Ooops! I suppose when you have little/nothing else to do, especially on a Sunday, that there's no harm in having a short nap. But when you have TWO naps, and they're not exactly short ones, y...

Bah, it's Thursday, already, and I've still not gotten a proper start on this next game. You know what, this whole "Gap Year" thing... .. It's not working out, is it? Instead of coding with a vague deadline, I'm spending every day doing nothing, relaxing, and generally being a lazy bum. I'm supposed to be working on SOMETHING, but instead I've watched an entire season of Castle over the past few days. And this is roughly how my days are going, lately. TV watching, resting, playing Words With Friends,...

Invisible Munky is BACK! It only took 10 years for Invisible Munky to re-appear*, and in that time, it's learned an excellent new skill. <img src="https://AGameAWeek.com/complete/Invisible_Munky_2_20150330B_thumb.png"> <img src="https://AGameAWeek.com/complete/Invisible_Munky_2_20150330A_thumb.png">

I say "slow", but of course, I mean "Slow in the realm of AGameAWeek!" I've been working on Invisible Munky 2 for nearly THREE WEEKS, now! Blimey, that went fast! I'm currently working on building levels, and trying to keep the momentum of the game flowing in a decent manner. I'm also trying to add a decent mix of music, but it's all kinda samey. I might have to head in a completely different melodical direction, or something. *shrugs* Not sure! Anyway, the game currently contains 9 levels, and the...