jdodson | Cheerful Ghost

Hammerwatch Preorder Drops + Dev Min-terview

Hammerwatch is an upcoming Gauntlet styled hack-n-slash featuring 4 player co-op. Travis and I featured this game on the site a few months ago with an interview and early gameplay review. I am happy to let you know that Hammerwatch is available to pre-order from the Humble Store for $8. When the game is ready to ship the pre-order gets you access to the game, game score + Steam Key.

Seriously, this a crazy deal and its not even on sale.

No secret I am very excited for this game to launch and as such shipped over a few questions to the Hammerwatch developers about the pre-order and final release. I want to thank them for taking the time to talk with me and I wish them well shipping.

jdodson: I just tried beta 1.0.6 that has a new Tower Defense mode as well as a fleshed out Warlock class. Are there any other changes coming to the game before the games final launch?

Myran: We don’t plan on releasing a new beta version, no. Releasing a beta takes a bit of time from us and although it’s great to be able to get the bug reports from it we think we have a stable enough version now to just do the rest of the testing ourselves.

jdodson: Awesome to see the ability to pre-order the Hammerwatch beta on the Humble Store. Can you give us any hints when the full game may ship by?

Myran: We should be able to release it in a few weeks.

jdodson: Are the any plans to support the game after launch with content updates or DLC?

Myran: It depends on how well the game sells, really. If we can then yes, we would love to do stuff like content patches and improving the editor, but it’s not something we can really promise to do since we don’t know if we will be able to afford doing it. I doubt we will do any kind of paid DLC though, if we do content updates they would most likely be free.

jdodson: As you are entering the final stretch of development what are you focusing on in regard to the game itself?

Myran: What’s left is mostly polishing some features and balancing the difficulty. There are also some stuff that’s not directly the game itself, like making installers, a trailer and logos for stores. And then there is of course always bug testing and fixing.

Pre-order the game from the Hammerwatch site:

http://www.hammerwatch.com/

Our interview with the developers back in January:

http://cheerfulghost.com/jdodson/posts/955

Our review of an early beta of the game + developer Q&A session. It includes a video of Travis and I playing Survival together:

http://cheerfulghost.com/Travis/posts/1039

Hands On With the Dota 2 Mac and Linux Clients

Recently, Dota 2 left beta for its final free to play release on Windows. During its Beta it wasn't available for Linux or Mac but recently Valve made a test build available for both platforms. Recently I downloaded both clients on Linux and Mac to give them a shot. If you have Steam for Mac or Linux you can simple download the Dota 2 test from your games list.

Mac Test Build

This build works well enough that I recommend it for Mac users if they prefer gaming from their Laptop or iMac. That said, I don't recommend it for serious Dota 2 playing but if you want to have a bit of fun with bots or friends, it works well.

A few issues I noticed:

When the character selection screen came up it was very small in the upper left hand corner of the screen. I could select a character, but it was hard to read anything and understand each characters strengths and weaknesses. Not a huge deal if you know who you want to play.

I also minimized the game a few times and had no idea how I did that. It was easy enough to resume the game, but it was distracting the few times it happened.

The performance on my Macbook wasn't great and I experienced a bit of lag on occasion. It wasn't a huge deal, but my Macbook has an SSD and 16G of RAM, it doesn't need to slow down.

Linux Test Build

The Linux build was the most stable of the two and it worked very well for me. No glitches that I noticed and the build seemed good enough for serious play. That said, each Linux machine is a bit different but on my rig, it ran very well.

If you are Mac or Linux bound or simply want to see Valve's latest game to be ported to these platforms you should download them now!

http://store.steampowered.com/app/570/

Travis Admin wrote on 07/17/2013 at 01:59pm

"It wasn't a huge deal, but my Macbook has an SSD and 16G of RAM, it doesn't need to slow down."

What's the video card in the Macbook? That could explain the slow down.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 07/17/2013 at 05:50pm

NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M 1024 MB
2.6 GHz Intel Core i7

Dota 2 should be fine :D

Travis Admin wrote on 07/17/2013 at 06:20pm

Aye, I think it should.

scrypt Supporter wrote on 07/17/2013 at 09:35pm

It's probably just the ghost of Steve Jobs, trying to tell you to keep those dirty games off of his dream!

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 07/18/2013 at 01:42am

HAHAHA yeah I bet.

I have found that many games on Mac are not as speedy as they seem they should be. I have a Linux box with lesser specs in some respects that totally smokes it for games. Its a strange thing because I have the latest Retina Macbook with the highest specs. Kind of should be enough horsepower for most games I think.

scrypt Supporter wrote on 07/18/2013 at 02:31am

Are you running 10.8? Ever since I made the upgrade to Mountain Lion, I've noticed significant decrease in performance on my iMac. Mine is an older system (3ghz Intel Core 2 Duo), but I can imagine that it might be part of the problem.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 07/18/2013 at 02:37am

Yeah, I am running Mountain Lion. For everything else it seems fine, just games are a bit more laggy than they should.

Travis Admin wrote on 07/18/2013 at 01:03pm

From what I read, 10.9 should fix some of those speed drop problems, so maybe gaming will get better as well.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 07/18/2013 at 03:20pm

That's good news. From my very non scientific research it seems Steam games on Linux are on par with Windows and a bit better than the Mac. But, again, just a "feel" no benchmarks or anything.

Hat tip to Valve, the porting effort is very good.

beansmyname Supporter wrote on 07/22/2013 at 12:00am

I think a key reason for the performance difference could be that Valve is tightening up their engine in preparation for the Steambox. Since it's purported to be Linux-based, it would make sense that there are optimizations in Linux that don't exist in Mac OS.

I have noticed that since the beta launch of Steam for Linux, a great number of the Valve titles have been through multiple revisions, with each one performing slightly better than the last. When TF2 was first available for Linux, I experienced serious performance hits on my woefully underpowered Intel HD 3000. Two updates later, however, and the framerate got to an acceptable-but-not-yet-playable-with-humans point.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 07/22/2013 at 04:59am

Good to hear they are improving performance. If vendors are to release different versions of the Steam Box with different hardware then they will need to optimize as well as they can. Then again, modest hardware now days is pretty beefy all told.

beansmyname Supporter wrote on 07/22/2013 at 06:02pm

True, yet there is still a bottom end to the hardware. My laptop was right at the base spec for the Steam Linux beta. The desktop I'm on now has some pretty low specs: Core 2 Duo 2 GHz, NVIDIA GT220, 4 GB DDR 800 RAM running off of a slow SATA drive. Still, most of the Valve titles run really well and keep getting better. That's why I'm itching for Portal 2 to get to Linux. Or HL3. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Sorry. That happens any time I think about HL3. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 07/22/2013 at 06:06pm

When they get Portal 2 ported to Linux that will be awesome. Have you played it yet?

beansmyname Supporter wrote on 07/22/2013 at 06:19pm

Oh yeah. Finished the single-player on the PS3 and the laptop was just barely fast enough to play it in Windows, but I rarely booted to Windows so I'm itching to play it again and/or co-op this time around.

If you want to join this conversation you need to sign in.

Super Time Force Continues To Look Amazing

Capybara Games just released a new trailer for Super Time Force and it is worth a watch. The trailer features examples of how the time travel game mechanic works during game play. When you rewind time you can also select another character to play, making it possible to play different parts of a level with different characters. The game boasts the ability to play as a Dinosaur but that aspect isn't shown in the trailer. The trailer does show off a Luke Skywalker character as well as others that resemble various iconic 80's action stars.

As with any Capybara game, the trailer features a really great music. The trailer itself is fairly unique in that the last minute is a very interesting rewind segment. I couldn't tell if that was just for fun or if that mechanic will be included in the game itself.

The game look very polished from what was shown in the trailer. Any hint to the release date was included at the end of the trailer that read: "2013 XBLA." I have no plans to buy an XBox 360 or XBox One so I hope this comes to PC at some point in the future. That said, the game looks fantastic and I can't wait for it to ship.

http://supertimeforce.com/

Development Progresses: Fruit, The Beach & Elves!

"Fruit trees are a long-term investment for your farm. They don’t need to be watered, but they are expensive to buy, need a lot of space, and require a full year of growth before they’ll produce any fruit. However, once it’s established, your tree will provide you with juicy morsels every day during its fruiting season!

What will you do with your new fruit?

Sell it? Cook with it? Give it to your sweetie?

Throw the pungent little thing into an oak barrel and spend the winter guzzling strong wine? (don’t do that)"

http://stardewvalley.net/mini-dev-update-8/

The Power of Glove Documentary

" 1989. In an era of Nintendo-mania, toymaker giant Mattel unleashes a bold technological experiment to an eager public. The POWER GLOVE: the first video game controller that allows players to operate Nintendo games with intuitive hand gestures.

Despite immense hype surrounding its release, the product is a critical failure, disappointing thousands of children with its subpar gameplay. More than two decades later, however, dedicated fans continue to repurpose the Power Glove for art pieces, hacking projects, electronic music, and more.

For the first time ever: the story behind the world’s most notorious video game controller."

The Power Glove is one of those awesome devices in gaming history that is more awesome in concept than in practice. Not to say your can't repurpose it for much now, but I never really found it useful in any of the games I owned as a kid. That said, I am really interested in watching the documentary as I really do appreciate owning my own Power Glove and love the lore and history of it all. I wonder if they will interview Lucas from The Wizard? Time will tell.

http://thepowerofglove.com/

Video Game History: Unreal Tournament

"Unreal Tournament 1999, original intended to be nothing more than an expansion pack for the original Unreal which would simply be called "The bot pack", turned out to be one of the most influential multiplayer shooters of all time. Toppling the giant powerhouse that was ID software in both technology and gameplay and modding capabilities of ID's engines. "

Unreal Tournament still holds up today as a great competitive FPS. I hope Epic decides to give some more attention to the franchise as UT3 was fantastic and id love a more modern take on this franchise.

beansmyname Supporter wrote on 07/22/2013 at 12:01am

UT3 was good, but UT2k4 is still the pinnacle of that series, IMHO.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 07/22/2013 at 04:25am

I agree 2k4 was amazing.

beansmyname Supporter wrote on 07/22/2013 at 05:57pm

That being said, if we can get Epic (or whomever is responsible for it these days) to get their existing Linux ports into Steam, we'd have to get an event together.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 07/23/2013 at 01:23am

Absolutely. Installing UT2k4 on Linux isn't too hard. Once you have it setup, if the key is legit you can play online with people. I have the binaries from back in the day but I am not certain where you pick them up online these days.

beansmyname Supporter wrote on 07/23/2013 at 08:32pm

I still have an ISO backup of my original disk from back in the day. I can play it in Linux just not via Steam. If we can get enough (8-10 people), I'd be down to play non-Steam, though.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 07/23/2013 at 08:50pm

Steam just installs the game for people, but the servers are not hosted on Steam and you don't need Steam to play a multi-player game.

You will need the Linux binary patch though and I think all the Community Bonus Pack stuff is available as a tarball or zip.

beansmyname Supporter wrote on 07/23/2013 at 10:19pm

I know I can. I just like having Steam organize them all for me. I have the CBP zip backed up somewhere for easy reinstallation, too.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 07/23/2013 at 10:57pm

I do too. Less stuff to manage. Which is odd for me to say because I was the most hardcore opponent of Steam just a few years ago. The thought of buying a game without a disc was tantamount to insanity.

Then The Humble Bundle dropped and I got some Steam Keys....

beansmyname Supporter wrote on 07/24/2013 at 01:44am

That's how I got hooked, too and now with the onset of Steam for Linux, I'm hooked.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 07/24/2013 at 01:47am

It's a very convenient thing. And all told , well worth the trade. Then again I put in my ol' Half-life key and it was redeemed on Steam so yay! :D

If you want to join this conversation you need to sign in.

Auth Changes + New Account Security Section

I wanted to update you about a recent batch of features to hit the site. One such thing I have been experimenting with are the comment visuals. The old comment style was fine in Desktop browsers but on mobile they were squished. The new style gives the comment body much more room and I think they are much easier to read. That said, they don't seem as good as they could be. I can't put my thumb on it entirely, but something needs to be done in terms of the colors we use or placement. Beyond that, I really love how much more room the comments have on my iPhone.

A few days ago I changed the "Update Profile" link in the drop down to "Account Settings." This will be an "umbrella" area for all things related to your account. I added a series of tab buttons to the top of the page allowing you to update your profile as before and I also added a new "Account Security" section. Currently what this allows you to do is sign out all other open Cheerful Ghost browser sessions. If you think your account may have been compromised or you are just a bit paranoid, this should help you be more secure.

I want to stress the point that we have not been hacked and no account has been hacked that I am aware of. Security really matters to me and I want to allow people the right tools to ensure that is a priority. We also started a new policy that requires everyone re authenticate every 2 months. I know this is somewhat of a hassle but is a fairly normal convention on modern web apps.

One of the next features I will be working on in the upcoming weeks is updating how posts are seen on the Cheerful Ghost main page. Some of you have asked for some kind of front page moderation and Travis and I are currently working out how that will work. Our goal is to painlessly allow awesome content to make it to the front page. I want to stress that the majority of what people post will still make it to the front page, that said as the site grows we need to ensure that the stuff people see is our best.

If you have any questions or comments about anything covered hit me in the comments or using site feedback:

http://cheerfulghost.com/feedback

The Firehose: Star Citizen Economy and More

Star Citizen developers Cloud Imperium Games recently released an interesting video about the games economy. Very interested in seeing how this works in the final product.

https://robertsspaceindustries.com/about-the-game

Ittle Dew is a game heavily influenced by Zelda that focusing on puzzles and speed running. Its a fresh take on the Zelda game style available now for Windows and Mac on the Humble Store.

http://www.ittledew.com/

An interesting art piece I found online titled "Super Dead Mario."

http://www.flickr.com/photos/oskunk93/9243500652/

Sony recently dropped the news that the PS4 will allows instant play for digital and disc based games in the process of downloading. Playing your games faster after you buy them sounds good to me.

http://www.gameranx.com/updates/id/15968/article/ps4-digital-library-instantly-playable-on-any-console

Take a Guided Tour of the FTL Score -w Ben Prunty

Its no secret that I love FTL. I am not sure I have been as proud of completing a game as when CapnCurry and I beat it in a FTL pairing session. One aspect of FTL I really love is Ben Prunty's score. Its a really great album to put on while I am surfing the web or reading. Recently Ben posted about his thoughts on a few of tracks in the FTL score. He talks about "Space Cruise" (the song featured above) and a few other iconic tracks from the score.

On "Space Cruise"

"This is a very simple three-chord progression that was the very first thing I wrote for FTL. I was trying to prove to the guys at Subset Games that I could make something fun and breezy, but also not overly saccharine. Sometimes it has more minor chords mixed in. I think the name ‘Space Cruise’ really sums up the feeling of it. Since Space Cruise shows up at the title screen, many people will decide that this is the ‘main theme’. I see all three of the major motifs I list here as equally valid main themes, and honestly it’s up to you as to which one resonates the most."

Ben includes some staff music for reference as well. If you are interesting in reading more about Ben's thoughts on the FTL score, check them out here:

http://benprunty.com/2013/07/11/a-guided-tour-through-the-ftl-soundtrack-analysis-of-themes/

If you are interested in our FTL pairing session, read more:

http://cheerfulghost.com/CapnCurry/posts/1334
http://cheerfulghost.com/jdodson/posts/1333

Wasted On Steam: Analyze Your Steam Habits

Wasted On Steam is a new web application that scrapes your Steam public profile and analyzes you game playing habits. It lets you know which games you play the most and what the ratio of played VS unplayed games you have. Its really interesting to see the numbers and most of it turned out how I expected with Terraria leading the bunch.

See how many hours I have wasted on Steam:

http://wastedonsteam.com/usd/id/jdodson

If you want to find out your own, head over to the website proper and share your page in the comments.

http://wastedonsteam.com/

The site is slow as I imagine they are experiencing quite a lot of traffic.

jdodson1

2753 Posts