I miss publishing free games on here and communicating with the audience. I released my last game over a year ago and wont release the next one for another 2 most likely.  It really activates my almonds that I have to go into radio silence for so long... so read on for a free copy of my last game.

But first, look at this GIF of my NEXT game.

I've got 25 fat steam codes to hand out. Leave a comment* in this thread to show you're genuine and I'll DM you a code of my last steam game Sentry Knight Tactics. *All you have to do is tell me what you think of this GIF above in your comment*

After you play the game on steam, I want your honest feedback as it will go in the OFFICIAL post mortem I'm writing up on the game. Also If you have the game and didn't leave a review, LEAVE A REVIEW.

Also look at this sick art FuSHARK did of the Knight. That man is talented.

If you want to learn more about my game or read my shitposts, follow me.

~ til next time.

This is a breakdown of how I approach the animations in my upcoming game.



Dan (my new programmer/partner) and I decide on a move we want to implement, then I do rough sketch poses. Here is a breakdown of the Knight’s uppercut attack.

After rough sketch poses, I move to rough animation. I am lucky I have great help here; my friend @TopSpinThefuzzy helps with roughs and my girlfriend, BLITZ, helps me improve my “swoosh” slash effects. Finally, I do timing refinement and clean the animation up completely in flash. We are making this game in Unity but the nice thing about flash is that I can export the graphics at any resolution.

After this, I export the animation as .PNG sequences. Then Dan tests out the animation in game and makes it floaty and snappy in fake 3-Dimensional space. 

Did you find this post helpful? Go to my patreon for more breakdowns and  tutorials.

Success is the same as pulling a rubber band back as far as it will stretch. Will the stress break the band? Or will the stress launch the band forward and hit its target?

I shot my rubber band forward like a veteran player getting the lay on the same night of his prowl but never developing a lasting, loving relationship. Riding the hedonistic treadmill over and over for temporary instant satisfaction without connection will eventually gnaw at the soul of the most non-committal libertine.

My rubber band went somewhere. I shot it, and it definitely went…in a direction. My last game Sentry Knight Tactics was a shot in the dark. A hot, heavy passion-fueled ejaculate shot on the chest of an uncaring stranger and wasted when it was meant to grow up and be loved and nurtured into further development.

Sentry Knight Tactics was me playing darts but I didn’t even see the dart board. I just wanted to throw some fucking darts. I was good at throwing darts in the flash game era. I was even pretty competent at throwing darts for hire for other people’s games. I had a knack for throwing darts and for some reason I was making decent money throwing them. My belief and patterns of triumph had me convinced I could continue to aimlessly throw darts and succeed. My ego swelled in the wake of my easily-obtained success.

Having a big ego is the same as being the biggest fish in a little pond. You only can conceive what little you know. When the big fish self-image one possesses gets thrown into the ocean, he realizes that there are bigger fish, different fish, and a brutal, huge world with a strangely different food chain to navigate. The magnitude of the reality of this new hierarchy comes crashing into the conscious. Web games were the little pond; the industry is the ocean.

Anyway, I made a game. The score was average; the game made back about what it cost to make. The money kept me alive for a year. But I also had no goal when I was making the game; I had no point B to travel to from my current location at point A. There was nothing concrete I wanted to achieve other than arriving at achievement in abstract fashion. Without pre-defined parameters of success, its impossible to define if one achieved anything. Failure and success are contingent on having a framework to work in.

I somehow managed to convince several other human beings along on my blind voyage across stormy waters. The ship didn’t crash but it was a rocky journey. Knowing what I know now, I should never have captained that ship nor hired a crew to put in it… but I’m glad I did. I realized after the fact what goes into succeeding and developed a better compass for navigating toward success.

Success parameters are really simple: Is the audience happy and having fun? Do you make more money than it cost to produce a game? Does your team feel compensated and appreciated? The relationship needs to be mutually beneficial; happy team and happy players and happy wallet are all connected. It seems obvious now, but it really wasn’t back when I started SKT.  I broke even financially, got a mediocre score and the stress of the journey burnt out my last programmer partner. These metrics indicate now that I didn’t succeed; I simply survived like I have been. But thats not good enough anymore since I’ve come to this realization, so I consider my endeavor a failure. However, information helping me arrive at this conclusion is invaluable and has given me the mental framework I need to go forward with development. So that also makes it highly valuable.

I didn’t care about anybody but me before, but that egocentric view has fallen away. I was leading on pure arrogance and selfish preservation. It was a blind lead the blind scenario. I know better what it takes to be a leader now. The only way to lead is to jump in and lead. You can never be prepared for it; you can never be taught how to lead - only to simply become a leader.

TL;DR - Failing is the absolute best way to know where success lies. Don’t be afraid to fall down and take a blow to the ego; it absolutely MUST happen.

Speaking of going forward, here’s a peak at some concepts so far of my new game:

If you want to see more work, follow me on TWITTER.
And if you want to support my future works, donate to my PATREON.

Til next post
 

This is part TWO of the tutorials I have been posting on how I animate effects in my games. I posted previously about how I handled effects for Sentry Knight Tactics, and want to continue to share my processes on here.

Enjoy!

1. Gunfire FX
2. Simplified Walk Cycle
3. Slime Animation

Gunfire with .FLA workfile attached. Follow the link to download the free files.

Simple Walk Tutorial. Animate characters in 4 easy frames: 

Slimes are a pretty common enemy in fantasy games. Heres how I am animating mine in my upcoming game:

If you like these tutorials and want more, follow me on twitter where I share them weekly or donate to my patreon for more.

Til next time

Lately I have been posting tutorials breaking down how I animate effects in my games. I've been posting these for free on my twitter and sharing my files on patreon. I posted previously about how I handled effects for Sentry Knight Tactics, and want to continue to share my processes on here. 

You can view each GIF here or follow the link in each title to read the full post for each.

Tutorial 1: Explosions. Click here for full post 



Tutorial 2: Rain. Click here to read the rest



Tutorial 3: Flame/Torch. Click here to read more detailed notes

I post one of these every week for preview on twitter. Follow for more or support me for file access.

(This post is intended for programmers only. If you're not into that, you probably won't find this very interesting. However if you ARE one, you probably will)

I've been designing a roguelike-like top down action game as a spiritual successor to Sentry Knight Conquest - which you can play right here on Newgrounds. My current codename for the game right now is Realm Raiders. Here is the game doc, as it currently stands.

I need a programmer to work with me to make this game a reality.

What is RR about?

After the events of Sentry Knight Tactics and the destruction of the Nether, the fabric of reality is cataclysmically ripped apart by an awoken god. Players must reuinte the torn world by defeating the god and his minions that control each area. RR is a vibrant, chibi roguelike with heroes on a quest to topple a spurned ruler and a malevolent god. 

Want to work with me?

I want to continue my series, but need a new partner to make it with. Making games requires a level of dedication, passion, and risk-tolerance. My last partner was awesome but realized the stress of making games was too much for him. And he was pretty damn talented and hard working. You'll need to at least match him.

Concept of RR gameplay.

How will you be payed

You will recieve half of everything the game makes. Additionally, during development I will secure funding
for us from our publisher.

What I need from you

Private message me on here with your portfolio. If you don't have any work, don't bother. Let's
not waste each others time. 

Why should you trust me?

I have a history of making succsessful games on Steam and here on Newgrounds/ the web in general (check out my old flash games here). Below are the Steam games I've worked on.

Rogue-like-like where you duel enemies with magical coins


 Real-time strategic RPG adventure where you control a team of four heroes in your quest to save the world

Programers, get at me.

My new game Sentry Knight Tactics came out yesterday for PC/Mac and on Steam and Humble Bundle. Check out the trailer below. I started the Sentry Knight series early here on Newgrounds, amongst other portals, and this is my first Steam launch.

But Im not gonna talk about that in this post; you can read my older posts to learn more about the gameplay. This is gonna be more personal of an entry. 

I've been working on this game for over a year and its always a big deal to see your baby finally go out the door. My team and I spent months and months pouring our lifeforce into a game and hope people get enjoyment out of it. Its been that way with every game, just more so with this one considering how big it is (for us). 

My goal with game design, as is every endeavor in life, is to constantly improve and grow. It's been over a year since I started this game, and even longer since I put the last one out. Between shifting platforms, building a new audience, I was initially nervous about performance. But it's been pretty well recieved so far - over 700 people picked it up right away, and it has a high score on Steam, so I am very thankful and proud of that.

Pretty well recieved so far, awww yeah

I just wanna gush for a moment and say I couldn't have done any of this stuff without my online pals and peers who encourage and help me. Without Tom and Newgrounds to inspire me, I would never have made anything. Without Armor Games to be willing to take a risk and publish me, I probably wouldn't have been able to break into this exciting new market. 

Whats next? 

While I am proud of putting the game out, I also feel somewhat empty now that the game is out the door. I know I will begin working on a new game soon, but working on Sentry Knight Tactics daily for the last year became part of my routine and way of life. Now that its gone, I have a lot more time to reflect on it's strenghtns and flaws and learn from criticism for the next game.

I would make Sentry Knight Tactics all over again, but SKT is an isolated experience. A game made by some guys in isolation to be experienced by people alone, in isolation. That is the nature of RPGs, but I've undergone a major philosophical shift with how I design games while I made this one.

The primary purpose of games (to me) has become a source of connectivity. Through cooperation and competion, groups of people bond. My modern society has less conflict, more solo entertainment and less cohesion than it ever has before. These things can easily cause a person to become isolated from others. When I play online shooters or offline fighters with friends, there is a sense of a tribe - a hiearchy forms based on skill level and a need to communicate and work together becomes a real bond. The competition and cooperation bond of games may be synthetic, but I they can substitute and faciliate the essential ingredients of a group, at least temporarily. But games are supposed to be temporary distractions anyway. Multiplayer games can do wonders to connect very different people, and I want to create a game that is the foundation for connecting people.

TL;DR - Single player games are cool but I wanna make a multiplayer game next.

 

Conflict is the single most dynamic aspect in human life. My upcoming game revolves around conflict between multiple characters at any given time. Different enemies and heroes have varying behaviors and functions that create for interesting encounters that require players to react in different ways.

A game NEEDS to create new ways to interact with it. If player attention isn't kept, you've failed as a designer.

In my older post I talked about how to make combat look more interesting, but in this post we'll explore different types of mechanics to keep combat fresh and fun.

Mechanics

Standard Mechanics - Melee and Ranged

This is the most basic role of any unit in the game. Enemies and players alike, at the base level, perform their combat roles either at a distance or up close an personal. Units have varying attack speeds that determine how frequently they wait (play their idle animations) until they attack again.

Obvious standard damage units: melee or ranged

Evasion Mechanics - Bombers, Void Zones, etc.

Evasion enemies attack very differently than time based Standard enemies. Evasion enemies throw bombs, create acid pools, radiate lightning, etc. that deal massive damage - unless the player evades them. While the evasion enemies are powerful, their attacks are slow. Evasion enemies require players to react and move their units out of harms way if they are to survive. 

Bombs and Acid Zones cause massive damage - be sure to evade them!

Support - Healers, Summoners

Support enemies, like the Necromancer, Troll Shaman and various others are capable of healing enemy units. These guys need taken out fast or else the will heal their allies faster than you can damage them. Some enemies, like Necromancer and many bosses, are capable of summoning allies to the battlefield. A single add may at first seem underwhelming, but if left unchecked, these summoned monsters can swarm and kill players quickly.

Necromancer summoning one more enemy to deal with

 

Control - Spider Web, Ice, Turn to Stone

Control enemies are enemies that are capable of pacifying another unit for a period of time. Spiders can ensnare players in webs, Beholders can turn players to stone temporarily and the Yeti can freeze players in a block of ice. These enemies should be dealt with quickly too - having a DPS unit stunned isn't a big deal, but if your healer becomes incapacitated, it can be the difference between life and death for the rest of your team.

Spider webs Priestess, rendering her unable to heal.
 

In the next post, I'll talk more about how the bosses fight mechanics work and explain hero mechanics following that. Here's a little preview of a boss encounter



Bosses are a hybrid of all the above mechanics, but most have even more unique abilities.
 

If you want to learn more about the mechanics my upcoming game Sentry Knight Tactics has, look for my post next week. Or if you're impatient and want free knowledge faster, you should look at my twitter.
 

Everyone else was making a post and I didn't want to be the odd man out.

See you at Pico Day, dirt bags.

A common approach to game design is designing around a core mechanic. With this, every action a player can perform and every response they make to the game should relate to the core mechanic.

This diagram was a concept my old partner of Funstorm games introduced me to. He and his wife designed the diagram. Newgrounds even had it’s 7th Game Jam centered around this theme.

I highly recommend this approach to mechanic design. Designing around the core mechanic helps simplify the design process and keeps all of your design decisions focused. 

Below, I will explain how I use this diagram in my upcoming Sentry Knight Tactics.

Core Mechanic of Sentry Knight Tactics: Drag and Target

The core mechanic of Sentry Knight Tactics is Drag and Target with the mouse button. Drag and Target allows you to chose which unit you want to use, what action you want them to perform and what you want your unit to target.

All of your main available options in gameplay center around this technique:

Player drags a line to dodge enemy attack.

• Targeting an active unit is done by clicking that hero.
• Moving the party is done by dragging a line from your active unit to a target destination.
• Healing friendlies is done by dragging a line from your healer to a selected ally unit. 
• Attacking enemies is done by dragging a line from your unit to a selected enemy unit.

And so on. You get the idea.

Secondary Mechanics

Secondary Mechanics refer to additional mechanics in the game that work in tandem with the core mechanic. 

• Spells- Each character has 4 unique spells to unlock and multiple extra abilities they have to influence the tide of battle. These are generally are powerful attacks, healing or buffing abilities.

Example of one of Knight's tactical abilities. It stuns enemy units temporarily.

• Buffs/Debuffs - Temporary beneficial (or the contrary for a debuff) effect placed on units that alter their stats. For instance, some buffs might increase a player's defense to incoming attacks.

A sampling of the different types of buffs/debuff icons in game

• Aggro - How enemies prioritize their target. The heavier armored characters like Knight produce more “aggro” and draw attention of enemies away from players more fragile units.
   
• Unit Type - Each character is either a tank unit (can take heavy damage), DPS unit (deals high damage up close or from afar), healing unit or buffing unit. Bosses have more unique mechanics, but I will cover designing those in greater detail in a future post.

Progression

Progression refers to how the player advances through the game. Progression could include anything from a steeper difficulty curve, mastery of mechanics, upgrades, the introduction of new enemies with new abilities and so on. 

Players want new challenges and new ways to utilize the skills they’ve mastered and abilities they have unlocked. 

Progression serves to incentivizie players. By giving players goals and showing them how much more powerful they will become or how much more fun the game will be when they unlock certain items or progress to a particular point, they are incentivized to invest more time in a game to reach that point.

Progression in Sentry Knight Tactics is measured by completing levels that increase in difficulty, leveling up characters, gaining new abilities and upgrading gear.

• Difficulty Curve - The game gets harder as players advance through levels. Enemies are deadlier, take more damage and have more advanced combat techniques in each subsequent level. Striking a balance that is progressively more challenging but not too challenging is key.

• Upgrading/Looting - Players upgrade their gear, equip better armor and weapons to increase their characters stats. These things directly affect gameplay. If a character is under geared, they have a poor chance of surviving a higher level battle. If a player has better gear, they will perform better in combat.

Invetory showcasing the player's items and gear they can equip.

• Leveling Up - Players level up as they gain XP by kill enemies and complete quests. The more they play, the more abilities and spells they unlock.

Narrative

Narrative is the story you tell with your game. Narrative can make games feel like they have purpose and can provide an opportunity for engaging storytelling. It’s up for debate if this really even necessary in game design, but I find having a story in a game is favorable and appealing to players.

I’m not going to touch on narrative design though in this post. Sentry Knight never had a cohesive story until the launch of the spin off game, Sentry Knight Conquest. Initially, Sentry Knight was a generic world for me to play around with mechanics and not worry about canonical accuracy. I started designing Sentry Knight Tactics before Sentry Knight Conquest and it is there when I realized I needed to start fleshing out the world.

I have to admit, designing story is fun. Plus, anything that increases a players desire in investing time in your game is positive in my eyes.

Hopefully you find this post helpful. 

I will try to keep a regular posting schedule but I am entering the final few months of development for Sentry Knight Tactics. Stay tuned to our twitter for more updates,

~Til next time.