In a Single Bound

Terry Apr 26, 2014 20 Comments

So, update time! I’ve spent the last couple of weeks working on android and iOS ports of VVVVVV. This is a super overdue thing – it’s been like 90% finished for over a year – but I never seemed to be able to find the time to finish it off properly and release it. After GDC, with Nicalis’ PSVita port imminent, it seemed like it was now or never.

And it’s almost done! The last big thing I had to do was update the menus to be more touchscreen friendly, which is now done and works really well. Should be ready to submit any day now.

The big concern that comes up when I talk about this project is controls – is VVVVVV even a game that works well on a touchscreen? And the answer is yes, it does! Mostly, anyway – using a touchpad for this sort of game is just never going to be as good as using a joypad, but the touch controls I’ve got are feeling really nice.

I tried out a bunch of different control ideas – d-pads, virtual analogue sticks, super hexagon style controls where you press both sides of the screen to flip, and these all basically work with varying levels of success.

The one that definitely works the best, though, is swipe and hold to move, which is what I’m using as the defaults. Basically, you put your thumb down on the screen – move it left and you move left, move it right and you move right, let go to stop. It feels super responsive and nice!

Anyhow, time to put up or shut up. Here’s a video of me doing Veni, Vidi, Vici on touch controls:

Wanted: Coder for VVVVVV maintenance

Terry Mar 26, 2014 13 Comments

Edit 26th March 2014: I’ve now found somebody for this job. Thank you!

Embedded that video mostly because I just wanted another reason to tell people about that medley. OMG, have you seen it? I know, right?

Heads up, this is a job offer post. If you’re not a coder looking for work, it’s probably going to be very boring oh no

I’m just back from GDC, and made a decision to take some time out of my projects to finish up a couple of small jobs that have been hanging around for way too long. One of those jobs is to finally update VVVVVV, which is currently in need of a patch.

The current steam and humble store version of the game is 2.0, which is the first version of Simon Roth’s C++ port. It’s mostly pretty stable, but it does have some issues – time trial scores aren’t saved, for example, a bunch of other small things like that.

There is a version 2.1, but it’s not live on steam – Simon did some work on the rendering code to make it hardware accelerated, which improves the games performance, but caused it to break for other people. I decided that it wasn’t worth the risk to make that version live and potentially break the game for people who’d not have problems with it before. 2.1 fixes most of the 2.0 bugs, and adds some nice new features (like maps in player levels, coloured text in player levels, and some cool new player levels included by default like Dimension 333333). The 3DS version is essentially 2.1.

There’s also an unreleased version 2.2, which adds joypad support and a few other small things.

I’d like to hire someone for a week or two to finish version 2.2 of the game. If you’re an experienced C++ coder familar with Windows, Mac and Linux, available to start now and interested in working on this, I’d like to hear from you!

A broad overview of what’s involved:
– Get familiar with VVVVVV’s terribly messy code, and clean it up where possible.
– Update the rendering code to make it safe and stable on all platforms.
– Finish implementing the 2.2 patch, which includes a couple of half implemented features and a couple of features still to be implemented that we can talk more about.
– Mac Specific: Ensure that the game works correctly on the latest versions of OSX, and get the game ready to re-submit to the Mac App Store.
– Linux Specific: Ensure that the game runs nicely on the latest multitude of confusing linux systems.
– Steam Specific: Implement steamworks support in the game.
– A few other secret things I don’t want to list here.

An ideal candidate for the job is someone who can be on call from here on out to fix issues that crop up. For example, should a mac update cause the game to suddenly stop working (these things happen, especially on mac), then you should be available to sort it out at your usual hourly rate without too much of a delay.

If this sounds like something you’re interested in, get in touch, and we can discuss rates, deadlines, and more about what’s involved. Thanks!

Busy making other plans

Terry Jan 7, 2014 27 Comments

Hello 2014! Don’t worry, I’m not making any public new year’s resolutions – I never keep em anyway.

I was just thinking that I haven’t been posting much here recently, you know? Actually, it’s been a while since I’ve said much at all about what I’ve been working on. So, here we go: a snapshot of projects I’ve been working on recently, projects I’ve been thinking about working on, and projects I’m planning to come back to:

Untitled DarkSoulslike

Last time I mentioned this, I was looking for an artist. Well, I found one! A very talented London based comic artist called Cristian Ortiz, aka CROM, creator of Golden Campaign.

Collaborations have a way of getting a little out of hand, but I’m still hoping that this one will come together as a small, contained world to experience. Realistically, I think it’ll take another month or so.

Halting Problem

I took a complete break from this game just before the IGF submission deadline last year. I haven’t worked on it since. I needed some time away from it. Still do. I wanna finish a few small things before I take this on again.

Halting Problem is a big, scary game. There are a few ideas at its heart that I think have potential to be very, very special, if I’m good enough to bring them to life. I haven’t forgotten about this game. It feels the way Super Hexagon did, the way VVVVVV did, and the way At a Distance and Nexus City did – that idea that won’t go away.

When I come back to this game, I don’t want there to be any distractions – I can feel that working on this one is going to be all consuming, that’s it’s going to take everything I have.

Untitled Roguelike

I worked on a game for last year’s 7DRL that I still think about a lot. I dunno when I’m going to find time for it. Maybe it’ll resurface at some point, as something else.

NewCity RPG

I moved to London at the end of last year, and spent my first month here making an RPG about it. It’s a game about a place, and mostly about getting across what that place is like – lots of distinct areas with their own personality, based on whatever alien impression a brief visit with them left me with. There’s a shoreditch level, an islington level, a few other places – and an underground system that links it all together.

I’m long enough here now that it doesn’t feel alien to me anymore, so I’m not sure where to take it. Maybe that’ll come to me, as I get to know the city a bit better.

Vector thing

Really, it’s just tech at this point, and an idea. I owe Stephen a fan game…

VVVVVV is always going to be really damn important to me. It’s my final fantasy, the game that changed everything for me.

I’ve had an incomplete iOS version of the game working for over a year now, but other projects have kept me from finishing it up. I’d really like to get that out soon, though. Over Christmas I spent a little time finishing up the port, and I’m happy to say that the really hard stuff is done, now. I just need a week or two to sort out the details.

In addition, Nicalis have been porting the 3DS version of the game to PS Vita, and it feels wonderful on it.

So here’s an announcement of sorts, then.

This year, I’m going to release VVVVVV on PS Vita, on iPad, on iPhone, on Android, on Ouya. And, if I can manage it, all at the same time. This will very likely be the last thing I ever do with VVVVVV, and I wanna go out with a bang!

<3

Don’t Look Back now available for iOS and Android

Terry Oct 17, 2012 25 Comments

About a week ago, I took a day out from working on Super Hexagon stuff to do a fun side thing – I ported one of my old games, Don’t Look Back, to mobile. It’s available now on both iOS and Android. (It was a pretty simple port, thanks to Adobe AIR’s mobile exporter.)

The game initially failed review on the apple app store, for a somewhat bizarre reason (some people are taking this weirdly seriously; I’m not, I think it’s hilarious). Thankfully, it got sorted out pretty quickly.( But yeah, it’s probably worth pointing out that the game is totally free, which is all I was really trying to express with that description.)

Revisiting Don’t Look Back was a pretty strange experience. It’s quite old now – I made it in January 2009 – and I hadn’t actually played it in some time. Despite numerous flaws which are glaringly apparent to me now, it remains a game I’m extremely proud of making.

2009, incidentally, is also the year that I made almost all of VVVVVV. One of the reasons I thought this port might be fun to do is that I’m considering an iOS and Android port for VVVVVV, so I’m seeing it as kind of a “trial run”. I don’t know if it’ll ever happen, and I’m not promising anything – but I’m definitely thinking about it.

Please enjoy these repeats

Terry May 10, 2012 10 Comments

Big news! VVVVVV is now available in the European 3DS eShop!

This morning, I was finally able to open my 3DS and download the game – for me, it’s hard not to think of today as the game’s real 3DS launch. I know, of course, that the game has been available since last Christmas in the USA – but until now, it hasn’t been available for my 3DS.

I’m really happy with this version of the game too – I think Nicalis did an absolutely smashing job with the port. This would never have happened without them – I can’t thank them enough.

Anyway, to everyone out there who buys the game today, thank you! I’m very proud of VVVVVV, and I hope you enjoy playing it. 🙂

MMMMMM

Terry Apr 14, 2012 10 Comments

Over the last couple of days, my flatmate increpare made a cool little VVVVVV inspired puzzle game, called MMMMMM. Check it out!

ADVVVVVVENTURE

Terry Jan 10, 2012 7 Comments

This is a guest post by Souleye, the musician from VVVVVV! He’s just released a new project and wanted to tell you about it.

Hello there, esteemed gamers!

Today, January 10, at 22:22:22, I’m releasing my CD called Adventure. You might wonder why I called it that, and why I’m releasing it at a specific time and date.

Let me first tell you this: It’s about two years since I last posted on the front page of Terry’s blog, just when VVVVVV was released. But VVVVVV remains present and on the top of my mind every single day nevertheless. I’ll always bear it close to my heart.

It’s not hard to see why. Ever since VVVVVV came out, my life has changed. I’ve quit my normal dayjob and started working on things that I think are creative and really fun, and I’m hoping to do so in the future too. My life is now a free-flow of imagination and creativity.

The support for me and my music is great, with people daily encouraging me. It feels weird at times, but this is something I like to do, and I’m well on my path of becoming the kind of composer I want to be, constantly evolving into something even better.

Along the way I learn about so much more than just about making music, but everything rests on the nice gamers and fans who enjoy my music, and without you supporting me, nothing would be possible at all.

So I am very thankful towards the circumstances that led me here. Now, it’s enabled me to go to GDC in March, and meet up with people from around the world that I would never get to meet otherwise.

Exciting times indeed!

So, about Adventure then?

This CD contains remixes of several VVVVVV songs that were remixed for what will be in the next DLC pack in the rhythm game Pulsen, some remixes that I did for other people, such as Danny Baranowsky, Chris Geehan, Mattias HÁ¤ggstrÁ¶m-Gerdt, Gryzor87 and Jonathan Holmes. All fantastic people in their own way.

There’s also my orchestral Zelda 2 remix. I then top the album off with something secret and some lengthy liner notes, for those who wants to dig in and know everything about everything.

The release timing of 22:22:22 is a reference to… Well I think I’ll leave that one to your imagination, but why did I call it Adventure? Because for me, my life has really turned into one, so far! And hopefully it’ll continue to be one into the future.

Thanks for listening to me, I greatly appreciate it!

– Magnus

My site: www.souleye.se
Adventure: www.souleye.se/adventure
My twitter: www.twitter.com/mpsouleye

VVVVVV 3DS

Terry Dec 29, 2011 60 Comments

VVVVVV is now available for the Nintendo 3DS!

VVVVVV launches for the 3DS next week

Terry Dec 25, 2011 12 Comments

Merry Christmas, everyone! I have a small bit of VVVVVV related news to share: the 3DS version of the game is finished, and is going to launch next Thursday the 29th on the US eShop!

I’m really happy with how this port came together – Nicalis did an amazing job with it. The game feels fantastic to play on the 3DS.

Stuff:
– We were hoping to launch in both the US and Europe simultaneously, but unfortunately there were hold ups with getting a rating from PEGI. So sadly, we’re gonna have to wait till the new year to launch in Europe.
– The game’s gonna cost $7.99 on 3DS.
– Just a reminder that you can currently get the PC version for as little as $1.24 on steam, or for $5.33 as part of a bundle of 12 amazing indie games!

VVVVVV 3DS at Minecon

Terry Nov 19, 2011 18 Comments

It’s been a while since I gave an update on the 3DS version of VVVVVV, but we have some news – Nicalis submitted it to Nintendo a few days ago. Which means it’ll probably be out within a couple of weeks, fingers crossed!

I’m currently in Las Vegas, at Minecon with my game At a Distance. As it happened, there was an empty kiosk right next to me, so I cheekily asked if I could use it for VVVVVV 3DS. They were pretty awesome about it, even going so far as to print a banner 😀

Having a lot of fun out here! Will post something about it when I get back next week.