GMTK Newsletter (July 2017) (Patreon)
Content
Post Script
I released three videos this month. I really wanted to prove that going monthly on my Patreon wasn’t going to turn me lazy! In fact, quite the opposite.
So, I started with the Soulslike video. I’m generally pleased with this one, but despite lots of rewrites, re-recordings, and re-edits, it still never quite got to where I wanted it to be.
Ultimately, it’s a video where I try and answer a weird, vague, existential question that has no clear answer. It gets into semantics and how words and categories and definitions can colour our perception and - it was a tough one. It perhaps needed a slightly different presentation than the usual GMTK style.
If I do more of these (this one, and the Should Souls have an Easy Mode? vid feel like part of a series) I’ll try a slightly different approach. I like Folding Ideas's patient way of exploring a topic like this.
This video hit the record for the largest number of games in a single GMTK episode, by the way, with about 90 different titles on show.
The best games from GMTK GameJam 2017
Even more than this video, where I show off about 70 different games from the GMTK GameJam!
So this whole jam was fun, but also challenging and stressful. The idea came from some of you lot over on Discord, and guys like Aaron were kind enough to dedicate some time to setting it all up.
What I didn’t anticipate was that when the jam started, people would naturally associate it with me and I’d get pulled in to answering loads of questions in Discord DMs and Twitter and whatnot! I ended up way more involved than I intended.
But that’s okay, because it was actually a lot of fun. It was amazing to see everyone working away at their game, trading ideas and discussing the theme and swapping tech support. And then to see almost 800 games be created was just incredible.
Then came time to judge all of these games. Our team of judges was way too small to handle the huge pile of games, so I roped in loads of Patrons to assist. Thanks to Frank, Aaron, Mike, Verser, Will, Cloud, Drathek, Arknano, Draz, Soron, Toad, Macuelos, Curturp, and Nick for the help.
My video (and a couple livestreams I did) will never do justice to the incredible talent, imagination, and ability of the jammers, but hopefully it went some way. We’ll probably do another jam in 2018.
Deconstructing Ori and the Blind Forest's Best Bit
This was a nice chance to do something more focused and specific. And it’s always fun to do these single-level breakdowns.
In Ori’s case, I got to talk about how the Ginso Tree teaches you stuff, got to tease the pantheon of great game mechanics (it’s not exhaustive, but I do have a tentative list!), and yap about the level’s excellent ending.
I hope you enjoyed playing or chatting about Ori for the GameClub. We’ll have another one... maybe mid-way through August.
Oh, and the video itself will go live later today.
Mark’s Month
So a lot of my month was taken up by these videos and the GameJam. Almost an entire week was spent judging the games. Also, I was sick this month, so, I spent more time watching Netflix in bed than playing games!
I did get to a lot of indie games, mind, which I’ll talk about in the playlist video later today.
And I picked up an Oculus Rift in that summer sale. This thing is pretty cool!
I’ve used all the headsets at conventions and whatnot, but I’ve spent the most time with PlayStation VR. The Rift is obviously capable of better graphics because it’s connected to a powerful PC. And the included headphones are a nice touch - trying to pin my Sennheisers over the PSVR is a pain.
But the PSVR wins for comfort, especially as someone who needs glasses to stop VR being a blurry mess. Putting some of the weight at the back of the PSVR is smart, too. It’s also easier to use, software wise: Rift is fine if you just use Oculus’s stuff but as soon as you start looping in Steam VR and other outside apps it gets complicated.
But that’s the compromise you have to make when you want access to a huge variety of different VR experiences. Some of the best have been Superhot (now on PSVR, too), Valve’s The Lab, trying GameCube games in Dolphin VR, blasting robots in Robo Recall, and feeling like my legs turn to jelly in some game about standing on a plank that’s jutting out from a skyscraper.
But the best experience, I think, has been Google Earth. That is some futuristic nonsense right there. Being able to sit on Big Ben and see London stretch out for miles and miles is just breathtaking. I’ve spent a lot of time just chilling out on my own personal planet.
Sneak Peek
So what’s the plan for August?
The next video has to be Boss Keys, on A Link Between Worlds. Boss Keys episodes have gotten further and further apart and now it’s time to drop everything else and get this one done!
There’s a big video I’ve been meaning to do since the very beginning of GMTK and I’ve finally started capturing footage and doing research for that. So, that’s exciting.
I’m also thinking about doing a video on skill trees and upgrade systems and the sort of things you see in Horizon and Shadow of Mordor and Ubisoft games. What are your thoughts on these things? What’s the best upgrade tree you’ve seen? How could they be improved?
I also want to do a Q&A video for reaching 2000 Patrons. And if you have any ideas for Patreon articles that might be interesting, do let me know.
Alright, I think that wraps it up for July. Thanks ever so much for your support. Speak soon!