Yeti's Indie Spotlight: Pokemon 3D.

Now come on: I don't have to write what Pokemon is, right? Everyone will know a pokeball when they see one. Most people at least heard about Pikachu, or Ash. And one thing is sure: every gamer has at least heard about the Pokemon games for every Nintendo console. Pokemon Red, Green, Gold, Sapphire, Stadium... At least some of them.

And because of that, I think all of us should get some info on this indie game. Made by an 18 year old guy. And it's a starting point for a Pokemon trainer's dream: Pokemon 3D

IN CASE IN NOT LIKING TO READ, skip to tl;dr
FOR AN MORE "UP TO DATE" VERSION CLICK HERE: Yeti o Grach - Pokemon 3D

Pokemon 3D Main Menu

The easiest way to describe this game is an FPP adaptation of Pokemon Gold and Silver for PC. You can see that from the first couple seconds of gameplay. A majority (if not all) of the gameplay is taken straight from the original Pokemon games. However, that is not an con. The same mechanics, with some tweaks, are the workhorse of Pokemon games since 1998.

When you click new game, you get the classical question: "What is your name?" asks Professor Oak, the introducing character from Pokemon Red/Green/Blue/Yellow. WAIT, WAIT, WHAT? Should there be someone else there? To be honest, I thought it should be Professor Elm in here, but I am not 100% sure after these few years I played Pokemon Silver/Gold.

But enough of my writing, first see some in-game action on the gameplay below. BE WARNED, IT'S QUITE LONG.

At first we entered Professor Elm's Lab, to get a Pokemon. I have not paid much attention to that, because my first pick was decided from the start. I was somewhat surprised the starters were chosen from the previous Pokemon  but... whatever, they are still awesome. After that, we can go out, after we get a Potion from Elm's assistant. Now we can get out the town and fight some Pokemon. As you can see, the mechanic is 100% turn based, same is in the original. After a while of logistic thinking (the game is MUCH harder this way, you can get lost quite easily. Also, we see a quite classic screen when my Charmander fainted. After getting teleported back to home, I start my journey anew, this time with much more success. (P.S: how the heck it got snowing so soon?). At the town itself you get a slight tour by an old timer, and have a chance to visit the Pokemon Center. This time, you don't risk pressing the "A" button one time too much :)

You probably saw more then is needed to get a first impression. As for me, it's an newly mined gem. And Nilllzz is making a great job trying to polish it to a high gloss. He posts frequent updates on his tumblr page.
Other than that, you can always watch my blog, I am going to inform you of all significant changes to the game. Mostly because I believe it can become a legend among Pokemon players. Someone finally took up the challenge to make an 3D game about training and battling with Pokemon. I am really surprised that it wasn't Nintendo's doing. But, seeing the results, and that this is still a VERY EARLY beta, we can't complain. We can even get happy with this :)

tl;dr : The game now is quite playable. More than enjoyable for any Pokemon fan. And it gets better in regular basis. If you like to play something new, than it's more than worth giving a shot :)

Yeti's Indie Game Spotlight, Vol. 2

Since our hunger for games is insatiable, I have put together another selection of fine indie games that will rock your time. Unfortunatly, this time, they can also drain you of money slightly. But still... I think they are totally worth it.

Some good news: THIS TIME I ADDED GAMEPLAY VIDEOS :D

And also, remember to add +1 to my Google+ page here, so you can be up to date with my new blog posts:
https://plus.google.com/105593234731738899491/

Defender's Quest

An climatic intro. Minimalism rules :D

Type: RPG/Tower Defense

How much? 13,99 € on Steam, 

Who will like it? Someone who doesn't have luck. Or does not want luck to interfere with his gaming. This is all brains. Without tactics, planing, and flexibility  YOU LOSE. Add to that an interesting story, a cast of characters that you will long remember and a new game plus mode, that extends and complicates that game, and what you got? An worthy investment in spending your time on gaming. As an last sentence, an quote "Final Fantasy Tactics meets Tower Defense". 'Nough said on my part.  

WARNING, THE GAMEPLAY BELOW IS QUITE BORING, BECAUSE IT'S THE START OF THE GAME (I don't want to spoil the fun). Later it gets better :D

Torchlight II

The prelude to a slaughter :D

Type: Hack/Slash/Burn/Pierce (or just Hack&Slash) 

How much? 18,99 € (still less then Diablo 3)

Who will like it? You loved Torchlight? You got disappointed by Diablo 3 because of it's lack of endgame/nonexistent character customization/lack of a pet ferret (like me?)/"always play online" drm? Played and loved FATE? Then say hello to your new best friend :D Nearly nonexistent DRM, twice/thrice the content of Torchlight 1, endgame random generated dungeons, and a challenging new game+ mode. That's all here for you, soaked in a one-of-a-kind graphical style sauce. Satisfaction guaranted :D 

The gameplay below shows you a high-level character playing new game+. You won't wreck THAT MUCH havoc at the start :)

Quite awesome, right? That's what you get at endgame, so chill... the game won't be too easy for you :D

Dungeon Defenders

The logo-less main menu

Type: TPP/FPP/RTS Tower Defense 

How much? 11,99 € (Good news: frequently discounted. Bad news: TONS OF DLC, worth approx. 40 € )

Who will like it? Someone with a lot of friends he can bring in to the game. The Dungeon Defenders community mostly s***s, so you need to bring a friend along to have a REALLY good time. But even solo, you can have a satisfying gameplay. And with random people sometimes make MIRACLES in this game. Overall, the game is good. But it isn't the cheapest (a 100% complete game costs 52 €, that's plain nuts D: )

Still... the basic one is worth every penny, and the DLC's are not obligatory. You can spend hours playing without them, so... everything depends on your wallet :D

Once again: this character is overpowered, but you can get the idea what this game is about.

Yeti's Indie Game Spotlight, Vol. 1

In case you are one of the gamers that do not understand the question "Haven't you got enough games to play?", then here is my private selection of good, and not costly, games. Why I picked from independent ones? Because most of them need support to make more games. A view like the photo below is not so rare, as you could think. But not everyone deserves our money and our gratitude. Here is the first set of worthwhile indie games

Will Make Games for Food (Creative Commons Photo Credit: bugbbq)

So here, my first (and not last) set of gaming fun :D

Defense Grid: The Awakening

Type: Strategy/Tower Defense 
How much? 8,99 € (Steam can discount it up to 80%, so keep calm, and wait for it ^^'' )
Who will like it? Anyone. Literally, the game is somewhat weird, when I think about it's difficulty. I have not met a person who played any other tower defense game, and could not succeed in completing the first couple of levels of the campaign. But mastering the game... It's a completly different level. I like this game because it can be played both casually and hardcore.

Epic Battle Fantasy series

Type: cRPG
How much? Free2Play
Who will like it? Any fan of RPG's, who plays a lot of games, watches anime, etc. Why is that necessary? Because Matt Roszak  has put MILLIONS of funny references into his games. Name anything, it's there. Pokemon? Check.
Dragon Ball? Check.
Baldur's Gate? Check.
To much to mention further? Checkcheckcheck. Except the funny part, be prepared for Final Fantasy style turn based combat, and a cast of unforgettable player characters :D And also, a fourth installment of the series is almost done, and will probably be out before 2013. So you have loads of time try the previous parts (however it is not required)

Dungeons Of Dredmor

Type: Old school dungeon crawler

How much? 3,99 €
Who will like it? Anyone hardcore enough to play a game where you have only one life. You can turn off permadeath, but it's not funny then :X Also, this is another game, where nothing is serious. Once you will create a character that uses emomancy and mathemagic as their magic schools, you will get the idea. This game is a joke. A very good one. A very addictive one. 

Jamestown

Type: "Bullet-hell"  arcade shooter
How much? 7,99 €
Who will like it? A masochist. Or someone who sheds tears because a lack of a challenge for his evading skills. Look at the screenshot below, and you will get an idea. Also, there is a very good backstory to this massacre of a game. Hardcore only. BUT, if you like a challenge, then go forth, and embrace the evasiveness required to win :D Otherwise STAND BACK (and watch someone else play this, it's epic even then)

Eternity Awaits. An quick look to Project Eternity

Kickstarting a project

Some time ago, planing on creating an critically acclaimed game using donations as the only source of funding sounded, let's face it, PLAIN CRAZY. But after Tim Schaffer's success in funding Double Fine Adventure with a whooping result of  3,336,371 dollars, it stopped to look like that.

It set a new record for funding a video game on Kickstarter.

That is quite some cash, isn't it? And more then enough to make an adventure game, especially one that will be probably an old-school one (story gt; graphics and other stuff). 

But the are not the holders of the record anymore. Project Eternity has gathered an awesome result of 3,986,929 dollars. Not counting donations via PayPal. In total, according to the information you can find on their website, they have gathered

OVER 4,3 MILION DOLLARS

And those money will probably bring us something great.  

What we would, and what WILL we get?

Because, as Obsidian declared, all the money beyond the requested 1,1 million will go towards making the game even bigger than it was at the start. Their idea is to create an old-school rpg with an isometric point of view. Sounds like Baldur's Gate

During the start of their funding campaign, the plan was to create a game for Windows with:

• three races
• five classes
• five companions
• a giant hub city akin to Baldur's Gate, Athkatla, Kirkwall or anything along those lines
• an epic story (as all rpg's, but shhhh... :D )

However, the funding went better than they anticipated (4,3 is better than 1,1 milion, right?), and now we have a game for Windows, MAC and, most of all, LINUX with

• five races
• eleven classes
• nine companions
• TWO giant hub cities
• an option to make your own house
• an possibility of becoming a lord of an stronghold
• crafting and enchanting

Technical stuff

We also know a few technical details for sure: the game will use the Unity graphic engine. Thanks to that we will be able to play the game on any operating system. Which is great news for everyone who does not use Windows on their PC. Also, we know that the game will be available on Steam and GOG (the latter offering a standard-for-them DRM-free version of it). That is not everything that we can tell about this game, but now you should know most of the important information. For more, you can always come and visit the kickstarter page for the game. There you can get some inside look on the creation process. And do not worry, I'm observing it, and will post updates anytime something very interesting comes up :)

Legends of old, reborn? Interview with a special person

I think everyone has heard a thing or two about it. An old school cRPG player's dream that will come true.
...

You did not heard about

 "Project Eternity"?

Do not worry, we will fix that soon. A longer article about Project Eternity will come to life after they will end collecting funds for creating the game of our (mine for sure) dreams.

All of us heard about Obsidian Entertainment. At least once or twice. They are the people that created such games as Star Wars: KotOR II, Neverwinter Nights 2, Fallout: New Vegas.

And they decided to make an RPG with real-time combat with pause, and an isometric view. Smells likes Baldur's Gate or Icewind Dale. And is made by people who created Planescape: Torment, for example.

And they gathered all the funds needed to make it happen from gamers around the world (they got mine 35$ too)

A few words from Adam Brennecke from Obsidian Entertainment about how it all happened

Could you be so kind and introduce yourself to our readers?

I am an executive producer and lead programmer at Obsidian Entertainment currently working on Project Eternity. I've been at Obsidian my entire game development career which spans over eight years and five games including Knights of the Old Republic II, Neverwinter Nights 2, and Fallout: New Vegas. If you haven't heard of Obsidian - we are an independent video game developer specializing in role playing games based in Irvine, California. 

How did the idea to make a game with funds raised by fans came to you?

We joked about the idea for doing a game on Kickstarter a year ago (late 2011) when we saw board-games on Kickstarter break the $100,000 milestone in crowdfunding. We stopped joking when Tim Schafer and Double Fine launched their Kickstarter and really changed our outlook on how our games could be funded. Wasteland 2 and subsequent game launches solidified that crowd-funding is for real and made us seriously consider taking the jump too. 

How did Obsidian prepared itself for the Kickstarter campaign?

We came up with the idea for Eternity collectively as a team, and then I was tasked to put together a pitch plan and video. It took about two months to prepare everything for the launch. The process included a ton of work are effort from our talented artists, sound designer, and game designers. 

When you combine the money from Kickstarter and PayPal, how much funds have you raised? And how many people have pledge their support to your idea?

We raised around $4,200,000 with about 77,000 backers. 

Where you prepared for this kind of attention, where you expecting it?

We raised one million dollars in 24 hours and hit our initial funding goal of $1.1m in 30 hours, which was very overwhelming. We didn't expect it to come so fast. I don't think anyone could have expected it. 

And the amount of feedback from the backers, how much did your initial idea of the game changed thanks to all the suggestions from the forums and the Kickstarter comments?

We stuck to our original ideas for the most part - but we did see how fans reacted to certain ideas and then we discussed it internally. One of the most important things to remember is that nothing is set in stone this early in pre-production and we love reading and hearing everyone's feedback and ideas.
This whole experience with fund raising, being right next to your fans (and future buyers of your game), being independent from developers making you go faster than you would prefer.. Is it very different than your previous experiences with creating cRPG's?

Yes, it's quite a bit different from my past experiences making games. First off we typically don't go public with game details until way later into production; However with the Kickstarter we had to reveal a lot of details to our fans right up front. It's great to include our fans in the pre-production process because we can get immediate feedback on our ideas. 

Will it all go to creating the game? Or will some part of it go towards the rewards given to your backers?

All the money that we raised will go to making the game or will go to making and shipping the physical and digital goods for our backers. We have a few extra costs like the cost of using Unity (the game engine), recording live-music in the studio, hiring voice actors, and other software purchases. Any additional money over our goal really means we can add more people to the development team which equates to more content, game features, and a larger world. 

Did you had all those stretch goals prepared, or did the enthusiasm overwhelm you, and you had to create new ones before you were expecting it?

We did have the stretch goal plan prepared before we launched the Kickstarter, but we were caught off guard by how fast we reached our initial goal. It's a very iterative process, and new ideas for stretch goals were continually brought up by team members or fans - It was important to remain flexible during the campaign. 

Did you tried to ask a producer to produce your game, or you decided just to Kickstart it?

We have difficult time pitching projects that are PC focused and not on a console, and the publisher interest in funding mid-budget games like Project Eternity is small. Going with Kickstarter made a lot of sense to us, and the game we wanted to make really fit with the crowd-funding model. 

Purely hypothetical question: If “Project: Eternity” will be a success, will you think of making another game funded this way? Or another part, let's call it “Project Eternity 2” ?

Yes, we are very interested in continuing making games like Project Eternity if it proves to be successful. Why not continue a good thing? Obsidian owns the world and characters so making follow up games will be our plan if the first release is received well.