Infinite Ammo

Podcast 15 – IndieHouse Arizona

Alec Holowka — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 16:49:56 +0000

Hello again! This is a continuation of a series of audio podcasts, featuring myself and other independent developers.

Each episode will feature different developers or projects, and the format will be more like a sprawling conversation than a formal interview. Topics covered will vary depending on the developer in question, but some of the same topics will pop up with many of the guests. I’ll also interject some of my own opinions and views into the discussion.

Why am I doing this? Personally, I’m very interested in how other developers work. What motivates them? How do they deal with criticism? What do they find meaningful about games? (if anything?) What are the stories behind the development of their projects? I hope to learn a lot, and also help spread more knowledge around.

Four independent game developers, two couples, one house! Kyle Pulver / Corey Nolan and Erin Robison / Steve Swink all live under one roof in Arizona. How is this working out for them? Apparently really well, if this podcast is anything to go by! We discuss a myriad of topics: diets, IGF controversy, education, systems theory, the upcoming release of Offspring Fling, the development of Gravity Ghost, how game design might apply to relationships and much more.

Developer Names: Steve Swink, Erin Robinson, Kyle Pulver, Corey Nolan
Location: Arizona
Projects: Offspring Fling, Gravity Ghost
Twitter: @SteveSwink, @KylePulver, @LivelyIvy
Diet: Kyle Pulver’s Diet Info

You can listen to the podcast here:

Podcast Download → Episode 15 – IndieHouse Arizona [2:23:23]

WIP RSS feed up here:
http://infiniteammo.ca/podcast.rss

Feedback Welcome!
Please post your thoughts below. Thanks!

Interested in being on the podcast? Post in the comments and let me know what you’ve been up to.

Alone IGF Teaser

Alec Holowka — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 07:16:56 +0000

Here’s a new teaser video for our IGF entry “Alone”:

We’ve also launched a new blog specifically for following progress and sharing tutorials about “Alone.”

http://aloneindreams.tumblr.com

Alone

Alec Holowka — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 03:33:24 +0000

A child wakes up.
Listens for a whisper, a sigh, a cough, a cry.
The child is alone.
Only the scuttling of tiny limbs, the distant creak of wood.
The child puts on a mask.
A face to hide behind, a name for the nameless.
The child steps blinking into the empty house.
The soft padding of slippered feet and the bounce of a ball.
Companion to naught but the creatures that inhabit the night.
There are faint breaths seeping in through the walls
A pale rustle of life echoing from beyond

Where have they gone?
The child descends into the dark

I’m working on a new game with Frederico Machuca, a talented 3D artist from Brazil. It is an adventure game that integrates many different elements into an atmospheric experience accessible to all ages.

We’ve just submitted our game to the IGF. In fact, we’re still frantically working on improving it as you read this!

This game will also be a vehicle for creating a new series of Unity tutorials. “Alone” mixes together a lot of different gameplay mechanics, so it’s a great way to demonstrate Unity’s diversity and potential.

Working with Frederico has been a lot of fun so far, and hopefully we’ll be updating you with more information in the months to come.

Special thanks to everyone who has been helping us test the game and improve it in many ways during our insane crunch:

Chrissy Chubala
Adam Saltsman
Marlon Wiebe
Tom Rab
Noel Berry
Kyle Pulver
Joel Forest
Kert Gartner
Greg, Deb and Eileen Holowka

Podcast 14 – Colin Northway

Alec Holowka — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 12:14:58 +0000

Hello again! This is a continuation of a series of audio podcasts, featuring myself and other independent developers.

Colin Northway is an independent game developer and world traveler. He found great success with his web-based physics game Fantastic Contraption.

Recently Colin gave a talk at Sense of Wonder Night in Japan about his latest game, Incredipede. In this podcast, we talk about his latest fantastic creation, travel, game design before spinning wildly off-topic as we are want to do.

Developer Names: Colin Northway
Location: Everywhere, but sometimes BC
Website: colinnorthway.com

You can listen to the podcast here:

Podcast Download → Episode 14 – Colin Northway [2:04:13]

WIP RSS feed up here:
http://infiniteammo.ca/podcast.rss

Feedback Welcome!
Please post your thoughts below, or on the new Podcast thread. Thanks!

Interested in being on the podcast? Post in the comments and let me know what you’ve been up to.

Marian Mondays: Close Up

Alec Holowka — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 17:10:44 +0000

Tada! Here is some brand new art for the game by Asher Dumonchelle. We showed off this piece for the first time last night at Juegos Rancheros in Austin, TX.

Download JPEG (Right click, Save as…)

This image has also replaced our website background.

You can check out more art from the game here.

Podcast 13 – Fat Wizard

Alec Holowka — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 10:42:23 +0000

Hello again! This is a continuation of a series of audio podcasts, featuring myself and other independent developers.

Fat Wizard fan art by jouste

Chevy Ray and Matt Thorson recently completed “Fat Wizard” for Adult Swim! In this podcast we talk about the development of the game. Partway through we switch into talking about the concept of “loss” in games, which is a topic Chevy and Matt are planning to explore in a new podcast that they are starting.

Play Fat Wizard here!

Developer Names: Chevy Ray Johnston and Matt Thorson
Location: BC and AB
Website: chevyray.com and mattmakesgames.com

You can listen to the podcast here:

Podcast Download → Episode 13 – Fat Wizard [1:06:11]

WIP RSS feed up here:
http://infiniteammo.ca/podcast.rss

Feedback Welcome!
Please post your thoughts below, or on the new Podcast thread. Thanks!

Interested in being on the podcast? Post in the comments and let me know what you’ve been up to.

Marian Mondays: New Wallpaper!

Alec Holowka — Sun, 10 Jul 2011 02:05:40 +0000

Download 1920×1080 JPEG (Right click, Save as…)

Brand new wallpaper created from in-game art by Asher Dumonchelle.

Check out more art from the game here.

PegJam 2.0

Alec Holowka — Tue, 31 May 2011 22:51:01 +0000

We’re launching PegJam 2.0!

Game jams are a laid back, comfortable way to meet new people in the indie game scene while creating new and exciting projects. Even if you’ve never made a game before, game jams are fun to attend. The vibe is all about experimenting and trying out new ideas, so you can’t go wrong.

Marlon Wiebe, who created the t-shirt for last year’s jam has just come up with a brand new design for PegJam 2.0:

PegJam 2.0 will take place over the July 16-17 weekend. If you’d like to come to the jam, sign up here.

If you sign up before June 20th, we can guarantee that we can print your own shirt – please sign up ASAP so we can get the order in on time.

If you need help finding a place to crash or a hotel room, post in this TIGForums thread to coordinate with others who are travelling to the jam.

PegJam 2.0 is the sequel to a successful game jam of yesteryear: TigJam Winnipeg. James and Lisanne from Indie Game: The Movie were on hand, and they created a short video that captured the energy of the experience:

Marian Mondays: Interview

Alec Holowka — Mon, 23 May 2011 22:15:16 +0000

A new interview I did with GameSpy just came out. I think this was a good one, I got to answer a few interesting questions in an honest and blunt way.

You can read GameSpy’s edited version here:
http://pc.gamespy.com/articles/116/1169197p1.html

Here are my original answers:
http://infiniteammo.ca/public/InterviewQsforGameSpy.rtf

Podcast 12 – Tom Grochowiak

Alec Holowka — Mon, 16 May 2011 20:01:10 +0000

Hello again! This is a continuation of a series of audio podcasts, featuring myself and other independent developers.

Each episode will feature a different developer, and the format will be more like a sprawling conversation than a formal interview. Topics covered will vary depending on the developer in question, but some of the same topics will pop up with many of the guests. I’ll also interject some of my own opinions and views into the discussion.

Tom Grochowiak is a Polish developer. He’s worked in the mainstream industry, the casual games industry and now he’s an indie developer. Recently, Tom’s game Cinders was mentioned on TIGSource.

Developer Name: Tom Grochowiak
Location: Poland
Website: http://moacube.com/

You can listen to the podcast here:

Podcast Download → Episode 12 – Tom Grochowiak [1:08:42]

WIP RSS feed up here:
http://infiniteammo.ca/podcast.rss

Feedback Welcome!
Please post your thoughts below, or on the new Podcast thread. Thanks!

Interested in being on the podcast? Post in the comments and let me know what you’ve been up to.