Mega Power Update – June: Shift, Conventions, and more!

And we’re back with another update!

So, with life happening I didn’t get a chance to work on my stuff as often as I had hoped. But that doesn’t mean I didn’t get stuff done since the last update. Here’s what’s new:

• Another update for Shift is coming. I have revised the first 30 levels and made many UI changes and fixes that should improve the overall gaming experience. The difficulty curve should be much easier for players just entering the game, and I will monitor the progress of this as time goes on.
• A PC version has been started! I’m still working on details how to fully port this to PC, but it has been started. The process will likely be slower than usual because…
• Another game prototype is in the works. Sometimes when an idea comes to mind, you gotta act on it before it disappears. Let’s just say the sequel to Shift will harken back to the very first game I ever made…

And I am officially pleased to announce that Mega Power Games will be represented at not one, but TWO conventions in the GTA in the next five months! I will be at ConBravo at the end of July in Hamilton and the Mississauga Comic Expo in Mississauga in October! Stay tuned for more details!

#MPGxConBravo

#MPGxMCX

#StillGrinding

Shift – One Month Post-Mortem and Future Plans

Greetings folks!

It has officially been one month today since I released my new game Shift (now available on the Google Play store for all Android devices), and boy, is there a lot I’ve learned and want to share.

Personally, launching this game has provided me with a sense of validation, as while I was promoting my game I received a lot of positive feedback towards the game concept. So no matter how this game fares, I am 100% proud to showcase this game as part of my library.

With that said, watching other people play your game gives a new sense of perspective, and I’ve received a lot more feedback that I will be implementing into the game. So here’s some plans for the immediate future:

• I will be reevaluating the first 50 levels or so of the game. I’ve noticed that the learning curve is a lot more steep that I assumed, and it appears that it may be leading to frustration and uninstallations of the game. Finding a balance is a delicate thing, so the next update will have a revamped opening set of levels, that will hopefully provide a learning curve more accessible to players. Whether or not that is enough remains to be seen.
• More platforms! Right now the Android platform is a great start as a gaming platform for shift, but I will commence work on a PC port as well. The ultimate goal here is to create a similar game, but with exclusive levels to the version (which is possible due to the larger screen size).
• A graphics update. Not sure what exactly I’m going to change, but a graphics refresh will be in the works as well!

Nonetheless, this past month has been a hell of a lot of fun. Big thanks to a whole bunch of people:

• My Beta testers (who are appropriately credited in the game).
• The folks at the Capital Gaming Expo who helped me out with a booth on short notice.
• The Toronto Gamedev community for embracing and helping promote the game (here’s looking at you torontogamedevs.com!)
• Anyone who has played the game.

I’m still here, and am not going anywhere. Follow me on twitter, instagram, and facebook!

Capital Gaming Expo Roundup

Last weekend I had the pleasure of attending the Capital Gaming Expo in Ottawa, ON to celebrate the release of my first video game release, Shift.

This was a first for me in many ways: first solo game, first solo booth, first solo demo of a finished product. The only part that made me nervous was the thought of whether or not people would like the game.

I’d say it went pretty well.

Nearly every person that came to the booth had a positive response to the game concept and design. If they didn’t right away, their opinion would be swayed by the time they left the booth. As soon as the first set of demos was done, I was flying high the rest of the weekend.

The Capital Gaming Expo is the first indie video game show I’ve been in a while, since Gamercamp actually. Sidebar for those who don’t know: Gamercamp was a special indie video game showcase held in Toronto where a bunch of studios would get together and showcase their games in a unique and intimate setting.

This expo had indie developers from all over Ottawa, as well as outside of it. I have to give credit to the Hand Eye Society, for if it wasn’t for their newsletters, I wouldn’t have found out about this in the first place.

For it’s first incarnation under new ownership, I’d say that the expo was a success overall from what I could see. As a solo booth I had minimal time to roam, but it looked like other booths were having a good time showcasing their stuff. I sure as hell did.

A special thank you goes out to everyone who came to chat with me at the booth. It gave me a sense of validation that I am on to something with this game, and a sense of enjoyment watching you all play it.

To the Capital Gaming Expo organizers for putting this show on, thank you for having me!

So what’s next? I’ve applied to more expos and conventions in the GTA area so you may see me around. I’ll keep working on Shift creating more levels, game modes and fixing bugs along the way.

I will put a photo album up on the Facebook page, so head there for photos from the expo.

Until next time!

 

Failure is an option, Fear is not

Fear.

Everyone is scared when they want to try something new. I’ll be the first to admit, I’m not the best when it comes to being confident about things I do, because my mind always races about all of the ‘worst case’ complexities that could happen. I blame my University education on that one! 🙂

But it is definitely something that could make or break a project. If you are not scared about how a project is going to turn out, then it will reflect and rear its ugly head in your work itself. People will notice, people will smell it.

When I started this project, I was scared. I was shitting bricks, in fact. I was going to make a game entering a crowded market, and I was not sure how well it was going to do. Three weeks from launch, I’m STILL not sure how well it’s going to do! But I wanted to do it. I’ve heard people say that if you have an idea in mind, sleep on it for a few days. If you wake up a few days later still as passionate as you were before, then you should pursue it. And pursue it I did.

Nine months later I’m on the cusp of releasing my first official solo game. A game I have spent countless hours working on outside of my day job. All of the sweat and tears I put into this, how would people receive it? WHAT IF IT’S A FLOP?

Who. cares.

I came to terms a long time ago that this game has less of a chance of being a flash in the pan, and more of a fun addition to a genre that people may or may not discover. I may make mistakes, I will get positive and negative feedback, and it will all be a learning experience.

And the fact is, this game wouldn’t exist if I hadn’t overcome the fear to try making it in the first place. I’m proud of it. That will never change. If it fails, then I will learn and grow from it. At least I took a shot.

And if you’re scared of trying something due to fear of failure, remember a quote from The Great One himself: You miss 100 percent of the shots you never take.

This post got real heavy, real quick. Here’s a picture of a cute dog:

Shift comes out in three weeks on Google Play.

 

 

 

 

New Blog, Same Power

Well, with a new game coming out, might as well try and talk about thoughts I have that are longer than 140 characters.

The fact is I have no idea how this blog will go. I might use this to cross promote, but I want to try and provide exclusive content that you can’t find on other social media accounts.

This is actually a surreal moment. This is the first time in nine months that I haven’t stressed out about the actual code of my game, but more about the promotion. I guess that’s progress?

But I actually never thought I’d make it to this day. The fact is, all other games I’ve made in the past have never seen the light of day. But this one will.

This game will likely fall by the wayside amongst all of the other independent game created, but I’ll be damned if I don’t go down swinging.

I mean, chances of this succeeding are likely well over one in a million but as the saying goes…

Game on.