Thursday, July 23, 2009

Changes

I'm posting this from my new MacBook! Well, it's actually a used MacBook which I bought off my brother, but it's new to me. I'm going to try some iPhone prototyping shortly (as soon as I can get my hands on an iPod Touch).

As well, I just moved and was without internet for a while. Between sessions of working on Runman, I whipped up another quick AUS update. It's now at v1.17.

Bug Fixes:
  • Fixed JumpBox highscore recognition not working in all cases.
  • Fixed all empty rooms in SkyTown behaving as though they were at the edge of the map.

Balance Changes:
  • Red energy in NightWalk now appears once you can duck.
  • Made the DeepTower secret passage a bit more obvious again.
  • Made Grotto eye boss easier on all difficulties.
  • Added a savepoint to DeepDive on Regular and Simple.

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Thursday, July 16, 2009

Again!?

Yes, I'm releasing another new AUS version the day after the last. I was alerted to a few bugs I missed/created with the last update, so I figured I'd ship those fixes out with the other small changes I had been working on this morning. Now it's up to v1.16. Here's the changelist (spoilers!):

Bug Fixes:
  • Fixed shop ability positions not being switched immediately after you buy them.
  • Fixed typo the first time you talk to the girl bird.
  • Fixed moving platforms in The Curtain having wrong sprites if ghosts ambush you.

Balance Changes:
  • Made air bubbles by the sign in DeepDive appear on every difficulty.
  • New JumpBox highscores based on difficulty: 7500, 8500, 9500, 10500.
  • FireCage Bonus game now costs 30 crystals on Simple, 40 on other difficulties.
  • Increased chance of ghosts ambushing you by 0.5%.
  • Added two more signs from the bandit bird (NightWalk and The Curtain).

Graphical Changes:
  • Made throwing star particles look nicer (The Curtain boss).

Misc. Changes:
  • The Curtain/BlackCastle boss now has his own theme music.


Once again, you can download the game on my games page and all old save files should be compatible. The AUS soundtrack has also been updated with the new track I added.

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An Untitled Story v1.15

Alright, another AUS update wrapped up. No significant new content, but lots of balancing changes a few bug fixes. Here's the changelist (spoilers!):

Bug Fixes:
  • Fixed player color being wrong immediately after hatching if you're damaged.
  • Fixed slot select screen using capitol 'S' for Simple mode.
  • Fixed being able to damage the Grotto eye boss on Regular/Simple by letting it fall on you.

Balance Changes:
  • Removed a crusher enemy from a room in SkyTown on Simple.
  • Toll booth toll costs reduced to 70% on Simple mode.
  • Added text explaining variable jumping early in the game.
  • Switched locations where the two shop upgrades appear after you buy them.
  • Added text explaining holding jump for max height after you get the red energy upgrade.
  • Made DeepTower cannon boss shoot blue fire more frequently based on difficulty.
  • Made the DeepTower secret passage a bit less obvious.
  • Made three rooms of MountSide a bit easier.
  • Made launchers spin slower in MountSide.
  • Added more red energy to the first room of StoneCastle.
  • Removed some fire jets from StoneCastle on Regular, more on Simple.
  • Removed heart door from StoneCastle on Simple.
  • Made the walker puzzle in StoneCastle not require perfect timing on one jump.
  • Made StoneCastle boss's bullets scatter randomly a bit.
  • Made the second screen of the FarFall spike pit a tiny bit easier.
  • Removed heart door from the FarFall spike pit on Simple.
  • A red energy in the FarFall spike pit is now available on Regular as well as Simple.
  • Made SkySand boss slightly easier on Simple and Regular.
  • Grotto eye boss can now jump from the middle of the stage as well as the sides.
  • Changed the way the Grotto Eye boss's final form behaves.
  • You no longer have to divebomb to hurt the final form of the Grotto eye boss on Simple and Regular.
  • There are now signs in NightClimb, FarFall, StoneCastle and DeepDive written by the bandit bird.

Graphical Changes:
  • Touched up player sprites.
  • Touched up other miscellaneous sprites.
  • Touched up backgrounds for some rooms in Grotto, SkyTown, StoneCastle and FarFall.
  • Made StoneCastle boss lean as he moves sideways.
  • Made laser particles match the lasers more.
  • Made blue platform particles look a bit nicer.
  • Grotto eye boss's eye no longer rolls into the back of his head trying to follow you.

Heist Mode:
  • Fixed getting stuck in colored blocks on BlackCastle stage (getting stuck now kills you as it was meant to).

Misc. Changes:
  • Corrupt save files are no longer deleted when you try to load them.
  • Changed the game's icon.


I found a lot of playtesters having trouble understanding the variable jumping mechanics of the game, so I made sure to add text to explain how it worked. Hopefully this, along with the other various Simple mode changes, will lower the required skill level to enjoy AUS (without negatively affecting the experiences of those playing on the higher difficulties).

I plan on doing another small update similar to this one soon, but more focused on rebalancing Simple mode in the later half of the game. I decided to release what I had right now so the community can report any bugs that slipped past me and give me feedback on the direction I'm going in.

As usual, you can download AUS on my games page. Old savefiles should be compatible.

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Friday, July 10, 2009

Let's Play...!

I've been alerted to the fact that a man known as raocow is doing a Let's Play of An Untitled Story. What interests me most is that he has decided to do the playthrough blind. Because so much of An Untitled Story was designed to confuse/intrigue the player (hopefully in a good way), it'll be very interesting for me to watch and gauge his reactions to the game as he goes. He's also playing on Difficult first which... well, we'll see how that goes.

There has been other Let's Plays done of AUS, namely those by hateworkboy (whose screams of rage towards the end are hilarious) and CeilingNinja (whose LP I haven't gotten around to watching yet).

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Thursday, July 9, 2009

Some Press for MoneySeize

Bytejacker
"If you like platformers and you hate yourself, you are going to enjoy MoneySeize."
http://www.bytejacker.com/episodes/044

Jay Is Games
"...in MoneySeize, the level design just gets downright evil (in a good way)."
http://jayisgames.com/archives/2009/07/moneyseize.php

Destructoid
"I'm tempted to call Matt Thorson the king of indie platfomers..."
http://www.destructoid.com/indie-nation-moneyseize-138694.phtml

TIGSource
"Matt’s done a great job of lowering the frustration level and making the levels fun to replay over and over again..."
http://tigsource.com/articles/2009/07/04/moneyseize

The game should be getting badges on Kongregate tomorrow. Also, you can follow me on Twitter now if you feel compelled to do so.

Update: Found a review on Destructoid, added it above.

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Friday, July 3, 2009

1010 Coins

Less than 24 hours after the release of the game, Matt Makes Games Forum-member Zecks has found all 1010 coins in MoneySeize with a total of 1877 deaths.

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Thursday, July 2, 2009

MoneySeize Released! (+Soundtrack)


Sir Reginald MoneySeize II, Esq. must collect coins to fund construction of the tallest tower in the world! Jump through stages ranging from simple to ridiculously difficult in your quest to find all 1010 coins. Features 50 stages: 40 regular and 10 secret.

MoneySeize has been released! You can play it on my site or at Kongregate. I appreciate any positive ratings at Kongregate, because a high rating increases traffic and makes me eligible for cash prizes.

I've also uploaded the full soundtrack, including editable files. You can download that here.

Tracklist:
1. Menu Theme 1
2. Menu Theme 2
3. Good Intentions
4. Static
5. Sine Language
6. Enter MoneySeize
7. Ladder to Heaven
8. Selling Out
9. The End and the Means

Update: Downloadable version released! Click here to download.

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