The Indie Mine » Xbox

The End of XNA?

Oliver Radini — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 11:28:37 +0000

Historically, making games for consoles hasn’t been easy. Since the launch of the NES, all console games have had to be approved by the console’s manufacturer. This is bad news for small time developers looking to make games, as the approval process is often time consuming and expensive.

Microsoft aimed to bring indie games to their console by creating the Xbox Live Indie Game (XBLIG) service. With XBLIG, developers could approve each other’s games, making it fast, cheap, and easy for indie developers to release their games.

Why Microsoft Created XNA

Microsoft also wanted to make it easier for developers to make games for their systems. To do this, they created XNA, a set of tools intended to streamline game development and to make it easier for indie studios to create games. Many of the most popular games on the system have been created using XNA. Despite its popularity, Microsoft recently announced that they would no longer be working on the toolset. I asked them what the situation was, and what discontinuing XNA would mean for indie developers. Here’s what a spokesperson had to say:

“XNA Game Studio remains a supported toolset for developing games for Xbox 360, Windows and Windows Phone. Many developers have found financial success creating Xbox LIVE Indie Games using XNA. However, there are no plans for future versions of the XNA product. Game developers have a wide set of options on Microsoft platforms, ranging from XNA and managed code to DirectX and native code. Microsoft provides developers the options they need to be successful.”

To find out what developers thought about the decision to stop work on the platform. I spoke to David Johnston, of Smudged Cat games, makers of Timeslip, Gateways, and The Adventures of Shuggy. Here’s what he has to say about developing games for Xbox using XNA:

David Johnston – Smudged Cat Games

“It’s been exciting to develop games for the Xbox. I started with Shuggy which was actually an XBLA game in the end. I tend to play games on consoles more than on PC so it felt like the right place to be releasing games for me. It’s great to think of people chilling out on their sofas and playing a game that I made.”

”XNA has been fantastic. I’ve developed games on and off for most of my life and struggled with various different programming languages and APIs but using C# with XNA has been by far the easiest to get to grips with. It removes so many of the mundane tasks related to game. It’s great that it’s inspired so many people to actually bring those game ideas they’ve had in their head into reality.”

”There’s bound to be a decline in the number of indie games that are released now as people looking at XNA will be reading “XNA is dead” everywhere. However, it’s not quite as straightforward as that. The MonoGame project has been around for a while now offering a cross-platform solution to XNA. It seems that MonoGame is now going to take over, it’s being actively worked on and will soon be a complete solution for making XNA games even on future versions of Windows. ”

”I’m curious to see what Microsoft announce about support for indie games on the next Xbox. Given how things have gone with the current Xbox it’s debatable if there will be any support at all. I really hope there will be something but I’ll certainly be approaching it with caution this time round given the way the current channel was promoted and lack of profits from it. I’ve certainly had better figures from Steam and am currently more interested in the Ouya and Steam box at the moment.”

I also spoke to Shahed Chowdhuri of OnekSoft games, creator of 2D Math Panic as well as Angry Zombie Ninja Cats. Shahed has also developed tools to help indie developers make games with XNA. Here’s what he has to say about XNA and indie games on Xbox:

Shahed Chowdhuri - OnekSoft Games

“Developing games for Xbox is a childhood dream come true. Completing a game project and putting it out on the world’s (arguably) best game console is a great experience.”

”When I first learned about game development, I worked with C++ and DirectX, and tried out some basic samples on Windows. But XNA changed everything. I was suddenly able to write a video game for Windows and Xbox 360 at the same time, using C#. My day job requires me to work primarily with C#, so this was definitely a plus for me.”

”XNA has made it easy for me (and countless others) to create Indie games that would not have been possible without it.”

”Technologies come and go, and XNA is no different. Although Microsoft won’t release updated versions of the XNA framework, that won’t stop us from using Visual Studio 2010, C# and XNA to create games that run on Windows Vista, Windows7, and even Windows8 (non-RT version). For the rest of the year, we can also continue to publish to Xbox Live Indie Games on the Xbox 360.”

”As a whole, XBLIG developers will have to migrate to other areas. Some of them may gravitate towards development strategies that allow them to use the same language they are used to. And some of them will learn other languages (e.g. Java and Objective-C) so that they can develop native games and apps for Android and iOS, respectively.”

”Another portion of XBLIG developers may go the multi-platform route (e.g. Unity) to create high-quality games on both iOS and Android, with proven tools and technologies.”

”I think that the future of Indie Games on Microsoft’s next platform will ride on their ability to show off what the Indie world has to offer. This is a tricky situation, because they have made it clear that they want to separate out the $1 XBLIG games from the $60 AAA titles, with distinct marketplaces. Heck, there’s even a middle ground with Xbox Live Arcade, where some Indie games (e.g. Fez and Super Meat Boy ) have found success.”

”Apple and Google have shown the world that you can place professional games and homebrew indies in the same marketplace, and let the customers decide what they want to buy. Microsoft has started to move towards this trend with their Windows Store for Windows8, so there may be a chance that Indie developers will get better exposure on the next Xbox console.”

”Many developers will definitely switch to other platforms (as they have been), but they can also be wooed back to Microsoft’s corner if their needs can be appeased.”

The Future of Indie Games on Xbox

Developers are clearly uncertain about their future with XNA, and with Microsoft systems in general. When Microsoft created XBLIG and XNA, they hoped to attract indie game developers to their system. Looking at the statistics, it seems like they were succesful – there are 2,837 games in the XBLIG marketplace. The best selling title, Castle Miner Z, has sold over a million copies.

But for every game that succeeded on XBLIG, there are a handful that didn’t. Many developers have not seen the profitability they had hoped for, and in financial terms other platforms are far more attractive. Take developers Zeboyd Games, whose RPGs Cthulhu Saves The World and Breath Of Death VII sold more in a week on Steam than they did in a year on XBLIG.

Microsoft hasn’t abandoned indie game developers completely. There are still a range of tools which developers can use. But by discontinuing XNA, Microsoft will surely push some indie developers away from Microsoft systems altogether. It is strange that after so much time fostering a positive and productive indie community, Microsoft seems to have turned its back on the developers it once supported. If XNA is to have a successor, it will have a big act to follow.

Eden Industries launches Garden of Indie initiative

Brandon Schmidt — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 11:22:55 +0000

Although the exact plans are still being worked out, Canadian development studio Eden Industries is taking the first steps in an initiative to help other indies get their projects off the ground. While there are a number of charities, fundraisers, and networking organizations out there to help connect and fund struggling indie developers, the Garden of Indie initiative aims to do things a bit differently.

The first area being tackled is in education. Eden Industries has taken on a mentorship role with a number of students from the British Columbia Institute of Technology in Vancouver. These students have the chance to channel their passion and interest in game development into a real environment. By taking the areas of game development these students are most interested in and finding areas within Eden Industries that are in line with those interests, it’s giving these students a chance to learn and create while building the skills and confidence that will help them succeed in the industry. In most cases, the work being done by these students actually makes it into the released product. The studio would like to branch out to other schools if the situation is right.

On a more professional level, the Garden of Indie initiative is helping development teams fill gaps in experience or abilities. A prime example can be found directly within Eden’s ranks. Lead level designer Robin Vincent has started his own project with his own team outside of Eden’s confines. While that project has the right people to handle level design, certain technical aspects need some outside help, and that’s where Garden of Indie steps in. Eden Industries has been able to to provide a custom-built game engine that Robin and team can build on.

Naturally there’s risk involved with focusing so much effort outside of the team’s own work, but Eden Industries founder Ryan Vandendyck believes that these kinds of strategic partnerships can benefit all sides. Even if it’s not always a success from a financial standpoint, they can find value in the work completed. Exposure to new types of game genres or even the tech developed are potentially valuable resources for later projects. Will all future partnerships be as involved as the project with Robin Vincent? Not necessarily as Vandendyck says “it may look different from partnership to partnership”.

It sounds like Eden Industries is pushing forward with a new method of collaboration within the gaming industry. It will be interesting to see whether there are some growing pains as the studio expands beyond this first round of partnerships. I know I’ll be watching to see whether Garden of Indie picks up steam within the community and whether it can spur other developers to take on these same kind of roles.

Announcing the Indie Dev Grant

Brandon Schmidt — Sun, 25 Nov 2012 19:08:27 +0000

Here at The Indie Mine, we’re all about helping out independent developers in whatever way we can. So when we heard about a new fundraiser to help out new industry pioneers, we were excited to share the news with you. The 3rd Bundle in a Box promotion will help bring in money to aid one lucky studio in funding their future projects. As indicated in the press release below, any developer wishing to participate in the promotion has until tomorrow to get their submissions in. Stay tuned to The Indie Mine for future announcements including when the bundle will officially launch.

The Indie Dev Grant, the feature of Bundle In A Box we are most proud of, is, as you may already know, a grant designed to help indie game developers actually create the games they’ve always wanted to. For every 100 bundles sold, $10 will be added to the grant. One indie developer (be it a group or an individual), voted by the esteemed fans of Bundle in a Box will get the whole amount after the bundle ends.

No strings will be attached by either Bundle in a Box or Kyttaro Games.

The grant can be used in any way the developer that earns it sees fit and will in no way be obliged to co-operate with Kyttaro Games or Bundle in a Box. Developers that have already taken part in one of our bundles or are willing to do so in the future are also eligible for the grant. Actually, absolutely anyone is free to enter; yes, even people trying to buy some time in order to create their next freeware gem.

As gamers will start voting on the developer that will earn the grant from the moment the bundle launches, we do ask those interested in participating to contact us with their entries up to November 26.

To enter, applicants will have to e-mail us at info@bundle-in-a-box.com and provide us with the following:

-A title for the project they are going to be using the IDG for.

-One screenshot or piece of concept from their project.

-One link to their project’s or their personal site (if available).

-A description of the project (up to 200 words)

-Something about them or their team (up to 100 words)

All Indie Dev Grant entries will be presented on tumblr and on the Bundle In A Box blog.

-Konstantinos Dimopoulos, Kyttaro Games

BlazeJam raises money for Colorado Red Cross

Brandon Schmidt — Fri, 20 Jul 2012 10:57:03 +0000

BlazeJam 2012 has come and gone, and the 48-hour game jam and auction helped raise over $2000 to support the Colorado Red Cross in its aim to help victims of the recent fires. The indie event featured participants from every corner of the globe, and patrons donating more than $5 received all of the games in the BlazeJam bundle.

A big thanks to developer Marc Wilhelm of Fresh Aces who was kind enough to share this story with us, along with details on his game BlazeJam the Robot. Check out the official trailer below, and become acquainted with the local Indie Game Developers Association if you’re in the Colorado area.

BlazeJam the Robot from Marc Wilhelm on Vimeo.

Adventure game Save Them Sheeps revealed

Brandon Schmidt — Sun, 08 Jul 2012 12:29:18 +0000

Indie game studio MyCodedLife is hard at work with development on their current project Save Them Sheeps. While certain features are still under consideration, a number of details have been revealed about this action/adventure game coming to PC and XBLIG.

The plot involves mutton-addicted aliens kidnapping sheep from half a dozen different planets in order to feed their craving, and it’s the player’s responsibility to save the wooly wanderers. The game is played in 3D worlds with a strong emphasis on physics-based gameplay, while in-game cutscenes are included to advance the story. An online scoreboard is planned while features like local multiplayer and avatar support are still being considered.

The game looks to be pretty early on, but the developers are frequently updating their progress via the official website and Twitter. The website includes devblog trailers like the one included below. No release date has been revealed at this time, so stay tuned to The Indie Mine for updates.

Defenders of the Last Colony Impressions

Kendrick — Mon, 02 Jul 2012 10:45:26 +0000

Adding new features to an established genre of video game is a risk not unlike putting new ingredients on a hamburger. Nobody asked for avocado on their Whopper, but if you get it right it’ll be refreshing and surprising, and you might just want more. Defenders of the Last Colony is a twin-stick space shooter for PC and Xbox 360 with extra challenges carefully mixed in, and the current beta release hits many of the right notes. Here are some detailed impressions.

Danmaku? I barely know you.

Any discussion of twin-stick shooters starts with Robotron and ends with Geometry Wars. The formula is very simple, in that you move with one joystick and shoot with the other. Being able to duck off to the side while you’re shooting enemies chasing behind you is one of the most powerful legacies left behind by the coin-operated arcade machine. Other unique controls included twisting paddle knobs on top of the joystick like you had in Ikari Warriors, or the complex thumb buttons and triggers of the original Tron game. But the twin sticks were most easily duplicated with home gaming equipment, and the advent of analog controllers meant more precision without sacrificing the simplicity (or the addictive nature) of the games. Twin stick shooters are easy to learn and remain reliably entertaining today.

These instructions also apply to high school and certain sections of Damascus.

Let’s get the few negative things out of the way first. It’s evident that the writing isn’t being done by a native English speaker, what with all the improper verb tenses and the odd sentence fragments, to say nothing of the story built entirely out of cliche. The music is one long boring Casio-synthesized string crescendo that wouldn’t be out of place at Walt Disney World’s Tomorrowland. Also, some of the graphical features are uninformative or distracting. Why do enemies sometimes change color when I hit them? Do one of the six text boxes in my heads-up display tell me? I can’t read anything anyway through all of the unnecessary flak explosions that are flashing everywhere for hours after somebody dies. There are also a couple of extra game modes that give you side-scrolling and static enemy shooter modes that are fun for exactly as much time as it takes to say “Gradius!” or “Galaga!” before you turn them off and go back to the main campaign mode.

Any astronomy student would be happy to help out with the language and terminology for a case of beer.

But what a campaign mode it is. Defenders of the Last Colony borrows the best feature of Geometry Wars: Galaxies, by structuring play around different levels and different goals. The beta only provides two of these levels, but they successfully convey the variety of challenge that awaits you in the full game. The first level makes you collect resources to move on, which is strange because you’re spending very little time killing things. That worry goes away in the second level, where you have to split your attention between collecting that fuel and fighting off the enemies that threaten your mother ship. It’s a level of tactical thinking that’s not usually present in a twin-stick shooter, and at a certain point the option of having three other players on the same screen starts to make sense. Teamwork can make some of the challenges reasonable, if not any easier.

There’s a lot to like about the original design choices too. Each player’s ship is surrounded by a simple status indicator that shows shields remaining and resources collected. That feature neatly solves the problem of output display meant for multiple players, since everybody will naturally be looking at his or her own ship anyway. One type of ship can use materials to switch weapons, whereas the other can actually build stations and floating weapon platforms as you would in a real-time strategy game. There’s also a cleverly informative radar on top of your ship that indicates the position of the closest enemies, and with multiple players it’s possible to triangulate an off-screen target. That becomes important when the action is zoomed in close, and the camera points away from the mother ship that you’re spending so much time protecting.

If Namco hasn’t sued Gameloft yet, they probably won’t sue you for this either.

Defenders of the Last Colony is a promising first effort from the Knitted Pixels development group. It strikes a competent balance between the familiar and the innovative.

Freds Fridays: Volume 4

Brandon Schmidt — Fri, 08 Jun 2012 12:26:05 +0000

Freds Fridays on The Indie Mine

Sticky DPad Games is a relatively new indie game development studio, but what they lack in experience they make up for with ambition. They currently have three separate projects in various phases of design and development. While their first announced project was Night of the Fred, they’ve since announced the prequel, Dawn of the Fred along with another unnamed project. To drum up awareness for these titles, they’ve been partnering with indie press sites like The Indie Mine to help share updates as part of a feature called Freds Fridays. Freds Fridays previously made its home at VVGTV.com and OtakuDante’s Gaming Inferno and is now making a pit stop here for the remaining few weeks leading up to Dawn‘s launch.

Hello zombie fans, we’re back. It’s been quite a few weeks since we’ve had a chance to see some updated looks at Dawn of the Fred, but Sticky DPad Games has provided us with a fresh batch of screenshots right out of the infernal oven. We’ve got a look at a few environments and a peek at some weapons and their rating system. Keep in mind that the game is still nowhere near the polish stage, so these won’t resemble the final quality of the game.

Zombie apocalypse or Wal Mart at 2am?

I’d heard the produce section was a meat market, but this is ridiculous!

Gentlemen, choose your weapons

If I had a house carpeted like that, I’d want to be eaten too

Buddy, just don’t turn around

Well that’s it for this week folks. Hope you enjoyed the latest glimpse into what awaits Dawn of the Fred fans this summer. Be sure to tune in next week for the latest update direct from Sticky DPad Games.

Freds Fridays: Volume 3

Brandon Schmidt — Fri, 25 May 2012 10:44:00 +0000

Freds Fridays on The Indie Mine

We’re back after a couple of weeks off with another round of Freds Fridays. This one’s special too because it involves you, the reader.

Ladies and gentlemen, choose your weapons

Sticky DPad Games wants your help in choosing the newest weapon to add to the arsenal in Dawn of the Fred. They are taking ANY and ALL suggestions and the most fun and creative idea will make its way into the final game.

There are two ways to enter:

Leave a comment on this post that contains your idea. Include your Twitter account if you have one so we can give you credit if you win.
Tweet @StickyDpadGames with your idea.

That’s all it takes! So come up the craziest, most visceral idea you can think of and submit it. Who knows, it might make it into the game.

Freds Fridays: Volume 2

Brandon Schmidt — Fri, 04 May 2012 10:31:42 +0000

Freds Fridays on The Indie Mine

In this week’s Freds Fridays, we take a closer look at the undead horde you’ll be facing in the upcoming Dawn of the Fred. One of the recent trends in zombies games is diversifying the flesh-hungry foes. From Plants vs. Zombies to the Left for Dead franchise, giving zombies different mannerisms, appearances, and abilities helps keep the game fresh, funny, and exciting.

This week, Sticky DPad Games revealed to us a number of new zombie types that will make their appearance in just a couple of months. Check out the concept art below along with descriptions of a few members in the ensemble.

Some of the pretty faces you’ll meet

From left to right:

The Norm – Just your everyday, bloodsucking zombie.
Secret Zombie #1!
The Zombomb – Will explode on impact. Will explode when killed! Keep your distance…
The Insane – Alerts nearby zombies with its cries. Not good if you’re outside with The Exiled lurking…
The Exiled – Blind zombie that won’t attack until it hears gunfire or The Insane. If you wake it, you’d better start running, as he’ll rip you to pieces.
The Monster – Overly powerful zombie. It’s going to take more than a pistol to take this thing down.
The Large – Not as powerful as The Monster, but more powerful than your regular zombie.
Secret Zombie #2!
The Carrier – If touched by this zombie, you’ll begin the transformation process into one yourself. Seek an antidote quick or it’s game over for you!
Secret Zombie #3!

Tune in next week for another preview from Sticky DPad Games. In the meantime, check out our previous volumes.

Freds Fridays: Volume 1

Freds Fridays: Volume 1

Brandon Schmidt — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 10:00:00 +0000

Freds Fridays on The Indie Mine

In this week’s Freds Fridays, we’ll get you caught up on all the facts and features surrounding Dawn of the Fred. The Fred series is all about zombie survival. While Night of the Fred takes you through the zombie apocalypse as Fred himself, Dawn lets you play as Fred’s dad to see what actually happened in the mysterious hours before Fred awoke to the end of the world. The dad’s story is told through a 2D isometric action shooter.

There are three modes in all to Dawn of the Fred. There’s the aforementioned campaign for single players, but there are also two modes built with cooperative teamwork in mind. “Survival” allows you and three friends to hold down the fort as an onslaught of zombies try to get at your brains. There are two separate maps of 100 waves to take on for that mode. “Escape” challenges you and your friends to make it from one end of the city to the other with the hordes bearing down on you. “Escape” offers three separate maps. I’m a big fan of cooperative multiplayer and local multiplayer in general on home consoles, so I’m hoping these modes are a treat for my buddies and I.

For a first title, Sticky DPad is promising a lot of options and features within Dawn of the Fred that will hopefully help to separate it from the glut of zombie-themed titles in the Xbox indie market. There will be over ten playable characters to choose from, mostly drawing from comical stereotypes like nerds, playboys, and luchadores. Ten different types of zombies can be taken down with over 75 different weapons. These weapons can skew as bizarre as razor blade machine guns and swordfish chainsaws. There’s an achievement system in the game called Awardments that will allow you to unlock those characters, weapons, and other game tweaks.

This week’s Freds Fridays comes at a perfect time because Sticky DPad Games recently announced plans to release Dawn of the Fred this July in the Xbox Live Indie Games marketplace for 80 MSP. Tune in for next week’s Freds Fridays for the latest updates on the game. Even we don’t know what will be in store.