Still working on adding features to Break Invaders. Music and sound can be turned on and off, I’ll probably add a .ini file to make it so that it remembers the settings when it closes. Made a pause/menu screen. The game is pretty much good to go. Going to email steam again about distribution, since I never heard back from them I’m thinking my email may have gotten caught in a spam filter or something. I really need to hear back from them and get the code I need to be able to add Steam achievements or anything to the game.

I’m still fixing various bugs, mostly relating to the physics in the asteroid levels. Fixed a MAJOR bug that would make the ship get stuck and die sometimes when it first respawned. I also managed to figure out how to rotate the asteroids fairly naturally, and I fixed a bug that would make it possible to get stuck with an asteroid going close to completely vertically or horizontally along the edge of the screen, impossible to hit or sometimes even see so the level couldn’t be completed.

One last fix I’m adding will also be the ability to turn the music and sound on and off. Which will take some work, since I didn’t set up the original infrastructure to do that.

I finally sat down and wrote out a list of all known bugs in the game so far, crossed off what I’ve fixed, noted what still needs fixing. Also been debating a new title, since I’m never going to try and sell the original Break Invaders, it’ll remain a free download. So far my main working title is probably Break Invaders: The First Wave or Break Invaders: The First Invasion.

Thanks to some feedback I’ve gotten already, I’m making a few fixes to Break Invaders 2. One is that occasionally it would glitch up during the intro if a button was pressed. Found the source of that error and fixed it. The other is a complaint I’ve heard before a few times, so I decided to take heed. When things get thick, it can be hard to see the ball sometimes. So I added a bit of a flash to it to make it more visible. I also added a mask layer to it, to make it a little more reliable and a little less likely to accidentally get stuck. And I’m working through adding a bit of code to make it so that if it DOES still manage to get stuck, it won’t make you get stuck at the end of the level. Which was a rare, but possible bug.

to see about possible distribution for Break Invaders 2. Also, still need more beta testers.

Now all I need is beta testers. If anyone is interested, let me know.

I had forgotten that I recently managed to recover some old files that I thought had been lost. Among those were the original game files for my very first real game I’d ever made: Break Invaders. So I went in, made a few quick modifications to finish it off like I had intended to do back in 2004 when I’d first made it. The new version is uploaded in the games section. Not much different, but enough to make it more playable and more fun, I hope. Added in the ability to fire even before you get the laser powerup, I made it so that the laser powerup just does the same thing that the rapid-fire powerup does in the second game. And I made some of the levels that were full of the grey almost-unbreakable blocks less frustrating by adding in steel blocks that can be broken with a few hits. But I made some other levels a little harder by using those steel blocks as shields for the enemy to hide behind. I think I helped rebalance the game and I made it a lot more playable. Even if I start selling Break Invaders 2 (or 3 if I make it), I’ll still keep the original free to download.

And speaking of downloads, the game can be found here.

No matter what. I will finish a game. I will try to get it put out there in some way, shape or form. Either for free, or for cheap on D2D and/or Steam. I’ve had Break Invaders 2 sitting there only missing an ending cutscene. I have had numerous ideas for ways to make the Break Invaders concept even better. I’m tired of swimming in place and never finishing anything.

So for now, my sights will be set on Break Invaders. After that, I’ve got a couple of ideas for 2d sidescrollers that can be done. One revamp of Alabama Bones, but I’m not going to settle for a simple sidescroller. I’m going to go for the Prince of Persia style run/jump/climb thing I wanted originally. The other idea is one that I’d rather not reveal yet, but it will involve ninjas. Because ninjas are awesome.

But I WILL put out a game by the end of the summer. That is my goal. I will make sure that I spend at least a few hours a day every day on something.

I have decided to add WordPress to this site in order to make it easier to post things via category. Now shows, games, etc. can each be posted in their own categories. This will also make it easier for me to post news and dev blogs. And, if I decide that I don’t like this new system and it sucks, It will take about 30 seconds to take it down and replace it with the old site.

The failure of my previous webhost is complete. They failed SO BADLY that they actually ended up being helpful. I just noticed that I was still getting charged my monthly fee by them. A year after they (*&%ed up the first time. Which means that I was able to log in and recover a lot of old files that I thought were lost for good. Including the materials for this site. I kind of like the new graphics though, so I think I’ll keep them. What I also recovered were screenshots for the games and some other versions of the game demos that I may end up uploading, and a whole lot of personal photos, music, etc. that you don’t care about but I do.