My game engine code base has really matured over the last year as it's feature set has had to match the needs of iO during it's development. Finally I can really play with concepts as they pop into my head.
So, while I was finishing off the game progression aspects of iO a simple game idea occurred to me, and for the first time ever I could quickly throw that idea together into a game. After about 2 weeks of occasional spare time writing it and doing the simple artwork, Efficiency is the product of that idea.
It's just a 'beat the high score' sort of game with a few elements you might find familiar if you've ever played Chu Chu Rocket. I think it could most easily be described as a puzzle game involving sliding blocks. Play it and see.
The Hotwheels game was basically a re-imagining of the concepts used in Cartoon Network Racing; only this time we had the chance to get all next-gen with our ideas. Extra weapons replace the special powers and now we had tracks with loops and stunts. Again I got free reign over the special effects and on this occasion I could really go to town on the shiny next-gen platforms. Cue the HDR and bloom effects for the explosions and lightning.
When I first heard that we'd be making a game for Pimp My Ride my first reaction was "How?". Its a little hard to see where a set of game mechanics can be attached to the format of the show. Luckily it wasn't a problem I had to deal with. Instead I was charged again with the creation of all the real-time effects. This time I had a little help, i.e. I'd gone from a team of one to a team of two.
The final result looks pretty good on all its release platforms (especially the Xbox 360). Though a little short on depth, the game is reasonably entertaining and the handling of all the vehicles is pretty good. As far as procedural effects go, it features everything from fire hydrants and collision sparks to flocks of birds and scatterings of rubbish and leaves.
After a few months working in R&D for next gen platforms, I moved onto this project. I was to take complete responsibility for all real-time special effects. At last a task that made use of a much broader range of my skills. That's every sparkle, explosion, cloud and puff of smoke, from conception and artwork through to implementation. If its not already obvious, I really enjoyed this project.
Sadly the game as a whole was littered with ill conceived design decisions, marred by under developed handling and crippled by poor track layouts. As a result, the press mauled it. though nothing bad was said about the effects, which is at least a little positive.
I only spent about six months on this project, Working as a senior programmer rather than a lead, (i.e. I didn't manage anyone) Spent most of that time re-writing the interface management systems. Well before the end of the project I moved off the project and on to next-gen technology for shaders and effects. Though by all accounts the finished game turned out to be a very playable and tidy racer (complete with nice interface systems)
By all accounts I think that this was probably a sequel that really should not have come about. The humour that had been used in the first of the series was all but used up, so trying to squeeze another title out of it was not going to happen. This compounded by a significant dumbing down of the game play design led to ultimately to the less than perfect final result.
My first complete personal game project for a long time. The concept is simple (which is probably why I managed to finish it) Beat the high score. Its a fast paced dexterity game in which you pick up bonuses and energy while avoiding all the obstacles, aiming all the time to increase your Radius, easy (download it and see). Note : there may be a few bugs in it yet, so if you tell me then I'll fix them.
A very very long project if nothing else. Littered with all sorts of craziness, including a change in publisher and an almost complete rewrite half way through. The final result is by all accounts pretty good. I must say that street racing is not really my thing, and given the choice I'd not have made a game about it, but as its my day job I tried my best to enjoy the whole thing. Since release, SRS has risen all the way up the US XBox charts, so here's to hoping that some royalties come out of this.
My first introduction into programming games consoles. I came onto this project after F1WGP, I didn't really have a specific area of this game that was mine, I wrote a lot of the interfaces and some of the game core. by the time it was finished I was one of the projects lead programmers. Despite a change of publishers half way through, the game went on to sell over a million units all over the world, everywhere from Japan through Russia and Europe to the USA. it even spent nearly 3 months in the top 5 games in North America.
My first contribution to a commercial game. It was my first project when I joined Eutechnyx. I joined the project about half way through, and wrote all the race AI. though not a success the game is special as the first game I could see in shops on the high street, pick up, open the manual, and see my name.
