It’s been a year of brewing games

Time surely flies fast. It’s already been a year since I started homebrewing games for the PSP. I’ve only released one game but, it surely did a lot for me. It’s time for me to reflect, what drive do I have to continue with PSP homebrew development?

More than a year ago, I planned to buy me a PSP. I bought it so that I can keep my self occupied with when I commute to work. I spent 3-4 hours a day on the bus, and that’s a lot of time wasted. That’s where the PSP comes in, during those 3-4 hours a day, I can play games, read some ebooks, watch some movies and tv shows, and listen to mp3’s. But what really compelled me to buy a PSP, was to develop games.

Playing games was very fun indeed. Yet, somehow I also found that programming was equally fun. So, why not make games, playing is fun and programming is fun, if I add them, would they be twice the fun. Hell yeah it does. Yes, making PC games was good, but there were already a plethora of games out there. I want people to play my games too. It’s quite a great redeeming factor that after you toiled for hours for your creation, that somehow, someone will appreciate it.

I need a platform where I would have the better chance that more will be able to play my games. And there I saw the chance with the homebrew psp scene. Right after I got my credit card, I immediately got my PSP.

After four months of studying, I released Tweexter. It was indeed, good to have some people appreciate your work. Though the downloads were just over a thousand(I wasn’t able to count the other downloads offsite), it still good.

But somehow it felt a little shallow. It’s quite incomplete, and being a true game developer was the thing can make this complete.

I entered Anino Games. With Anino, I was able to have a chance to develop a DS game. And after five months, I was able to move to Gameloft. After I’ve become a real developer, now I’m craving to develop more on homebrew. Because, I wasn’t really able to make a homebrew game during my employment.

Now, I’m going back to my roots, the homebrew development. I just need to find my time, to develop my game.

Anyways, why did I chose homebrew game development over PC games?

First, the demand is greater int the PSP platform. I’ve been thinking of moving to PC game development because of the existence of some great free game engine, but still the number of games and the exposure will be less compared to those that I can achieve being in the PSP platform. We PSP fans could not watch our beloved console die. The games is dismal, but the console is great. I also considered moving to iPhone/iPod game development, but the device is not really meant for games. Yeah, you could get away with some novel gameplay, but it’s only for that. The traditional gameplay doesn’t work with it. Very disappointing indeed(watchout for my next post regarding why iPhone is still too you to beat Nintendo and Sony in the portable game console race). And there’s so much iPhone games in the appstore that I doubt that I could get 1000 people to play my game. Remember my reason that I want more people to play my game and appreciate it. Just a little thank you is enough reward for me for making a game.

Second, making a game with the PSP is still hard enough, with very little tools to help you by. It is more rewarding to finish a game that you work so hard to complete.

It’s only two, but enough to drive me forward to make games. Maybe after I finish this game that I am working on, I will be moving to the PC game scene. But it is still hard to tell, since I’m cooking up more than two ideas for my PSP games.

Thanks for, once again, wasting a few minutes of your time reading my rant.

Starcraft 2 Update: Battle Report 2

There is still no news when Starcraft II will be released. But for me any Starcraft II news is still good news. Hearing(it’s actually reading) it is like drinking a cold water after passing through a desert. It’s another Battle Report with the Terrans duking it out with the Zergs.

If only the cheat “operation CWAL” works against Blizzard. *sigh*. Even if the game won’t come out this year, it will be very pleasing to know when it will be out. Hopefully, at 2009’s Blizzcon, the announcement will be made.

I’m on the credits of a game!!!

Finally, my name will be read on a credits page for a real published game. What game? Je decouvre le flipper NDS, it’s game that will be/was released in France and in Europe(i guess). It can be literally translated to English as “I discover the flipper” (by Google Translate or Babelfish). But has an English title of Pinball Deluxe (very close?). It was developed by Anino Games Inc., my former employer. Hopefully, the credits page is still the same. The last time I saw it, my name was in the programmers or was it changed and now I’m only in the special thanks section. I was kicked out of Anino Games a little later after it was finished but maybe there were still revisions and the credits was also changed my name moved to the Special Thanks sections, like how those who previously worked on it and was also kicked  out.

Though some of you might not know, I was kicked out of Anino Games 1 or 2 weeks before my 6th month of my employment there because of “cost cutting”.  The labor law in the Philippines maybe different in other countries, but if you worked for a company for more than 6 months your employment status should be permanent, hence, you can’t fire someone without due reasons. Very sly indeed. During their exit interview with me, they said were changing their “corporate strategy” or something like that. It’s like hiring you for 4-5 months duration, then stop.  Then hire you again to 4-5 months never regularizing people.

Enough of that. Back to the pinball game. Technically, it was my first Nintendo DS project. It was a great learning tool for me like 2D physics, graphics programming and overall game development. And thanks to that game, I was able to work with Gameloft.

I won’t be commenting anything more about the quality of the game. Though I won’t be able to praise it even if I was part of the team that developed it nor will I say any negative stuff because it might connote to some people that I still harbor some ill intents on my previous employer.

Here’s some screenshots. And buy the game if you got some extra cash and be the judge.

By the way, I’m developing a new homebrew game for the PSP. I still can’t say how long will it take to finish it, maybe a month or two, but after that, I will definitely update Tweexter.

Thanks for wasting a few minutes of your time reading my rants.

An Ubuntu Manga, Ubunchu

It’s no surprise that almost any topic can be a subject for a manga. And operating systems is not an exception. As I was looking through the daily releases of manga, I stumbled upon this queer sounding named manga, “Ubunchu” and was described as the fusion of Linux and manga. With the spirit of GNU, its free and the mangaka made the PSD available for download. It was originally written/drawn in Japanese and was later translated to English.

It’s about a system administration club members who stumbled upon Ubuntu. I really can’t tell much about the story, because only one chapter was release. I really don’t expect much from it. I only viewed it as a tool to help evangelize the use of Linux, probably help inform people that such an alternative from Windows and Mac’s OS exists. Hopefully, this should give boost to the growing community of Linux users.

By the way, why “Ubunchu”? If you’re familiar with Nihongo or Japanese language, it doesn’t really support the syllable “TU”, so its equivalent to the “CHU” or “TSU”. Putting that into consideration, Japanese would normally say “Ubuntu” as “Ubunchu”. Although this is just my observation.

Here’s the author’s site of the manga where you can download it.

And another note on Ubuntu. Ubuntu 9.04, Jaunty Jackalope, will be released in April 23, 2009. Not so many updates, but still, worth upgrading to.

Thoughts on new PSP

Here’s what I think on the current rumors regarding Sony’s next iteration for the PSP.

One, though Sony might not admit it, they are losing in the current generation console race. Though how much they proclaim that PS3 is the superior console, people still won’t buy them. It’s a bit pricey for to buy at such a hard time in the economy. And there are only a few PS3 exclusive titles that can lure in gamers unlike the Wii and XBox360. Yeah, PS3 was built for wickedly cool graphics, but programming them are really hard and that really ups the cost of development for a game. Certainly, why only a handful of developers were able to harness the potential of the PS3. They need a stable income until they can ease more developers into making quality games.

Two. On the portable console, they are still losing to Nintendo. Though PSP won over the DS in Japan, the rest of the world, its another story. When DSi was released Japan, it quickly changed in favor to Nintendo, and for the rest of world, a very large gap will be emerge. Yeah Monster Hunter was a hit in Japan, but I doubt the rest of world will be so welcoming with it(I for one, belong to the not so optimistic with MH thingy group).

I also see two possible solutions.

One, improve the titles for the PSP, exclusives will be better. Just last year(2nd half of 2008), there was a drought of quality titles for the PSP and this continued until early this year. Thankfully, some great titles came out, that was able to support the PSP this 1st quarter. And with the promising list of titles that will be out later this year, this may somehow boost the sale of PSP games. And I really wish that they translate some of the great Japan only PSP titles.

Two, release a new console. People needs something new, not minor enhancements of a 5 year old console. Not just brighter screen, not mere memory upgrade, not only physical facelifts, not only just removing the UMD. The consumers want an overhaul. It’s been already 5 years and I assume that Sony has listened to its consumers regarding what they want with their machine. Hopefully they’ll implement it when they design the new PSP (or have already implemented, if the rumors are true that PSP2 is in production). We are all hoping for a second analog stick, and if not too much indulgent, a touch screen. And for the creative minds, a public SDK for developing your own PSP apps, legally.

But I’m a still skeptical whether the PSP2 will be out this year. Why skeptical? If it is really true, then they’ll be announcing it. The need to hype-up their product. They need to control the possible effects or damages that the new DSi will make to their would be released consoles. Another reason for being skeptical is that Sony are still in the talks with developers to develop more titles for PSP. And they’ve been successful, with the announcement of major titles for the PSP, and not for the still illusionary new PSP.

Maybe I’m wrong, maybe I’m right. Still got more than 6 months to see whether I’ll be proven wrong. Though one things for sure, I also want a new overhauled PSP. I just don’t wanna make my hopes high and just be broken in the end.