Dev Links: Neighborhood Target
Today’s Developer Links include articles on some complex topics, as well as various updates from a variety of indie devs.
Pulling up the ladder: how indie developers are losing the ability to help each other (Penny Arcade Report)
“Ben’s note: This is post from Vlambeer’s Rami Ismail is an interesting look at what happens when indie devs have a relationship with the platform holders that sell their games, and how having something to lose makes it harder to help out other developers.”
Indies now have more choices for demoing at the Tokyo Game Show (IndieGames.com)
“Tokyo Game Show officials have announced several ways for independent developers to showcase at the September 19th-22nd event, including its annual Sense of Wonder Night (SOWN) experimental session and a new Indie Game Showcase.”
Evolution Complete (Catapult for Hire)
“In every phase of development I have been slowly improving the look and feel of the game and now, after many iterations, I have come to a style that I am calling “final”.”
Octodad: Dadliest Catch at Comic Con! (Young Horses)
“Going to Comic Con? Looking for a cool game to play? Always curious about how an octopus would father a family of humans? Check out Octodad: Dadliest Catch at the PlayStation booth! (#301) This is the first time the PS4 will be publicly playable and Young Horses are happy to announce that Octodad: Dadliest Catch will be 1 of 3 PS4 games available to play on the show floor.”
Halting Problem, #Screenshotsaturday (Terry Cavanagh)
“Update time! I have a working title for my puzzle game: Halting Problem. I’m not sure yet if it’s gonna stick, just trying it on.”
Multiplayer Comes to Android! (Hemisphere Games)
“As promised, multiplayer Osmos has come to Android! This is a free update, and includes 6 distinct arenas in which players can play against each other — both locally and online — in a mote-eat-mote absorption-fest of skill and strategy. This update also includes many audio/visual improvements.”
Misadventure (Auntie Pixelante)
“Misadventure is another game that draws on the unknowable, mythical quality of the glitch. in this game, the glitch represents invaders from another world. and they look it, their spindly arms and weird asymmetries at odds with the perfect square atari world they are intruding upon. but what sells it is the frame narrative, in which the outer layer representing the player sitting in her living room, playing the game at home on her tv, is also increasingly intruded upon.”
The Psychology Behind the Steam Summer Sale (The Psychology of Video Games)
“Summer is here! Time to pump up your video game backlog until it’s bloated, gurgling, and making vaguely taunting motions from over there in the corner. In other words, the Steam Summer Sale has begun. I just bought Hotline Miami, Fez, and The Swapper for like 14 cents1 while typing that.”
