Top 10s of the Decade

I can't sleep tonight for some reason, so I figured this might be boring enough to make my bed seem more welcoming.


Favorite Albums:
Black Eyes - Black Eyes (2003)
Greg Ashley - Medicine Fuck Dream (2003)
Pseudosix - Days of Delay (2003)
Unicorns - Who Will Cut Our Hair When We're Gone (2003)
Kent - Du och Jag Döden (2005)
Tough Alliance - The New School (2005)
Midlake - The Trials of Van Occupanther (2006)
Delta Spirit - Ode to Joy (2008)
Electric President - Sleep Well (2008)
Woods - Songs of Shame (2009)


Favorite Movies:
Dead or Alive 2 (2000)
Requiem For a Dream (2000)
Amelie from Montmartre (2001)
Mulholland Drive (2001)
Grizzly Man (2005)
Noroi (2005)
Tropa de Elite (2007)
No Country For Old Men (2008)
Watchmen (2008)
The Dark Knight (2009)

2002 was a pretty shitty year, apparently. And I really had to struggle with the movie list (bet I forgot a few great ones, though). You probably expected a top 10 of games as well, but to be honest I don't play enough games to write a decent list. Let me know if I missed something really worthwhile.

What was supposed to be a Mondo X-Mas

So, I started making a little game for Christmas eve, but ended up being convinced by my friends to go out and have a few Christmas beers instead. It's 50% complete, so I might release it anyway, but I don't know.

Here's a screenshot tho. Merry Christmas! Eat my corn.

Game Over / Continue

Back in March when I was at GDC I did a game for an exhibition at Giant Robo. The event was called Game Over / Continue, and imaginative as I was I ended up naming the game the same thing.

Originally I had planned to do a single player game, but time went by and the day before the event I hadn't received the graphics I was going to work with nor even started working on the game engine. So I went to my collaborative partner, Deth P Sun's studio to spend three hours or so finishing my project. I ended up destroying the awesome cat graphics he had drawn for me, and turning the whole idea around to a multiplayer action game instead (everyone else at the exhibition was doing multiplayer, so I blame group pressure). The cats became freaky mutant spiders crawling creepily across the screen, and the environmental graphics ended up falling down the gameplay arena like slow rain.

I'm not sure if I should be ashamed or proud of the results, but either way I can't really release the game since it requires two joypads and I'm not even sure which ones I ended up using in the final version. I had to recode the movement script at the scene, semi-drunk, since they were all out of 360 controllers.

So today I found a nice video from the event, and figured that it might be interesting to see for those who were unable to attend themselves. My game is shown at 3:45, with Erik Svedäng (of Blueberry Garden) and Messhof playing. The other games are better than mine, and the whole video can be fun to watch since a huge portion of the indie scene can be spotted mingling in the background.

I'll see if I can finish a game for Christmas eve as well. I've released way too few games this year.

Explanation of This is Infinity

I have been getting some rather negative feedback on This is Infinity, and after letting one of my friends test it, I can see why. The game is incredibly difficult until you get what the objective is.

My original intent was to try to let the player experience something that felt alien, and at first incomprehensible. Then they would feel a cool sensation when they figure out what was going on.


The problem is that the game doesn't have a fixed difficulty curve, you actually start out with a very large chance of entering the most difficult area of the game first. This area is on the verge of being too difficult even played after getting through half of the game, and certainly not a good starting point.

Therefore I think it might be good to give some further instructions as to what to do. However, I do think the game is more rewarding if you have some patience and try to figure out the objective on your own. So if you want to have the most interesting experience possible with the game, have some patience and try your best to figure it out on your own. If not, here's an explanation of what you need to do:

To summarize the game: Find four portals, figure out what to do after you enter each portal, then figure out how to get to the end. The objective in each area is fairly simple, but because of the way the game is presented it can be hard to figure out. Observe the elements you see in each level to get a clue to what is actually going on, and you'll probably be able to beat the game relatively quickly.

If that's not enough to get you through the game, here's a walkthrough.

THIS IS INFINITY

A very abstract game about exploring rules, graphics, goals, behavior and interaction. Created for Ludum Dare 16 with the theme "Exploration". Made in about 36 hrs... I started kinda late and finished late as well.



This is infinity. Download here!
Seems like I might be able to get back to releasing games a bit more frequently. Certainly have been feeling more inspired the last few weeks. Let's hope it keeps up.

UPDATE: Fixed a very small and somewhat insignificant bug!

GAMMA IV + Donations

Finished my GAMMA IV entry the other day. I don't think I'm allowed to release it at the moment so I made yet another trailer. Feels kinda crappy to finally finish a game and not get to release it, but I do enjoy making trailers so it's not that bad.


Also, I'm broke and need money for rent, dentist and beer. So feel free to donate. Anyone who donates using the button below will automatically receive the current version of the GAMMA IV entry (hopefully this won't disqualify me). It's short, hard and might throw an error on some computers, just so you know.

Got beaten up tonight

Got beaten up tonight for no reason. Two morons decided to start hitting me and my friends in the face without any cause at all. Fortunately a cab pulled over and let us inside. Need to get more muscle, fo sho...

New Site Design

As you may have seen I've revamped the site a bit design wise. Essentially just new banners for the frontpage, games page and the blog. Hope you like them!

I'll see if I can do something to the forum while I'm at it, and fix all the screenshots on the games page.

Then back to working on Tuning and LDI...

URLs

The new url to the site is http://www.cactusquid.com/ although the old one is still working.

Other urls include:
http://games.cactusquid.com/
http://blog.cactusquid.com/
http://forums.cactusquid.com/

Big thanks to grapefrukt and charlie for help with hosting and whatnot. You guys are awesome!

Hosting / New Domain

Seems like my filehost will go offline in a while (it might already be). And I don't feel like re-uploading my games too often, so I was wondering if anyone would be willing to permanently host them.

If not, does anyone know a good place to upload them that isn't likely to be taken down, and that offers hotlinking?

So I now have two mirrors. Should be up within days. In other news, I just got a real domain... So now you can go to cactusquid.com instead cactus-soft.co.nr.

Dungeon

Finally a new release. This game's called Dungeon, and is what me and Arthur "MrPodunkian" Lee managed to whip up for the current Mini LD. The theme was Comedy and Tragedy. I think we went more for the latter.

DOWNLOAD GAME
Controls:
Arrow keys - Move
Z - Jump

This game was created in Multimedia Fusion and not Game Maker. Enjoy!

EDIT:

If you've played the game, here's the explanation for it:
DOWNLOAD CLARITY

If you want to play a castrated version, get this one:
DOWNLOAD ALTERNATIVE VERSION

Some Images

Just some things I've been playing around with when not working on TUNING and LIFE/DEATH/ISLAND. Click images for larger screenshots.

TUNING IGF 2010 Trailer

New York

I've been in New York the last two days, doing a panel discussion for NYU with Mark "Messhof" Essen and Anna "Dessgeega" "Auntie Pixelante" Anthropy. It went really well, and I got to meet some awesome people. The discussion is supposed to be posted online for anyone to listen to, but I don't know when or where.

Now I'm sitting alone in my hotel room, eating pretzels and waiting for something to happen before I need to check out.

Status update

Despite the lack of actual releases, things are going very well development wise. I'm working actively on four projects, and they all seem to grow at a good rate.

Tuning has reached thirty levels, and I still have ideas for things to add that don't feel overwhelming. I hope to have it finished before the end of the year.

LIFE/DEATH/ISLAND is also progressing, and could probably be released as one of my better games already. But I'm hoping to add enough content to make it a really worthwhile project. And that has made me think about releasing a public beta at some point. I still have more than enough ideas, but I would need to know how easy it is to get into the systems already in place. Watching people play the game has made me realize that this will be key to how interesting the gameplay will turn out.

Failed 2hr Game

I know I don't have the time, but I tried making a game for the latest Poppenkast competition. It had such a great theme that I couldn't resist it.

I decided to try to make a really small RTS, but the two hours I had were lost in drawing graphics and setting up the movement system. I might still create a game out of this, but I'll save it for when my schedule's a bit more free. Meanwhile, here's a little screenshot:

Further Tuning

Since Tuning won the award at IndieCade I've been working on it a bit. Here's a preview of some new content. The game's got around 25 levels now, and a map screen. Can't decide if I should put some weird cutscenes in there or not. I guess time will tell.

Independent Games Festival

Hey guys. I'm thinking about submitting Tuning to IGF, but I don't have the funds for it at the moment. If anyone would like to help out with a donation for the $95 entrance fee, paypal it to crazy.cactus (at) gmail.com

Looks like Stephen Lavelle has me covered. Thanks a lot man!

Keita Takahashi playing Tuning

Adam Robezzoli sent me this picture of Keita Takahashi (creator of Katamari Damacy and Nobi Nobi Boy) playing Tuning at a barbecue after IndieCade. Not sure how news worthy it is, but I'm definitely a fan of his, so...

Yay or Nay?

Air Pirates news, LIFE/DEATH/ISLAND and Indiecade

Air Pirates is complete, aside from possibly small gameplay tweaks and some required help screens (something I'm not very used to adding to my games). So hopefully we will be able to release the game very soon.

I've been working a bit on another project called LIFE/DEATH/ISLAND on the side the last week or so, and so far it's turning out really well. It's procedural and generates islands. The islands have different environments, and wildlife currently including bears, dogs, spiders, birds, maggots, zombies and mutants. The cities also have accessible sewer systems, cars that you can steal, and buildings you can enter. You can also find people to gang up with, to make survival a bit easier. Hopefully I'll be able to add a lot more before release.



Also, Tuning has been selected as a finalist at this years IndieCade. It's got 21 levels at the moment, and I'm not sure how much more it needs before release, but it's not quite ready yet.

Attractmo.de // Merchandise

http://www.attractmo.de/shop/

Face Generation

Two Angry Men

News & Screenshots

Long time no update. Nothing worth talking about really, but I figured I'd post something anyway. I was recently to Finland, visiting Helsinki to do a talk at Assembly. It went pretty well, and I got to hang out with Erik Svedäng and Petri Purho, which always means that you'll have fun.

I've also been working on Air Pirates, which is 98.5% complete. Should be released at the end of the week unless something unexpected happens. And I've been messing around a bit with some other stuff on the side, some of which I decided to post screenshots of here:


As always, don't expect anything in this to actually be released. Especially not right now.

Website Online Again?

So I guess my website got hacked. Someone deleted all my files and I'm too tired and uninterested to really do anything about it. I'll get around to restoring it at some point if I can find my backups. so I switched hosts. Website should be working again I think. Not sure I have backups for the highscore tables though.

No More No More Sweden

So, I guess I've survived the heat and sweat of No More Sweden. I even managed to make a game that I'm reasonably happy with, although I didn't win any of the categories this year. Heart breaking.

I'm gonna see if I can fix it up tonight and release it, but as usual, don't count on it...


Most of all, it was fun to meet everyone again. I hope I'll get to attend next year too.

Also... I probably shouldn't mention this, but I've been thinking more and more about not making games anymore. The last nine months have had quite a few highlights, but overall it's been the worst time in my life. Maybe things will change, though. I don't know.

No More Sweden

Working hard at No More Sweden.

Hopefully a new game will be released at the end of this. Photo courtesy of Data.

Death Party (Shotgun Ninja II)

I worked on this a couple of months ago, but never got very far. It's a lot of fun to play though, so hopefully I can put a few levels together and release it.

A small guerrilla squad, called Death Party, undergoes rigorous training to be sent on a mission to take out the mysterious dictator ruling their home land. But how will they uphold their morale as they discover the citizens have all been turned into mindless addicts from drugs introduced into the local water supplies? They soon find themselves in a battle against an over powerful enemy, fighting for no one but themselves. Meanwhile the plot of their adversary seems to expand beyond their wildest imagination.

Tuning, Mondo Agency, Messhof and Jazzuo

Mark "Messhof" Essen invited me to show two games at an event at the Light Industry in NY this week, and things apparently went very well. The games shown were Mark's Randy Balma and The Thrill of Combat, Jazzuo's Sexy Hiking and Star Wars VII, as well as Mondo Agency and Tuning (the 3D platformer).

EVAC

I just got back from the Netherlands. I was invited there to do a workshop at HKU, and give a talk at the Festival of Games. Met some people from Poppenkast and had a good time. I also made this little game during my stay:

Click to download

It's very short and basic, but I think it turned out well for a three hour game. The students made some cool stuff too, hopefully you'll get a chance to play some of their games at some point.

Air Pirates Trailer

Game for e4.com. Music in the trailer by The Death Set (really awesome band, buy their record it's great!).

Update

Right now I'm in a state of continuous déjà vu. I know everything that's going to happen right before it happens. I could easily break out of it. But I'm curious to see where it will lead.

MESSHOF GAME

Messhof has released a cool new game called The Thrill of Combat. It's a bizarre helicopter game where you kill people and use lasers to surgically remove organs from them.

Lovely graphics and music as usual. The game is $5 and can be purchased at his site. Compared to a pizza I'd definitely say it's worth it.

If $5 is a lot to you, read this review before buying.

My New Game and Fan Art

Okay, so it's not my new game. Someone apparently hacked SeizureDome and replaced my graphics with Mario sprites. It made me smile.

And while I'm at it, here's some nice fanart I've received for the mondo games:



Top one by Jonas Steinick, and the ones on the bottom by Momo, who has also got some more Mondo stuff in her gallery.

Trailer

Screens from upcoming games

"A game about killing each other."


"A game about killing airplanes."


"A game about killing everything you love."

Area 5 on IGF and Game Over / Continue

Here's a nice little podcast by some of the cool 1up Area 5 people. They cover a few of the IGF finalists and the Giant Robot event pretty well. They have footage from the games (mine included) and comment on stuff a bit. Pretty big download though, and the stream's running quite slow at the moment.

Too much news lately, no games. I'm gonna try to get some real work done tomorrow.

Game Over / Continue & GDC

So, I finally got home from GDC. During my stay I got to do a talk at Independent Games Summit, a very small acting performance complementing a much grander act by Petri Purho, as well as a quick game for Giant Robot. Productivity wise that's not bad compared to last year.


The talk went great, (for some weird reason) I wasn't as nervous as I would've expected at all. And people actually came up to me and said they liked my talk afterwards, so that felt really good to me, as I had been really nervous about it the days before.

People who want to see it badly can grab a bootleg copy floating around on The Pirate Bay (or watch a stream of it here, courtesy of Noobfarm), and my slides are available here (although a lot of it won't make sense without narration).


The Giant Robot thing went well too. I got teamed up with a great cat loving artist, called Deth P Sun, which is basically the coolest name I've ever heard. I programmed the game the night before the event, and for the first time did joypad input for a weird arcade hotseat experience. Unfortunately, the game is currently Giant Robot exclusive (along with Anna Anthropy's, Derek Yu's and Petri Purho's way more awesome games). The game has not been bootlegged yet either, so you guys will have to go to SF to play it (or something, I really don't know). Ask Adam Robezzoli, who was the awesome dude who set it up.

If you haven't already, you should have a look at Derek's awesome write up of the Indie Game Maker Rant. The last part about Petri Purho's attempt at making a game in five minutes was one of the conference's highlights for sure, and Derek managed to paint a really vivid picture of it using his delicate way with words. The other rants were also awesome, so basically you should read the whole thing.

Finally, I would like to say that I was so happy that my good friend Erik Svedäng won the grandprize with his amazing game Bluberry Garden.

I could say a lot more, because GDC this year has been one of the most amazing things that has happened to me... But there are so many people and events to thank for that, that I'm scared to even try to list them. I'm already looking forward to next year!

Thank You

I just wanted to give a big thanks to everyone who's made my GDC trip so much fun. I'm sorry if I've been drunk and obnoxious. I love you all :-*

Some More Previews

I thought it was time for some more screenshots of stuff I've been working on, or else people might start thinking I've been slacking off way too much.


Naturally, not all of these will actually be finished, but I figured the images themselves might be fun to look at anyway. So, enjoy.

PING PONG!

DOWNLOAD NOW!
Ping Pong rules:
1. When you hit the ball it has to go to other player's side of the net before it bounces.
2. If the ball leaves the table without bouncing, the player who did not send it off gets a point.
3. Two serves each.
4. First to eleven wins.

Instructions:
-Press z when the ball touches you to hit it
-You can hold the arrow keys for different hits
-Right to smash
-Left for less speed
-Up for spinn to make the ball go faster after the bounce
-Down for spinn to make the ball go slower after the bounce
-Hit the ball seven times in a row to do super smash

IMPORTANT!!! HITTING THE BALL WILL ONLY CHANGE IT'S HORIZONTAL VELOCITY, IT DOES NOT AFFECT THE BALLS VERTICAL SPEED!

Mind Map

On my way home from the Nordic Game Jam, I wanted to plan out a few things for a game, so I sat on the train and drew a few mind maps.

But I got bored with the pen and paper so I decided to make an application to create digital mind maps instead. I'm sure there's already a few of these around but I made this little thing anyway.

These are instructions
Maybe someone will find it useful, I have no idea. I'll probably use it at some point myself. If anyone wants to improve it, feel free to ask and I'll give you the source.

Ping... Pong...

Dino, Bunk, Pasztor, Hoff and Noir will battle. Who will win? How do you play? Is it fun? Do you want it? Is this the first ever cactus sports game? So many questions.


To be released very soon. How soon? Very soon.

Interview on Rock, Paper, Shotgun

Jim Rossignol of Rock, Paper, Shotgun contacted me a while ago about doing an interview on the topic of the new Mondo game. After some hassle with internet problems and other troubles, it's finally available for people to read.

Click here to read it!
I think I was pretty secretive (maybe a bit too much) so there's no real spoilers in there. But it might be an interesting read anyhow.

Nordic Game Jam

Long time no post. I was at the Nordic Game Jam in Copenhagen making games, drinking and having fun with a bunch of awesome game developers.

(That's me posing in the middle)

So I spent most of the time listening to Donald Duck by Wesley Willis together with Petri Purho and Heather Kelley. We were supposed to be making a game together, but ended up making two separate ones due to beer consumption and laziness. Petri's game turned out a lot more innovative than mine (possibly because he listened to more Willis than I), but we both won prizes anyway (innovation and graphics).

(The judges being very impressed by the graphics in our game)

I also spent a lot of time limping around like a gimp since I had bruised my knee the previous week. But it was still really fun, and I had a great time.

When I got back home, my internet connection had gone down and my phone line too, so I had one of the most boring week ever. Unfortunately this didn't make me feel very creative so I don't really have any new games to post. Heather Kelley will post our game on her blog soon, though. And I'll hopefully get around to do a fully releasable version of it at some point.

Oh, and Kyle Gabler mentioned my game Illegal Communication in the official Global Game Jam opening keynote, which was a very welcome surprise. The video is really funny to boot.

New Design

I redesigned the site and the headers for the blog and forum were modified to fit the new style. Hope you like it.


Games page has also been updated with twelve (previously released) games, which now makes it a list with forty entries.

Mondo Nation & Other News

Mondo Nation did not get a nomination for this year's IGF. Let's celebrate that with a few screenshots.


Unfortunately I never got around to create a decent demo, and the one I submitted was short and lacked polish. But I've still got high hopes for the game, and have been working idly at improving it this week. Hopefully it'll turn out well in the end.

I've also tried to work on some new stuff, but so far nothing's progressed very far, and all I have to show you are some more screenshots.


And I'm going to try to finish off some old projects that I never got around to releasing. Hopefully you'll see one in the next few days.