What Lies Beneath: new update (1.6)

Hello everyone !

A lot of good news today, let's have a look :

Game updated to 1.6

It's mostly a multiplayer update but it also fixes some singleplayer issues. 

• The village's fountain is easier to use (to fill your bottles for alchemy)

• I added a very small amount of content in the village to prepare the next update (which should add a lot of content and some side quests)

As for the mutiplayer, the update adds new Deathmatch levels, a new game mode called "Score the Cube".

Of course a lot of balancing has been done and the knight has now three skills like everyone else.

I still have to upload everything on Desura but IndieGameStand DRM-free versions are already up-to-date.

Demo updated to 1.6

The multiplayer is fully implemented in the demo too !

As usual you can find the latest version of the demo here.

The multiplayer OST is ready to download

And best of all, this one is totally free, you don't even need to own the game to get it.

You can download it here.

Last word

Of course I'll still add multiplayer levels and even new modes as time passes.

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Song of the Myrne: "Score the Cube" multiplayer mode

Hey guys !

As you may or may not know, I'm actually working on the multiplayer mode (local split-screen) of Song of the Myrne (and What Lies Beneath).

Today I want to show you the Score the Cube mode.

It's some kind of football mode, except it's far less serious and way more deadly than true football (yes, shooting your enemies to death or create a giant ice rink on the terrain is totally allowed^^).

Today I worked on the ice cube (the ball). It's now bouncing everywhere, slides everywhere... and can be pushed when you hit it.

Here's how the mode looks like for the moment.

Click to see it full size

"Et voilà".

It's not yet in the game. I need to create one or two other deathmatch maps and finish this Score the Cube mode. Then I'll update What Lies Beneath and the demo of Song of the Myrne.

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Song of the Myrne: What Lies Beneath for a dollar with other games

Hey everyone !

My game "Song of the Myrne: What Lies Beneath" is in the newest bundle of Bundle Bandits with 4 other games.

I didn't play to the other games yet, but they look cool :

• Stardrone

Some mix between an action game and a pinball one. You'd better watch the trailer, it's hard to explain what it is :D

It looks weird and really fun.

• Box Out !

A plateformer with pretty pixel-art graphics

• Bad Smell

A top-down shooter with an adventure mode and an arcade one

• Dreams+

An action-plateformer, with pretty pixel-art too

• Song of the Myrne: What Lies Beneath

My own game. More infos and a playable demo here.

Last word

This bundle is here for a little time. So don't hesitate too long^^.

As always, a part of the revenues are given to charity.

You can get it here

Have fun ;)

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Improvements I'd like to see on Desura

Hey everyone !

I'm uploading a new patch for my game "Song of the Myrne: What Lies Beneath" and as usual it's a pain in the neck.

I first update the IndieGameStand version, it is an easy, quick and smooth experience... But then, there's Desura [insert dramatic "TA TA TAA" here].

Desura get me most of my sales so I don't want to look like some angry internet troll that rants at anything. I kinda like Desura and they did provide good advices when I started selling my game. But I really think Desura could smooth the process of uploading updates and make some improvements here and there. I truly think it would benefit everyone.

So let's rant !

Updating a game

I have two main concerns with this one. Let's start with the minor one.

First of all, the uploading process. Since Desura offers two ways to get a game you bought (standalone version and a version installed by the Desura's client) you have to upload everything two times...

If you have a shitty connexion like I have and that your game is available on Windows, Mac and Linux, it simply takes forever to upload any update.

I think it could be avoided.

The version you upload for the Desura client si simply an installation of the game... And what's the standalone version ? An installation of the game... in a zip archive. So why would I have to upload two times the same thing when the installation folder could simply be archived on Desura's side ?

You also have to re-write the changelog for each upload, and finish one upload to start the next one. You can't just launch all your uploads and leave your home or go to sleep like you would do with IndieGameStand for exemple.

And then there's my second concern :

On Desura, everything takes forever...

Here's what happen when you upload an update on IndieGameStand :

• Players can now download the game and even choose which version they want to get

And that's all... Now, let's get back to Desura :

• You have to wait for a staff member to authorize your new version

While I can understand this verification the first time you upload a game, I don't see why it should be audited at each update. Do they think I'll upload a virus or something ? Only to wreck my own reputation and game ?

• Then you try to post a news about the update because there's this new cool feature that you think deserves more than a quick sentence in a changelog

And then you have to wait for a member of the staff to validate your news... What ?!

I can understand why they want to check which news will get on the homepage but while the news is waiting for approval (which can take more than 24 hours), players can't read it, even on your game page.

You can't expect to keep in touch with your players with such delays.

All in all it gives me the feeling that Desura doesn't trust indie developers and it's very disturbing since we're his associates.

Miscellaneous

I have two final thoughts about what could be improved.

Steam Greenlight visibility

I know Steam is a competitor of Desura, but let's face it. Selling indie games without getting on Steam is hard, like really hard. And I think Desura is aware of that.

One think I like about IndieGameStand is that they have a special Greenlight URL field in your game details and put the Greenlight logo well in evidence on your game's store page. I think Desura should do the same.

I posted a news about my Greenlight launch on Desura and IndieDB. It simply didn't get authorized without any explanation.

Desura, IndieDB, etc...

These websites are mostly the same one but doesn't act like this.

If I post a news on one site, I'll probably want to post it on the other ones too... But I can't, I have to copy/paste my news on each website and wait different times for the approvals.

I think they should add some check boxes to also post on the other websites when you post a news. Player reviews should also be shared between the sites.

Conclusion

That's all folks ! Thanks for reading all this.

I might seem angry or against Desura in this wall of ranting, but I assure you I'm not.

I like Desura but each update is such a burden that I try to delay them as much as possible and make one big update from time to time while I'd rather post minor updates more often. It would be easier for me and better for the players so I hope Desura will improve all these points.

Let me think what you think of it, if you agree with me or if you don't (and why) in the comments.

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What Lies Beneath: Update 1.5

Hey everyone !

The 1.5 version of What Lies Beneath is here, with a little surprise I decided to add on the last minute.

here's the changelog (I probably forgot some things. The surprise is in bold text)

• Big framerate optimization. There was a little issue with the creatures AI that took ressources for nothing

• I changed the interface a little to harmonize it (avoiding to use different resolutions and graphical styles). I changed the skill icons and the experience bar

• Multiplayer mode

It's really a work in progress. It's still a little buggy, lacks a lot of content and most of all it's really badly balanced... but it's working. I wasn't sure I wanted to put it in the game at this stage but I thought you guys would want to see how it looks. It will get better and more complete over time.

• Misc. bugfixes

• Some other little things like a better management of arrows and quivers

The Desura versions aren't updated yet, the upload is running.

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