Matt Barton's Blog, page 16

Matt's "Words Could Touch You" song from the 90s

First, a disclaimer: Do not listen to this song if you are uncertain in your faith or have issues regarding your religion. I am not a religious man at this stage of my life, but at the time of this recording, I fully believe that I was possessed by a demonic spirit inclined toward evil.

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Matt's "Vampirella" song from the 90s

I thought you guys might get a kick out of a song I recorded back in the 90s..."Vampirella." Yeah, it's cheezy, YEAH, it's silly!!! But what the hell? I think the guitar solo is pretty neat.

Matt's Dev Diary 002: Breaking down the fun of a CRPG

[image error]The research continues. I want to start off by recommending the book Blender Foundations. I read the first four chapters last night and learned so much--including so many of those "Ohhh, so THAT'S how it works" type moments that just blows your mind. It's really cleared up a lot of confusion and I've still got plenty left to go; hopefully by the end of it I'll be a lot more comfortable making animations and working with textures and such. The author can be a bit snarky--he seems to think anybody who doesn't get what he's talking about is a nincompoop--but this oddly adds some entertainment value. So, I say go for it if you have any desire at all to learn Blender.

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Matt's Dev Diary 001: Starting Out

Well, I guess now is a good time to start jotting down some notes here. I doubt anyone will care to read it, but perhaps it could be fun. Who knows?

At any rate, I always like to think big when starting a game project and then scale down as it becomes clearer how much time, energy, and expense will be required to achieve my vision. However, I don't like to overthink things. You can get bogged down with extensive game design documents and such that just aren't necessary (IMO) until much later in the process, after you have a good understanding of what's feasible to actually implement.

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Matt's Dev Diary 01

Well, I guess now is a good time to start jotting down some notes here. I doubt anyone will care to read it, but perhaps it could be fun. Who knows?

At any rate, I always like to think big when starting a game project and then scale down as it becomes clearer how much time, energy, and expense will be required to achieve my vision. However, I don't like to overthink things. You can get bogged down with extensive game design documents and such that just aren't necessary (IMO) until much later in the process, after you have a good understanding of what's feasible to actually implement.

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Eye of the Beholder

Well, my slog is not going well. I managed to get to the second level of the dungeon and do some poking around, but then dosbox crashed so badly I lost my saved game. I noticed that Abandonia has the Amiga version, too, think I'll give that one a go now.

Portal meets Platforming: Invertion

[image error]Invertion: Is that GLADOS?I love Portal, and I love a good platformer. What do you get when you combine the two? Invertion! Go check out this awesome free game by my friends at HighUp Studio, game developers from Bogota, Colombia! My good friend David Arcila did the great artwork. The music is also excellent. I love it! Go play it now.

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Matt Chat 129: A Chat with Graphics Guru Mark Soderwall

This week begins my interview series with Mark Soderwall, an awesome guy with 20+ years in the industry. His resume is huge, with jobs at Mindcraft, Atari, and LucasArts. He's worked on games NBA Live, the Terminator games, Demon Stone, and Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, just to name a few. Now he's devoted himself to training the next generation and inspiring indie developers with his Game Creators Vault. Enjoy!



If you haven't supported the show, don't be a scrooge! If you like these videos, please put a dollar in my stocking!. Come on, McDuck, it's Christmas! As always, you can download the MP4 for playback on your mobile device.

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Announcing Thrust Lifter: A New Game by Matt Barton

Just in time for Christmas!

Armchair Arcade is proud to present a spanking new game from Matt Barton: Thrust Lifter!

Download Thrust_Lifter.zip

[image error] Thrust Lifter Space. For most people, it's just an abstract concept, like Hollywood or an honest politician. For you, it's a day job. Sure, you won't find "rescuing trapped space miners" on your resume, but that's because you don't have a resume. You're known in this galaxy simply as "The Captain." Most folks think you're a hero. Others think you're just plain nuts. But one thing's for sure--they all call YOU when it's a matter of life or death.

You see, mining has never been the safest occupation, but multiply it by ten--make it a a hundred--when you're talking space mining. The rewards are great, but so is the danger. When all you've got is a half centimeter of neoprene-coated nylon between you and vacuum, though, it's nice to know that someone like you is up there watching your butt.

It's never been easy, but I don't have to tell you that, Captain. But now we're getting reports of unidentified flying objects in sector 42--aliens, if you can believe it. All the other pilots are too spooked to even enter the sector. I need you go there, Captain, and rescue those Chilenoids. Get'em out of the tunnels and mountains and bring them back to their home base.

I suspect this is a one-way mission, Captain. So I'll just say goodbye, and it's been an honor serving with you.

Sincerely,

Admiral Blount

Thrust Lifter is a game of timing and precision. Guide your lander into narrow tunnels, avoiding collisions with walls, fires, lava, electricity, and all manner of aliens. Get to the Chilenoids before they run out of oxygen and bring them back to the home pad before taking off to your next destination.

Features:

15 beautiful, massive levels for you to navigate
Five original songs composed by Matt Barton with keyboards and real electric guitar
Amazing fire, lightning, and particle effects
Sprites built from 3D graphics made with Blender
Two boss fights
Compete to finish levels in the shortest time
High score list

What the heck are you waiting for? Download it right here from Armchair Arcade today!

Thrust_Lifter.zip

If you like the game, please purchase a registered copy--starting at only two bucks!

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Matt Goes to Stonekeep

This week it's all about Interplay's 1995 miss Stonekeep! Featuring awesome FMV and some truly unique characters (Wahooka!), this is not a game you want to miss if you love CRPGs. While far from perfect (backtracking from hell!), there's enough here to keep you busy for a few days at least. One note: You will definitely want the awesome BOX for this game if you can find it; it's a hologram! You'll also want a copy of the novella Thera's Awakening. But if you can do without those two assets, scoop it up from GOG for a ridiculously low price!



Download the MP4 here.

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