Matt Barton's Blog, page 17

Slog-a-thon

[image error]slog-a-thonWith the holidays coming up soon and everyone (hopefully) have at least a few days off, I thought it might be fun to start planning a "Slog-a-thon." What I mean is a day or two when anyone interested can dedicate at least six hours to playing a classic CRPG he or she has never played before. Afterward, we meet back up here to post our slogs, which amount to a paragraph or two about our experience playing the game. What did you like, what gave you trouble, how well does the game stand up today, etc. Remember, a slog is not so much about the game itself; it's more about YOUR personal experience with it.

I'm thinking we could do this on Dec. 26th for maximum convenience, but let me know what would work best for you. I'm not really concerned about a particular TIME you do your slog, but it would be nice to have us all doing it on the same day.

So, if you're up for it, choose a game and mention it in the comments below. I'd like to have us all doing different games for maximum variety. Any platform or era is fine, though you'll definitely get brownie points if you choose a particularly esoteric game and platform.

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Matt Chat 127: Jay talks piracy and DRM for indie games

Hi, guys, this week Jay and I chat about the sales of Frayed Knights and the apparent effect that massive piracy has had on their rapid decline. While Jay acknowledges that DRM has its problems--especially when it makes a pirated product superior to a legal one--it's hard to deny that some kind of protection is essential to maximize sales. Watch the video and let us know YOUR opinion on DRM.



Download the mp4 here.

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Matt Chat 126: Jay Barnson on Dealing with Criticism

Hi, guys! I'm back this week with part 3 of my interview with Jay Barnson. This is probably my favorite segment, with some really heartfelt discussion about dealing with criticism and struggling on despite a lack of financial resources. There's also plenty of sight gags, including a special Skyrim book, a blistering "major site" review of Frayed Knights, and much more!



I'm up to 6,324 subscribers--still 676 left to go if I'm going to make my 7K by 2012 goal. Please help spread the word by posting this or other episodes on your favorite blog, forum, or social networking sites.

Download the video here: mattchat126.mp4.

Download the audio here: mattchat126.mp3.

As always, if you like what you see, consider setting up a subscription ($5 a month is most excellent) or one-time donation. The subscriptions work great; just set it and forget it, no need to bother with it again. And you can, of course, cancel at any time. $5 a month is nothing to you, but everything to me. :)

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Matt's Podcast 6: Frustration and Loathing in Skyrim

[image error]It's like, how much more black could this be?I'm so angry about Skyrim that it was hard to make this podcast, but I did it anyway. I shouldn't have to say this, but if you are in love with Skyrim, this podcast isn't for you. This episode is intended only for complete morons, dolts, dullards, and out-and-out nincompoops like yours truly who are just too jaded and bitter to ever enjoy a truly fantastic masterpiece like Skyrim from the glorious design wizards at Bethesda. If you're so stupid that you're still going to listen to this anyway, please chop your fingers off first so I won't have to read your elegant (or not) explanations of why I'm wrong on so many levels you don't know where to start (so don't!).

Warning: There is some mild adult language here (PG rated).

Download this steaming pile of troll fat here.

Matt's Podcast 6

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Jay Barnson on CRPGs and Frayed Knights

Jay is back this week to talk more about his work on Frayed Knights and its many inspirations and precedents, including his favorite CRPG--Ultima VII.



NOTE: The above video has some missing footage around the 28 minute mark. The version below has been corrected.

mattchat125.mp4. You can also grab an audio-only feed here: Matt Chat 125.mp3.

Don't forget to shop at GOG using my affiliate link! Some great stuff this week for adventure game lovers.

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Matt chats Twisted Metal and Warhawk with code monkey Jay Barnson

This week debuts my new interview series with the Rampant Coyote, aka Jay Barnson. You probably know Jay from his blog and game site, as well his fantastic indie CRPG Frayed Knights: The Skull of S'makh-Daon, which yours truly helped to be beta test. In this segment we talk about Jay's extensive industry background, which includes some projects you've probably heard of if you owned a PS1--Twisted Metal and Warhawk! Enjoy.



As always, you can download the video. This week also marks the beginning of my Subscriber Goal of 7,000 subs by the end of the year. As of this writing, I'm at 6,256, so quite a bit of work left to go. If you have a forum, blog, Reddit, Twitter account, or WHATEVER, please post there about your favorite episodes and try to spread the word so we can grow our community into a force to be reckoned with! Thanks!

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Matt Plays Might & Magic VI: The Mandate of Heaven

Hail, fellow adventurers! I'm back this week with one of my favorite 90s CRPGs, Might and Magic VI: The Mandate of Heaven. It's held up might well over the centuries (well, in game time!), and is still extremely fun to play today. Heck, I was so engrossed in it I had a hard time pulling away to do the video!



As always, you can download the video here, but don't forget to toss a few coins into the bard's hat. You can also buy the "Might & Magic 6-pack" from GOG for only $10, but please use my affiliate link. Thanks!

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Mayhem by Matt: HTML 5 Version

[image error]Mayhem: Play it now in your browser!Here's my game "Mayhem by Matt" now fully playable in your browser! Blast those planes, crush those blocks, destroy the mighty PLANE GOD OF ROBOT DEATH that waits for you at the end...!

Mayhem by Matt

The music in this version is by Kevin MacLeod. My old music wouldn't work because they were in MIDI format. I also made some gameplay and coding tweaks, particularly to the collision code. Enjoy!

Overall, the conversion process wasn't bad for this one...Mostly just cleaning up bad code from the original. I learned a lot of stuff making Jeepney Jeepers that I was able to apply here, though I still left some of the spaghetti--hey, if it works, don't fix it, right? Have fun! Just click "read more" to play the game.

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Matt Chat 122: Josh Mandel's Insider Scoop on the Failure of the Dreamcast

I know a lot of you guys are big fans of the Dreamcast, so prepare to be traumatized by this episode. Josh acknowledges that there might be plenty of other reasons for the short production cycle of one of the best consoles ever, but his description of the inexplicable attitude of Sony of Japan's attitude towards their American branch is pretty damn revealing, if not downright disgusting.



You can also download the video here, but don't forget to tip the bard first. A few bucks and a few minutes of your time is all I ask for all my work.

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Jeepney Jeepers: All-Original Retrogame from Myth Core Productions

[image error]Jeepney Jeepers: Multiball FTW!Armchair Arcade is pleased to present Jeepney Jeepers, the all-new game from Myth Core Productions, designed and programmed by Matt Barton with comics and graphics by Elizabeth Barton.

Aliens have landed in southeast Asia, and the only thing standing between THEM and humanity is...one man and his jeepney. Are you brave, fast, and just plain dumb enough to snap on that space-age laser prototype and defend the earth? Of course you are! So get your butt in that jeepney, yup!

An homage to classics block-busting games like Arkanoid and Breakout but with a crazy twist!
Blow up blocks, roast the invaders, rescue your fellow humans and--above all else--get to the last level and take on the awesome might of THE GORFINATOR
Collect upgrades and unleash the unbelievable block-busting power of the five-pronged MULTIBALL
Bust that crit bubble for the amazing SUPERBALL
Bounce up them balls as much as YOU want, no more, no less
Feelin' lonely? Bust out those poor little refugees for fun, fame, and profits
Get the energy boost powerups and ram right through the blocks with your jeepney
Surrounded? Don't panic, make THEM panic with your amped up car horn
Twelve colorful levels with an awesome retro-arcade inspired boss fight
Compete with friends and family for the honor of the High Score table
Why ain't you playing this already?

Download this sweet mama right now!

JEEPNEY JEEPERS

And if you enjoy playing this game, please leave us a comment below. It's man and womandatory.

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