After several weeks of tweaking the explosion sound effects got finished. Ticking off this big task from the todo list was great. 🙂

More illustrative work is the improvement of the gauge graphics. Here you can see a pre-post comparison:

I’m quite happy with the result. An essential part of designing the new version was to get inspiration from other gauge designs on the internet. Just a few examples:

The longer I’m into game development the more I see how important copying given design is. There is no applause for wheel reinventers.

Cheers,
Thomas

PS: Just to remind you about the @nordenfeltgame Twitter feed. Feel free to follow and get dedicated info about what’s going on at the the Nordenfelt development front.

Here is the new entry in Nordenfelt‘s development log. When I’m looking back to dev log 29 I should call this log entry Dev Log 29 Cont’d. They share the same topics: music and the game’s intro.

You can help getting Nordenfelt done, test the game’s latest versions and discuss it in the secret development forum with other preorderers by preordering Nordenfelt. If you like to stay in touch, be sure to subscribe to the RSS feed, email newsletter or listen to my tweets at @black_golem. For the very nosy among you I’m running an issue tracker as well.

Let’s have a look what happened (speak continued) since last time.

Nordenfelt’s Soundtrack – Cont’d

I was pondering if Nordenfelt should get canned tracks or a dedicated soundtrack. Right now the game has a very cool intro theme from a stock site. I caught myself firing up Nordenfelt over and over again just to hear this track. That should be a good sign, ain’t it?

Nonetheless, original tunes would be awesome. So I decided to go part canned, part newly composed stuff. The upcoming version 0.5.3 – which is advancing at the rate of a snail – will have just canned tracks. Following versions should receive specially composed works.

Game Intro – Cont’d

Instinct is a funny thing. In our world full of information and education shoved down our throats we forgot to listen to our gut feeling. This is why I’ve tweaked the game intro for several hours just to realize that the first idea was the best. Often initial intentions are right. This happens to me again and again. So I’m tempted to leave out my mind more often and just listen to my guts.

Due to this I’ve updated the start screen to challenge my instincts with art. I’ve added lightning bolts from the Tesla weapon and improved the grunge look:

That’s it for this time. See you in 2012.

Happy New Year!

Cheers,
Thomas

I’ve just added a 3d product box to the upcoming sales page:

Drawing this box was really fun, more than drawing game assets. Am I in the wrong business? I don’t think so because coding is even more fun. Sadly the last line of code was several weeks ago. Those were the days … Sigh.

Cheers,
Thomas

I’m deep into GUI graphics these days. Get a brief glimpse over my sholder while I’m wearing my artist hat:

This is a partial screenshot of the options screen. IMO it’s a step closer to steampunk then everything else done before. My gut feeling tells me I’m on the right track.

That’s all. Blogger hat off, artist hat on.

>> Edit <<

Blogger hat on:

tehlexx pointed out that some details did not fit the overall quality. The problems were obvious but I could not see them from inside the Matrix. You lose the feeling for such stuff when you spend too much time at the backend of a game. Thanks to tehlexx mentioning the issues.

Fixing the issues was rather easy: simply turning off blur, touching up the “beauty spot” and replacing the polygonal pointer with a prerendered clock hand sprite inclusive shadow casting:

Blogger hat off, artist hat on. Changing hats starts to gall my temples… 🙂

Cheers,
Thomas

After some feedback I’ve changed the shape of the player ship. The engines became reduced in size and semi-covered by the ship hull, the outward-pointing guns are parallel know. Finalizing details like construction seams and rivets were attached:

I’m not really satisfied with the hull’s birds-view shape. The old hull was rougher:

I’m pondering if the engine covers should be reduced a little bit for restoring the “small hip” of the old hull shape.

What is your opinion?

Cheers,
Thomas

Hi! This is Thomas (aka hermitC) from Black Golem and this is the new blog for the upcoming Steampunk shoot ’em up Nordenfelt.

Site Changes

Some of you may have visited this website before. The former layout was a simple information panel with a newsletter subscription form. BTW: Feel free to subscribe to the email newsletter. You can find the subscription form on the right hand side of this blog. Subscribers will always receive news first!

This blog is dedicated to players, testers and finally customers. Everything concerning the progress of Nordenfelt’s development will appear here. Everybody is welcome to comment on the development state. Nordenfelt relies on your feedback. Playable demos of the game will be published regularly. The first version (v0.1) can be downloaded from the download page or directly here.

The Game

Nordenfelt is a vertical shooter for Windows, settled in an alternative world where Victorian art and science meet modern views on technology. This combination is widely known as Steampunk. If you have no clue what Steampunk is, this illustration may give you an idea:

The picture contains many Steampunk basics like Victorian fashion, giant steel constructions and advanced mechanical vehicles. It shows an alternative path in time where the culture and science of the late 18th century was never ousted but developed to their maximum. The fictional aspect of Steampunk is a great challenge. Everything is possible but it has to work within the physical rules of old knowledge.

Concluding Words

I hope that some fans will gather here. Your input is important. So let’s make Nordenfelt an enjoyable game!

Cheers,
Thomas