Hyper Gauntlet releases at 11PM, GMT. Can you feel it? I can definitely feel it, it feels like excitement! Make a note of the following infos, because you might need it!
For exactly 7 days, it will be priced at $3.50, after which it will increase to $5
You can buy it from itch.io and IndieGameStand, Desura and Humble Store will follow.
You can still play v0.9 of Hyper Gauntlet freehere, but you won’t be able to use power ups.
Since power ups offer a huge advantage to play, high scores from the free version will be kept separate from the paid version.
A new free version will be released soon, but it will only contain bug fixes. New features will only be found in the paid version of Hyper Gauntlet.
If you buy the beta version of Hyper Gauntlet, you will automatically receive the full version when that releases, no need to buy again. You will also get a steam key when it is Greenlit (and you can help Greenlight it by following this link).
If I can get you keys, etc. as new stores come online, then I’ll get you those free of charge.
If you find a bug, your best bet is to send it to my bug tracker. It guarantees you’ll get a personal response from me, and I’ll do my best to fix it ASAP.
Well, I think that’s everything you need to know. If you have any other questions, feel free to ask in the comments section. If not, then I’ll see you at 11!
Hyper Gauntlet: Legacy of Nozzlethruster III v1.0 will launch in 14 days, on March 1st, 2014. Let’s have a look at the features you can expect from the launch release:
Hurtle at whiplash-inducing speeds through a never-ending gauntlet of shiny blocks
Boost your score with reckless runs and power ups
Compete against the world for the highest score
Blocks of over 1 colour (2 colours)
More polished than the Queen’s cabinets
“Just. One. More. Go.” replayability
Not only do you get all that for the low, low price of $5 but if you buy within the first week, you’ll get an early bird special of $3.50!
But wait, there’s more!
It’s a beta! So you’ll get the chance to help shape the future of Hyper Gauntlet by suggesting features and complaining when I change things, which I’m sure you’ll enjoy. You’ll also be able to mock the fools who waited until the final release to buy when the price will be higher. When I put it like that, it kinda sounds like an investment, doesn’t it?
Here’s what people who write professionally think of Hyper Gauntlet:
It’s the sort of thing you don’t stop playing until long after your day’s responsibilities have rotted or left you a series of very angry text messages. And then after that, it sits in the back of your skull, screaming to the forefront every time you blink, colorful squares rushing by behind your eyelids like midnight traffic.” – Nathan Grayson, Rock Paper Shotgun
“Give Hyper Gauntlet 10 seconds of your time, and if you’re not gripped by then, fair enough, move on with your life. Otherwise, welcome to the leaderboards!” – Chris Priestman, IndieStatik
“My evening’s been lost to this reflex-based tunnel-racer.” – Julian Benson,PC Games N
So where do I buy it already?
First, wait until March 1st. Your desire to play Hyper Gauntlet right this very second is understandable, so if you want to play the free version 0.9 while you wait, go ahead.
Is it the 1st of March yet? Great! Then you should now be able to buy Hyper Gauntlet from any of the following sites (pending some verification / set up processes):
Steam is lovely, isn’t it? It is! That’s why I’ve decided to launch a Greenlight page for Hyper Gauntlet, but I need your help. If you go to my Greenlight page and click the “yes” button, Hyper Gauntlet will rocket up the rankings and with a bit of luck will be greenlit before breakfast. And when it’s Greenlit you’ll be able to buy it from Steam or – if you’ve already bought it from somewhere else by then – you’ll receive a key for the Steam version.
It looks like I’m late, a whole week to be precise, but it’s time (finally) for another Saturday Update!
I started my job last week, and the work has certainly taken its toll on development time, but worry not, for I have still managed to get some things done!
Hyper Gauntlet
I’ve not gotten a huge amount done to Hyper Gauntlet. There’s been a lot of testing undertaken, and some more bugs fixed, but mainly I’ve been video editing and compiling. That sort of thing takes a while and I didn’t expect that.
Done
Trailer
Launch announcement text
To do
Screenshots!
Pick a release date!
Difficulty tweaks
ZenCell
On the other hand, ZenCell has been flying along! So fast has it flown in fact that I should put a dedicated page up on here soon.
Most importantly, you can now see a trailer of sorts for it, including typical game play. Do me a favour and check it out.
Done
Loading
Saving
Main menu
Intro
GUI
Scoring
Trailer
To do
Tool-tip help
High score system
Fixes
Difficulty tweaks
That’s it for this week, tune in next time for another great Saturday Update!
Welcome to the first ever Saturday Update! This one goes live later than I’d normally like because I was doing old-man things like sleeping.
Hyper Gauntlet
Lots of progress on Hyper Gauntlet this week, the main point being that I’ve finished the beta version! Right now I’m building a folder of PR material before the big push, but expect a release data and price sometime this coming week. Are you excited? I know I am!
Looking for more concrete changes? Allow me to show you using pixels!
I changed the background colours to ease confusion
I’ve altered how level ups work (now they give you power-ups!)
Transparent blocks now show you when you’re immune to certain obstacles.
I’ve made ever so tiny cosmetic changes to the menu!
ZenCell
ZenCell is a small project I’ve been working on in-between Hyper Gauntlet bug-fixes. It’s a port of my old HTML5 game Cell into Unity. The process has gone faster than expected and after only two days of work, I have a surprisingly polished-feeling game. Given two more days I might finish it, which is a strange feeling after months of Hyper Gauntlet development.
ZenCell, like it’s predecessor is a game about matching colours together. Each cell has a certain amount available colours it can switch to when clicked on. The aim of the game is to find the right pattern of colours such that each cell’s colour is the same as or next to the colours of all neighbouring cells in the colour spectrum. But these are mere words, in the single digits. Lets look at this in kilowords:
The main menu
I wanted bright, calming and clean colours here. I took a lot of inspiration from the original Cell, but also from some puzzle games like Sokobond. As you can see, I plan to offer a daily seed challenge where you aim to complete an entire round in as few moves as possible.
Starting a game
Every game starts with this 3×3 cell structure. In the bottom right you can see a colour wheel showing which colours will be accepted as next to which other colours. When you hover the mouse over a cell the unavailable colours are darkened in the wheel so you can better plan your solution.
Almost done
All we have left is the bottom-left cell, and it looks like I can change that cell to the same blue that’s all around it. Bingo!
Now more blocks come into play with a snazzy circle animation!
Keep going in the same way
Until you’ve filled the screen!
I find it an incredibly calming game, and it’s filled to the brim with simple, instrumental music from Kevin McLeod’s fantastic website. I’ll make a video for you all to see it in action soon, but the priority for now is getting that Hyper Gauntlet release ready.
So that’s it for this week, tune in some time next week for another Saturday Update!