January 31, 2014

Shocktopus is (nearly) there.  I just uploaded version 0.95, which I’m hoping is just about the last pre-release version of the game.  (And I don’t have much wiggle room, either, because once we pass 1, it is live!)

In fact, you can go check out the updated page for The Electric Shocktopus – with a new trailer and new screenshots.

This game has it *all*

Pretty pictures…

But what are the big changes to the game lately?  Well, the size of the game had ballooned up to around 9 MB, and I trimmed it back down to 7 MB.  Or roughly the size of a couple high quality photos.

Below 7MB! ZOMG!

Okay, it might not sound too exciting.  As you come closer to the end of any large project like this, you start working on smaller and smaller improvements.  Fixing bugs that pop up rarely, tweaking the icon just a little bit, or shrinking the file size of the game as small as possible.  Nothing huge and flashy.  Important, yes.  Necessary, yes.  And certainly time consuming.

But not exactly headline material.

Which is why, this past week, I’ve had a lot of fun adding Easter Eggs to the game.

Whoa, Easter Eggs!

Not literally Easter Eggs (well, maybe) — this just means little hidden secrets in the game.  I’ve never really taken the time to do this before in any games, but The Electric Shocktopus deserves the best.  So I got to take a break from working on little details in the game, and make something *big*.  Now, I can’t talk much about them, obviously, but let’s just say there’s a familiar face in the game.

Okay, buddy, fine, but when’s it coming out?

Great question!  And one that I’ll have a better idea of soon.  Since, with the game nearly done, it’s time to hunt for sponsors.  So I’m dusting off my cold-call-email skills, and seeing who will be it’s sponsor.  Only time will tell …and then I’ll tell all of you.  You’ll all be the first to know (after ‘time’).  I will say, I’ve already heard back from an interested party at M. Yeti enterprises.  The voice mail was just angry grunts though.  And then he emailed me a picture of Shocktopus with x’s over the eyes.  He seems reputable.

-Andy

January 23, 2014

“Shocktopus Soundtrack sounds simply sublime,” says Steve… simultaneously seeking ‘s’ synonyms so such silly sentences shan’t stop.  Science!

Well, that was weird.

In all my haste to finish up The Electric Shocktopus (and update the Gravity Simulator… and research molecular bonds for a future game…), I’ve been neglecting the blog! For that, I apologize. So let’s get back into the swing of things with a fun update.

Brian Allen Holmes, the composer who made the rad music for the game, has posted the Soundtrack!  So now you can take the rock-meets-beach-meets-epic music on the road!  Go to his site and take a listen.  And if you want, you can buy the soundtrack and download it.  Just think of how much inspiration it’ll add to your jogging playlist.  (Neither Brian nor I are liable if in your haste you fall into spikes, though)

Also comes on cassette tape, if you’d rather.

I love the titles of the tracks, which include the ol’ standby “There’s Sand in my Tentacles.”  (I’d love to hear Sinatra cover *that* song)

As a special offer, ’cause it’s fun, I’ve got a download code that I can offer up.  The first person to write a comment to this blog post will be the proud owner of the Shocktopus Soundtrack.

-Andy