boss101

2016.11.05 Boss 101, Breakout Games and Art Re-use

Welcome to the Boss 101 Update!

This week we continue the talk about the arcade games you will find in Boss 101 as well as the reuse of existing game assets to not only save time but unify your game’s look!

Breakout/Arkanoid Work-in-Progress

First off let’s talk about the Breakout (or Arkanoid) like game we put inside the Boss 101 arcade machine. This is another example of something you can do in between game rounds to pass the time and maybe earn special prizes.

So we would access this from the main arcade booth in the Command Center.

From there we can go and select the game and proceed to the actual gameplay (after an intro screen).

What we have here is a work in progress shot of the basic gameplay. The art is going in and you can see a lot of the cute-ness and fun are well on their way. As with the other arcade games we are installing, we want them to be fun and straightforward moments of gameplay.

We will be allowing you to share your high scores with friends so you can see how you do against them. We also are looking at global Steam leaderboards. Regardless the idea here is you can sit back for a little while and enjoy some arcade action while contemplating the next big boss attack!

Look how happy this guys is!

The Wise Re-use of art you already have!

This is another work in progress look behind the scenes at how we do what we do! The story here is we needed to create title and end screens for all the arcade games. These would be places for instructions and high scores respectively. Of course we wanted them to look cool so we needed some idea for how the backgrounds might look.

Make a Boss to the rescue!

Check out this sweet background from the Make A Boss – that’s a pretty neat effect right? I wonder if we changed the shapes up and the glow pattern? Maybe we can reuse it for the arcades.

Work in Progress Arcade Screens.

So here we have the first pass of the arcade screens. This is basically the same underlying tech as the Make A Boss. It’s been re-purposed with new art and a new glow pattern. Still to do are color passes to make it more inline with the arcade game as well as some tweaks to the glow color and speed. Overall though this is MUCH faster than creating a whole new look for something. The added benefit here is we get to make another piece of art that helps unify the overall look of the game. NEAT!

Ok – that is it for this update and thank you again. We appreciate your support, letters and comments. Please check back for more updates and info about the upcoming Boss 101 release date!

Remember to always – LIVE YOUR DREAMS!

-Tim

Please put Boss 101 on your Steam Wishlist us if you would be so kind

http://store.steampowered.com/app/380920

Thank you!

2016.10.29 Boss 101, Arcade Tank Battles and more

Welcome to the Boss 101 update!

Today we are talking about some of the ALTERNATE things you can do when you play Boss 101, specifically, using the ARCADE MACHINE!

The arcade machine is on the Command Center top floor and it’s a place you go to blow off steam between rounds of galaxy saving action. The arcade machine has three games for you to choose from. Today we will be talking about the “tank battle” (working title) game.

Check out the progress from the first pass arcade title screen to the latest version…

First WIP

Current version

Moving onto the game itself. The current gameplay is about surviving as long as you can versus up to four tanks. Sounds simple but the difficulty ramps up fast. All the arcade games inside Boss 101 are about quick action and your skillage as a gamer. Think you can stay alive long enough to get the high score?

First pass WIP version

Current art version

The latest art versions add the effects and emerge animations for the tanks as well as the new art for the player and enemy vehicles. Still on our list is polishing up the instructions sheet, title cards and a few other minor touchups. Overall things are moving along well and we are looking forward to you getting a look at the final game!

Gopher WIKI with Pet Pages!

We added MORE information to the WIKI so you can read up on your favorite pets. That’s right people – each of your pet friends has its own page with background info, names and even a look at the home world of the pet. EXCITING!

Here’s a shot of a few of the pets and their info…

OK – that wraps up today’s update and join us again for the next look. Look for upcoming updates to bring you more looks at Boss 101 as well as release info.

Thank you again for stopping by and remember to LIVE YOUR DREAMS!

-Tim

Please put Boss 101 on your Steam Wishlist us if you would be so kind

http://store.steampowered.com/app/380920

Thank you!

2016.10.22 Boss 101 Finishing the Gopher Wiki

Welcome to the Boss 101 Update!

The Gopher WIKI! We spoke about this in July 2015 in this blog and it has come a long way. The good news for you is we kept at it and improved it.

Recall some of the old screens here:

The big change recently was the Game Editor we added. That one thing was responsible for a MUCH easier WIKI creation. Text, images and even the page number could be created and edited on the fly. Previously we had a combination of XML sheets and Excel documents with a lot of cut and pasting going on.

Screenshot of the current editor in action

Well, we took all the old data and moved it easily into the new editor. From there we ending up taking LESS TIME than if we kept using the old way. In other words the new editor was so efficient at making the WIKI pages we were able to beat the old deadline.

Here’s the Professor in the command Center with a link to the WIKI

When you are in the WIKI you can read up on backstory and interesting information about how things got there. You can also read about people who visit and even see if they bought you a gift. The whole thing is curated by ROB and the Professor with some help from BERL and the gang.

Sample shot of scrolling through the WIKI

We don’t know that everyone will read all the pages but for those who want history – it’s in there. The idea here is we want you to know about the world we are creating. There is so much going on but you can access it at your speed.

Pages on the WIKI

Check out some of the swift animations and loading screens we have

A shot of the WIKI in Spine.

Nice stuff right? It’s all for you and it’s what we are doing to make Boss 101 something special. Thanks for stopping by and remember to LIVE YOUR DREAMS!

Talk with you soon,

-Tim

Please put Boss 101 on your Steam Wishlist us if you would be so kind

http://store.steampowered.com/app/380920

Thank you!

2016.10.15 Boss 101, Tutorials and B.E.R.L.

Welcome to today’s Boss 101 Update and thank you so much for joining us. We do appreciate your time!

Tutorials and B.E.R.L.

So, let’s talk about Berl. Berl is YOUR guide to the world of Boss 101. We introduce him as the tutorial giver when you start a new game. Berl walks you through a lot of the basics in the Command Center and across the various game screens.

The Tutorials

We like to think Boss 101 is a pretty straightforward game but we won’t assume you will. We knew it would be a wise move to include some sort of walkthrough for a new player to get them familiar with the systems we throw at them. Of course, this is Boss 101 and we aren’t going to just toss a bunch of text at the screen – NOPE! We are going to let one of our own characters help you out. In this case BERL!

Berl in Rob’s Room (notice he’s off in a corner)

Who is B.E.R.L.?

Berl in his charger (close up)

Berl is the oldest jetpack in the base. He is much older than either Rob or Steve and built on older technology. Sadly that technology was a little dangerous so the guys had to give Berl help when he is in the Command Center in the form of lightweight anti-grav devices. Berl doesn’t like them but he knows he needs them. This all adds up to the fact Berl needs to spend a lot of time charging up those lifters much to his own annoyance.

Berl introduces himself

In an effort to help Berl feel a little more useful the guys let him give guided tours of the place to all newcomers. Berl will meet you when you start the game and point out useful things. The ONLY hitch here is Berl isn’t always welcome all over the Command Center so he may not know every little thing. That’s OK – he’s fine at winging it!

Check out parts of these tutorials done with Berl’s special twist. We think he’s a really great guy and when it comes right down to it, he just wants to make some new friends. Won’t you help him out?

Berl in the Make a Boss – notice how he can activate things to demo how they work

A Map Room intro with Berl

Gun Store

Upgrade Room – is Berl giving out secrets!?!?!? BERL!!!!

Isn’t he great? It’s nice to give ole Berl something important to do. Makes him happy with an important job and serves to help you out. A win all around. Look for more Berl as we move forward toward our ship date.

Thank you again and remember to LIVE YOUR DREAMS!

-Tim

Please put Boss 101 on your Steam Wishlist us if you would be so kind

http://store.steampowered.com/app/380920

Thank you!