Downloadable goodness for Mac and Windows.

The Road to Demo

No new screenshots (see previous blogs for those), just a playable demo. It's been a long long road, but we're getting there. It's NOT done. There's still MUCH to do, but it's PLAYABLE, and it's available to all you Windows folks too.


Gotchas:

-Before clicking on a single skin mode (either of the bottom two bottoms), click on one of the three skin icons first or the game will "hang". Don't click on the three gray areas below the three skin icons.

-Not all the music and sound effects are finalized just yet, but you can get a feel for what the mood and ambiance will be like.

-There's no high score list, and it doesn't show you your final score at the end of a game.

-There's no tutorial yet. See below for instructions.

-The name ("Harmonic Convergence") sucks. I'm open to suggestions.

Macintosh download (15MB, Universal)
Windows download (14MB)

800x600 resolution or greater required.


So how do you play?

Use the z and x buttons to rotate your block. Use the arrow keys to move it around. Form squares of four of the same color, and let the time line sweep them away. These squares may overlap (3x2 = 2 overlapping squares of 2x2). When you've cleared 66 squares, the game will transition to the next skin, and the speed of the time line will change (it matches the tempo of the music). If you're playing a challenge mode (either of the two buttons on the left), the block will fall faster and faster as you clear more and more squares.


So how the heck is this different from Lumines?

I love Lumines. It's a great game. But what I see is an opportunity to bring the addictive gameplay and hypnotic experience that Lumines pioneered out of the hard-core gamer segment and into the broader "casual" gamer environment. How am I going to do that? By making a game my mom would be hooked on.

-Lumines, being on PSP, is unavailable to most casual gamers. So I'm bringing it to Mac and PC, where all the casual gamers hang out.

-Lumines features gritty urban themes and cool electronic music. Not exactly appealing to my mom. The themes and music in this game are brighter, more colorful, and more approachable to a broader audience.

-I just couldn't get my mom to understand the "special" bricks in Lumines, so they're gone. Simpler gameplay, easier to learn.

-Beat-the-clock often isn't a winning concept in the casual games arena, so there's "Tour Mode", which takes the time pressure out of the equation for when you just want to kill a few minutes and relax.


Thank you!

A lot of people have contributed to this project, and I'd like to take a moment to thank them now. It's a bit on the early side since nothing's quite finalized yet, and some of the best stuff isn't even in this demo but they've all worked very hard and done an amazing job:

Coding:
-Tom Bampton, God of Sour Cream. All glory to the HypnoTom, without whom, the smooth skin transitions and reasonable game load times would not have been possible.
-Ray Allen Gebhardt. His tolerance for my whining on IRC is the stuff of legends, and without his help you Windows users would have nothing to play!

Music:
-John Seguin. A talented professional who has gone far above and beyond what was required of him to help make sure that the audio experience is the best it could possibly be.
-KK and Ghostly Penguin Display. For providing music that was a PERFECT fit for a skin that is bright, and bold, and bizarre.

Art:
-RH. Amazing designs and amazing art work from a truly brilliant and creative individual.
-Peter Kojestah. Whether it was a video clip, an animated insect, or particle effects, Peter made it happen.

The final "thank you" list will likely be quite a bit longer, but these are the folks who've helped me take my insane idea and turn it into something that almost looks like a real game!


One more thing...

Also, if any aspiring artists, or musicians out there would like to show off what they've got by creating (or scoring) a skin or three for the game, drop me a line at jfrisby@mac.com!