Blog for Canon at GarageGames.com

Summary

Canon — 2008-07-17T10:03:46+00:00

Let's sum up the Frogames situation for a year!

Well, I suppose some of you never heard about Frogames before.
Frogames is a small indie game studio based in Reims, France - in the middle of the Champagne's vines.
We are 3 motivated and fun-loving people. We make games, content packs, and we work as freelances.

So, what happend since Jully 2007?
Our great success last year was Penguins Arena, not only because the game was released, but also because it was the first place winner of the Intel game demo contest! Since the release we launched 3 free updates to add more features to the game (penguins customisation, level editor, new game modes...)!
At the same time, we launched the CS:Warriors and Commoners, a massive characters content pack that allows thousand of combinations to create unique NPC.
Developing and creating those 2 products was a lot of work, as well as taking care of the marketing and the promotion after the release. But the indie life is not "la vie en rose", and I had to stop some projects (once again, sorry for Pelorea Frank!) to get more free time and to work more on paid projects.

Last year I worked on Arctic Antics, a very interesting project for Robert. Unfortunatly, this picture is the only one I'm allowed to show atm :)

Joshua contacted me at the beginning of August 2007 and asked me if I was interested in working on Shelled Online. In fact, I helped a bit on the first Shelled game. The concept of this sequel was excited and my instant answer was yes!
This game was produced by Joshua and programmed by Gary. And I worked on the art part.
I'm proud of what we made. The game was released a few weeks ago and I invite everybody to download and play the demo. Right now! Really :)
It's a very good action game with tank customisation, destructable environments and many solo or online game modes!
CLICK TO DOWNLOAD THE DEMO.

Finally, the work began on the CS:Wizards a few months ago.
Initially I planed to work on a CS:Women and Wizards pack but it appears women are going to be more challenging than I expected. I prefere 2 separated characters packs, so I will be able to release the first one more quickly.
So what is the plan? Staffs, sticks, robes, hats, grimoires, potions, spells incantations animations etc... and of course, all that new stuff and the first CS pack are compatible!
When? I expect a launch next September.

Now, let me propose you a book and 3 games I really enjoyed this year :

- Game Story & Character Development.
I'm very new to story telling and this book is really great if you want to learn basis, like me. There is a lot of examples and a lot of comments by well know game developers.
It will not make you the greatest writer, but it will allow you to create simple and well done stories. A must for any game developer.

- MarioKart Wii
Yes, I love this game! Cute and fun. Instant action. Challenging. My only grief is the solo mode is too short.
Hopefully, it allows multiplayer online games. Here is my MarioKart ID : 4253-3701-8629, and my Wii number : 3013 2408 8899 5687.
I want friends all over the world!

- warbands
This game was developed by Eric Schwegler, using TGB.
It's a well done Advance Wars clone. Charaters are really fun, and one of the bad guys is a mime! (I really love when bad guys are French).
My only comment is about the lack of consistence of the art part.
If you love that type of games, take a look at Battalion, a free flash Advance Wars clone.

- Spore Creature Creator
It's not really a game, but it's damn fun to create unbelievable monsters in a minut. This editor is incredibly powerful and I dream about a similar shape editor. I can't wait the full game. Here are 2 of my creatures.

final touch : various works from intern projects, secret projects and very secret projects!

(I really like the last picture. I think this art style is perfect for story telling)

Thank you for reading this blog entry. Next time, more about MiniOne Racing and Dragon Hatchery!

Christophe
www.frogames.net
www.frogames.com

Happy new year!

Canon — 2008-07-10T09:29:35+00:00

It's a shame, my last blog entry was made at the middle of December 2007!
Let me fix that problem and whish you a happy new year!

It looks like the GarageGames community has changed. GarageGames has changed too. Many have left and many more were hired. I hope it's all good news!

I'm going to review what appends at Frogames since one year (success, failures, projects, mustache...) in my next blog entry.

Maybe some of you remember the very first Frogames game project?
MiniOne Racing is alive!

Christophe
www.frogames.net
www.frogames.com

Penguins Arena, Christmas Update

Canon — 2007-12-18T14:11:56+00:00

We just release a free update for Penguins Arena, some new maps, some new costumes (Thank you Spencer!) and a new furious game mode : Unlimited (ammo).

This update is free for all of you who already brought Penguins Arena. For the others, the price is the same : $19.95!

More info : www.frogames.com/penguins_arena/
Windows Demo : www.frogames.com/penguins_arena/downloads/PenguinsArena_1.3.exe
Mac OS X Demo : www.frogames.com/penguins_arena/downloads/Penguins%20Arena%20-%201.3.dmg

digg Penguins Arena!

Canon — 2007-09-12T10:16:58+00:00

We need a little bit support from the garagamers to digg Penguins Arena and create the buzz ;)
Digg it!

The new demo of PA is now available at our website. We fixed a few problems and now, you can test the bonus.

Christophe

Done!

Canon — 2007-09-05T20:10:41+00:00

everybody's very excited here at Frogames because ...

Penguins Arena is THE FIRST PLACE WINNER of the INTEL game demo contest (Best Game on the Go category)! Penguins Arena has also been awarded the Best Torque Game award!

So, it's official, Penguins Arena is released !

Visit our new www.frogames.com website, download the game (and the goodies), play it, enjoy it ... and don't forget to buy it :)

Ready?

Canon — 2007-08-22T14:40:29+00:00

I have 3 good news!

1 : I just come back from 2 weeks of vacations with my family and it was so good!
2 : the CS:Warriors and Commoners content pack is finished, and it will be launched at the first week of September (the product page is not yet updated). Notice it contains 3DS max and Milkshape source files now (hiha!)
3 : Penguins Arena is one of the 10 finalists of the Best Game on the Go category of the Intel Game Demo Contest!!! Final results at the beginning of September. Wish Frogames good luck!!

Christophe

2 new packs in the Frogames store!

Canon — 2007-06-21T18:59:40+00:00

It was ready for a long time, but I just take care of it yesterday : the Starships pack is out!

Starships Pack! $15
Are you developing a video game with a futuristic or an alien background?
Those 3 starships are perfect to be used as placeholders as well as final art pieces. The Starships pack contains 3 ready to use, colorful, textured and highly optimized low poly starships for your video game project!
For more informations : frogames.net/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=12

Houses Models Pack 2! $29.99
The Houses Models Pack contains 19 low-poly models, intended to populate game levels with cartoon houses.
Each building is game-ready, available in four different formats and it uses one texture image!
For more informations : frogames.net/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=13

And don't forget to sign up for the www.frogames.com newsletter. New game and new website are coming soon!

Christophe

CS:Warriors and Commoners

Canon — 2007-02-20T13:03:57+00:00

The CS:Warriors an Commoners for Early Adopters is out!

The CS:Warriors an Commoners is a NPC ressource for RPG, RTS and MMOG, designed for TGE and RTS Starter Kit.
It contains more than 800 files (characters, textures, objects, animations, source files...), and it allows thousands combinations to create your own Non Player Characters.

Be sure to check out the product page here, and the reference page here.

The number of Early Adopter licences are going to be limited, so don't miss the oportunity to acquire the pack half the price of the final release. Feel free to contact us if you're interested in our pack for prototyping, even if Early Adopters licences are closed.

So, here is our plan for this pack.
We have to work closely with users to define the remaining content, packaging, documentation, tutorials ... So, next week, we will open several private forums for early adopters, to discuss bugs and to receive suggessions and comments.
A polished final release is expected next Fall. It's a big project, so don't be surprised if it's delayed.

Last month, I moved to a new home. It's great, that's ok ... but living without Internet is a terrific experience! I hope to recover a solid connection quickly.

Christophe

New Frogames content pack!

Canon — 2006-09-25T22:45:08+00:00

I received a lot of emails asking me to release the shaman goblin of the TLK demo ... finally, it's done!
We are very proud to announce our next content pack, the Dungeon Guardians Pack!

The Dungeon Guardians Pack is a character pack, including a shaman and a warrior goblin, ready to be used, (in 3DS Max7 .max and .dts file formats). This Pack was created in the same spirit as the Dungeon Pack art style.

If you want to know more about LOD, polycount, mountpoints ... take a look at the product page!
And don't miss the video!

This pack is for TGE users only, but next month, a free update will include more diferent file formats and a few additional objects and animations ...

Our first affiliate Pack

We published our first affiliate pack a few weeks ago : the Houses Models Pack, from DEXSOFT Multimedia.
It contains 27 low-poly models, intended to populate game levels with cartoon houses.
Click here to know more!

2 new products, well, that makes our store more attractive. And there is more to come!

Have fun!
Christophe

I'm back!

Canon — 2006-08-10T13:29:01+00:00

I'm back!

ok, you probably didn't notice I was away ...
A few days after posting my last .plan, I was hospitalized for an unexpected problem.
8 days to the hospital and 3 months of convalescence ... difficult when you are working alone.
Fortunately, indie clients are very comprehensives, and I thank all of them to accept to delay the jobs.

Sorry about all the mails I didn't send or answer! Feel free to send me again any mail I didn't answer the 4 last weeks!

...go back to work!

Christophe