Category Archives: DevTalk

The Broken Top Downloads List Problem

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When you are a small Indie developer creating only a few games per year for the Xbox Live Indie Games channel the number of sales you get from one game can have quite an impact on the future of your company. So if the platform you release your game to adds obstacles to the already tough job of selling your game it´s really a problem. Nathan Fouts from Mommy´s Best Games is the head behind some of the coolest indie games available on the XBLIG channel and today his new game “Explosionade” was supposed to be released into the peer review, the final stage of any indie game to be published to the marketplace.

The game is ready and still he decided to wait – he allowed us to bring the reasons for his decision to indienerds and it´s a very interesting read for those curious to learn a bit of the struggles of an indie dev on the Xbox. To read Nathan´s insightful article on the broken top downloads list hit the MORE button.

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james

“There Is No Honor Here” – James Silva

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It happens quite often that developers get into a rage about games that don´t live up to the true indie spirit and instead just go for the fast buck. Using cheap methods to gain attention instead of creating games that are awesome enough to stick out with brillance.

One developer that for sure is not the kind going for a fast buck is James Silva from Ska Studios – and with hit titles like I MAED A GAM3 W1TH Z0MB1ES 1NIT!!!1 or The Dishwasher: Dead Samurai under his belt his games certainly stick out through brillance. The fast buck is just the result … and he has earned it. Lately he wrote a nice article about the honor behind creating real indie games – or the lack thereof with so many titles that recently hit the Xbox Live Indie Games channel.

Read his very interesting rant right after the “MORE” button (or you might miss his cute (or something) drawing!).

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XBLIG vs. XBLA

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When I roam the internet forums in my mission to give Xbox Live Indie Games (and indienerds.com) a bit more visibility, I often get asked why developers don´t just bring their titles as XBLA games. It´s a complex matter and there are a lot of aspects one has to cover in an answer. That´s why I think it´s best to have an XBLIG developer answer it.

Deejay from Binary Tweed is the head behind the very polished “Clover: A Curious Tale” adventure game available on the XBLIG channel for 5$ (400 MSP). A game that with nice graphics and a full voice-over would certainly still look good on the XBLA channel. He wrote an article about why developers walk the indie road instead of bringing their games to Xbox Live Arcade.

So hear comes what Deejay has to offer on the topic – right after the MORE button.

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What´s up with Windows Phone 7?

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The last few weeks I heard more and more developers talking about WP7 – so I decided to ask someone I knew is kind of an expert on the topic to explain it.
So here comes what Michael B. McLaughlin  has to tell us about Windows Phone 7:

Windows Phone 7 has been making big waves in the developer community over the past few months. If you haven’t heard of it yet, don’t worry: Microsoft has been working overtime to make WP7 a phenomenal experience when it launches this holiday season and so far that’s meant focusing their attention on helping developers make some outstanding games and apps for the platform. But with all the major mobile providers and many of the best phone manufacturers already lined up – WP7 promises to be an experience you won’t want to miss.

So what exactly is it?

Windows Phone 7 is centered around several hubs that integrate your digital life with your daily life. While you’ll certainly enjoy the Office hub, the Music + Videos hub, the Pictures hub, and the People hub (for all your social networking), you will absolutely love the Xbox LIVE-integrated gaming hub!

keep on reading after the more button…

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