The Cat Lady and Christmas

Seasons greetings! I just wanted to write a quick update, sales of The Cat Lady have started, Screen 7's first major release. It can be bought at http://www.thecatlady.co.uk

It's been a long, tiring process but I am glad it's finally out in some capacity. We still have a couple of weeks ahead getting it sorted for DVD's, Desura and some other places. I've learned a few things along the way.

2012 has been extremely productive for me, but it's also been tough. I haven't been out in daylight most of this year because so much has had to be done on the PC. Updating a website might seem like a simple task but it can turn into a 6 hour stint. Setting up a game for distribution isn't the click of a button, it takes weeks of preparation and beyond especially if you're doing it for the first time.

But there's been a lot of support and things definitely look positive for the near future. AdventureX is running again this year which is going to be interesting - as I didn't have as much time to organize it as I did last year, but there seems to be double the interest there was 365 days ago.

Next year will be thrilling, Ravenwood moves along in leaps and bounds and from January I will be able to concentrate fully on Kinky Island. Didn't holiday this year, so you may not see/hear from me between AdventureX and the end of January, I need to put my feet up and give my eyes a bit of a rest, and get thoroughly fucking drunk...

I'm not going to admit everything went perfectly this year, but it certainly went in the right direction. There is lots a lots a lots more to do before the church bells can really start peeling - but thanks again for reading and keeping an interest in what I do.

Have a merry christmas!!

ML

AdventureX 2012 update

We're getting close to our funding goal, but there's still a way to go yet. Almost all of our schedule slots are filled with feature presentations, special guests and informative talks. Those who contribute to the campaign will get updates and a special AdventureX newsletter.

You can read all the newsletters from the previous (first) event here! Thank you to everyone who has contributed so far, taking us over the halfway mark. We appreciate you spreading the word, and the love, and the adventure...

20 days left to help with the fundraiser, even if you only have a few dollars, you'll be kept in the know with updates, the newsletter and a live video link to the event.

Show your support for the adventure game scene - visit our fundraiser now and help make it happen!

University of East Anglia, nr. Liverpool St, London - Sat 15 and Sun 16 Dec. Free entry, disabled access, refreshments available.

Suck my summerbatch

We're about to hit 700 copies sold, thanks to everyone who has bought it, shown support or just been curious about it and slagged it off! It was great to get a mention on PC Gamer, Adventure Gamers and a few other awesome sites, like:
Jay is games yes he is
Wraithkal's retro games and haircut
Focus for me now is on The Cat Lady and the voice production, lots to do but it edges closer every day. Must download the new build now :) BJ:MD is almost complete, and although I had sworn away movie making, it seems a potentially massive project has fallen into my lap. More on this soon, but I'll say it involves a Hollywood writer who's made a bunch of well known sci-fi films and....the Ben Jordan franchise. Go figure :D Work also continues on Kinky Island, Camp Ravenwood and FoY. That's all. The only other thing left to do is....Suck my summerbatch! --Mods

Summerbatch is available now!

Volume 1 aers released and already it's stirring up a mass debate! People are annoyed with the delivery format (EXE installer download), there's a huge OT discussion about sexism in a Nancy thread, the off-putting low budget website and the cobwebs in their PayPal account - but so far there's been a lot of positive feedback about the games. We have to start somewhere :) Thanks to those who have bought Summerbatch and helped support the developers, Screen 7 and charity. People who have blogged about it (Spanos) and those who've posted it as news on great websites (Gnome, Jack and others). summerbatch.co.uk

How long til Summerbatch?

Let's ask a cheap digital themed countdown clock: See you there! Don't forget - Ben Jordan 8 is released (and free to play) on Wed 8th August!

Summerbatch pre-post

Summerbatch, a collection of games for the summer is almost ready for release. I wanted to post a quick update about some of the material within the collection. We've had to extend the deadline for developers a couple of times, but still very hopeful that it will be ready for the end of the month.

Additionally, 2 games will unfortunately not see the light of day in this edition so the total number of games is 6 this time round, however they WILL be included in the followup collection, which could possibly be in Winter (some have speculated Winterbatch, I am up for it - but only when this one is out!!)

So this week is an important week for beta versions and testing. I've been lucky to have a go on 4 out of the 6 games, with 2 others hopefully presenting their beta editions today or tomorrow.

Nancy The Happy Whore by Technocrat is a quality retro looking game that can take up to about an hour to complete. James has mastered another medium length game and had it finished well in time for the Summerbatch deadline, in fact, his final version has been available for almost a month now. A slightly different angle for James perhaps, to go with a comedy about a whore - but the writing is witty, the characters are funny and the atmosphere has a great vibe. I admit though, I haven't actually beaten the game yet!

Patchwork is of higher resolution and is made by Ilyich. I HAVE completed this game and enjoyed it, it took me about an hour and a half in total. The back story may seem a little cliché at first but the world you're thrown into is magical, whimsical and a nicer side of the "transported to a parallel universe" cliché. No snorting horrible aliens trying to eat you - a fun bunch of local characters and spirits. You can control two different characters which works nicely, and undertake puzzles for the both of them. I really enjoyed the puzzles which are not just inventory based. It's a lot of fun and it's finished and ready for Summerbatch!

Barely Floating by AJA is another higher resolution game that features a whole cast of characters and is reported to have a play time of 2 to 3 hours! I'm progressing through it but haven't beaten it yet. The design is slick and there's an interesting feature when it comes to talking to other people, you can also ask them about anything in view which is a nice touch. There is some advanced scripting in other areas that help create a wonderful atmosphere inside the ship. Lots of music & incidental sound effects add to the puzzle solving, playing the role of an old man has never been so fun!

PISS by Ben304 is a game that presents an above-usual quality by said developer, known for his work various successful free adventure games. In fact, he's even stated lately that this is probably his longest game to date! I've been playing but have no indication on how long it is, as I have only tried the early beta at this point. But seeing some of the screenshots recently posted it appears the explorable world really opens up later in the game. With some neat effects, lots of character animations and some clever little features - PISS appears to be everything a point & click fan could want! Again a fantasy setting, a quirky mission but most of all a wonderful thing to play!

Jailbreak is a top down stealth game by Rocco. We're waiting on the beta, expected today or tomorrow - all I can say is I'm intrigued!

BioFactor by LocutusOfBored and Babar began life as an arcade game when it was designed many years ago - but the idea has been resurrected for Summerbatch and re-made into a point and click. Yet to play the beta, so little is known about this game right now.

Teardrop and Lycoris have been hit by development hell and will not be released until the next collection. However, you can certainly still support developer Creed Malay with his project The Big Sheep in the meantime, and tell LimpingFish you want to play Lycoris very very much!

The next post should be a release announcement! The website should be up and functional at Summerbatch.co.uk this coming weekend, and don't forget I've recently updated the main Screen 7 website with a new look! iPad users, it turns out, won't be able to listen to the (Flash) radio player. Sorry about that!

Thanks for reading :)

chim chim cheroo

The new s7 website is delayed a little bit but rest assured it'll be up at the end of the week! The Olympic torch passes through town at 8am tomorrow so I will be going to watch that. I'll write a full post soon :) In the meantime you can watch my project showcase if you haven't already...