We just uploaded ten screens from the Planck v.1 Playtest One build. Enjoy!]]> http://www.shadegrowngames.com/2010/05/screens_from_the_planck_playte.html http://www.shadegrowngames.com/2010/05/screens_from_the_planck_playte.html Planck Fri, 21 May 2010 09:38:36 -0800 Planck v.1 to our friends, family, and a few select others we felt might be able to offer us feedback and gameplay suggestions. While it’s always a little scary to put your work in front of others for the first time, the responses so far have been both valuable and encouraging. Please stay tuned for more playtesting opportunities. We’re also working on getting screenshots and a trailer out so you can see what the game looks like now. In the meantime, feel free to stop by our brand new forums and say hello.]]> http://www.shadegrowngames.com/2010/05/planck_v1_playtesting_begins.html http://www.shadegrowngames.com/2010/05/planck_v1_playtesting_begins.html Planck Mon, 17 May 2010 14:08:57 -0800



A little over two months and an exhausting but completely worthwhile 2010 Game Developers Conference have come and gone since the last update posted here. During that time, Planck has shaken off much of what made Planck Version Zero what it was, retaining only the essential concept and the pillars of its experience. Soon we’ll be sharing this next incarnation of Planck!
]]> http://www.shadegrowngames.com/2010/03/coming_soon_the_dissolution_an.html http://www.shadegrowngames.com/2010/03/coming_soon_the_dissolution_an.html Planck Thu, 25 Mar 2010 19:11:53 -0800 Independent Games Festival 2010 finalists have been chosen, and although Planck v.0 was not selected (this year, at least), the IGF was overall a positive experience for us. The hard entry deadline forced us to get our demonstration level to as much of a polished place as we could (in case you missed this cautionary tale about a nightmare world without deadlines, it is recommended reading) and the feedback we got helped both to convince us we are on the right track and to gauge how much further we have yet to go.]]> http://www.shadegrowngames.com/2010/01/igf_2010_judges_on_planck_v0.html http://www.shadegrowngames.com/2010/01/igf_2010_judges_on_planck_v0.html Planck Mon, 11 Jan 2010 13:25:34 -0800 last installment, I described our first attempt at a complete experience constructed from the musical gameplay mechanics that we had developed. Finishing the Gravy Train level took Planck v.0 out of theory and into practice, allowing us to gather useful feedback from our friends and colleagues.]]> http://www.shadegrowngames.com/2009/12/planckogenesis_part_iii_an_igf.html http://www.shadegrowngames.com/2009/12/planckogenesis_part_iii_an_igf.html Planck Tue, 15 Dec 2009 14:19:09 -0800 Part I of this series on the prototype “musical shooter” Planck v.0 dealt with how we try to interpret musical events on a granular level with quantization: the timing of discreet events, such as individual rhythmic hits, as they relate to gameplay. There’s more to music than that, of course, and there’s more to Planck than that as well. As we left off, I’d been put in contact with Brenton Woodrow, a student in his senior year of the game design baccalaureate program at Champlain College in Burlington, Vermont.]]> http://www.shadegrowngames.com/2009/11/planckogenesis_part_ii_song_st.html http://www.shadegrowngames.com/2009/11/planckogenesis_part_ii_song_st.html Planck Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:34:15 -0800 Planck v.0 video is “looks neat, but what is really going on there?” It’s true that conveying the mechanics through a video isn’t ideal, and while I do have a short explanation I wrote up about how the game translates play into music, I thought it would be better to describe not just how it functions today but the path we took to get there over the last few months. Please click on to read the first of a multi-part series about how Planck v.0 works and how it came to be.]]> http://www.shadegrowngames.com/2009/11/planckogenesis_part_i_quantizi.html http://www.shadegrowngames.com/2009/11/planckogenesis_part_i_quantizi.html Planck Tue, 10 Nov 2009 15:53:21 -0800 Planck Version Zero (v.0) is a prototype game that lets you interact with original music through shmup mechanics. Although it plays like a familiar top-down scrolling shooter, every in-game action is interpreted through a timing and beat-matching system, turning your play into the song you hear as you traverse the level.]]> http://www.shadegrowngames.com/2009/11/planck_v0_is_headed_to_the_201.html http://www.shadegrowngames.com/2009/11/planck_v0_is_headed_to_the_201.html Planck Mon, 02 Nov 2009 13:10:45 -0800 an informal chat about video game music and more, moderated by Jeriaska and including Vincent Diamante, Casey Muratori, and Soo Jeong Bae. Please check it out!]]> http://www.shadegrowngames.com/2009/10/an_indie_game_composer_chat_pe.html http://www.shadegrowngames.com/2009/10/an_indie_game_composer_chat_pe.html Interviews Wed, 14 Oct 2009 16:52:37 -0800 Although we’re not quite ready to talk about any actual games just yet, a brief update seems in order. A simple list of sensations, I hope, will suffice for now: The exhilaration of striking off into unknown territory. The fresh newness to us of the genre, the work arrangement, and the team roles. The challenges of working over distance with people in different corners of the country. The unforeseen design and other problems– the poking, prodding, and the breakthroughs. The warmth and encouragement of fellow travelers. We are eager to have something to share just as soon as we’re ready. http://www.shadegrowngames.com/2009/09/update_so_whats_been_happening.html http://www.shadegrowngames.com/2009/09/update_so_whats_been_happening.html Shadegrown Tue, 22 Sep 2009 22:16:57 -0800 Exciting things will begin happening here any moment now, we promise. For now, please imagine a rocket launch countdown. http://www.shadegrowngames.com/2009/08/coming_soon_please_stay_tuned.html http://www.shadegrowngames.com/2009/08/coming_soon_please_stay_tuned.html Shadegrown Fri, 14 Aug 2009 09:07:51 -0800