Archive for December, 2018

Ancient Enemy Dev diary #3: How to create dynamic poses in your game

Thursday, December 20th, 2018

We’ve been having a lively discussion today about character poses in games so we thought we’d share some of our experiences. You may find this instructive, or amusing, or both!

Slightly batty

In our previous game Shadowhand, we went to a lot of trouble to get aspects of the stances as accurate and lifelike as we could. The types of thing we looked at were angles of limbs in active poses, hand grips on weapons, and scale.

On our Watermill level, we have a Washerwoman character who battles the protagonist with a laundry bat. This was a kind of wooden paddle used in that time period (1770s) to beat and agitate laundry in large vats of water – thankfully most of us have washing machines that do this job today!

To get the pose and hand grip right, Helen posed with a cricket bat and we sent the images, along with detailed costume and character art references, to our artists at Retrostyle Games. The final character poses are below.


Developers are willing to go to great lengths to make games!

Ancient Enemy

Our artist Jen is doing a great job on our fight stances for our next game, Ancient Enemy.

Here are some of the poses she has come up with so far:

Dynamic poses present some challenges but we think they really add a lot to the game!

Don’t forget you can wishlist Ancient Enemy Here:

A Christmas Wish(list): Ancient Enemy gets a Steam page

Tuesday, December 18th, 2018

PRESS RELEASE

Bridport, UK, 18 December 2018 – Grey Alien Games, the independent development team behind Regency Solitaire, and Shadowhand, has today unveiled their forthcoming tactical card game, Ancient Enemy, on the popular PC gaming sales portal, Steam.

Conveniently, those choosing to wishlist the game via this page will be notified on release, and sales thereafter! Here’s the all-important link:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/993790/Ancient_Enemy/

So what’s Ancient Enemy?

Let us explain…

Awakening from centuries of slumber, a fallen mage returns to battle twisted folkloric foe across sprawling, ghostly landscapes. His ultimate destination: the nameless antagonist, a dread nemesis waiting patiently in the dark fastness of a monstrous citadel, his Ancient Enemy.

An unusual, strategic RPG card game, Ancient Enemy is launching on Steam for PC & Mac next year. You’ll embark upon a quest inspired by British mythology and the Mabinogion, so expect card battling, visceral fights, mixed with bleak and evocative folklore! Loot the fallen to fill your hero’s RPG-style inventory with collectible cards, capture strongholds and gather talented henchmen. Only powerful magic and iron determination will enable revenge upon your ultimate foe.

A collaboration between Grey Alien Games and Big Robot’s Jim Rossignol, and featuring art by Jen Pattison, this is a project that brings together indie development talent from across the UK. “This is a long-overdue collaboration between myself and Jake,” said Rossignol, “and it’s fantastic to be working with Jen, whose art I have admired for years. We’re all having a lovely time.” Additionally, Ancient Enemy is supported by Bithell Games.

“I’m incredibly excited to play Ancient Enemy. One of the coolest things about selling games is using some of that cash to support other people’s visions,” said Mike Bithell of Bithell Games (Thomas Was Alone, Subsurface Circular). “Like Regency Solitaire and Shadowhand, I’m sure this award-winning team’s latest game will blow us away.”

Features:

Card-driven, turn-based battles. The new, faster, turn-based combat puts the focus on the player’s choices.
Strategic challenge. Play your cards wisely. Your enemy’s next move is revealed, and you must respond accordingly.
Legend! Draw power from the stone circles, drive back the blight. Crack open the secrets of the dark land, and see the myths spill out!
Painterly production. Jen Pattison’s exquisite painted style brings Ancient Enemy to life with expert vision.

Contact:

Jim Rossignol: [email protected]
Website: http://www.ancientenemygame.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AncientEnemyGame/

Jim Rossignol is a writer and developer. He co-founded Rock, Paper, Shotgun in 2010, and then the micro-studio Big Robot – best known for the smash-hit survival epic, Sir, You Are Being Hunted – in 2010.

Grey Alien Games, based in Dorset, UK is an indie game company run by husband-and-wife team, Jake Birkett and Helen Carmichael, and has shipped more than ten commercial games over the past decade, including Spooky Bonus, Regency Solitaire and Shadowhand.

Jen Pattison is an illustrator & concept artist working in games, TV and film. Her game projects include GAP Project, Steam Marines 2, Quest for Infamy, Roehm to Ruin, Order of the Thorne, and Serena, and she has worked with clients including Disney, Twitch, and Komixx.

Note to editors: a downloadable press kit with additional images can be accessed HERE.

[ENDS]

Grey Alien Games and Suricate Software bring Jewel Match Solitaire Winterscapes to Steam

Friday, December 7th, 2018

Jewel Match Solitaire Winterscapes by Suricate Software is coming to Steam for PC. UK-based Grey Alien Games will publish the game on behalf of Suricate Software, a European game developer behind numerous classic casual titles. This follows a similar agreement to bring Suricate’s other Jewel Match Solitaire titles to Steam earlier this year.

Jewel Match Twilight Solitaire Winterscapes includes 200 solitaire levels, 12 additional Solitaire variants like Yukon or Emperor, five beautiful winter scenes to build and multiple card decks. Players will be able to choose between three different play modes, unlock stunning desktop wallpapers and enjoy a beautiful holiday soundtrack.

Jake Birkett, owner of Grey Alien Games said: “We are delighted to publish Suricate Software’s holiday themed game on Steam. The wintery locations and engaging gameplay will keep everyone entertained on days when you just want to hunker down beside a cosy fire.”

Grey Alien Games has several of its own titles on Steam, including Regency Solitaire and solitaire-driven RPG, Shadowhand.

Jewel Match Solitaire Winterscapes is due to launch on 21st December, 2018.

For more details or to wishlist, please visit the Steam store page, here: https://store.steampowered.com/app/993780/Jewel_Match_Solitaire_Winterscapes/