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The Exciting World of Nudging - What's Up Wednesday #21
Hey folks,I made three little additions to Bazooka Panic on a whim yesterday. Let's talk about them!Jump NudgingI watch a lot of Kaizo Mario stuff on YouTube. It's cool too see the mechanics of Super Mario World pushed to their breaking point and it shows how much thought and expertise was put into the base game.One little thing I kept seeing was how Mario's jump nudges him over if he jumps halfway between an overhanging block and an open space. It's sort of like the game saying "Ah, I know what you meant to do, let me just ...
Events, Goals, Artifice - What's Up Wednesday #13
Hey everybody,Here's three things I made for Gig Master that I thought worked out pretty well:EventsGig Master is full of Mega Man references, and in order to make those references work, I needed little scenes where you give up control of your character.So when you hit the big orange button at the center of the room or when you die or when you defeat Shoot Master (the blue underpants Mega Man guy) I spawn an Event Object.While an Event Object exists, the player character ignores all controller inputs and Shoot Master does not receive AI inp...
Fire, Water, Gravity - What's Up Wednesday #5
What's up everybody?WIZARD LAWS Are Made to Be Broken is out and playable in your browser! It's a puzzle platformer with some Baba Is You and Wario Land 2 vibes.Though I stuck to the typical SuperTry guns and made a puzzle platformer, I did try some new things in WIZARD LAWS.FireUsually when I do a fire effect in my games, I either make it super abstract or I use particle effects but neither of those really worked for what I was going for in WIZARD LAWS.I've been pretty happy with my explosion animations across my games so I decided...
Cool Stuff from the SuperTry Grab Bag Jam
Hey everybody,Here are my favorite submissions from the SuperTry Grab Bag Jam in no particular order:Spinalization by Axol Studio takes the god game format and removes the tedious micromanagement associated with the genre to focus on the *enjoyable* micromanagement associated with the genre.Your input includes working within a budget to buy berry bushes, weapons, and children for a fledgling human race but after you've made your purchases you pull a slot machine arm and let Space Jesus take the wheel.I've lost more than a few civilizati...
How I Make a Color Palette for My Video Games
Hey folks,I've put a little palette together for my game!I can't start making assets until I have a palette in place so that's usually my first art task when I start working on a game.A lot of gamedevs recommend putting art off until you've done some game testing with some generic blocks, and I think that is probably good advice! For me, I like to kind of get a little bit of everything in order before I start working on the game in earnest.As you'll see in the video, I use Colormind to help me generate palettes. I find it to...
SuperTry Grab Bag Jam Brainstorming
Alright, brainstorming for the SuperTry Grab Bag Jam has been accomplished!In general I like it when I have clear mechanics in mind instead of just "a game in a genre." Genre games tend to become massive projects ("I have to make a good stealth game!") and mechanics games tend to be more achievable ("I have to explore this one cool mechanic and then get out.")The current idea has no clear genre yet but I have a couple of mechanics that I want to explore.I think my next steps are:1. Find a color palette2. Start writing so...
How SuperTry Does Game Physics
Hey everybody,We’re talking about game physics today! For the purpose of this blog, “physics” just refers to how objects move and smack into each other. This hopefully won’t be too complicated.One of the things that stumped me when I first started making games was physics. GameMaker 1’s default physics engine in the early 2010s was pretty quirky and I could never get things to work quite how I wanted. Characters would get stuck in walls a lot and I wouldn’t know why.The most annoying thing about it was that I had no idea how GameMak...
Heart Canon - Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai with Satchell Drakes
Hey everybody,In this, the season finale of Heart Canon, I talk to my friend Satchell Drakes (Non Prophet) about Ghost Dog, the samurai/mafia/suspense/slice of life/character study film that I didn't know I desperately needed.Satch and I talk about moving out, romanticized notions of belonging, the appeal of the samurai aesthetic, death, and what to do when it starts to rain. This is a great episode, folks.Thank you for a wonderful year of Heart Canon! This podcast will return after I get some rest and do some thinkin.Thanks again for letti...
Heart Canon - Superman Smashes the Clan with Payton Knobeloch
Hey everybody,This month I sat down with my friend Payton Knobeloch of PBS's Flyover Culture to talk about Superman Smashes the Clan, a short comic series by Gene Luen Yang and Gurihiru.Payton and I dive into the book's message and discuss whether or not subtlety in antiracist art is particularly useful. We also talk comics, the role of art in swaying public opinion, and how gosh darned wonderful this series is.Enjoy!KCThis post was available early for Credits Druids!
Heart Canon - Pluto with Jeff Pennington
Hey everybody,This month I read Naoki Urasawa's Pluto, a dark and mysterious reimaging of Astro Boy's "The Greatest Robot on Earth" arc. Joining me is friend, artist, and podcaster Jeff Pennington!Jeff and I spoil every twist in the first few minutes and talk our way through the more subtle portions of the work. Our topics include hatred as a meme, remakes, sad robot stories, and why Gesicht is the best.I looked and couldn't really find much discussion about Pluto online apart from "It's the best!" so I'm hap...
Heart Canon - Into the Electric Castle (Disc 2) with Connor MacDonald
Hey everybody,Here's part two of my two part discussion with Connor MacDonald on Into the Electric Castle!Connor and I dig deeper into the fiction and metafiction of Ayreon's prog rock opera and discuss its triumphs, its flaws, and where to go from here.Hope you enjoy the episode!KCPS: Part 1 is herePPS: Credits Druids go early access to this episode for a few days
Heart Canon - Into the Electric Castle (Disc 1) with Connor MacDonald
Hey everybody!This month I sat down with Connor MacDonald (aka SamuraiCorndog) to talk about science fantasy prog-rock collaborative album experience Into the Electric Castle!Connor and I share our interpretations of the album, discuss our favorite characters, and explore our love for B movie style works and collaborative art making. Into the Electric Castle is miles deep, but I'm glad I had Connor to guide me through and really open my eyes to the experience.Connor will be back next time and we'll discuss Disc 2 of the album!Enjoy,Kevi...
Heart Canon - Among Us with Hadley St. Clair
Hey everybody,I finally got to do a Heart Canon about a video game and with Hadley St. Clair (Pancaketheon, Snack Run Blowout) no less! This month we're talking about hit indie horror party game phenomenon Among Us.Our discussion topics include life during the pandemic (this comes up, like, every episode? Weird!), the highs and lows of socializing online, and whether or not Among Us is a game about lying and what that would mean.Enjoy the episode!KCThis post was available early for Credits Druids!
I'm Gonna be on the Yetee Show Stream on the 25th!
Hey folks,Quick announcement! I'm gonna be on The Yetee Show's stream tomorrow the 25th from 3pm to 5pm Eastern Time.Glen and I are gonna talk about SuperTry games and maybe play some! It should be a chill time and I hope to see some of you there in the chat. Come hang out!<3sKC
Heart Canon - Solanin with Calamity Carl
[Content Warning: We talk about suicide in this episode.]Hey errybody,This month Calamity Carl (YouTube, The Millennium Microphone) joins meto talk about Inio Asano's moving slice of life manga, Solanin.Our topics include capitalism's indifference toward grief, the little compromises life forces you into, and how much we love Asian Kung-Fu Generation.Enjoy the episode and this picture of Carl with his favorite quotes from the book!KCThis post was available early for Credits Druids!
SuperTry February 2021 Update
Hey everybody,Just wanted to fill you in on what's going on at SuperTry this month!Last week I put a bunch of time into Bazooka Panic. My goal for this month is to put together a second level complete with new rooms, new hazards, and a new boss. My plan is to structure Bazooka Panic a bit like Mega Man with multiple levels and bosses that you can play in any order.Most of my work last week consisted of completely redoing BP's room generation code so that I could make vertical levels and horizontal levels. Trust me, it's gonna rule. ...
Heart Canon - TMBG with Emily Kardamis Part 2
Hey everybody,Emily Kardamis (Steamed Veggies, Guilty Treasures) joins me again to talk about the second half of They Might Be Giants Live at the Music Hall of Williamsburg November 29,2015 in Brooklyn, New York.We talk about finding your band, the importance of having something to look forward to, and putting yourself in the hands of master showfolks.I highly recommend that you check out TMBG Part 1 and than you go and support Emily's comics and art!Enjoy!KC
Changes to the SuperTry Patreon in 2021
Hey everyone!First off, thank you for supporting me, Joe, and all the people we’ve collaborated with this year. 2020 was tough in a lot of ways but thanks to you I was able to support the people I love and make the art I wanted to make.SuperTry’s goal in 2020 was to make a short video game every single month of the year and we actually did! We made twelve video games this year and I’m proud of every single one of them. We somehow even managed to take care of ourselves while making them, however I think we’ve come to the limits of what w...
Heart Canon - They Might Be Giants with Emily Kardamis
Hey everybody!On this month's episode of Heart Canon Emily Kardamis (Steamed Veggies, Guilty Treasures) is here to talk with me about everyone's favorite rock to wind a string around, They Might Be Giants.We go song by song through TMBG's live set at the Music Hall of Williamsburg and talk about the importance of live music, group experiences, and what to do now that those things aren't possible.It gets emotional and we go into the deep TMBG lore, so deep in fact that I had to split this into two parts!Enjoy!KCPS: This podcast w...
Heart Canon - Third Eye Blind with Joe Kenneally
Hey everybody!Is it possible to make successful art without being a total asshole? Is it ethical to enjoy an album made by someone who is very clearly a tool? Special guest Joe Kenneally and I dive into these questions and more in the latest episode of Heart Canon.You may know Joe as the musician behind every game SuperTry has released this year! He has also been in a few bands.I didn't expect an episode of this podcast to completely ruin a guest's opinion of a piece of art, but Joe and I found that when you look closely at Third Eye Bl...
Heart Canon - Punch-Drunk Love with Paul Ritchey
Hey everybody,Here's episode two of Heart Canon where I talk to Paul Ritchey about his favorite arthouse Adam Sandler movie, Punch-Drunk Love.There are spoilers for Punch-Drunk Love, but whether or not you choose to watch the film, Paul and I have some interesting things to discuss about family, anger issues, love, and pudding. We also say the phrase "psychic distance" a lot and I'm still not sure if we used it correctly.Enjoy and let me know what you think!KCPS: I've added "Early Podcast Access" as a new benefit so ...
Heart Canon Outtake: Deep Rock Galactic
Hey everybody!Paul is gonna be on another episode of Heart Canon this month and we'll be talking about Punch-Drunk Love.In the meantime here's us talking about a game we've been playing off and on for a few months that I had to cut from the new episode because it didn't really have anything to do with anything!Enjoy!KC
D&D 5e Homebrew - The Beheaded
Hey everybody,This is a little 5e custom race project that I had been picking at for a while. I'll likely still be picking at it as I get more playtest data but I really wanted to get this out of my head and onto the Internet.I just think Dullahans are neat!Thanks to Jeff, Bam, Steph, Hadley, and YOU for helping to make it real. This likely would have languished in my Google docs if your patronage hadn't given me the means to commission these incredible artists. Please follow and support them!If you're dropping by to grab the PDF an...
Forager is Available to Play
Hey folks,Phew, we managed to finish this one before September ended!You can now play Forager in your browser. It's a chill mushroom-hunting game where you have to talk to other mushroom hunters to figure out where the good shrooms are at.Forager is our submission to AGBIC Jam. We hope you like it!Enjoy!Kevin Cole + SuperTry Studios
New Podcast: Heart Canon
Hey everybody,I started a new podcast where I research the stuff my friends like and then talk to my friends about the stuff. I want to explore how art influences artists and I want to broaden my horizons with more movies, games, books, and more!The podcast is called Heart Canon and every episode will have a special guest. This week's special guest is Paul Ritchey from Continue? and Pretend Friends and many, many other things. Paul wanted to talk about Stand By Me, a film I had not seen in over a decade.There are spoilers for Stand by Me bu...
Wrack & Rune is Out
Hello!Wrack & Rune is SuperTry's submission to the 2020 GMTK Jam!Joe did the music.Bryan Shepherd made the amazing cover art.I haven't slept in over 24 hours!This game wouldn't be possible without your support. Thank you so much for supporting SuperTry!I'm gonna take a nap!
Snack Run Blowout is Out
Hello!Snack Run Blowout is an interactive fiction game that we made over the course of two months! Joe Kenneally made the music and Hadley St. Clair wrote and directed it.For once I got to (mostly) just be a programmer. It was super awesome to work with Hadley and I can't wait to do it again.Snack Run Blowout deals with themes of growing up and preserving old friendships. Joe, Hadley, and I all went to high school together so this one hits close to home for us. I hope you enjoy it!Thanks for letting us make cool games! The next game will be...
DETH BRIK is Out
Hey everybody!DETH BRIK is a goofy violent game that Joe and I made in a week. We were shooting for the video game equivalent of one of those Japanese rage rooms where you can smash stuff? I think we got close.Also heads up, Patreon will be charging y'all a few cents more at the end of the month to comply with new digital tax laws or something. I went to the tiers and set all of the tax categories myself but I think most of what you're charged depends on what state you're in. Whee.I appreciate your donations now more than ever but i...
A Note From the Desk of Joe Kenneally, Music Director, SuperTry Studios
Good Afternoon Glorious Fans of SuperTry Studios,At the outset of May, the SuperTry team concocted a plan to create a pleasantly melancholy game that would chart an emotionalreckoning within a group of lifelong friends. The writing would have to be superb. The music spectacular. The impact would be felt deep in your hearts!Supreme Commander Kevin Cole rounded up a crack team including myself and Eternal General Secretary of the Emotional Interior, Hadley St. Clair to piece together what will be a beautiful traipse down into the valley of dialog...
