SnowballZ dev-blog

Another blog update. And along with it, a couple of breakthroughs that we managed to make in the past few days!

We have now started work on an official SnowballZ trailer. This will be the first look-and-feel of what the game will actually be. But that’s not all! The in-game penguin hat customizer is now completed: this means your own head-wear for the penguins is now possible! Tweaking and polishing is still being done of course, but the major part is done. Apart from that, we have ported the map editor to Windows along with some secret-extra tools that will come for free with the game. A full development kit included with the game for no price at all! What more could a true gamer want?

However, the biggest SnowballZ milestone that we established is something different: we have successfuly set up an installer for Windows and Mac users! What this means is that as soon as the game is released you’ll be only 2 clicks away from playing the best winter experience ever! No need to worry about external libraries! No need to worry about complicated dependencies! The software itself will solve these problems for you (and it works in Vista quite well, too!). To all Linux users: have no fear. We are currently designing an automated process for binary package creation, so all you Ubuntu, Fedora, Debian etc. users will be able to share the gaming experience in few easy steps!

Quite recently a new problem came up for us: support for foreign languages (foreign to English that is). Following suggestions that some of you sent us, we have now started discussion about which languages should we support in the game and how easy it will be to introduce new ones (we will surely focus on German, French and Spanish, but more languages might come up). If you would like to see SnowballZ in your local language feel free to let us know about it!

/Krzysztof

SnowballZ – Be a hero in SubZero!

Get ready for the greatest winter experience ever! Take control of a penguin colony and help them become the masters of the snowy plains. “SnowballZ – Be a hero in Sub-zero!” is a fun and entertaining multiplayer RTS experience for everyone from kids, to adults, to those looking for a quick and easy bit of fun. Traverse through beautiful icy landscapes, face opposing penguin teams and collect treasures hidden all over the place!

SnowballZ will provide you with access to a game server, where you’ll be able to play with hundreds of people from all over the world in hundreds of different game rooms. But that’s not all! As a paying player, you’ll have the chance to create a game room of your own. Create a small society of your own and attract other players! Benefits and surprises await the most active members…

SnowballZ is:

• …a great gaming experience for all RTS/RPG fans of all ages and for all amounts of time.
• …hilarious! Just listen to the penguins talk and sing!
• …great for socializing. Play with people all over the world in hundreds of different game rooms. Create your own mini-societies and become a SnowballZ super-snow-star!
• …more than just multiplayer. You’ll be able to take part in dozens of different scenarios and campaigns, where brains might be a better part of valor than brawn.
• *FREE! (more info is coming soon about paid features)

Traverse the land in search of other teams and treasure

Regain your health by collecting food and gain points by gathering minerals. Look at them penguins talk!

Mmmm…. foood.

Battling the evil robo penguins.

Frozen by the robo-penguins!

After a short break we get back to you with more news flashes: Things are really gaining on speed right now and we are more busy than ever!

Thing that will probably interest you most: new features have been added to the overall game design. We have now introduced concepts of several different neutral units that will wander around the game world: either willing to join you or attack you. Obviously we can’t tell you too much (why waste the surprise?), but one of the featured creatures will be the fierce skua bird, natural enemy of the penguin. You will either engage it in battle or set forth on many exciting campaigns - it all depends on the mood a given skua will be in!

Did I mention that the penguins are now able to talk? I did? But I certainly did not tell you about the penguins SINGING! That’s right folks. Not only will the penguins entertain you with funny and witty chats, they will also sing you a tune or two when they’re in good mood! Trust me people, when the game is out, you will probably spend the first couple of hours just idling, standing there and waiting for the penguins to do their regular stuff when they’re bored!

On more technical side: we’re currently at the stage of major cleanup and reorganization. Old documentation is being refreshed and updated with new features, we’re planning the testing of every specific game component in detail and obviously: still looking for a publisher Also, for the past couple of days we’ve come up with solutions to ease the download/installation process for Windows users. Surprisingly for us, it turned out to be a bit more confusing than we thought at first!

Most of the development has been done on the backend side of the game, so there is really not much to show right now. What we can say is that the gameplay is improving, penguins are cuter and they move/behave more naturally now.  Be sure to check out this blog within a couple of days to see the official market description of SnowballZ.  By the way: did I mention that we have devised a cunning and catchy tagline?

More to come… soon.

/Krzysztof

Today we will present you with a couple of screenshots from our current development product. This is obviously just a glimpse, but we want to give you a small idea on what you might expect when the game is released! (click the thumbnail for full sized image):

Things have been generally going smoothly for the past week - as usual Michael is attending the GDC as I type, promoting our game, getting more fans and spreading the word of SnowballZ to general public. The developers are working hard on the igloos and the UI - a prototype interface is already completed and being revised by the entire team. Last but not least - the penguins SPEAK! Marek, our audio guy prepared several samples of what the penguins may sound like. While we cannot tell you more details on that yet, I can assure you - you’ll love it

All in all, our new work system seems to its job - our flow of information has improved and the general pace of work has increased (despite the fact that most of us work fulltime and treat SnowballZ as a hobby).

Keep up the good work guys!

/Krzysztof