Porter's World

Importance of Music

I feel that the importance of game music is something that too many developers don’t think about enough. I often see game developers toss music into their games a the last minute, this always surprises me because often times the music doesn’t exactly fit the game all that well. The reason this strikes me is because it’s a horrible move; music can easily make or break a game. Music is not only something the player will hear throughout the entire game, but it’s something that helps set a mood and give personality to atmospheres and characters. It’s supposed to help create the world the player is being thrown into by complimenting the art, sharing emotions, and adding some depth. I may not be qualified to say how important music is in your flash games, but there’s definitely proof from those who are.

So you may be wondering, how can it be proved that high quality audio helps increase the quality of a game? Take a look at what Kane Minkus, managing partner of Somatone Interactive Audio, has to say,

“If you’ve ever thought that high quality audio doesn’t really increase the quality of your games, think again. Big Fish Games asked and the people have spoken! The 2008 awards for customers’ favorite games (http://games.bigfishgames.com/newsletters/jan06_2009.html) has been bestowed on the honored few. And lo and behold, here’s what we discovered!

Not only are we proud to declare that we produced the audio for the best game of all of 2008, Mystery Case Files: Return to Ravenhearst, but SomaTone’s premium audio work is also found in all the #1 games in every category barring one! And in that one category, the 1st runner up was also our game.

We had a winning game in every category. It can’t be a coincidence. High quality, custom tailored audio does make a difference in games. We are always dedicated to delivering this quality with low cost, efficient systems to bring our clients the most value.“

Those results are no coincidence indeed, that’s a very nice accomplishment and there’s no doubt in my mind that high quality audio played a part in it. As I said, music really helps set a mood. If you’re a console gamer as well, you may have played a Final Fantasy game or two. Think back to those games, what stands out the most? Characters, towns, cinemas, and music. What do all of the above have? They all contain music. When you think of Sephiroth from Final Fantasy 7, there’s a very high chance that “One Winged Angel” comes to mind. When you think back to the final battle in Final Fantasy X, you’re probably thinking of how cool it was that they used metal music rather than a traditional video game track. When you think of Super Mario World, you’ll probably have the music stuck in your head the rest of the day and remember how happy it sounds. All of the above are very memorable features of all those games, perhaps the most memorable. This isn’t a coincidence, it’s proof that great music truly is part of what makes a great game.

So it’s been proven, music is in fact a huge part of your game, but how big is it? I don’t think anyone can necessarily put an exact answer in place, but a rough estimate is definitely doable. Let’s look at it this way, if you were to play a hit game, and expected there to be music (some people mute it from the start and don’t care), how would you feel about it suddenly having no sound? I personally would be rather turned away, no matter how great the game. I can’t stand playing a game without sound, it drives me up the walls because I can’t get into it nearly as much. Imagine playing Drakojan Skies Acolytes without any music; no explosions of ships, no pick up sounds for power ups, no bad ass intro music or boss music to help set the mood, just nothing. I don’t care how great that game is, it would suffer incredibly from a lack of music, as would any great game.

In the end, it really isn’t a complicated concept to grasp. Music can make a break a game just as much as poor programming or horrible art can. If you’re not sure where to find music for games, be sure to check out my detailed list of various sources. Developers shouldn’t think of music as something that needs to be added, but more something they can use to their advantage to boost the value of their game. It all comes down to this, music is a key part of our every day lives, just because people aren’t specifically just listening to music when playing your game, doesn’t mean they shouldn’t get the luxury of listening to great music while doing so.

Becoming A Game Developer

As we’re all aware, or should be aware of, the path to becoming a game developer is not one that can be completed over night. Not only must you have certain mental abilities, but the skills that you must posses can not only exist, but must be refined. For example, I myself have a good eye for what elements in a game make the game more fun, and the elements that just make a game annoying. Despite my keen eye for this, I have a lot to learn, as all developers do. Certain activities should be done on a regular basis to refine the skills needed to be a successful developer, whether you’re a professional or just starting out. Playing games of all types on a regular basis is one of them.

It’s no mystery that playing games is something that all game developers should do. If you don’t play games that are successful, as well as unsuccessful, how can you possibly make a game that will come close to doing great itself? This may be common sense, but it goes a bit deeper. A common misconception floating around game developers and game testers is that when we play games, we’re just playing games. It’s not exactly like that, and if you think it is, I urge you to read on. When a developer or tester is playing games, they’re doing far more than laying back and enjoying some awesome games. As a developer, you must constantly analyze various aspects of games while playing them. Some of these include the length of the game, the fun factor, bugs, pacing, what’s annoying, difficulty, how easy is it to understand, and so on. Each of these aspects is just a main category as well, all can contain sub categories making the list larger than you would expect. It’s these game aspects that you need to pay attention to when playing a game.

Let’s take a deeper look into a specific game genre. Let’s go with any generic “Beat em up” game, Streets of rage, Captain Commando, Turtles in Time, take your pick. When thinking of these games, what important characteristics of the genre come to mind? First off, I would look into the move speed of the character. If the character is moving too slow, then those scrolling backgrounds better be damn pretty or the player is going to get bored fast. Second off, the amount of enemies the game throws at you per each area needs to be carefully thought out. If a game has too many enemies per small checkpoint, it may do one of two things. First off, it may be too hard. These games often aren’t too hard, that is, until one or more enemies decides to attack you at once like the little punks they usually are. Second off, it may make the pacing of the game drag, so it’s important that the number of enemies is too few rather than too many. Next, what makes this game stand out from the others? Almost every game out there has another game like it, if not many, so it’s important to have a few original features. In these games, that usually consisted of special moves (such as the cop car in streets of rage, or the different abilities for the 4 characters in Captain Commando). Although walking around and beating guys up is fun, the occasional destructible terrain such as boxes or phone booths is a very welcome addition. Looking back to difficulty, it’s important that there are enough items laying around to replenish your health (such as the infamous piece of meat on a place), but it’s also important not to have too many as this would decrease the difficulty dramatically. As far as level design goes, it’s important to keep the visuals new, and the way the level progresses interesting. For instance, most levels move left to right, the end resulting in a boss fight. It’s important that this isn’t the case in all levels. Elevators leading to new floors, holes in the floor to drop down into, getting on trains, hopping onto moving trucks, and many other forms of level navigation add to level design greatly and help mix things up. As you can see, I’ve gone into some pretty deep detail as to what should be examined in a “Beat em up” game. That said, there’s plenty more that could be examined; this is only a start, a nice start, but a start none the less.

Playing games doesn’t sound so fun now does it? Well it is, so don’t let the above get you down. Playing games as a developer is definitely hard work, but it’s one of the best activities you can do to get yourself to become a better game developer. In addition, a true game developer can analyze a game while enjoying it simultaneously. That said, if you’re a game developer in the works, or someone who’s just forgotten about how important it is to analyze games, make sure you really tear what makes a game what is apart next time you play.

Part 1 || Part 2 || Part 3

Becoming A Game Developer

There’s a lot of work needed in order to become a game developer. People often feel that if they have an artist who can animate, and a programmer who knows the language, that they’ve got a team ready to produce quality  games. In reality, those skills are just the tip of the iceberg. A team ready to produce games may be true, but nothing at all says those games are going to be of quality. It takes a lot more than knowing the coding language you’re using, or being an excellent artist; game design itself should be thought of as the third skill required along side programming and art.

I myself excel in my ability in game design. I admittedly lack in programming skills greatly in comparison to what I wish I knew, but I make up for that with my ability to both detect what makes a great game, and how to build one. I find it odd that most teams don’t feel they need a project manager of sorts, someone who understands how games work, what games are good, and what it takes to make them. The team doesn’t necessarily need someone dedicated specifically to this, but one of the artists or preferably programmers should have this skill.

The reason I give this position so much credit, other than the fact that it’s my strong point and I’m proud of it, is that it truly is a concept that I hope more teams embrace. We’ve all come to accept that average art won’t do, if you get higher quality art you’ll see your game value multiply by at least two-three times, if not significantly more. That being the artist’s job, we can look at the programmer now. The programmer is supposed to know what the game needs, then program it. They simply look at a set of instructions and bring the game to life. The last position, again in my opinion usually the secondary skill of the programmer, if not both members, is to know what it takes to make a great game. This however does not mean that the artist cannot have the mind set of a programmer and contain these skills as well, I simply imply that I believe them to be more common among programmers. They need to get over the hype of the game idea and analyze if the game will actually be quality fun; far too many games work as far as functionality, but when it comes to fun they’re simply a bore.

You may be wondering why I suggest that the programmer is the one who holds the magic of the third skill, the answer is simple. The programmer generally knows how the game works from the ground up. They must know how the ideas suggested will co-exist with ideas currently out there, and leave room for ideas to come. That being said, the programmer really shouldn’t be some guy reading an instruction manual on how to build the game, he should be deciding how the game itself is built. This can be done with a firm knowledge of programming, however it’s significantly easier if you possess the skill of understanding how games are built, as well as what makes them fun.

If you’ve already got these skills present within your team, you’re in great condition. If you lack these skills however, I highly suggest you look into partnering with somebody who has experience and understands the above concepts. They may seem like common sense at first, but it’s things like this that make the difference between the average games on the net and the big hits. I’ll continue on these thoughts with follow-up articles elaborating on how you can gain such skills yourself or refine what skills already exist. In the mean time, check out some other useful articles such as, The Importance of Plot and Game Inspiration, to help get yourself prepared for becoming a better game developer.

Part 1 || Part 2 || Part 3

Castle Crashing the Beard

Castle Crashing the Beard is an incredibly short game, but it offers a great amount of fun while it lasts. The game has fluid controls, great graphics, an addicting level up system, and an awesome boss that you’ll insist on seeing the death of once you start playing this great game. It is a bit on the hard side for the average casual gamer, but as a whole, it’s a great example of an awesome action flash game.

The game has a bit of an interesting back story, so we’ll look at that quickly. Tom Fulp, creator of Alien Hominid, and owner of Newgrounds, was working day and night on finishing Castle Crashers, which the characters of this game are based off of. As motivation to complete the game, he vowed to stop shaving his beard until his job was completed. As a result, Tom had a beast of a beard (not really, but in comparison to his normally shaved self, yeah, so we’ll go with it). This beard inspired his friends and co-workers to make a game joking of how his beard will grow beastly and destroy all.

The object of the game is to play as a Castle Crasher and destroy Tom’s beard before it destroys you. It’s a simple 1 on 1 boss battle, you vs the beard. You can attack at close range, or charge your attack if you have mp and shoot a semi long ranged attack. Each hit earns you experience points to level up your character, which gives you better attack, combos and a sweet new look. Although the boss AI follows a simple pattern as all classic arcade games did, many players may find the challenge a bit overwhelming as you must be a bit cautious about taking damage since your life is low.

The strongest point of Castle Crashing the Beard is the simplicity of it. You press one button on the start menu and are immediately in the middle of your one and only fight of the game. Aside from the jump in and play action element, many players will find the game strongly addicting as they not only try to beat the boss, but level up their character to the max level, win or lose. The controls are as simple as can be, and because of this instructions really aren’t needed. The movement is fluid, the speeds perfect and the action is fast paced, all very welcome attributes for any game.

In the end, Castle Crashing the Beard is a simple game that will take you between 3 minutes and an hour, but it’s enjoyable for what it is. It lacks any serious depth (although the engine could certainly be used for a longer game), and it is, as I mentioned, a bit on the hard side. In addition, there’s also a neat Easter egg for any oldschool gamers like myself out there, the ending credits screen is based off of the credits screen from Super Mario Bros 2 for the NES. That aside, it’s a fast paced arcade boss battle that will surely entertain you until you destroy the beard.

Grid 16

Grid 16 is a rather under-appreciated flash game that not enough people know about. It offers some intense gaming moments and a unique twist on classic games that is sure to entertain anyone who takes the time to check it out. Simple controls, visuals, and goals, make this the perfect game to pick up and play on a lunch break.

Grid 16 plays in a very unique way, it’s actually 16 mini games tossed together to form one large game. The game will randomly jump between games after a set amount of time, and as you last longer, the speed at which the games are played increases. If you lose at a game, it takes it out of the 16 games you can play, and you’re left with the remaining games until there are none left. As speed increases and you get better at the games, so do the intense gamer moments that have you on the edge of your seat.

The strongest characteristic of Grid 16 is it’s casual gameplay. The ability to jump in and instantly play 16 mini games in just a few minutes gives a perfect experience for many casual gamers. Aside from the simple controls that are easy to pick up and get the hang of, all 16 games resemble basic mechanics seen in games time and time again, so players can instantly relate to what’s going on within seconds of seeing the game. It isn’t easy by any means, so competitive gamers get a challenge as well through the high score boards. Aside from it’s casual gameplay, the concept of flying between 16 different games at a face pace is entertaining in itself; it’s a unique gameplay mechanic that very few other games offer. A few other games such as Four Second Frenzy and Four Second Fury have used the same concept, but Grid 16 takes it a step higher with the increased speed mechanic and a few other minor tweaks.

As far as fast paced mini games go, Grid 16 is basically the best choice out there. It’s addicting, unique, and most important, entertaining. It doesn’t have all that much depth, but if you insist on getting on the high score boards you’ll have quite the task in front of you. If you find yourself reading this and you haven’t checked it out yet, give Grid 16 a play and help spread this under-appreciated flash gem.

Raider Episode 1

They just don’t make games like they used to, or do they? Some developers do indeed make them like they used to and Raider Episode 1 is proof. Raider Episode 1 looks and feels like an incredibly refined NES game. It offers incredible challenge, simple controls and tons of platforming goodness. In my opinion, Raider Episode 1 has definitely come the closest any flash game has ever come to delivering the challenge and feel of a a great classic NES game.

As I mentioned, Raider Episode 1 offers an incredibly challenging experience. It is by far too challenging for any casual flash gamer, but it delivers an experience unlike any other flash game on the net today. The level design is fantastic, the enemies simple, yet fun, and the distance between check points far enough to nearly drive you crazy, but close enough to keep you addicted and trying over and over when you die and start at the last one. The art is very retro, but refined to appeal to those who dislike pure 8-bit graphics, which is a smart move since I’ve found that points are often taken away in the public’s eye if you go too retro. The music is awesome and the sound effects incredibly retro and fitting. There are 3 difficulty modes for players to select, the easiest still being a bit too hard for casual flash gamers, and the hardest challenging the most hardcore NES veterans. For those who really desire a challenge, the game awards you a rank after completion which ranges from E to S, S being the best. This rank will be saved to your computer and read in when playing future installments of the game as well. Regardless of the difficulty selected, there is enough difficulty in this game to satisfy anyone with a thirst for challenge.

Unlike most NES games, Raider Episode 1 does in fact have a story. It’s going to be slowly introduced throughout five episodes. You play as Arkus Zei, a space pirate in need of some currency. Arkus is told of a rumor regarding a great ship filled with relics from a civilization that long ago destroyed themselves. Out of curiosity you pursue the coordinates you were told and indeed arrive upon a large ship. You must navigate this ship in search for relics and escape with the loot. You are armed with a close range sword and a long ranged blaster to defeat any threats you encounter. In addition to the default story, players will be able to see a slightly altered version of the story in the final installment, if their rank throughout all five episodes meets the requirements. The story is interesting enough and most will enjoy the additional content, and those who don’t can simply skip it. All in all it’s a nice addition that helps wrap up the package for this great game.

Overall there can’t be enough said to do this game justice. The game did suffer some rather low ratings on the net, but that’s unfortunately the result of developers holding the hands of players and making things too easy in modern day games. In the end, Raider Episode 1 is perfect for anyone looking to go back to the NES days or a great challenge, definitely give this game a fair play, you won’t regret it.

Drakojan Skies Acolytes

As many of my readers and friends may know, I’m a huge fan of RaidenX, a fan made flash tribute to the Raiden series.  There is however, another great game of it’s type, one that I enjoy just as much, if not more than RaidenX, that game is Drakojan Skies Acolytes.

Drakojan Skies Acolytes is a horizontal arcade shooter that rivals even the best of which arcades have seen. It has amazing graphics, an upbeat soundtrack, and very challenging, yet enjoyable gameplay. The game offers many characters and ships to choose from, and has 7 missions to play through. The game offers a Star Fox 64 style level layout, meaning you can beat mission one and go to either 2 or 3, and then branch again from there, ultimately ending up at mission 7. The missions range in difficulty greatly, and there is enough challenge for even the most hardcore arcade shooter fans out there, believe me, I just died on mission 6 after playing for a half hour. As you encounter enemies within the fast paced action, you can attack with your primary weapon, your secondary weapon which is a small bomb that explodes mid air below you when dropped, and lastly your special weapon. Both your primary and secondary weapon can be upgraded during gameplay as you encounter power-ups, and your special weapon can be upgraded between stages in the workshop using the points you’ve earned by defeating enemies. On top of all these great features, the game even comes complete with a few unlockables such as a new character, new ship, and some extra modes to play your favorite levels.

This game is admittedly not entirely suited for the flash game audience, that however means nothing on the quality of the game. It is significantly too hard for the average flash gamer out there, but I believe the developers simply stayed true to their original image and never eased on the difficulty just to please the majority. This is perhaps what hurt the game from becoming the next big flash hit on the internet, on the other hand those who appreciate it for what it is truly enjoy every moment of it.

The game excels in a number of ways, graphics definitely being one of those. Drakojan Skies Acolytes has some of the most impressive flash game graphics I’ve encountered to date. The characters are beautifully drawn, the textures and images professionally done, and the effects look spectacular. With very little additional work the graphics could definitely be suitable for an arcade cabinet launch. Aside from graphics, the game is very action oriented. There is never a slow moment or dull boss battle you can let your guard down on, the entire game is fast paced and loaded with activity. In addition to the great graphics and fast paced action, the music is definitely a plus as well. The music although scarce at times, is very suiting. The genres range from epic, to metal, which may sound odd at first, but amidst the action it certainly plays it’s role.

If you are in any way a fan of arcade shooters and haven’t played this yet, I strongly encourage you to give it a fair play through. If you happen to like the game enough, you can play Drakojan Skies Missions 1-3 for a bit more of the same great action. Overall I can’t really see anything to improve upon in this game, it’s perfect for what it is and has everything I look for when trying to go back and get the feeling that great arcade shooters have to offer.

Dolphin Olympics 2

Dolphin Olympics 2 is easily one of my favorite flash games of all time. It’s got one of the best balances of exploration, casual gameplay, as well as hardcore gameplay. The graphics are great and the controls are simple. This balance of traits is something every flash game should aim for, and there are few games that pull it off as well as Dolphin Olympics 2 does.

Exploration has always been an aspect of game design that I feel I give more credit to than most developers. There’s something amazing about beating an area of a game and waiting to see not only what happens next, but where next is. What enemies are there? What does the world look like? How is the music there? These questions drove me to play games as a child, as well as inspire me to develop games now. The exploration in Dolphin Olympics 2 is probably it’s strongest characteristic, most players don’t see it coming. You start off jumping around in the ocean with other small fish, but as you learn how the game works, you’ll quickly be jumping out of the water and into space, with enough skill that is. I was amazed when I saw the moon for the first time as I got high enough into the sky, never did I think the game would allow me to reach planets deep in space, nor did I think the amount of skill needed to do so possible. From the moment you see the moon for the first time, there is a certain thrill that drives you to keep going, “What’s next?” will be running through your head and a rush of curiosity and adrenaline will easily make you lose track of time. This feeling is powered by exploration, the need to see what’s next, to me, a key element in game design that is often never taken into consideration.

Another less known element, but increasing in popularity, is relaxation. To emphasize this point, we’ll  look at a popular video game company that’s been around forever, Nintendo. Believe it or not, Nintendo actually has plans to expand their market to target people looking for relaxation. They want to create games that serve the purpose of relaxing the player. During E3, Miyamoto spoke of games that would help you relax and fall asleep at night being in the near future. Although Dolphin Olympics 2 has been out for some time now, I believe such an element has already existed within the game. Perhaps not strong enough to put you asleep, but definitely to a point of relaxation. The simple controls, awesome sound effects, and casual gameplay, create a great atmosphere for anyone who doesn’t want to jump deep into a game and just wants to casually mess around with no real fixation on the game.

The game also stands out in it’s flexibility of both casual and hardcore gameplay. The game will at first to any player seem very casual, you jump around in the water and have a good time. However, as you get used to the gameplay, experienced gamers will quickly see there is a much larger goal at hand. It’s possible to gain momentum and reach incredible heights. This is perfect for both levels of gamers because the casual gamer doesn’t know such things exist, and therefore isn’t bothered with trying, while the hardcore player has a goal at hand that will challenge them indefinitely.

Overall, Dolphin Olympics 2 offers an amazing experience. The game has something to offer to nearly all players, something many games lack and lose a lot of players over. The game itself is oddly addicting and has players coming back even months later, which is very impressive for a flash game. Whether you feel like going for a swim, or stopping by the diner at the end of the universe, Dolphin Olympics 2 definitely has something for you to enjoy.

You're Not Done

There’s always a lot of talk about how to make great games. From my experience however, there isn’t too much talk about what to do after your game is completed. Believe it or, there’s a lot of work to be done after your game is completed, and it’s quite possibly just as important as the work done beforehand.

Let’s take a look at the obvious work that must be done after completing your game, as said above, finding a sponsor. It may sound straight forward, but the sponsor you pick goes far beyond the current project you just completed. Picking the right sponsor could be your doorway to a stable relationship with that sponsor and help increase speed as well as revenue earned from future projects. If you own your own portal, you’ll want a splash intro screen that leads back to your site. It’s not he main branding of the game, but if the game does well enough this will get you a considerable amount of traffic. With this in mind, it’s very important to pick a sponsor that has a great distribution program. Some of the bigger sponsors will push your game much further than any of the smaller sponsors could wish to. Spreading your game to as many players as possible helps build you a name, and that name can prove incredibly powerful down the road when you have a few games under your belt.

Moving on from the more known knowledge and diving into the lesser known works of post-completion. Once your game is sponsored and released, there’s a lot to be done. Submitting your game to all the right portals is a must do. Such sites include, Kongregate, Newgrounds, Armor Games, MiniJuegos, AllGamesAllFree and FlashGameDistribution. It’s important that you the developer upload to these sites, because in most cases your sponsor can’t submit them. If possible you should add in medals to your Newgrounds games, and include the API on Kongregate in case Greg picks your game for badges, which is a huge plus.

There is also extra money to be made beyond getting your upfront sponsor payment. Sites such as, Newgrounds, Kongregate and Fizzy all offer revenue share plans to developers, and if you’re game gets enough views this could mean some very nice additional money in your pocket. Another huge plus to spreading your game around the net and getting exposure is the wonderful concept of non-exclusive licenses, or NE’s for short. Sites will contact you to buy a license for a site locked copy of your game on their site, given your game is successful enough. These copies generally sell between $100-$400, and up to $1000 in special cases. These sponsors pay for you to remove all outgoing links and original branding, which in most sponsorship cases is allowed according to your agreement, but always double check before signing a contract. In addition to the above, if you have in game advertisements in your game you can also see an extra chunk of change if your game does well. With all of the above you can be seeing a very nice amount of extra money, one that can sometimes exceed your original payment. I think it’s safe to say that under no circumstances should the above events be skipped before you jump into your next game.

Another hugely overlooked aspect of post-completion is relationship building. Making your sponsor proud to have selected your game is very important and builds a foundation for future sponsorships. Having this kind of a relationship scores you more money in the future, and also saves you time looking for a sponsor since you can directly contact your previous sponsor to pitch ideas or show them a finished product before anyone else sees it. This is exceptionally important seeing as one of the major loses many people suffer is a load of down time between games due to looking for a sponsor.

By now it’s no mystery that the work doesn’t end upon getting a sponsor. There’s reputation to be had, money to be earned and relationships to be created or fortified. The bonuses of having a good reputation help future games enormously, and a bit of reputation never hurt anyone’s ego. The extra money is great, and in cases such as mine can even pay rent between games. Overall there’s a lot of extra work to be done once your game is complete, but it’s certainly not without reward.

Physics Games

I’m sure nearly everyone reading this is aware of the success that physics based games have been bringing in. Games such as Splitter, Super Stacker, Fantastic Contraption, Totem Destroyer and Civiballs have done amazingly well on the net thus far. There’s clearly something majestic about these games in the eye of the player, but what is it? Do they feel that the game is better because it offers realistic physics which are rarely seen in games? Does the general public (dare I say it) enjoy using their brains to solve puzzles using real life knowledge? There’s something about these games that really draws players in, and because of that, sponsors too.

Many developers have heard of the Box2D physics engine, the power behind nearly all of these highly successful physics games. Many developers enjoy using this amazing tool, while others put it down for one reason or another. Regardless of developers opinions, it’s clear that the games produced with Box2D that were given a decent amount of effort pay off very well. Civiballs is the highest paid sponsored game by King.com, and many other physics games are up there among other sponsors. Many developers like to use Gemcraft as the ideal example of a successful game, which it certainly is, but what many of them don’t know, is that some of these physics based games have sold for more, a lot more. Without a doubt, games such as Gemcraft have a ton of more work put into them, but somehow these physics games with a significantly lower effort put into them (not low, just lower) are doing amazingly well along side them. With this newly found info to many of you, you may want to think twice about ignoring Box2D any longer, unless you prefer making less money for more work. That’s not to say developers should all flock to physics games and abandon others, but I’d love to see some more creative takes on the genre, and I’m sure sponsors would be willing to dish out the cash, judging by recent sales of similar games.

Let’s take a closer look at a physics game and dissect it, let’s try and figure out what makes these games so successful. Dynamic Systems is a brand new game (at the time of writing this) that was sponsored for a price that definitely sits up among the top paid for games. The goal is to guide a small metal ball to the bucket in each stage using various tools such as dominoes, bouncing platforms, metal rails and more. My first impression of this game’s success, as with most physics based games, is that it’s incredibly user friendly. I’m against hand-holding in most cases, but it actually works in these kind of games and I know from experience in game design that players love to have things spelled out for them, at least at first. There really isn’t any confusion to be found within the first few levels, new elements are introduced one by one and in very easy scenarios. The trick here is that the difficulty would be boring if it was the same over and over, however since a new mechanic is introduced every level for some time, the difficulty is completely disregarded, a smart move in level design. Once you’ve learned every mechanic the game has to offer, it’s up to you to think on your own and solve the puzzles combining your newly found knowledge. From a player perspective, I believe I can see why these games do so well. Most flash game players are complete novices at games, they don’t like a huge challenge, especially at first. These games teach you everything you need to know step by step in a way that isn’t boring, nor does it actually appear to be a tutorial you would normally click through, despite the fact that the first few levels indeed are just a tutorial in disguise. Aside from that, I believe the realistic approach of using physics, something we encounter every day in the real world, really appeals to gamers. I believe they feel like the developer has done a good job mimicking the real world and that impresses them. Not only that, the real physics makes them feel comfortable because they’re already aware of many of the reactions they will get in the game, because it’s based on what they live with every day in the real world.

Regardless of my opinion on why these games are successful, they certainly do well. Players love them time after time and the games seem to recieve a higher number of views than their surrounding games on nearly all portals. Weather you’re a fan of Box2D or not, I would recommend giving it a look. If you’ve got a creative mind and the ability to use this library, you’re certain to come out with some very nice cash in the next few months. On a complete side note, I recently said that achievements were going to be the next big thing in flash games, now it seems that real physics is the new trend, sponsors better check their bank accounts when developers start using both.