From chriscow at bakedon.com Wed Oct 1 19:55:25 2008 From: chriscow at bakedon.com (Chris Cowherd) Date: Wed, 1 Oct 2008 16:55:25 -0700 Subject: [casual_games] Fwd: Up and coming CMMOs In-Reply-To: References: <86d373b40809290927o7d671aecu5ff13cb8351465c1@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <7f9be3b10810011655y628ba49bm4389b6fb48abcdbe@mail.gmail.com> I've been keeping a pretty good eye on the space for about a year now. I'm seeing some interesting implementations but generally most fall into the dress-up-chat-and-decorate bucket. I think the players for this genre will tire and be looking for more. My kids like to play in virtual worlds, MMOs. Every time I find a new one, I send them off to play it and gauge their response and I have found, over and over that they continue to come back to Puzzle Pirates and yes, they want me to buy doubloons. You're welcome Mr. James :) Dressing up and chatting with bad grammar tends to bore them. Like a lot of folks, we are working on one as well. I think there is still plenty of space out there but I think differentiation will take you a long way. We are approaching it from the platform side, meaning we are developing a server platform capable of delivering a much richer experience in Flash with client side libraries to create a game of significant scale (for Flash at least). Chris Cowherd BakedOn Entertainment From: James Baker - WDDG/Funtank Date: Tue, Sep 30, 2008 at 6:00 PM Subject: [casual_games] Up and coming CMMOs To: IGDA Casual Games SIG Mailing List I was wondering if anyone is keeping an eye on the current crop of CMMOs. I've been seeing quite a few pop up recently, so I was curious if anyone thought that any of these new contenders might have a chance at being a new puzzle-pirates or club-penguin. At Candystand.com we're looking to possibly partner with one (or a couple) of the CMMOs. Thanks! James Baker WDDG/Funtank candystand.com j ames at wddg.com james at candystand.com _______________________________________________ Casual_Games mailing list Casual_Games at igda.org http://www.igda.org/casual-subscribe Archive: http://www.igda.org/casual-subscribe Archive Search: http://www.google.com/coop/cse?cx=010373383720242846960%3Az3tdwggxil8 List FAQ: http://www.igda.org/wiki/index.php/Casual_Games_SIG/Casual_Games_List_FAQ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From d.utian at unsw.edu.au Sat Oct 4 01:13:17 2008 From: d.utian at unsw.edu.au (Dean Utian) Date: Sat, 4 Oct 2008 15:13:17 +1000 Subject: [casual_games] Director Roadmap Survey - Last Days Message-ID: <5DAFA60717EC4AB1BF002D1780DCE430@deanutian> Hi all, Some of you may have seen my post in Director forums or Charles' one here. For those who haven't, I've created a comprehensive survey to take a snapshot of the views and expectations of users of Director. I'm going to close the survey in 10 days. I'd love to get substantial numbers to validate the results collected. So, I urge all who have some connection to Director to visit the survey site and post your answers. The URL that will start you off to the survey is at: http://www.deansdirectortutorials.com/survey/DirectorRoadmap/ Once you get going with the survey, you'll see there are questions that ask you to describe how you implement features in real products. These questions can be time consuming. I'm happy for these to be skipped as I have a number of responses already. But, still would like many more responses to the feature ranking questions. The survey asks what type of products people create. When I release the results, I will give some analysis of how games developers compare to say application developers. Of course, the more I get from each group, the more meaningful this comparison becomes. Thanks for reading. regards Dean -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From eric at darktonic.com Mon Oct 6 13:41:19 2008 From: eric at darktonic.com (Eric Boosman) Date: Mon, 6 Oct 2008 12:41:19 -0500 Subject: [casual_games] Design resources In-Reply-To: <86d373b40809290927o7d671aecu5ff13cb8351465c1@mail.gmail.com> References: <86d373b40809290927o7d671aecu5ff13cb8351465c1@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <048c01c927da$be58e360$3b0aaa20$@com> Hi Jade, I can't recommend this book enough. It's called The Art of Game Design, and it's so chock full of specific ideas, thoughts and advice that I think anyone doing game design of any type should read it (not just video games). In addition, I think anyone involved in game development in any facet should read this to help them understand the fundamental principles in game design and why we play. It gives a great big picture look at the process, as well as practical advice for the details. http://www.amazon.com/Art-Game-Design-book-lenses/dp/0123694965/ref=pd_bbs_s r_1?ie=UTF8 &s=books&qid=1223314792&sr=8-1 Cheers, Eric Boosman Creative Director Mock Science From: casual_games-bounces at igda.org [mailto:casual_games-bounces at igda.org] On Behalf Of Juan Gril Sent: Monday, September 29, 2008 11:27 AM To: IGDA Casual Games SIG Mailing List Subject: Re: [casual_games] Design resources http://www.igda.org/wiki/Casual_Games_SIG/Whitepaper/Production_and_Design On Mon, Sep 29, 2008 at 4:43 AM, Jade Tidy wrote: Hey, Can you recommend any books, websites or forums that can help expand my knowledge for game design? The areas I'm specifically interested in are UI & level design, especially how visuals can dictate play. Many thanks, Jade _______________________________________________ Casual_Games mailing list Casual_Games at igda.org http://www.igda.org/casual-subscribe Archive: http://www.igda.org/casual-subscribe Archive Search: http://www.google.com/coop/cse?cx=010373383720242846960%3Az3tdwggxil8 List FAQ: http://www.igda.org/wiki/index.php/Casual_Games_SIG/Casual_Games_List_FAQ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From oscar.oscar.oscar at gmail.com Mon Oct 6 15:36:20 2008 From: oscar.oscar.oscar at gmail.com (oscar is oscar) Date: Mon, 6 Oct 2008 15:36:20 -0400 Subject: [casual_games] Hello World 3.0! Oscar at Lucid Circus dot com here Message-ID: <17025ae50810061236m288a26a6v8405f7235c9758df@mail.gmail.com> Hey, after much tomfoolery I've decided to get out of the consultant racket for a while and work with a firm with an established track record of success and a phenomenal portfolio of satisfied clients. I am now Executive Producer and Brand Manager for Lucid Circus. The bulk of our work is done in and around Prague, and I'm here in NYC building out more brands and getting people's projects done on time and under budget. Please take a look at lucidcircus.com and be sure to check out our showreel (top right corner). We're looking to advance casual gaming as a platform and as a production model, so please feel free to ping me with inquiries and well wishes. Let's make 09 the year that Casual REALLY makes it Mainstream! Best, Oscar de Leon Brand Manager Executive Producer Lucid Circus NYC/Prague oscar at lucidcircus.com 917 720 4266 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From trebconnell at gmail.com Mon Oct 6 17:48:19 2008 From: trebconnell at gmail.com (Treb Connell) Date: Mon, 6 Oct 2008 14:48:19 -0700 Subject: [casual_games] Design resources In-Reply-To: <048c01c927da$be58e360$3b0aaa20$@com> References: <86d373b40809290927o7d671aecu5ff13cb8351465c1@mail.gmail.com> <048c01c927da$be58e360$3b0aaa20$@com> Message-ID: I will recommend reading "A Theory of Fun For Game Design", by Raph Koster, a very interesting book. On Mon, Oct 6, 2008 at 10:41 AM, Eric Boosman wrote: > Hi Jade, > > > > I can't recommend this book enough. It's called The Art of Game Design, > and it's so chock full of specific ideas, thoughts and advice that I think > anyone doing game design of any type should read it (not just video games). > > > > In addition, I think anyone involved in game development in any facet > should read this to help them understand the fundamental principles in game > design and why we play. It gives a great big picture look at the process, > as well as practical advice for the details. > > > > > http://www.amazon.com/Art-Game-Design-book-lenses/dp/0123694965/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1223314792&sr=8-1 > > > > Cheers, > > > > Eric Boosman > > Creative Director > > Mock Science > > > > > > *From:* casual_games-bounces at igda.org [mailto: > casual_games-bounces at igda.org] *On Behalf Of *Juan Gril > *Sent:* Monday, September 29, 2008 11:27 AM > *To:* IGDA Casual Games SIG Mailing List > *Subject:* Re: [casual_games] Design resources > > > > http://www.igda.org/wiki/Casual_Games_SIG/Whitepaper/Production_and_Design > > On Mon, Sep 29, 2008 at 4:43 AM, Jade Tidy wrote: > > Hey, > > > > Can you recommend any books, websites or forums that can help expand my > knowledge for game design? The areas I'm specifically interested in are UI & > level design, especially how visuals can dictate play. > > > > Many thanks, > > > > Jade > > > > > _______________________________________________ > Casual_Games mailing list > Casual_Games at igda.org > http://www.igda.org/casual-subscribe > Archive: http://www.igda.org/casual-subscribe > Archive Search: > http://www.google.com/coop/cse?cx=010373383720242846960%3Az3tdwggxil8 > List FAQ: > http://www.igda.org/wiki/index.php/Casual_Games_SIG/Casual_Games_List_FAQ > > > > _______________________________________________ > Casual_Games mailing list > Casual_Games at igda.org > http://www.igda.org/casual-subscribe > Archive: http://www.igda.org/casual-subscribe > Archive Search: > http://www.google.com/coop/cse?cx=010373383720242846960%3Az3tdwggxil8 > List FAQ: > http://www.igda.org/wiki/index.php/Casual_Games_SIG/Casual_Games_List_FAQ > > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From paul_steven at btinternet.com Tue Oct 7 02:23:06 2008 From: paul_steven at btinternet.com (Paul Steven) Date: Tue, 7 Oct 2008 07:23:06 +0100 Subject: [casual_games] Sample voice over script In-Reply-To: References: <86d373b40809290927o7d671aecu5ff13cb8351465c1@mail.gmail.com> <048c01c927da$be58e360$3b0aaa20$@com> Message-ID: <01ca01c92845$297a1190$7c6e34b0$@com> I need to write a voice over script for an educational game I am developing and thought it would be useful to see some examples of formats of voice over scripts. Perhaps there is a format voice over artists are familiar with or prefer? If anyone can supply me with any sample voice over scripts I would be most grateful. Basically I was just going to create a word document with a number beside each separate voice over chunk. Thanks in advance Paul -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From aaron at tandemgames.com Tue Oct 7 10:03:37 2008 From: aaron at tandemgames.com (Aaron Murray) Date: Tue, 7 Oct 2008 09:03:37 -0500 Subject: [casual_games] Sample voice over script In-Reply-To: <01ca01c92845$297a1190$7c6e34b0$@com> References: <86d373b40809290927o7d671aecu5ff13cb8351465c1@mail.gmail.com> <048c01c927da$be58e360$3b0aaa20$@com> <01ca01c92845$297a1190$7c6e34b0$@com> Message-ID: <3129a3da0810070703h3da37208t725218550271bda7@mail.gmail.com> Hi Paul, This is topical because I was just speaking with DB Cooper about voice over scripts and what makes them good/bad. She was saying that most scripts she has seen (from game companies) are excel spreadsheets that have numbers on each line, and the words to say. If she is lucky she'll get a one word emotion next to that. This, she says, is about the worst case scenario for a voice actor because there is no situational relevance for the lines. They don't know who they are talking to, or if the line is uttered to self, etc. Also, there are different levels of "angry" or "sad" depending on the situation. So...she said that any close to a movie script is what they typically want, and they *need* this to be able to deliver a quality performance. That said, I am attaching the final version of a VO script we did for Crunch Time. It has all of our version editing notes in there, so it may look wonky, but you can see the thoughts & progression beside some of the word choices, in addition to the script itself, which helps the actors understand as much as they can. The game itself is a simple demo (though it won the 08 Intel demo contest), but is filled with quality VO we paid for. You can either check out the .ogg files in the install folder, or play the game to compare the script to the VO that was delivered. Download it here if you want to listen: http://www.vmcgamelabs.com/pixelandvega/CrunchTimeSetup.zip I hope this helps. I'd also love to see what other companies have done for their VO scripts. Aaron Murray Technical Director, Co-founder Tandem Games www.TandemGames.com www.DomainOfHeroes.com "Fun for All. All for Fun." On Tue, Oct 7, 2008 at 1:23 AM, Paul Steven wrote: > I need to write a voice over script for an educational game I am > developing and thought it would be useful to see some examples of formats of > voice over scripts. Perhaps there is a format voice over artists are > familiar with or prefer? If anyone can supply me with any sample voice over > scripts I would be most grateful. > > > > Basically I was just going to create a word document with a number beside > each separate voice over chunk. > > > > Thanks in advance > > > > Paul > > _______________________________________________ > Casual_Games mailing list > Casual_Games at igda.org > http://www.igda.org/casual-subscribe > Archive: http://www.igda.org/casual-subscribe > Archive Search: > http://www.google.com/coop/cse?cx=010373383720242846960%3Az3tdwggxil8 > List FAQ: > http://www.igda.org/wiki/index.php/Casual_Games_SIG/Casual_Games_List_FAQ > > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: CrunchTime_Scriptv3_8.doc Type: application/msword Size: 78848 bytes Desc: not available Url : From mike at pileatedpictures.com Wed Oct 8 07:57:00 2008 From: mike at pileatedpictures.com (Michael Levine) Date: Wed, 08 Oct 2008 07:57:00 -0400 Subject: [casual_games] Up and coming CMMOs (Colin Cardwell) In-Reply-To: Message-ID: Hi Check out www.planetcazmo.com We have been live since January, have hundreds of thousands of registered users from over 160 countries, are in a deal with AOL and just added Allposters.com support (so kids can put Star Wars and Hannah Montana on their walls ? woohoo!). We also create Hasbro?s only virtual world for the Littlest Pet Shop (VIPs) which is live in 15 languages and 25 countries. We have very solid tech and experience in creating and maintaining browser based virtual worlds. Despite how crowded the space seems to have gotten, you can count the people who can say they have made and supported one of these on just 1 or two hands. In my opinion, if you think kids want Puzzle Pirates you don?t understand this space at all, with all due respect. These kids who play Club Penguin and Cazmo are very different animals than the ?gamers? the game industry has been serving for years. These kids don?t care about games, or high scores, etc, as much as they care about social activities and other interactions. We have the tech in place to make a new virtual world live in a fraction of the time of most, so if anyone is thinking of making these and wants to save time and money, give us a holler! Mike -- Michael Levine Pileated Pictures http://www.pileated.com http://www.planetcazmo.com mike at pileated.com 413-625-8551 Message: 1 Date: Tue, 30 Sep 2008 21:00:04 -0400 From: James Baker - WDDG/Funtank Subject: [casual_games] Up and coming CMMOs To: IGDA Casual Games SIG Mailing List Message-ID: Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" I was wondering if anyone is keeping an eye on the current crop of CMMOs. I've been seeing quite a few pop up recently, so I was curious if anyone thought that any of these new contenders might have a chance at being a new puzzle-pirates or club-penguin. At Candystand.com we're looking to possibly partner with one (or a couple) of the CMMOs. Thanks! James Baker WDDG/Funtank candystand.com james at wddg.com ------ End of Forwarded Message -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From jmurray at fuelindustries.com Wed Oct 8 12:08:21 2008 From: jmurray at fuelindustries.com (Jeff Murray) Date: Wed, 08 Oct 2008 12:08:21 -0400 Subject: [casual_games] Sample voice over script In-Reply-To: <3129a3da0810070703h3da37208t725218550271bda7@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: This is great, Aaron. Thanks for sharing this. I agree and think that it?s very important to have clear directions for the VO artists to get to grips with... Even if they end up doing a couple of alternative takes to try other directions, it?s important that they understand what is going on in the scene. I can?t count the number of times I?ve seen VO scripts that are just random sentences on a sheet with no direction at all ... It usually leads to lots of audio getting cut at the last minute because it doesn?t fit with the tone of the scene or with other characters dialog. Your script is a great example of how to do VO properly and I urge everyone to take note. Relying on the sound engineer to make the right creative decisions on the VO is a bad idea ? they?re more than capable, but they won?t always have the same level of vision that the game designers or creative's had when the cut scenes were conceived. Jeff (no relation) Murray. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From asantamaria at artech.ca Wed Oct 8 11:48:25 2008 From: asantamaria at artech.ca (Antonio Santamaria) Date: Wed, 08 Oct 2008 11:48:25 -0400 Subject: [casual_games] Sample voice over script In-Reply-To: <3129a3da0810070703h3da37208t725218550271bda7@mail.gmail.com> References: <86d373b40809290927o7d671aecu5ff13cb8351465c1@mail.gmail.com> <048c01c927da$be58e360$3b0aaa20$@com> <01ca01c92845$297a1190$7c6e34b0$@com> <3129a3da0810070703h3da37208t725218550271bda7@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <48ECD649.7070707@artech.ca> We've found that voice actors often prefer to work with scripts in the traditional "movie" format as well. Something like this: http://www.simplyscripts.com/WR_format.html We've found that it is best to separate actors' scripts from one another, then format it accordingly. That way, they have some kind of flow to their work and can get some kind of emotion beyond just reading one line after another. The only times we've strayed is when having them read out lists of words that didn't have much context. On a related note, when having them read things like categories or answers, we often found it helpful to have them read the whole line (ie. "The answer is dog") rather than just the word ("dog"). Otherwise, stitching comes across as unnatural, especially when VO sessions take place over several days. There is some software out there (Final Draft, etc) that can help enforce the formatting for larger scripts. Antonio Aaron Murray wrote: > Hi Paul, > > This is topical because I was just speaking with DB Cooper about voice > over scripts and what makes them good/bad. She was saying that most > scripts she has seen (from game companies) are excel spreadsheets that > have numbers on each line, and the words to say. If she is lucky > she'll get a one word emotion next to that. > > This, she says, is about the worst case scenario for a voice actor > because there is no situational relevance for the lines. They don't > know who they are talking to, or if the line is uttered to self, etc. > Also, there are different levels of "angry" or "sad" depending on the > situation. > > So...she said that any close to a movie script is what they typically > want, and they *need* this to be able to deliver a quality performance. > > That said, I am attaching the final version of a VO script we did for > Crunch Time. It has all of our version editing notes in there, so it > may look wonky, but you can see the thoughts & progression beside some > of the word choices, in addition to the script itself, which helps the > actors understand as much as they can. > The game itself is a simple demo (though it won the 08 Intel demo > contest), but is filled with quality VO we paid for. > You can either check out the .ogg files in the install folder, or play > the game to compare the script to the VO that was delivered. > Download it here if you want to > listen: http://www.vmcgamelabs.com/pixelandvega/CrunchTimeSetup.zip > > I hope this helps. I'd also love to see what other companies have done > for their VO scripts. > > Aaron Murray > Technical Director, Co-founder > Tandem Games > www.TandemGames.com > www.DomainOfHeroes.com > "Fun for All. All for Fun." > > On Tue, Oct 7, 2008 at 1:23 AM, Paul Steven > > wrote: > > I need to write a voice over script for an educational game I am > developing and thought it would be useful to see some examples of > formats of voice over scripts. Perhaps there is a format voice > over artists are familiar with or prefer? If anyone can supply me > with any sample voice over scripts I would be most grateful. > > > > Basically I was just going to create a word document with a number > beside each separate voice over chunk. > > > > Thanks in advance > > > > Paul > > > _______________________________________________ > Casual_Games mailing list > Casual_Games at igda.org > http://www.igda.org/casual-subscribe > Archive: http://www.igda.org/casual-subscribe > Archive Search: > http://www.google.com/coop/cse?cx=010373383720242846960%3Az3tdwggxil8 > List FAQ: > http://www.igda.org/wiki/index.php/Casual_Games_SIG/Casual_Games_List_FAQ > > > > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > > _______________________________________________ > Casual_Games mailing list > Casual_Games at igda.org > http://www.igda.org/casual-subscribe > Archive: http://www.igda.org/casual-subscribe > Archive Search: http://www.google.com/coop/cse?cx=010373383720242846960%3Az3tdwggxil8 > List FAQ: http://www.igda.org/wiki/index.php/Casual_Games_SIG/Casual_Games_List_FAQ > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From hal at finitearts.com Wed Oct 8 13:06:42 2008 From: hal at finitearts.com (Hal Barwood) Date: Wed, 08 Oct 2008 10:06:42 -0700 Subject: [casual_games] Sample voice over script In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <48ECE8A2.1010805@finitearts.com> Developers like spreadsheets, but actors do indeed hate them, for all the reasons so far mentioned. And without a doubt, quality suffers when readings emerge from Excel cells. You and the actors both also need a good voice director -- presumably you, the project lead or designer, know what you're listening for, but then again, maybe not. In any case a sound engineer is just someone who can get a good record of the performance. A good voice director will know how to shape a performance to your liking, and better yet, how to do it quickly and efficiently. -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: multipart/alternative Size: 0 bytes Desc: not available Url : -------------- next part -------------- Internal Virus Database is out of date. Checked by AVG - http://www.avg.com Version: 8.0.156 / Virus Database: 270.7.3/1693 - Release Date: 9/26/2008 7:35 AM From Lennard at RustyAxe.com Wed Oct 8 13:07:51 2008 From: Lennard at RustyAxe.com (Lennard) Date: Wed, 08 Oct 2008 10:07:51 -0700 Subject: [casual_games] Sample voice over script In-Reply-To: <48ECD649.7070707@artech.ca> References: <86d373b40809290927o7d671aecu5ff13cb8351465c1@mail.gmail.com> <048c01c927da$be58e360$3b0aaa20$@com> <01ca01c92845$297a1190$7c6e34b0$@com> <3129a3da0810070703h3da37208t725218550271bda7@mail.gmail.com> <48ECD649.7070707@artech.ca> Message-ID: <48ECE8E7.7080902@RustyAxe.com> An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From juangril at jojugames.com Wed Oct 8 14:10:30 2008 From: juangril at jojugames.com (Juan Gril) Date: Wed, 8 Oct 2008 11:10:30 -0700 Subject: [casual_games] Sample voice over script In-Reply-To: <48ECE8A2.1010805@finitearts.com> References: <48ECE8A2.1010805@finitearts.com> Message-ID: <86d373b40810081110s32696037q8aa2b57d20125567@mail.gmail.com> This has been a very useful thread. We should include this type of info in the White Paper, if you guys are ok with it. Thanks guys, Juan On Wed, Oct 8, 2008 at 10:06 AM, Hal Barwood wrote: > Developers like spreadsheets, but actors do indeed hate them, for all the > reasons so far mentioned. And without a doubt, quality suffers when > readings emerge from Excel cells. > > You and the actors both also need a good voice director -- presumably you, > the project lead or designer, know what you're listening for, but then > again, maybe not. In any case a sound engineer is just someone who can get > a good record of the performance. A good voice director will know how to > shape a performance to your liking, and better yet, how to do it quickly and > efficiently. > > > Internal Virus Database is out of date. > Checked by AVG - http://www.avg.com > Version: 8.0.156 / Virus Database: 270.7.3/1693 - Release Date: 9/26/2008 > 7:35 AM > > _______________________________________________ > Casual_Games mailing list > Casual_Games at igda.org > http://www.igda.org/casual-subscribe > Archive: http://www.igda.org/casual-subscribe > Archive Search: > http://www.google.com/coop/cse?cx=010373383720242846960%3Az3tdwggxil8 > List FAQ: > http://www.igda.org/wiki/index.php/Casual_Games_SIG/Casual_Games_List_FAQ > > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From hal at finitearts.com Wed Oct 8 22:09:57 2008 From: hal at finitearts.com (Hal Barwood) Date: Wed, 08 Oct 2008 19:09:57 -0700 Subject: [casual_games] Sample voice over script In-Reply-To: <86d373b40810081110s32696037q8aa2b57d20125567@mail.gmail.com> References: <48ECE8A2.1010805@finitearts.com> <86d373b40810081110s32696037q8aa2b57d20125567@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <48ED67F5.5070006@finitearts.com> I only wish that someone, somewhere, would produce an app that looks like a screenplay and operates like a database. This is a much-needed production tool we all need. The IGDA writers group was going to tackle this, but alas, I haven't seen it. Juan Gril wrote: > This has been a very useful thread. We should include this type of info > in the White Paper, if you guys are ok with it. > > Thanks guys, > > Juan > > > On Wed, Oct 8, 2008 at 10:06 AM, Hal Barwood > wrote: > > Developers like spreadsheets, but actors do indeed hate them, for > all the reasons so far mentioned. And without a doubt, quality > suffers when readings emerge from Excel cells. > > You and the actors both also need a good voice director -- > presumably you, the project lead or designer, know what you're > listening for, but then again, maybe not. In any case a sound > engineer is just someone who can get a good record of the > performance. A good voice director will know how to shape a > performance to your liking, and better yet, how to do it quickly and > efficiently. > > > Internal Virus Database is out of date. > Checked by AVG - http://www.avg.com > Version: 8.0.156 / Virus Database: 270.7.3/1693 - Release Date: > 9/26/2008 7:35 AM > > _______________________________________________ > Casual_Games mailing list > Casual_Games at igda.org > http://www.igda.org/casual-subscribe > Archive: http://www.igda.org/casual-subscribe > Archive Search: > http://www.google.com/coop/cse?cx=010373383720242846960%3Az3tdwggxil8 > List FAQ: > http://www.igda.org/wiki/index.php/Casual_Games_SIG/Casual_Games_List_FAQ > > > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > > _______________________________________________ > Casual_Games mailing list > Casual_Games at igda.org > http://www.igda.org/casual-subscribe > Archive: http://www.igda.org/casual-subscribe > Archive Search: http://www.google.com/coop/cse?cx=010373383720242846960%3Az3tdwggxil8 > List FAQ: http://www.igda.org/wiki/index.php/Casual_Games_SIG/Casual_Games_List_FAQ -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: multipart/alternative Size: 0 bytes Desc: not available Url : -------------- next part -------------- Internal Virus Database is out of date. Checked by AVG - http://www.avg.com Version: 8.0.156 / Virus Database: 270.7.3/1693 - Release Date: 9/26/2008 7:35 AM From roanebeard at gmail.com Wed Oct 8 23:23:35 2008 From: roanebeard at gmail.com (Roane Beard) Date: Wed, 8 Oct 2008 20:23:35 -0700 Subject: [casual_games] Sample voice over script In-Reply-To: <48ED67F5.5070006@finitearts.com> References: <48ECE8A2.1010805@finitearts.com> <86d373b40810081110s32696037q8aa2b57d20125567@mail.gmail.com> <48ED67F5.5070006@finitearts.com> Message-ID: In fact, there's a project within the writer's group intended to tackle this very issue, along with a number of other issues related to having a standard piece of software that supports game writing. The Writer's SIG is working with Celtx to produce game writing software that will incorporate branching dialogue, among other features, and the ability to spit out text in screenplay format. I don't think database functionality is slated for the first pass, but it's definitely one of the priorities. Best, Roane Beard Legendary Spark On Wed, Oct 8, 2008 at 7:09 PM, Hal Barwood wrote: > I only wish that someone, somewhere, would produce an app that looks like a > screenplay and operates like a database. This is a much-needed production > tool we all need. > > The IGDA writers group was going to tackle this, but alas, I haven't seen > it. > > > Juan Gril wrote: > >> This has been a very useful thread. We should include this type of info in >> the White Paper, if you guys are ok with it. >> >> Thanks guys, >> >> Juan >> >> >> On Wed, Oct 8, 2008 at 10:06 AM, Hal Barwood > hal at finitearts.com>> wrote: >> >> Developers like spreadsheets, but actors do indeed hate them, for >> all the reasons so far mentioned. And without a doubt, quality >> suffers when readings emerge from Excel cells. >> >> You and the actors both also need a good voice director -- >> presumably you, the project lead or designer, know what you're >> listening for, but then again, maybe not. In any case a sound >> engineer is just someone who can get a good record of the >> performance. A good voice director will know how to shape a >> performance to your liking, and better yet, how to do it quickly and >> efficiently. >> >> >> Internal Virus Database is out of date. >> Checked by AVG - http://www.avg.com >> Version: 8.0.156 / Virus Database: 270.7.3/1693 - Release Date: >> 9/26/2008 7:35 AM >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Casual_Games mailing list >> Casual_Games at igda.org >> http://www.igda.org/casual-subscribe >> Archive: http://www.igda.org/casual-subscribe >> Archive Search: >> http://www.google.com/coop/cse?cx=010373383720242846960%3Az3tdwggxil8 >> List FAQ: >> >> http://www.igda.org/wiki/index.php/Casual_Games_SIG/Casual_Games_List_FAQ >> >> >> >> ------------------------------------------------------------------------ >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Casual_Games mailing list >> Casual_Games at igda.org >> http://www.igda.org/casual-subscribe >> Archive: http://www.igda.org/casual-subscribe >> Archive Search: >> http://www.google.com/coop/cse?cx=010373383720242846960%3Az3tdwggxil8 >> List FAQ: >> http://www.igda.org/wiki/index.php/Casual_Games_SIG/Casual_Games_List_FAQ >> > > > Internal Virus Database is out of date. > Checked by AVG - http://www.avg.com > Version: 8.0.156 / Virus Database: 270.7.3/1693 - Release Date: 9/26/2008 > 7:35 AM > > _______________________________________________ > Casual_Games mailing list > Casual_Games at igda.org > http://www.igda.org/casual-subscribe > Archive: http://www.igda.org/casual-subscribe > Archive Search: > http://www.google.com/coop/cse?cx=010373383720242846960%3Az3tdwggxil8 > List FAQ: > http://www.igda.org/wiki/index.php/Casual_Games_SIG/Casual_Games_List_FAQ > > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From paul_steven at btinternet.com Thu Oct 9 01:55:09 2008 From: paul_steven at btinternet.com (Paul Steven) Date: Thu, 9 Oct 2008 06:55:09 +0100 Subject: [casual_games] Sample voice over script In-Reply-To: <3129a3da0810070703h3da37208t725218550271bda7@mail.gmail.com> References: <86d373b40809290927o7d671aecu5ff13cb8351465c1@mail.gmail.com> <048c01c927da$be58e360$3b0aaa20$@com> <01ca01c92845$297a1190$7c6e34b0$@com> <3129a3da0810070703h3da37208t725218550271bda7@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <018e01c929d3$973745b0$c5a5d110$@com> Thanks Aaron for sharing your voice over script - it is most helpful. Creating a good script will hopefully ensure my studio and voice over time are kept to a minimum. And thanks to everyone else for the extremely useful comments/advice. Cheers Paul From: casual_games-bounces at igda.org [mailto:casual_games-bounces at igda.org] On Behalf Of Aaron Murray Sent: 07 October 2008 15:04 To: IGDA Casual Games SIG Mailing List Subject: Re: [casual_games] Sample voice over script Hi Paul, This is topical because I was just speaking with DB Cooper about voice over scripts and what makes them good/bad. She was saying that most scripts she has seen (from game companies) are excel spreadsheets that have numbers on each line, and the words to say. If she is lucky she'll get a one word emotion next to that. This, she says, is about the worst case scenario for a voice actor because there is no situational relevance for the lines. They don't know who they are talking to, or if the line is uttered to self, etc. Also, there are different levels of "angry" or "sad" depending on the situation. So...she said that any close to a movie script is what they typically want, and they *need* this to be able to deliver a quality performance. That said, I am attaching the final version of a VO script we did for Crunch Time. It has all of our version editing notes in there, so it may look wonky, but you can see the thoughts & progression beside some of the word choices, in addition to the script itself, which helps the actors understand as much as they can. The game itself is a simple demo (though it won the 08 Intel demo contest), but is filled with quality VO we paid for. You can either check out the .ogg files in the install folder, or play the game to compare the script to the VO that was delivered. Download it here if you want to listen: http://www.vmcgamelabs.com/pixelandvega/CrunchTimeSetup.zip I hope this helps. I'd also love to see what other companies have done for their VO scripts. Aaron Murray Technical Director, Co-founder Tandem Games www.TandemGames.com www.DomainOfHeroes.com "Fun for All. All for Fun." On Tue, Oct 7, 2008 at 1:23 AM, Paul Steven wrote: I need to write a voice over script for an educational game I am developing and thought it would be useful to see some examples of formats of voice over scripts. Perhaps there is a format voice over artists are familiar with or prefer? If anyone can supply me with any sample voice over scripts I would be most grateful. Basically I was just going to create a word document with a number beside each separate voice over chunk. Thanks in advance Paul _______________________________________________ Casual_Games mailing list Casual_Games at igda.org http://www.igda.org/casual-subscribe Archive: http://www.igda.org/casual-subscribe Archive Search: http://www.google.com/coop/cse?cx=010373383720242846960%3Az3tdwggxil8 List FAQ: http://www.igda.org/wiki/index.php/Casual_Games_SIG/Casual_Games_List_FAQ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From d.utian at unsw.edu.au Fri Oct 10 10:09:20 2008 From: d.utian at unsw.edu.au (Dean Utian) Date: Sat, 11 Oct 2008 01:09:20 +1100 Subject: [casual_games] Director Survey - Last Hours In-Reply-To: <5DAFA60717EC4AB1BF002D1780DCE430@deanutian> References: <5DAFA60717EC4AB1BF002D1780DCE430@deanutian> Message-ID: Hi all, While my survey hasn't been keeping track of where people are coming from in finding my survey, the posts here haven't seemed to create any surge of responses. However, I'm 30 away from 400 responses (well partial ones - 30 away from 300 total completed responses)> I'd love to get 30 more. I only plan to have this survey open till the end of the weekend. If anyone has not filled it in, or has a work colleague that should please do so ASAP. http://www.deansdirectortutorials.com/survey/DirectorRoadmap/ Thanks. Dean From eric at darktonic.com Fri Oct 10 11:54:33 2008 From: eric at darktonic.com (Eric Boosman) Date: Fri, 10 Oct 2008 10:54:33 -0500 Subject: [casual_games] Director Survey - Last Hours In-Reply-To: References: <5DAFA60717EC4AB1BF002D1780DCE430@deanutian> Message-ID: <07d101c92af0$7db855c0$79290140$@com> Hey Dean, I looked at the survey page, but for our web casual stuff we're using Flash, not Director. I don't personally know any game devs using Director. I knew some instructional designers / training departments that made Director apps, but none that are currently using it. Best of luck, Eric -----Original Message----- From: casual_games-bounces at igda.org [mailto:casual_games-bounces at igda.org] On Behalf Of Dean Utian Sent: Friday, October 10, 2008 9:09 AM To: 'IGDA Casual Games SIG Mailing List' Subject: [casual_games] Director Survey - Last Hours Hi all, While my survey hasn't been keeping track of where people are coming from in finding my survey, the posts here haven't seemed to create any surge of responses. However, I'm 30 away from 400 responses (well partial ones - 30 away from 300 total completed responses)> I'd love to get 30 more. I only plan to have this survey open till the end of the weekend. If anyone has not filled it in, or has a work colleague that should please do so ASAP. http://www.deansdirectortutorials.com/survey/DirectorRoadmap/ Thanks. Dean _______________________________________________ Casual_Games mailing list Casual_Games at igda.org http://www.igda.org/casual-subscribe Archive: http://www.igda.org/casual-subscribe Archive Search: http://www.google.com/coop/cse?cx=010373383720242846960%3Az3tdwggxil8 List FAQ: http://www.igda.org/wiki/index.php/Casual_Games_SIG/Casual_Games_List_FAQ From d.utian at unsw.edu.au Fri Oct 10 19:56:20 2008 From: d.utian at unsw.edu.au (Dean Utian) Date: Sat, 11 Oct 2008 10:56:20 +1100 Subject: [casual_games] Director Survey - Last Hours In-Reply-To: <07d101c92af0$7db855c0$79290140$@com> References: <5DAFA60717EC4AB1BF002D1780DCE430@deanutian> <07d101c92af0$7db855c0$79290140$@com> Message-ID: <0C15FF6109584D45B7C471112EEF24A8@deanutian> Eric >...don't personally know any game devs using Director. >Best of luck, There are a few. I've managed to get 25 people who say their primary use of Director is 3D Games and 66 say their primary use 2D Shockwave games. Of my sample group - currently at 384 - The top uses of Director are: Game Dev (combining 2D and 3D) - 24.5% Desktop application development - 22.7% CD/DVD - 20.1% The other uses have less than 10%. regards Dean From guybendov at yahoo.com Mon Oct 13 06:47:44 2008 From: guybendov at yahoo.com (Guy Bendov) Date: Mon, 13 Oct 2008 12:47:44 +0200 Subject: [casual_games] distributing an online casual game for 4-10 yo Message-ID: Hi I am doing a marketing plan for the distribution of a new casual online game for 4-12 year old kids (think club penguin). Seems like the best channels are games sites like miniclip.com and less the "down loadable games" sites that aim to ages 30+ (even though they are parents to kids at the target age). 1. What other distribution sites would you recommend ? 2. what other ways to get to kids at that age (can't / will not read, mostly know about a site through word of mouth) would you use ? Thank you Guy Bendov -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From jose_marin2 at yahoo.com.br Mon Oct 13 12:48:31 2008 From: jose_marin2 at yahoo.com.br (Jose Marin) Date: Mon, 13 Oct 2008 09:48:31 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [casual_games] Market for casual games on Mac Message-ID: <639402.69551.qm@web36707.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Hi. Is there a any recent research on the market for casual games on Mac? Thanks. Novos endere?os, o Yahoo! que voc? conhece. Crie um email novo com a sua cara @ymail.com ou @rocketmail.com. http://br.new.mail.yahoo.com/addresses From jose_marin2 at yahoo.com.br Mon Oct 13 12:51:25 2008 From: jose_marin2 at yahoo.com.br (Jose Marin) Date: Mon, 13 Oct 2008 09:51:25 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [casual_games] Portability for casual games Message-ID: <351600.35372.qm@web36703.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Hi. Someone knows where I can find some tips on how to write portable games? I?d like my game would be available on many platforms. Thanks Novos endere?os, o Yahoo! que voc? conhece. Crie um email novo com a sua cara @ymail.com ou @rocketmail.com. http://br.new.mail.yahoo.com/addresses From chrisd at plaidworld.com Mon Oct 13 13:02:45 2008 From: chrisd at plaidworld.com (Chris Dillman) Date: Mon, 13 Oct 2008 12:02:45 -0500 Subject: [casual_games] Market for casual games on Mac In-Reply-To: <639402.69551.qm@web36707.mail.mud.yahoo.com> References: <639402.69551.qm@web36707.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Message-ID: >Hi. > >Is there a any recent research on the market for casual games on Mac? > >Thanks. There are portals on the mac. Big portals will sell more on the PC. But a lot of smaller companies report sales of 50/50 mac PC. -- Plaid World Studios http://www.plaidworld.com From chrisd at plaidworld.com Mon Oct 13 13:08:25 2008 From: chrisd at plaidworld.com (Chris Dillman) Date: Mon, 13 Oct 2008 12:08:25 -0500 Subject: [casual_games] Portability for casual games In-Reply-To: <351600.35372.qm@web36703.mail.mud.yahoo.com> References: <351600.35372.qm@web36703.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Message-ID: >Hi. > >Someone knows where I can find some tips on how to write portable games? > >I?d like my game would be available on many platforms. Off the top of my head. OpenGL is good. http://www.libsdl.org/ http://unity3d.com/ is excellent. There http://www.garagegames.com/ But I can't recommend it.... YMMV of course. A lot of folks have good things to say about http://www.phelios.com/ptk/ http://www.blitzbasic.com/ Works on Mac/Win -- Plaid World Studios http://www.plaidworld.com From andrew at fugazo.com Mon Oct 13 13:13:30 2008 From: andrew at fugazo.com (Andrew Lum) Date: Mon, 13 Oct 2008 10:13:30 -0700 Subject: [casual_games] Mac Revenue In-Reply-To: References: <639402.69551.qm@web36707.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <48F381BA.3000904@fugazo.com> Hi Guys, Fugazo has released Fashion Fits, Cooking Academy, and World Mosaics on Mac. For each title Mac sales have accounted for less than 10% of revenue probably more like 5%. Localization on the other hand has helped us quite a bit. Andrew Lum Chris Dillman wrote: >> Hi. >> >> Is there a any recent research on the market for casual games on Mac? >> >> Thanks. > > > There are portals on the mac. > > Big portals will sell more on the PC. > > But a lot of smaller companies report sales of 50/50 mac PC. > -- Andrew Lum andrew at fugazo.com www.fugazo.com P: 206-349-7805 F: 206-568-3455 CEO, President Fugazo, Inc. From miguelportilla at pobros.com Mon Oct 13 13:25:48 2008 From: miguelportilla at pobros.com (Miguel Portilla) Date: Mon, 13 Oct 2008 13:25:48 -0400 Subject: [casual_games] Portability for casual games In-Reply-To: <351600.35372.qm@web36703.mail.mud.yahoo.com> References: <351600.35372.qm@web36703.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <48F3849C.5060808@pobros.com> Do you mean technical coding tips or general game development advice? If the latter then I recommend you use some form of middleware to help you with portability. You want to spend your time developing your game(s) not the engine or framework. While there isn't a perfect solution available, there are some that will do a good enough job. The PlayFirst SDK is free to use and supports Windows, OSX and ActiveX. The Unity 3D engine costs money, supports Windows, OSX, ActiveX and other platforms for additional license fees. ActionScript is a great choice in terms of portability. If you are asking for programming advice then you would need to be more specific about the language you are using, tools and the target platforms. -Miguel Jose Marin wrote: > Hi. > > Someone knows where I can find some tips on how to write portable games? > > I?d like my game would be available on many platforms. > > Thanks > From rcarroll at reflexive.net Tue Oct 14 16:27:24 2008 From: rcarroll at reflexive.net (Russell Carroll) Date: Tue, 14 Oct 2008 13:27:24 -0700 Subject: [casual_games] Mac Revenue In-Reply-To: <48F381BA.3000904@fugazo.com> References: <639402.69551.qm@web36707.mail.mud.yahoo.com> <48F381BA.3000904@fugazo.com> Message-ID: <43299B48AED946AFB2340E218F5F1114@russ> Reflexive has been releasing a lot of our games on Mac this year. We also added a Mac offering to Reflexive.com back in February and have been keenly watching the sales numbers. The results really vary from game to game. For our own recently released games (Airport Mania, Build in Time, Music Catch, Tree of Life, Swarm Gold), we've seen the Mac version earning 3%-15% of the total revenue. (though notably it varies WILDLY from game to game without many discernible patterns) A challenge we've found with Mac games is getting them listed on the portals. There are only a few portals that carry Mac games (GH, BFG, MacGameStore, Reflexive, PlayFirst) and we have found that even when we deliver the Mac version simultaneously with the PC version that the portal release of the Mac version is often delayed, not uncommonly for many months. DRM issues seem to be a common culprit. The largest chunk of Mac sales often comes from Apple.com directly, and it can create a lot of spillover sales for your other titles if you also sell them directly (recommended!). This adds a secondary benefit that isn't currently available on PC very reminiscent of what Download.com did for game selling 8-10 years ago. Apple.com traffic can be absolutely immense if you happen to be featured, and with a much smaller playing field on the Mac, it is currently more likely that your game will be noticed in the Mac space than the PC space. That leads to another secondary benefit of 'Critical Mass.' Putting your game on Mac creates additional opportunities for awareness of the game, which I strongly believe will increase your overall sales, but then I'm a big believer in brand awareness and it having the ability to greatly increase sales. Russell Carroll Reflexive Entertainment (949) 830-1903 x14 -----Original Message----- From: casual_games-bounces at igda.org [mailto:casual_games-bounces at igda.org] On Behalf Of Andrew Lum Sent: Monday, October 13, 2008 10:14 AM To: IGDA Casual Games SIG Mailing List Subject: [casual_games] Mac Revenue Hi Guys, Fugazo has released Fashion Fits, Cooking Academy, and World Mosaics on Mac. For each title Mac sales have accounted for less than 10% of revenue probably more like 5%. Localization on the other hand has helped us quite a bit. Andrew Lum Chris Dillman wrote: >> Hi. >> >> Is there a any recent research on the market for casual games on Mac? >> >> Thanks. > > > There are portals on the mac. > > Big portals will sell more on the PC. > > But a lot of smaller companies report sales of 50/50 mac PC. > -- Andrew Lum andrew at fugazo.com www.fugazo.com P: 206-349-7805 F: 206-568-3455 CEO, President Fugazo, Inc. _______________________________________________ Casual_Games mailing list Casual_Games at igda.org http://www.igda.org/casual-subscribe Archive: http://www.igda.org/casual-subscribe Archive Search: http://www.google.com/coop/cse?cx=010373383720242846960%3Az3tdwggxil8 List FAQ: http://www.igda.org/wiki/index.php/Casual_Games_SIG/Casual_Games_List_FAQ From jose_marin2 at yahoo.com.br Wed Oct 15 06:49:58 2008 From: jose_marin2 at yahoo.com.br (Jose Marin) Date: Wed, 15 Oct 2008 03:49:58 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [casual_games] Res: Mac Revenue Message-ID: <253595.5193.qm@web36701.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Thanks for sharing your experiences, guys! ----- Mensagem original ---- De: Russell Carroll Para: IGDA Casual Games SIG Mailing List Enviadas: Ter?a-feira, 14 de Outubro de 2008 17:27:24 Assunto: Re: [casual_games] Mac Revenue Reflexive has been releasing a lot of our games on Mac this year. We also added a Mac offering to Reflexive.com back in February and have been keenly watching the sales numbers. The results really vary from game to game. For our own recently released games (Airport Mania, Build in Time, Music Catch, Tree of Life, Swarm Gold), we've seen the Mac version earning 3%-15% of the total revenue. (though notably it varies WILDLY from game to game without many discernible patterns) A challenge we've found with Mac games is getting them listed on the portals. There are only a few portals that carry Mac games (GH, BFG, MacGameStore, Reflexive, PlayFirst) and we have found that even when we deliver the Mac version simultaneously with the PC version that the portal release of the Mac version is often delayed, not uncommonly for many months. DRM issues seem to be a common culprit. The largest chunk of Mac sales often comes from Apple.com directly, and it can create a lot of spillover sales for your other titles if you also sell them directly (recommended!). This adds a secondary benefit that isn't currently available on PC very reminiscent of what Download.com did for game selling 8-10 years ago. Apple.com traffic can be absolutely immense if you happen to be featured, and with a much smaller playing field on the Mac, it is currently more likely that your game will be noticed in the Mac space than the PC space. That leads to another secondary benefit of 'Critical Mass.' Putting your game on Mac creates additional opportunities for awareness of the game, which I strongly believe will increase your overall sales, but then I'm a big believer in brand awareness and it having the ability to greatly increase sales. Russell Carroll Reflexive Entertainment (949) 830-1903 x14 -----Original Message----- From: casual_games-bounces at igda.org [mailto:casual_games-bounces at igda.org] On Behalf Of Andrew Lum Sent: Monday, October 13, 2008 10:14 AM To: IGDA Casual Games SIG Mailing List Subject: [casual_games] Mac Revenue Hi Guys, Fugazo has released Fashion Fits, Cooking Academy, and World Mosaics on Mac. For each title Mac sales have accounted for less than 10% of revenue probably more like 5%. Localization on the other hand has helped us quite a bit. Andrew Lum Chris Dillman wrote: >> Hi. >> >> Is there a any recent research on the market for casual games on Mac? >> >> Thanks. > > > There are portals on the mac. > > Big portals will sell more on the PC. > > But a lot of smaller companies report sales of 50/50 mac PC. > -- Andrew Lum andrew at fugazo.com www.fugazo.com P: 206-349-7805 F: 206-568-3455 CEO, President Fugazo, Inc. _______________________________________________ Casual_Games mailing list Casual_Games at igda.org http://www.igda.org/casual-subscribe Archive: http://www.igda.org/casual-subscribe Archive Search: http://www.google.com/coop/cse?cx=010373383720242846960%3Az3tdwggxil8 List FAQ: http://www.igda.org/wiki/index.php/Casual_Games_SIG/Casual_Games_List_FAQ _______________________________________________ Casual_Games mailing list Casual_Games at igda.org http://www.igda.org/casual-subscribe Archive: http://www.igda.org/casual-subscribe Archive Search: http://www.google.com/coop/cse?cx=010373383720242846960%3Az3tdwggxil8 List FAQ: http://www.igda.org/wiki/index.php/Casual_Games_SIG/Casual_Games_List_FAQ Novos endere?os, o Yahoo! que voc? conhece. Crie um email novo com a sua cara @ymail.com ou @rocketmail.com. http://br.new.mail.yahoo.com/addresses From james at reflexive.net Wed Oct 15 14:33:15 2008 From: james at reflexive.net (James C. Smith) Date: Wed, 15 Oct 2008 11:33:15 -0700 Subject: [casual_games] The Casual Games Forum : 15% discount for IGDA Members Message-ID: <00b601c92ef4$7c8e7aa0$75ab6fe0$@net> The producers of the Casual Games Forum have asked me to pass along this message to all our IGDA members. The Casual Games Forum October 30 2008 The Ambassadors Hotel, Bloomsbury, London This is a new one-day conference that will focus on two core aspects - the business opportunities that the sector offers and the technical challenges that developing casual games presents. After the sessions, the conference will be rounded off with a networking drinks reception where delegates can debate the day's topics and make valuable new contacts ? or catch up with old ones! To see who?s speaking go to: www.casualgames-forum.com All IGDA members are eligible for a 15% discount Passes normally cost ?295 (+vat) but for IGDA members it?s only ?250 (+vat) ? save ?45! To claim your discount contact: ali at tandemevents.co.uk -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From nak at alcatel-lucent.com Wed Oct 15 18:33:13 2008 From: nak at alcatel-lucent.com (Kirby, Neil A (Neil)) Date: Wed, 15 Oct 2008 17:33:13 -0500 Subject: [casual_games] Sample voice over script In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <8E40D8C9E03182429DD4C2B8C44A2934014B4393@ILEXC3U03.ndc.lucent.com> If there won't be a database backend, will this tool integrate somehow into the asset control tool chain? Getting voice talent onto disk is the first step. The crowd goes wild with applause at the news that there will be a tool to make climbing this mountain easier. Climbing that mountain will reveal a big mountain that it was hiding: How do you manage voice file assets now that you have them? The simple rule is: Manually == poorly Thankfully the graphic art side of the house is already beating their head against the same wall (or has a solution). The assets need backup, they and their script need version control, and you need to be able to go from asset file to script or script to asset when you have a certain version of one in front of you and you need the matching correct version of the other. Allow me to suggest that the world gets ugly when the voice file utterance is different than how the script reads. "Now can you tell me how you know that all of the rest of the files don't have any errors?" is not what you want to hear from your management. Especially when there are bunch of files and they are in a foreign language. --- Neil Kirby +1.614.367.5524 Hope is not a strategy Bell Laboratories nak at alcatel-lucent.com Prayer is not a process 6200 E. Broad St. Tuning is not a plan Columbus, OH 43213 USA Chaos does not scale -----Original Message----- From: "Roane Beard" Subject: Re: [casual_games] Sample voice over script To: "IGDA Casual Games SIG Mailing List" Message-ID: Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" In fact, there's a project within the writer's group intended to tackle this very issue, along with a number of other issues related to having a standard piece of software that supports game writing. The Writer's SIG is working with Celtx to produce game writing software that will incorporate branching dialogue, among other features, and the ability to spit out text in screenplay format. I don't think database functionality is slated for the first pass, but it's definitely one of the priorities. Best, Roane Beard Legendary Spark On Wed, Oct 8, 2008 at 7:09 PM, Hal Barwood wrote: > I only wish that someone, somewhere, would produce an app that looks like a > screenplay and operates like a database. This is a much-needed production > tool we all need. > > The IGDA writers group was going to tackle this, but alas, I haven't seen > it. > > From alex.ionescu at eprize.com Fri Oct 17 14:40:58 2008 From: alex.ionescu at eprize.com (alex.ionescu at eprize.com) Date: Fri, 17 Oct 2008 11:40:58 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [casual_games] Game Development Incentives Message-ID: <1732393575.6482341224268858777.JavaMail.tomcat@localhost> *Please note, the sender's email address has not been verified. Michigan offers up to 42% tax rebates on game development production - currently best in the USA. Would be glad to help companies apply and use these credits in Michigan this year and next. Regards, Alex Ionescu Game Developer ePrize ******************** If you are having trouble with any of the links in this message, or if the URL's are not appearing as links, please follow the instructions at the bottom of this email. Title: Game On! Copy and paste the following into your Web browser to access the sent link: http://www.emailthis.clickability.com/et/emailThis?clickMap=viewThis&etMailToID=1986299351&pt=Y Copy and paste the following into your Web browser to SAVE THIS link: http://www.savethis.clickability.com/st/saveThisPopupApp?clickMap=saveFromET&partnerID=81046&etMailToID=1986299351&pt=Y Copy and paste the following into your Web browser to forward this link: http://www.emailthis.clickability.com/et/emailThis?clickMap=forward&etMailToID=1986299351&partnerID=81046&pt=Y ******************** Email pages from any Web site you visit - add the EMAIL THIS button to your browser, copy and paste the following into your Web browser: http://www.emailthis.clickability.com/et/emailThis?clickMap=browserButtons&pt=Y" ********************* Instructions: ----------------------------------------- If your e-mail program doesn't recognize Web addresses: 1. With your mouse, highlight the Web Address above. Be sure to highlight the entire Web address, even if it spans more than one line in your email. 2. Select Copy from the Edit menu at the top of your screen. 3. Launch your Web browser. 4. Paste the address into your Web browser by selecting Paste from the Edit menu. 5. Click Go or press Enter or Return on your keyboard. ******************** -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From aaron at tandemgames.com Fri Oct 17 14:50:08 2008 From: aaron at tandemgames.com (Aaron Murray) Date: Fri, 17 Oct 2008 13:50:08 -0500 Subject: [casual_games] Game Development Incentives In-Reply-To: <1732393575.6482341224268858777.JavaMail.tomcat@localhost> References: <1732393575.6482341224268858777.JavaMail.tomcat@localhost> Message-ID: <3129a3da0810171150x37801c42r815c6af3dd12cf60@mail.gmail.com> Louisiana is also offering big rebates for game companies, and I know TX is *in the process* of making game biz more compelling. On Fri, Oct 17, 2008 at 1:40 PM, wrote: > [image: Backstage] > Powered by * Please note, the sender's email address has not been > verified. Michigan offers up to 42% tax rebates on game > development production - currently best in the USA. Would be glad to help > companies apply and use these credits in Michigan this year and next. > > Regards, > Alex Ionescu > Game Developer > ePrize > > Click the following to access the sent link: Game > On! > * [image: SAVE THIS link] [image: > FORWARD THIS link] > Get your EMAIL THIS Browser Button and use it to email content > from any Web site. Click herefor more information. > *This article can also be accessed if you copy and paste > the entire address below into your web browser. > > http://www.backstage.com/bso/news_reviews/la/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003874912 > > > _______________________________________________ > Casual_Games mailing list > Casual_Games at igda.org > http://www.igda.org/casual-subscribe > Archive: http://www.igda.org/casual-subscribe > Archive Search: > http://www.google.com/coop/cse?cx=010373383720242846960%3Az3tdwggxil8 > List FAQ: > http://www.igda.org/wiki/index.php/Casual_Games_SIG/Casual_Games_List_FAQ > > -- Aaron Murray Technical Director, Co-founder Tandem Games www.TandemGames.com www.DomainOfHeroes.com "Fun for All. All for Fun." -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From FSThomas at leftbraingames.com Fri Oct 17 15:28:41 2008 From: FSThomas at leftbraingames.com (FSThomas) Date: Fri, 17 Oct 2008 15:28:41 -0400 Subject: [casual_games] Game Development Incentives In-Reply-To: <3129a3da0810171150x37801c42r815c6af3dd12cf60@mail.gmail.com> References: <1732393575.6482341224268858777.JavaMail.tomcat@localhost> <3129a3da0810171150x37801c42r815c6af3dd12cf60@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <48F8E769.3050709@leftbraingames.com> Aaron Murray wrote: > Louisiana is also offering big rebates for game companies, and I know TX is > *in the process* of making game biz more compelling. > Georgia, too. -- Ferris S Thomas Principal Interactive Developer *Left * *Brain * *Games* *, Inc.* Phone: 404-758-8616 Cell: 404-274-1632 Fax: 860-735-6209 fsthomas at leftbraingames.com ------------------------------------------------------------------------ This communication, including attachments, is for the exclusive use of addressee and may contain proprietary, confidential and/or privileged information. If you are not the intended recipient, any use, copying, disclosure, dissemination or distribution is strictly prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please notify the sender immediately by return e-mail, delete this communication and destroy all copies. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From jose_marin2 at yahoo.com.br Mon Oct 20 11:56:02 2008 From: jose_marin2 at yahoo.com.br (Jose Marin) Date: Mon, 20 Oct 2008 08:56:02 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [casual_games] Tips for a (very) small starting company Message-ID: <201367.89965.qm@web36702.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Hi. I and a friend will open a casual game development company soon, and would like to know your experiences about distribution. What kind of channel would be good for such small company? Also, what platforms (PC, palmtops, cell phones, etc) could be a good start for a small company? We want to make very good games, but still don?t know how so sell them... Thank you! Jose __________________________________________________ Fale com seus amigos de gra?a com o novo Yahoo! Messenger http://br.messenger.yahoo.com/ From Lennard at RustyAxe.com Mon Oct 20 12:03:59 2008 From: Lennard at RustyAxe.com (Lennard) Date: Mon, 20 Oct 2008 09:03:59 -0700 Subject: [casual_games] Tips for a (very) small starting company In-Reply-To: <201367.89965.qm@web36702.mail.mud.yahoo.com> References: <201367.89965.qm@web36702.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <48FCABEF.7020604@RustyAxe.com> Selling them isn't too hard if you make something good. I would start with PC's - 2 talented people can still make something salable in the casual down loadable space. Check out the newest games on any portal like Reflexive or Big Fish to get a feel for production values and what is currently being accepted. Good luck! Lennard Feddersen CEO, Rusty Axe Games, Inc. www.RustyAxe.com Lennard at RustyAxe.com P. 250-635-7623 F. 1-309-422-2466 P. July & August 518-863-2317 5014 Walsh, Terrace, BC, Canada, V8G-4H2 Jose Marin wrote: > Hi. > > I and a friend will open a casual game development company soon, and would like to know your experiences about distribution. > > What kind of channel would be good for such small company? > > Also, what platforms (PC, palmtops, cell phones, etc) could be a good start for a small company? > > We want to make very good games, but still don?t know how so sell them... > > Thank you! > > Jose > > __________________________________________________ > Fale com seus amigos de gra?a com o novo Yahoo! Messenger > http://br.messenger.yahoo.com/ > _______________________________________________ > Casual_Games mailing list > Casual_Games at igda.org > http://www.igda.org/casual-subscribe > Archive: http://www.igda.org/casual-subscribe > Archive Search: http://www.google.com/coop/cse?cx=010373383720242846960%3Az3tdwggxil8 > List FAQ: http://www.igda.org/wiki/index.php/Casual_Games_SIG/Casual_Games_List_FAQ > > > From aaron at tandemgames.com Mon Oct 20 12:05:33 2008 From: aaron at tandemgames.com (Aaron Murray) Date: Mon, 20 Oct 2008 11:05:33 -0500 Subject: [casual_games] Tips for a (very) small starting company In-Reply-To: <201367.89965.qm@web36702.mail.mud.yahoo.com> References: <201367.89965.qm@web36702.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <3129a3da0810200905x1990b7d8tb9daca3d70fc7001@mail.gmail.com> PC is the cheapest/easiest dev platform IMHO. You can pitch your game prototypes to the various casual portals. A publisher would help here though as they have contacts at all of the portals, and it takes a lot of time from a small team to do biz-dev, so if you aren't ready/willing/able to devote that time...find someone to help you. If you want to do traditional cell phone games, you'll need a publisher so you can get your game on "the deck" at the various companies. You'll also need to make/text dozens of variations for the different phone types. iPhone is a little different. Costs $100 to get certified, but you'll still want a publisher if you need an advertising budget. Flash development might be an opportunity for you - there are plenty of flash sites out there- but the revenues *typically* are based on ads/impressions/etc - so your game will need to attract players and keep them playing. -- Aaron Murray Technical Director, Co-founder Tandem Games www.TandemGames.com www.DomainOfHeroes.com "Fun for All. All for Fun." On Mon, Oct 20, 2008 at 10:56 AM, Jose Marin wrote: > Hi. > > I and a friend will open a casual game development company soon, and would > like to know your experiences about distribution. > > What kind of channel would be good for such small company? > > Also, what platforms (PC, palmtops, cell phones, etc) could be a good start > for a small company? > > We want to make very good games, but still don?t know how so sell them... > > Thank you! > > Jose > > __________________________________________________ > Fale com seus amigos de gra?a com o novo Yahoo! Messenger > http://br.messenger.yahoo.com/ > _______________________________________________ > Casual_Games mailing list > Casual_Games at igda.org > http://www.igda.org/casual-subscribe > Archive: http://www.igda.org/casual-subscribe > Archive Search: > http://www.google.com/coop/cse?cx=010373383720242846960%3Az3tdwggxil8 > List FAQ: > http://www.igda.org/wiki/index.php/Casual_Games_SIG/Casual_Games_List_FAQ > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From jose_marin2 at yahoo.com.br Mon Oct 20 13:48:14 2008 From: jose_marin2 at yahoo.com.br (Jose Marin) Date: Mon, 20 Oct 2008 10:48:14 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [casual_games] Res: Tips for a (very) small starting company Message-ID: <100679.89836.qm@web36701.mail.mud.yahoo.com> So, loks like we will need a publisher to start. Could you suggest one that won?t eat one of our?s legs? :-) ----- Mensagem original ---- De: Aaron Murray Para: IGDA Casual Games SIG Mailing List Enviadas: Segunda-feira, 20 de Outubro de 2008 14:05:33 Assunto: Re: [casual_games] Tips for a (very) small starting company PC is the cheapest/easiest dev platform IMHO. You can pitch your game prototypes to the various casual portals. A publisher would help here though as they have contacts at all of the portals, and it takes a lot of time from a small team to do biz-dev, so if you aren't ready/willing/able to devote that time...find someone to help you. If you want to do traditional cell phone games, you'll need a publisher so you can get your game on "the deck" at the various companies. You'll also need to make/text dozens of variations for the different phone types. iPhone is a little different. Costs $100 to get certified, but you'll still want a publisher if you need an advertising budget. Flash development might be an opportunity for you - there are plenty of flash sites out there- but the revenues *typically* are based on ads/impressions/etc - so your game will need to attract players and keep them playing. -- Aaron Murray Technical Director, Co-founder Tandem Games www.TandemGames.com www.DomainOfHeroes.com "Fun for All. All for Fun." On Mon, Oct 20, 2008 at 10:56 AM, Jose Marin wrote: Hi. I and a friend will open a casual game development company soon, and would like to know your experiences about distribution. What kind of channel would be good for such small company? Also, what platforms (PC, palmtops, cell phones, etc) could be a good start for a small company? We want to make very good games, but still don?t know how so sell them... Thank you! Jose __________________________________________________ Fale com seus amigos de gra?a com o novo Yahoo! Messenger http://br.messenger.yahoo.com/ _______________________________________________ Casual_Games mailing list Casual_Games at igda.org http://www.igda.org/casual-subscribe Archive: http://www.igda.org/casual-subscribe Archive Search: http://www.google.com/coop/cse?cx=010373383720242846960%3Az3tdwggxil8 List FAQ: http://www.igda.org/wiki/index.php/Casual_Games_SIG/Casual_Games_List_FAQ __________________________________________________ Fale com seus amigos de gra?a com o novo Yahoo! Messenger http://br.messenger.yahoo.com/ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From aaron at tandemgames.com Mon Oct 20 15:29:12 2008 From: aaron at tandemgames.com (Aaron Murray) Date: Mon, 20 Oct 2008 14:29:12 -0500 Subject: [casual_games] Res: Tips for a (very) small starting company In-Reply-To: <100679.89836.qm@web36701.mail.mud.yahoo.com> References: <100679.89836.qm@web36701.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <3129a3da0810201229o1c938747p5b3e458663375655@mail.gmail.com> Jose - I just want to clarify - I am not saying that you'll *need* a publisher, and you definitely won't need one to start if you have the time/money already. What I am saying is that publishers often get a bad rap, but they have services/experience/money to offer that can be very valuable. That said - we've been working for about a year now, and we don't have a publisher yet, though we are finally to the point where we'd like to start talks with some. -Aaron On Mon, Oct 20, 2008 at 12:48 PM, Jose Marin wrote: > So, loks like we will need a publisher to start. > > Could you suggest one that won?t eat one of our?s legs? :-) > > ----- Mensagem original ---- > De: Aaron Murray > Para: IGDA Casual Games SIG Mailing List > Enviadas: Segunda-feira, 20 de Outubro de 2008 14:05:33 > Assunto: Re: [casual_games] Tips for a (very) small starting company > > > PC is the cheapest/easiest dev platform IMHO. You can pitch your game > prototypes to the various casual portals. A publisher would help here though > as they have contacts at all of the portals, and it takes a lot of time from > a small team to do biz-dev, so if you aren't ready/willing/able to devote > that time...find someone to help you. > > If you want to do traditional cell phone games, you'll need a publisher so > you can get your game on "the deck" at the various companies. You'll also > need to make/text dozens of variations for the different phone types. iPhone > is a little different. Costs $100 to get certified, but you'll still want a > publisher if you need an advertising budget. > Flash development might be an opportunity for you - there are plenty of > flash sites out there- but the revenues *typically* are based on > ads/impressions/etc - so your game will need to attract players and keep > them playing. > > > -- > Aaron Murray > Technical Director, Co-founder > Tandem Games > www.TandemGames.com > www.DomainOfHeroes.com > "Fun for All. All for Fun." > > On Mon, Oct 20, 2008 at 10:56 AM, Jose Marin wrote: > >> Hi. >> >> I and a friend will open a casual game development company soon, and would >> like to know your experiences about distribution. >> >> What kind of channel would be good for such small company? >> >> Also, what platforms (PC, palmtops, cell phones, etc) could be a good >> start for a small company? >> >> We want to make very good games, but still don?t know how so sell them... >> >> Thank you! >> >> Jose >> >> __________________________________________________ >> Fale com seus amigos de gra?a com o novo Yahoo! Messenger >> http://br.messenger.yahoo.com/ >> _______________________________________________ >> Casual_Games mailing list >> Casual_Games at igda.org >> http://www.igda.org/casual-subscribe >> Archive: http://www.igda.org/casual-subscribe >> Archive Search: >> http://www.google.com/coop/cse?cx=010373383720242846960%3Az3tdwggxil8 >> List FAQ: >> http://www.igda.org/wiki/index.php/Casual_Games_SIG/Casual_Games_List_FAQ >> > > > > > __________________________________________________ > Fale com seus amigos de gra?a com o novo Yahoo! Messenger > http://br.messenger.yahoo.com/ > > _______________________________________________ > Casual_Games mailing list > Casual_Games at igda.org > http://www.igda.org/casual-subscribe > Archive: http://www.igda.org/casual-subscribe > Archive Search: > http://www.google.com/coop/cse?cx=010373383720242846960%3Az3tdwggxil8 > List FAQ: > http://www.igda.org/wiki/index.php/Casual_Games_SIG/Casual_Games_List_FAQ > > -- Aaron Murray Technical Director, Co-founder Tandem Games www.TandemGames.com www.DomainOfHeroes.com "Fun for All. All for Fun." -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From rcarroll23 at hotmail.com Mon Oct 20 15:42:09 2008 From: rcarroll23 at hotmail.com (Rob C) Date: Mon, 20 Oct 2008 19:42:09 +0000 Subject: [casual_games] Res: Tips for a (very) small starting company In-Reply-To: <100679.89836.qm@web36701.mail.mud.yahoo.com> References: <100679.89836.qm@web36701.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Message-ID: Hey Jose, I would strongly recommend having a playable demo ready before you go speaking to a publisher. Let them know what your skills are and why they should be talking to you rather then the many other game studios out there. Feel free to send me an e-mail off line with any other start-up questions I might be able to help with. I?ve been through it a couple of times, hopefully can save you some pain. Rob Rob Carroll Producer Hive7 Rob at hive7.com Date: Mon, 20 Oct 2008 10:48:14 -0700 From: jose_marin2 at yahoo.com.br To: casual_games at igda.org Subject: [casual_games] Res: Tips for a (very) small starting company So, loks like we will need a publisher to start. Could you suggest one that won?t eat one of our?s legs? :-) ----- Mensagem original ---- De: Aaron Murray Para: IGDA Casual Games SIG Mailing List Enviadas: Segunda-feira, 20 de Outubro de 2008 14:05:33 Assunto: Re: [casual_games] Tips for a (very) small starting company PC is the cheapest/easiest dev platform IMHO. You can pitch your game prototypes to the various casual portals. A publisher would help here though as they have contacts at all of the portals, and it takes a lot of time from a small team to do biz-dev, so if you aren't ready/willing/able to devote that time...find someone to help you. If you want to do traditional cell phone games, you'll need a publisher so you can get your game on "the deck" at the various companies. You'll also need to make/text dozens of variations for the different phone types. iPhone is a little different. Costs $100 to get certified, but you'll still want a publisher if you need an advertising budget. Flash development might be an opportunity for you - there are plenty of flash sites out there- but the revenues *typically* are based on ads/impressions/etc - so your game will need to attract players and keep them playing. -- Aaron Murray Technical Director, Co-founder Tandem Games www.TandemGames.com www.DomainOfHeroes.com "Fun for All. All for Fun." On Mon, Oct 20, 2008 at 10:56 AM, Jose Marin wrote: Hi. I and a friend will open a casual game development company soon, and would like to know your experiences about distribution. What kind of channel would be good for such small company? Also, what platforms (PC, palmtops, cell phones, etc) could be a good start for a small company? We want to make very good games, but still don?t know how so sell them... Thank you! Jose __________________________________________________ Fale com seus amigos de gra?a com o novo Yahoo! Messenger http://br.messenger.yahoo.com/ _______________________________________________ Casual_Games mailing list Casual_Games at igda.org http://www.igda.org/casual-subscribe Archive: http://www.igda.org/casual-subscribe Archive Search: http://www.google.com/coop/cse?cx=010373383720242846960%3Az3tdwggxil8 List FAQ: http://www.igda.org/wiki/index.php/Casual_Games_SIG/Casual_Games_List_FAQ __________________________________________________ Fale com seus amigos de gra?a com o novo Yahoo! Messenger http://br.messenger.yahoo.com/ _________________________________________________________________ You live life beyond your PC. So now Windows goes beyond your PC. http://clk.atdmt.com/MRT/go/115298556/direct/01/ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From alex.ionescu at eprize.com Wed Oct 22 10:36:32 2008 From: alex.ionescu at eprize.com (Alex Ionescu) Date: Wed, 22 Oct 2008 10:36:32 -0400 Subject: [casual_games] Fall 2008 US Production Incentives Guide In-Reply-To: <3129a3da0810201229o1c938747p5b3e458663375655@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: The incentives office has issued its Fall Guide: http://theincentivesoffice.com/Fall2008.pdf Regards, Alex Ionescu Flash Designer Software Engineering Team ___________________________ ePrize LLC One ePrize Drive Pleasant Ridge, MI 48069 Direct:(248) 543-5439 Main:(248) 543-6800 Cell:(248) 709-4713 Fax:(248) 543-3777 E-mail: alex.ionescu at eprize.com Interactive Promotion Results http://www.eprize.com P Please consider the environment before printing this email -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: image/gif Size: 1447 bytes Desc: not available Url : From dbahlman at xblitz.com Thu Oct 23 17:06:08 2008 From: dbahlman at xblitz.com (Donald) Date: Thu, 23 Oct 2008 16:06:08 -0500 Subject: [casual_games] Recession Proof? Message-ID: <4572C1C7F3DD4F76AAF973384127E17C@xBlitzGames> Hi everyone, In Casual Connect Seattle, it was brought up that casual games might just be recession proof. So I'm just curious what's your experience? Have your sales recently increased or decreased? Also have you noticed any differences between downloads to conversions? And why do you think that is? Our sales have been staying about the same. Love to hear from everyone. Thanks! Don xBlitz Entertainment -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tomh at mofactor.com Sat Oct 25 20:44:06 2008 From: tomh at mofactor.com (Tom Hubina) Date: Sat, 25 Oct 2008 17:44:06 -0700 Subject: [casual_games] Free Online Dictionary In-Reply-To: <200809211723.m8LHNtY28340@dev-biz.com> References: <200809211723.m8LHNtY28340@dev-biz.com> Message-ID: <4A655DBE-D35C-41F0-9D8E-BE74043AA851@mofactor.com> Does anyone know of a place to get definitions (preferably for free!) for words that I can use in my word game? Tom From diogo.neves at gmail.com Sat Oct 25 20:48:35 2008 From: diogo.neves at gmail.com (Diogo Neves) Date: Sun, 26 Oct 2008 01:48:35 +0100 Subject: [casual_games] Free Online Dictionary In-Reply-To: <4A655DBE-D35C-41F0-9D8E-BE74043AA851@mofactor.com> References: <200809211723.m8LHNtY28340@dev-biz.com> <4A655DBE-D35C-41F0-9D8E-BE74043AA851@mofactor.com> Message-ID: Check this website: http://dictionary.reference.com/ I hope that it helps ;) Diogo Neves http://www.linkedin.com/in/dneves 2008/10/26 Tom Hubina > Does anyone know of a place to get definitions (preferably for free!) for > words that I can use in my word game? > > Tom > _______________________________________________ > Casual_Games mailing list > Casual_Games at igda.org > http://www.igda.org/casual-subscribe > Archive: http://www.igda.org/casual-subscribe > Archive Search: > http://www.google.com/coop/cse?cx=010373383720242846960%3Az3tdwggxil8 > List FAQ: > http://www.igda.org/wiki/index.php/Casual_Games_SIG/Casual_Games_List_FAQ > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tomh at mofactor.com Sat Oct 25 21:10:07 2008 From: tomh at mofactor.com (Tom Hubina) Date: Sat, 25 Oct 2008 18:10:07 -0700 Subject: [casual_games] Free Online Dictionary In-Reply-To: References: <200809211723.m8LHNtY28340@dev-biz.com> <4A655DBE-D35C-41F0-9D8E-BE74043AA851@mofactor.com> Message-ID: <8B7CC26A-8CAA-445C-84FC-199D9968814B@mofactor.com> I want to be able to put the definitions in my game and not send them out to another site. Tom On Oct 25, 2008, at 5:48 PM, Diogo Neves wrote: > Check this website: http://dictionary.reference.com/ > I hope that it helps ;) > > Diogo Neves > http://www.linkedin.com/in/dneves > > > 2008/10/26 Tom Hubina > Does anyone know of a place to get definitions (preferably for > free!) for words that I can use in my word game? > > Tom > _______________________________________________ > Casual_Games mailing list > Casual_Games at igda.org > http://www.igda.org/casual-subscribe > Archive: http://www.igda.org/casual-subscribe > Archive Search: http://www.google.com/coop/cse?cx=010373383720242846960%3Az3tdwggxil8 > List FAQ: http://www.igda.org/wiki/index.php/Casual_Games_SIG/Casual_Games_List_FAQ > > _______________________________________________ > Casual_Games mailing list > Casual_Games at igda.org > http://www.igda.org/casual-subscribe > Archive: http://www.igda.org/casual-subscribe > Archive Search: http://www.google.com/coop/cse?cx=010373383720242846960%3Az3tdwggxil8 > List FAQ: http://www.igda.org/wiki/index.php/Casual_Games_SIG/Casual_Games_List_FAQ From awalker at lexigame.com Sat Oct 25 22:08:54 2008 From: awalker at lexigame.com (Alan Walker) Date: Sun, 26 Oct 2008 13:08:54 +1100 Subject: [casual_games] Free Online Dictionary In-Reply-To: <8B7CC26A-8CAA-445C-84FC-199D9968814B@mofactor.com> Message-ID: You can download data from Wiktionary - see http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Help:FAQ#Downloading_Wiktionary. You can also download the Princeton WordNet Database and use it in commercial projects - see http://wordnet.princeton.edu/obtain. It is not designed to be a dictionary, but you can get definitions from it, and many "dictionary" websites are based on it. Regards, Alan Walker http://chi.lexigame.com From paul_steven at btinternet.com Mon Oct 27 05:19:53 2008 From: paul_steven at btinternet.com (Paul Steven) Date: Mon, 27 Oct 2008 09:19:53 -0000 Subject: [casual_games] Dummy voice over In-Reply-To: References: <8B7CC26A-8CAA-445C-84FC-199D9968814B@mofactor.com> Message-ID: <002a01c93815$2c638c80$852aa580$@com> I am developing a series of games that have a considerable amount of voice over. Ideally I would like to record the voice over as late as possible so I can be sure I have considered all eventualities. However I really need to have some voice over to enable me to program and test the games. One possibility is for me to just record a rough version myself however I wondered if there is any other alternatives? Perhaps there is a program that I can type into and it will output a wav of text to speech? Any advice much appreciated! Thanks Paul From aaron at tandemgames.com Mon Oct 27 07:46:17 2008 From: aaron at tandemgames.com (Aaron Murray) Date: Mon, 27 Oct 2008 06:46:17 -0500 Subject: [casual_games] Dummy voice over In-Reply-To: <002a01c93815$2c638c80$852aa580$@com> References: <8B7CC26A-8CAA-445C-84FC-199D9968814B@mofactor.com> <002a01c93815$2c638c80$852aa580$@com> Message-ID: <3129a3da0810270446o50b9fed5j3b7ac7cb677998ac@mail.gmail.com> Hi Paul, Personally I like placeholder audio, but I've been advised against it by some audio people because sometimes it gets left in, or even worse, the developers get used to it and they want the real sound/tracks/voice to be familiar, which can cause problems. That said, I use placeholder audio when possible. As for a tool, I've used this web tool before: http://www.research.att.com/~ttsweb/tts/demo.php Surely there are some windows tools available, I just haven't used any. -Aaron On Mon, Oct 27, 2008 at 4:19 AM, Paul Steven wrote: > I am developing a series of games that have a considerable amount of voice > over. Ideally I would like to record the voice over as late as possible so > I > can be sure I have considered all eventualities. However I really need to > have some voice over to enable me to program and test the games. One > possibility is for me to just record a rough version myself however I > wondered if there is any other alternatives? Perhaps there is a program > that > I can type into and it will output a wav of text to speech? > > Any advice much appreciated! > > Thanks > > Paul > > _______________________________________________ > Casual_Games mailing list > Casual_Games at igda.org > http://www.igda.org/casual-subscribe > Archive: http://www.igda.org/casual-subscribe > Archive Search: > http://www.google.com/coop/cse?cx=010373383720242846960%3Az3tdwggxil8 > List FAQ: > http://www.igda.org/wiki/index.php/Casual_Games_SIG/Casual_Games_List_FAQ > -- Aaron Murray Technical Director, Co-founder Tandem Games www.TandemGames.com www.DomainOfHeroes.com "Fun for All. All for Fun." -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From achaves at ecuaserver.net Mon Oct 27 10:48:01 2008 From: achaves at ecuaserver.net (Alfredo Chaves) Date: Mon, 27 Oct 2008 09:48:01 -0500 Subject: [casual_games] Dummy voice over In-Reply-To: <3129a3da0810270446o50b9fed5j3b7ac7cb677998ac@mail.gmail.com> References: <8B7CC26A-8CAA-445C-84FC-199D9968814B@mofactor.com> <002a01c93815$2c638c80$852aa580$@com> <3129a3da0810270446o50b9fed5j3b7ac7cb677998ac@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <000001c93843$06251e70$126f5b50$@net> Hello Paul, I have used Audacity (http://audacity.sourceforge.net/), open-source and Linux/Mac/PC. Nothing fancy but surely good enough for placeholder audio. Hope this helps. Alfredo Chaves www.bluelizardgames.com From: casual_games-bounces at igda.org [mailto:casual_games-bounces at igda.org] On Behalf Of Aaron Murray Sent: October-27-08 6:46 AM To: IGDA Casual Games SIG Mailing List Subject: Re: [casual_games] Dummy voice over Hi Paul, Personally I like placeholder audio, but I've been advised against it by some audio people because sometimes it gets left in, or even worse, the developers get used to it and they want the real sound/tracks/voice to be familiar, which can cause problems. That said, I use placeholder audio when possible. As for a tool, I've used this web tool before: http://www.research.att.com/~ttsweb/tts/demo.php Surely there are some windows tools available, I just haven't used any. -Aaron On Mon, Oct 27, 2008 at 4:19 AM, Paul Steven wrote: I am developing a series of games that have a considerable amount of voice over. Ideally I would like to record the voice over as late as possible so I can be sure I have considered all eventualities. However I really need to have some voice over to enable me to program and test the games. One possibility is for me to just record a rough version myself however I wondered if there is any other alternatives? Perhaps there is a program that I can type into and it will output a wav of text to speech? Any advice much appreciated! Thanks Paul _______________________________________________ Casual_Games mailing list Casual_Games at igda.org http://www.igda.org/casual-subscribe Archive: http://www.igda.org/casual-subscribe Archive Search: http://www.google.com/coop/cse?cx=010373383720242846960%3Az3tdwggxil8 List FAQ: http://www.igda.org/wiki/index.php/Casual_Games_SIG/Casual_Games_List_FAQ -- Aaron Murray Technical Director, Co-founder Tandem Games www.TandemGames.com www.DomainOfHeroes.com "Fun for All. All for Fun." -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From mick.donahoo at gmail.com Mon Oct 27 20:39:58 2008 From: mick.donahoo at gmail.com (Mick Donahoo) Date: Mon, 27 Oct 2008 17:39:58 -0700 Subject: [casual_games] Free Online Dictionary In-Reply-To: <8B7CC26A-8CAA-445C-84FC-199D9968814B@mofactor.com> References: <200809211723.m8LHNtY28340@dev-biz.com> <4A655DBE-D35C-41F0-9D8E-BE74043AA851@mofactor.com> <8B7CC26A-8CAA-445C-84FC-199D9968814B@mofactor.com> Message-ID: <20AE9C42-F565-4366-B9D6-5828B43EC1CA@gmail.com> Hey Tom, Check this link out: http://wordlist.sourceforge.net/ We have tinkered with the 12dicts version that is shown on this list. There are a bunch of other lists posted at the above URL, but not sure how good they are. Mick http://www.freezetag.com On Oct 25, 2008, at 6:10 PM, Tom Hubina wrote: > I want to be able to put the definitions in my game and not send > them out to another site. > > Tom > > On Oct 25, 2008, at 5:48 PM, Diogo Neves wrote: > >> Check this website: http://dictionary.reference.com/ >> I hope that it helps ;) >> >> Diogo Neves >> http://www.linkedin.com/in/dneves >> >> >> 2008/10/26 Tom Hubina >> Does anyone know of a place to get definitions (preferably for >> free!) for words that I can use in my word game? >> >> Tom >> _______________________________________________ >> Casual_Games mailing list >> Casual_Games at igda.org >> http://www.igda.org/casual-subscribe >> Archive: http://www.igda.org/casual-subscribe >> Archive Search: http://www.google.com/coop/cse?cx=010373383720242846960%3Az3tdwggxil8 >> List FAQ: http://www.igda.org/wiki/index.php/Casual_Games_SIG/Casual_Games_List_FAQ >>