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Save the sheep from a horde of wolves by building a fence around them, in this increasingly difficult new puzzler from McPeppergames www.mcpeppergames.com 2 ind13.com EDITORIAL Introduction we are Hello and welcome to IND13 (Indie), the magazine sound effect artistry to retro arcades – we’ll take a that champions independent games. look at anything that grabs our interest. Maybe you’re a developer, or a hardcore gamer, We’re a small core team of just six members – so or someone new to the concept of indie games we’re always looking for new angles and fresh wanting to learn more – we’ve got something for writing. If you think you’ve got something that’ll you all. make indie game developers step away from their consoles for a few minutes, get in touch by emailing Just like the games we love, we’re independent: us at [email protected]. this means no editorial agenda except good, solid reporting on all aspects of indie gaming. From Enjoy, veteran developers to crowdfunding campaigns, ind13 Who we are... IND13 is a games magazine dedicated to independent games placements in the magazine. development. The team is made up of voluntary contributors from different areas of independent games development. We also give pro bono ad placements to the companies the team work for, in exchange for our time spent contributing to the We’ve created a magazine which discusses topics we think magazine and to keep our employers happy. are important to, and cater to the fans of, independent games development. We hope you enjoyed the magazine and please do get in touch with questions and comments. Our aim is to create interesting news, reviews and articles, all focusing on independent games development. The nucleus The Team: of our team is based in the UK but we hope to have a team Richard Hoffmann Editor-in-Chief stretching the globe. We aim to have independent gaming news Harry Cole Publisher from the UK, US, Europe and Asia, but also from all other gaming Lee Smith Creative Director territories. Rokas Butkus Art Editor Sophie Rossetti Copy Editor The team behind IND13 are all volunteers, and we are giving our time because we are passionate about independent games Website: www.ind13.com development. The content of the magazine will be made up of articles created by the IND13 team but also by voluntary Facebook: www.facebook.com/ind13 contributors from the games industry. Save the sheep from a horde of wolves by building a fence around Twitter: @official_Ind13 Advertising is available in the magazine, at this time all proceeds them, in this increasingly difficult new puzzler from McPeppergames will go into the development and stability of IND13’s production. For editorial enquires: [email protected] Paying for advertising will also mean we can cover paying clients’ titles with editorial as well as with traditional advertising For advertising enquires: [email protected] www.mcpeppergames.com 2 3 ind13.com ind13.com The Way Home Pages 12 - 15 Regional Report: Kenya Pages 44 - 47 KOLM Review Page 48 The Fist of Jesus Pages 50 - 54 Embrace YouTube gaming Pages 62 - 63 4 ind13.com Q&A with the IND13 team Skater Page 6 Pages 36 - 42 What are the biggest changes in video Skateboarding with a clever social twist games development that you have seen in the last ten years? Regional Report: Kenya Pages 44 - 47 39 Days to Mars We talk to Leon Oscar Kidando who lives Pages 9 - 11 and works in Kenya developing games A game that is so full of Steampunk Sci-fi goodness, we are not sure whether to KOLM play it or just admire the artwork Page 48 A review of the browser-based game The Way Home Pages 12 - 15 The Fist of Jesus We hear from Mowow Studios about their Pages 50 - 54 time travelling game that is inspired by There has been a history of games based the classic tv series Quantum Leap on movies, but Fist of Jesus is different The Magnificent Stunts Mushroom 11 Pages 16 - 19 Pages 56 - 58 Stunt Guy: The Getaway 2.0. where The unique puzzle platformer that is you hang onto the back of a speeding going to be destroying worlds on a motorcar, and bash other stunt drivers computer screen near you soon... out of the way Back to Bed RuPaul's Drag Racing Pages 60 - 61 Pages 20 - 21 Where high art meets gaming... Drag is moving into the digital age and is challenging conventions. We talk to the Why you should embrace makers to discuss this crossover title YouTube gaming Pages 62 - 63 Accelerator Ophelia discusses YouTube and it's Page 22 delights for gamers A review of the browser-based game Interstella Marines Verdun Pages 64 - 67 Pages 24 - 28 First contact with Interstellar Marines, A squad-based multiplayer FPS set in a new first person shooter from indie the First World War and inspired by the studio Zero Point Software. infamous battle of Verdun in 1916 SpecialEffect Pages 30 - 35 A charity that aims to beat physical disability to enable people to enjoy video games 5 ind13.com EDITORIAL Q&A with the ind13 team What are the biggest changes in video games development that you have seen in the last ten years? HARRY SOPHIE ROKAS RICHARD LEE JENNIFER Harry people out there making them, catering them to new and varied audiences I think the way that the internet allows us to share information has as there are more people out there to play them. This effect may mean to changed everything. Ideas and experiences can be shared across the world some that the market is flooded with inferior 'quantity' over 'quality', but I and that has affected both the content and creation of games. One specific think it means people are making better games in order to get noticed, and area that has become huge for videogames is Digital Distribution on PC and distributors and reviewers just work harder to help curate the best of the Mobile, the fact that videogames can now be distributed without needing best. shop space or a huge marketing budget, is massive. Richard If you have a good idea you can get your game out there, and even better Free to play became big and for some Indie developers this is not the than that, you can create an Alpha and actually have your audience work best business model to sell their games in the mobile sector. Kickstarter, with you to make your game. These new distribution platforms have now Indiegogo and Co on the other hand helped Indies to raise significant been widely adopted and I expect to see this trend overtake traditional amount of money to fund their game development. Steam obviously forms of distribution in the next ten years. pushed DLC and killed the middle man aka the traditional distribution channels.. Rokas This is a difficult one as so much has happened in 10 years. One of the Jennifer biggest things I would have to say is the birth of smartphones and mobile The biggest change in the process of videogame development has been gaming. This has put games in the hands of everyday people you may not in communication between developers and players. Over the past ten have expected to play games. But what I find fascinating is the rate of years, thanks to platforms like Steam and Kickstarter, game development development this new technology has undertaken. It has jumped to catch has become much more of an exercise in conversation than dictation. up graphically and processing wise to AAA titles from a few years ago, Nowadays, players feel more entitled and empowered to have their say in to the point where you can get an emulator on your phone and play AAA the development of the games that they play. tittles from a few years back! Lee Smith When I first saw GTA 3 in all it's 3D glory on the Playstation 2, my mind was One of the the biggest changes, away from the technology side of things, is blown. Now to see it again but portable on my phone, it blows my mind how computer games touch pretty much everyone’s lives now. From the stay again. I still remember snake... and only snake.. no play store, just snake. -at-home parent, to the commuter, to the grandparent, to the school kid. Sophie Games were usually seen as the preserve of the kids and the geeks (which I agree with the others in that the increase in gaming platforms (especially we have all been, admit it...) but now, with the rise of mobile gaming and mobile) and distribution methods (digital) has redefined us as a gaming *shudder* Facebook games, they are used by the majority now. Even David society. 10 years ago, 'gamer' meant something completely different, Cameron probably allows himself a few games of Bejewelled at the end of whereas now anyone who enjoys Candy Crush on the bus home should be a hard day’s night messing up the country. able to comfortably call themselves one. Strangely, though, a lot of the people who play these games, if asked, Development has changed because not only have games never been easier would probably say that they don't really play, or have an interest in, to own / play, they have also become easier to make. There are simply more games. 6 ind13.com A platformer with a unique mechanic You can dive into the ground. Momentum is conserved but gravity is reversed, letting you fling yourself high into the air or deep “Overall USD $9.99 winner of beneath the surface.