Pre-Launch Event
Yesterday was our “Caveman Craig 2″ Pre-Launch LAN! It was a large success, and a very productive day.
Tim and I invited some friends/BETA testers and played through the release candidate of Caveman Craig 2 with them, from 3pm till around 10:30pm.
BETA Testers were bribed with rather delicious Pizza
Ultimately everybody seemed to have plenty of fun and I now have a gigantic list of things to tweak, fix, and add. Bigger than hoped, but not surprisingly so.
Tim and some BETA testers pose while itching to get back to their game.
This leaves us with a final shopping list for CC2 before it is ready for release! I’ll be working very hard to get this done as soon as possible.
Some of the larger things to test is the difficulty curve of the game and ensuring it is challenging, but not impossible, and tailors to most modes of play. Yesterday showed that CC2’s play length is approximately 4 hours with plenty of replay value in all of the bonus gametypes!
My job wasn't to play the game, but keep tabs on how everyone was going and updating the build throughout the day
It wouldn’t be a LAN without some actual network-gaming, so we finished the night off with some classic Call of Duty (United Offensive). I find this game far more thrilling than its successors.
On an unrelated note, as everyone left we came across this gigantic moth.
February’s Etc
Craig will make his return very, very soon..
Hello all!
This past week has been cripplingly busy.. having started back at my job after a decent break, and coping with a silly hand infection that with the bandages and dressing rendered me unable to type without riddling my work with spelling mistakes. I am now wearing some funky cotton gloves as things are starting to heal up, and thankfully I am finally able to type again!
But in more exciting news, I am within days of completing the “release candidate” for Caveman Craig 2. This means that the game is actually FINISHED – subject to difficulty, bug fixes, polish/detailing, and any last minute additions.
On Saturday we have scheduled a ‘pre-launch caveman craig lan’ for a handful of local BETA testers. During the event I will be fixing, tweaking, and polishing while others play through the release candidate and write down anything of note. The goal is that by the end of the day, we will have a complete build, ready to go – though this is best case scenario, and we may need to give it a few more days to finish off the list and sign off on the game.
SO, if you are umm-ing and arr-ing about pre-ordering CC2, now is the time! Our pre-order offer (which includes Caveman Craig: Special Edition and the CC2 demo) will end a week before CC2 is released.
Meanwhile, Tim and I are discussing our many project ideas for 2012. Some games are small, others large. Some aimed at a mobile device audience, others online/LAN, and others similar to that of Caveman Craig. Once CC2 is released, we hope to be able to prepare an announcement for our next project and direction as a game design team.
Thanks for your support,
Rhys
Additional Gametypes in CC2
We are inching closer and closer to release..
It is all resting on me now as the rest of the team have completed essentially everything they need to complete. Tim will soon begin working on some marketing type material which is separate from the game itself.
Of the few remaining areas of the game to finish, the ‘additional gametypes’ that you can unlock while progressing through the game is the biggest.
In Caveman Craig 1, there was 1 special gametype; raptor’s revenge. Special Edition introduced “Meteor Dodge” as a 2nd gametype.
Caveman Craig 2 will have 5 additional gametypes, as well as 4 conquest levels and a 5th, special final level. Among the unlockable gametypes are improved versions of meteor dodge and raptor’s revenge, and “Classic” mode – which operates in a similar manner to CC1 and CCSE. The goal of the additional gametypes is to beat your own highscore (or if you have siblings using the same computer, you can compete with their profiles for the best score). Some gametypes will also have a challenge score to beat in order to unlock new XP rewards.
We don’t want to reveal the remaining 2 gametypes or the final level, it’ll ruin the fun! But we can’t wait to show you.
-R
Download the Demo
Receive the demo FREE when you preorder Caveman Craig 2
Excitement is brewing as we come to the final stages of CC2’s production.
I have finished all my graphic work, and can (mostly) put my feet up as Rhys finishes up his programming duties on the game.
The last graphical things I had to make, were a series of icons to represent 22 “achievements” that can be… um… achieved in the game. Here are just a handful to whet your appetite:
December/January’s Etc
Hello all!
It’s been a busy end of year for us, as you know, compiling the demo (now available to those who pre-order) and completing all the prerequisites for that.
Greg & Ricky have completed all their work for the game and now get to sit back and-or move onto other projects. For those who have played the demo, I’m sure you can agree they have done a fantastic job (Greg’s art includes the background scenery and cave design).
It’s down to Tim and I now to finish off the game, and Tim is quickly wrapping the last of his graphical work. As of yesterday, all 35 XP rewards are now completed (though some need to be modified slightly for classic/survival mode) which is a milestone for us. I have been spending the past few days modifying the enemy tribe AI to purchase XP rewards. It’s fun to see them buying veteran hunters or reinforcements when they are in a vulnerable state.
All the levels bar one are now playable although the difficulty still need to be tweaked and tested. One bonus gametype is completed and playable, the others are still in progress.
Sometimes we under-estimate some of our equations. These dinosaurs bred way too fast.
We have a big list of achievements and statistics – these still need to be implemented but the backend code is all ready to go.
Every time I play test, I keep a sticky note with me and write anything that comes to mind – anything from bugs to visual effects ideas and ways to improve the interface. When I’m getting sick of implementing the ‘big picture’ stuff like new gametypes and achievements, I like to just sift through my list and make minor changes to polish and perfect the game.
Soon Tim will begin work on a fresh set of caveman craig merchandise which can be purchased from our zazzle store. We also need to put together some publicity material – trailers and the like.
For those who played the demo – thank you so much for your feedback, please keep it coming! Your ideas, criticisms, and praise will affect the final product! Also, if you do get an error log (it usually opens when the game quits if new errors have been added), don’t hesitate to attach it to an email addressed to rhys (at) paraboxgames (dot) (com) for our ‘analysis’ 
And what of future projects? CC2’s development is drawing to a close and Parabox Games can’t just ‘stop’ with it. Well, Tim and I always have ideas floating around and it’s just a matter of picking one and going ahead with it. We are still establishing what end of the market to target, and what is going to be the most fun to create (I am of the belief that your best creation tends to also be the most fun to create). The poll results from a few months ago was definitely helpful!
Take care,
Rhys
DEMO Now available for Pre-Orderers!
Good News!
As a token of our thanks for your trust, support, and patience over the past months and years, we have released a CC2 demo for anyone who has pre-ordered the game.
If you pre-ordered the game before today, you should have received an email from me with a private download link. Otherwise, the CC2 demo will be included in the package you are sent when you pre-order the game through our distributor, BMT Micro.
The demo includes a tutorial and initial level of the game, with a handful of the rewards and dinosaurs that are in the full game. The demo will eventually be available to the public – probably once the full game is released in coming weeks.
This year has been a very busy one for Tim and I, as we have been working very hard to get the biggest game project of our lives completed after 3 years of on and off development.
So if you want a taste of Caveman Craig 2 TODAY then pre-order the game! You also get Caveman Craig: SE to play immediately until the full version of CC2 is released.
On behalf of Tim and I, we wish you all a very happy new year and we are very excited about what 2012 will bring for Parabox Games.
Take care,
Rhys
Back in Action
Hello!
It’s been almost exactly one month since my last entry.. sorry about that! Christmas and what, o’ course.
It has indeed been a busy month for many reasons, but fortunately for you all, CC2 is one of them. The finish line is getting closer and closer, I promise you we’re not running in circles =) In fact we’ve made some significant leaps over the past weeks.
Ricky Garcia has finished the final masters for the CC2 soundtrack. And it is simply fantastic! We never thought we’d get such an exclusively professional & fitting bunch of tracks. Hopefully within days we’ll have something to show you featuring some of the music that Ricky has composed.
Tim has completed all of the caveman animations and a majority of all the artwork in the game.
Having recently spent a week chilling in a big ocean liner, I’m now getting myself back into the pace of things. I’ve made a start on most of the bonus minigames, and one or two of them are almost done & dusted. The Meteor Dodge game in particular is looking pretty awesome and it plays even better.
There are only a few more Sound FX to complete, and we only have a handful more rewards to put together. I recently recreated the pet dino (which featured in CC: SE) reward/bonus. Pet dino’s latch onto dinosaur threats and slowly drain their health. If you manage to get a male and female pet dino and they fully grow, they start having baby dinosaurs that also grow up and fight for you. A fun and handy investment.
Unfortunately, at this point CC2 won’t be released before the beginning of next year. However we plan to release a demo of the game before new years. Whether this will be for all to taste or just for those who have pre ordered the game is yet to be decided.
Thank you all for your ongoing support! Not long now!
-Rhys
The concept archives..
Hey guys,
Weeks ago, after a big burst of development made on CC2, I’d have typed up a blog entry with some sneak peeks at what we’d done and what you could expect in the final game.
However, we’re now in the late stages, and showing you too much will spoil the fun of experiencing it all when you first play. So for today I thought I’d go through the gigs and gigs of data used in putting together CC2 and find some concept art to have a look at how far CC2 has come. Click on the images to see a bigger size.
The original running animation for Craig, made during the early stages (mid 2009) of planning Caveman craig 2.
An even ear lier drawing. You may have seen this in one of our first blog entries. This is the original design/idea for a mini-hud, which you can see in CC2.
Greg's animation strip for an othnielia rotating on a spit. We actually used this animation, though shrunk down heavily.
Greg's title screen concept sketch
Concept for a larger cave
Tim's sketch for a main menu screen overlooking the land of boggdrop (or at the time, known simply as 'bogg')
A *very* early development screenshot
The result of over three years on and off work :)
November’s Etc
Hello hello!
Life continues to be busy for Tim and I and rest assured we are still working hard to have Caveman Craig 2 ready by the end of the year. I’ll make a forewarning that we may spill into 2012 as I do not want to rush to meet a release date at the expense of polish.
The focus on these past couple of weeks have been on implementing all the XP rewards and further work on classic mode. Tim will be finishing off all the enemy leader animations soon but until now has been working on putting together some great XP rewards. Tutorial guy reprises his rock stomp contraption, as you can see here…
Here are some highlights in the changelist so far for the latest build of Caveman Craig 2 (I’ve hidden some things.. you need SOME surprises when the game is out!)
- Added ‘teacher’ reward/bonus
- Added ‘rock stomp’ reward/bonus
- Added the ‘ransom’ feature, allowing the player to spend caveman credits to revive Craig if he dies in enemy territory (and the enemy leader can do the same)
- The enemy leader is now smarter when choosing whether to attack Craig or not
There has been some discussion around the mini / bonus games in Caveman Craig 2. Raptor’s Revenge and Meteor Dodge will make a return, and they will be designed to be a lot more fun and challenging. We have some more to add too. These mini games won’t just be unlocked to be played at your leisure – they are incorporated into the progression/story of the game and provide the opportunity to unlock new rewards or features which will help you in the succeeding levels.
Thankyou all so much for your pre-orders – the response has been a testimony to your continued and loyal support, and we truly appreciate it. If you are yet to pre-order Caveman Craig 2, whattaya waiting for?
Take care,
Rhys
Classic/Survival Mode Begins!
I am on holidays for this week, which means I have lots of time to get on with personal things, which includes CC2! And amidst the house hunting, music composition, and web design, I have been making lots of fun progress on CC2. If you follow Parabox Games on twitter, you’ll have noticed I made live updates while doing bits and pieces. Always good to follow us on twitter!
Some ‘minor’ changes done this week..
– Preparers fart a lot less often. 
– Added pause/save/return to menu dialogs
– Can now use arrow keys as well as WSAD to control Craig
– Created an extension system so that custom spritesets and scenes can be created. See http://twitpic.com/6td4ms/full
– Cavemen actually dodge dinosaurs properly now.. can’t believe I missed that.
Past these little bits and pieces, most of my work has been surrounding the ‘classic/survival’ gametype. If nothing else gets you hooked on CC2, this will. The gametype mimics that of the original Caveman Craig – your goal is to get your tribe as large as possible without being obliterated. When Craig dies, you lose. Additionally, some of the key features in the conquest gametype are introduced in the classic mode too. Your cavemen can eat from the fruit pile to restore health. You can see individual stats from each cavemen. There are new dinosaurs, new rewards, and so on.
There will be a lot of testing and tweaking going on over the next couple of weeks to resolve some of the balance/difficulty issues in CC1 and CC:SE. In some versions, you’d be doing just fine until suddenly a billion raptors would appear and tear your tribe apart. Other versions left you overpowered once you got a certain number of hunters. We don’t want these frustrations to come across in CC2. Some goals I have for the classic mode…
1. It must be very challenging. Getting more than say 8 cavemen will be a decent accomplishment. Having huge tribes of 20+ cavemen is for the conquest gametype, or those who are truly hardcore cc fans.
2. The difficulty can’t plateau. The game should get harder and harder and you shouldn’t reach a point where you have nothing to do but sit back and watch your hunters wipe out the T-Rex population. Think Call of Duty WaW zombies.
3. The scoring should be determined by how good your tribe was at its best, not when Craig dies. If you reach 30 cavemen, then lose all but 3, and then Craig dies.. you get a lousy score, even though really you achieved a great tribe size. Perhaps the game should end when a certain number of your cavemen have died?
Has anyone got any suggestions to help us?
Take care!
Rhys
