the game developer’s conference, along with the independent games summit, has been underway for several days now. have i enjoyed the conference so far? no. i havn’t attended the conference so far because it’s too fucking expensive! dear gdc: please have me on a panel next year.
but slut and i have been making mischief in the convention area anyways. our antics so far have included interrupting jonathan braid’s interview, terrifying cactus by shouting COCKPUS at him on the street, and putting a diaper on paul robertson. we were able to get our dirty hands on some expo passes, so we’ll be on and around the showroom floor for the rest of the week, culminating in the debut of octopounce at the game over continue show? on friday. if you’re in the bay area for the conference or just for the pretty sunsets, you should stop by. and if you see us at the conference tomorrow, feel free to yell at us.
other news: calamity annie must have finally hit the big time because it has its very own shitty note-for-note flash clone. i havn’t played it – because i made it – but the description on jayisgames (who didn’t seem obliged to point out the simularity despite nominating annie for an award a few months ago) is pretty telling:
The gameplay mirrors the harrowing simplicity of a wild west duel. First, holster your gun by moving your pointer into the “safe zone” at your feet. When the referee says “Draw!”, move quickly to the target that appears and click to shoot.
speaking of unauthorized homage, the above image is cropped from this incredible piece of jill off fan art. i want more of this.
20 comments
Played the clone game, wasn’t impressed. There are subtle differences, but it is definitely a clone. The company that made it has probably made a couple grand off your idea.
If I were you, I would grab an swf decompiler, replace the graphics, and steal it back.
I saw that pic the other day. It was on 4chan as well. I like the personification of the spider enemies.
As for that clone game, is there some sort of hack to get a high score (like that “Lower the tower” RTS indie game), or am I just missing something? Take a look at the monthly score table. The highest score is 18446744073709551615.
The game’s really not too close, other than being a fast-draw game. I tried to play it, but quit as soon as I saw that they artificially slowed down cursor movements. It’s also got money-based equipment upgrades, a selectable opponent tree, and a different feel. If it is a clone, it’s not a very good clone, and it’s also added quite a few things.
The principal is similar enough that it seems suspiciously close. For one thing, Western-based games aren’t exactly common nowadays anyway. It’s not as if one person made a WWII FPS and then another person made a WWII FPS; these are two quick draw games set in the Wild West in which you progress through tiers of bounties.
I admit, it’s not the kind of similarity you could sue over but it’s kind of like how after Mario Kart every videogame and cartoon character and his/her mother was in their own kart game, complete with wacky power-ups.
if i’m not mistaken…the clone game is actually quite old, i remember playing it at least a year ago and maybe even longer.
can’t wait for the gallery though i don’t like yelling much. can i just say hello?
hellos are acceptable too.
I’m sure Smokin’ Barrels pre-dates Calamity Annie by at least a few months. We noticed it recently because it got re-released on a few portals, possibly with some minor updates. I didn’t think to add a reference to Calamity Annie because the feel of the gameplay is completely different.
So not only do they rip off Calamity Annie, they have the nerve to release it a few months in advance. I’ll never forgive those bastards!!
Really, though, the gameplay is a bit different, mainly because Smokin’ Barrels gunplay feels odd with the slowly moving cursor and the fact you aim at a target while the bullet hits the enemy guy.
be nice to cactus, auntie, he’s one of the good ones.
i was nice to cactus, i just said “hey.” slut was the one who couldn’t contain her excitement.
does the flash version of calamity annie predate mine? i didn’t realize! sorry!
Dangit I wish I could get my scanner working, I have a few pages of Jill Off fanart that I scribbled when the game was first released. I’m sure you’d get a kick out of it Auntie.
COCKPUSS
ho ho ho im a big mean domme
boy my slut sure is awesome, i wanna be just like her when i grow up
also shes very pretty, and smart, and funny.
just all around great really.
aw thanks ma’am
…Hey, wait a second.
omigosh don’t believe her daphny!!! she’s just raising you up now to make you feel worse later!!!!
I’m gonna risk the wrath of Auntie and say… the core mechanic of that other game wasn’t so bad. Both games in their way have a timer, but with the other one you can see how your opponent is doing, and there’s a physical element to it.
It has kind of a dumb difficulty curve, and dumb ways of screwing up the upgrade system… I gave up after noticing I was playing a (not terrible, but not related) minigame to earn money for a damn vest and entrance fee) and it lacks the charm of the character design and intermissions, but still, not as god awful as it could be.
I think the author of that fan art may have been Tristam Wilder, creator of Paranoid Rock ‘n’ Roll, since he pointed me to it and the eyes and mouth are a little like ones he would draw.
That thing Jill is fucking should become part of the canon, it’s awesome
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