With some of the tools I’ve built for XNA, I’ve been prototyping a simple 2D platformer last month. It’s pretty basic so far, very much inspired by Super Mario World, with the character being a combination of Sonic’s Tails and Yoshi’s movement-style. Your browser does not support the video tag. I’ve been studying frame-by-frame how the camera in Super Mario World works, there is an area of “dead space” in the center of the screen where the player can freely move without the camera following, but once you hit the edge of that area, the camera starts moving horizontally on the X-axis to keep up. ...

Recently I’ve been teaching myself C#, together with the Microsoft XNA game engine. XNA is really a freeware toolkit rather than a full engine. Microsoft launched this to make hobby and indie game development approachable. It sits on top of the .NET Framework and can target both Windows and the Xbox 360. For an indie developer these days, XNA feels like the most practical way to getting something onto the Xbox. ...

After six months of development, the game I’ve been working on has finally been released on Steam! Foreign Legion: Buckets of Blood is a fast-paced, cartoony third‑person shooter. Missions range from defending an oil pipeline against waves of attackers, to escorting a bus packed with tourists driving through hostile territory. I created most of the levels and 3D environment art. The escort mission at dawn is one of the prettier levels I made. ...

For the HLFallout.net mapping contest, I built a single-player map called “The Bridge”. It’s set in the lost coast, on the outskirts of City 17. It’s more of a set piece than a full level, as the competition’s goal was making a memorable environment rather than a full playable level. I’m happy to say I won the contest, and I’m very proud of how it turned out! \o/ ...

Since I’ve been itching to make more Half-Life maps, I’m building a new single-player map called “Knowren” (the name is just whatever, for now). Set deep in the bowels of the Black-Mesa research facility, I’m trying to focus on moody lighting with a lot of emergency spotlights and shadows, setting a darker atmosphere than most of the standard Half-Life maps. This is pushing the ZHLT (Zoners Half-Life Tools) to its limits, HLRAD specifically, and its taking a long time to compile the map each time already. ...

I’ve been working on a Half-Life deathmatch map these days, set in the mountainous NORAD complex. The layout is fairly simple, built around a central courtyard with two main buildings, both have multiple levels, and a shared basement/garage area. Some areas offer 3 levels of verticality, but the rocket launcher is placed in the basement by design. Getting it first and then working your way up is a good risk/reward strategy. ...