An Interview With Cosplayer Kate Key Cosplay

Hi Readers

It’s time for another cosplay interview, this time we meet Kate Key Cosplay! Kate Key Cosplayer is a triple threat, a cosplayer, youtuber and already awesome girl from Spain. Let’s find out some more about Kate Key Cosplay.

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1) How did you get into cosplaying?

I got into cosplaying since 2012 when I saw a cosplay video on Youtube.

2) Where do you get your inspiration and ideas to cosplay from? Is it from programs you watch now or childhood programs or both?

Nowadays I get my inspiration on videogames like League of Legends, World of Warcraft , Fight Games or cards games, but when I started in this world I was really inspired by anime and manga like Inuyasha, Naruto, Soul Eater or Death Note.

3) How do you put your outfits together are they 100% from scratch and if so what’s been your trickiest part to date?

Yeah my cosplays are made 100% by me and I love make them so much ! Well all my cosplays have a difficult part but the most difficult was my Windrangers bow or Sonya’s swords because they are so big.

4) What’s your favourite cosplay to date?

I can ́t choose only one! I love so much my Liliana Vess, Sonya, Diablo 3 Wizard, Crimson Akali and Sindragosa !

5) If you’ve cosplayed at a convention what was the experience like?

When I go to a convention I have a lot of experiences, good experiences like people who loves my work and my cosplays , the photoshoots with friends and photographers, meet more cosplayers and more, but go to a convention it ́s hard too! If you wear a big armor or big costume it ‘s probably you are tired early haha.

6) Can we expect to see you at any conventions this year?

Well, I want to go to Impact Weekend (Narón) Jornaicas (Zaragoza), Salón del Manga (Barcelona), Madrid Games Week or Barcelona Games Experience and Salón del Cómic (Zaragoza) but it ́s not sure haha. For the next year I want to visit México !!

7) If you could cosplay as anyone and budget wasn’t an issue who would it be?

WOW I ́m sure that I will want a Pokémon Group or Death Knights !!

8) Do you have any words of advice for up and coming cosplayers?

Sure! Don ́t be afraid! Choose a character and make it, talk with another cosplayers if you don’t know about fabrics and be the character that you want, DON’T FORGET HAVE FUN 😀

9) Where can we find you online?

• Facebook – KateKCosplay
• Instagram – Ignea_ignus
• Twitter – Kate.Key.Cosplay

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There you go readers Kate Key Cosplay! Don’t be shy go say hi and say ‘Skatronixxx sent me!’

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An Interview With Cosplayer Lady Halestorm

Hi Readers

It’s time for another cosplay interview this time we meet Lady Halestorm. So far we’ve featured cosplayers from Australia, America and Peurto Rico, now it’s time to meet a British one. Lady Halestorm is a cosplay veteran and we even frequent the same con’s so chances are we’ve ran into each other in the past! Lets find out some more about Lady Halestorm

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1) How did you get into cosplaying?

I always loved to dress up as a kid and even as a teen, I’d convince people to have fancy dress parties just so I had another excuse to get a new costume. I never actually knew cosplaying was a real thing until I discovered Jessica Nigri! Once I found out about cosplaying, I went to my first con and was totally blown away by the talent that some people demonstrated. Before this, I’d buy a costume and wear it as it came, but these people made their costumes by hand and spent months doing so! It was then that I decided to give it a go, and I haven’t stopped since.

2) Where do you get your inspiration and ideas to cosplay from? Is it from programs you watch now or childhood programs or both?

I get most of my cosplay ideas from films and TV shows I watch as an adult. I’ll be watching TV and I’ll become obsessed with a character’s outfit to the point where I won’t rest until I have the same one! It’s the same when reading a comic book or playing an xbox game. I’ll see a costume that I love and I’ll spend the next few days planning how I can make it and if it’s a male character, I’ll see how I can gender-bend it. I’m a page model for @itsthenerdylife on Instagram and I sometimes scroll through their page to get inspiration too – the content on there is amazing.

3) How do you put your outfits together are they 100% from scratch and if so what’s been your trickiest part to date?

Unfortunately, due to me not having a sewing machine that works, I haven’t been able to make any costumes entirely from scratch (it’s something I’m saving up for!). I’ve tried to make a few things by hand stitching them, but they never turn into something I’m happy with. Rather than buying a fancy dress costume from a shop, what I usually do is buy some base materials and put them together and tweak until it’s perfect. I have bought a few cosplay pieces in the past, but it works out cheaper to make them myself. There was one costume I made from scratch which was Scarecrow from the Batman game “Arkham Asylum”. It took me three months to make the mask and glove and is still to this date, the most challenging thing I’ve ever had to do because I had to layer the base mask to give it the right expression. I do however, make most of my props from scratch. If I have a limited amount of time to get a cosplay finished then I’ll buy them, but I generally make all my props.

4) What’s your favourite cosplay to date?

I’d have to say my Lara Croft: Rise of the Tomb Raider cosplay. It was the first cosplay I actually took on a photo shoot and had loads of fun becoming the character. I hand painted the pistol and spent weeks practicing the make-up – it was my first big project. I got a lot of positive feedback from lots of different cosplayers including SuperMaryFace!

5) If you’ve cosplayed at a convention what was the experience like?

Every con I’ve been to, I’ve cosplayed as something. There’s no feeling like someone appreciating the hard work you’ve put into a cosplay and wanting to take pictures. It’s such a friendly community at conventions and each year just gets better.

6) Can we expect to see you at any conventions this year?

YES! I will be at LFCC on Saturday 30th July 2016 and London MCM on Saturday 29 th October 2016.

7) If you could cosplay as anyone and budget wasn’t an issue who would it be?

Definitely Amber’s Bunny Mech from Sucker Punch!

8) Do you have any words of advice for up and coming cosplayers?

First and most importantly, do it for you! Cosplay is all about expressing yourself and if you’re doing it just to get compliments or ‘likes’ you will soon lose your passion for it. There are famous cosplayers and yes they make a lot of money for what they do, but don’t aim for that. Do it because you love it, not because you want to be famous. Also, it is important to keep in mind that if you’re just starting out, your cosplays aren’t likely to be the standard of Jessica Nigri, and that’s ok! In the words of Jake the Dog “sucking at something is the first step to becoming sort of good at something”. It is a very expensive and time-consuming hobby. And lastly, HAVE FUN! It’s always satisfying when your cosplay looks super legit and as if it has been pulled out of a game/comic/film but it’s more fun to put your own twists on them. I personally love to think to myself “what would I look like as this character?” and create cosplays based on that. It makes it more personal and lets you express your creativity. Go take the cosplay world by storm!

9) Where can we find you online?

At the moment I’m only on Instagram as @lady_halestorm but I will be setting up a facebook page soon. I’ll announce when this happens so keep an eye out on my Instagram page for updates!

• Instagram – Lady_Halestorm

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There you go readers Lady Halestorm! Don’t be shy go say hi and say ‘Skatronixxx sent me!’

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An Interview With Cosplayer Miss Torii

Hi Readers

It’s time for another cosplay interview, this time we meet Miss Torii! What can I say about Miss Torii?  Besides being an amazingly cool person she’s also an awesome cosplayer, so an interview was a no brainer. Let’s find out some more about Miss Torii.

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1) How did you get into cosplaying?

I started cosplaying about 3 years ago. It all started because a local horror convention was happening in my area. I decided to dress up just for fun. I noticed a lot of people dressed up and started talking to them. They asked me what other cons I cosplay at. This was the first time I heard of the word cosplay. The more I talked to other cosplayers, the more cosplay interested me. I didn’t know there was a word for it. Finally others who shared what i loved to do.

2) Where do you get your inspiration and ideas to cosplay from? Is it from programs you watch now or childhood programs or both?

My inspirations come from comics (MARVEL/DC) that I read and collect. I also get ideas from Disney movies that I have watched since I was little girl and recent Disney shows that I have watched with my daughter.

3) How do you put your outfits together are they 100% from scratch and if so what’s been your trickiest part to date?

I think it all depends on the character I’m cosplaying. Most of my cosplays are either from thrift stores or I sew my own. If I buy them from the thrift store, I have to alter them to fit the character. The most difficult part of sewing some of my cosplays is that there is no pattern. I like to do my own rendition of character I like. So just depending on the ncharacter either I will make it from scratch or I have to alter certain clothes to fit the character.

4) What’s your favourite cosplay to date?

Gwenpool has to be my favourite and the most fun!

5) If you’ve cosplayed at a convention what was the experience like?

Amazing!!!!! Seeing everyone dressed up and seeing their cosplays always amazes me. I love being around that atmosphere! Plus meeting others who love what you do is awesome too!

6) Can we expect to see you at any conventions this year?

I just attended Comicpalooza. Any conventions that are in Texas are the ones I attend. I want to attend Alamo City Comic Con, Omnicon, Realms Con. Hopefully you will see me at some of those!

7) If you could cosplay as anyone and budget wasn’t an issue who would it be?

I would make a HULKBUSTER cosplay just to do it!

8) Do you have any words of advice for up and coming cosplayers?

Just have fun! There is no right way to cosplay! Try not to get caught up with negativity in the cosplay community….example cosplay bullying, fat shaming, slut shaming, are just a few. I have been a target for some of these. It happens to a lot of cosplayers and a lot give up because of hateful comments. My advice is to ignore it, have fun, and remember why you wanted to cosplay. Go out there and have fun!

9) Where can we find you online?

• Facebook – MissTorii
• Instagram –M1ss_Torii
• Twitter – @misstorii956

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There you go readers Miss Torii! Don’t be shy go say hi and say ‘Skatronixxx sent me!’

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An Interview With Cosplayer Mori Cosplays

Hi Readers!

It’s time for another cosplay interview, this time we meet Mori Cosplays! Although she’s a relative newbie to the internet cosplay scene; she’s not a newbie to the world of cosplay and this shows by the awesome outfit that inspired me to contact her to appear on the site! Luckily for us she said yes so lets find out some more about Mori Cosplays.

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1) How did you get into cosplaying?

I first got into cosplaying when I was in middle school. I started dressing up as different characters from animes or games or even comics just for fun, though I never actually called it cosplay. They weren’t my best, but I can say that was a base to where I am now. I don’t have pictures of back then (and I am kind of happy I don’t because they were so basic haha, though I also kinda wish I did so I could see my progress!) My first cosplay was Misty from Pokemon, I think every girl has done a Misty in her life!!

Then I did various other coslpays such as Jill Valentine, and afterwards various more. I stopped for years,but now I’m trying to get back at the scene.

2) Where do you get your inspiration and ideas to cosplay from? Is it from programs you watch now or childhood programs or both?

I get inspired from my favorite games at the moment, or if I want to cosplay as a character that’s deep into my memories. Most of the time I mix characters because I don’t really like to be normal, and I like to complicate my life and make myself cry and ask myself why I came up with the idea in the first place when I start making the outfit overall or props. But overall, my inspiration comes from anything that I love personally. I would never dressup as a character that I don’t personally like.

3) How do you put your outfits together are they 100% from scratch and if so what’s been your trickiest part to date?

My outfits are 80% from scratch. At least I try them to be. Sometimes because of lack of time or laziness, I just buy some pieces off the internet and just fix them when I get the chance. Though the props are 100% from scratch and they are a pain!!.

4) What’s your favourite cosplay to date?

My favorite cosplay is Jade from Mortal Kombat. I think I have a very big resemblance with her in many ways, and well, we’re both fierce, so a piece of her is inside of me every single day.

5) If you’ve cosplayed at a convention what was the experience like?

I’ve been to a lot of cosplay conventions and I could say that the experience is unbelievable! The people coming and complimenting you is one of the most precious thing a cosplayer can feel! It’s like recieving a solid A + for your hard work, and when they ask for pictures it’s freaking awesome, since it boosts your self confidence a ton!

6) Can we expect to see you at any conventions this year?

I am planning to go to Kaisen Puerto Rico on the 30th of July, and Aguadacon in December. I am planning on going to other cons outside Puerto Rico, hopefully soon enough, but I need some pointers in where and when they are going to happen. I will love to go and meet new people and cosplayers around the US and hopefully the world.

7) If you could cosplay as anyone and budget wasn’t an issue who would it be?

Hmm…that’s a tricky question, since you need some money in every cosplay that you do. But if I was going to choose one, it would probably be Jill Valentine (I basically used things I had in my closet back then though the gun would be missing). Misty from Pokemon (a classic and most of the items you could find in your closet!). I think some of the anime school girl outfits are super easy to make or if you have a plaid skirt, you could eventually pull it off!

I am a huge gamer and had played lots of games, but sadly most of the outfits are difficult as hell!!. Ness from earthbound is another great and easy choice to make and wear! Gender blend or not, still great and would look good on anybody!. I remember my friend was going to Puerto Rico Comic Con this year and she decided to cosplay the day before! but she didn’t know what to wear since she had no time, and I just suggested her she should dressup as Ness, since it’s her main in smash and I was convinced she had the things on her closet, which she did!

8) Do you have any words of advice for up and coming cosplayers?

One of the things I tell cosplayers all the time is to have patience!!! It’s the key to everything specially if you are going to make something from scratch and with props! Oh god my sander broke and I ordered one online and I can’t wait for it to arrive so I can continue working on my future projects, and I can only have patience for it, since panicking won’t solve anything. Another tip is to make sure you buy wigs and NOT paint your hair with spray. It’s a no-no! I’ve seen people done it and they ruin a great cosplay! It’s like cosplaying as Kratos (kind of spoiler for one of my future cosplays) and not painting the Deimo’s birthmarks!!

9) Where can we find you online?

You can find me at:

• Instagram – Moricosplay
• Facebook – Mori Cosplays
• Patroeon-  Moricosplay

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There you go readers Mori Cosplays! Don’t be shy go say hi and say ‘Skatronixxx sent me!’

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Indie Games Part 3: Honey Bee

Today I’m introducing to you a new, fun puzzle game called Honey Bee. The cute game is made by Pelangi games and once again, an interview with the game’s creator will be attached to the end of this article. I love puzzle games but I’m a bit picky about them, so when I say that Honey Bee is really worth trying out, you know it’s got to be true! The music in the game is definitely a big bonus when it comes to relaxing, it really is quite soothing.

Honey Bee is a fun, simple and relaxing puzzle game. Here’s why:
• Fun: Because ‘Honey Bee’ will offer you an enjoyable, yet entertaining challenge to simply pass the time or exercise your puzzle-solving mind.
• Simple: Combine, combine, combine, that’s all there is to it! It’s an easy learning curve, the short tutorial will quickly get you started.
• Relaxing: Play ‘Honey Bee’ at your own pace. There’s no end goal to aim for or a count-down timer to race against! Just chill-out and enjoy the music.

Features:
• Combine tiles of the same kind together to form bigger tiles.
• Unlock features to help you advance.
• Expand the board as you level up.
• Compete with friends for the highest score.
• Post your highest scores to the leader board.

How far can you go? Play on your holiday. Play on your commute. Play while lounging around. Play for free now! No in-app purchases required. At all! We really mean it!

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Here is the promised interview with Alan:

1) Where did you get the idea for your game, and how did you start?

It happened when I was searching for a game that I could play to past the time during the boring bits of going away on holiday. You know, like whilst sitting in an airport lounge in eager anticipation of a relaxing long haul flight, or waiting for my Wife on the other end of the duty free shopping zone. By serendipity I came across a puzzle game called Big Maker, which filled this space quite nicely. Most gamers would liken the game mechanics of Honey Bee with the very popular 2048 puzzle games, but the closest relation is actually the relatively little known Big Maker game. The game had a wide audience appeal but there were little things that I felt could be improved to enhance the overall experience. I thought no further of it and allowed the ideas to incubate in my head. Fast forward a few months later and I found myself downloading Unity, almost subconsciously and proceeded to go through the tutorials. Just as I was getting a reasonable grasp of Unity and felt empowered enough to build a game of my own, I discovered that my initial game idea of a MOBA management simulator had already been done and was already in early access. My heart sunk in this revelation as I had invested lots of time to get to the point where I was finally able to build this game. In hind-sight this was a blessing in disguise as the scope and resources required for a management style simulation game would have made for a rough introduction to game development. That very same night, I revisited the Big Maker ideas I had parked away all those months ago and said to myself, “Why not?”. Why not remake the game with a fresh look-and-feel and bring my own innovations to the mix. I quickly built a minimum viable product of what was to become Honey Bee, tested its playability and was determined to bring the prototype up to polish and launched on the Google Play store.

2) What were your expectations for the game? Was it everything you had hoped for?

Honey Bee had shown lots of promise during its development and I knew I had something special when my Wife was hooked on playing early versions of it. On more than one occasion, I had to pry her away from playing on my dev tablet just so that I could play-test it myself! Since then, I had the aim to design Honey Bee for her in mind, and reasoned that if she enjoyed it then her friends will likely enjoy playing it too. However, most level-headed people would know that for a game without a marketing budget and from an unknown developer would have required the help of a minor miracle for it to become a overnight success. So from very early on I set my expectations to what would be reasonable and realistic. Since launch, the game has received a gradual uptake in players and it is my hope that these players would enjoy the game enough to share with their friends and gain some momentum. Amusingly, there is already an emergence of competitiveness for the highest score between players of the same social circle, but maybe that’s just me *laughs*

3) What was the hardest part in making your game? How about the most fun part?

My adorable Toddler clutching her favourite Peppa Pig puppet book doing everything she can including disconnecting my laptop power cable to get me to read to her for the 7th iteration…that morning. All the while trying to debug a mind-bending recursive function for my game-over checker. But seriously, I think effective time management and having the right work life balance can be tricky at times. Working in a hectic home environment with lots of distractions is something I had to adapt to very quickly. Often times though, these distractions away from the computer screen were in themselves productive, as it allowed me to mull over a programming problem I was trying to solve, or brainstorm over the design of a feature I was working on. Integrating 3rd party plug-ins can also be frustrating. Despite them being open-source, I felt little or no control over them without spending a large amount of time understanding the code more intimately. I guess I preferred working on my own mess rather than other peoples. Not naming names *smiles*. The weekly Friday afternoon music hour was a time we set aside to wind down the week and find the backing soundtrack to Honey Bee by streaming through dozens of songs. I knew I had a hit if my toddler was happily dancing to a song, and those made for very fun times. She’s a very silly dancer, such is the pejorative of any toddler really. It was also fun watching my ordinarily nonchalant wife put in solid sessions of Honey Bee and her frequent outbursts as she made gaming mistakes. I knew at that point she was fully engrossed and wasn’t even thinking about it as a game that I was making, but rather just a game she was entirely engaged in. That was pretty funny to witness in a strangely perverted way.

4) Is making games a hobby, or do you want to earn your living with it? 

I guess for now it’s a hobby foremost, unless it somehow is able to substitute a stable job with a steady income on which my young family and I depend on. On the other hand, the immense satisfaction of being able to handcraft an idea into existence is a rarity, and I suppose if I was able to turn it into a living it would become the ideal dream lifestyle. If I’m fortunate enough perhaps one day it might happen.

5) Do you have any other game projects at the moment?

There are plans for a an iOS port of Honey Bee and a possible make-over of the artwork if Honey Bee finds some success. In the meantime, there’s still a long list of work to be done so that’s going to keep me busy for a little while longer. I do have a bunch of game ideas that I’ve been scribbling away on and plan to bring to life once Honey Bee is completely done. My wife suggested that I make a game called ‘Happy wife, happy life’, but when I prompted her on details she couldn’t give any beyond the games title.

6) Anything you’d like to say to people who dream of making games?

Just go for it! The trend for games development has become more accessible to a wider group of people with game engines like Unity, and the wide array of open source software allows you to comfortably create assets of your own. It is truly a collaborators paradise we are living in and I think the time has been ripe for sometime now for indie developers to showcase some pretty cool stuff with very little start-up capital. With such a rich plethora of resources available on the internet, we are spoiled for choice and many of the obstacles that once was are now removed with game publication made increasingly easier. If you have the passion and perseverance and If your dream keeps you awake at night, it deserves to be brought into reality.

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Honey Bee is downloadable from Google Play Store, just click this link! or search: Honey Bee puzzle game. You can also follow PelangiGames on Twitter.

Play with passion!

auburn.geek

Interview With UK Crime Writer Tom Bale

UK Crime Writer Tom Bale

After my review about Tom Bale’s recent book  ‘See how they run’, I can proudly announce, that he agreed to give me an interview too! How cool is that? I’m pretty excited to share this awesome interview about an incredidbly talented writer with you . Let’s find out some more about top author Tom Bale.

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First of all, the question you’ll probably answer the most.

How did you become a writer?

A lot of reading, and a lot of writing: it really is as simple as that. I’ve never taken any classes, never belonged to a writers’ group or had any kind of mentoring. I just read a lot of books, and taught myself how to analyze what worked and what didn’t. Over the years I wrote short stories, novels, TV scripts, comedy sketches, poems – I sent them out and got nearly all of them rejected, but gradually I began to get a few encouraging comments from editors, and I used that feedback to improve my writing.

Tell us a little bit about yourself and how your job as a fulltime writer changed your life.

I was submitting my work from the age of fifteen, but it took nearly a quarter of a century to become a full-time writer. Before that happened I had various other jobs – I was an insurance claims handler, a project manager and business analyst, and I also had a few years at home as a house-husband when my children were very young. When I finally had the break-through it was literally a dream come true – I still have to pinch myself, almost, at the thought that I earn a living from making up stories.

What is your writing progress? Do you have a strict process from the shape of the idea to the finished book?

Often I set out to write a detailed plan, but I tend to reach a point where the notes start to morph into the book itself. My main goal, once I’ve begun, is simply to get a finished draft, no matter what kind of state it’s in. That means I usually end up with a large, messy document, full of odd little ideas that I’ve thrown in on impulse – and then the real work begins! I love the process of rewriting, throwing out the ideas that no longer fit, and building up those that do. Typically I will cut around 25% of the total word count in order to get the story as streamlined as it can possibly be.

What do you feel when you have finished a book? And what is the first thing you do, when you’ve finished a book? Probably sleeping the whole day, right?

That’s a good question – and very relevant right now, as I’ve just finished an intense period of rewriting. For several weeks I was working from 8am till 2am, seven days a week, so catching up on sleep is certainly a high priority! There’s always a great exhilaration when a book is finished, and but the strange thing is how quickly it wears off – within a few days I’m usually starting to feel a bit low, a bit grouchy, and then my wife will remind me that I’m always like this when I’m not writing, and that means it’s time to think about the next project.

Let’s have a look at your recent work, how did you came up with the idea for ‘See how they run’?

See How They Run is different to most of my books in that it was inspired by a real event. Someone tried to break into our house one night, soon after I’d gone to bed. Because I was still awake, I heard a noise and then saw our outside light come on. When I opened the bedroom window, the intruder escaped through the garden. But afterwards I realized that if I’d been asleep I probably wouldn’t have heard him – and the thought of someone prowling through the house where my family were sleeping was very scary. From that I came up with the idea of a young couple, Harry & Alice, who wake to find two men in their room, demanding to know the whereabouts of a man called Renshaw…

I have to say, that I really liked the bad guys the most. You really have a talent for bad guys, don’t you?

Thank you, that’s very kind. I have to admit that I love writing the scenes with my bad guys, though I have to be careful not to become too sympathetic to them. It’s a case of getting the right balance, so that they come across as human rather than cartoon-like, while also remaining nasty enough to truly unsettle the reader.

What inspires you during writing? Do you listen to music, or do you got out for a walk and just let the nature inspire you?

Most days I try to leave the house and walk or cycle to a local café. I find that a bit of fresh air and exercise helps to get me in the right mood to write; and odd as it sounds, I often find it easier to concentrate in a busy environment – especially if I make sure there’s no wifi! But for the rewriting and editing I prefer to work at home in my study, and then I’ll often listen to music. As long as it’s something very familiar, I find it easy to concentrate with music playing.

Do you have some ideas, which you want to put into a new book?

I have lots that I haven’t yet been able to use, some of them going back twenty years or more. Although I mainly write thrillers, I sometimes get ideas that are better suited to other genres. At the moment there’s a supernatural horror novel that I’m desperate to write, but it’s probably going to have to wait a while.

Can you remember your very first story, you’ve written?

I can remember it very clearly indeed. It was called The Other Side of the Hill, and I wrote it when I was thirteen. It’s about a young boy who takes his dog for a walk – they discover an alien spacecraft and come to a grisly end!

One last question: Can you tell us a little bit about your upcoming book ‘All fall down’?

Yes, All Fall Down is another standalone thriller, which starts with the Turner family enjoying a Sunday afternoon barbecue. Suddenly a dying man stumbles into their garden, pleading for help. The family do what they can, but the man dies before he can tell anyone what happened to him. In the days that follow, the Turners experience a number of strange and unsettling events, but by the time they realize they’re being stalked, it’s too late…

So that was my interview with Tom Bale! I want to thank Tom, who took his precious time for this awesome interview and a special thanks to Kim Nash from Bookouture! She made it possible, that we can raffle a eBook version of ‘See how they run’ on our site! So here’s how you can win a copy: Make sure you’ve liked and retweeted this interview on twitter. I’ll announce the winner on Sunday, 10th July.

If you want to learn more about Tom, you can check him out at his homepage: www.tombale.net

Or use social media channels to be updated about his actual and upcoming projects at twitter @t0mbale and Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tombalewriter

And for those who haven’t read my review of ‘See how they run’ yet, check it out here: https://skatronixxx.com/2016/05/23/review-of-tom-bales-see-how-they-run/

An Interview With Gaming Legends ‘The Oliver Twins’

It’s time for another interview on Skatronixxx.com,  this time we chat to gaming legends The Oliver Twins. Yes I used the word legends. Although you may not be familiar with thier names if you were a gamer in the 80’s or even the 90’s you’ll definately know thier work.

I approached The Oliver Twins to see if they would be interested in an interview as not only are they responsible for one of mine and my  older brothers’, favourite game series of all time ‘Dizzy‘ they also come from my neck of the woods too. So the chance to interview not only gaming legends but also local heores, was a chance that could not be passed up.

A few back and forth emails and the interview was done. Let’s find out some more about the newest members of #TeamSkatronixxx extended family and my new friends Philip and Andy Oliver.

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1) How did you get into the games industry?

Andrew and I had been first been inspired to make games when our older brother bought a second hand Sinclair’s ZX81. We were 14 at the time and were fascinated at being able to control what was displayed on our family TV. We’d wanted a colour computer after this and moved on to a Dragon 32 in September of ‘82, then a BBC Micro B. In‘85 we bought an Amstrad CPC 664 and then met the Darling Brothers who were just setting up Codemasters – this was where the success really started. Within 5 years we’d written 25 Amstrad CPC games and 17 Spectrum games – 42 games! We were working an average of 16+ hours a day, 7 days a week! After this we went on to write a LOT more games!

The longer version of how we got into the games industry and our first 10 years is in the book coming out shortly from Fusion Retro Books :-

https://fusionretrobooks.com/products/the-story-of-the-oliver-twins

(also more info onwww.OliverTwins.com & https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oliver_Twins

 

2) Perhaps one on the most famous games you created was the Dizzy series, how did this idea come about and why did you go with an egg, rather than a human?

We’d created the platform game Super Robin Hood in September ’86, our first game for Codemasters and it was a massive success. We moved onto Ghost Hunters, where the player controlled a human running around a haunted mansion shooting ghosts. However, it was very difficult to get any personality into the sprite – since the volume of screen space he occupied and the resolution of the screen, meant we had to squeeze it within 24×32 pixels with a choice of just 3 colours, it really didn’t give us any room for an expressive character. So whilst developing it we played around with a large face, which meant little room for a body or limbs. So we designed the body into the head and dispensed with limbs, leaving only red gloves and boots which occupied less space. As we tidied him up, so he became egg shaped. We didn’t use him in Ghost Hunters obviously, and instead designed a whole new magical fantasy World for him to exist in. He got called Dizzy because we decided that rather than do a regular jump he would spin, a feature derived from a rotate command within our sprite package (Panda Sprites) we’d developed a year before and was used in all our games for speeding up development. We used to aim to complete each game in around a month.

 

3) You were also the brains behind Interactive Studios that later became Blitz Games Studios, one of the UK largest game producers for over 20 years, how did this come about?

In the early 90’s, we set up an office and started hiring talented, enthusiastic game developers. We created a productive environment, designing original games and for cashflow stability sought development contracts, like the GhostBusters 2 contract we’d done previously for Activision, for games based on major brands, movies & toys. By the end of the 90’s we had over 100 staff and renamed to Blitz Games Studios, by the end of 00’s we had over 230 staff!

There are so many games, about 60, a lot more if you multiple by the number of different versions we did of each, so it’s hard to select a few examples, but here are a few highlights: Glover, Chicken Run, Frogger 2, Fusion Frenzy, Dead to Rights 2, Pac-Man World 3, Karaoke Revolution, Spongebob, Puss in Boots and Epic Mickey 2.You can see them ALL here… http://www.blitzgames.com/archive + http://www.blitzgames.com/ (here’s a list …

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blitz_Games_Studios)

 

4) Can you tell us a little bit about Radiant Worlds?

The technology and games market shifted widely as the world changed to digital distribution and adopted smart phones for casual games, so in late 2013 we set up a new company, Radiant Worlds, focused on delivering one constantly evolving awesome game called SkySaga. It has just over 100 people working on it and is in Alpha testing right now, with many features being constantly added. It is easily the most exciting game we have ever worked on. Find out more at http://www.SkySaga.com

 

5) Do you have any thoughts on the rise of indie developers and do you think this is a good thing for the games industry?

Digital distribution and great tools/engines have lowered the barrier to entry for developers across the globe. It’s exciting, but challenging. It’s easier to reach a massive global audience, but it’s easier for everyone else too. So the challenge is creating a great game that will get noticed and making sure the business side adds up well. It’s no good developing a great game and ignoring the finances. For game players, it’s amazing! There has never been so much choice, such amazing diversity and so many awesome experiences.

 

6) It seems like gaming is going back to the late 80’s with the return of virtual reality headsets, do you think this is a good thing for the games industry and how would you compare the virtual reality headsets from the 1980’s to those that are coming out today?

The ultimate aim of the game developer is to make incredibly immersive games, making players feel like they are really there. The dream of the holodeck may have started in the 80’s, but the technology wasn’t there to support it. Now the technology is getting a lot closer and you can have incredible experiences that do feel superior to simply watching a game on a monitor or TV screen. There’s still a long way to go, but the path now is very clear and we’ll see a lot of activity in this area over the next few years. It’s the biggest growth area of the games industry and will drive technology to exciting new places.

 

7) Talking of retro games making a comeback, I saw that the handheld Spectrum console on Kickstarter is progressing, could we expect to see any of your games featured and have you considered the possibility of releasing an emulator so we could see your previous games on the new platform?

There is a nostalgic value to playing the retro games and it’s fun to be at the heart of it. You can play a lot of our games from the 80’s in a browser at http://yolkfolk.com/playdizzy and I’m sure any devices supporting emulation of 8 and 16 bit games will support our games just fine!

 

8) You come from the same area as myself and went to the same school as fellow Skatronixxx writer Deadpool_1984 and amongst others Dragons Den star Deborah Meaden. How hard do you think it is for rural people to get noticed and do you think they need to move to bigger cities to progress their ideas?

It’s true we grew up in Trowbridge going to Clarendon School. We’d say that the advantage of a digital world is that when you’re online it doesn’t matter where you live! You have access to all the same information and access to the same market place as those that live in London, New York or Los Angeles. The opportunities are there, but so too are the challenges of rising above the competition. There will be winners, and with the games industry being so massive, the rewards can be huge… as Notch, author of Minercraft, can demonstrate.

 

9) What can we expect to see from you in the remaining months of 2016 going forward into 2017?

The answer from now on will always be SkySaga! We will just keep adding and adding, keeping it ahead of its competition and making it the best game possible and for the largest audience possible.

 

10) Tell our readers one fun fact about yourself

We may have been the best-selling authors on the Spectrum, but we didn’t program on a Spectrum! We didn’ t know how to use its quirky keyboard and never played any games on a Spectrum, except ours when testing them.

 

11) Finally what advice would you have for upcoming games developers?

Never be shy! Work hard, be ambitious and push yourself, creatively and technically and shoot for the stars.

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 You can follow The Oliver Twins at the following sites –

• Twitter – @TheOliverTwins

Or visit thier official website here

Check out some images from the Oliver Twins greatest games below:-

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Indie Games Part 2: Sleepy Mouse

Here is the second part of our new Indie Game series. This time we introduce an indie company called Start Get Ready and their upcoming mobile game Sleepy Mouse. Sleepy Mouse© is a 2D, 75-level, physics based puzzle game in final stage development, and it should be playable in August 2016. The owner of Start Get Ready Dan Norris is a French Polisher by day, and solo independent games developer by night! Remember to read the interview after the game introduction, where Dan answers our interesting questions.

Aim of the game: 

• Don’t let Sleepy Mouse wake up hangry! (hungry/angry) Get him the cheese before he wakes!

Game features:

• Holes in the wall, fridge magnets, alarms and traps will try to steal Sleepy Mouse’s cheese
• Make friends with blue cheese if you don’t want to leave Sleepy Mouse in a stink!
• Shot complexity maximizes scores
• Incorporates Everyplay so you can record levels and show off scores to friends
• Uses Unity Ads so you can watch ads to skip levels and come back later

Sleepy Mouse uses simple touch screen controls, whilst challenging players to apply physics-based logic to navigate obstacles before they run out of sheep. Each shot uses one sheep – once all the sheep have gone, Sleepy Mouse will wake. If you haven’t got the cheese to him before all the sheep go, he’ll wake up hangry! What’s more, Sleepy Mouse will be free to play with no in-app purchases and will launch as an iOS app for both iPhone and iPad. So you don’t need money to get to try this game once it’s released. Please remember to rate the game if you decide to try it!

Here comes the promised interview with Dan Norris. Be sure to read through, he really made the most of answering my questions! Brilliant responses, thank you Dan!

 

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Where did you get the idea for your game, and how did you start?

I’ve loved playing many of the iOS hits, such as Angry Birds and Cut The Rope. They’re really simple concepts but utterly addictive once you start playing. I wanted to make a fun puzzle game with a cute character, that is easy to pick up and play, even on the go. I tried quite a few ideas before hitting on Sleepy Mouse – the little mouse who likes to sleep, loves his cheese, but hates to wake up hangry! My original idea was to make a version of the old coins game that kids play at school, with three coins, where one coin must always pass between the other two with the aim of getting one of the coins in the opponents goal.

It didn’t work well on mobile but there are certainly elements of that game still in Sleepy Mouse. In the early days of development I built versions of the game using different game engines, such as Cocos 2D and Blender’s Game Engine, but settled on Unity 3D. I found Unity 3D really easy to use and unlike other engines where you have to build your own level editors, that functionality is built into Unity 3D – it’s literally ‘drag and drop’ to put your levels together. It also handles graphics and animation unbelievably well! What might have taken days to put together can be minutes of work using Unity 3D. You can also prototype very quickly. I started by developing a few different prototypes to get the mechanics of the game working. Once I’d settled on the best way to play, I could then crack on with building the levels. Sleepy Mouse has 3 different stages – 25 levels per stage. In each stage you meet different obstacles, such as holes in the wall, fridge magnets, alarms and traps which will try to steal Sleepy Mouse’s cheese. Once I had identified the 3 stages of the game and the main obstacles, I could map out the level design and start coding.

What are your expectations for the game?

My main desire in creating Sleepy Mouse is that I’ll have produced a game that other people enjoy playing. For me there is nothing better than discovering a game that you love and can’t put down. I hope that it’ll be a game that is accessible for many different ages and challenges people to better their scores through shot complexity. If Sleepy Mouse is well received on iOS then I’ll convert for Android and introduce new obstacles and levels.

What was the hardest part in making your game? How about the most fun part?

Creating and testing 75 levels is really tough. Coming up with interesting levels, that aren’t too hard or easy and with enough variation and a reasonable learning curve for the player, is a real challenge. I’ve got a real respect for puzzle creators now. One of the biggest challenges when making a puzzle game of this type is trying not to introduce too many new obstacles. It’s easier to add a new obstacle to the game, than to think of inventive and fun ways to use the ones you already have, but too many obstacle types makes the game feel rushed and a bit disjointed, with no real puzzle progression. I really loved the prototyping stage because you don’t need to care about writing clean, efficient, bug free code, or how the graphics look, it’s raw ideas that you can try quickly which is a lot of fun. I think the real reward though, is toward the end of development, actually having other players play your game. It’s pretty scary at first but a real joy to see someone try your creation.

Is making games a hobby, or do you want to earn your living with it? 

It’s a hobby, but it’s more than a hobby…it’s a real love. Programming is something that I’ve been doing since I was 9 years old. I wrote my first ever program on an Amsterdam PCW9512 at the age of 9, and was hooked immediately. I loved that I could get the computer to do something I wanted it to do. I got the computer to tell the user their name and favourite colour and thought that was amazing…Thankfully I’ve come a long way since then! If Sleepy Mouse makes a bit of money then that’s amazing, but I’ll continue to build games whatever the outcome.

Do you have any other game projects at the moment?

If Sleepy Mouse proves popular I’ll definitely be releasing new levels that incorporates new obstacles and puzzles. I’ve also got a number of different ideas and prototypes for new games – one involving sharks hunting shoals of fish – completely different to Sleepy Mouse. This would be a 3D turn-based strategy game that you’d play against other networked players – you’d each have 3 sharks, each with different abilities (speed, power, and defense against other sharks). You need to strategize to break up the shoal whilst keeping other players sharks away. It’s very early days but something that I’m excited to explore further once Sleepy Mouse is complete.

Anything you’d like to say to people who dream of making games?

If you love it, do it! See it through, actually finish a project. It’s very easy to get distracted by different ideas and keep changing focus. You need to see a game through to completion to get the biggest reward and sense of achievement. A big learning for me as I approach the end stages of developing Sleepy Mouse is how much work is involved in marketing a game. I’ve been heads down in developing Sleepy Mouse and hadn’t really appreciated how important it is to start communicating ideas for your game to the gaming community from early concept development. I’d really recommend people start this early – not just because of the time involved but also to generate excitement and anticipation for their game.  Above all, make sure you’re having fun. If you’re not enjoying developing the game, the game is unlikely to be fun to play! 

Follow @SleepyMouseGame #sleepymousegame on Twitter to stay up to date with the game’s development.

Play with passion!

auburn.geek

An interview With Zach Green, Producer Of Heir

While “HEIR” is running the festival circuit during 2016 we of Skatronixxx.com had an interview with one of the man behind this short, producer Zach Green from Fatal Pictures.

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Can you tell us how you got in being a producer / casting director / editor?

I attended film school back in 2002 in Toronto for film post production, which was initially what first drew me to the industry. In my final semester at school, I applied to be an editor on a short drama which happened to be written and directed by Richard Powell.

As Richard and I would go on to produce more films throughout the years after graduating film school, I started taking on the role of producer, so Richard could focus on the creative aspects and elements. Such as writing and directing. So slowly but surely I would go on to produce our films that Richard would write and direct. As for casting director, that’s just another role I felt I would take on myself and cast the best talent I felt fit for the role, and bring them to Richard’s attention, and we would go from there, and have auditions etc.

So far you have worked on several shorts. What would your next step be?

The next step for myself and Fatal Pictures, is to try and tackle the feature film world. And hopefully be producing our feature debut next. But with such strong love and passion for the film industry, you never know what will happen. We might just produce another short film if the stars line up for it.

What would your dream production be? And who would star in it?

Something written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, produced by Eli Roth, Jason Blum and of course Harvey Weinstein.

Is there somewhere the readers/fans can see any of your previous work?

Absolutely, I would love everyone to head over to iTunes, and check out Fatal Pictures’ previous film, entitled Familiar (2012). Check out the full film via this link here.

Our first feature film might possibly be the feature length story of Familiar. The award winning short is a great proof of concept for the feature.

What would you like to share about this short with our viewers? 

The short film “HEIR” is a very powerful and thought provoking film that deals with a very sensitive and taboo subject matter, but done in such a brilliant and artistic way, I really do feel any cinema lover will be able to appreciate this twisted little tale.

You’ve been round the festival circuit; can you tell me anything about what these festivals are like, and how someone would go about entering a film into a festival?

I couldn’t be happier with the festival run “HEIR” has received thus far. Sure there will always be some festivals you won’t get into; you can’t get into them all.

The festivals have been great. It’s always a pleasure if I am able to attend them. But that’s unfortunately that’s not always the case. I like to think the cream of the crop will always rise. So if you make a great piece of cinema, it will get noticed. But with that said, you still need to push it out there. You can make the best film, but if no one sees it, it might as well be a coaster for my beer.

To go about getting into the festivals on the circuit, you would just apply to them via WithOutaBox or Film Freeway or whichever way you’re instructed to submit to the festival.

What can we expect to see from you in the near future?

You can expect to see a lot more from Fatal Pictures, a few more film festivals in the upcoming months for “HEIR”, and then it will be available digitally in 2017 via iTunes, Google Play etc

Also, we are hoping to produce our feature debut in the upcoming months, but either way, expect to see a lot more of Fatal Pictures.

Could you tell our readers one fact about yourself that they may not know already?

I was first drawn to the film industry through editing and post production, and organically became the producer I am today. Naturally wanting the best for my films as possible. You usually do end up wearing multiple hats as an indie filmmaker, but that’s actually a good thing if you ask me, it gives you a little taste of different areas of producing a film.

Finally what advice would you give to people who are new to the trade?

I’m not going to say something cliché like follow your passion etc. etc. etc. But what I will say is, Good luck.

Is there anything else you would like to mention?

I would like to encourage everyone to head over to http://www.fatalpictures.com to stay up to date with all the latest news and screening dates. And follow us on Twitter & IG @FatalPictures.

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For more information about Zach, check out his IMDB page http://www.imdb.com/name/nm237423  and find out more about his upcoming projects as well.

HEIR: a great horror short!

Heir is a 14 minute horror short starring o.a. Bill Oberst Jr, Robert Nolan, Justin Major, Jane Pokou, and Mateo D’Avino. This short is written and directed by Richard Powell, who did an excellent job I must say on both the writing and directing.

IMDB describes the plot of the movie as follows:

“After connecting with a stranger of similar interests online, family man Gordon and his young son Paul embark on an ill-fated road trip in which Gordon aims to indulge in a secret passion. Before the day ends a horrible truth will be uncovered and a harsh lesson will be learned.” (Written by Richard Powell)

I have absolutely nothing to add to that, without giving anything away. The storyline itself is haunting. It has left me guessing and wondering; what if. The scariest part about it is that is often not a what-if scenario. It actually happens and that is the most terrifying of all.

Heir has done something that horror movies haven’t done to me in a while; scare me. Recently horror movies have made me laugh, however this short with little dialogue and excellent music score made me shiver at times. So a job very well done.

The subtle sound of a clock ticking while you wait for what comes next is terrifying in itself. Without even looking at the screen what happens . There are more scenes like this; which I must admit I like very much. Have a look at the teaser from the film and you know what I mean.

To be honest I haven’t seen many shorts and from what I have seen they didn’t impress me much. This short surprised me in so many positive ways: the directing, the music, the casting and the acting.

Seeing this short it didn’t surprise me however that the short was nominated for Best Horror Short & Best Supporting Actor (Bill Oberst Jr.) at FilmQuest this year. (The results of this festival will be announced the 23rd of June.) Bill Oberst Jr. is perfectly cast in his role as Denis. His physique has added to the creep and scare factor of this short. His acting was suburb and gave me chills as to how scary it was.

So in conclusion Heir is a brilliant horror short in my opinion. To me this is horror at its finest. It will gross you out and haunt you. I for one am curious to see if you all share that same opinion. Unfortunately it won’t be released to the public until 2017 via ITunes, Google Play and other platforms. But let me assure you the wait is worth your while.

Heir was a cooperation between writer and director Richard Powell and producer Zach Green from FatalPictures.  We had an interview with the latter about this film and about what we could expect to see from him next.