So, just in time, here are the screenshots I mentioned in the first post. Many things can and will change before release, so what you see there can look and work different in the final game.
Running through the comments, I decided to answer some of the more common questions here.
What happened to the Arcade Lounge?
The Arcade Lounge was a section in our old site where other developers’ games were hosted. It took too much time to manage so it was laying there with no updates for more than a year. We decided to close it and concentrate on developing more games of our own, so we put a one month notice (at the end of May) on the opening page of the site.
You can find all the games that were there, on newgrounds.com.
GCL release date:
I’m sorry to say, but no need to check the site many times a day, the game will not be released for quite a while, there are tons of things to do before that.
I also can’t tell any exact release dates. We want it to be out in Q3 2010 (e.g. before September 30, 2010), but we can’t promise anything, so if you don’t see the game up and running on the 1st of October, please wait just a bit more, we’ll keep you updated here on the blog.
GCL difficulty:
Some players would like to see a harder game, others an easier one.
Good news for those who got stuck in GC0: GCL will leave the strict player progress mechanism where you had to beat your own highest scores to get any more XP. Now, if you run a stage again and again, you’ll get the XP you earn each time. Of course it won’t be worth beating the first stage on the easiest mode/settings repeatedly because you could get much more XP trying on those stages and difficulty settings that fit your skills.
Hardcore players can test their skills on the more difficult stages and modes, and a new class of amulets (the “challenge amulets”) will be there to be earned – when you get a challenge amulet by meeting the task/condition (like causing 1M HP damage on a given stage in a given mode), you can go on and push your limits, the amulet will remember your best score, so you can show off on Youtube or try to beat your top score.
And last but not least, about the business model we plan to use in GCL:
1, all stages and most skills will be available for free.
2, a one time fee of a few USD (about $5) will unlock all game modes/settings and all skills.
3, extra skill points can be bought if you want a temporary (one stage) boost for your skills (something like 1000 extra skill points for $1). You’ll be awarded with extra skill points when leveling up or gaining a new amulet, so you can try it without paying a cent. With these extra skill points, you can level your skills up further, but each time you play a stage, the extra skill point amount you used is subtracted from your total amount until you run out.
4, No more victory panel ads – if there will be any ad, it will appear when the game starts up.
If you are unfamiliar with payments in online games, check out Bloons TD 4 and other games on NinjaKiwi, or Robokill and Robokill 2 from Rocksolid Arcade.
If you want to know more about how and why flash game developers earn money or go out of business, and why placing ads in games and not asking for payments is a dead end, read the article Flash love letter (a must-read eye opener for every practicing or wannabe developer!) on Lost Garden.
:: Update July 11, 2010 ::
Yesterday I forgot to write about these:
Beta test:
For now we don’t know if a sponsorship/”primary license” agreement will be made for this game, like it was the case with GC1/GC0 and Armor Games. If the game leaks before release, it can ruin our contract. (for example see the StarCraft 2 invitational beta, which was originally tied to Battle.net, is now available on torrent sites, and comes with a login bypass for offline playing. Of course StarCraft 2 and GemCraft are not in the same class, so I don’t think top tier cracker teams would spend their time on making GCL available, but a flash game (a mere .swf file) is a piece of cake even for a novice cracker. So, instead of a pre-release beta, in the first weeks after the official release, many fixes and improvements will be released for the game.
Donations:
Thank you for showing us your support, but we can’t receive donations that easily. Maybe I haven’t dug deep enough in the maze of tax laws, but as far as I know, here in Hungary we can’t just put out a Donation button and receive the payments on Paypal, we should send an invoice to anyone who sends us money. We would have to ask your name and address, and the processing fee of an invoice, and the amount Paypal and our bank subtracts, be more than the money you originally sent.
If you’d like to support us, you can do this by purchasing our future games, so you will get something in return. Handling the payments will be done by third parties, so we won’t have to issue a ton of invoices and ask for your personal data.
Payments (continued):
I understand your point when you say you wouldn’t pay for a simple online game. On a game that is so simplistic and short that I can play it to the end in an hour, and purchasing an “ultimate laser cannon” would just make it even shorter, I wouldn’t spend aynthing either. If you enjoyed our past games, give our next one a try, and if you think it’s reasonable to buy all the features, go on and enjoy the full experience, otherwise have fun with the basic (but still huge) version.
Suggestion: Ability to save progress in the middle of a game. Would be great for endurance.
Why in GC0 on Kongregate were 3 skills only available on armorgames? And are skills locked like that how it will be to a person playing GCL for free, but probably more skills locked?
Talk to us, Peter 😉 We want a new Blog Entry!
Hm, and by the way: 2 suggenstions for the next part (dont implement it in this part, or we will have to wait longer 😉 )
1) Invisible creep (whole wave invisible / a mode that throws a bunch of invisible monsters in every 4-5th wave), that can be seen by the right gems (they have to cost really much), and by doing a spell that costs a lot of mana and only lasts 20 sec (40 if you skilled it)
2) A gem that charges with time, when inactive… So the first shot after a long break will be doing really a lot of damage! So if you put it in last row at the beginning of the game and catch all the creep before they reach it, the gem will be really strong when the boss comes.
But if a single monster reaches it bevor the boss, all the stored energy will be wasted on that creep.
Hm, yeah, just suggestions… 😉
Regards, Florian
the 2nd one is graetfull, imagine a boss killed in just one sper hit, jajaja thats amazing.
Well, you would have to keep the gem save all game before, or it will not be charged…
To me it would be a perfect new strategie, with enough advantages and disadvantages to fitt just for the right worlds, and only if you do i right…
I just wanted to come here and say that I’m really excited about this game even if you don’t “change the graphics” as many people are saying. I think you’ve already done a good job by giving each gem level a different shape, from level 1 to level 12. Of course, this is added to any other feature that you may have not shown yet.
I hope you can always keep in mind what made the first two chapters excellent, which to me it was the freedom and variety that you had in every single level, becoming even more astounding in the second game, besides the simplicity of the mechanics.
I wish you and your wife the best =)
hi Peter,
I am from India,
Your games are really fantastic.
you should have endurance for premium version so that more & more gamers will be attracted to your side.
And more stronger gem bombing mode
.
..
… just an opinion Don’t take it seriously .
Sorry for my english….
I can’t wait for the next Gemcraft! And I’ll be more than happy to donate any way I can when it comes out.. you have certainly worked hard enough for it. Please try and work with Kongregate to get some badges for the game.
please, peter, talk to us
*thumps up*
The last blog entry really has been a while…
GemCraft Labyrinth screenshots and thoughts
Posted on July 10, 2010 by Peter
–> once a month would be the least you could do for your fans 😉
A few more days until the next post. I’m not that kind of person who runs a blog only to blah-blah-blah about the tiny boring detials of his life. I don’t want to write when I have nothing to show or tell.
yay new post is comeing
ideas:1 New gem pink:efect burn.The efect would be a small chance probily starting at like 7% and maximizing at 45% doing burn damage that lasts untill it’s dead but does very little comparred to poison.
:2 You can walk around and hurt monsters.You can’t go off screen and you do barely anything.Monsters can not hurt you.You will have diffrent spells
These are Just Some sugestins.Please reply
Cmon one answer?
@Peter
?
i thought you where nice??
He is, he told us he will post a new entry in the next few days…
For me, that sign of life was enough for right now 🙂
Why are you so negative here, *txt*?
im not negative, i just always veiw his site when i am stresed, luckly not now
New post tomorrow! I just had to finally finish this little something I was working on (and for technical reasons, I have to wait until Monday afternoon GMT+1 time). No, not GCL yet, I will tell and show everything tomorrow. I really disn’t want to post before finishing it and give you nothing. Please, just a bit more waiting. Thanks!
It’s been 40+ days since the screenshots for GCL were shown, we can wait another 40+ days (for the estimated October 1 release). No need to rush for us GC diehards. Looking forward to more information.
*wait* *wait* *wait*
cheers!!!!!!
hey peter Thanks for this blog…
That was a good 100th – comment!
Thx for the blog 🙂
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thx…are there going to be more Mana points for everything (rates to get it and prices)?
*waitingwaitnigwaiting*
GC0 is a very fine game. Happy to pay the $5 for GCL even if I never play it.
Not too keen to be buying features. I Feel it greatly detracted Bloons TD4. I’d much prefer ads to third party sites.
I love this game but making a 5 dollar fee to unlock all skills? thats terrible. I love the game but that takes away so much from it. These games are supposed to be free online not a lite version. I definitely prefer ads over paying for a full version
Exactly! I’m with you
I love GC0 and GC1, mostly for the fact that they are free. They are those kind of games where you can play for a really long time without getting really bored of them. I am kind of disappointed that we will have to pay for some skills/options, although most of them will be free. What I am saying is that I will still plat GCL, it just takes some fun out of it. I definitely prefer avertissements over paying. I was also wondering, when will this game and GC2 come out?
In a nutshell: eighter players pay a few bucks for the premium contents, or we will never see new Gemcraft/GIAB games, because Peter will have to find an other job soon. Choice is absolutely yours.
quando se´ra lançado Gemcraft chapter two chasing shadows?
When will released chapter two Gemcraft chasing shadows?
Please respond!
We haven’t even started working on GC2. The next chapter coming will be “GemCraft lost chapter: Labyrinth”. There is no official release date so far, but it’s close to being completed.
I am confused by the strategy, the engineering, the fitting-it-in around the relaxation of every thing else I need to do as Chief Cook and Bottle Washer in my enterprise
When release “GemCraft 3 and 2” ?
In GemCraft 3, we can create Spells Shrine ?
When will GCL be released ?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2JU11SuCkc
See it at the end of the trailer.
When will GemCraft Labyrinth be released ?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2JU11SuCkc
It’s at the end of the trailer.
so awesome!
let it come out quickly, pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease~~~~~~~~~~~