Console Release October 18th

Let it be known that on October 18th of 2019,
Pig Eat Ball will finally release to all consoles!
* Nintendo Switch 
(Nintendo eShop link)
* Xbox One 
(Microsoft store link)
* Playstation 4 
(Playstation store link)

Woohoo!

The Metacritic rating for the Steam version is 83!
And guess what? 

You can PRE-ORDER the game right now on Xbox One and Nintendo Switch!
Yes, please do pre-order as it helps me look better to the big, fancy console companies and publishers in the future! This means more wacky games from me if we do well here!

If you have already backed the game on the Fig crowd-funding we did, I thank you endlessly!
Your physical and digital rewards are scheduled to show up for you around the week of October 18th!

Who could have imagined I'd get to release a game on a Nintendo system?
Pretty wild!

See on October 18th!

Crowdfunding and Pre-orders!

Wanna hear a secret?
Pig Eat Ball was accepted by Fig to do a crowd-funding campaign!

Yeah, it's launching soon, but I'm allowed to give you (my beloved blog reader) a secret link that lets you see the "back stage pass" version.
Here:
https://www.fig.co/campaigns/pig-eat-ball?r=1&utm_source=dev-website&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=peb-dev-web

This lets you PRE-ORDER the game, where you can get access to cool reward tiers and even some discounts!
You can get a copy on Steam, Beta access, Alpha access, console versions and more.

There's even T-shirts and squishy balls! 

Make sure to tell your cool friends too. Thanks!

 

Here's that link again.

Enjoy!

https://www.fig.co/campaigns/pig-eat-ball?r=1&utm_source=dev-website&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=peb-dev-web

Are Long Convention Lines Good?

Hey everyone, back this week from our grand trip to Anaheim California. We saw smoke on the freeway! That was eye opening.. and lung-distressing. We didn't see the fires but it was in the back of everyone's minds.
For some milder, less fiery news...let's talk about games!

PSX

Sony invited us to show our next big action-puzzle game, Pig Eat Ball, at their Playstation Experience (read 'Sony-only game convention'). It was a great show! Wonderful space, lots of very eager gamers. We had a great time. Sony did a good job getting us everything we needed, including a PS4 devkit, booth, and nice TV.

Sony also sent all devs a "press list" of who was coming. And there was some press there! It wasn't amazing, but we had about 6 different small sites come by and play. I also managed to snag Greg Miller from Kinda Funny because I recognized him, and talked up the game to him. 

We augmented the PS4 with a laptop to create two "demo stations". This was good because we literally got double the players during the show. But honestly, if I knew better (or was thinking more clearly) I would have rented/bought a second TV and put that in the back of the booth. It just would have looked a lot more professional. Sony did require all game demos to use PS4 controllers but that was easy to change from Xbox controllers to PS4 controllers with our PC build of the game.

Look past the big TV to some people in the back of the booth. That was our second demo station.

Our booth included our custom "two-hole cut-out" in which you could be a barfing pillbug from the game, who spews chunks onto the player character Bow. Couples loved to come and take a picture in it. It was a big hit!

This is 3 different shots. Yeah, that's Greg Miller (from Kinda Funny) on the bottom right!

The show ran two days. The first day was definitely long. It ran from 10AM to 10PM, 12 hours of expo. But we had people playing the entire time and though the crowd did dip after 6pm, it never slowed down enough that we didn't have players. The second day, Sunday, it was 10AM-6PM which is pretty easy to do.
Two days of an expo... I can do any time. Three days is tough. Four days (I'm looking at you PAX) is murder.

How to Get Long Lines

Sony organized a promotion where devs could offer digital PS4 goods in a real-life meta-game in which players visited booths to play the digital games on display, then scan codes, and then collect the goods. I think over half the devs participated (or more?). Players were lining up at booths in a BIG way for these giveaways.

Here at Mommy's Best Games, we've been discussing if we should have done this. First: we didn't have any digital goods made yet (avatars, themes, free past PS games), so this would have been new work. But should we have pushed to do it?
We did have people playing both stations *almost* constantly throughout the show (both days). This is good. Occasionally we had crowds of 3-5 people standing around watching, some waiting to play. This is better.
But we never had lines of 20 people waiting. The important distinction is the crowds and people playing our game were entirely organically driven to play our game. They had full interest in Pig Eat Ball. They didn't care about a meta-game promotion.

On the flip-side, if you participate in an expo meta-game, and you have lines of 20+people waiting to play, it's very possible some of those people waiting to play *would not* have made it a priority to visit your booth but are NOW interested in playing your game. So basically the meta-game allowed them to learn about your game, when they may have missed it before.

Are Long Lines Good?

And once more, on the flip-flip side, (a 3-sided coin?), does the new long line dissuade organic interest? If I had an interest in the game, but didn't care about the meta-game would I stand in line?

I think if you balance out the entire show--in which many booths were participating in a meta-game, and players know this and are accustomed to long lines, it is okay to do the meta-game. You'll probably get a few more authentic players at your booth, who enjoy your game and remember it.
If we get to show another game again at PSX we'll probably try to do the meta-game.

Going Forward

People being made happy, by playing our game. This feels good!

In any case, the show was a blast, we had hundreds of players very happy with the game, lots of new mailing list sign ups, so we're pumped! We are still busily working to finish up Pig Eat Ball for Spring of 2018 for PS4, Steam, and Xbox One!

Have a great holiday break people, and make sure to wish-list Pig Eat Ball if you've not already!
Playstation store: https://www.playstation.com/en-us/games/pig-eat-ball-ps4/
Steam store: http://store.steampowered.com/app/339090

Serious Press and Help

E3 Press

Serious Sam Double D box art

E3 is over and Double D wowed press all around!
Check out this in-depth coverage from Dealspwn: http://www.dealspwn.com/sam-double-preview-guns-tits-corpse-piling-63785
"By far the most surreal moment came later in the demo when Sam found himself mired in a mysterious sticky fluid. “It’s maple syrup, dude,” explained Fouts… as an enormous stack of pancakes studded with vuvuzelas leapt into centre stage. This hilarious monstrosity made me burst out laughing thanks to the sheer unexpected sillyness of it all (and its adorable blueberry eyeballs)"

And a great look at the game from The Escapist:
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/110973-E3-Serious-Sam-Double-D
"Double D starts in Egypt, but features other level types such as the prehistoric Nova Scotia that features dinosaurs and tar pits. Sam can hop on the backs of flying dinos to find secrets, and will have to take down giant spineasauruses while avoiding their bites."

I've put together the proper Serious Sam Double D webpage with tons more press, check it out!

 Little Hearts Matter

 In other news, gamer Isaac Hume has asked for help for his charity of choice Little Hearts Matter.


From Isaac:
"This charity helped save my nephew’s life when he was born with a portion of his heart missing and also helped to rehabilitate him into the healthy toddler that he is today.

In order to raise the donation I’m doing what I know how to do best. With the help of a couple of friends, I’ll be running a 24 hour livestream on 15^th July, playing and talking about games. My three friends and I will play games, encouraging people watching the stream to get involved, play multiplayer with us and donate to a worthy cause that helps save lives."

Little Hearts Matter treat conditions like Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS). While rare, the condition is fatal unless treated. Learn more about it here: http://www.lhm.org.uk/

Here's the Isaac's donation page for Little Hearts Matter: www.justgiving.co.uk/temporalcortex


And here's the entertainment for the live streaming page for July 15th.
www.justin.tv/temporalcortex

Make sure to check it out and donate to a worthy cause!

Serious Shirts

Speaking of donations, Isaac asked MBG for some promotional help. We're donating a Serious Sam Double D shirt as seen here.

The shirt has the SSDD box art featuring the Gun Stacker on the front, large. On the back, there's a small Mommy's Best Games logo. All printing on cheery, Sun Beam Yellow!

We're only doing very limited prints of the shirts and one will be given away on Isaac's live streaming show on July 15th!

If you don't feel so lucky and would simply like to buy one for $25 + shipping, email me: nathan ((at)) mommysbestgames ((dot) com.

Peak Worms, Popularity and Parties, Oh My!

Both earth and flesh hang heavy on its breath,
A howling toothy maw and knell of death.

- Dr. Roth



The New Xbox Experience launched, and with it, Weapon of Choice. It has been very exciting to say the least. Every morning, I wake up, turn on the computer and check to see where we rank in regards to popularity. (They like us, they really, really like us!) And before we go to bed, we check the Microsoft Forums. (You too can leave your comments there.)

For those of you making out your holiday wish list for Santa or Bubbie, there is a new arrival at our store. If you dig WoC's art syle, tell your loved ones about the Weapon of Choice Alien Annual Wall Calendar. You get 12 months of the hideous space creatures you love to obliterate. And as an added bonus, the delirious Dr. Roth has included Latin classifications and poetry for each one. Based on forum feedback, we have talked with WoC's music composer, Hamdija Ajanovic about producing a WoC soundtrack.

Our Atlanta launch events were great! Friday night at Waba games resulted in a speed round, played on the 200 inch screen with the music cranked up. (We never imaged that our 3 year old nieces would love the game too.) Computer Arena had a great set-up and a large crowd. It was great to have Blake Edwards, from Project Owlboy dev team, join us at both events. When I heard Bobby Blackwolf from AllGames Radio was disappointed he could not make it, I knew I had to contact him. Bobby interviewed Nathan on his 11/30 podcast. Check out the pictures from both events.

Extreme Gratitude

I struggled last night to create a post regarding the Weapon of Choice launch. I knew what I wanted to convey, but my thoughts were all over the place. I decided to sleep on it and finish it this morning. Well, this morning, I decided to google "Community Games" and "Weapon of Choice." What I found were numerous sites with Community Games forums. I could not stop reading. I was overwhelmed by what I read.

November 19th was a day we look at with excitement and fright; Weapon of Choice would be out there for the world to play, judge, criticize, critique, and hopefully enjoy. It is a little hard to admit, but Nathan and I felt, and still feel, a little naked, exposed and vulnerable. However everything thing we have read online lets us know that the past year was not for naught.

To all the fans who downloaded and purchased the game,
...took a $5 chance to buy the game without downloading it first,
...told their friends (real and virtual) that the game was fun,
...send us an email about your positive WoC experience,
...interviewed us, posted on a forum, commented to a blog, or shouted to the sky...

Mommy's Best Games says,

AND - join us at our events in Atlanta tonight and tomorrow. We are delighted to announce that Blake Edwards, from the Project Owlboy dev team will be joining us.

(Nathan will resume posting soon. Right now, he is busy working on the next game concept art and some holiday goodies for fans of the WoC art style & monsters. Check our Cafe Press store in about a couple weeks.

Cock your Weapon of Choice

For anyone that hasn't seen it yet, the first official trailer for Weapon of Choice is now available for your viewing pleasure. It features a variety of areas in the game along with quick views of some of the nasty monsters and fun weapons. Seeing Xerxes fly through the air with his Jet Engine gun you can get a feel for how fun it is to play in a nearly-out-of-control kind of way.

This trailer is only an introduction to the pace and art-style of the game. Later on, we'll have another video available showing more of the sassier gameplay mechanics in the game.
In addition to the trailer, the company website has received a full overhaul. Here you can read more about the game's story, check out some screenshots, and visit the Store for some t-shirts that will make your friends jealous. And be sure to sign up for the mailing list for new information and extra special assignments!

As far as the game's development progress goes, I'm currently finishing up the sounds on the fifth level boss. He goes through three art transformations and four code transformations meaning he takes a while to defeat and still keeps the fight really interesting!