Roflopolis http://roflopolis.com/ en thespaff@gmail.com Copyright 2008 2008-12-10T17:47:06+00:00 Working with Beatnik Games on Plain Sight http://roflopolis.com/roflopolis/article/working_with_beatnik_games_on_plain_sight/ http://roflopolis.com/roflopolis/article/working_with_beatnik_games_on_plain_sight/ Where have I been all this time? Idly wasting hours building clever contraptions in LittleBigPlanet? Nope. Drinking myself into a stupor to hide from the credit crisis? It’s crossed my mind, but no, not this time.

I’ve actually been continuing the freelance life, this time working with the talented chaps at Beatnik Games, the majority of whom are very dear friends of mine. Their first title Plain Sight is just about to go into beta, and so I’ve been working to give them a bit of a promotional boost, a bit of PR here, a dash of Marketing there, and some good old community know how to top it all off.

As I’ve explained numerous times today already, Plain Sight is a 3D multiplayer arcade game with robots; robots who bounce around cityscapes on mini planetoids and wield swords which are used to destroy one another. It’s very addictive, see for yourself…

You should also check out this awesome comic which describes the play style of the game, and was drawn by the very talented John Godwin.
The beta begins very soon, and if you are interested in giving the game a go, and helping out a friendly independent developer with their QA work, then you should register your interest, go on!

]]> Videogames, Work 2008-12-10T17:47:06+00:00 Little Big Planetoid launches with full design http://roflopolis.com/roflopolis/article/little_big_planetoid_launches_with_full_design/ http://roflopolis.com/roflopolis/article/little_big_planetoid_launches_with_full_design/

Little Big Planetoid, a site made by myself and friend Tom Kiss and dedicated to I-bet-you-can’t-guess-what, has re-launched with a full design and all systems go!

High above the surface of the Little Big Planet, way up there in outer-space, orbits a Little Big Planetoid.

On the northern hemisphere of this tiny barren rock sits a giant surveillance observatory, where enormous consoles bleep excitedly as vast telescopes gaze down onto the planet below.

It is from this vantage point, and by using these excessive instruments, that we who operate this center are able to watch, record, and then relay all the latest news, events and happenings on the Little Big Planet to anywhere in the galaxy. Think of us as Little Big Planet’s Little Big Brother.

]]> 2008-11-29T15:08:53+00:00 Inevitable http://roflopolis.com/roflopolis/article/inevitable/ http://roflopolis.com/roflopolis/article/inevitable/

So it is with regret that we must announce that Tabula Rasa will end live service on February 28, 2009.

more.

]]> 2008-11-22T00:42:19+00:00 Guitar Hero…on a bike? WTF? http://roflopolis.com/roflopolis/article/guitar_heroon_a_bike_wtf/ http://roflopolis.com/roflopolis/article/guitar_heroon_a_bike_wtf/

Weeird. Thanks mister Eggers for pointing this out to me.

]]> 2008-11-20T14:53:54+00:00 Idle Thumbs podcast: now featuring me http://roflopolis.com/roflopolis/article/idle_thumbs_podcast_now_featuring_me/ http://roflopolis.com/roflopolis/article/idle_thumbs_podcast_now_featuring_me/ Idle Thumbs recently made a surprise comeback in the form of a podcast, and after seven weekly shows from the American side, it’s time to launch the first UK edition since this re-launch. This one is slightly special as it was recorded on the show floor of the eurogamer Expo, which featured loud banging noises and background chatter, along with a discission between Marek and Beatnik Games, plus a chat between Bob, Marek and myself about the various games at the show. Future episodes will be far easier to hear, we promise.

You can download the show directly or subscribe to the RSS feed of our UK show specificall using the links below. A far less confusing two rss feed solution will be found soon, along with an itunes link! You can also find out more info and get the other American shows, over at Idle Thumbs.

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]]> 2008-11-17T22:42:38+00:00 RPG Classes found on a wall in Ireland http://roflopolis.com/roflopolis/article/rpg_classes_found_on_wall_in_ireland/ http://roflopolis.com/roflopolis/article/rpg_classes_found_on_wall_in_ireland/ I’ve just got back from Ireland, welll a few days ago now, I had a birthday to celebrate, and before the trip I had an expo to run, which should hopefully explain the lack of updates around this place, ahem sorry about that.

Whilst in Ireland though, mildly lost walking around the town of Waterford with Marek and Rusalka, we bumped into some strange pieces of art, each one subtitled with labels that our gaming brains immediately translated into a selection of long lost RPG classes… Video Games can do that to a man apparently.

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Spinner, Glassblower, Potter… whatever you chose to be, the fate of the world lies in your hands. Except you Turf Carrier, you’re useless.

]]> 2008-11-17T22:25:39+00:00 I fixed my RSS feed http://roflopolis.com/roflopolis/article/i_fixed_my_rss_feed/ http://roflopolis.com/roflopolis/article/i_fixed_my_rss_feed/ It is now working like a real rss feed should!
Thank you Edmundo for making me fix it.

]]> Random guff 2008-10-15T23:55:13+00:00 NC Allstars: a depository of skilled people http://roflopolis.com/roflopolis/article/nc_allstars/ http://roflopolis.com/roflopolis/article/nc_allstars/ When the hammer fell last month and 70 people were dumped from NCsoft Europe to make room for the American take-over, My friend and colleague Tom decided to set up a website on which the NC fallen could be found together, along with their skills and contact details. If you need someone for any kind of work, it’s definitely worth checking out NC Allstars, where you can browse via a tagging system for someone with appropriate skills.

The list is far from being complete, but even at this length it has quite a depressing effect on me as I scroll through it, like a war memorial or something. Let’s all move on bigger and better things now please.

]]> Work 2008-10-15T21:26:16+00:00 Idle Thumbs returns http://roflopolis.com/roflopolis/article/idle_thumbs_returns/ http://roflopolis.com/roflopolis/article/idle_thumbs_returns/ Idle Thumbs has made a surprise comeback in the form of a weekly podcast! It currently features the voices of the most excellent Chris Remo, Jake Rodkin and Nick Breckon, as they discuss videogames around a table in Chris’s house.

Marek and myself plan to join them in a few weeks by supplying an alternate program for the channel that we too will record face to face here in the UK.  For now though, enjoy their vast expertise and entertaining genius, before we come along and ruin everything.

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]]> Videogames 2008-10-15T15:29:12+00:00 Little BIG Planetoid - my new project http://roflopolis.com/roflopolis/article/little_big_planetoid_my_new_project/ http://roflopolis.com/roflopolis/article/little_big_planetoid_my_new_project/ When I was made unemployed, I decided to find a way to stay as involved with blog and community activities as possible, to find some projects that could both expand my CV and allow me to have some fun, instead of sitting about wastefully playing games all day. Since losing my job I’ve actually been busier than ever, and whilst I’m slightly concerned about where money will come from in a few months time, I’m incredibly enthusiastic and excited about a few things I’m involved with.

This is the first one… a Little Big Planet fan site by the name of Little BIG Planetoid created by myself and my extremely talented designer friend Tom (who resigned from NCsoft in the wake of destruction). It should be amusing to be back on the other side of things for a while!

This is stage one of the site, a very rough and dirty blueprint of a blog that sits on the internet ready for launch, so I can blog my little ass off whilst in the background Tom constructs an epic social networking site for LBP Gamers. The secod part of the site should be ready shortly after the game launches next week, and will allow the happy gadders of LBP to play, create and share to their heart’s desires. The banner below is a little teaser of the final design.

High above the surface of the Little Big Planet, way up there in outer-space, orbits a Little Big Planetoid.

On the northern hemisphere of this tiny barren rock sits a bustling construction site, and It is here that a busy team of engineers are preparing what is soon to be a giant observatory, where enormous consoles will bleep excitedly as vast telescopes gaze down onto the planet below.

It is from this vantage point, and by using these excessive instruments, that we who will operate this centre will be able to watch, record, and then relay all the latest news, events and happenings on the Little Big Planet to anywhere in the galaxy. Our broadcasts will be frequent, fun, and of an astronomical quality, quite literally.

For now, we must use this temporary set of equipment, and broadcast as best we can, welcome to our little (big?) corner of the internet, please stand by for test broadcasts! 

The next stage of the project is a mission to bring back webrings to the internet, remember those? Stay tuned for the launch of another site for that purpose soon!

]]> Videogames, Work 2008-10-15T14:13:34+00:00