TORSO TENNIS: Launching Soon
Based on the results of recent playtests at Triangle Interactive and IbashoCon, I’ve decided TORSO TENNIS is ready to launch soon! The changes I’ve made to the demo (short onboarding tips and more visual clarity during gameplay) have made a huge impact on the game.
▶️ Wishlist TORSO TENNIS on Steam
It’s been a month since MAGfest and most of my notes from the event have been addressed. I’m super excited to continue this active-feedback process for just a little while longer, but the game is feeling ready to release soon! Stay tuned for a release date reveal.
This stage of development is always tricky because it’s hard to know how long you should continue polishing the game before you let it out into the world. Without a publisher or studio to set a deadline for a game, it can be difficult to do that for yourself, which is where I’ve found Marathon Game Jam to be extremely helpful (see below!)
Participating in Marathon Jam
Marathon Jam is a month-long jam that focuses on taking an existing project towards a milestone or goal. I’ve been participating in this jam with the goal of getting the game ready for launch. The jam runs until March 8th, so we’re almost done with the marathon!
As a part of staying true to this goal, I’ve been posting weekly devlogs on itch documenting the process of improving the game:
https://toomuchtomato.itch.io/torso-tennis
The game has improved SO MUCH because of the motivation this jam has given me over the last 3 weeks. Oh yeah, and I added mouths to all the torsos on a whim!
FFIX: Cycling through the Mist Continent
I’ve been playing through Final Fantasy IX this month! I play a lot on an indoor bike while I do easy rides. It’s been a really nice way to experience a JRPG. The GRIND associated with these retro titles meshes in quite nicely with light cardio and it’s felt really nice to explore these classic stories in this way.
What was a little more difficult for me was attempting a 9-hour marathon stream of playing FFIX on the bike. I picked a pacer group on Zwift (a cycling game) that was a little too fast for this effort. I ended up spending a lot of energy early on trying to keep pace, when I should have just kept my own steady and slow pace.
Despite fueling well and eating lots of snacks, I definitely started to get fatigued. At the 4:10 mark, my power went out, so I took a short break and finished my ride outside for a total of 7-8 hours on the bike!!! Maybe I should have played FF7 or FF8 instead…
Apparently Masahiro Sakurai, creator of Kirby and Smash Bros, also participates in this insanity.
Community Spotlight: BLOCK SHOP
This is a fantastic conveyor belt automation puzzle game made by an extremely friendly Game Development streamer, Foolbox!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2731590/Block_Shop/
As I’ve been upping the intensity of my work (and fitness) lately,it’s important to have time to wind down and relax. That is where BLOCK SHOP has stepped into my routine and absolutely saved me this month.
Block Shop gently introduces you to conveyor-belt automation components chapter-by-chapter with puzzles that feel immensely satisfying to solve. It slowly ramps up and challenges you to think critically and optimize your designs into tight spaces. There are some devious puzzles in here that feel incredible to finally figure out.
Thanks so much for reading, catch you next month!
Feel free to respond to this email and let me know your thoughts :)
<3 Michael