I've had 3D Battle Ball on the site for a while, but never really promoted it like I should have. It was the first 3D game on funfacegames, and to this day I still love playing the speed rounds! The good people at Shockwave 3D are currently showcasing it on their site which is definitely worth checking out. They probably have the best collection of online 3D games on the planet!

Kicked off 2008 with a new game!
Super Saimon Deluxe is the first of several titles planned for release during early 2008!

I wanted to build on the original Simon idea while adding new features to make it more fun in a browser. I decided to go with a relaxing atmosphere, but also allow for fast-paced gameplay to keep things competitive. To accomplish this, I added a response-time meter that tracks how fast you can switch from note to note. Seeing your reponse-time increase, pushes you to go faster, but the ever growing sequence of notes demands your focused attention. Controlled Frenzy Is how I would best describe it!

If things get too hectic, you can always try composing little 4-note arrow key sonatas during the opening menu (no pressure!)

Thanks to Dan McNeely from Armor Games For sponsoring Saimon!

Also to Divinci from Solillaquists of Sound for beta testing, gameplay ideas and sound advice!

And to everyone who shared ideas and support!

These are some of the game portals that I have been working with to promote Super Saimon and my other games. They are all top notch sites, and worth checking out!

ongregate                         Armor Games

After months of waiting, the new Kongregate AS3 API is live!

...And there are a few promising new features to try out:

• Access to player profiles (including their avatar images)
• High score list retrieval
• Test locally instead of having to upload to the kong server repeatedly
• .swc component based, so it's easier to implement

Jacob Correia has done an exceptional job with the API's design and documentation, which you can peruse here: Kongregate AS3 API Docs Previously they only supported up to Flash 8, which left all of the new Action Script 3 games hanging, but I would be willing to bet that hundreds of eager developers are going to unleash their new games in the next few days. (I know I'm ready to!)

You can read an overview, and download the component here: Kongregate AS3 API

Oroboros showed up on www.HeavyGames.com today, and I wanted to personally thank them not just for bringing a lot of players, but also because they let developers keep thier ads on the game page. It really helps out, and I noticed a big increase as soon the game went live.

If you make Flash games, you should definitely check them out!

new games
I've been working on a lot of stuff this month! There are 3 new games in development (I will post details as soon as they are a bit furthur along).

new animation
The other day I created a Funface Games intro animation so I would have a more professional way to show the brand and link back to the site. To keep the filesize to a minimum, I used only text elements, which gives me more breathing room for my favorite part, the audio!
You can check it out here:

Oroboros stats
Oroboros is up to 930,000 plays and climbing.

Oroboros has been out for about a month now and it's fast approaching 1 million plays. As of this post, its been played 705,583 times since Sept 01, 2007 when I initially released it on Kongregate. It's averaging around 25,000 plays per day, so we'll see about having a Million-Play-Party in 12 days (give or take a few). I'm also using mochibot in the game to track its progress and view how it's spreading over the internet. You can check out the Oroboros public profile if your a stat monger and like that sort of stuff. I implemented their tracking a week or so after the initial release, so the mochi numbers are a bit behind mine.

If you're a fellow Flash game developer and haven't started using mochiads or mochibot, follow the image link below and look into it. They offer great services to game developers such as free hosting, stats tracking, and in-game advertisements (one of the only ways to to earn residual loot after your game spreads )

I finally got some free time to devote towards finishing the Oroboros high score system. It's a classic table layout that allows you to sort back and forth between each stat. But most importantly, it let's all of the people who didn't make it to the top 25 see their score (if only for a brief moment)

I also submitted Oroboros to www.HeavyGames.com today.(pending review) Let's see if another bandwidth spike ensues!

After Oroboros made the front page on Kongregate, I started to get loads of emails from various companies seeking sponsorship deals, or requesting to host Oroboros on their site. There were quite a few to choose from, and it was exciting to finally have people coming to me for a change. I've been trying to get people to play my games for years without luck, and then it happened... I made it to the big leagues, as you can clearly see by this informative chart:

Armor Games is the company I finally decided to partner up with to do a sponsorship deal. Dan McNeely is a great guy, and was a real pleasure to work with. He has helped out a lot with the promotional efforts, and is getting loads of new players on board. Thanks Dan!

I also released Oroboros on Newgrounds this Thursday (09/13/2007). It is currently featured on their front page (as of this post), and it's getting great reviews so far!

In other news... I'm currently working on enhancing the high-score display, which you can check out here:
Oroboros Champions Dimension
It's different from most leaderboards in that it only displays the top 25 players, and it's presented rather uniquely. The top player gets a special animated display, and all players get to leave a comment along with their stats. I'm keeping track of all the scores submitted, (more than 50,000 so far) and I'll be making a viewer for those that didn't make it to the top 25 soon.

I wanted to personally thank all of the people who wrote reviews and linked to Oroboros. You have really helped bring floods of players to the site, and things have been buzzing ever since. Oroboros also received a Kongregate front page challenge! The challenges are used to distribute custom cards for a new game they are working on, and you can obtain the "Blood Vial" card by making it to dimension 9 in Oroboros! With so many eyes on Oroboros, the bug reports were bound to arrive. I spent all day yesterday trying to put out fires and make sure it was working properly so people could enjoy the challenge. The biggest complaint so far has been that the game is unclear and people don't quite understand the objective.

Oroboros is an arcade-style game, simply put. You move the mouse around and collect stuff. Some stuff will hurt you, some will help you, some will do both. I've seen 10 year old kids pick this game up in as many seconds, and I've seen others that quit after the first failure. Most games require a certain trial period of playing, learning and failing before you can become an adept player -Oroboros is no different Check out some of the reviews of Oroboros Review on JayIsGames.com | Blue's News | www.1001spill.no | www.i-am-bored.com | Video review at www.ehrensenf.de (end of the video) | flash.plasticthinking.org | www.milkandcookies.com | Oroboros on digg Play Oroboros Now!

So I'll tell you a funny story... On the night of Friday, August 31 I had been awake for about 2 days, scrambling to finish Oroboros so it would be ready for my self-imposed September deadline. I wanted to upload it to Kongregate on Sept 1st, so it would have a full month to be in the competition's they run there, and get as much exposure time as possible. In a daze I published the movie for the 9999'th time and thought to myself, "yeah this is done...f it, i'm uploading." After I woke up late the next afternoon, I went outside to get as far away from the computer as possible, and to enjoy an espresso with my girlfriend Anji. We were reveling in the good ratings and slow trickle of google ad money that was finally starting to flow our way, and at some point in our conversation she kindly informed me that we were still in fact living in the month of August! About 30 seconds later, after the full weight of the realization sank in, I rushed inside to fire an email off to Emily and Jim Greer, pleading with them to bump me to the September contest instead of only allowing me to compete on the FINAL DAY! Emily replied, and in the nicest way possible, said that I'd have to stick to the August contest, but I might as well take my chances since I was already in 3rd place! I was so stoked to hear that last bit after pulling such classy move. In a single day Oroboros had leaped all the way up to number one for the weekly contest, and number 3 for the month. After just one day...Damn! Anyway, to get to the point of this long-winded post... After all the dust settled, I wound up placing 7th for the month of August, and third for the weekly contest! The moral to be found here is: "Get some sleep so you don't forget what the heck day it is!"

After months of hard work, I'm finally ready to release Oroboros! I'm going exclusively with kongregate.com for a while since the game implements many of their cool API features. A few hours after I posted it, it shot up to number 1 in the weekly contest charts. It could win anywhere from 250-1500 bones if the ratings hold out! *Fingers crossed*

Check out a new community site for artists: "Talent Database". It's one of the best places to see quality art and design from all around the world, and it seems to be taking off. I'm displaying several games, animations, and artwork there, and was recently selected as a featured artist in the gaming channel! My girlfriend Anji showcases her artwork there as well, which you can check out here: paintings and photography by Anji Tillemans

I've almost wrapped up development on my next title, "Oroboros", a Flash based game that I'm building for Kongregate.

Oroboros quick definition:

The Oroboros is a mythical symbol of a snake eating it's own tail, and has been used throughout history by many cultures. The circular image of a serpent devouring itself conjurs ideas of unity, infinity, and the repeating cycle of life and death.

More information

One of the first things I learned to create in Flash was a snake that followed the mouse around. Back in the day, pointless mouse-trailing snake-toys were all too common, and any number of variations could be found on the intarweb.

Ze Frank's Dragon
3D pointless snake toy!
multiple trails by senocular

Annoying as these mouse trailing doodads might have been, they left an impression on me, and "Oroboros" has formed as a result!

Gameplay

The idea is to roam through different dimensions eating energy particles until you gather enough to open a portal to the next dimension -evolving along the way. You play as Oroboros, who has several tactics for gathering energy and avoiding negative entities, ranging from morphing his tail, to discharging lightning blasts. As you level up you earn "Evo Points" which you can apply to various attributes that influence your movement, defense, and attack capabilities. Points are scored based on how much energy you collect without getting hurt, and things get hectic rapidly as you progress.

I've uploaded an early beta version that you can test out here: Oroboros Beta
I will be posting newer versions on a daily basis until it's finished, so check back often.

What's coming up

• Boss Battles!
• Several new negative entities
• Unique graphics for each new dimension
• More sounds and music

The shop is open! Now you and your friends can get all the exclusive gear from funface Games. Whether you need a pair of funface boxers, or a shopping bag sporting our logo, we have it all! Plenty of tee shirts too... even for your dog!

Help support Funface Games so I can continue to make bigger-better-stronger-faster games for you to enjoy!
Thanks for buying merch at the funface store... You will experience great joy and happiness now!

I just found a cool site called Kongregate. They have a great community of gamers and game developers, as well as some of the best games on the internet!

Garage Games is unveiling a new site for gamers and game developers alike, where thousands of games are popping up in short order. I set up a page for 3D Battle ball to try it out, and I have to say, they've made something pretty amazing. If you decide to check it out, give Battle Ball a thumbs up or review so I can become yet another famous internet hero!

Adobe recently released a new version of the Shockwave Player that corrects several Windows Vista issues related to playback of 3D content, as well as other bug fixes and improvements. I would definitely recommend downloading it

We have another new game here at Funface Games. Introducing Robo Slide! A futuristic 3D air hockey game where you compete against a shiny, puck-wielding robot in a fight to the finish!