- Addition of new expansion “MANvsGAME: WARP ZONE!”: You will be able to choose between It’s Show Time! and WARP ZONE! at the start. You will still have to close and reopen the game to switch games. This is due to the different ways the games were built. Hint: If you’ve completed It’s Show Time! 100%, be sure to have your save file ready. You’ll automatically unlock one of the characters in WARP ZONE! from the start!

- Window glitch fixed: Window sizes will no longer reset upon completion of a game.

- Escape button: No longer will the Escape button close the game (in general). Not only has the button been re-purposed for WARP ZONE!, but it also means no accidental closes can occur. The only way to close the game outside of the game itself is to use the close button.

- SPOILER: Tawny’s hair color in It’s Show Time! has finally been fixed.

For those of you generous enough to have read this far, here’s some new info regarding WARP ZONE! and things to look out for: To avoid colliding with the possible MENsday this Friday, WARP ZONE! will be released a little earlier than May 4th. Stay tuned to my Twitter (@KeatonHashimoto) to see when it goes live. Along with new MAN references, there are also references to other Twitch.tv broadcasters in the game. The final (Dark) level in the game is called “Soul Crusher” and is entirely optional (meaning there are no unlockables attached to it). I call Danny B.’s special move the “Meat Balloons”. Tee hee.

Thanks for reading and I hope you all enjoy MANvsGAME: WARP ZONE!

The new site uses a lot of the latest in CSS3 techniques that allow me to present my work in new ways while hopefully providing visitors with an easy-to-use interface. The most prominent new feature is the departure from a fixed design width to a sleeker “responsive” design, which means, for the most part, the content will shift, re-size and change positioning automatically to fit your browser properly. This should be easy to recognize on just about any medium-to-large resolution. Mobile devices and smaller screens are an exception. More on that in a second.

If you’ve viewed the site and seen some odd behavior (e.g. images being cut off, large blank spaces), I’ll be addressing those concerns in a second. First, a little background.

The new design isn’t perfect. I have no problem admitting that it isn’t perfect either. Truth is I really don’t like the “responsive design” practice as a whole and this is more of an experiment. In my opinion, responsive design is ridiculously tedious and in most cases, really hampers creative design. While I’m not advocating bizarre, off-the-wall content presentation, having to create something that is meant for an HD 1080p monitor, but also works on a small, 3-5 inch screen (or vice-versa) is really annoying and pointless. It’s like trying to shove 50 cardboard boxes into a space that can only hold 15. It’s bulky and unnecessary, yet web designers everywhere are being forced to implement these practices to accommodate mobile phones and touch tablets. It feels like a step back in terms of progressing with technological advancements.

As the site is now, it will (or should) work properly 99% of the time. However, if you’re viewing the site on an iPad, an iPhone or on a monitor display smaller than 1024 pixels, expect the site to throw up a warning. This was intentional. Without going into too many details, my site is just not meant to be viewed on small displays. It’s loaded with high-resolution content that celebrates visual quality, and often utilizes the latest in web standards. Nowadays most mobile software can live up to some of the standards, but they don’t always possess the proper amount of CPU/memory to properly handle the content load. With that said, I’ll probably go back in the future and fix some of the issues, so don’t worry too much. If you’re on a medium-to-large display and you’re getting odd behavior, re-size your browser a bit and it should automatically fix itself. If you’re viewing the site on a humongous display like, 3000xYou’reCrazy, I have not been able to test the site on such huge resolutions so you may also experience some odd behavior.

So with that, I hope you guys enjoy the new KeatonHashimoto.com and dig the new design over the old one. I hope that with everything finally in place I can start updating it more frequently. There will be future content that makes the best use of the new design, so be sure to stay tuned! Speaking of which, if you are looking for new content, the best place to get a peek at new and upcoming release details/previews is to follow me on Twitter. I enjoy the real-time feedback I often get from posting updates to Twitter (versus a blog, for example), so I’ll more than likely continue to do it. So yeah, if you’re not already following me on Twitter, I highly suggest you do. Between the nerdy game rants, you’ll probably learn about a lot of cool new stuff coming up before it’s even on the site!

Until next time, thanks for visiting!

Anyway, let’s not drag this down with too much negativity and get to what really matters: the updates!

MANvsGAME: It’s Show Time:

First update, probably the reason most of you are reading this: Will there be any new content for the MANvsGAME fan game this year? Yes, there will be! As long as I’m happy with the end result, there will be new MANvsGAME: It’s Show Time! (MvG: IST) content sometime later this year. If you’re not aware of it by now, MvG: IST was recently updated to v1.1.0, which included a new mini-game and a few behind-the-scenes fixes. One of these fixes modified the save system to prepare it for future additional content. In other words, I have every intention of bringing MANkind new content for the fan game. It’s going to take some time though; right now it’s still in the planning stages. It’s an ambitious idea and I want it to feel like a true expansion. If MAN ends up having some really memorable moments this year (and I can fit them into the game properly), you can probably expect minor additions. The main focus however will be the expansion. I would love to create a nice expansion that extends the longevity of the MANvsGAME fan game. There will be another minor update soon in which I fix an unlockable character’s hair color. No ETA on that update just yet, but I assure you it’s coming. I have also heard some fans’ requests to put the game on Steam. I will address this later in this article.

Tim The Magician:

I’ve just finished the planning stages for my next original game. The game is tentatively titled “Tim the Magician”. I’m not going to reveal too many details just yet, but it’s an ambitious project and one I would love to actually sell. Indeed, I am creating this game with the intention of submitting it to Steam or another service for distribution. (Again, more on this in a second.) The game will feature all original content including an art style loosely inspired by Sylvain Chomet’s movies (namely Triplets of Belleville and The Illusionist) as well as original music, which will also be sold for anyone interested in owning the soundtrack. Again, the planning stage just ended but I’ve already begun work on the mechanics, so expect more details later this year. I hope to bring the same charm and quirkiness exhibited in my previous games to “Tim the Magician” with a nice little twist on game play.

Article continues on page two… “Steam/distribution & more updates”

Anyway, I’ve decided to amend my previous schedule so that I may work on smaller games instead of huge productions like LPAMAN or relatively large productions like Sasquatch Runs. Given that I’ve got less than six months left to do what I can, it seems like the better option and while I really, really want to complete my third full-length game someday, the level of ambition and dedication it’d take to get it out this year would be overwhelming to do on my own. Also, by working on smaller games, it allows me to test out new techniques and styles to further improve my abilities and add great features to future games. Which brings me to the final bit of this post: a new game!

Since up until this point I’ve been primarily known as a 2D platform type of game maker, I thought it’d be cool to expand to something new. The Teapot Chapters was a fun game to make, and though I’m not 100% certain of what I’ll do with it in the future, I thought it’d be fun to keep with the Linkin Park themed games this month and so I’m releasing a second game featuring the band. It’s called “Linkin Park: Teenie Takedown”. The gameplay is similar to Smash TV, only you don’t shoot anyone and instead just try to survive for as long as you can. It’s a really simple concept, but personally I found it to be kind of addicting.

Since Teenie Takedown is a smaller project, I decided to not include an online leaderboard. However, I have included an awesome new achievement system with five tough-as-nails-probably-impossible achievements to earn as incentive to keep playing. The game also features a music toggle option, so in case the music starts to annoy you, you can turn it off and rock out with your own music instead.

Click here to download Linkin Park: Teenie Takedown (2.80MB!)

It should be noted, for those keeping track, that this has nothing to do with the canon of The Teapot Chapters. This is simply another game featuring the band. Whether or not I continue The Teapot Chapters depends on the fans… or if the band approve of the project. So, if you enjoyed The Teapot Chapters and would like a follow-up, the best way to make that happen is to let your voice be heard!

Thanks for visiting, and please, let me know what you think of my projects and especially if you come across any major bugs! I’m always looking for constructive criticism to further improve the quality of my work, and the only way that can happen is if I learn from my mistakes. Until next time, take care of yourselves!

First, as I said in my last post, Sasquatch Runs will be the second and last game created using the same engine as LPAMAN & The Missing Phoenix. It was an engine I worked with because it was easy to understand and had all the basic functionality that I needed for both games. While they had their programming hiccups, it was still a solid engine. However as I grow and learn, the engine is starting to show its weaknesses and thus, I had to move on. Any games produced after Sasquatch Runs are going to either be coded from scratch or using much more stable/expansive engines. It was a good run but it’s time to create better games using better code!

Second, the question I get asked the most is why my games are not Mac-compatible. The answer is simple: Only recently have Macs been seen as sensible gaming machines, and thus it’s going to take some time before independent developers like myself are given the tools to produce ports of our games. Of course that’s not always the case; a lot of indie development teams nowadays are porting their games to the Mac and iOS platforms. However I must stress that these are often teams whereas 99.9% of development including art, music and programming are all done by myself. It takes a lot of time and effort to port games, especially those as large as LPAMAN & The Missing Phoenix, which would require heavy testing. I am however NOT ruling out the possibility of porting especially in the future. As I stated during the release of LPAMAN, I would not have a problem with porting the game to the Mac platform but the problem is it’s going to require a completely new development kit, and that costs money. Considering my games can be played for free, there is no financial gain. With that said, you can always support my efforts by purchasing an album. Any and all money earned through the selling of my work will allow me to continue making games, music and art. In the future I may also be able to make games for the iOS as well as Android platforms. Again though, these developmental ports are going to cost time and more importantly money. Especially if I need to maintain accounts for the hand-held devices.

I don’t want to end this post on a sour note though, so here are upcoming projects for Keaton Hashimoto Games.

I’ve already begun planning for my third game. If all goes well, it’ll be a mixture of Ikaruga meets Metroidvania. I mentioned this on Twitter, but apparently this concept is very similar to Ubisoft’s Outland. Admittedly I have not tried the game yet, but I assure you I’m doing my best to make something unique. I don’t want to give away too many details (especially if I can’t make them happen), but I plan to build a game based on exploration by encouragement of loot. So in a sense, Diablo II meets Ikaruga meets Metroidvania. Sound cool? Hope it does!

But before I start on my third game, I’m taking a slight detour to work on something that drove me to start creating video games in the first place: Experimenting with the medium. I’m a huge video game fan and am one of those that feel games can be seen as more than what it’s often perceived as. While I am not aiming to change anyone’s perspective, I feel the interactive element of video games offers something that other forms of entertainment cannot. Whether you’re scaling the back of a colossus or fumbling through the fog of Silent Hill, directly experiencing what your in-game avatar is experiencing can have interesting effects. It’s something I want to experiment with. As a gamer and a designer I love the 2D experience. Without the third dimension, you have to adapt in order to be victorious. There’s no strafing, no depth-related cover systems. Just you and the world. I think a lot of modern day gamers forget or don’t see the anxiety of being restricted to a 2D plain. Again, I don’t want to give too much away, but this game is going to be an experiment in how a player deals with 2D, with a twist.

Well, with that said I hope you guys will enjoy Sasquatch Runs. It was a blast to make and I hope you guys are excited for what’s still to come (hopefully) later this year! Remember, if you dig my work and you’d like to show your support, tell your friends/family, or better yet, buy an album! You get high quality music (FLAC, even!) for great low prices. Any and all support, especially financially, will allow me to continue doing what I do as a living. I would love more than anything to make a living creating great games, music and art for you, the awesome and/or intrigued. Thanks for reading and check back soon for more!

Sasquatch Runs, my second game, is almost completed. The only thing left I have to work on is the soundtrack, and admittedly it’s the entire reason the game hasn’t been released yet. I’ve realized as a composer I work well when it comes to emotional, more brooding pieces, but when it comes to creating fun, less serious compositions, it’s proving difficult. I’m making progress, it’s just a lot slower than it’d usually be. The game itself is nowhere near as difficult as LPAMAN, and it’s a lot more forgiving. That doesn’t mean it’s a cakewalk, but I decided that fun was more important than crushing difficulty this time around. For those interested, Sasquatch Runs is the second (and final) game to use the LPAMAN engine. I’ve already started working on a better, more refined engine and will be using it in future titles.

Pocketnauts, the title I originally announced to be my second game has been officially put on hold indefinitely. Intended to be a physics-based puzzle platformer, I realized after doing some initial coding that I was nowhere near ready to create the physics engine. I’m looking into alternatives as I continue to learn programming. I want Pocketnauts to be an exquisite experience from start to finish so for now, until I’ve learned more, it’ll be put on hold.

Finally, on to the game that started this all: LPAMAN. Originally LPAMAN was going to return for my third title. I thought what I created with the LPAssociation staff was great and it would have been interesting to see what else I could do with it, especially as a series. I began planning for a sequel not long after finishing the first game and I was hoping that the response would be great enough to justify a second game. However, after the initial release and the seemingly abandoned community for the project, no other high score submissions (Which was a highly demanded feature!), not to mention the soundtrack selling poorly, I don’t think there will be any more LPAMAN games. There’s just no incentive. It’s a shame because fan games are something you never, ever see from band fan sites. Now granted you can argue they’re not in the same field, but entertainment is entertainment and when it comes down to it, LPAMAN was something incredibly fresh. But I digress.

So as you can see, even on the games front, there’s no shortage of things to come as I progress through the year! I’ll have much more information as it comes, and will definitely try to keep those of you interested in the know here on my blog. I probably won’t do updates unless they’re in bulk but you can be sure there will be updates for project details, trailers and releases as they’re ready. Stay tuned and thanks for reading!

That’s not to say I’ll be making daily posts about what I’ve done throughout that day, but expect to see development updates and insight during production. I hope to jot down some updates for things like my upcoming game Sasquatch Runs as well as my music like my new Wretches & Kings re-mix. Along the way I’ll probably still post about video games and my current thoughts on certain subjects, but overall I want people who are genuinely interested in what I do to have a place to come and get to know me and the process of my work a little better.

I hope you find some enjoyment in what may come!

The main site has received a minor overhaul. The portfolio now features a lot more details in a better, more precise and focused fashion. The Older Work slider is a new feature that actually covers older projects and smaller projects to display previous endeavors. In the future these areas will grow, but it was important that the work featured represented my current style and technique, with earlier work presenting progression and experience.

As for the blog, in the future you will be able to read my reviews and thoughts regarding many different topics, most probably regarding the gaming industry but generally focusing on art, technology and entertainment. Currently you can read a few older, yet still relevant posts I’d written a while back. In all honesty, I haven’t kept up writing so I’m unable to convey my thoughts as well as I’d like, but I have confidence I will be able to write coherently again soon.

Well, I just wanted to make the obligatory “welcome” post, so hopefully now that I’m finally on a better, more reliable server, this is the last time I have to re-install WordPress and database(s) so I can enjoy writing again. Like always, there are a lot of things I’m working on and I’ll be sure to update the blog with any new developments. Until then, thanks for visiting and I hope you dig the new site.