5/20/2024 CubePunks Updates

Kage here with another weekly blog update

Game Progress - Break Beak

While assets are still being generated - progress on the coding front has moved along to work on mobile compatibility. The ideal configuration for Break Beak is actually using back bone styled controllers (i personally use the Razer Kishi v2) - because the game itself is a love letter to handheld gaming I grew up with.

COMING SOON: Pinball Breaker Deluxe Update!

It was always in the plan to update Pinball Breaker Deluxe with more characters - but due to projects and schedules, producing the updates is a bit of work. For context, the game had a 8 week production time with 1/2 of it being spent on visuals - a lot of assets go into a single character. HOWEVER, at PicoDay I got the go ahead to add a character so you know what, it's time to actually work on adding some characters.

IDK how many or frequently they'll be added, but I guarantee you there will be 2 additions (including Space Girls can't Swim representation) planned to release is early June. I'd like to add in the cut 4 from the original game after the 2 new characters - but I'd prefer to hold off progress until I get Break Beak further along (save it as a productive detour so I can get a break and return to the big game with fresh eyes)

work in progress Constella model

YouTube Relaunch

A few years back I made a few videos in that vein but due to traveling a lot at the time + the amount of time that goes into video editing; I stopped. But I'd like to get back to it, just this time with better narration a more efficient format (I rather spend time making new art, rather than spending a whole week editing a recounting of making an old one)

So after this PB update, I'm gonna relaunch the CubePunks Youtube - with the first video talking about making 3D models for 2D games.

Bad News, Life Related

I have been suffering from back and neck related issues exasperated by desk work (read the blog regularly and you'd know). And while I thought I was getting better, recently it evolved into Double Crush Syndrome - which means I'm running into Carpel Tunnel issues before the age of 30. It so far only effects me when using the devices needed for game dev (phones, gamepads, keyboard, mouse). But since this issue snuck up on me and I gotta recover I'm not punching out back to back games like I did between Febuary and March.

Thank God I can still draw - which is motivation to increase art output

Game Recap

Audio Recap

Art Recap

5/20/2024 CubePunks Updates

@KageKMB with another weekly blog update

PicoDay NJ Meetup 2025

I was jet lagged beyond belief and spacing out hard - but PicoDay was such a cool event it wasn’t ruined by that fact. If you met me, feel free to reach out via DMs.

I’m a regular on CallanLoF’s streams so I’ll be saving the bulk of my recounts for next time he goes live (many funny stories, better told with audio). What I will say is that everyone was super nice and genuine - one of the easiest meetups I’ve been able to just chat with random people at.

It was surreal meeting so many people who’ve inspired me for years, in some cases over a decade and meant the world for me to tell them how much their work means to me face to face, also Phantom Arcade jump scared me like a Fnaf character.

The pin by MindChamber and the signed BF box are centerpieces of my office. Shout out to Armadill0h for giving out some TankMan figures, also everyone who contributed to the trading card operation! 

Box Signatures

@tomfulp

@ninjamuffin99

@phantomarcade.

@srpelo

@mindchamber

@spazkid

@cleod-9

@luis

@twistedgrim

@quent-pro

@bluflame14

@jonas

@sikowny

@armadill0h

@invadore

@coby

@lolofyr

@Dahlip3tears

@AruhshRlome

@Spagato

@Joecanvas

@alecgross0

@Kevsomeone

@BeefyThunder

@leroyalmess

@broly

If I forgot your name / couldn't read the handwriting, comment plz and I’ll fix

Sketchbook Scans

@ehjur

@thell1

@eugenedoesart

@robdogdraws

@MayaLaCookie

@goodboyethan

@cherv

Game Progress - Break Beak

Other team members like artist and audio have been making progress, but as for me....

Due to Pico Day, coding had to take a pause for a week. However, because I knew that was the case, I hauled ass to offset any schedule delay. I got the mechanics feature complete before going so now rest of May is building the rest of the levels. June will then be technical polish, adjustments based off testing, and asset integration.

Game Recap

Audio Recap

Art Recap

5/9/2024 CubePunks Updates

@KageKMB with another weekly blog update

Game Progress - Break Beak

Sprites are making progress - player character animations are the most complex so they're being worked on first. They'll also determine the style, and currently we're leaning towards a Neo Geo Pocket Color inspired aesthetic. After all, Break Beak was heavily inspired by games from handhelds. The game does feature some complex parallax layers and camera zooming, so it's going to take it's own liberties.

Next month is when we'll start focusing on integrating the final assets in the game. For the time being, there's a lot of technical back end tasks (such as re-mapping your gamepad) that need to be completed. There's a lot of things required for this game that our previous one's didn't need (reading/writing save data is a huge one), so shifting though Godot's documentation has cut down on speed of production.

Also, while the main Adventure mode is far along, the same can't be said for the Boss Rush and Challenge modes. There's a reason why we don't have a public dead-line yet lol. We got to just get the unfun stuff off our plate before we can do that though. Goal right now is to start getting some real gameplay previews out next month.

Pico Day NJ

I bought a ticket and am going. Get yours here.

Hotels were a nightmare to book because some concert is happening the same day (oops). But I'll be staying very close to Williams Center 3 days (15th - 17th). I'll be doxxing myself on twitter throughout the stay.

Game Recap

Audio Recap

Art Recap

See y'all at PicoDay NJ!

5/1/2024 CubePunks Updates

Game Progress - Break Beak

While @Kai-El-Jefe Is making progress on character animations.

@KageKMB is designing the levels. Goal is to get all maps playable, and then refined after playtest feedback.

If you're interested in said play-tests: follow us here and Twitter to not miss the announcement on how to get in + when it goes live.

We want to get the presentation and assets further along before we put it in other people's hands or edit together gameplay trailers. Game has most of it's features, but needs some bugtest and presentation (its an ugly boy).

Pico Day NJ

KageKMB bought a ticket and is going. Get yours here so you can harass him IRL for the secret NSFW account everyone assumes we have (we're too busy making games, we don't have time for one lol).

Game Recap

Audio Recap

Art Recap

Game News:

Break Beak has been making good progress. Gameplay sprites and level design are being worked on at the same time (Kai on art, Kage on code). The game is past the 1/2 way point towards it's completion.

If you want to hear 45mins worth of yapping showing the mentality and process of the level building, Kage did a short stream covering it no one watched lol (please excuse the jumbled placeholder assets)

Art Recap:

Drawings and Music you may have missed

Our next game is a a bit of a ways our before release so we took the time to set up a tool so consistent content drips will be happening on our social between games. The primary format of our post will be artwork - given we both draw in sketchbooks constantly and it takes minimal attention from the game projects.

On NG we add CubePunks in the credits but upload under the artist's individual post. So follow @KageKMB and @kai-el-jefe if you don't want to miss a thing.

Our DeviantART is brand new so to play catch up to the other platforms older works are going to be added more frequently than the Bi-weekly schedule most other platforms are scheduled to follow.

Due to Twitter following the modern social media model of "it has to be persistent activity or it might as well be no activity" - you'll see an unorganized array of completed artwork, work in progresses as well as completed works - along post related towards our games.

We do have a Ko-Fi account which is also synced up to the whole shabang. BTW - any donations will currently be used to helping with Break Beak's production.

OTHER NEWS

We've been prototyping a Jerry figure- designed to be printed as a single piece, or in parts and assembled like a model kit.

Break Beak is making progress - @KageKMB is doing level design while @kai-el-jefe is working on the final assets.

Name of our next game.....

"Break Beak"

Why the name?

Break-beat + Birds.

When will it be done?

Art, level design and variable tuning; so final stretch of development. So add on time needed to to set up release and marketing materials; this year but not tomorrow.

What was with the old name?

This final name comes from a previous iteration / build of the project - and the working title of "Bit Beak" was dubbed for this final build for file organization purposes. However, "Break Beak" is just overall the better name and that old build is never being revisited so "Break Beak" it is.

______________________

BTW - Given this is a group account: artwork is going to be posted under the illustrators accounts @KageKMB and @Kai-El-Jefe (with CubePunks added as an owner).

Progress for inking illustrations for the platformer project is coming along nicely. Give it another week and we'll have visuals to tease at a steady pace.

Here's a big version of the lives icon for the hud.

Music is releasing in the mean time, https://www.newgrounds.com/audio/listen/1313601

The next game has made great progress with the code - bosses are all function just needing some minor tuning. Now it's a matter of assets and level design.

We're hard at work at making those assets. I'm going back though my sketchbooks and finalize a few pieces (posted on the @KageKMB page). Our Twitter will also have a feed of our un-inked sketches