kiz
Latest
The gentlemen of Smashmuck talk champion design
Smashmuck Champions has a pretty diverse roster of characters, and it took a crazy group of mad scientists to assemble such a motley crew. It has everything from a robotic pop diva to an alien riding a velociraptor. Everything from the appearance to the gameplay of each character is fairly wild and unique, and it's clear that the design team goes out of its way to create avatars that are "not just another frost archer." I sat down with the design team for the game, including Kiz Studios art director Allen White, lead designer Ben Rodgers, and lead developer Jacob Schieck. In-between the jokes (these are some funny guys), we had a pretty deep discussion about the wacky designs and what the team looks for when making a character.
Smashmuck Champions has a new champ, arena, controller support
If you're a Smashmuck Champions player, today's a good day because Kiz Studios has released a "mega-update with new champs, a new spooky arena, and -- answering the calls of fans -- controller support." A company press release has the details which include Kovax Nobo, a champ designed live by fans at PAX Prime. Oh, and there's also the Tesla Turret skill-swap, too. We've embedded two preview videos after the break. One focuses on Kovax while the other is a general patch update. [Source: Kiz Studios press release]
HeroEngine does more than just power The Old Republic
Look, we're sure you probably know HeroEngine primarily for being the metal beast under Star Wars: The Old Republic's figurative hood. Well, it does more than just power BioWare upcoming space opera epic! HeroEngine has been licensed for use in KizPlanet, being made by game firm Kiz and a, "groundbreaking new science-fiction MMO" by newly formed Colorado-based Zaloli.HeroEngine also made quite a splash recently at GDC 2009, and we took a very hard look at just what makes it so very impressive. If you're looking for the quick and dirty, this sweet baby is one engine to rule them all, more or less. In BioWare's care, they completely modified the software to fit their needs for Star Wars: The Old Republic. So in essence, yeah, it's kinda like the one ring.
