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Nine indie developers on the secret to making multiplayer magic
Ten years ago, multiplayer-only games went through a severe identity crisis. More people than ever were gaming together, but they were increasingly playing online only. The small-stakes joy of twitchy experiences like Street Fighter II and Super Off Road, games meant to be played in short sessions preferably in the same room, weren't feasible anymore. Video games have always been expensive to make, so multiplayer modes had to either come packaged with other content -- consider Halo's famed multiplayer tucked alongside its single-player story -- to flesh them out or be custom built to serve hardcore players meeting up on the internet, a la Team Fortress 2, Valve's modern-day equivalent to the easy-access multiplayer of yore.
Developers Nifflas, KnapNok team up for Affordable Space Adventures
Space travel isn't cheap, but that doesn't mean you need fancy things like radar-based vision or mechanical reliability to have a proper adventure! Affordable Space Adventures, an upcoming collaboration from Knytt Underground creator Nicklas "Nifflas" Nygren and Spin the Bottle developer KnapNok Games, seems keen on proving this. The Wii U eShop venture is planned to launch in the Fall of this year. Players will serve as pilots of Affordable Space Adventure's Small Crafts, navigating their ship through stealth-based puzzles in a dark, cavernous environment by using a lone spotlight. Multiple difficulties will be selectable, and if players are inclined to recruit a co-pilot to help control the ship, they'll be able to do so. In an interview with IndieGames, Nifflas notes that cooperating in local multiplayer requires "both players to be coordinated and agree what to do and how," which is surely easier said than done. When asked about the possibility of Affordable Space Adventure making contact with other platforms, Nifflas stated that using the Vita with the PS4 would be the only on-market possibility that wouldn't require an overhaul of the game's mechanics. No specific porting plans were offered, however. [Image: KnapNok Games]
Play a round of Spin The Bottle's first content update on February 13
Bumpie's parties get a little unconventional, so if you're looking for the same-old small talk and wallflower party scene, you've come to the wrong place. The first content update for Spin The Bottle: Bumpie's Party is scheduled to add six new minigames to the mix on February 13, some of which will use the Wii U Gamepad's camera. Dajana Dimovska, producer at developer KnapNok, described one of the upcoming camera-oriented challenges to Eurogamer: In "Don't Laugh," two players will use the Gamepad, keeping their faces within the camera's viewfinder. The audience will then say and do presumably polite and tasteful things to inspire snickers from the players, leaving the least stoic of the duo as the loser. Once updated, Spin The Bottle's entry price will rise slightly in the eShop store. If you're already in on the party however, you won't have to pay a cover charge for the new content. While the impending price has yet to be set, KnapNok said it will "probably be a 'couple of bucks.'"
