Indie Games, Computer Graphics, Animation, Comics, etc.
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Hey all! The Caster t-shirts have arrived! I am very happy with how they turned out and I think you will like them.
In true Caster fashion, they are glow-in-the-dark!
I just finished packaging all of them up with your pencil drawings and I am sending them your way!
All nicely packged up in tyvek envelops.
Thanks for your patience!
Hey all!
We had about 50 orders for Caster t-shirts. Since each shirt ships with an original hand drawn pencil sketch by yours truly, that means I did 50 of those as well.
Today I just finished the last of those and went ahead and scanned them all in and uploaded them for your viewing pleasure here:
http://www.casterthegame.com/caster_sketches/
I’ve submitted the t-shirt order and things are looking good.
It will still be a little while until the shirts are done, but I will let you all know once I’ve mailed them out. Oh, and the shirts have a little something extra to make them true “Caster” shirts…. Any guesses what that might be?
Thanks!
Hey Everyone!
I’m happy to announce that I’m making some Caster t-shirts! (as seen above, white ink on a black shirt see also http://elecorn.com/blog/2010/02/t-shirt-design/).
If you are interested in getting one of these fine limited edition shirts, send an e-mail with your preferred t-shirt size and style and a shipping address to:
*Put “Caster” somewhere in the subject line so that it will pass through any filters and I’ll be sure to get it.
No need to pay now! Once you get your shirt, you can pay for it by clicking on the “Donate” button found here:
The shirts will cost me about $20 to $25 USD each plus shipping and handling but feel free to pay what you like. I’d rather people have t-shirts that want them than not getting one because of price.
In addition, each t-shirt will ship with a unique hand drawn sketch from your’s truely (requests are encouraged)!
I’ll only be taking orders for a week, so be sure to send them in soon.
One more thing!
For this next week I’ve set up a pay-what-you-want* option for Caster similar to what has been done for several other independent video games. If you think Caster is too over or under priced, this gives you the option to pay what you think the game is worth! Spread the word! All the fun fast paced action of Caster at a price that anyone can afford! Just follow the instructions found at the bottom of the page here:
Thanks all! And thanks for supporting Caster!
*Pay-what-you-want only applies to the PC, Mac, and Linux versions of Caster.
Yesterday Caster was released for Mac via Steam!
Caster supports Steam Play which means you’ll be able to play it on Mac or Windows from any computer with just one purchase.
Check it out!
I’ve updated the docs on how to make your own levels for Caster. Along with this I have posted a sample mod that contains descriptions on all the different settings and options when building scenes, actors, behaviors, props, scripts, etc.
Visit http://www.casterthegame.com/mods.html for more details.
We also have a special build of Caster on iPad ready to go. Hopefully in time for the iPad launch.
Caster Episode 2 is now available for PC! (Mac Linux and iPhone updates coming soon).
You can download and install it from here:
It should copy over your existing install of Caster. Your save files should be preserved.
New updates include:
So what are you waiting for! All updates are FREE!
And if still haven’t purchased Caster at its very affordable price of $4.99, you can do that as well!
Thanks everyone!
Brice Morrison from The Game Prodigy has done a writeup on the core experience in Caster.
It’s an interesting read.
Also, I would like to recommend his video on Play Testing. It’s the same process I used with a lot of success on Caster.
Thanks!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Caster Redefines Mobile Gaming with Novel Manga Approach
Apple’s App Store opens whole new channel for publishing games in frequent, chapter-size increments
Duvall, Washington – September 21, 2009 – Independent game developer Elecorn LLC is bringing a brand new style of game delivery to the App Store with Caster, a high speed free roaming fantasy themed third-person shooter. Unlike traditional games that deliver story lines in large sequels or expansion packs, Elecorn is leveraging the power of the App Store to use an incremental publishing style that resembles Japanese manga and anime.
“With the App Store, you can quickly distribute updates and new content to every end user with a few clicks. This allows us to do something new in games. We can make a truly episodic game that unfolds one episode at a time,” says Mike D. Smith, principal of Elecorn and Caster’s key developer. With the debut of Chapter 2, Caster advances its brand new format of episodic releases that expands the gameplay and explores an incredible epic story.
Chapter 2 “The Lydonia Chronicles” was released September 18th 2009 and is a free update to all those who currently own the game. The game normally sells for $2.99, but to celebrate the release of Chapter 2, Elecorn is holding a 33% off sale.
ABOUT CASTER
Caster is an episodic game that presents an intense third-person action shooter experience with pulse pounding music. In the game, the player dashes across scenic locations destroying bug like creatures called the Flanx using six unique attacks that include massive terrain deformation and high speed barrages of energy blasts. All new episodes are released periodically for free.
Caster is available for Windows, Mac, Linux and iPhone at http://www.casterthegame.com
ABOUT ELECORN LLC
Elecorn LLC is a small, independent software development company operated by Michael D. Smith. Caster is the latest in a series of games developed by Elecorn, which is also known for its animation software TweenMaker (www.tweenmaker.com). In addition to leading Elecorn, Smith also serves as a senior programmer for Hidden Path Entertainment.
I’ve been hoping for some time that the iPhone version of Caster would show up on the “New and Noteworthy” list in the AppStore.
That hasn’t happened yet… but it might be because it’s on the “What’s Hot” list instead!
Granted, I’m about 10 pages in for apps in general, but for games I’m on the first page.
So how have sales been on iPhone? Eh. Let’s just say I’m hoping they’ll pick up when I release episode 2.
However, since being featured on a prominent German new site (http://www.golem.de/0905/67071.html), sales for the Linux version have gone up significantly. In fact, they’re starting to rival the PC and Mac sales (outside of Steam).
This was very surprising to me as I assumed that no one would ever pay for anything on Linux. I guess there just may be some hope for games on Linux after all!
Frank Earl has just finished the build and packaging for Caster on Linux! This is particularly interesting as Caster was initially developed under Linux and later ported to Windows, Mac, and iPhone.
You can download it here:
www.casterthegame.com
Have fun penguins!
