the Official Hero Interactive Blog

Well folks, Bubble Tanks 3 is well under way and in full blown development and has been for a bit now.  It’s not just announced, we are actually working on it and making progress every day.  We’ve been getting a TON of “When is BT3 coming out?!” comments; so before you ask- let me tell you that we don’t have a release date yet.  So sit tight.

As we are going through the game and working on it, a lot of details are coming together so I can start sharing with you all a little bit about the game and some of the features.  Here are just a few of the things you have to look forward to:

• Classic gameplay in the style of Bubble Tanks 2- It’s blue again, we’ll start there.  Also, you’ll be able to move freely from Bubblefield to Bubblefield as before and exploration will be a big part again.  Bubblefields will finally come in different sizes.  And again, if you’re looking for a harder game you can race outwards, those looking for an easier relaxing experience can spiral around the start point.

• The improved Tank Editor and system- We’ve taken a lot of feedback from BTA and are keeping it in mind moving forward with BT3.  Bubble Points will be out and replaced with a new Complexity Meter (think Spore).  Larger classed tanks will have more Gun Points available for trashing enemies.  A lot more will be considered when determining tank size too, 4 small bubbles spread out to the corners will still remain a Class 1 rather than 6 as it was in BTA.  Enemy tanks also now degrade and shrink as you hit them.
• PARTS-  Lots of ‘em.  BTA had no new weapons.  BT3 will have so many new parts it will make your face melt. Not only that, but it will have new part types!
• Interface Parts- Some parts won’t be weapons at all, some will give you other advantages.  For example, a type of scanner part may show little arrows around the edge of the screen pointing to enemies.  Better parts will give you more information about enemies.
• Behavior Parts- Units with computer controlled AI can now be equipped with Behavior Parts!  Rather than just having enemies wander around randomly, new behavior parts can be equipped to direct them.  An Aggressive part will cause an enemy to get up in your face while a Cautious part will have the enemy try to keep it’s distance from you.  Other behaviors such as Healer will allow enemies to aid each other.
• Allies- Yes, you’ll finally be able to get some allies in your battle against all.  Allies will come in all shapes and sizes from the Fighter Swarm in BT2 to some really heavy guys that break off your main tank.

That’s not even the best of the features!  Stay tuned to the blog as we reveal much more on the upcoming Bubble Tanks 3!

       

Work has really been progressing on Roaming Fortress and as promised, we plan on revealing a lot more about the project as it develops.  One of the coolest parts of the game is the art and the variety of really neat creatures and units- it’s something we definitely want to start showing off.

Cue the Roaming Fortress cards!  Each week we will be revealing/featuring a new unit/enemy/whatever from the game as part of a collectible card!  As we move along, all of our blog visitors will get to see some cool art and learn a lot of inside information about the world of Roaming Fortress.  Our first in the series is the Burden Drake:

       

For this bi-weekly poll, we’re hoping to get some feedback on our Friday comics. So we’ve put up two polls on the matter. Let us know what you think!

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Wow, this week went by fast, and it’s time for another comic! This week, Jared uses a complex yet concise method to explain his latest game concept.

       

BTTD 1.5 is now available on Kongregate and Newgrounds! It’s also available to anyone else that would like to host it. For info on hosting it, check out our Release Packages page!

       

Today we’ve decided to introduce you to another character in the Mary Reed Chronicles. Stella! We don’t want to give too much of her back story away, but let’s just say she’s Mary’s ally. But only in the alternate ending! Meaning you’ll have to collect all the letter drops to see her.  She’s pretty hardcore in her own right, too. You’ll see what we mean, but trust me, she’s awesome!

Here she is, in all her steampunk glory:

       

As promised, today I’ll be sharing a bit more about my internship here. The last entry was about the last arc of the development process, so today I’ll talk about the process of getting started. It’s not as easy as you think, but it is one of the more fun parts of the development. For me, at least.

Planning   It’s important to have a pretty solid idea of what the game will be like before you start coding. Sure, you will need to change some features, but you should still have a clear idea of the game going in. You need to set up the code with most of your features in mind, otherwise adding features could mean rewriting a bunch of code. You’ll also want to have a good idea of how you’ll set up the code, which means knowing what variables and functions you need, and what classes they’ll need to be in.

Time  Depending on your situation, this might not be an issue. If you’re in it for fun, you’ve all the time you want. If you’re trying to make a profit, either as a freelance developer or as part of a company, time is very much an issue. It doesn’t matter how great your idea is if you can’t afford to finish it.

Skill  This also affects your time constraints, so it’s important to go in with realistic expectations of yourself. Get some practice on smaller projects before attempting something huge.

Is it fun?  When brainstorming a game it’s easy to get caught up in the thought of trying to be innovative and unique.  But the game should be fun too. Always try to make a unique game, but remember the players come for the fun.

       

Iiiiit’s FRIDAY! This week, we invite Eric to lunch and he politely declines.

Also, these comics now have their own category within the blog!

       

I know the Bubble Tanks 3 post has gotten a lot of item suggestions on it. So, give us your best ones! We’re looking to have a LOT of items in BT3 and we’d like to hear what you guys want.

Comments on this post are ONLY for BT3 ideas! Off-topic comments will be deleted! This’ll make it a lot easier for us to go through and just look at your ideas. Thanks for understanding.

       

 Another Friday, another comic! This week, Jared finds a way to rest while still being an ever watchful boss.

       

Bubble Tanks is one of our most widespread and popular series. So which one’s your favorite?

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As promised, I’ll be sharing some of what I learned here. Today focuses mostly on the play testing/ wrap up phase.

Always Almost Done  I was surprised how long games can be in the “almost done” or polishing phase. You can add a couple features, do some tweaking, and of course, squishing the dreaded bugs.

Playtest, playtest, playtest!  It’s not just for noticing bugs. Feedback from someone who hasn’t been watching the game throughout the development process is very valuable. For one thing, you get to see how someone who doesn’t know all the little tricks and techniques of the game will react. Things that could have been apparent to the designers are not always apparent to the player.

 Knowing When to Listen  Player feedback is valuable, but you can’t please everyone. Sometimes playtesters won’t be in your main target demographic, and sometimes they might not realize what your vision for the game is. On the other hand, something you meant as a challenge might just be too frustrating for most players.

More in later entries.