I released the SCK alpha test to the world wibe interneb last night. If you were signed up for the mailing list you should have received an invite.

Feedback so far is very positive. A few bugs being reported, but that's to be expected at this early stage.

Mostly it just re-energizes me to hear from real people that they're enjoying the game. I've been constantly afflicted with fears that it won't be good or fresh enough for the masses and that all this work will have been a waste of time. Seriously, it keeps me up at night.

Question for you: What do you think of quests and linear gameplay? I designed SCK to be really flexible (there's a reason for this later on in the game). But a lot of players seem to be confused saying that they don't KNOW what to do or where to go. The game doesn't force you to do anything first, it just lets you explore and find adventures as they come organically... this seems to go counter to what most people expect or want. A lot of players just sit there for a long time next to their home on the world map and grind against the weakest enemies (then complain that too much grinding is required ha ha!).

Is this a case of bad design on my part, or just poor expectations from people that have been trained to have their hand held through an entire game with NPCs and Quests and stuff there telling you exactly what order to play in?

I'm honestly curious about this one.

In other news, I'm really happy about the latest Steam Greenlight news . It sounds like they're going to try to greenlight a lot more games going forward.

Here's the latest Super Chibi Knight Draw Time Episode:

Sean Astin from movies you might recognize such as "The Goonies", "Rudy", "50 First Dates", and "Lord of the Rings" kindly recorded some voice clips for the mini-game I made called #Run3rd.

It's to help raise awareness of Sean's campaign to get people exercising with a dedication in mind. You could dedicate your run to a charity, to a loved one, or a cause you care about. He just wants you to dedicate what you do to something worthwhile!

He's using Twitter as the means for publicizing your dedication using the hashtag #Run3rd. Because Sean's philosophy is to run 1st for yourself, 2nd for your family, and 3rd for a cause.

When you play, you can tweet your digital distance + dedication from the game!

It was fun to work with someone whose movies are a part of my childhood (and current) nostalgia. He was a really down-to-earth guy and helped me overcome my bumbling shy starstruckedness by how easy going he was.

The game is simple, but I hope you enjoy seeing the different levels and hearing Sean's voice!

Play #Run3rd Now! (it has medals!)

I've been continuing to chip away at Super Chibi Knight this last week.

I think there are 2 "Draw Time" episodes that I haven't posted here yet.

Both have gameplay footage at the end. (Watch me draw the boss, then fight it!)

Let me know how you think SCK is shaping up and enjoy the vids!

It was a long drive back from Comic Con, but CC was a lot of fun.

I helped Rog with his booth and showed off the Flexicade arcade cabinet with his Bionic Chainsaw Pogo Gorilla game running inside of it.

People seemed to like the cabinet and we had a video interview about it with a classic gaming site. The people from Stan Lee's Comikaze in L.A. also contacted us afterward and asked us to attend their convention in November to show off our cabinets.

Now I'm back to work on finishing Super Chibi Knight, I have it all planned out, but there's still a lot to actually draw and code, not to mention all the music and sfx. I was inspired by watching people play Bionic Chainsaw Pogo Gorilla so even though the trip to CC was exhausting, it's kind of given me a needed creative burst to keep churning on Super Chibi Knight.

Check out this video of me drawing a mini boss for SCK:

P.S.
I still need lots of YES votes on Steam Greenlight:
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetail s/?id=152710075

I am working full-force on finishing Super Chibi Knight.

We got some good press coverage here:
http://www.joystiq.com/2013/07/01/super-chibi-kn ight-a-2d-adventure-game-from-dad-and-daughter/
http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2013/07/02/fathe r-and-daughter-super-chibi-knight/

My short-term goal is to get a good beta-quality release out there for people who have signed up for beta testing. It's a tough balance between getting feedback early enough to make changes and including enough content that people get a good taste/vision of what the game will be and get excited about the full version.

I don't know if the Steam Greenlight campaign will be successful or not, it tells me I'm 36% of the way to the top 100, which is quite vague. All I know is I still need a lot more "YES" votes. Epic Battle Fantasy 4 has like 800 comments vs. my 260, so I'm guessing it's faring better. No Time To Explain has over 1,300 comments and it got Greenlit.

In good news, I think the challenge of getting game controllers to work with the final AIR app is solved for PC and Mac, and probably Linux.

I'm considering making a build for the OUYA also, though many people have told me that the OUYA is a waste of time because there aren't enough units out there to really generate any $. Do YOU have any thoughts about OUYA?

Some fans have also requested a Kickstarter campaign, what do YOU think of that? I guess I would pre-sell the game on KS and promise backers they'll get Steam codes or codes for wherever it's released. I'm guessing I'll charge $4.99 for the final game, that's what The Binding of Isaac charged. Your thoughts on pricing?

What does this have to do with Newgrounds? Well, NG was my training ground where I first began scratching my itch to make games. I will still make Flash games and post them here, in fact I have a couple laying around I should post soon. NG is a large part of where I learned what makes games fun and what doesn't work. NG has been a great test bed for experimental ideas I've had and has provided brutally honest feedback on those concepts. NG is the place I've met tons of talented people and worked together with them on projects I'm super proud of. NG has helped me find talented people for positions in my real-world jobs. NG is where I began building a fan base. Now I'm trying to fulfill one of my life-long dreams to get a game I've made out for sale on a console/game-pad device for mass consumption.

NG has helped quite a few of its own make the leap (i-smel, edmund mcmillen, brad bourne, Tom/Dan, and others). I'm really grateful to NG for providing a very talented, supportive, and inspiring community and for illuminating a pathway that shows how people with an idea can work toward commercial success in a very competitive industry.

I hope Super Chibi Knight can make the jump. I've got a lot riding on its success.

Check out some of the latest screenshots and some rockin' "box art" from the one and only Jouste below.

Finally, thank YOU for supporting me in making my dreams come true.

HEY YOU GUY-UYS!

If you didn't know yet, I'm working on a PC/MAC/Linux sequel to Chibi Knight called SUPER CHIBI KNIGHT!

I am trying to polish off a demo in the next couple of weeks to send out for beta testing. If you're interested in helping test an early UN-FINISHED pre-release demo of Super Chibi Knight, then go sign up at the top of the page here:

http://superchibiknight.com/

Additionally, I could really use your help on Steam Greenlight: To get this game released on Steam, vote "YES" here:
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetail s/?id=152710075

I am currently 29% of the way to the top 100...

If you didn't know, the original Chibi Knight starred my, then 5 year-old daughter as the voice. Thus it became ultra cute.

She and I have teamed up again (she's now 8) to make a sequel called SUPER Chibi Knight!

As you can tell, the engine is up and running and it's about 1/2 way done, and in this one, you can summon and ride BEASTS!

The game is big enough to hold its own on Steam, so we're trying out Greenlight. I really don't know what I'm doing, but I have a dream of seeing a game I've made released to the masses on some kind of console. While Steam isn't exactly a console, it is super-friendly to independent developers, so I hope we make the cut and can then leverage that to something more console-like... maybe OUYA? :-D

If you're on Steam, please consider giving us a yes vote here, I will give you a high five or a hug next time we meet (your choice):
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetail s/?id=152710075

Here is another video of some more gameplay:

Finally, here's the site: http://www.superchibiknight.com

Wouldn't this make a nice addition to your man-cave?

Also, a hint at the game I was mentioning with someone FAMOUS! Coming soonish...

I'm posting this because it's what I'm working on currently. I will also have a couple mini-games coming out soon-ish.

This is the FlexiCade cabinet at full size and at "broken down for travel" size.

My best bud who's working with me on Flexicade just launched a cool little side Kickstarter to help him produce Aluminum Anodized Settlers of Catan Pieces.

If that sounds like your cup of tea check it out here:
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/44733729/ano dized-aluminum-settlers-of-catan-game-pieces

I have a couple games coming out soonish. One is starring someone semi-famous as the voice actor (just got his voice clips yesterday and my nerd side is freaking out), and one is a mini-game/boss rush game to help promote some friends' Steam Greenlight beatemup.

Stay in touch friend!