Utah Indie Night – May 2014

Posted by Rampant Coyote on May 30, 2014

This month’s Utah Indie Night was held in room 404 in the CS building at Utah Valley University. In spite of it’s number, most attendees were able to find the room okay. Josh Sutphin of Third-Helix gave the formal presentation, and it was awesome. It was all about how to become a full-time indie game developer. In […]

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Terra Mechanica “Virtual” Launch Party – There will be … SWAG!

Posted by Rampant Coyote on May 29, 2014

So this is something kinda different for me. Something I might take advantage of as an indie game developer in the future… Little indie book publishers deal with the same problems as indie game developers & indie game publishers. Events are important, but they can’t afford big New York City launches where they invite the […]

Filed Under: Books, Deals - Comments: Read the First Comment

Indie Gaming – It’s the End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)

Posted by Rampant Coyote on May 28, 2014

I’ve talked about it. Multiple times. For years. Jeff Vogel has talked about it. And not for the first time, either. Robert Fearon answered Vogel saying, “there is no bubble.” Megan Fox of Glass Bottom Games has weighed in. Gareth Fouche – ready to release his first commercial indie game System Crash – has laid bare his […]

Filed Under: Biz, Indie Evangelism - Comments: 3 Comments to Read

Indies, E-Books, and an Anthology Deal

Posted by Rampant Coyote on May 27, 2014

Xchyler Publishing (pronounced “Skyler,” although they often just call themselves “The X“), is running a sale this week in honor of hitting 1700 likes on their Facebook page. And also in honor (or so I want to think) of the release of Terra Mechanica: A Steampunk Anthology, which contains my short story “Dots, Dashes, and […]

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Quick Take: Block Story

Posted by Rampant Coyote on May 26, 2014

I get dumped on some deserted shore out in the middle of nowhere. Apparently I’m not alone… there’s some viking dude wandering around here too. Cool. That’s different. My first task – my quest – is to… gather wood. Then I am to take the wood that I gathered from the trees, and I am […]

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Research – Going Down the Rabbit Hole

Posted by Rampant Coyote on May 23, 2014

Today’s post is actually on another site – in this case, Xchyler Publishing. I’m a guest poster there today… Author Spotlight – Jay Barnson: Researching the Story, or Down the Rabbit Hole This is another article that could have been written about game design as easily as story development. And for me, it’s often one […]

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The Rampant Coyote Gets Interviewed – At a Writing Blog!

Posted by Rampant Coyote on May 22, 2014

Yes, you are gonna hear more from me on the authorial front, especially over the next couple of weeks. There’s a new emphasis on the word “Tales” here at “Tales of the Rampant Coyote.” Today, I have an interview posted at the J. Aurel Guay Archive. While it’s focused on writing, I do talk a […]

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Roguelike Why? Why Like Rogue?

Posted by Rampant Coyote on May 21, 2014

It’s kind of weird to imagine that roguelikes have become such a popular genre lately. I’ve grown up with them being a niche for the geeks’ geek. I guess I should have known better. Long before I met her, my wife was a fan of the original Rogue. She’s not much of a gamer. But now her […]

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RPG Design: Random Starts, and Playing Weaknesses

Posted by Rampant Coyote on May 20, 2014

3D6. For those unfamiliar with dice-and-paper gaming, that means rolling three standard 6-sided dice, and adding their values together. Back in the old days of D&D, that was how your character was created. 3D6 created ability scores, from a range of 3-18, with 10 being defined as “average.” In the most hardcore tradition, you rolled […]

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What Is Steampunk (to me)?

Posted by Rampant Coyote on May 19, 2014

I do not have a “steampunk” game in development right now (but I do have a few ideas I’d love to explore in the future). My short story, “Dots, Dashes, and Deceit” is being released in the anthology Terra Mechanica: A Steampunk Anthology in two weeks. I love the subgenre, and I thought I’d try […]

Filed Under: Books, Design - Comments: 5 Comments to Read

Rocksmith 2014 – The Sixth Month Report

Posted by Rampant Coyote on May 16, 2014

The nature of a game like Rocksmith 2014 is such that you can’t get a good evaluation based on just a couple of weeks of play, like most review schedules. To really learn whether or not it does what it claims, it’s after the shiny newness has worn off, and it’s become old news. The […]

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Indies, Evangelism, Tour Guides, and the Chatuchak Market

Posted by Rampant Coyote on May 15, 2014

I was a cheerleader for the glut. Back when indie games – as a whole – needed the attention because the mainstream titles were hogging the spotlight, I called myself an “indie evangelist.” I was a cheerleader for the indie revolution, in my own small way. We, the indies, were going to break the shackles of […]

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Early Access Done Right?

Posted by Rampant Coyote on May 14, 2014

Brad Wardell of Stardock Entertainment has some experience with “Early Access” games… and some real success stories. After some of the discouragement and bad examples going on last recently, I’m glad he’s chimed in about what – in his view – Early Access should and should not be. 5 Things about Early Access You Should […]

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Fantasy Films to Fund, if Favored…

Posted by Rampant Coyote on May 13, 2014

Necromancers, Dragons, and Godzilla, oh my! Once again I violate my rule about posting Kickstarter campaigns here…  Well, okay, it’s more of a guideline than a rule. An intention, maybe. A fuzzy goal? Well, whatever, my usual warnings apply… they may not ever deliver on their promise, participate at your own risk, etc. In this […]

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Terra Mechanica – Coming Soon!

Posted by Rampant Coyote on May 12, 2014

Well, folks, it’s not Frayed Knights 2, but one of my latest projects is getting released in a few days – Terra Mechanica: A Steampunk Anthology I was kinda surprised how many long hours went into a short story. I thought it would be a lot easier working with a publisher to handle all the […]

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The Revolution – And Unreal Tournament – Will Be Televised

Posted by Rampant Coyote on May 9, 2014

I gotta hand it to Epic – even when they go “small,” they go big. First it was with totally re-pricing the new Unreal Engine so that it was affordable to small indies. And now, they are making the development of their next game in their flagship series, Unreal Tournament, as completely open as they […]

Filed Under: Biz, Game Development, Mainstream Games - Comments: Read the First Comment



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