May 7th, 2010 - Here be the musics!
It's time for another introduction, it would seem. My name is Eirik, but I'm known to many as "chiptune artist" Phlogiston.
I will be supplying music and sound design for Spelunky XBLA.
You're welcome to check out my website.
I've been working on this score for several months now, and it's been a blast! I'm not going to write a ton about it, at least not at this point, but I wanted to show off a little bit of it, to give you guys an idea of what it'll sound like.
TEASER MP3 - medley of various songs from the game
Basically, I wanted the soundtrack to be a mix of retro-sounding videogame music and more modern-sounding music utilizing actual instruments. I guess I imagined it would sound like a mixture of FM-based music (arcade, SEGA Genesis/Mega Drive, 80's music), sample/tracker based music (Amiga/90's demoscene) and just regular pop/rock (70's/80's/90's). Hopefully you guys can tell me if it came through or not.
More as it progresses!
Discuss this update in the forums...Mar 28th, 2010 - Lighting the Way
Derek wasn't lying in that last post. Things are indeed moving along quite well as we continue to work on the Xbox 360 version. It has been quite exciting to see the project evolve from just a few sprites displaying on the screen to a game that is unmistakably Spelunky.
I guess this is supposed to be my official introduction or something! I'm Andy, the guy helping Derek with Spelunky. As there are only two of us, I'm wearing many hats on the project, but one of my main jobs is as graphics programmer.
I thought it would be kind of neat to give a quick run-down of how the dynamic lighting works in Spelunky. This isn't going to be too technical because 1) I'm not sure how interesting that would actually be; and 2) I'm not sure how accurate I would be explaining the technical aspect. (I mean really, I did spend the last five years as a reclusive wooden toy designer...)
First, the normal maps are rendered to a texture. For those not in the know, the normal map tilts the surface of each pixel so the light will bounce off them at different angles. So the lavender color you see above indicates a flat surface facing the screen, while all the colored edges indicate different tilts at different angles.
If you are wondering why there isn't much detail in Spelunky Man, it's because the graphics card actually generates simple normal maps for all the active entities in the game. This not only saves time (because we don't have to generate normal maps for every frame of animation of all the sprites) but it also ensures that the lighting won't make the surface details of each sprite hard to see. It does allow for a nice rim lighting effect on the sprites, so they still are able to blend nicely into the scene.
Continue reading, dear friend...
Discuss this update in the forums...Mar 8th, 2010 - Spelunky XBLA Screenshots!
We've been working hard over here at Mossmouth Headquarters (a mossy stump fit for two or maybe three!). No slackin'! And we think things are coming along pretty good.
Good enough, in fact, that I'd like to show off some of what we've been doing on Spelunky for Xbox Live Arcade! As you can see, we're spending a lot of time making the game look new and beautiful for XBLA. Mr. Andy Hull is helping me add all kinds of new graphical effects to make the game pop on your t.v. screen. Bombs will send shadows bouncing off of the walls, and if, for example, rubble falls into a small lake, it will send ripples dancing across the water's surface.
Those are just some of things that are making us so excited about this version of Spelunky. We're doing everything we can to make it feel new, and totally made for the Xbox 360... without losing any of the original game's depth. Please let us know what you think about our work, and keep checking back, because now that we're on a roll (like a boulder) I'll be updating the site more often! See ya!
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Dec 25th, 2009 - Version 1.1, Source Code Released!
Happy Holidays, everyone! I said I would release the source code before the end of 2009, didn't I? Not only that, but version 1.1 is out as well. This release has a lot of bug-fixes in it. It also adds some extended stat-tracking. If you've ever wondered how many times you've been killed by arrow traps or how many damsels you've saved, now you can find out - just open up "stats.txt" after exiting the game. Both v1.1 and the source can be downloaded here.
Things are going very well with Xbox 360 development - I'm really enjoying working on this platform and I'm excited about what you guys will think. Unfortunately, that's all I can say about it for now! Rest assured that the new year will bring more news on this front.
In the meantime, enjoy 1.1 and also the source code! I can't wait to see what you guys come up with. Please use the Spelunky Source forums to discuss it!
Discuss this update in the forums...Sep 1st, 2009 - Welcome to Spelunky World!
Hey there! Welcome to the new Spelunky website! Methinks it was about time to move the game to its own digs on the web.
Aside from kicking off the new site, I'm pleased to make some very exciting announcements here today. First off, version 1.0 is finally ready! That's right, the game can finally come out of its "beta" status. This version has a lot of bug fixes and some new surprises, so check it out.
Secondly, and this one's a big one - Spelunky is making its way to Xbox Live Arcade in 2010! Yep, and it's going to be much more than a straight port of the PC game - I'm planning on stuffing it with new graphics, audio, and other features for XBLA users. With all the other great independent games on XBLA or coming to it, I'm hopeful that Spelunky will feel right at home there. I think it's a cool platform and I'm excited about what I'll be able to do to make the game special.
Regarding the inevitable question of whether the XBLA flavor of Spelunky will also be available on PC or any other systems: I don't have any plans for it right now. The original Spelunky doesn't need replacing, in my opinion, and I'll continue to support it as a free title. Not only that, but I'm planning on opening up the source code before the end of the year so that people can modify the game to their heart's content. For now, head over to the Spelunky forums to discuss the game and share levels!
Thanks to everyone who supported the game thus far - I've been overwhelmed by the response and where it's taken the project. As always, please give me your feedback on everything. Stay tuned to this site and my Twitter if you want to be up-to-date. Happy Spelunky-ing!
Discuss this update in the forums...
