Amanda da do run run

Here's the finished animation for Amanda's run. Next we're going to do some tests with adding some texture and shadows in Photoshop and After Effects.

The okay ship Barnacle

 Some concepts for the Barnacle.The barnacle is an all purpose salvage and cargo vessel, as well as being a home for its captain and crew 

The Galley

A rough staging shot for the first puzzle. We'll use this to test visual elements, lighting, animation, particle stuff. This is the Galley ( kitchen, keep up landlubbers) of the Barnacle where Otto is hiding. But Olaf the ships cook is hard at work and hates being disturbed. Gotta distract him somehow.

Promotional Poster

Here we have a promotional double-sided poster by Eoghan, using the final character designs. We're pretty chuffed at how it turned out! The characters were drawn in Flash and then painted in Photoshop.

Shipantics - A brief history.

Hello and thanks for checking out the Shipantics blog, where you'll hopefully get to see all the development work and concept art that goes into making a project like this, and some of the awesome work Stephen and I will be putting together in the near future. Looking back over all the work I've done over the years, its hard to know where to start with it all.

ShipAntics!

The project came to life about 5 years ago, all based on a quick drawing I did of a huge ship packed with random characters, each with their own little room to hide out in. I'd read (don't remember much writing) Richard Scarry's books and loved the little worlds he'd created, bustling with characters and vehicles. I was also obsessed with those Osborne Puzzle Adventure books, where you played the role of various heroes, and progressed through the book by solving various puzzles and finding clues. And being  a little bit in awe of Herge's mad Captain Haddock, I reckon what better way to combine all these elements than in a classic adventure game ( think Sam and Max Hit the Road, Day of the Tentacle) set on the high seas.

Adventure! 

Adventure games are experiencing a considerable resurgence in popularity these days, with new technology bringing puzzle games back to the mainstream, and as a genre we've always loved, we hope to bring something new to the table. Hopefully we can use this blog to share all the early designs and concepts that rarely see the light of day, but are often the most interesting parts of the process. 

Thanks , and I hope you enjoy your visit!

Bye! 

Concepts

Wave Riders

Some concepts for the game -  On top, a chase sequence involving the many perils faced at sea. Here the crew are chased by a Gulper fish towards a European Sailor Whale - is he friend or foe?

The day-to-day chores on board the Barnacle. 1: Catch Otto, he nevers wants to do any work.
2: Load the precious cargo of dried coconut husks 3: Feed them to Diesel, the ships friendly engine - dont get too close, he breathes fire. Repeat.

Turnaround, brighteyes!

This is an old turnaround for Amanda, with a much simpler, graphic look. Dig the stripey socks.

Feeling Plush?

Ah Bless! An old Otto plushie. Skillfully rendered by Mark Flood's mum. Great Job! And joining him, the famous Captain Fred, captured here with his favourite pokeball, courtesy of the talented Niamh Brennan.

Subs

Some concept designs of the S.P.U.D, (subaquatic-propelled-underwater-diving wotsit) that the crew of the Barnacle use to explore beneath the waves. It's powered by pedaling really fast, and is about as maneuverable as a stone. It also leaks from when Otto crashed it into a large clam.

SPOILER ALERT. This is an extract from an early version of the puzzle document for the first episode "The Mystery of the Werecod" (working title) We've fleshed out and reworked some of the puzzles since this but it gives a good idea of what we want the game to be like.

Here's a rough pass of Amanda running. I'll post the finished run soon.

Here's some concepts for the new Otto. He's gone through a lot of redesigns but I think we're nearly at a design we're happy with!