Developer Commentary: Escape Humanity
The legendary studio breaks its 16-year silence
In 2008, at the age of 12, I launched my first video game: Escape Humanity.
You all know the story from that point: an unexpected smash hit; my studio, a rising star; seven consecutive record-breaking direct sequels; a collaboration with Axl Rose; retirement. CoffeeStained Studios1 has taken over the industry beyond my wildest dreams.
You’ve heard that story. But what about the before times? What was it like to be part of that studio in the final hours of development?
Alpha 1.0.2.5
As you well know, a trademark dispute between myself and Axl resulted in the finished game being banned for sale and all remaining copies forcibly destroyed. No video exists of the shipped, production-ready, AAA blockbuster game.
But we can’t tell this story without showing the game. We scoured the archives — day and night and then day again can you fucking believe it — to find what we’re about to show you. Alpha 1.0.2.5, people. Long rumored to exist; long sought after; long unfound. The god-alpha, gamers call it.
I present to you… the opening minutes of Alpha 1.0.2.5.
Shit.
We’ll get that sorted in a few minutes.
Developer Commentary
It’s hard to express how obsessed with physics-based games I was at the time I made this game. Something about playing around with a simulation of the real world in a video game just lit my brain up. I am still waiting for someone — ANYONE — to actually use this unbe-fucking-lievably cool shit in a real video game.
So of course I made a physics game.
This was actually a lot easier than I expected: I was using GameMaker at the time, and all I had to do was download a Box2D plugin, rig it up in my game, and boom: I had physics!
I hacked together a screen where I could spawn boxes in with my mouse and spent a long time playing around in that before I decided I needed to figure out how to make a game out of this. A puzzle game, maybe?
Let’s see how I did:
Honestly, I like it.
The writing, while obviously bad, actually made me smile a few times. I like this kid, man. It’s kind of clever! I’m surprised a 12 year-old wrote this!
Most of the individual elements of this game are very much not good. It lasts for less than 5 minutes2, the graphics are shit3, there’s a single music track, the “puzzles” are more annoying than hard, and no gameplay element is ever explored to any depth.
But it’s kind of fuckin’ sick too, right?
I made this! I made a real game! I was 12! I created a core concept, prototyped it, iterated on it, came up with new mechanics to introduce, wrote a setting and dialogue and a hook, made graphics, found audio, designed levels, and packaged it all together into a game that people can play.
I found beta testers and created a forum4 to communicate with them. I incorporated their feedback into my design process. I did this through multiple releases of the game.
And then I released it (in the state you see above) and people played it and gave me feedback.
The Reviews
The game was entirely ignored by critics in what’s considered one of the greatest gaming journalism blunders of all time, but true gamers made their opinions known:
These are all 100% real reviews written by actual people who downloaded my game from one of the various websites I posted it to.
Hm this is pretty good, 4.5/6 If I could rate it, add some co-op5
- tastyhamgames
Competition entrants who rate other competing games get disqualified.
I suggest you stop doing it.
- Nailog
I played the alpha, and I liked it, it's a fun and original game. Also the diaglogues were quite funny!
- Aptennap
haha
- madmaker123
I downloaded the game. It then ask me for a password!!
I don't have a password. I have no clue why I should need a password.
If I download PUZZLE SOFTWARE, I want PUZZLE SOFTWARE....Period!The software/game should just be about solving a puzzle.
I'm obviously missing something because madmaker123 gave your software the highest rating possible. Madmaker123 thought that your software was absolutely perfect and couldn't be any better.
I couldn't even get your software to run.- MindLady
The Dev Blog
I kept a development blog for the game. All the gaming greats — Valve — had development blogs. I needed one!
Here is every single post, presented without comment:
Level editor?!
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
My thoughts are this: Too many games ship a finished product, and just leave it.So, why not have a feature-full level editor?
It'll have three parts: The level editor, the dialogue creator, and the cutscene manager.
I'll go into depth later.0 Comments
Escape Humanity--updated!
Friday, September 5, 2008
Version A1.0.2.5 is out!
(need the password...it's on the beta tester forum.)0 Comments
Dialogue editor
Friday, September 26, 2008
So, I want to talk about the dialogue editor that (MAY) be made.(Only may. So hah.)
Anyways, it'll have a timeline that you can drag around to a specific point. There'll be these drag-n-drop items, like "say(ghost)" or "end(ghost)"
It exports to a yourlevel.dia file, and the yourlevel must match up with the name of your level for the level editor, and the cutscene editor.0 Comments
The Minigame
Thought I’d leave without explaining what that “Minigame” button is?
It’s a versus mode!
Perfectly balanced.
Download It
If you’d like to play for yourself, you can! Good luck getting it running on your machine. I will not help you.
Not to be confused with Coffee Stain Studios, launched 2 years after my studio, and who make SHITTY games.
What footnote did you expect to find here?
I think I made the sprite for the ghost, which is… surprising. The ghost is actually kind of good. I couldn’t make that today.
Which I can no longer find, unfortunately.
To which I responded, “There is co-op. You are co-operating with a man to get outta there.”