HugoSmits

HugoSmits

I make Nintendo DS/3DS games!

Comments 290

Re: Mighty No. 9 Studio Comcept Facing Fan Backlash Over Community Manager Appointment

HugoSmits

@neowolf

I have nothing against females, or females in the gaming industry. I do have something against people who never played Mega Man (she openly stated that on twitter) taking over design duties to fuel their own political agenda.

Yes, next to community manager she actually also holds a designer title within the company. And stated on Twitter she is designing characters/robots.

She also stated that the reason she got hired is because she is/was dating somebody within the company. And she has been caught lying to the fans on numerous occasions.

So after years of getting slapped in the face by Capcom (canceling projects,etc) I now feel that this project (which should be a spiritual successor of Mega Man) is getting hijacked by a feminist that openly stated she never played Mega Man noir has a real interest in the franchise.

Re: Tappingo Gameplay Footage and Challenging Puzzles Emerge

HugoSmits

@WiiLovePeace That’s not the most amazing thing! The biggest compliment I ever had in my short career thus far; after painstakingly playing the game for hours and hours on an end to find bugs. One of the QA testers took a devkit home with him for the weekend so he could play the game all Sunday for FUN.

Re: Tappingo Gameplay Footage and Challenging Puzzles Emerge

HugoSmits

@Nintendojuenger You are right, there are many puzzles games out already on 3DS. That’s why I needed such a bold statement It drives the point home. This game is different than all the other puzzle games you already seen on 3DS!

I know Picross was on Gameboy as well. But if you ask a room full of gamers to name a puzzle game for the Gameboy, almost everybody will say Tetris. Picross was much bigger on DS.

Re: Feature: Five Reasons Why The 2DS Will Be The Biggest Selling Handheld This Christmas

HugoSmits

Couldn’t agree more. Really excited about this, especially from a developer point of view.

Right now, a lot of publishers are a bit wary about the 3DS market. The 2DS will most certainly increase the userbase, thus make it more attractive for publishers to invest in it.

So at the end of the day, this hopefully means more cool 3DS games for EVERYONE.

Yes, even people that don’t care about the 2DS and have a 3DS/3DSXL should be happy. Very happy.

Re: Review: Super Mario Bros. (Wii U eShop / NES)

HugoSmits

Personally my favorite version of this game is still Super Mario Deluxe for the GBC. Since I never got a NES from my parents, I always had to play this game at a friend. Finally for xmas 99 I got a GBC with Mario Deluxe!

It seemed to have included the best of later Mario games; like the world map from Mario 3, and my favorite character Yoshi (although not playable).

Re: John Carmack: Doom 3 BFG Edition Would Be Great On Wii U, But There's Not Enough Interest

HugoSmits

I think you guys are a bit harsh towards John Carmack. Please remember John is just a programmer (A very good one) at Id Software. He co-founded the company, but they sold it to Bethesda.

So John has no saying in releasing it for WiiU. He might offer the project to Bethesda, but if their focus/marketing group shoots it down, that's it. he cannot do anything about it!

John has made it pretty clear in interviews over the years the Nintendo consoles are his favorite, and he loves to play on them with his little sons. In fact, it's the only machine he uses these days for gaming!

Re: Candle May Light Up Wii U If It Reaches Its Stretch Goal

HugoSmits

@Jukilum You have to keep in mind that developers are trying to create a toolset and pipeline that will enable them to run one game on multiple platforms.

This means that in many cases this is not the most efficient way of doing graphics on a specific machine, but rather a compromise between performance and usability.

So when you get the ‘WiiU cannot handle this game’ it basically means it cannot handle the inefficient engine/tool pipeline they have developed.

Is the WiiU capable of doing the same graphical/cpu heavy tricks as the 360 or PS3 ? sure, but since the developer’s toolset and pipeline weren’t written with the WiiU hardware in mind, it will require a total rewrite of their engine and tools and possibly the game itself.

From a cost/profit stand point it would be almost like creating a new game.
This is also the reason why most first-party titles look so much better. It’s because those developers could only focus on the hardware at hand, and write a engine/tools optimized completely for that hardware.

Re: Candle May Light Up Wii U If It Reaches Its Stretch Goal

HugoSmits

@ikki5 It’s totally about RAM and CPU.

Not in a way where one is better than the other, but in a way where there is a bare-minimum to be met. First parties talk extensively with developers and publishers to see in which direction they want to take their games the coming generation and build their console around that accordingly.

So it does not matter if Playstation ends up with slightly more RAM than Xbox or vise versa, what matters is that both have enough raw horse power to support the features developers want to put into their games in the coming years/generation.

And in that regard the WiiU is lacking behind. Which results in low third party support.

Re: Candle May Light Up Wii U If It Reaches Its Stretch Goal

HugoSmits

@ikki5 I think they do know the word. Sure the WiiU is the successor of the Wii and thus represents next-generation.

But when we talk from a technological point of view, when we look at RAM and CPU (which is something they consider since they are developers).. it’s fair to say WiiU isn’t next-gen.

Now, before 99% of the NL readers jump on me;

I don’t think it matters. In fact, Nintendo doesn’t want to be next-gen. They chose a completely different approach to making consoles (innovate with controls,etc) And it worked out great not only for Nintendo, but for the complete game industry.

I seriously lost my appetite for gaming, until I finally played a Mario title again on the Wii.

The WiiU might not be next-gen, but since I’m not looking for the next Call of Duty.. I’m okay with that. I just want my video games to be videogames; full of fantasy creativity and fun

I wish all Nintendo fans could stop being bitter about the ‘does WiiU rival PS4/Xbox in tech power?’. Look at all the amazing games, look how awesome and colorful Pikmin 3 looks.

Honestly; every time Nintendo announces a new game, I pretty much feel 8 years old again! I hope this feeling will last forever!

And best of all, because Nintendo uses current-gen technology we get the stuff for much cheaper than a PS4 or Xbox! How is this not a win-win for us ?

Re: Hugo Smits Could Bring Super Beefjerks To 3DS eShop if There's Enough Interest

HugoSmits

@accc I think a lot of the things you state are assumptions, instead of actual facts. We certainly didn’t put less quality in there than we normally do with our Nintendo DS or 3DS products.

For example Danny Flexner’s pixel work for both Goodbye Galaxy Games and WayForward has always been regarded as excellent. That doesn’t suddenly change at the moment we decided to make a flash game!

About the devaluation of the handheld market; it’s up to the developers to create enough compelling content to match the price. And sadly a lot of overpriced crap is currently in the e-shop. I don’t think that has anything to do with what kind of game you make. Any game can be worth it’s money as long as it’s done good

Unfortunately it seems that what I tried to make isn’t compelling to you. That’s the harsh reality, you cannot make a game that everyone likes. But if you look up at the poll, you will see that around 70% would want to buy it if we ever work this out into a full game (at which point content will also be increased).

So I don’t think this type of handheld games are bad or devaluate the market.

Re: Hugo Smits Could Bring Super Beefjerks To 3DS eShop if There's Enough Interest

HugoSmits

@accc Well almost all the same points you mention are in this game as well. You have to make sure not to get trapped between cows and asteroids. You get more points for making combo kills. And different enemy types (that all have their unique of way moving/attacking). Plus later on you get the asteroid waves!

Again, if this is not your cup of tea that’s fine. But going online calling it things like shallow and repetitive and then later on confess you barely played it long enough to find out… is just a little bit silly, don’t you agree?

Re: Hugo Smits Could Bring Super Beefjerks To 3DS eShop if There's Enough Interest

HugoSmits

@Dormouse How is asking it through social media any different than those customer survey leaflets you found in every gamebox back in the 80s and 90s ? companies always look for a market. And it has nothing to do with being rich.

In fact, if I was rich because of my videogames. I wouldn’t ask this, I would probably continue making the same type of games that are selling well

@accc Do you find it any worse than Paper Plane or Pyoro (Birds & Beans) ? because those are two of my favorite games on DSiWare. And although I bought bigger games on there, it’s those little ones I keep coming back for.

Just wondering if you dislike those as well ?

Re: Hugo Smits Could Bring Super Beefjerks To 3DS eShop if There's Enough Interest

HugoSmits

@Goginho First off, the console wars of the best where way bigger than anything seen today (especially between Nintendo and Sega kids). Trust me, I was in the trenches.

Second; This has nothing to do with taking risk. Because every company has to take risk. But just like every company, game studios also like to do marketing research.

Your comment about Nintendo doing well because they make polished games is only partially true.

They also have amazingly famous brands and a great marketing department. Those things do make a difference. Just look at how many amazingly polished games there are, which were unable to sell a decent amount of copies.

Basically what I try to do here is hearing out my fans. If you look over at @cyrus_zuo he’s obviously more looking forward to the traditional Goodbye Galaxy Games for Nintendo 3DS. And that’s cool. But there is also a group out there that kept asking me for games like this.

I don’t need anybodies money. I just want to know how big the interested group is.

Re: Hugo Smits Could Bring Super Beefjerks To 3DS eShop if There's Enough Interest

HugoSmits

@WesFX There will be lots of extra things. You can think of different enemy types (and even boss fights), different stages and characters (custom airplanes with their own features... or how about having some famous indie-characters show their face?).

In gameplay terms I want to add more depth to the powerups. Adding a powerup-tree where instead of getting a fixed powerup the player can actually decided in which way he wants to upgrade the aircraft.

Re: Forthcoming 3DS eShop Title Tappingo Promises Picross-Style Puzzle Action

HugoSmits

@Stuffgamer1 You solve little pixilated puzzles just like in Picross, you progress through the game in the same manner as Picross. But you solve them with a different mechanic.

@ngamer155 Self publishing is a very difficult thing for indies. You need to write/create an e-manual, you need translations, you need to deal with age-ratings,etc. All things that keep me away from actual game design and programming.

Circle takes care of all that. Plus they can get me an advance on royalties so I can pay my artists.

Also if you want to publish your games in Japan, you need an office there. Which I obviously don’t have. And it’s just nice the bounce ideas of them and let them beta-test my games.

Re: Wii U Version Of Ghost Recon Online Still On Hold

HugoSmits

@C-Olimar Yeah, and of course all wiiU players would have the same disadvantages so the playing field is leveled. I just don’t think that I would personally enjoy it as much as the PC version.

As for the PC version; it’s awesome. Best thing about it that the matchmaking only fixes you up with players of around your skill level. This means that all the games are pretty fair, and you never end up against people that just simply emptied their parents bank account for a super-high leveled character that you can’t beat.

Re: Wii U Version Of Ghost Recon Online Still On Hold

HugoSmits

@C-Olimar I don’t think it will work well because it’s a really tactical team based game. Communication and good controls are key to winning a match. For communication you really need a headphone + microphone; because you need to actively talk with your team members to make sure snipers are giving backup on the right spot,etc (most modes are about capturing/defending spots on the map).

Also some classes have the ability to become invisible and they might just stab you in the back, so headphone is almost required to hear them coming.

Because this is a free2play game there are a lot of in depth options that can be upgraded. I play mainly as a sniper class being able to quickly and steady aim is crucial. Obviously this sounds normal for a sniper, but there are many ways to increase your steadiness (there’s a hit/damage percentage meter that will increase depending on how steady your aim is).

I just don’t see this working without a mouse.

Also there are a lot of extra hotkeys that you want to quickly access without letting go of your movement keys/mouse (switching weapon, throwing grenades, use your special abilities).

They can put those keys on the gamepad screen, but then you need to let your hand go from one of the sticks, which will be annoying.

Re: Thomas Was Alone Creator Responds To Nintendo Claiming "Let's Play" Video Revenue

HugoSmits

@DefHalan It’s not illegal to do so at all. If tomorrow something happens to Coca Cola, CNN or any other news station is more than free to discuss Coca Cola in their program. They don’t need a license or anything else from Coca Cola for that.

Same goes for game magazines, websites, etc they are all totally free to report and write about Nintendo. Without a license or consent from Nintendo.

The example you use is off. Disney isn’t trying to be newsworthy or informative. It is also not adding anything to Bowser to claim that it is derivative work.

Re: Thomas Was Alone Creator Responds To Nintendo Claiming "Let's Play" Video Revenue

HugoSmits

@DefHalan Screenshots from a movie made into a comic aren’t really the same, since (except for when used as fan fiction) they don’t really add anything.

I own NSMB2 for the 3DS. I played through a specific level. I know how it looks and plays. Yet I still search for LP for that specific level because I cannot find a star-coin, need better strategy or want to know secrets.

So I’m not searching for random gameplay footage. I’m searching for a specific player with a specific skill level. In that case, the gameplay adds something to the footage.

Much like how I would read a walkthrough or FAQ in the 90s. It’s just easier to show the platform/spot instead of describing it.

In fact, since I already know how the game looks/plays, the actual footage is less important to me than the gameplay added by the creator of the movie!

Re: Thomas Was Alone Creator Responds To Nintendo Claiming "Let's Play" Video Revenue

HugoSmits

@LzQuaker Nintendo doesn’t have to agree to anything in order for NintendoLife or any other medium to write about them. That’s just freedom of speech and such.

Probably that’s why people are upset. In this discussion we talk about mainly LP, but this also counts for reviews and previews (basically anything that features content from Nintendo for a ‘length’ of time).

If journalist and other professionals cannot do their job (because they cannot earn anything) that seriously hurts the freedom of speech.

Re: Thomas Was Alone Creator Responds To Nintendo Claiming "Let's Play" Video Revenue

HugoSmits

@Pixelroy Just because Youtube can legally put something like this in their policy doesn’t automatically make them right (nobody is debuting the fact that Nintendo/Youtube has the right to do this, but rather if it’s a appropriate move on their part to do so).

Also it would be interesting to see how far copyright goes according to derivative work (you could state that the actual gameplay from a LP adds to the experience as well as a voice over and video-editing graphics).

Re: Thomas Was Alone Creator Responds To Nintendo Claiming "Let's Play" Video Revenue

HugoSmits

@LzQuacker LPers are not entitled to any money.. but websites are ? why ?
Also there's a thing called 'derivative work'. I think (especially for the players that earn money with this) we state that their actual gameplay adds something to the expierence (I'm watching their video because they are good, and they enable me to learn how to play the game better).

In fact it would be really interesting to see any claims of copyright vs derivative work on this subject. Since most videos add gameplay, banners/graphics, and voice over. I wonder if you could successfully claim a LP is derivative work rather than copyright infringement.

Re: Thomas Was Alone Creator Responds To Nintendo Claiming "Let's Play" Video Revenue

HugoSmits

@DefHalan they might not remove the videos, but they will disappear. Since the creator is not able to earn anything, he might stop making videos.

I don’t see the problem with people making money with services they provide.

Should Nintendo control and own all money that Nintendolife.com makes off their ads ? Since the website is full with Nintendo IP/content ? I don’t see why we would have a different standard for websites then for web shows that feature Nintendo content.

Re: Review: Color Commando (DSiWare)

HugoSmits

@rayword45 Pretty much the same. The length or visual style where never there because of hardware limitations. I really dig pixel art, although I have some plans for a cool 3D game.

Content wise it’s all up to the market. I would love to make bigger games, but those costs more to develop. I can only make them if enough people are buying games

The puzzle game will have ‘more’ content than usual but that’s mostly because it’s easy to create new puzzles versus a complete new level theme and set of enemies that is normally required for an extra world.

Re: Review: Color Commando (DSiWare)

HugoSmits

woah! thanks for the 8 guys! And the review is maybe the most positive one I have ever received

@Bulby: on the 9th of may Color Commando will enter the European DSiWare shop!

@divinealpha: haha yes, I wasn’t quite ready yet to announce that game.. but the Circle people are quick! It’s a ‘real’ (i.e. no platforming) puzzle game and..... drums ....... it will be my first Nintendo 3DS project!

Re: Goodbye Galaxy Games Reveals More Info on Color Commando

HugoSmits

@rayword45 3DS is extremely difficult. Because all the new features are ones that have a big impact on coding.

When you went from Game Boy Advance to Nintendo DS, all graphics programming (for 2D games) was the same as on GBA expect you needed to set everything up twice (for each screen).

Stylus input took 4 lines of code to added in.

And that where the biggest two things for the Nintendo DS.

For the 3DS, you have to use the 3D video card.. even if you want to make a 2D game with some pop-ups. And that is quite hard. If you do anything even just a little bit different you will see major frame drops.

Other new things are street-pass and better multiplayer. Both of them are
really hard to do right (as in, make something that will pass LOT-check).

Re: Goodbye Galaxy Games Reveals More Info on Color Commando

HugoSmits

@Strongo9 That's the biggest insult to my games ever! My games might not be polished, long, or maybe you even downright dislike them... but they are not mediocre!

Also, a lot of problems could be solved with more money.. unfortunately the market is really bad my games are made on a avarage budget of 3000 bucks (of which I have to pay for myself, art and sound).

@MeWario You should see Flipper on 3DS