I made some improvements to episode 02. The updated version has now passed peer review and now on Xbox Live. This new version includes simpler interface, faster character walking and other minor improvements. The opening scene of the original version was too simple and didn’t seem to capture people’s interest. I’ve added more content to this scene.

If you have already purchased the game, you can get an automatic update just like any other Xbox Live Arcade or Xbox 360 game.  Start the game and it will ask if you want to download the most updated version of that game. For those who don’t have the game yet, it cost only 240 Microsoft Points and you can download a free trial before you buy.

I hope you enjoy the new version.

I have been busy modeling, texture mapping and the overall process of putting together scenes for the next episode of Mind’s Eye Jupiter. I’m almost done creating the graphics, which is the part of the production process that seems to take the longest time. Here are some of the early images of the game.

After exiting the time portal seen at the end of Episode 02, Alice finds herself back in ancient Rome. The screenshot is of the Roman Temple. It was last seen in episode 01 in its ruined form. 

Alice returns to her own time, she must find Tribune. His office is located some where in this futuristic city.

As I start to build the first scenes of episode 03, I wanted talk about how I plan to move forward. I’ve learned a lot since beginning this series. Episode 03 will be the final episode. Here are a few ideas to improve the next episode and update the others.

(1) Tweak the game’s interface. In the current episodes, the player uses the Dpad buttons to move the cursor above the selected item. I’ve gotten mixed feedback on this design. I think I could do better.

(2) Add a run button. In hindsight this might seem like an extra feature that should of been in the games from the start.

(3) Find a way to make the game longer and/or add more value. This one will be tricky. Microsoft has a maximum file size limit of 150 MB and limit of 50 MB for 80 point games. I really wish Microsoft would change these limits. It puts my game and other games on the indie service, in an awkward position. It’s hard to make the game longer when I only have 150 Megabytes of space to work with. ( Episode 02 was 149 MB) I could add more value to the episodes by charging less money. But games over 50 MB can not charge less then 240 points. These file size limits I feel even potentially discourages people from developing more complex games. But that’s a different rant.

 If you have suggestions, I would like to hear them.

Mind’s Eye Jupiter - Episode 02 has passed peer review and is now on Xbox Live Indie Games. You can find out more from the official xbox.com page. I hope you enjoy the latest episode.

I now have an update to Mind’s Eye of Jupiter - Episode 01 as well as the Episode 02 in peer review. I pulled out episode 02 from review a week ago to fix some frame rate issues. I did have to reduce some of the graphics to get the better frame rate. I think I reached a good balance. The Episode 01 update includes additional scenes, graphics and sounds. Now I just have to wait for the games to make through the peer review process.