BrainPipe

Rich Carlson. I helped design the game and I created sound effects and most of the music for it.

Making amateur Doom and Quake levels, tweaking paper games, working on big budget games --and meeting co-conspirators, Iikka and Phosphorous, of course.

At home, Kirkland WA, a suburb of Seattle, in early summer of 2008.

Finding a way to reward players for playing farther and farther into the game and give them a sense of progress. We originally desired a very smooth unbroken run through the game, level-less, but we felt progress really did need to be indicated and that some kind of reward would help as well.

Phosphorous suggested collecting trophies, and the way the game speed ramps already suggested levels --up, drop (new level), up a little more, drop (new level), up even more, drop (new level), etc., so that was the basic solution

The way obstacles and trophies are "randomly" placed --and paced...this was always tricky, right up to release. I think we made it given the constraints of how the game works inside but I think it could be better too.

Well, I always think "the next one's going to be better", right? That's the name of the game. Actually, Brainpipe's the name of the game. ; )

Maybe 5 or 6 months working part time.

For the most part, free sound and music software, "found sounds", a couple of synthesizers, ancient versions of Photoshop, a couple of Wacom tablets and good old C.

It's immersive. I know that's an overused sort of word but Brainpipe really does suck you in, and you want to stay there. Art, music and real simple gameplay combine really well to accomplish this. Also, it starts out mellow, which is comfy, and then gets more intense and very fast the farther you go into the game --this has a giddy and very addictive effect.

Other than the fact that Brainpipe is actually an insidious mind control program originating from some distant alien world disguised as a harmless videogame? No. The rest is, and shall remain, a total mystery.

Perhaps more work on the sound engine Iikka developed as an alternative to OpenAL, and possibly a sound and music creation application to go with it.

Also, there are more games we'd like to make with one in particular in the prototype stage. But you never know. I mean, WE never really know. : ) Whatever strikes us as being fun to work on when we get the urge to do it I guess.