Games

Partly, tchow is about games. This section contains a growing number of games (see the links down below); right now I'm going to talk about why my games are the way they are, how I make them, and why.

The Basic Ideas

Games are fun. Games are a challenge to produce because one must envision an entire interactive activity then realize the means of interaction.

I make games for myself, but I like it when -- by happy coincidence -- others enjoy them, too.

Innovation is Everything

There are a lot of time-tested formulae out there for games. I'm not really interested in them. Why spend energy producing something that has already been done before? (For all that, I'm sure that sometimes I'll collide without realizing it; but know that it is never intentional.)

Sketchy Releases

I release many games in sketch form -- just enough there to let you see that it works, without crazy polish, or menu systems, or graphical editors. Really, all that stuff is a lot of drudgery to code up and I have to really be excited about a project to actually do it.

Also there is the matter of cross-OS compiles. I develop on Linux -- which is quite difficult to package properly for. Compiling for Windows is a chore (I have to reboot), but I have it pretty much figured out. MacOS X has been a bit trickier to get into, though now I'm really in love with the concept of bundles and fat binaries. What this means is that I'll compile for whatever OS's are handy whenever I feel like it. Of course, up-to-date compiles for every operating system are far more likely if I'm excited about a game.

Enthusiasm

Since so much seems to hinge on it, it seems only fair to let you know what causes me to become excited about a project. Basically, your feedback. If you play a game and like it, let me know. If you play a game and don't like part of it (a control issue, a layout quirk, an unpolished mechanic)... let me know. Sometimes there are loose ends that are bugging me too, but I'm not exactly sure what to do with them. Your suggestions help.

Bugs

Also, I don't like bugs. If you find one, please let me know.

Copyright

Even though I'm giving you binaries (and/or source) for free, I still own these games. Please don't steal, don't post these files elsewhere, and don't try to sell these things. (Who'd buy them in this form anyway?)