Play Expo Blackpool 2024
by Ross Kilgariff - 2024-10-09 - 6:26pm
This year Orc Face Games attended Play Expo Blackpool!
It's our third ever in-person event and we had an absolute blast! The hall was packed full with attendees eager to sample the games and soak in the arcade-like atmosphere.
We were showing two games: HarleQuest! (our current in-development title) and The Storied Sword, a new release we're publishing for the Dreamcast in partnership with Bite The Chili Productions and Raftronaut
Preparing for events like this is something I've done a handful of times before. In the past I've usually shown finished projects, but with Orc Face Games we will sometimes show games that are currently undergoing heavy development, as is the case with HarleQuest!
There is a common trap that small development teams fall into: leaving the build to the last minute, finding bugs on the day and having to resort to running an old build instead. Unfortunately, we've proven to be no exception!
The latest HarleQuest! build had so many improvements: the new pathfinding system, reworked combat, tweaks to the health and stamina balance and procedural generation being enabled when previously the rooms had been predetermined for the demo.
Everything was working just fine until the day before the event. That's when I realised the game would freeze up every couple of rooms for no discernible reason. Luckily, we had an old demo build on hand and The Storied Sword to show off as well, so ultimately it wasn't too bad.
We had the pleasure to meet so many great developers and gamers, including our neighboring devs Devoke Studios with the adorable A Snoot's Adventure and Muhil V demoing his filmic puzzle game Light.
Despite the setback with the build, there's nothing like getting our games in the hands of real players, seeing their reactions and hearing what they have to say. A huge thanks to everyone who stopped by to try our games and talk to us!
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