Author Archives

22
Dec 10

GemCraft Labyrinth Trailer

The time is coming when we all must choose between what is Right and what is Easy!

28
Jun 10

Westwood College 2D Game Competition

This is the last week to vote!

 

Check out all 7 games now!

Click Here

18
Jun 10

Crush the Castle 2 – Just Released

Come play ‘Crush the Castle 2′ on Armorgames. We hope you enjoy the game.

Play Crush the Castle 2

Play Crush the Castle 2

Crush the Castle 2 (@ ArmorGames.com)

18
May 10

Exit Path (Public Beta) – Open NOW!

Exit Path Beta Open Now

Play Now!

Don’t forget to leave feedback about your experience.

5
Jan 10

Crash the Super Bowl – Vote for ‘Casket’

My good friend Kevin Willson directed a video that was submitted to the ‘Doritos’ Crash the Super Bowl contest. The video is now one of the 6 Finalist. The name of his video is ‘Casket’ and its by FAR the best video in the contest. Click through to watch the video and vote for it. You can cast a vote everyday between now and Jan 31st.

Casket

22
Dec 09

Sonny 2 (Awesome Video Review)

Our buddy Mark Carr did an awesome Video Review of Sonny 2.

Click Here for Video Review

Make sure to leave a comment on his blog if you enjoyed it!

6
Nov 09

It’s a bird, It’s a plane, It’s…

Joey Betz



Joey Betz - Living life on the Edge

Dashing and Daring,
Crushing and Fearing,
Faithful and smart,
As He programs along.

Joey Betz
Coding Here and there and Everywhere
His games are beyond Compare,
He is called Joey Betz.

I hope everyone enjoys this interview.

1-  Hi, Could you tell us a little bit about yourself and what you do?

I live in Irvine Ca and I work full time as a game developer for Armor Games

2 – What is your educational background?

I got a Bachelors degree in game development, which sounds kind of cheesy, but it’s the best decision I’ve made.

3 – When did you realize that making Flash games is something you would like to do full-time?

Flash games are extremely fast to produce, and realizing that you can make something amazing within just a few weeks, I got addicted really fast.

4 –  How did you get involved with Armor Games?

Dan was interested in a flash developer that was local, and I happened to be on his radar. After the gladiator battle with the other hopeful developers and the final fight against a Rancor monster, I was lucky enough to come out victorious.

5 – You are relatively new to the Flash game world. Did you expect the immense popularity for many of your games would produce?

No, that’s what so funny about it. I just make games that I would enjoy playing, and find it pretty cool that other people like them too.

6 – What qualities or features do you think added to the success of your games?

Addictiveness. I try and put addictive properties in every game I do, and sometimes it’s really successful.

7 – What is your favorite game you have worked on so far? What do you like most about it?

I’d have to say it’s a toss up between Crush the Castle and Phage Wars. During Crush the Castle John and I got to make a real working trebuchet in the office and launched Ball Revamped balls in the parking lot. With Phage Wars I did a lot of research on cells and got to implement a lot of technical charts in Phage Wars 2.

8 – Do you have any games currently in the works or planned for the future? Is there more destruction coming?

I have a some sequels coming up and quite a few new ideas in the works. Destruction aplenty.

9 –  Where did you get the inspiration to make a game about demolition?

My dad actually came up with the idea for Demolition City. He wanted a game where you could blow up buildings with dynamite, and so DC was made specifically for him.

10 –  When you are taking a break from game development, what are some things you like to do for fun?

I watch movies all the time. I especially enjoy anime movies and I think I’ve seen almost everything Studio Ghibli has produced. I enjoy listening to music quite a bit as well.

11 –  Approximately, how often do you eat at Chipotle?

Twice a week and sometimes more. I’ve kind of brought it into the office as well, with Chipotle Mondays for lunch. It’s an addiction, and I struggle with it everyday.

12 – I hear that You and Daniel McNeely share the same birthday, both have a sister named Jennifer and that you use to live 5 doors apart in Newport Beach and never even knew it. Do you think you two are long lost brothers that were separated at birth?

I think Dan and I are one in the same person. When Dan is happy, I’m happy and when Dan gets sad, I feel upset. It’s really weird.

13 – What words of encouragement would you give to someone who is just starting off in game development?

If you aren’t having fun making a game, then you aren’t making a very fun game.

Thanks for taking the time to answer our questions Joey!

2
Nov 09

Better than the BING jingle

SSB is coming out soon so here’s a catch tune to get everyone excited!
Enjoy~

16
Oct 09

This is the Only Interview

This week on the Armorblog we bring you the excitement and mystery behind the Man known as JMTB02!


Jmtb02


Hi, could you first introduce yourself to those who don’t know you?
Of course, my name is John Cooney, I am Head of Game Development at Armor Games.  I’ve been producing games for the past few years and I’m the author of series such as Ball Revamped, Four Second series, Elephant games, Dark Cut series, etc.

What led to your interest and involvement in Flash game development?
Like any kid I loved video games, but moreso I loved the idea of challenging people.  Flash was accessible when I started thinking about game development so I sunk my teeth into it.  At the time I was actually interested in becoming an animator, I loved making animations in Flash and was thinking about continuing that into a future career.  But dabbling in a few games I realized that I wanted to go that direction instead.

When did you begin working for Armor Games?
I started working for Armor back in 2004-2005 when Armor sponsored Ball Revamped 3. Ball Revamped was my first popular game on the web and that was enough to get sponsorships for sequels.

What were you doing prior to moving to Southern California? Was it difficult to move and begin working far from home?
I was a college student at the University of California, Davis, working on my Bachelor of Arts in Technocultural Studies.  Once I graduated the “what next?” question popped up and it seemed obvious to continue doing game development.  Moving is always difficult, I was moving from Northern California which is 450 miles away.  It was a difficult move because I had to leave my then-girlfriend behind in Davis while she finished up her degree, but we managed to survive the long distance for the next few years and we’re now happily married!

How do you like working for Armor Games? What is your favorite thing about it?
I love working at Armor Games.  Easily the best part of working here is the casual attitude and supportive environment.  We’re not a stiff-backed company full of bureaucracy, we’re a small game company who loves making games and doing interesting things within Flash gaming.  And the snack food is good.


You have created many characters for your games. Which is your favorite?
I’m really in love with my little Blue Elephant.  He’s so much fun to work with and being only a few pixels tall he hits easily into overhead compartments.

Out of all the animals you could have chosen to launch, how did you decide on the Hedgehog?
It was an internet argument, the best form of argument.  In an argument with Kongregate’s Director of Games, Greg supported the idea that Sugar Gliders (little flying creatures) were far superior to Hedgehogs.  His primary argument was that the flying ability of sugar gliders trumped any quality of hedgehog.  So I decided to make a hedgehog fly, and one better, made it a Flash game called Hedgehog Launch.

Which game did you have the most fun working on? What made it such a great project?
Llama Adventure, easily.  It is a text-based adventure and it is goofy and fun.  I love writing and I had the opportunity to write nearly 25-30 pages for this game.  Not the most popular game by any means, but it was incredibly fun to make.

Which of your games would you say has been the most successful so far? What do you think attributed to it’s success?
Success is such a subjective topic, but in my case I would have to say that Achievement Unlocked was my most successful project.  On all levels it was fun to make and even more fun to see people play.  It by no means gained the most hits but I think it stirred the pot much more than my other projects.

Do you have any games in the works or planned for the future?
I am working on I Hate Traffic and Elephant Rave HD.  I Hate Traffic is a smash-em’ up car game in line with I Love Traffic, and Elephant Rave HD is a pet project to get the original up to full-size.

Currently, what is your favorite console game? Favorite Flash game? Favorite board game? When was the last time you played a board game?
Favorite console game is easily Super Mario Bros 2.  See any of my previous rants for that subject.   My favorite Flash game is currently is a toss-up between a few, Desktop Tower Defense, Transmigration, and a few others.  Board game?  I love Settlers of Catan and Scrabble, I played Scrabble just earlier this week!

When you are not developing Flash games, what are some things you like to do for fun?
I love photography and have been doing that for over a year now.  It’s fun to get out and do some hiking and photography together to get exercise and creativity flowing.  I also love running and biking, especially when working towards events.  Otherwise I’m a pretty big gamer and enjoy watching ice hockey as well.

You go by the name Jmtb02. Is that cryptic code or does it have a hidden meaning?
Not really, it stands for John MounTain Bike 2002.   When I was younger I made a screen name in 2002 for my hobby at the time, and it sort of stuck once I started using it as my login on various Flash sites.  I used to keep it secret to keep people guessing.

Throughout your most recent games you’ve hidden random numbers. Are we ever going to find out what those mean?
What hidden numbers ;) ?