from the Smash Attack Team
To Be Discussed #48 - Nintendo Direct Feb 2022
from the production team
To Be Discussed #47 - Pokemon Legends: Arceus
from the production team
To Be Discussed #46 - Welcome 2022 Out Now
from the productions team
ShapeVS Wishlist is Out!
from the ShapeVS Team
It’s here! The time has come! The wishlist is here now! After so long, we are one step closer to launch with ShapeVS hitting the Steam store. Thank you to everyone who has supported us this far, we are working to get the game out into early access and then from their build upon the game.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1575750/ShapeVS/
Thank you again!
Website Update
from the Smash Attack team
It’s been a long time coming but here it finally is, the updated website, or as we like to call it… the recolour. We have brought it more in line with ShapeVS, our first big release which you can learn more about here. Taking inspiration from old operating systems, dystopian themes and multiplayer mayhem, ShapeVS is making its mark on us.
But it has affected parts of the site, moving forward expect more cross content notices, especially for the podcast, but also streams and other content. We are going to be working on a lot of new things around ShapeVS, Down Tilt and the productions team so stay tuned.
For now enjoy the changes and if you see anything you are interested in, hit us up via our contact us page!
Dev Streams!
from the ShapeVS team
Some of you have asked so here it is! ShapeVS dev streams are coming to Twitch! Live with the team starting next weekend.
Come join us for some insight on the ins and outs of ShapeVS and maybe even learn a bit about what we do (or help out those struggling, mainly Dean). It ain’t going to be anything fancy but if you have been interested in ShapeVS at all check us out at the link here: https://www.twitch.tv/smashattackaus
Look forward to seeing you in the chat!
August Studio Update
from the Smash Attack Team
Hey everyone! It’s been a while so we thought we might do a quick studio update to fill everyone on what’s been going on. From COVID to Down Tilt and everything in between it has been an interesting couple of months to say the least.
As always we will breaking it all down between the Game Dev team, Down Tilt crew and Productions squad so feel free to have a browse and we look forward to talking soon!
“Shape Rush looking a bit different”
First of let’s cover Down Tilt.
It’s been a good couple of months for Down Tilt, from new signings to highest tournament player counts and more it’s been really good to see constant growth across the scene. Not only this but we have seen such a big step in the local talent. So here is the dot points:
DT | Jai2go joins on to help out more with the graphical side of things (and representing the name). We welcome their input in helping the brand develop a high sense of professionalism.
Highway Havoc has moved to fortnightly and it’s having a constantly rotating selection of games. It’s been great to see people try new things and we look forward to see what games come across later.
Formal planning of two large events has begun! One larger event focusing on multiple games and one dedicated around Smash.
We are looking at a rebrand! Yes, it’s been a while and with the changes in who we are, what we do and just overall feeling that it’s been a long time, we are currently looking at what this will mean (and most importantly, how it will look) so stay tuned for that.
And that’s the short of it really, we have really enjoyed the growth coming from Down Tilt and the community and look forward to a strong end of the year.
“One of the best seasons and PR’s we have ever had!”
Next up, Productions…
38 episodes down and many more to come! It’s been great to see the podcast finally get it’s rhythm down and previously, we discussed updating gear and bringing on the right team for the content we want to make to expand what the team does.
So firstly, Max has officially joined the To Be Discussed team as the permanent third member joining Addi and Dean in sharing terrible opinions on anything everything.
Secondly, the other programs we decided last time have finally been greenlighted and we look forward to begin development on the other shows. The biggest issue for us was scheduling and planning what we want to look at.
Rotations was a bit easier as there are always games to play but Fireside Fanfiction and Play Session need a bit more such as planning show length and the such. We look forward to hearing feedback on what you all think about the shows and help us craft something we know you can enjoy!
And last but not least Game Dev time!
It’s been a weird couple of months and this is where COVID has affected the team the most. As most of you are aware, Smash Attack and ShapeVS was accepted to PAX to showcase alongside other Tasmanian studios.
As excited as we were for this, it was heart-breaking to hear that PAX Aus 2021 had to be canned. We know it’s the right decision but what it has done is unfortunately put us in to plan B and rethink what we want to achieve before the end of the year.
So let’s cover what’s been going on…
“We have simplified the UI (again) and moving to make things more structured as a whole”
ShapeVS
We have looked at what we want to do for rest of the year, we are looking at hitting certain milestones that will allow us to deliver the quality we want out of the game.
This means we have started looking at the scale of the game and pulling somethings back and stretching others to see what makes the game capture those “moments”.
All the games have been finalised and now we are going in doing UI revamps, gameplay changes and most importantly audio!
Aaron has finished up one of his projects and has been able to jump head in to creating an audio experience that we know players will love.
A few more members have joined the team to help out and we look forward to the work they will bring.
Gun/Mode
Ben has been meeting with the studio leads and pitched his new revamped idea for Gun/Mode.
With a huge influx of shooters we decided to go back a bit (as stated previously in our last dev blog) and look at what we need to do to get this game up and running.
We know people are keen to play it and check it out and we thank you for your patience.
Mobile
Shape Mini Vol. 1
As ShapeVS is an ever changing machine so is Shape Mini. Hopefully with the design phase of ShapeVS being finalised and set in stone we can look forward to development on Shape Mini.
Target Touch Collection
Target Touch is currently in final design prep. We have looked over what people liked about the last couple of games and what we need to do to make sure it fulfils its role as not only a game but a learning tool for those with barriers and of a young age.
Two Paddlez
Two Paddlez has finished play testing and is moving towards release, we are currently aiming for a late 2021 or early 2022 release pending ShapeVS development.
Thank you for taking the time to read what’s been going on at the studio, stay tuned to our socials for more updates!
Cheers!
To Be Discussed #34 - Now Live
from the production team
Episode 34 of the Smash Attack Podcast, To Be Discussed, is now live on Soundcloud and iTunes podcast, look forward to some “engaging” conversation about this year’s E3 from Dean, Addison and Max.
Studio Update - April 2021
from the admin team
Hi everyone, it’s that time again! Hope those reading are having a happy holiday break be it school holidays, Easter or whatever floats your boat. As always we are going to breakdown by Game Dev, Productions, Down Tilt and General. But today we are going to mix things up and start with some recently announced Down Tilt news.
Down Tilt Update:
Just this week we released an update of some changes coming to events, we will quickly go over them below but for a full break down check the link here.
Starting in April, Monthlies will be having the prize entry increased to promote a more competitive event and to separate it from the weeklies. This will affect both Smash Ultimate and Tekken 7.
Other games will be free to enter as long as covered by venue fee which will be staying the same.
Due to the delay in Guilty Gear Strive we will be continuing to focus on the following games as our side events:
Power Rangers Battle for the Grid
DragonBall FighterZ
Street Fighter III: Third Strike
We look forward to monitoring the growth of Down Tilt and the fighting game community here in Tasmania. Don’t forget to check us out on Twitch and Twitter to be kept up to date on events and any more events.
Game Dev Update:
It’s been a wild couple of months since the last studio update for all our projects, so as always let’s go through them one by one:
ShapeVS
ShapeVS has made some big waves recently thanks to a grant from Screen Tasmania which has allowed us to focus on some bigger aspects of the game.
Since the last update 10 of the 12 games have their core mechanics in and running as well as some extra features, we are then going through one by one to see what needs to be done to get them launch ready.
The demo released to bigger than expected numbers as well as a larger positive reception then we anticipated. Lots of feedback both good and constructive which has allowed us to streamline some decisions.
Gun/Mode
Following our last update, Ben has begun jumping back into the swing of things and looking at possible changes from things the team has learnt whilst making ShapeVS.
Main focuses include streamlining of systems, changes to core gameplay and overall game feel.
Mobile
Shape Mini Vol. 1
As we make changes to ShapeVS we have implemented them slowly into Shape Mini. The current focus is still to have the game out before the middle of the year but as ShapeVS change we have to adapt with Shape Mini as well.
Target Touch Collection
Target Touch is going through pre-production at the moment. We are finalising all the games we want to have as part of the collection and have been doing research through NDIS groups and child care centres to see what can be done to make this tool as effective as possible.
Two Paddlez
Our most unique mobile game currently coming along. Two Paddlez is getting final playtests later this month to see how the team is happy with it. Updates should be coming through dev log soon.
Other projects
Lawson’s Shadow is slowly moving, as mentioned before it’s on the back-burner as we look at what we can do.
We have tested a few other things, we like to do a lot of R’n’D here at Smash Attack so look out for some demos of mechanics and other things through our socials or Twitch page.
And that about covers it all for now, some new dev logs are coming, we are looking at making video ones still and getting the gear to record all that. Thank you for your continued support, up next is productions.
Productions Update:
Productions is back, we just released episode 28 on YouTube last week for our Monster Hunter movie review at time of writing episode 29 is being recorded. We are making some changes to SoundCloud and other podcast hosting systems but hopefully they will come back online soon.
We are also looking at getting the right gear for other members to get them back on board and creating content, somethings to look forward releasing soon are:
Rotations
That’s right, the fighting game show from Max is returning and we shall be seeing it’s first new episode out later this month.
Fireside Fanfiction
Wanna listen to Grady read terrible fanfictions for 45 minutes, well do we have the show for you. Get keen for some absolutely terrible content from us as we react to some purely amazing fanfiction.
Play Session
Addison returns with Temp to go over one off play sessions of games both old a new, look forward to this show launching around the middle of the year.
And that’s about it, lot’s to look forward for from the production team, hopefully Oli will be able to return to streaming and it will be all hands on deck once again!
Thanks for taking the time out of your busy Easter’s to have a read about what has been going on at the studio and we look forward to sharing more soon, get ready for a ShapeVS dev log due out this week (fingers crossed).
Studio Update - Nov 2020
from the team
We can’t believe 2020 is finally nearing an end, from fires to viruses, it’s been one crazy wild ride for everyone worldwide. But from adversity we have seen great things and hell, even some of those have managed to come over to Smash Attack. As always we will start these things by breaking them down between the many sides of Smash Attack:
Up first, the Game Dev team! If anything positive has come from all of this it’s the refocusing of the teams and their projects, so here is a quick rundown:
ShapeVS
ShapeVS has come a long way this year, as it now stands six of the 12 launch games are up and running and have been in the public eye. We recently had a meet that had a total of 13 people come and played the new games, feedback was really good and we have also received some fantastic ideas to take back to the development team. In other news we are also finally working on a trailer so look forward to that and more updates soon.
Gun/Mode
For those unaware the game lead for Gun/Mode, Ben, welcomed his second child in to the world at the beginning of the year. This paired with COVID has made development on Gun/Mode come to a slow pace, this is also due to how we want to rework the PAX 2019 feedback in to what the game is. I know many people are still eager to get their hands on it but rest assured, big things are planned for 2021.
Mobile
Our mobile team has been slowly chipping away at three upcoming titles, they are: Shape Mini Vol. 1, Target Touch Collection and Two Paddlez. We are hoping to launch all three with in the first half of 2021, SMV1, is currently set for an early 2021. But as you know with game development, anything can change but we look forward to updating you all soon!
Lawson’s Shadow
We recently had a production meeting about Lawson’s Shadow and finally taken on all the concepts and ideas we have previously discussed and worked them in. As it stands we have finally (I mean it this time) nailed down what we want from the game. We are looking at concepting it out and letting people play soon, so far only internally has it been played/seen.
“Shape Blast made it’s debut and it was great to watch people get involved and get excited about the new games”
We are eager to keep working on so many exciting projects and it’s been great getting them in to the hands of so many people. A fair few have been able to experience ShapeVS and Gun/Mode but only a couple have looked over Lawson’s Shadow.
Hopefully in 2021 all the games will be in the public in some way that we can get them into people’s hands to get feedback as well as see the joy of people experiencing our games!
Next up we have the production team, as of now some of you may have noticed that content has slowed down a lot in regards to what we are doing, this down mainly to one thing, family. Oliver, Temp and Addison have all has significant changes in their recent lives which has stopped regular recording of the podcast. But we hear people asking for it and can confirm we are going to move to an online variant to help with all the distance.
In 2021 expect the podcast to be monthly and return of shows like Rotations as we move to restructure. We understand we have done this a few times in the past but the hardest thing about content creation is getting said time to create. As much as we want too until we are doing this fulltime its the fun balance of family, fulltime work and lining up schedules.
“Hopefully this will return sooner rather than later”
Lastly we have the Down Tilt team!
Now that events have gone back to normal (essentially) Down Tilt continues to track well, recently we picked up a new player, Trucks, who has become our third player to join the roster. Right now we are moving towards more consistent events which you can learn more about in the link below.
Link: https://smashattackaus.com/down-tilt/2020/10/9/changes-to-our-events
Thank you for taking the time to read all this and we look forward to more updates in December!
ShapeVS First Article!
from the development team
Already! We are very fortunate to have been covered recently by the Tasmanian Times, a local independent digital publisher, on ShapeVS. PR Manager Grady and Game Director Temp talked with Tasmanian Times about all things ShapeVS and a bit about the industry. Details to the full article here.
Old Games and New Games - Mobile
from the development team
A while ago we announced that we were changing our approach to mobile games, over the past year it has been very much focused around building the brand and the team’s knowledge base. From how to make and design games to launching them on other platform back-end systems. Two Paddles is the first in the new line of games we are working on, a more focused and complete effort using what the team has learned.
Due to this new approach we are announcing that as of the 6th of September, we will be taking down a few of our games. The games affected are:
dotMatch
dotMatch features a lot of unnecessary back-end work that needs to be fixed, after going through the project we realised there was a lot we wanted to fix. dotMatch will be getting an all new revamped version later down the line.
Shape Move/Rush/Fly
This one is pretty self explanatory, with the announcement of ShapeVS and Shape Mini, these games are being rolled into one new title that will showcase the new rules and mechanics that will be featured in ShapeVS.
Target Touch Memory/Pop
Over the course of the Target Touch series the team finally landed on what they wanted to design for it and after expanding the team to include some much needed UI work for the series. Target Touch, like other projects, is being re-evaluated for a new audience.
QUAD!
This one is more sad than anything else: QUAD, the game that started it all, has just become outdated. The original programmer left the studio to pursue other avenues and for a long time it has been our most popular game. We are sad to see it go but who knows, we may be able to bring it back somehow.
Galactic Run
GR was a cross promotional game with Tassie Fighter Con and due to COVID-19 and the restrictions in place, we were unable to have this game reach the height we wanted. We are looking back at what we can do with the game and working with the TFC team to see how we can work together again.
As we continue to move forward we will keep evaluating our mobile game section. It is a fundamental part of the business and one many fans have come to enjoy. We look forward to sharing more about what to expect from the mobile team later this month.
ICYMI: ShapeVS Announcement
from the development team
On Sunday the 23rd of August we announced our latest game, ShapeVS, an all new couch multiplayer take on the “Shape Series” of mobile games from our development team. We announced to a huge swell of positive support from the gaming community, friends, and family.
So what is ShapeVS? Well you could click here for information or have a small summary!
ShapeVS is a competitive couch multiplayer game that pits friends and family against each other in games from the Shape Series by Smash Attack.
It has been amazing being able to showcase the game to the community over the past couple of weeks and moving forward we will be updating the website and our socials on what to expect from the game so make sure you stay tuned.
ShapeVS is the collective legacy of Smash Attack from our beginnings to where we are now. Pulling from multiple aspects of our history such as the lessons we’ve learned from shows, announcing games, and what we have made. We want to thank everyone who has supported us and we thank you for the continued support. More updates on ShapeVS coming soon!
Game Three Announcement Date is Set!
from the dev team
It’s finally time! We can announce when we will be revealing to the masses game three from the studio, though technically game one under the name but who cares! As announced on the latest episode of Two Be Discussed with Oli and Temp, the official date is…
We look forward to sharing more details about the title, we have already had some community events where it has been played and we are eager to show you more. Watch out through the week as small changes to our socials will highlight what has been going on and what the project may be!
Two Devs Play... Ailuri
from the productions team
Thanks to the team at Vivink Studios, who allowed us to play their demo for Ailuri! Check out the video here and make sure to use the links in the description to follow them and see how the development of Ailuri is going.
Productions Team Expansion
From the Productions Team
Hi All! Productions team here (Addison, Oliver, and Temp) coming at you with some big updates on the content to expect as we move forward. For those who have been supporting us from when we started our “low quality” podcast we thank you and to those just joining, we welcome you.
Starting this week we will be bringing you three nights of content as well as our fortnightly podcast, the schedule will go as follows:
Mondays: Games Time with Oli, catch Oliver streaming a variety of different games such as DOTA, EVE, Path of Exile, and more. Oli streams from 8:30 pm AEST till late.
Tuesday’s: You can catch the Down Tilt team broadcasting Tuesday Night Fights, click on the Down Tilt link at the banner to learn more.
Wednesdays: Catch Oli once again streaming different games at the same time. Mediocre gameplay included in this package deal.
Thursday’s: All the action from Roadside Rumble, our weekly Smash Tournament in which the North Tas’ best talent goes head to head.
Friday’s: Check out Temp and Oliver stream and talk about various games, giving their dev opinions all whilst having a good time hanging out.
On weekends catch extra events such as community days, North Tas Smash Monthlies, and more. Again we thank everyone for backing and supporting us and look forward to our new community content adventures.
Night Leap and FAQ's
by Temp
Happy Saturday all! Today’s update is going to be about the launch of Night Leap and answering some questions I have received in regards to what’s going on here at Smash Attack Studios. Firstly, as you might notice, we finally got clearance for our URL and have made all those changes!
It’s so nice to finally see that; it’s been so long since we put in the application for it. But now let’s dive into the good stuff. Up first is Night Leap, which has just launched on iOS and Google Play Store.
“Click here to download today“
Night Leap is the latest game from the mobile team in which the player must leap from building to building and get as far as they can. It’s available now and we would love for you to download it and tell us what you think. We have already received many kind words and thank those who have played it.
Now on to some FAQ’s (frequently asked questions), these are some questions we have received via Facebook, Twitter, and even Discord.
Why do you guys make mobile games?
A lot of the time the mobile games come about for two reasons, firstly the team is working on a mechanic or wanting to learn how to do something and has made a prototype project of it. From there as the gameplay is complete we work on the UI and organise to ship it.
The other reason is purely business, we need money to operate and the revenue the games accrue help us work on the larger projects and invest in local artists and developers.
We also like these types of games and want to deconstruct them and play them to learn how to get better.
What is happening with GunMode?
GunMode is in development but due to the nature of the team (having jobs, families, and such) development isn’t full time. We are constantly adding and improving what was there and implementing changes from feedback.
We have shared updates to the UI and some videos of reworked mechanics such as the armour but for now, it’s still in heavy development just taking time. We hope to announce more constant updates soon.
Where is Lawson’s Shadow?
As mentioned before Lawson’s Shadow went back to the drawing board after the scale got really blown out of proportion. We scaled the project back and have been working on some system refinements.
We will hopefully have more to share towards the end of the year!
Are you doing anything with Hookpoint?
Hookpoint was down as a prototype for an experiment which from there we looked into a mechanic (similar to mobile games) and was like what can we do with this. As of now, there is no focus on making a game of it as previously mentioned before, we had an update planned but a conversation was brought about which has led to something really cool.
So the hookshot mechanic is being added to Lawson’s Shadow as a tool that can be used. We look forward to showcasing more of this mechanic in that game in the future and who knows we may look back at Hookpoint at some time.
What else can we expect to see?
As of now have a fair few unnamed projects in the works, some have been teased, some have been shown to certain people but overall they are coming.
The teams are working around the clock on various projects from mobile to PC/Console and even some experimental out of the norm stuff.
Hopefully that was able to showcase a bit of what we are working on, I know we can’t say much but there are some projects in the works to keep an eye out on.
Now for a quick update from the production team:
We have launched a new series on YouTube with two episodes so far, "Two Devs Play…” is a series in which Chris and Oliver play through some games and just talk and share their thoughts on various subjects. Right now they are taking on Doom Eternal and you can watch it by clicking here!
Thank you for taking the time to read about whats going on, check out a dev blog coming soon going over a few things on the games side more in-depth and with what’s going on make sure to stay safe and look out for each other!
February 2020 Update
by Temp
Hi all, can you believe its already the end of February? The year is in full swing and we thought we could update you on what’s going on at the studio. This update will be broken into Studio, Game Dev, Down Tilt, and Productions. So feel free to skip ahead to the parts that interest you the most!
So firstly the Studio, for those who come to our weekly events and the like you may already know, but if you didn’t… we have an office! We were fortunate enough to secure an amazing space that we will be utilizing for more projects. It’s being updated and some small renovations are due to start over the course of the next few months. As for other studio changes we are in the final steps of the full rollover from Salty Studios to Smash Attack (this website URL might finally get changed) so stay tuned for that.
Now on to the fun stuff, the Game Dev side of things!
Starting with Gun/Mode, we are sticking very heavily to our goals in regard to getting the game into hands as soon as possible. As of today, we are doing heavy refactoring and working to see what can be done and I must say the team has done a great job. From mechanic reworks to simple things like menu clean up, GunMode is shaping up to be something we are really proud of.
“Something a bit cleaner for the menus and more engaging”
Lawson’s Shadow has finally reached a point where we are happy with its progress; this has been a game that has been in the longest spotlight and for a while, we weren’t happy with how its story and structure worked. After some long discussions “LS” has finally gone back into an early development stage and we are eager to see where it goes.
At the beginning of the month, we released HookPoint on Itch and we were blown away by the feedback, so firstly thank you for all those who played it and gave feedback and suggestions. As of now, the team is working on where they want to take the game, and a new update is due soon which will open a new game mode to trial for players.
Now lastly, Mobile Dev, this has been crazy, from the support for all the “Shape” series of games and our kids series. We just want to give a quick update here:
Shape Fly launched but only on Android devices due to iOS restrictions.
Two games are due to launch in March.
A new kids series game is set for April as well as a new mobile title.
Thank you for the continued support of all our upcoming and released games.
“A little space arcade game for on the go!”
Now for Down Tilt, with the move to the new office we have seen a great growth in the scene and have even opened up to extra events. We now run Tuesday Night Fights and Roadside Rumble every Tuesday and Thursday as well as continue our great partnership with South Tas Smash in our monthly meet up ranking events.
“Amazing graphics by Jai Phillips (Cap Supreme)”
With TFCV around the corner, the wrap of Season Four and Season Five due to start we are excited to see the growth to come from Down Tilt.
Now lastly, Productions, as you have seen we started a trial series known as Rotations, with the first two episodes being well received we have decided to record more and will be moving forward with this format. The main delay on the production side of things has been the current office renovations but we hope to have more content coming out soon for you to enjoy.
And that about wraps it up, a small TL:DR for those who didn’t want to read:
We got an office! And are finalising the brand change, meaning the website will finally change!
GunMode on progress route for release this year.
Lawson’s Shadow finally back in development after taking time to reflect on game’s future.
HookPoint reception was great, new update soon.
4 new mobile games over the next few months.
Season 5 of North Tas Smash to begin, great growth in the community.
TFCV is soon and we are sponsoring.
We have officially ordered and scheduled more episodes of Rotations.
More production content to come after office renos.