Peak Worms, Popularity and Parties, Oh My!

Both earth and flesh hang heavy on its breath,
A howling toothy maw and knell of death.

- Dr. Roth



The New Xbox Experience launched, and with it, Weapon of Choice. It has been very exciting to say the least. Every morning, I wake up, turn on the computer and check to see where we rank in regards to popularity. (They like us, they really, really like us!) And before we go to bed, we check the Microsoft Forums. (You too can leave your comments there.)

For those of you making out your holiday wish list for Santa or Bubbie, there is a new arrival at our store. If you dig WoC's art syle, tell your loved ones about the Weapon of Choice Alien Annual Wall Calendar. You get 12 months of the hideous space creatures you love to obliterate. And as an added bonus, the delirious Dr. Roth has included Latin classifications and poetry for each one. Based on forum feedback, we have talked with WoC's music composer, Hamdija Ajanovic about producing a WoC soundtrack.

Our Atlanta launch events were great! Friday night at Waba games resulted in a speed round, played on the 200 inch screen with the music cranked up. (We never imaged that our 3 year old nieces would love the game too.) Computer Arena had a great set-up and a large crowd. It was great to have Blake Edwards, from Project Owlboy dev team, join us at both events. When I heard Bobby Blackwolf from AllGames Radio was disappointed he could not make it, I knew I had to contact him. Bobby interviewed Nathan on his 11/30 podcast. Check out the pictures from both events.

Extreme Gratitude

I struggled last night to create a post regarding the Weapon of Choice launch. I knew what I wanted to convey, but my thoughts were all over the place. I decided to sleep on it and finish it this morning. Well, this morning, I decided to google "Community Games" and "Weapon of Choice." What I found were numerous sites with Community Games forums. I could not stop reading. I was overwhelmed by what I read.

November 19th was a day we look at with excitement and fright; Weapon of Choice would be out there for the world to play, judge, criticize, critique, and hopefully enjoy. It is a little hard to admit, but Nathan and I felt, and still feel, a little naked, exposed and vulnerable. However everything thing we have read online lets us know that the past year was not for naught.

To all the fans who downloaded and purchased the game,
...took a $5 chance to buy the game without downloading it first,
...told their friends (real and virtual) that the game was fun,
...send us an email about your positive WoC experience,
...interviewed us, posted on a forum, commented to a blog, or shouted to the sky...

Mommy's Best Games says,

AND - join us at our events in Atlanta tonight and tomorrow. We are delighted to announce that Blake Edwards, from the Project Owlboy dev team will be joining us.

(Nathan will resume posting soon. Right now, he is busy working on the next game concept art and some holiday goodies for fans of the WoC art style & monsters. Check our Cafe Press store in about a couple weeks.

Shipped--Let's party!

We did it. Weapon of Choice is IN the Community Games Catalog. We're set and ready to go for November 19th launch. Thanks to all for your continued support, encouragement, and for spreading the good word about Weapon of Choice. (Oh, and thanks, in advance, for buying the game! wink, wink.) Also, we decided out price would be 400 points ($5)-- a veritable STEAL!!! If you think we should have charged $10, maybe you should but two copies of the game?

Inspired by the Isabelle's in Tucson who are hold The New Xbox Experience Launch House Party, we decided to do the same thing... except we are now in Atlanta where we do not have a house NOR do we have gaming friends in this area. So, calling upon the powers of the internet, we located 2 console gaming centers to hold our events. Friday, November 21st, we will be at Waba Games in Duluth, GA from 7-9 PM and Saturday, November 22nd, we will be at the Computer Arena in Roswell, GA from 3-5 PM. Attendees can:

* Meet the Developers *
* Play the full version of Weapon of Choice will be FREE *
* Check out other brand new 360 Community Games *
* Learn more about XNA and how to make games for Xbox Community Games *
* Take home free giveaways! *

There are admission fees into the console gaming centers. Admission is reduced by $5 at Waba during the event. These will be exciting and fun nights. Tell your Atlanta gaming friends to come join us.

Also, we have a new trailer. So, pinch your uvula and cross your toes.

Help Peer Review Weapon of Choice!

I'd like to get Weapon of Choice ready for the Community Games Launch but I need your help!

The game has to pass peer review before it can enter the catalog. If you are a Creators Club premium member, you can review the game now! The sooner you can review it the better. It helps us know the process is complete and ensures we are ready for Day One of the launch. Thanks to all who can help!

If you're not a member, consider getting involved. It's easy, plus, in addition to Weapon of Choice you get to check out oodles of other crazy games before they hit the market.

Down to the Wire

So although it is 42 degrees outside, things are heating up inside. The game is up on Creator’s Club catalog in the Playtest category. In the meantime, Nathan furiously continues to work on the last minute things, like what happens when memory cards get swapped out during gameplay and setting up the trial version of the game, with up-sell screen and all.

The great news is, so far no crashes or bad bugs.

If you are on Creators Club, we encourage you to play-test Weapon of Choice and give your feedback. If not, you too shall have your chance to obliterate hideous aliens; Weapon of Choice will be ready for purchase on 11/19.

After a couple days of testing with no crashes, we anticipate getting the game in for Peer Review. (Again, Creators Club members, please Peer Review us)

This is THE week- and as they love to say here, in the wide-open-parts of Indiana...

Gamespot interview

Great exciting press news!
Gamespot just posted an interview with Nathan at the Community Games Launch Party. The trailer shows gameplay features such as Death Brushing. Plus, there is a good amount of time dedicated to the Teat Walker. Check out the video, send it on to your friends, and leave a nice comment on Gamespot...

Contest Results and Launch Party

Hello, Amy here. As the marketing and business side of Mommy’s Best Games, I decided to write this week's entry. Plus, as we shoot for the November 19th launch of Community Games, Nathan has his hands and head full of many other important tasks. As you have read in prior devlog entries, we entered Weapon of Choice into Microsoft’s XNA Dream Build Play 2008 international competition. We were very excited to learn that we earned THIRD PLACE!!!! We are the top American team. Check out the other winners; they all look great and are fun. It is definitely worth your time to check out.

We were also invited by Microsoft’s XNA Team to attend the Xbox LIVE Community Games and XNA Game Studio 3.0 Launch Event in San Francisco on October 29th. What an event! Also in attendance were the Word Soup and Colosseum teams. The room was set up with more than 15 high-def flat screen TVs with ready-to-play Dream Build Play and other XNA games. The press came, and we were ready. Although it was tough in one week to pull off schwag, we rocked it! Through Ebay, I ordered 50 1GB flash drives to create digital press kits. Although we would have desired to have our logo imprinted, it would have taken too long to print, ship and save data before the event. Instead, I created a sticker that had the WoC logo and Mommy’s Best website. The digital press kit included a welcome letter, two game trailers, three tracks of original music composed for WoC, screenshots and concept art, Mommy’s Best and WoC logos, unique gameplay features document, pertinent websites, and a partridge in a pear tree. We also ordered flexible flyers with the WoC title screen imprinted on it, in black, which were tossed around the party by the end of the night. Again, the lesson learned was, 4-color imprint is what is desired; it is expensive, especially when you have a rush order on it. We also provided the community and press with our promotional game cards, game card magnets, and business cards. The trick to getting all of this together so fast really relied upon 3 day shipping straight to the hotel instead of trying to get it here first, then take it with us to the hotel.

Nathan and I were very excited to talk with journalists from Gamasutra, MTV, WIRED, Gamespot, IGN, Joystiq, and Destructoid. Heck- we even have a piece in the New York Times. The press we have already received has been phenomenal.

However, we will still not abandon our original marketing plan: 1) get on as many blogs and websites as possible, 2) get friends and fans to deliver game cards to local game stores, college bulletin boards and any place that gamers frequent. Although, Microsoft's hospitality sure did help boost Weapon of Choice's marketing plan.

So, as high as we feel, onward we go, to finish Mommy's Best Weapon of Choice by November 19th.