An atmospheric game with emotive animations, visual story telling and sword duels.
There’s a secret room in Ato where you have to go to the game files to setup a Twitch Arena config. It connects to your twitch chat IRC and then viewers can type in commands to do things like summon enemies and so on. It’s more of a novelty than anything but is still neat regardless, you can see footage of a test run of it here.
(At the 1:35:00 mark)
If you guessed I was going to write about Ato you’re WRONG, bye.
-Brandon
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
I think right now since it has been a week since launch I’ve still had to grasp my own thoughts lately, especially since what I worked on for a while is finally out there and is pretty much at the mercy of other’s opinions. It’s kind of hard for me to digest the thoughts that have been going on in my head.
I think people want to know stuff that is relevant with Ato and perhaps the future. I feel I need to slow it down with the patching and wait to accumulate a bunch of fixes instead of frantically stressing out over one fix, spending an hour to fix and upload a build, only to get another issue a few minutes after. There’s definitely some issues that I frankly can’t figure out the solution to because of how varied Windows computers are and all the potential issues that are outside of Game Maker 2’s control. It’s hard because if someone likes the game and runs into really bad issues that corrupt their save data, I feel pretty bad about it, especially when I can’t seem to find a solution with GM2.
It’s been weird because I’ve spend so many years making flops and now this game happens, which is good news (though the success is frankly pretty small), but also kind of has made me contemplative.
I’m sure people want to know what my plans are, I think reading this interview is a good place to look if you’re curious: https://scousegamer88.com/2020/05/10/qa-with-brandon-song/?fbclid=IwAR1s0Bmx15NLWsnsxDH-H3f2–d7oFW5waOv1CyRnN7C-99A7mM6S-ueOl4
I don’t know what else to say at the moment, it’s kind of hard to not stress out with patching frantically but I’m definitely relieved to hear some people really like the game, especially when I was worried it wasn’t going to be that great. I know and understand the risk of having to spend money to buy a game with very few reviews and coverage on it.
I feel that if I were to make another game it probably won’t click with the people that love Ato. But who knows I could be wrong, there are aspects of Ato that I like (such as the combat and movement) and concepts that I feel were well done. It’s just that if I did something different, it would probably won’t be liked as much because a certain element of it is not quite like Ato.
It’s been fun seeing the discoveries players have had and I’ve enjoyed keeping my mouth shut and letting the players discuss tech and speed-running.
I’ll probably eventually go back to write on old coding tests and abandoned games, but feel it would be relevant to speak my mind given what has happened since last week.
I kind of just want to play video games. So that’s been nice.
Thanks for reading,
-Brandon
Ato is a game that started as a short experiment, but overtime grew organically into what you see now. I didn’t have a clear goal at first and there was a lot of difficulty and change that occurred as it developed. When I first started to make games, while I had a degree of understanding gameplay design, I still struggled to understand how to tell stories and bring out an emotional reaction from the player. In some ways, if you were to play all of my games, you’d slowly start to see the attempts and discoveries that were made. Ato was a process of discovery while also exercising all the knowledge I’ve obtained. To it’s core, Ato is a story of family and the father that you play as is driven to protect his no matter the cost.
I hope you check out Ato, it had a whole new range of challenges that I had to deal with when it came to finishing it (technically, mentally, maybe even physically). I can only hope that you enjoy what you get to experience in the game and that it’s worth your time/money.
Buy the game here:
steam
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1096180/Ato/
itchio
https://wolfwoot.itch.io/ato
Thank you for reading,
-Brandon
Currently handling indiegogo rewards. I feel a bit anxious, but at least the game build is stable.
I feel like I don’t have much else to say other than just hoping for the best. Which I know is what a lot of the other hundreds of developers are saying to themselves as they release their games on the same day.
Still look forward to seeing what happens.
-Brandon
2 More weeks until Ato is released, I’ll eventually continue the old coding tests series, but lately I feel it’s best to stay relevant with the game.
Right now, I’ve been testing the game myself for the higher difficulties, which are not just damage and health increases, but are also designed to slightly tweak level layouts/puzzles, and some boss attacks are modified (attack may start sooner, shorter parry window, more projectiles, more reach, etc.).
Steam Achievements will be featured in the game, there’s 80 or so, I do have some difficulty dependent ones, (though for the hardest difficulty one, I probably will only require the player to beat the first couple bosses). Actually I’m testing that particular difficulty myself just to make sure it’s not absolutely impossible, it definitely is fun for me and can get really stressful/tense compared to the lower difficulties (having knowledge of bosses and attack cancels is an obvious must). I just hope all in all that people are pleased with these adjustments to the new difficulties
I think this is the first of the few times I’ve tried having more unlocks in a game even if they’re cosmetic. It definitely is getting me intrigued if I were to explore unlocks more in the future (though honestly I’m one guy and if I had to focus on anything it would be to just make the base game as good as possible instead of getting caught up with adding all sorts of features)
I feel fairly content with Ato, which is rare because usually there’s a lot of regret when I’ve made games. If I really were to have any regret it probably would be that I underestimated how much the project would have grown, though frankly I think it benefited the game and I feel comfortable with the amount of content that is in Ato.
I’m definitely concerned about how the game is even going to get picked up by others (since I hardly have much of a following).
While the reception of Ato compared to other games out there is nothing, I’m still genuinely appreciative and humbled that there are people that discovered the game outside of my own efforts. Because the reality is that there’s only so much I can do to try and email/market others to tell them about the game. I just want to say that I’m thankful that there are people out there that have written articles on the game and have enjoyed the beta.
I can only hope that my work pays off, but all I can care about right now is making sure the full game works properly and gets out there.
Thanks for reading,
-Brandon
p.s. Here’s some free Wallpaper images.
You can download higher resolution versions from the Press Kit Here
Hey guys Brandon here, I’m happy to announce that Ato is going to be officially released next month!
Be sure to wish list the game on Steam and/or follow the game at itch.io
What can be expected in this release version?
Indiegogo backers can be expected to be emailed their steamkeys and other rewards based on their pledges.
But enough of that, to celebrate the announcement date, if you own a windows computer, you can take part in creating your own color palettes for the main character in the game (which are unlocked upon beating the game).
Check out the video below to learn more on how you can take part:
Right Click this image and click save as to download the .png image.
download Palette Generator (https://pixelatedpope.itch.io/retro-palette-swapper)
download base image
(if you can’t view the video)
Hit New (next to ‘BASE’) to make a new palette strip
DONE
(Can send max of 3 to me cheers!)
tinywarriordev (at) gmail (dot) com
or the discord https://discordapp.com/invite/MHS7Vqj
Thanks for reading!
-Brandon
Ato Beta seems to be going well, I’ve been busy getting art assets together for publishing the game to steam and itch as well as fixing bugs. Feeling anxious/nervous about release, probably will release the game within these coming months. Stay tuned.
-Brandon
Ato Beta is here!
Google Drive Download Link (windows PC executable): https://drive.google.com/open?id=1CoWuPOdkcVFvNf45oiHf4cgP-_IOBqFq
Itch.io: https://wolfwoot.itch.io/ato
Feel free to record your gameplay or stream it and let me know so I can watch! (archives too)
If you run into bugs or want to give feedback you can join the discord:
https://discordapp.com/invite/MHS7Vqj
or email me at:
TinyWarriorDev (at) gmail (dot) com
(…and hopefully the feedback involves bug fixes and balance tweaks instead of complete overhauls for entire sections of the game ^^;;;)
I can’t really guarantee how this game will be received. But I can say that it certainly is playable from start to finish.
Enjoy and let me know what you think.
-Brandon
p.s. Also, Frog Hop and Nameless are now free to play on windows this week, claim them here (and don’t forget to follow me there too!): https://itch.io/s/29153/quarantine-pwyw
F.A.Q.
The game is running slowly
Try going to settings>Graphics>Grass Performance and setting it to minimal or none.
Otherwise, this game is best played on a PC with a good processor and graphics card.
Is there controller support/rebinding?
Yes, however if you own a controller that does not work, it’s possible that you’ll have to use a third party program to get it to work.
What are the difficulty differences?
Assist – damage you take is drastically reduced, intended for people who barely play games and just want to enjoy the art.
Accessible – damage is partially reduced, you sort of play games. I would describe this as around metroid game difficulty.
Experienced – expect to die several/alot times per boss, you are familiar with hardcore games like Dark souls, Sekiro, Hollow Knight etc.
Can I record/stream this game?
Yes feel free! And let me know so I can watch the stream/video/archive.
What languages are supported?
The localization is only for the menus, currently there is English, Japanese, German, Russian and Norwegian.
If you want to freely help contribute to a translation (you will be added to the credits), you can email me regarding that.
How can I stay tuned?
Discord: https://discordapp.com/invite/MHS7Vqj
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/atovideogame
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TinyWarriorDev
https://twitter.com/Atovideogame
HI all, Brandon here, Ato is pretty close to reaching beta, I just have to play-through the game myself several times just to get rid of any major bugs.
The music is all pretty much exported and coded in, same with the sound effects. It was…tedious to code 250+ sound effects and 50+ music tracks.
There’s a minor feature I wanted to share called “runes” where you can only equip one. Each one has a special effect, which can affect an aspect of your playstyle.
The menus are pretty much done. I still have to code in the different difficulties (The “Experienced” difficulty is targeted to be the demo difficulty).
I’m hoping on March I’ll be able to update you guys more regarding beta release. Stay tuned!
TLDR:
-menus done
-file system
-music coded in
-sounds coded in (though some are probably still needed)
-rune system fairly functional
-bug fixes
-Brandon
Hi all, Brandon here.
With the help of my friend, Mike, he was able to help me code the map system into Ato. I’ll keep it short and say that it was not easy to add, especially with the current logic of the game’s save system and room design (and even Game maker’s fickle ways of handling data). After tediously coding in each line to carefully add every single room into the map, I can at least say that the feature works and hopefully will help you enjoy Ato a bit more.
Menu work is still coming along, still a bit fickle. Menus are also pretty tedious having to put in entries for things and adjusting stuff constantly. (and to be honest I’m not really that skilled at advanced coding for flexible UI menus/systems)
Some assistance has been given as well for translation work for the menus in the game, I don’t think it was entirely necessary but I think it will be nice to have regardless.
Work on sound effects is being worked on, sound design is actually pretty easy to get into. It’s definitely a very playful and experimental role when it comes to creating sounds and ambiance. The biggest challenge is just trying to nail the right feeling of a sound and having its timing fit well with whatever it is you’re making.
Music is coming along nicely, a good number of the songs are done and just need to be implemented. Unlike the demo, I’ve been cranking away at making the music a bit more dynamic and having a more intense version of a song kick in when a fight starts to pickup.
Also minor news I’ll probably be doing the Global Game Jam 2020, I’m not 100% sure if I’d want to show that game on an update on indiegogo (since I feel it’s kind of irrelevant?). Otherwise following tinywarriorgames.com or the discord will keep you tuned in regarding that.
https://discordapp.com/invite/MHS7Vqj
TLDR:
-Map system
-Warp system
-20+ sounds implemented
-10 rooms added
-2 side things
-bugs
-Brandon