It's an Invaders clone...

Mr Smoozles!

http://www.juniper-games.com/smoozles/Screenshots.htm

What a cute kitty!! :)

Try here if you'd like to get to know him better, Mel. :)

EDIT: Thanks for the heads up, Kolzig.

Thanks :)

That site is a hoot.
Some of the comments too. ("Lighten up you big fanny.")

But I'd agree that it's actually a serious subject.
We do need more "lighthearted" games.
Not every adult wants to play dark gritty games all the time.
It's one of the reasons I'm looking forward to 80 Days. Not only is it lighthearted, it looks different from most of the games currently coming out.
And those Sapphire Claw screenshots look great too. I'm looking forward to dealing with the "interaction density" in that gameworld.

Of course I'm also looking forward to Scratches...

Things are looking great for Steve Ince's company. :)

Every new piece of info he releases about his three new games is like an early christmas present for me.

I just love Steve's take on games. His games are so light, happy and colorful, such a fresh breath of air from all the dark violent games we are exposed to.

Thanks for all the positive comments everyone.

Now that's exactly the reaction that makes me want to create games in the way I intend to do.

This may get me flamed, but there's something I wanted to ask Steve.

Consider exhibits (a) and (b):

http://www.steve-ince.co.uk/juniper_games2.jpg

http://www.juniper-games.com/JG_top_banner1.jpg

I'm wondering what prompted the change in logo, especially as the first one looks, in my opinion, way better? The top one is simple, clean and makes me think of cartoony games (in a good way) through your choice of font, while the second one looks like Generic Company Logo #2345™.

Now, I'm certainly not saying that you're not entitled to change the logo, and I'm certainly not suggesting that the second one looks absolutely atrocious (though it does remind me of the kind of terrible designs I've come up with using Pageplus), but I'm wondering why you made the change. I'm no artist, mind you (as several people will be able to testify), so I feel rather dirty criticising you!

I do hope you're not going to tell me that the arrow pointing upwards and forwards is symbolic of Juniper Games' progressive nature and striving to reach the very top of its game...

Anyway, everything else looks very promising (and I don't just mean visually). So keep up the good work! :)

Is the direction you want to take closer to :

-Monkey Island 1 (serious synopsis, tongue in cheek humour)
-Sam and Max (twisted and absurd)
-Day of the Tentacle (typically cartoon, tongue in cheek)
-None of the above, and why the hell would you want to compare my games to anything else?
-Other games I didn't mention
-:Z

I'm asking this because there are many ways to make "a lighter game", and I'm wondering which way you'll choose.

That's not a good reason, then? :)

That's actually the sort of "mission statement" that turns me off when I read it, so it certainly wasn't behind the new design.

A number of people have commented on the new logo, also unfavourably, so I may have got it wrong. I was trying to create a "J" shape from the "sphere", but I don't think it's obvious enough. While I like the simple nature of the old logo, the colour scheme wasn't right and the text was a little squashed and looked as though it was fighting the design.


Thanks for the kind words.


Yes.

You'll likely see elements of all of the above, mixed in with all my other influences from Calvin and Hobbes to Wallace and Gromit. :D

That's just mean. :\

:shifty: In other words, your main influence will be Steve Ince's.

Sometimes these things are difficult to quantify. Because I've been around the block more than a few times my influences are great and varied.

For instance, I still remember the excitement when the Batman TV series appeared in the 60s. And I thought that Marine Boy was wonderful and that Oxy-gum was a marvelous invention. :D

But it's that kind silly seriousness (or serious silliness) that I love in a kind of tongue-in-cheek way.

I also preferred the old logo.

Whether that is just a natural reaction to change or symptomatic of a dislike for the new one is up for debate.

If you stick Steve Juniper in the google image search you get

http://img214.imageshack.us/img214/3...juniper0wv.jpg

So maybe you want a bonsai tree as your logo to symbolize small, meticulously formed games .

With a new name of "Steve Juniper Bonsai Tree Games"?

:)

An alternative logo can be seen here: http://www.juniper-games.com/logovote.htm

You can vote (if you're registered) at the forum here: http://www.juniper-games.com/phpBB2/....php?p=870#870

:)

I like Logo B better, and the original even more (see Lacey's post) :) .

Yeah, B wins out of those two hands down.

Though I pine for the old colour scheme.

But seriously, thanks for running a poll in response to the comments you've received from people :).

If enough people believe that something isn't right, then there's no point me hiding from the obvious.