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Skools Out Creator Interviewed, Game Released
An anonymous reader writes "The full download version of PC indie game Skools Out is now available from the official Mucky Baby site - there's also a bunch of new screenshots and a playable demo available." There's an interview with Mucky Baby's Simon Keating, himself an ex-Mucky Foot developer, over at DIY Games, describing the "PC action adventure title", influenced by classic Spectrum title Skool Daze. The article notes this as another example of "the world of independent game development... becoming populated with more and more developers that have left the business of big name game development and struck out on their own."
Played it for a while. There might be a decent game hidden beneath the cubersome controls and camera, but I was never given the motivation to keep looking for it. Ater finally figuring out how to zoom in and out I'd forgotten the tutorial's objectives and couldn't find them anywhere, so I spent 5 more minutes wandering around the house to no avail.
There are some areas that indie/budget companies just can't compete in. Graphics, as Skools Out demonstrates, is one area. Sound, and even bug-testing are others. I'm forgiving there. But play logistics has nothing to do with money, and everything to do with designers who don't look at their game more objectively. There's no excuse save laziness for the kind of silly controls and nauseating camera Skools Out exhibits.