erikrosenlund

Share Slow Mole

If you want help and to tell all your friends about Slow Mole, here are the trailer links:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/100002573531628/videos/4077108435718234

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Checkoofilm/status/1411761191811170304

YouTube: 2021-07-18 21:18:58 +0000 UTC View Post

News on Nintendo Life!

Very excited to see us making the news on Nintendo Life! Thanks everyone for spreading the word!

Slow Mole v1.0 released!

It's official! Check out the release trailer above!

Download:

https://www.patreon.com/posts/download-slow-48140036

EDIT: Already updated to v1.1, that was quick, but hopefully this is the final version

Slow Mole sneak release

The free version of Slow Mole is finished. All that remains before this is officially the 1.0-version is a bit more testing. This is the full game and will take most players hours to beat. 

Now I will focus on the plus-version which will have more secret levels, even more music and some unique hardware features. Keep posted on this site for updates on the upcoming cartridge.

Download the new version:

2021-06-14 18:17:52 +0000 UTC View Post

Slow Mole minor update 1.71

Fix for an occasional graphical glitch.

The cheat to play hard mode at start now requires holding Select+B

Download:
https://www.mediafire.com/file/oo2au1vfz6oedvl/SlowMoleBeta_NES.zip/file

or:
https://www.patreon.com/posts/download-slow-48140036

Slow Mole version 1.7

Beta updated:

More mechanical nightmare levels added for fifteen in total.

Cheat to play the hard mode right away (hold B+select when walking through the "NORMAL"-warp*). Checkpoint icon changes so you'll know you're playing the game on hard.

Fixed a bug that prevented the player from jumping before dying on the first circuitry level.

This version is very close to what the final free version of the game will be like. More content yet to be added fo...

Mechanical nightmare levels now in game

Slow Mole Beta version 1.6 update:

Added extra hard bonus levels that can be played if you beat the game on hard and normal under certain conditions. Will always be available after beating the game on hard, but if you ace the game on normal you might be able to find them too (this is unlikey to happen on the first playthrough). Note, they're not hidden in some random location throughout the game so you don't have to explore every pixel of every level.

Added another chiptune. ...

New Slow Mole world record!

Very exciting to see a few speedrunners taking notice of Slow Mole, it's a game all about speedrunning after all. Zorilla33's new record is the mind-boggling time of 37 mins 37 seconds. And I wouldn't be surprised to see him beating it again soon.

Current WR run: https://www.twitch.tv/videos/1008165010

Record board: https://www.spee...

Slow Mole – current progress

The next update will feature challenge levels that unlocks when certain conditions are met when beating the game. We've also added another chiptune and the hexadecimal (of sorts) timer is no more, as I've coded an all numerical one. (Although I'll miss the old timer a little, this makes for a smoother experience.)

Still a few more screens to make, but I expect to release the next version soon, when I'm confident we've tested it thoroughly.  

Podcast about Slow Mole development

I was on the Duel Screens podcast and we discussed 8-bit development and game design among other things.

Also on YouTube: https://youtu.be/il37UBcW5uY

Working cartridge prototype and game update

Beta has been updated to version 1.04

Download: https://www.patreon.com/posts/download-slow-48140036

Another chiptune added, now there are five in the game so far.

Spring mechanics have been improved for reliability. The spring bounce cancel mechanic triggered by tapping the jump button is still in there but should not be triggered by accident anymore, resulting in unpredi...

Slow Mole Beta update 1.03

New version makes the timer more predictable when respawning.
Download below: 

https://www.patreon.com/posts/download-slow-48140036

Famicom prototype cartridge

My PCB designer is having fun with the Famicom prototype for Slow Mole. Really looking forward to testing this on an actual Famicom. The final version won't look like this, but we do plan on doing something interesting with the gold print on the actual PCB.

Slow Mole Gameplay Trailer

New gameplay trailer that shows much more of the gameplay. Also featuring the latest chiptune track by Linus. (Those who plays the beta and gets to the later stages will get to hear it in game.)

Download Slow Mole

Playable on modern computers and original NES hardware. 
Installation instructions included. 

Download attached file or use one of these links:

https://slowmoledev.itch.io/slow-mole

or:

https://www.mediafire.com/file/pnyw62tefp76khr/SlowMoleNES.zip/file

Slow Mole - Early cartridge schematic

Cartridge design has only just started, but we plan to release Slow Mole on both NES and Famicom formats. This is the Famicom version.

Slow Mole Trailer Sneak Peak

The trailer for my 8-bit NES game Slow Mole is finished and will be officially published on YouTube shortly, along with a download link for the beta version.

The game is essentially finished, but a few features are yet to be implemented.

Slow Mole animated trailer in production

My upcoming 8-bit game for the NES is almost finished. I will be releasing a beta version soon.

These are a few shots from a trailer I'm making. It's a mix between stop motion animation and live action in After Effects. Since it's also for showcasing the gameplay, I'm making it in 60 fps. Most of the animation and live action footage is 30 fps though.

I'm hoping to use somewhat of a VHS-look to hide the very mixed quality of the original footage, but I also felt it fits a game tha...

8-bit game progress

This is from the latter half of the game so it's starting to get a bit difficult. Since there's so much going on visually I'll probably leave the background black for clarity.

This screen requires exact timing but I like how rewarding it feels when you get into the flow.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CHY7YYbpRNG

Some gameplay from my upcoming NES-game

A bit of 8-bit gameplay as played on a Nintendo Entertainment System connected to a CRT.

Making Tea WIP

The subtle nature of this shot makes it one of the more difficult from the film to animate. 

She hears something when making tea and listens. Then she is startled by the toaster. Sound design, tea leaves, backgrounds and compositing still missing.

Blurry glasses WIP

I wanted to give the scene where she drops her glasses a subjective feeling, so I decided to recreate blur using water colors.

Waking Up, The Quiet Birthday Party WIP

This scene blends hand drawn and digital animation. The cover is all animated using mesh warps in After Effects.

Reality catching up

Feels like my film about an animation infection taking over the world has became eerily relevant this year.

Also included in this playlist are a few videos showing how the effects shots were made:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uyiQHAjwBzc&list=PLWa53e-6mjnaaGNtjjkKzubRlQlUW7VhI

About my animation technique

The idea is to combine the exact controls for subtle acting that digital animation brings with the versatility and expressiveness of drawn animation. The  best of both worlds, while also making production more efficient. This clip will give you some idea how it works. Another benifit is that it's easy to combine this with traditional drawn animation whenever the scene requires it.

The world changes and things take on a new meaning

My film about introversion has turned into a film about social distancing. I haven't changed anything about it but since this pandemic hit it I think it will be viewed completely differently. As a creator you always hope that your work will be relevant, but this is such a fundemental change of viewpoint that I had somewhat of a creative crisis before coming to terms with it. The only way forward for me is to embrace it.

When I started this film social distancing was absurd to most peopl...

8-bit Game Design

Quarantine is a time for passion projects.

I haven't been at my studio much the last month, so I haven't been able to do as much drawn animation as I'd like.

But that has given me a chance to get into another passion project. Here's a little bit of gameplay from an  8-bit NES game I'm making. Trying to put charm and character into a few low resolution frames with a very limited palette is a real challenge. But having a limited toolset is often a great catalyst for creativity....

Putting shots in a sequence

At last I'm reaching a point where I can start to edit shots together and make sure it all works. I try to do this from an After Effects project where I composit the animation with the color layers and textures. That way I can adjust the point of focus accordingly.

This sequence still needs more compositing and work with shadows and lighting, so the images feel a bit flat. There's also some details missing and the color design might change slightly.

Drawn animation in 12+ layers

Work in progress scene. Here she is using a broom to poke at a scary envelope (yet to be added). This scene was animated in 12 layers (counting the head as one layer, but of course that was made from multiple layers before compositing it with the body). 

In the earlier version you can still see the paper area as grey so it's possible to make out how the image is divided. In some ways it would be easier to animate this in a more traditional way, drawing all of it frame by frame. If ...

Animating cloth textures in After Effects

The sweater is divided into three parts. Here's how I bent the pattern for the torso using mesh warp. It was then animated to match the movement.

The more detailed the pattern, the more work animating it. For the pants it's just a plain texture so just having it move randomly at the frequency of the animation usually works fine.