Friday’s Cup of Coffee, wk 18

Did you ever notice how holiday weeks fly by doubly fast as compared to normal weeks? Seems like having fun away from home, and leaving the normal everyday routine behind is a sure way to speed up the clock. We have spent this week in Salzburg, which is some 900 km away from our home. And even though we got here in one day of driving, it’s an entirely different world. Did you ever watch the movie Sound of Music? Think mountains, think grand buildings, think Mozart and you’re here, in the Altstadt of Salzburg. We watched all the major attractions, went up to the Festung Hohen Salzburg, visited the Mirabel Gartens en re-traced some of Maria’s steps from the Sound of Music. Dare I admit it? Not that I’m a huge fan, but the movie is such a feel-good story, so we even went on the bus tour into the mountains. And had a fun time there!

Gaming definately took second place this week, so I only have a couple of snippets for you. Take a cup of coffee with a Mozart Kugle!

Digital or Pysical, that is the question

I know we talked about digital download versus the physical cartridges before. I made this definate article for GameRaven based on all the pros and cons. One thing only occurred to me when researching for the article: about the ownership of digitally downloaded games. I certainly never realized that downloaded games never are my own property, that the one thing that does make me pause, even when I’ve all but embraced downloading all my games. But then, I don’t think there’s any going back thsese days….Anyway, read it and see what you think.

Nintendo and Vans

Do you often wear sneakers? Nintendo and Vans have teamed up to create a range of new sneakers with designs from major Nintendo franchise, like Mario and Princess Peach. They will be on sale from June, so now you will be able to walk in Princess Peach’s shoes! 

Stardew Valley

We’ve talked about Stardew Valley, the PC game before, tough I’ve never had the pleasure of playing it myself. That might change, look at the following news from Eric Barone a.k.a. Cornered Ape:

Here is a list of what’s planned for the future of Stardew Valley:

• Version 1.1 — A substantial content update
  
• Co-op Multiplayer
  
• Localizing for non-english regions
  
• Mac/Linux Ports
  
• Console Ports
  
• Merchandise
  

Now, there’s obviously a huge amount of work involved to achieve all this… and I am just one person. I know in the past I’ve been very adamant about doing everything myself… and I still am, when it comes to game design and content. However, I’ve decided to seek outside help for some of the more technical things listed above. More specifically, I’ve accepted an offer from Chucklefish in which they will handle the porting, localization, and the technical side of multiplayer. This will allow me to focus on creating new game content for version 1.1, which I will continue to do entirely on my own.

This should result in faster overall development and reduced workload for me, while preserving my artistic control over Stardew Valley. I think it will be beneficial for everyone.

Style Savvy

I know how the American fans would love to get their hands on the third game for Style Savvy. Though it has been released in Europe for months now, there’s still no news about an American release. But at least they will get to play the original DS game through virtual console on the WiiU. I know, not much of a consolation though. It’s out this week. 

Not about gaming, but I’m leaving you with a couple of pictures from our time in Salzburg. What a beautiful city, even in the rain. The last few days were lucky though, as we got gorgeous sunshine. And that makes the city all the more imposing. I hope to meet you again next week for a “normal” cup of gaming coffee, thanks for reading!