Perfectly Peculiar Pixels [#4]

I’m skipping Epic’s pick for this week to support a small developer working on something fresh. I believe NOKIA's archive can be informative and interesting, because they lead the way in intuitive UI of their time, and a testament to that is the Aalto design university hosting it. Your productivity will never come from productivity tools, only your own systems and discipline; but things like Launchy can sure make some of the more boring tasks more fun. Since we talk about game feel a lot, Clint’s video from Errant Signal is a good summary and reminder on the topic.

And finally, January 20th is your last day to sign up for the Gamejam. I strongly encourage everyone to join.

Launchy is an app from the distant 2008., but is compatible up to at least Windows 10. If you’ve never used a launcher, you might wonder why you would want one. Because it’s faster than switching from keyboard to mouse to click on an icon. Because the integrated calculator is faster to access than a calculator app, because you can find plug-ins to associate Putty commands into it (if you’re dealing with web development), and probably more though I neither know or ever needed more to keep Launchy in my “user’s essentials” folder with the first apps I put on every new machine.

NOKIA has dominated the cellphone market in terms of simplicity and creative design for a good 10 years before smartphones came in like the asteroid for the dinosaurs. This archive offers a nice overview into the philosophy and products that NOKIA contributed into the world.

Errant Signal is a channel I often pull topics from, because of how it breaks down complex subjects into simple videos. But each of those videos, has a much deeper source behind it, and this one is no different. Worth a watch, and if you’re continuing your education in video games, worth a read too.

Half Sword is a work in progress, debut title, by a 6 man team, originally from Georgia. It’s on par for impossible controls with Surgeon Simulator, or Gang Beasts, set in 15th century Europe. The demo is worth a try on its own, but I would recommend signing up for the beta, as it offers a lot more options to explore. It’s beyond rough around the edges (pun intended), but I will always praise a game for trying a new method to an old solution.

🔥LAST CHANCE TO APPLY TO THE GAMEJAM🔥