Satan Sam.co.uk

I think the audio file speaks for itself. I think this is also the first time a non-London or non-American has spoken online. woo!

Never used Youtube to embed videos before. Which do you guys prefer, my old Quicktime way or this?
Oh and what do you make to the video?

Well, along with pressing the “previous month” button 24 times, here is a bit more useless information spewed from the collective rectum (have a guess what that’s from!) that is my stats server. Note this has been through 24 months of stuff, 2 years of games, websites, music and video. oh and those little photography sites I have dotted around, they’re quite popular.

-My blog has had 172218 views since it’s birth – I think it began in about August 2005.
-The New Satan Sam has been the most downloaded game (duh)
-The total download figure currently stands at a whopping 1116.45 GB
-The most common internet browser has been Microsofts own Internet Explorer, 48% of views. Safari brought in 12% of views, interestingly.
-Windows XP users account for just 56% of visitors. I expected this to be much higher. Infact, Mac OS has a higher percentage than Windows ME and any form of Linux. Though Macs only bring 3.9% of total visitors (which brings the stats into question, 3.9% were mac visitors yet there 12% of browsers was Apple’s own Safari? hmm)
-But… the ultimate that you’ve all been waiting for… the total number of hits since July 2002 is… 4,657,010.

Unfortunately referrer data could not be gathered, there simply was too much of it and timed out the server numerous times. I suppose I’d take a random guess and say “The New Satan Sam” was the most referred site from search engines. For now we can only guess.
Equally location data could not be returned either. Sadness ensues.
I’m sure the upcoming 2 years will bring a few more interesting figures. Especially since the site only got popular with the advent of my devblog and Satan Sam.

I’m sure there’s a perfectly good word for mixing two main stories into one title. Firstly, the weatherman said it’s going to get very hot in England. The sun isn’t even poking through my side of the house yet it’s still unbearable, hence why I am about to go on another huge walk over the hills to catch the little remaining wind, to feel the last bit of cold in the country.
I’ve also been bashing around with a pen, producing some concept art for a team game I’m working on. I’m just the art guy, which does give me full creative control over the visual side of things. One of the most commented on aspects of Sam, outside of the “I can’t play games with difficulty” Klik community, was the art direction in the game. As commented on by this guy and had a comment here so I must have been doing something right in the art direction field.

Little graphic from me, lineart by Caroline. I just did the colouring and stuff. took a good 2 days as it really was an experimental piece, what with the different colouring style. Always learning. It’s good. Click the image for the higher res version, I’m keeping the full super-res image secret for a bit. Enjoy.

Hello lads n lassies. I have a sob story for you.

Once upon a time, Little Jimmi was born into a nice family in a nice town. Little Jimmi had it good. He played his fathers Spectrum before his dad bought him his very own NES and Commodore Amiga. Little Jimmi grew up on these machines. Because of the powerhouse Amiga, Jimmi never had a SNES. He went right through to the N64. Though Little Jimmi did own a Mega Drive it did not have the Mario World he began to crave. Though Little Jimmi did pick up Mario World for his GBA, he still felt the gaping hole inside that could only be filled by a SNES.

However Little Jimmi didn’t grow up. He got a blog, a forum and made his own games. He’s now 20 and still wants that SNES. They’re going for nice prices on eBay. So I… um… Little Jimmi is considering buying a run down machine and doing it up again. Specifically his girlfriends SNES, though Jimmi wants his own, of course.

Little Jimmi will one day soon own his very own SNES. With Mario All-Stars, Mario World and other goodies. My… Jimmi’s question is – do you have a SNES you want to sell? Contact me if you do at james@satansam.co.uk . Or alternatively DONATE some money to me so I can fulfil my dream. I’ll do something silly on video, or make something special for the people who donate. as always.

I’m in the process of setting up a group of talented designers, musicians and just general creatives for a mini army of creators. This isn’t an application piece, I have a general idea of who I want. The primary goal is to get our individual styles across, another internet based design group I suppose. The upcoming website will showcase all our individual works and have contact details for the members, should open up some employment opportunities.

One of the big internal tasks would be regular challenges. Someone would initiate it and all relevant members will participate, would be pretty snazzy.

What will be produced? Music, games, graphics, websites, interactive pieces, interfaces, video. Anything we can do.

Sam version 4 is in development now. It will feature, but not limited to-

-New game mode
-New Echo World style area, even harder this time!
-A hybrid of Sam 2 and 1. People with Sam 1 save files will be able to carry on where they left off. Basically – The final boss and world aren’t the final bosses and worlds
-Another bug fix and clear up.

It could be out in a week, or I could use this as my summer project. Summer Project would mean an extra 120 levels.

What do you make of that?

Thus it is nearly complete

I received an unconditional offer for a university course today. The 3rd one in 3 years, no less. Staffordshire university wanted me, Huddersfield wanted me, and unfortunately got me. And now today I got one from Salford university. Interestingly Manchester turned me down. my own home university! Tch. Though the interview for a course there starred no less than 5 interviewers sat around a table! Anywho.

I started off at Saddleworth School, found out I liked making digital things. Took Multimedia Design at Tameside College really as a last-minute thing, I actually joined a week after the course started. Didn’t know where I wanted to go in my career so I put down Huddersfield and Staffordshire university running off word of mouth only. Was about ready to move down to Staffordshire for Interactive Crossmedia, but Huddersfield gave me unconditional offer (you cannot refuse the top choice in the uni application form, apparently) so I was whisked up north to study Games Programming. Hark no! The course wasn’t for me so I left a few days later and joined New Media Design at Manchester Met University. Great! But it’s only a 2 year degree course, where you would join onto a 3rd and final year in your chosen specialism. Dandy! I applied for Manchesters Design and Art Direction course but they said I was more a games person. hmm. But today I got onto Design Futures at Salford, in the final year no less. So I’m very, very happy there. I’ve spent a long time sculpting this education, getting as much in as possible.

I’ll be 21 next year. My starters education is just ending. Next onto my Ma and a glittering career in whatever I chose to do. I still have no clue. But do you see that building photo? That my friends is the beautiful building I’m doing my 3rd year in. The Centenary Building. An absolute sight to behold.