Notebook Artillery

Presskit images can be downloaded directly here.

Reach out to Austin for any inquiries here.

Available on:

Backstory

Notebook Artillery is a solo indie developed game, with the help of:
Audio design by - Kevin Samuels https://twitter.com/ashnolo
Nintendo Switch Port developed and published by - PolyCrunch Games
Art, Programming, and Design - Austin Ivansmith — https://twitter.com/IvanDashSmith

Notebook Artillery is a superchill game inspired heavily from the Macintosh classic Artillery (pictured right).

The game was originally developed in the early days of lockdown during the Covid-19 pandemic in mid 2020. I had wanted to play Artillery with my kids but couldn’t find a version that matched the casual aesthetic of the original I grew up on, so I made one.

I had wanted to make a game from hand drawn art, inspired by artists like Dom2D (https://twitter.com/dom2d), and this felt like the perfect opportunity. I got a “Pencil” for my iPad, and a copy of Procreate, and doodled until I found my own style which became the look of the game.

Development was fairly quick, eating up most of my spare time in lockdown not spent huddled up with my family or scouring grocery stores for toilet paper, pasta, and flour dressed like a doctor going into surgery.

I had no immediate plans for a console release, but I was approached by PolyCrunch Games about a partnership to bring the game to the Nintendo Switch. They have been an amazing partner and I’m so proud to have this game out there on the platform.

Eagle eyed individuals might notice the game came out on April 4th, with little fanfare or marketing. Two reasons: 1) Turns out there was a major performance issue that I found after launch, so we did a quick turnaround and put out 1.0.1 to patch that up before going crazy with spreading the word; and 2) I’m a solo dev who prioritizes my home life with my family first so gimme a break!

That’s the long and short of Notebook Artillery. Hopefully you give the game a try and enjoy it!

Other notes:

Austin who?

Austin Ivansmith (hey that’s me) has been working as a video game developer since 2005. From 2009 to 2021 he was a Game Director at WayForward on titles such as DuckTales Remastered, The Mummy Demastered, Shantae 1/2 Genie Hero, Mighty Switch Force!, and many others. He has also released a series of solo projects for iOS including Super Secret Service (with Johan Vinet and Flashygoodness), Jupiter Lander, Flippy Bard, and a series of “Interactive Illustration” games for kids (Garbage Truck!, Fire Truck!, Backhoe!).

Original PC launch trailer
 
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Once upon a time in the late 20th century AD,

near the turn of the penultimate decade of the millennia,

a magical confluence occurred in Middle School Macintosh computer labs across the globe…

Artillery

Infamously known by teachers as the scourge of attention -- countless students spending entire computer lab periods firing cannons at each other instead of writing English assignments. The temptation too great, no child could refuse the siren's call of the game's accurate physics model and competitive nature.

Notebook Artillery is a love letter to hours wasted playing video games in Middle School computer labs instead of working on class assignments. And sure, maybe if I would've spent more time paying attention in class and less time playing video games I wouldn't be making indie games as a means to pay off insane amounts of student debt. But hey, its 2024 and maybe this can be one last beacon of hope for myself and everyone who loves this kind of game. 

Players choose their "firing angle" and "powder amount" to fire cannonballs at opposing player's towers, or break floating targets in a solo player target practice mode. The randomly generated stage layouts will change strategy from round to round, and wind strength has an effect on a cannonball's trajectory which players must account for. Its simple arcade-simulation-action, fun for all ages, with completely hand drawn game art running at a gorgeous 4K (on PC). It's like you're looking directly into a Trapper Keeper and the imagination of every middle school kid. Whats not to love?

  • Hand drawn game art in gorgeous 4k.

  • Play Solo target practice, against a CPU opponent, or challenge local friends and family in vs mode.

  • 3 unique world styles fashioned after various wild west motifs.

  • Stage layouts are randomly generated to make no two games the same.

  • Fight the wind and dodge trees to destroy opponents strongholds.

  • Completely visual buttons, no in-game writing.

This was such a fun game to make, and it's so much fun to play with my kids, I hope you find it as fun as I do. And for fans of the original Macintosh classic, I hope this fulfills the desire to play this game again.