Roger Pingleton

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Finding A Look

February 17, 2015 By Roger

Donkey Kong Snow Level
One of the great games of all time, Donkey Kong Country on the Super Nintendo

Donkey Kong Country (DKC) was released on November 21, 1994 for the Super Nintendo system. I bought it the week it was released and was absolutely enthralled.

One level in particular, “Snow Barrel Blast” still stands out in my mind as perhaps the perfect combination of beautiful graphics, fabulous level design, spot-on gameplay, and rich, atmospheric music.

Here is a YouTube video of the level being played:

The level begins with a beautiful snowy landscape on a clear day. The weather slowly evolves into a full-blown snow storm.

The music develops as well. The swirling, harp-like arpeggios are almost haunting, and there’s this “you’ve gotta be kidding me” like feeling that hits you as the snow falls faster and faster.

In a word, I can only describe it as incredible.

I’ve never forgotten that moment.

The lesson was clear. If you’re going to make an incredible game, the key elements have to come together.

It Starts With A Look

I’ve been struggling with the look of our next app. The graphics for our next game have to be strong, and stunning. I worked very hard to create beautiful graphics for Spirit Story Box (SSB). There were several directions I could have taken that weren’t the right choices, and Jill pointed them out, and I was wise enough to recognize her design sense and input.

This design has gone through more iterations  than SSB. The focus of the game has totally changed. Graphics, which were strong to begin with, have evolved into even stronger, contemporary graphics.

The challenge, for me, was to take a concept that is gaining a lot of attention, and make it better. It’s not enough that our app is as good as other app designs; it has to be better. My hope is that it will be 10 times better, but it at least has to be noticeably better.

I feel like I’m on the right track, and everything is coming together. I keep pushing to make our graphics better and better, but it’s time to press them into service.

Now it’s on to gameplay.

 

Filed Under: Blog

Roger wrote his first commercial software program in 1988 while he was still in college. He's had two long careers as a graphics designer/coordinator with a small magazine, and as lead software engineer/Oracle DBA/Linux and Windows system administrator with Indiana University. In November 2014, he left I.U. to focus on Streamside Software, the company he co-founded with his wife, Jill.
In 2016 Roger joined Attain, LLC providing iOS development for the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) under the CDC. In 2018 Roger was awarded the Bullard-Sherwood award (Technology Category) for his integral contributions to the redesign and development of the OSHA-NIOSH Heat Safety Tool iOS app.

Where I’m Located

Streamside Software, LLC is located just north of Indianapolis in beautiful Carmel, Indiana, (with colocations in local coffee shops of course).

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If you'd like help with a project, drop me an email at streamside7@hotmail.com or give me a call:

317.340.2080

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