Hey everyone! The game was out a couple of days ago, and I must say, its a success Already 400,000 plays on maxgames. Thanks for all the fans who supported me and played the game. I know some wanted more since I took some time to release it, but thats all I got for age of war 2. Here are some facts about the game:

• Total work time (not taking pauses in account): 6 months
• number of times I restarted: 3 (two attemps in AS2, then the final game in AS3)
• Biggest challenge: The game would not fit in a single .fla since the art is huge! It was not even compiling when in AS2!
• Artists hired to work on the art : 5 ( including me )
• Time spent on the final version: 3 months
• Number of energy drinks in the process: over 500
• Started since : Summer 2008
  

So yeah, the game took a year and a half to come out, but I didn’t work on it all that time. Why? I have a real life too haha.

I hope you guys will love my next games as you loved age of war 2

Thanks again for the support!

Random fact: we are now over 2000 comments!

I have been interviewed on newgrounds.

Here is the original link: http://journalist.newgrounds.com/news/post/411123

Louissi must be one of the Greatest Flash Game Developer in the Flash History! He has made so Amazing games, that are mindblowing. This Interview is huge, and it’s an Interview you just have to read. And this is also my first Interview with alot of Questions!

Would you mind telling us about yourself?

My name is Louis-Simon Ménard, I live in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Making flash games is my hobby and job (since recently). I studied 3d animation but still haven’t got the chance to use it as a professional.

How many years experience do you have in Flash?

I started using flash, 6 years from now, soon 7 years. I started to learn it at school when I was 14 years old. My teacher was pretty cool and he started to teach me some actionscript. The passion to make videogames comes from far more back though. I started in 6th grade with the software: The Games Factory. It was pretty cool.

Your Flashes didn’t got Popular until 2006, what made you improve your work?

I guess its practice. I started learning from comebacks and improved the quality of my games. I learned a lot by making small experiments that never made it into a final game. Practice is important. Did I mention practice?

Your first submission on 2007, was Smileys War. From where did you get the idea?

I played a game called Soldat. It’s essentially the same thing as Smileys Wars, but with small soldiers. I really liked the map editor. Making Ultimate Down was fun, so I decided to give another go at shooters.

Did you make Smileys War all by yourself?

Yeah, and it was a real pain. It’s the most complex game I have made in ActionScript 2. I wouldn’t do it again. I am scared to open it again. A friend of mine (Carand) helped me with the website.

Why didn’t you include Online Multiplayer mode on Smileys War?

Actually, I went really close to a complete multiplayer game. The problem was the lag. The characters where really small and moving fast, so the aiming was almost impossible with the lag. Real time action multiplayer = pain, suffering, money loss and doom.

Wow, you must be really pissed off to remove something you’ve spent time on! Your second Flash Game on 2007, is Super Pilot. It kind of looked like a Rhythm-Based game, did you ever thought that?

Yeah, actually I animated the background based on the music. I would have made it better but I was rushed to make it in time for the MaxGames Contest.

Your Most Popular game of 2007 and of All Time, must be Age Of War. Where did you get such an Amazing idea from?

I started making a defense game, and I was looking for an interesting idea for the units. The game started with a gravity gun and etc, but I scrapped the idea and decided to make some “evolutions”. I was playing a lot of Starcraft at the time, and I really liked custom maps. One of the big trend was the “EVOLVE” maps. You could evolve into different species and etc. I guess the idea stayed in my head.

How much time did you use to make Age Of War?

10 days. Almost 15 hours a day. I had school too at this time. The word is intense. But it was worth it.

Age Of War took place from the Past to the Future. Did everything come from your Imagination?

No, I used my vague notion of history to make something kinda reminding how much we are always at war.

Age Of War has over 1,5 Million Views, and alot of people have asked the same question over and over again. When are you planning to release Age Of War 2, and why haven’t you released the game yet?

Yeah, that is a long and sad story. Lets just say that I aimed too high for the game, so I had many problems. Having 40 units in a single file proved to be impossible, but I only found out in the middle of the production. I lost a lot of time because flash was full of lag. Then I reprogrammed the game because I learned new tricks in the process. Then, I learned AS3, and the way to include external swf in a single swf. So I reprogrammed it again. I am aiming to finish it before the end of 2009.

Since 2007, you haven’t submitted anything on Newgrounds. How come?

I am a really busy person. I am always doing something that puts real challenges in my life. I was making games at the same time that I was at school. I had to dedicate a lot of time to school, and the last year of my diploma was almost 14 hours a day of hard work. I lost a girlfriend, found new ones, recovered that girlfriend I lost, etc. Real life you know? I also just got a new full-time job in a flash game studio and I moved out of my family house. I am eating life with a freaking shovel right now.

Well, that’s pretty harsh! How was it, when Newgrounds finally recognized you after 2006-2007?

Well… newgrounds was always my starting point, so it’s cool to get popular. It’s not really different from before though, I just have more reviews and less time to read them all (that’s sad). The most important thing for me is the contact with the players. I am loosing this at my current job, so its sad.

How do you feel, now that some of your games have over 1 Million views?

Great. Actually, it feels awesome. It’s a nice feeling of accomplishment, like if I did something cool enough that people remember me (or my games). Its fun to meet people and learn that they played my games on the internet before knowing me. “You liked that game? Yeah, I made that game. BAM!”

All of your Submissions here on Newgrounds are Games. Why don’t you make Movies, and have you ever tried that before?

I tried making movies, and I liked it. I guess I can’t afford to put time on things that don’t bring money anymore. But I will try to make movies in 2010.

Speaking of Games. Are you planning to release more games after you’re done with Age Of War 2?

Of course.

Thanks for the Interview! You are a really great Flash Author, and you’ve got several Millions of fans out there. We all really love your creation! You’ve gotten 3 Amazing Gits – the first one is your Imagination – the second one is brining your Imagination to life by Drawing or animating it – and the third one must be your ActionScript!

If there are anymore questions you would like to ask this Game Developer, please send me a PM or leave a comment with the questions you are wondering!

Journalist