So I was going to rewrite the game from scratch, remember? Well, that seems like a great idea for somebody with more free time than me. Ah, I remember ten years ago, when I had loads and loads of free time - when I had time to do things like write the most advanced isometric engine in the world and waste it on a remake of Advanced Lawnmower Simulator… But I digress. Here’s a quick recap on what’s happened since last time:

1) I learnt an awful lot about XNA, the XBox 360 and designing for the average player.

Watching other people play your game is a very useful thing. Equally useful is sending your game out to people you’ve never met and finding out what they think of it, especially when you want your game to be easily accessible. Interface design is a very important thing that I’ve always skimped on (because it’s dull to write), but I think I’m over my fear of it now.

There are some things that the 360 does automatically that are very useful. The XBox Live IDs, for example, are brilliant. No more ‘typing’ your name in with a joystick - the machine remembers you and puts you right on the scoreboard with no messing about. That would be an excellent thing to have on the PC, but sadly it won’t be possible for Target; 2009 unless I write it myself. (Games For Windows Live doesn’t support more than one person logging in at a time, and Linux doesn’t support Games For Windows Live, unsurprisingly.) So I’m going to have to write it myself.

Automatic patching is a very useful thing. I actually have a fully-working patch system already, so obviously that’ll be something we can all benefit from when the inevitable bugs emerge.

Online high score tables are also a very cool thing, and are actually quite straightforward to code, given the automatic patching already works - so that’s something that’ll be going in. But the replacement Live ID system will be needed for that to work.

2) I finally got around to playing GTA IV

And it’s dull, dreary and depressing. Realism (not to be confused with consistency) has no place in videogames.

3) I played the hell out of Batman: Arkham Asylum

And that was when I realised that Target; 2009 needs to support combos. So it does. (That’s what I did yesterday.) If you get the chance you should totally play Batman: Arkham Asylum, by the way, it’s the best game I’ve played in years.

4) I played a lot of Spectrum games

I also converted a tiny chunk of Mad Dog McCree to the Spectrum, light gun and all. Assembly language has some strange hold over me - every once in a while I can no longer resist and just have to knock something up in archaic form.

So, where to from here? Well, I’m not going to rewrite anything from scratch when I don’t really have to, and especially not when there’s a perfectly good game sitting right here in front of me. How about this - next Saturday I’m going to post a demo on here. It’ll be at least one fully playable level of Target; 2009. And it’ll include the launcher so that you’ll be able to keep up to date forevermore. And it’ll work on both Linux and Windows.

Stay tuned.