Posts | The Silent Age

New Windows of Opportunities

Posted on 22 Apr 2015 by Thomas

Hello Folks,

I am very happy to be able to announce that The Silent Age game is now available for Windows Phone and tablets, including Surface. The Silent Age is slowly expanding into new territories :).

If you own a Windows device, here is where you can get the game:

Windows Phone has been one of the most requested platforms from our fans, and we recently got a Lumia 920 at the office. As luck would have it the timing was perfect.

You may already know I am a game developer and a programmer, and I love to make games and then play them on my phone.

Only, I am also a little clumsy. Many phones have died in my hands and none of them has ever survived a year. Some have drowned in cold, heartless water, some have dramatically shattered their screens to look like jigsaw puzzles, and none of them has ever managed to grow old in one piece.

When I broke my latest phone, I was in luck: This new phone had just arrived at the office. A mysterious new platform I had never tried before… A Windows Phone. The transition from Android, which is what I am accustomed to, to Windows Phone went quite smoothly, although I quickly realized the biggest problem with it was that none of my games were on it.

I had to do something about that…

So I embarked on this new adventure to explore the unknown territory of Windows Phone, and I quickly managed to get The Silent Age up and running. And now the game is finally available on Windows Phone Store. So if you have any friends who own a Windows phone, please do let them know, so they, too, can enjoy the game.

As for my new phone, so far so good; it is almost half a year old and still alive and healthy. Who knows, maybe it will be my first phone celebrating a birthday.

Remember: phones do not like to fall on the floor, and they cannot swim either, so treat them well, and they will be your loyal companions for more than a year.

Peace and love,

Linda

Posted in The Silent Age | Comments Off

2015

Posted on 31 Dec 2014 by Thomas

Wow, it’s 2015! To me it still sounds like a number from the distant future. When I was a kid back in the Eighties, I consumed anything sci-fi related, and a great amount of the sci-fi movies took place in what seemed to be a faraway post apocalyptic or dystopian future somewhere in the 21st century.

The 1975 sci-fi classic Rollerball for example, takes place just three years from now, in the year 2018. War has ceased to exist on Earth, as countries have been replaced by huge corporations. The globally popular ultra violent game ‘Rollerball’ is used to control the populace by demonstrating the futility of individuality. That’s dystopian alright, and is makes a great plot for a sci-fi action movie. But is the world likely to be like this in three years? Not so likely.

Another movie, The Running Man from 1987, takes place one year later, in 2019. Four years from now, the movie wants us to believe that America is a totalitarian police state, censoring all cultural activity. The government pacifies the people by broadcasting game shows where convicted criminals fight for their lives for a chance to be pardoned. So is this a realistic scenery in four years? I can’t say whether America will be a totalitarian police state or not. Some people would argue that it already is. I’m pretty convinced though that games in which the contestants are brutally slaughtered will never be broadcasted on national television. The closest we get to public execution is probably how less talented contestants are treated in contemporary talent shows like X-Factor.

Also taking place in 2019 is the 1982 classic Blade Runner. Set in a neo-noir dystopian Los Angeles, it features replicants, off world colonies and flying cars. And and endlessly raining neon-lit Los Angeles. Let’s face it – the world doesn’t really look like this yet. Except perhaps for Hong Kong.

To sum up, the world looks a lot less dystopian than predicted in the sci-fi movies from the last couple of decades. Some dystopian predictions have come true though. Detroit has filed for bankruptcy as predicted in Robocop 2, and we have come to learn that we’re being subject to mass surveillance as predicted in George Orwell’s 1984. I hope the World doesn’t get more dystopian in the years to come. I’d hate to see the world in 2022 turn out as predicted in Soylent Green. And let’s not hope Earth anno 3978 looks anything like the Planet of The Apes.

Happy New Year!

Thomas

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Posted in The Silent Age | Tagged 2015, Blade Runner, dystopian, New year, New Year's Eve, Planet of the Apes, Robocop 2, Rollerball, Running Man, Soylent Green | Comments Off

Christmas Sale

Posted on 21 Dec 2014 by Thomas

It’s Christmas! The Silent Age office is strangely quiet and empty, as all of us have returned to our families to make moustached snowmen and to wear pointy red hats.

In the true spirit of Christmas, we have lowered the price on Episode Two to $2.99 between now and New Year’s Eve! That’s a mind blowing 40% price drop!*

So now would be a great time to get Episode Two if you haven’t already. If you do, why not recommend the game to a friend – or maybe to that uncle you only see once a year on Christmas Eve? After all, is there any better way to spend a Christmas vacation than diving into a depressive post-apocalyptic mystery in which all of mankind has become extinct?

Merry Christmas!

The Silent Age Team

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*The price drop percentage may vary slightly depending on the currency on your location.

Posted in The Silent Age | Tagged christmas, sale | Comments Off

Meeting The Fans

Posted on 7 Dec 2014 by linda

Hello wonderful Silent Age players!

Ever since we released the first episode and we started getting some very positive feedback and lovely Facebook letters from you guys, I have secretly wished I could meet at least one of you guys.

I was fantasizing about taking a plane or a train and having my seat neighbour playing The Silent Age, and me proudly telling him I made that game (or at least I was a part of the production), and that he would at first not believe me, but then when I would show him my laptop with The Silent Age project on it, plus all the extra scenes and stuff they would actually be happy to meet me.

But all those are of course fantasies.

And then – one day – something happened for real…

Linda and Chassiva in Dubai

Even though my full time job is to be a programmer at House on Fire, I also do other stuff in my free time, and some of that other stuff is to teach girls how to make video games as a part of the Game Girl Workshop.

So during our latest mission in Dubai, I incidentally met a girl who had played The Silent Age and liked our game. Her name is Chassiva and she was one of the participants in our workshop.

I was so happy to finally meet one of you. The praise usually goes to the unique graphics, aka Thomas, and the amazing story, aka Anders – but never to the programmer. So I had to ask her if she liked the smooth gameplay and the programming of the game. And maybe it was just because I was standing there, in front of her, with eyes full of hope, or maybe it was because she really felt it, that she said yes, she did like my job as well.

When we do the Game Girl Workshops, everyone gets to choose a role of the game production so the participants end up either being graphic artist, sound designer or programmer, and Chassiva did choose to be programmer. Here is a screenshot of the game she made together with 3 other girls. It is called Twilight and it is about a girl fighting evil dragons and witches to restore peace and bring back colors to the world. Notice the beautiful graphics? But what you don’t see is all the hard work the programmers put in. Programming is an art form too :).

Twilight screenshot

Anyways, being the one who usually replies to all the Facebook posts, I just wanted to let you know that I am always happy to get messages from you, and extra happy when I actually get to meet one of you. I guess fans are really happy when they meet a celebrity. I am no celebrity, so I am really happy when I meet a fan of the game :).

Cheers,
Linda

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Posted in The Silent Age | Tagged fan, Game Girl Workshop, Linda Randazzo | Comments Off

Joe’s Mo’s

Posted on 1 Nov 2014 by Thomas

It’s that time of the year again. The time where bros grow mo’s in support of the Movember movement. It’s an annual event where men grow moustaches during November to raise awareness of men’s health issues. Joe has been a steady supporter of the movement ever since he started sporting his well groomed chevron-style moustache back in 2011. Maybe it’s time for a different mo’ this year? How about a Salvador Dali ‘stache? Or the Nietzsche-ish walrus variant?

Or how about:
The Handlebar

Equally popular among cowboys and Austrian archdukes, this magnificent mo’ instantly makes you think of late nineteenth century manliness. It’s about the only thing I remember from the movie Tombstone, but then again, didn’t everyone in that movie wear giant moustaches?

The Errol Flynn

The official name for this early twentieth century classic is actually English Moustache. This discrete little beauty requires a ton of care and grooming. But it’s worth it. It makes it clear that you’re not simply a man. You are in fact – a gentleman.

Muttonchops

There’s a magic moment in a man’s life when he discovers what happens when he lets a pair of bushy sideburns extend into a well-trimmed moustache. You instantly look like an American Civil War general or a seasoned fisherman. Or Lemmy from Motörhead.

The Fu Manchu

This moustache is named after the fictional criminal mastermind Dr. Fu Manchu. Sporting this ultra thin moustache requires an extreme amount of stamina, control and grooming – which of course will earn its owner unlimited respect among moustache enthusiasts. Sadly, very few women find this hard-earned piece of facial decoration attractive.

The No’stache

Joe with no ‘stache. Hmmm… No. Just no.

Posted in The Silent Age | Tagged English moustache, Errol Flynn, Fu manchu, handlebar, Lemmy, mo, Movember, muttonchops, nostache, Tombstone | Comments Off

Men Who Look Like Joe

Posted on 24 Oct 2014 by Thomas

Since Joe had his iconic moustache, which actually started out as a silly Movember joke, a lot of you great fans out there have been coming up with suggestions for who he looks like. We love it! Keep them coming!

Here’s a list of some of the most Joe-ish guys around.

Burt Reynolds

Judging by the number of times we heard him being compared to Joe, Burt takes the prize as the most Joe-ish man around. His extrovert personality and coolness may be miles away from the introvert Joe, but he sure knows how to sport a well-groomed moustache. I’m still sad he shaved it off in Deliverance. It would have made that movie just a little more epic.

Tom Selleck

Unsurprisingly, the handsome Tom Selleck earns the title as the second most Joe-ish man on the list. He might have spend a few too many hours in the gym to fit inside Joe’s slim-fit boiler suit, but Tom’s perfectly groomed pornstache more than makes up for that.

Ringo Starr
The soft spoken ex-Beatle can be found on a well-deserved third place on our list. I personally think there are more than a few similarities between Joe and Ringo: There’s obviously the hair and the beard, but there’s also something about Ringo’s modest and likeable character that makes you think of the humble underdog Joe.

Freddie Mercury

The late but great lead singer from Queen made the list for obvious reasons: He might be the one Joe-alike who bears the closest physical resemblance to Joe, thanks to his signature moustache and characteristic nose.

Dennis Weaver

You might have to be my age or older to know Dennis Weaver. He’s the guy from The Duel and the McCloud series. If The Silent Age was a movie, filmed in 1972, Dennis Weaver would be the obvious choice for the lead role.

Peter Sarsted

OK, I’ll admit it: None of you suggested Peter Sarstedt. I added him to the list myself. Some guys are just more Joe than Joe himself, and Peter Sarsted is that guy.

Do you agree with our list? Who do you think Joe looks like? Let us know on Facebook.

Thomas

Posted in The Silent Age | Tagged Burt Reynolds, Dennis Weaver, Freddie Mercury, Joe, lookalike, lookalikes, Peter Sarsted, Ringo Starr, Tom Selleck | Comments Off

Meet the Team

Posted on 21 Oct 2014 by Thomas

From top left: Anders, Elvar, Peter and Thomas
From bottom left: André, Morten, Linda and Uni

Have you ever wondered who made The Silent Age? Maybe you imagined a huge corporate company with a reception desk, a water dispenser and cake on Wednesdays. Or maybe you just pictured a small group of passionate nerds sitting in a cheap office in a shady part of town. The latter is actually true. For now at least.

The core team consists of Uni, Linda, Thomas and Anders, but we’re surrounded by a passionate crowd of talented people who are putting as much heart into this as we do. Here’s who we are and what we do:

Anders Petersen is the main author on The Silent Age. He’s responsible for the clever dialogue in the game as well as the story, which he wrote together with Thomas.

Elvar Örn Unnþórsson is our tireless Icelandic programmer. He worked a lot on The Silent Age Episode Two, and has proven to be an invaluable asset time and time again.

Peter Thomasen is our talented animator, famous for making snapping crocodiles and dying professors.

Thomas Ryder is the game designer, graphics designer and musician on The Silent Age. He drew the one houndred-and-something backgrounds and is the one responsible for you getting stuck in the bloody handkerchief puzzle.

André Taono works on other projects at House on Fire, and was a tester on The Silent Age Episode One.

Morten Mygind is our sound designer. He made the all the cracking, spinning, whooshing and plinging sounds in Episode Two.

Linda Randazzo is the lead programmer. All bugs you don’t see is because she fixed ‘em. She’s also taking care of much of the fan contact, so if you wrote us there’s a good chance she was the one replying.

Uni Dahl is the CEO at House on Fire. He takes care of company management, business stuff, PR and occasionally assists with programming tasks and object animations. If the rocking boat makes you sea-sick, blame Uni.

David Chen (Not in the photo) is the editor on The Silent Age. He’s the one assisting Anders with dialogue and interaction comments in Episode Two.

Comments and feedback.

Posted in The Silent Age | Tagged Anders Petersen, André Taono, Elvar Örn Unnþórsson, Episode Two, Linda Randazzo, Morten Mygind, Peter Thomasen, team, The Silent Age, Thomas Ryder | Comments Off

Episode Two Released!

Posted on 16 Oct 2014 by Thomas

The Silent Age Episode Two has finally been released! Go get the full game for your favourite iOS, Android or Amazon device!

Episode Two is included in the current available app. If you already have the game installed, simply update the app, and Episode will be unlockable as an in-app purchase.

We’d like to thank all you great fans out there, who have supported our little dream project. It’s been quite a bumpy ride for all of us here at House on Fire, and your enthusiasm for the game has motivated us to work hard and do our very best. Hope you enjoy the final chapter.

Attention donors: We’re experiencing problems with the automatic unlock. If you experience problems unlocking, please forward us the email receipt you received from Apple or Google to info@houseonfire.dk, and we’ll send you an unlock code.

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