Ben Allen
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benal.itch.io
Ben Allen
@benal.itch.io
game maker.
he/him
hey not bad! i like the little harmony that comes in at 00:16. i tried learning music making a few years ago and actually made some progress but didnt stick with it.
November 14, 2025 at 11:54 PM
Average vs median strikes again
November 14, 2025 at 6:59 PM
Yeah I find ties fun in moderation, especially in 2 player games where there’s a “count all of the points up” phase. Seeing that both of us have the exact same point total is always a “WOAH THAT WAS CLOSE” moment, not a “aw bummer” moment
November 12, 2025 at 5:16 PM
They’re identical, I think the only reason why they haven’t removed the variable_ versions is to prevent older projects that use it from breaking
November 7, 2025 at 3:28 PM
Hot tip! Some time ago GM added struct functions without “variable_” prepended to them. So struct_get_names and struct_get should also work (if you’re not in a super old version of gm)
November 7, 2025 at 3:23 PM
Congrats! The game looks like tons of fun
November 6, 2025 at 8:33 PM
Reposted by Ben Allen
I will say this: a lot of new folks are clinging to a nostalgia for ‘getting a publisher’ as a marker of validation, of being a ‘real game’.

And I’m here to tell you that’s bollocks. They need you more than you need them. If they can provide a service, awesome, but you hold the means of production.
October 18, 2025 at 9:20 PM
Reposted by Ben Allen
I was interviewed about Vampire's Best Friend's development!
itsalwaysaugusthere.substack.com/p/sinksadven...

we talk about how limitations can help you finish games, my past projects informing the design of VBF, and staying encouraged when the odds of success are low
SinksAdventure flaps by to talk about making Vampire's Best Friend
A different metroidvania, chosen limitations, and lots of garlic!
itsalwaysaugusthere.substack.com
October 11, 2025 at 3:24 PM
I like prime 2 a lot, but it does handle this worse since you can’t even see the sky temple keys until you have a late game item and can’t reach the drop off area until fairly late either, so most of that hunt will have to happen much later in the game than in prime 1
October 14, 2025 at 7:17 PM
Eh I don’t really agree with that. You can get to the area where you drop off artifacts right after you find the missile launcher, and that area has a free artifact in it. So it’s not unreasonable for someone to learn about the egg hunt much earlier than the beginning of the game.
October 14, 2025 at 7:17 PM
As long as you turn off the hint system at the start, prime at least has the facade of being non linear. The artifacts becoming accessible throughout the whole game but only being needed at the very end helps too
October 14, 2025 at 2:05 PM
Sucky state gets suckier, alas
September 30, 2025 at 2:38 AM