The seeds of this creative outlet we call Sawblade Software were sewn a long while ago. During our formative years we drew a lot of pictures, played a lot of Super Nintendo, learned how to blow stuff up, discovered some really cool music, and filmed some sick movies. There was an attempt to make a huge game based on the Marathon engine, but the project was too ambitious and the level design tools were too buggy. Then things really started going downhill: growing up meant sitting in traffic jams on commuter highways, paying taxes, and struggling to survive a day at the office after the requisite catharsis of a Cradle of Filth concert. So I bailed. This Sawblade Software thing is no opiate, but it's a temporary and, God willing, profitable escape to a place where the work is meaningful, the hours are flexible, and the people all around are much more alive.

Fabricating Fun, Flushing Frustration
We all seem to have more fun when we're making things. Drawing, building, composing, programming, writing, sculpting... there are a lot of outlets for creativity. And here, at least in theory, is another one: Power Game Factory. We're guessing that video games could be even more fun to make than they are to play, at least if it weren't for the challenges accompanying computer programming. That's why Power Game Factory was designed to let you avoid those technical roadblocks and focus on the creative aspects of game design. We think that anyone who puts some effort into using Power Game Factory could end up with a cool project and a potentially large, appreciative audience.

Welcome, Mac Addicts
Sawblade Software designs software for the Macintosh because it's a great computer... and because we have no clue how to make this stuff work on Windows. We admire the Bungie Software of the 90s: a creative force that understood what the Mac was all about and gave people what they wanted, with a few surprises thrown in. While we can't match Bungie's volume of output, we can certainly work in their spirit while striving to make the most of our limited potential.

Read on to become an expert on Sawblade Software's murky past and peculiar present. Watch out for all the half-truths; take everything with a grain of salt (except for the bit about our contributions to the World Food Programme.)



Our mascot, Mooserider Julie

 
Power Game Factory Version 1.1 Press Release
Read about the new version of Power Game Factory
World Food Programme Donation Press Release
Read about how Sawblade Software donated money to help reduce hunger.
Order Tracker Availability Press Release
Find out about the release of Order Tracker

MacAddict is Excited About Power Game Factory. Check out the August 2005 Issue!

Check out MacWorld's News article: Power Game Factory Creator Hopes to Inspire Creativity.
More Sawblade Software Press Coverage...
 
Important Dates in Sawblade Software History:

October 2000
Sawblade Software's founder figures out how to program in Java class. The fruits of his labor survive to this day, but they're crap.

September 27, 2001
The first lines of code are written for Greenland Invasion, a side-scroller for the Mac, designed as a college thesis project.

April 26, 2002
Greenland Invasion makes its debut in a packed auditorium at Hampshire College. Four volunteers are picked from the audience to compete for the highest score. The contest ensues flawlessly, followed by much hugging and hand-shaking.

July 8, 2002
The first copy of The Green Machine is sold for $15. It is an enhanced version of Greenland Invasion with completely modifiable game content.

August 4, 2002
Work begins on a user friendly side scrolling game design application called Power Game Factory. It would eventually emerge as a huge improvement over The Green Machine.

March 30, 2004
Sawblade Software's founder quits his day job due to his intent to experience a life of bliss. Even with all the free time in the world, he somehow still can't manage to finish Power Game Factory.

October 1, 2004
After two years of relatively hard work on Power Game Factory, it is feature complete and largely free of bugs.

January 2005
The Power Game Factory box and promotional materials are designed and sent to press.

Later in 2005
Power Game Factory is released. The Macintosh community braces for a slew of bad 2D games.


2007-2008
Numerous Power Game Factory 1.1 beta releases are showered upon unsuspecting forum readers.


February 2009
Finally, the official release of Power Game Factory 1.1.

  Sawblade Software Statistics:

Company Founder: Jesse, a.k.a. Worm [Formerly known as DJ W0rm]; Learn Worm's cooking secrets here. Personal web page available here.

Official Mascot: Mooserider Julie. Learn about her here.

Macs used to make Power Game Factory: 867 MHz PowerMac QuickSilver G4, circa 2001; 1.8 GHz single-CPU PowerMac G5, circa 2004; 2.4 GHz Core 2 Duo iMac, circa 2007. Additionally, G3 and G4 iMacs were used briefly early in PGF development.

Programming Language used:
Power Game Factory was originally programmed in REALbasic 4.5.2. It has 126991 lines of code, not including comments. The game engine used REALbasic 5.5.5. The newest version of the engine uses REALbasic 2008 Release 5, and utilizes tools provided by Monkeybread Software and the TinRocket SuperSpriteSurface framework.

Official Programming Music: Disco Volante, by Mr. Bungle [we found the secret song!]

Official Driving to the Post Office Music: Mit Gas, by Tomahawk, released 2003 [it's very ominous.]

Things We Prefer: Corn, New Zealand, iTunes, seaweed, Mastodon music, and brown rice

Favorite Books: Growing Up Absurd, by Paul Goodman; Interest and Inflation Free Money, by Margrit Kennedy, Published by Seva International, 1995

Favorite Article of Clothing: Wool Hat [Stolen in 2003]

Location of Original Power Game Factory Design Notes: [in the same backpack as the Wool Hat]

Favorite Super Nintendo Games: Star Fox, by Nintendo EAD and Argonaut, released 1993; Super Metroid, by Nintendo Team Shikamaru ("Deer Force"), released 1994.

Favorite Mac Game: Pathways Into Darkness, by Bungie Software, released 1993.

Favorite Mac Game That Was Never Released: Project Skatepark [an ingenious hybrid of Castlevania, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater, and the archetypical Japanese Dating Simulation, set in a modern-day New Jersey apartment complex that looks like it belongs in the Weimar Republic of the late 1920s. One of the project leaders is now employed by Oracle.]

Exit Strategy: The dissolution of the company, and the even division of assets and fat wads of cash among everyone involved.


We Work In A Boat!
Sawblade Software makes its home in a toxic cargo vessel that we salvaged from the Alang shipbreaking yard. When we first discovered the ship, it was full of asbestos, lead paint, PCBs and explosive gases. We didn't want the workers at Alang (see photo) to be exposed to the ship's dangers, so we smuggled it to a secret location near the coast of the Fairly Fruited Plain and set to work restoring it and converting its lower decks into office space.

As you can see, our facilities still aren't sterile, but Julie promises to disinfect everything when she returns from her latest mooseriding expedition. We like it here. See the smokestack? Julie's cat Uji jumped off it and fell right through the roof of the cabin. He's ok though.

Amidst the Stench, a Social Conscience
Our experience at the Alang shipbreaking yard reminded us that all is not well with the world. Poverty, sub-par working conditions, and inequality threaten to halt the progress of the developing world, and we want to do our part to promote change. That's why five percent of Sawblade Software's earnings are donated to the United Nations World Food Programme, one of the most important organizations in the fight against global hunger.

Corporate Info
Sawblade Software is a sole proprietorship based in Litchfield, Connecticut. As explained in our privacy statement, we will not share your personal information with anyone. Our software comes with a license agreement that you'll find to be more relaxed than usual. We think that by letting you make a copy of your Power Game Factory CD for a friend, we'll earn karma points and the people at Slashdot won't hate us so much. Read the license here.



Sawblade Software's Corporate Headquarters
Visiting hours are M-F, 10:00 AM-4:00 PM