Scenario

Winter 2010. Just another random New York student heading back to Babi where he is originally from. Great time ahead for Lewis ! Partying all night in Rue Princesse (Princess Street), enjoying the garba on the sunny beaches, hanging out with old buddies and new encounters... Until a sudden change of atmosphere. What could have possibly gone wrong ? Nobody knows. It all went really fast... Within a few minutes everything went from harmony to drama: screaming, bombing, looting, violent clashes, food shortage, closure of borders. When Babi Joy becomes Babi Frayeur, what was meant to be a dream holiday increasing looks like a commando mission. What to do now ? Fight or Fraya ? Fight to Fraya ? You choose.

Screenshots

Frequently asked questions

1. Why bother building a game to begin with ?

The long term goal is to build a virtual world. So far I learned some of the concepts and techniques required in terms of programming, networking, illustration and animation to name a few. During this learning experience, I built a working prototype which is very basic though. I have still got a lot to learn but to turn it into a full virtual world experience, the top requirements was probably content and ongoing entertainment. That's why it occured to me that building a game was the next logical step.

2. Why make a silverlight game now ?

Silverlight brings the power of the Microsoft .NET framework to the web browser, especially when it comes to multimedia projects (music, video, animation, games, etc). And I just happen to specialise in those Microsoft technologies.
Ok, let's face it, Silverlight for Windows and Mac is getting obsolete, so this is probably the last chance (or not?) to release a silverlight game before it gets completely deprecated and replaced with alternative technologies.
#ThreeWordsToLiveBy Just Do It. Later we will see where/how to port next games/versions.

3. Yes but HTML5 is big now, why not HTML5 ?

It's not just that it still makes sense to use Silverlight based on my current skills set, there are a few others incentives to do so. For instance, my mentor Darren Mart recently released RAGE (Retro Adventure Game Environment) which is what I needed to start off with my first game. Also, this work could integrates more smoothly with my other .NET projects if required. Finally, it's not Silverlight VS HTML5. Silverlight will not replace HTML nor does it intend to. It's more like a special kind of tool for a special kind of job.

4. Why choose the ivorian crisis as game topic ?

A wise guy once said: If there is something really awesome, and you can't understand why somebody hasn't done it before, it's because you haven't done it yourself. That's DIY for those in the know: Do It Yourself.

I couldn't find any point-and-click game about the #CIV2010 story, not even an adventure game about the Ivory Coast. So there we go.

5. Who? Me?

I am Necemon Yai, Microsoft .NET technology specialist. Full time developer. Part time digital artist, strategist, essayist and entreprenerd.

More games in the same genre

If you like Babi Fraya, you are going to love the Buddy Knavery series.

In praise of Silverlight

Here are a couple of comments from .NET experts that explain clearly why Silverlight is still relevant :

I believe that Silverlight is your best option right now. It's a mature product, and obviously does what you want it to do. Silverlight will be supported by Microsoft for at least 10 years, so there's really no need to be worried right now about its future. I really wouldn't be looking to swap to anything else if I were you. Your other options are:

• WinForms (mature, but won't run on Mac, and is not being advanced any further)
• WPF (mature, but won't run on Mac, and is on the way out)
• ASP.NET/HTML (gives you reach, but is more difficult to develop for, and you won't be able to communicate with the device), and
• Metro (which is Windows 8 only, immature, and won't be out 'til later this year).

Really, Silverlight is your best option right now, and probably will be for quite some time yet. Like so many technologies Silverlight still has a place until something better comes along (which it hasn't just yet).
from Chris Anderson

When Silverlight was first created, it was intended as an all-purpose way to build rich web pages, and a competitor to Adobe Flash. However, in the several Silverlight versions since, the world has changed. Although Adobe Flash is still supported by virtually every desktop computer, it's been locked out of popular Apple products like the iPhone and iPad. As a result, the mobile world is gravitating to different solutions, including native applications (which are limited to just one operating system) or HTML5. A broad consensus exists that HTML5 is the future of the Web, someday. However, the features that HTML5 promises (when it's fully adopted) still fall far short of the features that are available today in Flash and Silverlight. For some applications, these shortcomings don’t matter. And, without doubt, the capabilities of HTML5 will strengthen in the future. But in the meantime, developers are forced choosing between features now, if they need them (in which case they're likely to pick Silverlight) and the broadest possible compatibility for all computers and mobile devices (in which case they’ll probably prefer HTML5). This dilemma is also described as rich versus reach. Silverlight is the rich side of this equation—it gives applications the most powerful and mature feature set. HTML5 is the reach, because it embraces every modern desktop browser. Because of this upheaval, many Silverlight developers are uncertain about exactly where their favorite technology fits into the world of web development. And while the future is far from certain, here are a few points to keep in mind:

• Silverlight has features that have no HTML5 equivalent: Even in the browsers that offer the best possible HTML5 support fall behind Silverlight in a few key ares. They can’t offer the same video streaming features, the same hardware-accelerated graphics, or the same deep networking support. Nor do they support file access, out-of-browser applications, or the ability to call Windows system components. And it’s hard to imagine HTML5 ever duplicating some of Silverlight’s more specialized features, like the PivotViewer control that fuses together data filtering, fluid animations, and image scaling in one easy-to-use package.
• Silverlight has a higher-level programming API: Features like data binding, styles, and templates may not be essential for building an application, but they are important for building one quickly and efficiently. Many things that are possible in HTML5 are a managibility nightmare in all but the most disciplined hands. The JavaScript language is notoriously lax in letting syntax errors slide, all animation routines must be written by hand, and multithreading support is clumsy at best.
• Silverlight has top-tier development tools: Thanks to Visual Studio, you can build a Silverlight application just as easily as you build a desktop program. Add Expression Blend to the picture, and you also have a way to define and customize rich graphical effects, like animations.
• Silverlight offers ASP.NET integration: In particular, Silverlight makes it easy to query server-side databases through a web service. This state of affairs has led some developers to speculate that even when HTML5 does finally conquer the world, Silverlight may remain as a first choice for line-ofbusiness development inside closed company networks, for mobile development and/or it may gradually transition into a more specialized tool for cutting-edge games and video players.

No one's quite sure of Silverlight's future. One thing is settled, however: Silverlight will never replace HTML as the main language for creating traditional, public websites—nor does it intend to.
from Matthew MacDonald in 'Pro Silverlight 5 in C#'

Credits

Direction/Production
Programming
Graphic Design and Illustration
Animation, Choreography and Special effects
Screenplay and Casting
French<->English Translation
Necemon Yai

Game Engine Conception
Game Engine Training
Game Development Mentorship
Darren Mart

Music
Ivoire/US Megamixes - DJ BDK
Au bout des reves (instrumental) - Booba
Desole (instrumental) - Sexion d'Assaut
Balamb Garden - Final Fantasy 8
Don't be afraid - Final Fantasy 8
Ignition (instrumental) - R. Kelly
Naruto Battle Theme
Heart Of The Sea - Soundjay.com
Cautious Path - Soundjay.com
Ikana Canyon - The Legend Of Zelda

Sound effects
soundbible.com
soundjay.com
freesfx.co.uk

Photography
abidjan.net
avenue225.com
gettyimages.co.uk

Special Thanks
Darren Mart - for his advices and for making R.A.G.E
Cyr Leonce, Eric Agnissan, Fancy, Fyfy, Karen Kakou, Nanda and Wognan - For their support and suggestions
Microsoft Developer Division - Home of Visual Studio, Expression Blend and Silverlight

This game is dedicated to Simon Hatchard and Tom John, my bosses.