ArteBirklaus

Bluesky

I became a Bluesky user in 2024. Follow me here for updates on the game and streams.

Merchandize based on my art and games

Game development road-map

Update, January 2025: I am working on the Beta-version of Warlock's Gantlet: This will be a "vertical slice" of the full game. It will feature: * A procedurally generated open world (already well underway) with towns/villages, varying landscapes and access to procedurally generated, instanced dungeons * Shops with a bartering-system (also well underway) * Implementation of final environmental/physics mechanics, such as water, shock-waves, pushing etc. * Some new enemies/NPCs * Some new weapons and spells * Possibly a climbing mechanic

What I'm currently working on:

I am currently working on sword-&-sorcery themed, first person, open world, ARPG, with "Indiana Jones style" puzzles. It is called Warlock's Gantlet. (No, I have not misspelled "gauntlet", I have simply elected to use the somewhat archaic, but still correct spelling "gantlet" ; ) In 2021 I worked on a very complex 2D strategical RPG. I have not completely abandoned that project. The idea is to make this FPS with just a few of the ideas from that game included. Then I'll try to build another game on top of that which includes more of those ideas and is more of an RPG. Repeat this process over several years and if I am successful I should end up with several interesting games and a first-person open-world RPG of great complexity and playability. Wish me luck!

My itch.io page

Here you can download a game I've made, called Copenhagen Crisis, for free. You can also get my latest art-tool, which I call "Kaleidomancer".

Chat courtesy

I want this to be a relaxing and entertaining space. My art is escapism for the sake of enjoyment. Thus: 1) Absolutely no real life politics or religion, and no other obviously contentious subjects. That's how arguments get started. 2) No rude behaviour or strong language, please. 3) Please avoid spamming, ASCII-art, bad-faith-comments, etc. 4) Keep complaining to a minimum; If you are a regular and you mostly contribute in a positive way, it's ok to share a bit on a bad day, just be mindful not to drag the mood down too much. 5) Generally, I'd like to keep the chat English, but it's ok to post in another language, as long as you're prepared to explain, verbatim, in English, what you're writing about. (I do enjoy learning new things about languages.) I and my moderators will try to warn those who do not follow these guidelines, but repeated offences will most likely get you banned. When it comes to the interpretation of the rules, my opinion is the rule.

About me

My name is Niklas Björkeroth, but online, people often call me "Arte", which is derived from the name of my business- and online-name "Arte Birklaus". If you're curious, "Arte" is the Italian word for "art", and hence, should be pronounced in Italian. "Birklaus" is a play on my family name. I was born in Lund, Sweden, in January 1982 and I live in Copenhagen, Denmark. I have drawn and painted, and loved doing that, for as long as I can remember. I have always liked computer games very much, and since around 2018, I've studied programming on my own in order to make my dream games. Apart from games, I have a great curiosity in low-level computing, wherefore I currently study processor design. Over the last 4 years, I have transitioned from working a "dayjob" (nights actually) as a nurse, to becoming a "computer scientist". I am currently employed part-time as a research assistant at the Computer Science department at the University of Copenhagen.

I post here very infrequently, but I still do, so if you want to follow the development of Warlock's Gantlet, you can do it here as well.

My Discord

This is my own Discord server, where everyone who enjoys my streams, videos or projects can meet and chat. I'll also use it to promote new YouTube videos and announce streams.