Sunday 31 July 2011
Themed areas
Red Dead Redemption getting free DLC
Battlefield 3 more compact on consoles
Dragon Age II yanked due to Steam restrictions ? EA
The Island Today
Avatar Kinect ready for download
New Game Development Education on App Hub for the Windows Phone Mango Tools Release
Today, along with the release of the new Windows Phone Developer Tools for Mango, we are proud to announce a set of new and updated samples and articles tailored for Windows Phone game developers to get up to speed on Mango changes quickly, all free, and all on App Hub!
To jump right in, see the new and improved Game Development page on App Hub with a section just for Windows Phone OS 7.1 and the Mango Tools.
Here's a full list of the new and updated samples and articles:
Articles
What's New for Games in Mango
This high-level article calls out a few of the changes in Windows Phone OS 7.1 and Windows Phone Developer Tools that affect game developers.
XNA Game Studio or Silverlight - Which is Right for Me? (Updated for Mango)
This article, which discusses the differences between Silverlight and XNA Game Studio on Windows Phone, has been updated to include information about the new combined Silverlight and XNA architecture in Mango.
Migration Guide: From the Game Class to Silverlight/XNA
This article explains why and how to move your Windows Phone game to an architecture that integrates Silverlight with the XNA Framework.
Visual Basic Support in XNA Game Studio
Beginning with XNA Game Studio 4.0 Refresh, the XNA Framework expands programming language support to include Visual Basic (VB). This article introduces basic XNA Game Studio programming concepts for Windows Phone in VB.
Samples
Game State Management (Updated for Mango)
This popular sample, showing how to manage the transitions among menus and gameplay states, has been updated for Mango to handle the new Fast App Switching feature in Mango.
Paddle Battle
This new sample shows a very basic game written on top of the new Silverlight/XNA application model.
Model Viewer Demo
This new sample showcases a complex application built on top of the Silverlight/XNA application model, leveraging full 3D rendering, Silverlight’s animation engine, and the use of dependency properties to act as the proxy between Silverlight UI and the XNA Framework based rendering system.
Silverlight/XNA Game Components
This new sample provides an implementation and demonstration of a GameComponent system for use in games leveraging Silverlight and the XNA Framework.
Check out these samples and many more in the Education Catalog on App Hub!
Island Paint-Over
Updates to the Top Downloads Channel on Xbox LIVE Indie Games
To our Xbox LIVE Indie Games Community:
We have recently made changes to the way games are chosen and sorted in the Xbox LIVE Indie Games top downloads channel on the Xbox 360 Dashboard.
Previously games were selected and ordered based on the previous day’s sales information. This caused an illusion of the channel being frozen if sales data was delayed as well as exposing an instability in the channel due to occasional daily spikes.
To improve this experience, we have changed the time interval from daily to rolling weekly. What this means is that the top downloads channel will show games based on the previous week’s data each day. Though it will be slightly more difficult to get on the list in the first place, the top downloads channel will be more reliable and less likely to be affected by daily delays or issues.
We believe this change will make for a more stable and correct top downloads channel for Xbox LIVE Indie Games providing users with a better view of the top downloaded titles and developers with a better opportunity to maintain their spot on the top downloaded channel. Visit the Top Downloads forums thread to discuss this change with the community!
Island Snapshot
Japan's 'black swan': Scientists ponder the unparalleled dangers of unlikely disasters
Suda 51 aims for bloody social game
Update on Indie Games Ratings
To our Xbox LIVE Indie Games Community:
We’ve heard your feedback and have made some changes to the ratings system on Xbox.com. Starting today, only users with Xbox LIVE Gold subscriptions will be allowed to rate content on the Xbox.com website. By implementing this change, we believe our customers will experience more consistent ratings and a significantly reduced potential for abuse across the entire Xbox catalog. We have also investigated rolling back suspect votes, however, we determined it will not be possible to do this.
In addition, we are investigating users who may have violated their user agreement during this series of events. Violating user agreements may result in actions up to and including banning from Xbox LIVE, removal of currently posted games, and loss of ability to post games in the future.
We appreciate everyone’s patience on this matter and are excited about the fantastic games being posted to Xbox 360 through the Xbox LIVE Indie Games program.
Former intelligence chief Dennis Blair: U.S. should suspend unilateral drone strikes in Pakistan
For months officials in Pakistan have been demanding an end to CIA drone strikes in the country, and the brokering of a new relationship that would make them equal partners in the pursuit of terrorist groups.
Now they have an unlikely ally in their demands: the former director of U.S. intelligence agencies, Dennis C. Blair.
Speaking at a conference in Aspen, Colo., this week, Blair said the Obama administration should suspend the drone campaign, and resume firing missiles only in cases when there is agreement from Pakistan.
Read full article >>
Google sacrifices Google Labs to 'product focus'
Sad news for anyone who has enjoyed a giddy thrill or two of playing with a freshly released app from Google Labs: Google has announced it's closing down the labs and killing off many of the experimental products created therein, all in the name of incr
Game Connection Thoughts
GDC Playtesting; the island shrinks again?
New Developer Education for WP7 Games Today on App Hub
Today, as part of the Create Games for Windows Phone 7 Educational Series on App Hub, we’re proud to announce the launch of nine brand-new educational items to make your Windows Phone 7 games even better.
Check out the Educational Roadmap to download these and other great educational items. Here’s what you’ll find there:
Take this complete 2D action lab for a spin - avoid the bees and steal as much honey as you can before time runs out. Build it from scratch or modify the finished version; the choice is yours.
Card Game Starter Kit: Blackjack
Interested in building a card game? This starter kit for Windows Phone, Xbox 360 and Windows includes an easily-extensible card game framework and drawing system; Blackjack is included to get you started.
Avoiding the Windows Phone Watchdog
If you're planning to take your game onto Windows Phone 7 hardware, read this article to learn about the Watchdog, and get tips on how to keep your application safe from it.
Add an immersive camera shaking and controller or phone vibration effect to your Windows Phone, Xbox 360, or Windows game.
Take full advantage of touch input; learn how to make a game object follow a path drawn on the screen by touch.
Render using multiple viewports in Windows Phone, Xbox 360, and Windows; used for multiplayer games - or anywhere you want multiple views of a scene at once.
Using the accelerometer on Windows Phone 7, this sample gives the player's view an unparalleled sense of depth.
Use this set of extensible control classes to simplify scrolling lists, page flipping, and panels for your game's user interface.
Get real-world insight into Windows Phone 7 features and performance optimization for games by watching the pros at this year's PDC; available for on-demand streaming.
Grab all of these items today on the Educational Roadmap!
New Developer Education for WP7 Games Today on App Hub
Today, as part of the Create Games for Windows Phone 7 Educational Series on App Hub, we’re proud to announce the launch of nine brand-new educational items to make your Windows Phone 7 games even better.
Check out the Educational Roadmap to download these and other great educational items. Here’s what you’ll find there:
Take this complete 2D action lab for a spin - avoid the bees and steal as much honey as you can before time runs out. Build it from scratch or modify the finished version; the choice is yours.
Card Game Starter Kit: Blackjack
Interested in building a card game? This starter kit for Windows Phone, Xbox 360 and Windows includes an easily-extensible card game framework and drawing system; Blackjack is included to get you started.
Avoiding the Windows Phone Watchdog
If you're planning to take your game onto Windows Phone 7 hardware, read this article to learn about the Watchdog, and get tips on how to keep your application safe from it.
Add an immersive camera shaking and controller or phone vibration effect to your Windows Phone, Xbox 360, or Windows game.
Take full advantage of touch input; learn how to make a game object follow a path drawn on the screen by touch.
Render using multiple viewports in Windows Phone, Xbox 360, and Windows; used for multiplayer games - or anywhere you want multiple views of a scene at once.
Using the accelerometer on Windows Phone 7, this sample gives the player's view an unparalleled sense of depth.
Use this set of extensible control classes to simplify scrolling lists, page flipping, and panels for your game's user interface.
Get real-world insight into Windows Phone 7 features and performance optimization for games by watching the pros at this year's PDC; available for on-demand streaming.
Grab all of these items today on the Educational Roadmap!
Activists, lawmakers renew push to end military?s ban on women in combat roles
After 10 years of war, the work of women in the military is increasingly equal with that of men and yet, under a Defense Department policy, they are still technically barred from combat roles. That, some lawmakers, activists and service members fear, has meant their absence in the higher echelons of the force.
On Thursday, an overwhelmingly female group of lawmakers, activists and service members gathered on Capitol Hill as the Caucus on Women in the Military called for the removal of the policy, which states that women may not operate on the front lines of combat ? ?well forward on the battlefield? ? or in places where they cannot be accommodated, long taken to mean environments like submarines.
Read full article >>1991: United States hopes for Soviet partnership
MOSCOW ? President George H.W. Bush flew to Moscow at the end of July 1991 for a somewhat hastily arranged summit with Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev. They signed the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, talked about U.S. support for Soviet economic reform and agreed that Washington and Moscow were going to be happy partners in world affairs.
Twenty years later, hindsight shows that the idea of a constructive relationship with the Soviet Union was missing the point. (Actually, that was already pretty clear only 20 weeks later.) But American optimism is a force to be reckoned with, and this was the beginning of two decades of hopeful expectation that Moscow was on the verge of becoming a reliable and capable partner ? an expectation that has waxed and waned but is still out there today, in the form of President Obama?s reset.
Read full article >>Why aren?t video games satisfying?
Nintendo?s Wii U on par with Xbox 360, PlayStation 3
Ahoy matey! There?s screenshots on the horizon!
Las Vegas, Nevada ? July 8th, 2011- As the launch date closes in, Pirates of the Flying Fortress? is showing more and more of its shine and polish. Debuted at the recent E3 in Los Angeles, the expansion has received an immense amount of positive feedback from the gaming community and the reason is obvious. An expansion that was truly made for fans, these brand new screens are worth a thousand words, all of which circle the subject of ?look how far we have come?.
Reality Pump has really pulled out all of the stops with Pirates of the Flying Fortress?. Revamping the engine, adding tons of new changes including dialogue animations and all new voice over talent, as well as the goodies that come naturally with an expansion like equipment and environments, a plethora of side quests and a main story arc that will shake even the most veteran of gamers to their core.
Check out these new screenshots below. Official website: http://potff.twoworlds2.com/en/
About TopWare Interactive
TopWare Interactive, headquartered in Karlsruhe, Germany, is an international interactive entertainment software company. Founded in 1991, the company develops, publishes, and distributes interactive software on most current gen gaming platforms including PC, XBOX 360�, Playstation� 3, and Wii?. A privately held company, TopWare is the first German based company appointed as a licensed worldwide publisher for both Microsoft and Sony for their respective platforms, and has additional offices in Las Vegas, Nevada and Petaluma, California.
For additional information, please visit TopWare's website: www.topware.com
PC Game Reviews and News
AT&T agrees to buy T-Mobile USA
Jay Is Games: The Lance
Make ready thine lance, young knight! And then make ready to hand it off to thine children, because thou art about to get thine hind end kicked. Joust for the ultimate price (the fabled "the lance") against powerful knights and the king's own Champion in this adorable action game that's a snap to play and a joy to behold. Tagged as: action, alavelle, arcade, armorgames, browser, fantasy, flash, free, game, jimp, kmacleod, macwinlinux, rating-g, upgrades
Grey Alien Games: Casual Connect Summary
Photo by John Geoffrey Newman
I went to Casual Connect in Amsterdam back in early 2008 and it was an awesome experience. I met tons of fellow casual game developers and there were lots of great talks that were relevant to me.
This week I went to Casual Connect in Seattle, which I’d never been to before. When I worked at Big Fish Games I kept asking if I could go but they typically only send “biz dev” types to it. This time, however, I was a speaker on an indie panel and so I got to go for free, which was awesome.
This post is about my experience at Casual Connect rather than being a comprehensive overview or something.
Flash Gaming Summit
On the Monday before Casual Connect I went to the Flash Gaming Summit. It was pretty informative. There was news about Flash’s molehill (now called Stage3D) which is coming soon, and Unity’s forthcoming ability to export to Flash via Stage3D.
Also there was a very interesting talk about Everybody Edits which is an online multiplayer microtransaction game made in Flash that seems to be doing well. Seeing as there’s kind of a ceiling limit on how much money you can make from Flash Game License, making an online multiplayer game and using stuff like PlayerIO to do the backend stuff is probably something we’ll be seeing more of in the next few years.
Casual downloads really are dying now
Things have changed a lot in the casual space over the last few years and now download games for PC/Mac are not the main topic of Casual Connect at all. Mobile and Social games are what everyone is talking about. In fact I’d say that social mobile games (free to play games with in-app purchases) were the darling of the show as people are realising that it’s very hard for small teams without a crazy ad spend budget to make Facebook games
Also a new term floating around is midcore – this means games that aren’t hardcore or casual, somewhere in between. I’m going to be making some midcore games soon too.
Big Fish and iOS
Paul Thelen, founder of Big Fish Games, did a talk about their iOS distribution stuff which was very informative. He said that the iOS counterparts of good HOGs (Hidden Object Games) make about half as much money as the download versions, which was $500,000. Pretty good. Every one of their games is linked to other their games so the cross-selling potential is massive and works very well.
Geordi La Forge
I got a photo taken with LeVar Burton! Recently I got one with Sulu and Uhura form the original Trek series and so I thought I’d better get LeVar while he was in the area.
Talks
There weren’t many talks about game design which was a shame, and there weren’t many indie talks. Most talks were about social or mobile and the last day had talks about sound and investment. I didn’t got to a ton of talks and panels anyway because the networking was so good (more on this later).
Portals should stop ripping off developers
The PopCap CEO said that he thought casual download portals should stop ripping off devs and pay them a similar amount to Apple or Steam (70% instead of 35% or less basically). I applauded that.
I also heard that some casual portals are going to be distributing more non-casual titles. If that’s the case then then they’ll need to boost their royalty rates to compete with better established non-casual portals anyway. Also BFG said they are going to be distributing more “outlier” content on iOS which means non-casual titles that fit into the midcore category I mentioned earlier.
Networking and Indie events
Casual Connect is great for networking. I kept on bumping into people I knew and also got introduced to many more people. I was there for two reasons: to talk to casual game portals about opportunities for existing IP and to meet up with indies. There were two indie events on in the same week, the indiegamer forum dinner which was cool, and a large gathering of indies showing off great games at the Seattle Indie Expo, which was way cool.
I also hung out with lots of Vancouverites including Shane Neville and Stephen MacDonald (we all crammed in the same hotel room), and Andy Moore from Victoria, and they kept introducing me to knew people, which was cool.
I got some Grey Alien Games T-shirts printed so I could wear them every day at the conference and this helped people quickly identify me. I’ll be wearing them at PAX Dev later in the year too.
Oh and there were LOTs of great parties with free drinks, plus I kept getting free food because I was a speaker, which was awesome.
Spring Bonus on iOS
I also had a meeting with Big Fish Games and some other publishers to show them Spring Bonus on iPad. It was well received and I hope that it will be accepted and launched soon. Stay tuned for more details in the coming months.
Overall a great week, but tiring as I find all conferences are. Glad to be home typing this up and relaxing.
How was your experience?
Did you go to Casual Connect? How did you find it?
Graphics Tech: Shadow Maps (part 2): Save 25% texture memory, and possibly much more.
Five Practical Mobile Learning Tips
Telltale at San Diego Comic Con 2011: Day 2
Another day at San Diego Comic Con, another video from your friends at Telltale Games!
Thursday, yesterday, was the first official day of the convention and activity at our booth (#5337 for the thousandth time) reached a fever pitch as we handed out our exclusive The Walking Dead poster tubes and mini-posters! The line was seemingly infinite but that's what happens when free stuff is thrown into the mix!
Shaun got a chance to sit down with Penny-Arcade's own Jerry Holkins (Tycho) and chat about his input on Poker Night at the Inventory and his thoughts on Telltale; Shaun seems to have had a great time doing that. He came back beaming.
We've also given press a new look at The Walking Dead and revealed the first in-game glimpse of Lee and Clementine, so that should be making the rounds this weekend!
Anyway, enough of my blabbering, watch our San Diego Comic Con 2011 Day 1 video!
India And The Mobile Internet Revolution
Three things in the article struck me as being spot on.
?Even though typical Indian consumers have no Internet access, they have a remarkable appetite for digital content. In fact, they [...]
Windows 7 business tablets: Fujitsu Stylistic Q550 vs. Motion CL900
With more than 25 million iPads sold during the device's first 15 months (according to this year's WWDC keynote address), there's no doubt that Apple has been the early winner in the tablet wars.
Brink DLC next week, free for 2 weeks
Dungeons of Dredmor
Jay Is Games: You Are Games: Letters In Boxes #8
We'll cut to the chase on this one: This Letters In Boxes challenge is a bit more hands-on than normal. Please note that this week, you may need access to a printer, some scissors and maybe some tape to solve some puzzles (it's possible to solve them without these things, but it will likely be much harder). We're always trying new things to keep the puzzling experience fresh. Tagged as: community, contest, lettersinboxes, puzzle, rating-g, riddle, youaregames
A glimpse into the terrain design process.
Two Mario games out this holiday for 3DS
One doctor's digital journey
AT&T, T-Mobile merger blasted
Next generation to bring a ?big leap? in graphics ? Square Enix
Saturday 30 July 2011
Age of Empires Online DLC details
Twitter and Facebook pages are now live.
New WP7 Games Educational Content on App Hub: Phase 3!
Today, a brand-new set of game development educational items are available on App Hub, in Phase 3 of the "Create Games for Windows Phone 7" educational series. In this release, you’ll find a grab-bag of new content, including a multi-platform tutorial and the popular Role Playing Game Starter Kit, now for Windows Phone 7.
Check out the Game Development educational page to download these and other great educational items. Here’s what you’ll find there:
Role Playing Game Starter Kit for Windows Phone 7
This popular starter kit, which contains everything you need to get started making your own Role Playing Game, has been upgraded to XNA Game Studio 4.0 for Windows, Xbox 360, and now, Windows Phone 7!
Multi-Platform Training Kit: Honeycomb Rush
Windows, Xbox 360, and Windows Phone 7 – your game can play on them all! Follow along with this training kit to learn how to take a Windows Phone 7 game into the world of Hi-Def on Windows and Xbox 360.
Bing Maps for Windows Phone 7 Games Sample
The world is your game board! Learn how to download and display mapping data from Bing Maps in XNA Game Studio to allow location-based gaming on Windows Phone 7.
Multiplayer Gaming Over HTTP Sample
Learn how your Windows Phone 7 game can support turn-based HTTP-request multiplayer play using XNA Game Studio and WCF. Both server and client code are included.
Reducing Load Times on Windows Phone 7 Games Article
Stuck with long load times for your game content on Windows Phone 7? Learn the pro tips in this article to reduce load times and get your players to the action quickly.
All of these items are also available on the Game Development education page!
Google Plus: Initial Impressions
It shouldn?t be surprising that [...]
Jay Is Games: Blipzkrieg
Blipzkrieg is a graphically simple but tactically rich real-time strategy game. In it, you command a blue circle and troops of yellow circles versus hordes of gray squares and their forces. Can you reach the portal on each level by overcoming the enemy? The game features 29 progressively-difficult stages and straight-forward mouse control. Tagged as: browser, flash, free, game, gameclay, macwinlinux, noonat, rating-g, realtime, retro, skill, strategy, tactical
Jay Is Games: The Vault
Games featured this week: Word Sandwich; Crossword; 8 Letters — I tried to do the cryptic crossword in this morning's paper, but sadly I couldn't even figure out 1-Across: Dancing Leap Mixes a Vital Jug (3, 5). Thankfully, when I need to recharge my active vocabulary, I never forget the JiG Vault. So what are we featuring this week, my lord? Words, Words, Words! Be sure to have your thesaurus at the ready for some language games that are worth at least a thousand pictures. Tagged as: blog, browser, thevault
The InfoWorld news quiz: July 29, 2011
You know you're in the dog days of July when everyone around you is panting. What's hot in tech this week? Google+ was given a D- by many of its 10 million+ members after the nascent social network began purging user accounts. The latest (greatest?) Windows phones began shipping in Japan; more crew members from the Lulz Boat got keelhauled; and Apple made the Mac Mini even more mini. Can you keep a cool head and ace our quiz while all of those around you are losing theirs? Then your air conditioning is probably working better. Give yourself 10 points for each correct answer, and try to avoid strenuous outdoor activity in the middle of the day. Now begin.
Consumer advocates: FCC should require more disclosure on political ads
3DS gets massive price cuts, Nintendo wants momentum
Budget Hero 2 Updated
- 80% of plays have resulted in complete games
- More than 7,400 people have shared demographics (gender, income, etc.)
- The average age of players is 39 years old
- The players are overwhelmingly male: 86% to 14%
- 29% of players identify as Democrats
- 29% Independent
- 20% Republican
- 11% Other
- 9% Libertarian
- 2% Green
American Public Media is one of the largest producers of public radio programming in the world, with a portfolio reaching 16 million listeners via nearly 800 radio stations nationwide each week. Programs include A Prairie Home Companion, Marketplace, Performance Today, The Splendid Table, On Being, American RadioWorks and many others. American Public Media's nearly 100,000 member-strong Public Insight Network promotes deep connections between journalists across the country and the communities they serve. American Public Media is the parent organization for Minnesota Public Radio, Southern California Public Radio and Classical South Florida. A complete list of stations, programs and additional services can be found at www.americanpublicmedia.org.
See also: Wilson Center Launches Budget Hero 2.0
PC Game Reviews and News
Jay Is Games: Weekend Download
Games featured this week: Momodora 2; Adventure: All in the Game; Station 37 — It's a Wkeneed Dwnalood mix-up edition! Do you like things? Things that are mixed up with other things to make yet another thing to love? Do you love liking mixed things that are things with other things? I hope you answered "what?" to at least one of those, because here come the games! Tagged as: blog, download, weekenddownload, windows
Jay Is Games: Weekend Download
Games featured this week: Momodora 2; Adventure: All in the Game; Station 37 — It's a Wkeneed Dwnalood mix-up edition! Do you like things? Things that are mixed up with other things to make yet another thing to love? Do you love liking mixed things that are things with other things? I hope you answered "what?" to at least one of those, because here come the games! Tagged as: blog, download, weekenddownload, windows
Developers' big decision: Whether to bet the farm on Facebook
Today's developers are all too aware of the dangers of vendor lock-in when choosing an application platform. Want to write apps for Apple iOS? Better learn Objective-C and the terms of the iTunes App Store. Android? That'll be Java coupled with Google's online infrastructure. Windows? Get ready to go exclusive with the likes of .Net, Visual Basic, and C#. None of these platforms makes it easy to port software to the others.