Archive for the ‘2.0’ tag
A ‘Max Adventure’ Update, Level Building Video
Back in June at Apple's WWDC 2010 in San Francisco, we had a chance to sit down with Natalia Luckyanova of , the folks who most recently brought us Harbor Master HD [free], to take a look at their upcoming dual-stick shooter Max Adventure, which we first previewed earlier in the year.
Max Adventure paints a friendly end-of-the-world scenario where all the adults have been abducted by aliens. That leaves you, young Max, as the only one who can save the other children and the world, in general.
We recently checked in with developer Keith Shepherd to find out how the game is coming along. As it turns out, a lot of progress has been made on the title since we saw it back in June. The game engine is now basically complete and the focus is currently on levels and content. Imangi is shooting for around 20 levels in Story Mode, with a handful of Survival maps available at launch. According to Keith, they're halfway there, with a mix of mission types currently in place:
- Rescue missions, where you go around saving kids trapped in the neighborhoods
- Escort missions, where you have a lead a particularly scared friend to safety while battling off enemies
- Area clearing missions, where you have to get rid of all the enemies in the area
- Bonus levels, where you get to run around and collect as much treasure as you can in a limited time
- Survival missions, where you have to fend off waves of enemies
- Boss battles
To give gamers an idea of what goes into putting a Max Adventure level together, Imangi recently released a time-lapse video that condenses four hours of level building footage into just three minutes. The video shows progress from a blank slate to a rough, playable draft, all within their own, custom-built, Mac OS X-based level editor. The accompanying score is taken from original, in-game music that Natalia is presently working on.
[ See our WWDC Max Adventure interview / hands-on footage. ]
Keith stresses that four hours to build a level may seem short, but it doesn't factor in the work put into the art assets by designer Kiril Tchangov, programming time, and play testing and tweaking time, which can take up to days for a single level.
And the latest addition to the game? Keith tells us that, recently added, is Max's ability to take over the flying pods of groups of aliens that attack on the wing, giving him the ability to take advantage of a pod's powerful weapons and to fly over low obstacles.
We'll post a close look at Max Adventure when it goes live in the App Store. Stay tuned.
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‘Risk: The Official Game’ Released – Here Are Some Better Unofficial Games
An official version of Risk [$4.99] just hit the App Store, and as I mentioned in the roundup from the recent EA event, this really seems like too little too late from the massive game developer. When third party software first graced the iPhone, it wasn't hard to see the potential that the touch interface had for board games, and this potential only grew as Apple implemented push notifications which allowed developers to create some extremely robust asynchronous multiplayer experiences. An absolutely fantastic example of this in the classic board game arena is Carcassonne [$4.99] which we detailed in our review not too long ago. In Carcassonne, developers masterfully duplicated the board game while providing more single player and multiplayer features than I think anyone was expecting when we first heard of the game.
In Risk: The Official Game, EA brings a fully licensed version of Risk to the App Store with futuristic looking graphics, a decent soundtrack, and all the same army fortifying dice rolling gameplay that has been evolving for the last 50 years through various iterations of the board game. You can either play single player against AI opponents, or play local multiplayer with up to 6 players on a single device, or up to 4 players with their own devices via WiFi or Bluetooth. There's a decent amount of stat tracking and achievements in game, but that's where the bells and whistles stop.
The problem with Risk is that the brand name is so powerful that I think that most people who are downloading it are just thinking, "Oh, finally, Risk for the iPhone!" without being aware of the many other better alternatives which aren't exactly the same as Risk, but scratch the same strategic dice rolling itch– Often with much more content, options, and game modes. If this applies to you, here are just a few of the better Risk knock-offs available on the App Store:
Lux DLX 2, $4.99 – This world conquest game which recently was updated to version 2.0 sports universal compatibility between the iPhone and iPad, single device multiplayer, challenging AI, and tons of new maps to play that can be downloaded within the game for free. If you want to try Lux before buying, there are two different free versions, Lux Touch, and Lux USA which are also universal apps.
Generals – Online Global Conquest!, $2.99 – Where Generals lacks in multiple maps it more than makes up for in the online multiplayer department. Like most Risk-like games, you can play locally on one device with human or AI opponents and Generals also allows you to organize online games over WiFi or 3G. Currently, games are played in real time online, but the developers are working on an update to add push notifications to allow for up to 20 games to be played simultaneously as well as more online game modes. The free version has ads and no multiplayer, but will give you a good idea of what you're getting in to.
Stratergery, $1.99 – Also a universal app, Strategery boasts single player, single device multiplayer, and online multiplayer with push notifications. My favorite thing about Strategery is that it randomly generates maps of four different sizes, which always keeps things fresh since you need to develop new strategies on the fly instead of just going by your old standby of building up armies in Australia. Strategery Lite is also available, which doesn't have any ads but lacks a few gameplay options and online multiplayer.
Dominion, $1.99 – Like the other games already mentioned, Dominion has local and online multiplayer with either classic world domination mode or objective based games. It has multiple maps and a full featured online component with asynchronous push alert powered play, player statistics, and a bunch of other goodies. Unfortunately, Dominion isn't universal so if you don't want to run the game pixel doubled on your iPad you will have to spring for Dominion HD.
Unless you really really need to play the official Risk game for some reason, I'd really give any of the four previously mentioned games a spin if you're looking for some awesome online world conquest action. At least for me, board games are exponentially more fun when you're playing with real people, and if the success of Words With Friends [$2.99 / Free] is any indication, most tend to agree.
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Three Free Titles During Donut Games Crazy Summer
‘Zen Bound 2′ Goes Universal – Looks Incredible on Retina Display
Last week we posted about dropping the price of Zen Bound 2 [$2.99] and submitting an update to add universal compatibility along with all kinds of new visual effects and other tweaks. Zen Bound 2 now uses full OpenGL ES 2.0 graphics on 3rd generation devices and newer which means even better shadows and lighting effects as well as even more detailed paint spread. When playing on the iPad, the random framerate drops have been completely fixed, and the game even performs a little better too. Also, third generation iPod touch and iPhone 3GS users will see incredibly smooth visuals with full anti-aliasing, and Zen Bound 2 looks simply incredible on the Retina Display of the iPhone 4.
If you were waiting for any reason, now is an absolutely fantastic time to pick up Zen Bound 2. It is filled with relaxing gameplay supplemented by one of the best (if not the best) soundtrack I've heard in an iPhone game, and the gameplay mechanic of rotating string around a 3D object to cover it in paint works phenomenally with the multi-touch controls of iOS devices– and even more so when you throw the gyroscope of the iPhone 4 in to the mix. Zen Bound 2 is the best looking game I've played on my iPhone 4, as Secret Exit's knack for creating lifelike textures and lighting effects is perfectly paired with the Retina Display to create an experience that looks nearly photorealistic, a term I never thought I'd ever use to describe an iPhone game.
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‘Castle Smasher’ Massive 2.0 Update – More Fun Than You Can Launch A Stone At
One of our favorite developers, Donut Games, has just released a huge free update to their game Castle Smasher that adds more than ten times the original content. Released over a year ago, Castle Smasher was just the second title from Donut Games to grace the App Store. The concept involves launching stones at a castle in order to slowly demolish it bit by bit, setting the angle and power of your catapult shot before letting it fly. Think Angry Birds with a little Breakout thrown in and you get an idea of the gameplay, although Castle Smasher predates Angry Birds by a long shot. There were 5 different castles to smash, but due to the arcade-like aspect of having to start from the beginning each time you ran out of stones it was difficult to ever see all 5, and the first couple grew tiresome after having to play them over repeatedly. Essentially, it lacked some of the thoughtful design of the later Donut Games.
Now Castle Smasher has been given an update that brings it more in line with what you might expect. Rather than releasing a separate sequel, 50 brand new levels have been added that include the wonderful 3 star achievement system Donut Games is known for. New elements like extra bouncy or flaming stones and additional enemy types lend some variation to the smashing of castles. These 50 levels are incredibly well designed and fun. The original game remains intact, appropriately titled Arcade Play, and there's even a randomly generated Target Practice mode thrown in for good measure.
The Target Practice could easily be its own game, and when I had merely just wanted to check out what it was like, I was surprised to find I had blown almost an hour playing it. Castle Smasher was relatively enjoyable to begin with, but the 2.0 update has pushed it amongst the elite of Donut Games and is highly recommended.
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‘Solomon’s Keep’ Version 2.0 Update – The Wizard Graduates With New Levels, Enemies, and Abilities… Oh My!
Early last month, dual-stick dungeon crawler Solomon's Keep was released onto the App Store. Successfully blending aspects from many similar games before it, it proved to be a surprisingly fun experience that we enjoyed in our review. As impressive as that initial release was, rather than resting on their laurels developer Raptisoft has been hard at work collecting user feedback regarding new ideas, gameplay tweaks, and bug-fixes to further improve their game. The latest culmination of this is the recently released version 2.0 update, which irons out the kinks that plagued the first version and adds a considerable amount of new content to play with.
One of the most significant improvements in 2.0 is the ability to weld offensive skills together. Combining 2 of the 3 primary attacks (Magic Missile, Lightning, or Fireball) creates an attack that carries attributes of both. As just one example, Lightning welded with Fireball creates an auto-targeting stream of fire called Flame Lash that's capable of exploding and arcing to multiple enemies at once. The characteristics of the welded attack you create depend on how extensively each individual skill has been upgraded at the time you combine them. The welding mechanic works extremely well and adds a whole new layer of strategy and customization to developing your character, as well as providing satisfying firepower.
Another welcome change is an extension to the game's length. There are now 13 dungeon floors versus 10, with an added boss fight on floor 11. After beating all 13 levels, you're given the ability to play through the dungeon over again on a harder difficulty while retaining all your previous skills and gear. This second run through the game is called Wizard mode, and once that has been completed a third even harder Archmage mode is waiting. There's also a new wizard in town that offers you specific meta-quests, called Feats, such as beating the game without using any potions or items. Acting similarly to achievements, these Feats provide even more interesting ways to play through Solomon's Keep.
In addition to these major enhancements, there's a multitude of bugs and glitches that have been taken care of, which was a point of contention in our initial review. Many other tweaks have been implemented to balance out the gameplay, as well as a few brand new items and secondary skills. Facebook connectivity also enters the fray so you can boast about your achievements (and failures) to your social networking cohorts. It's now a much more stable experience throughout, and taking into consideration all the new additions it feels like a much more complete game. With random level and item generation, and countless possibilities for character leveling, the replay value here is near infinite.
What started as a somewhat brief, quirky game now contains enough compelling content and polish to compete with other heavy-hitting dungeon crawlers on the App Store. And it doesn't seem likely to stop here, as development is already under way on ideas for future updates and DLC. These include an endless graveyard mode to test how far you can take your leveled-up character, and possible new classes such as Archer, Rogue, and Warlord each with unique skill trees and stories. With such an incredibly solid foundation in place, the prospect of additional content like this is really exciting. The price has risen to $1.99 with the 2.0 update and lite version being available, but it's still a great bargain for the amount of entertainment it contains. If you've not checked out Solomon's Keep yet, it's strongly recommended to at least give the lite a try, and to not miss out on this extraordinary title.
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TouchArcade 360iDev Game Jam
This Saturday I will be flying to wonderful San Jose, California for the . I'm half expecting an awful lot of cool iPad news now that everyone finally has the device in their hands, but the real start of the show will be the TouchArcade Game Jam.
On Tuesday night, any 360iDev attendee who is interested is welcome to join us in an all-night code fest to build an iPhone game. We covered the game jam at the previous 360iDev where games such as Gravity Sling [$2.99 / Free] and Hippo High Dive [99¢] were born. We plan on doing some creative things to showcase all the games as they're developed, so this coming Tuesday night will be a good night to be around if you like following indie game development.
If you're a developer who is going to be at 360iDev who wants to meet up with me to show me your new and exciting iPhone or iPad game, don't hesitate to send an email to and we can coordinate 360iDev parties.
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Notable Game Updates – February 21-February 27
Doodle Jump [App Store]
Current Version: 1.14
Our Review
This new Doodle Jump update adds in a brand spanking new theme, a Jungle level in this case. The new theme is free to download and will be the third alternate theme added to the game. Lima Sky describes it as "THIS IS OUR MOST AMAZING UPDATE EVER!"
Glyder 2 [App Store]
Current Version: 1.2.1
If you're like me, every time you've booted up Glyder 2 in the past you've thought to yourself "what this game really needs is an Isle of Friendship!" Lucky for us, Glyder 2's developers have heard our call, and now players can earn friendship points by simply adding "Glyder friends." These points can be spent to unlock new wings, outfits, and other secrets, the latter of which probably isn't that exciting if they didn't name it explicity in the update description.
Eliminate Pro [App Store]
Current Version: 2.0
Our Coverage
New multiplayer environments, new gear and enhanced matchmaking. The best news is that all of this is 100% compatible with Eliminate's soon to be released Co-Op mode. This update of Eliminate Pro comes Al Gore-approved, as you can now recycle extra gear for credits.
Jet Car Stunts [App Store]
Current Version: 1.3
Our Review
Jet Car Stunts just got even more awesome. You can now engage in some friendly "ghost racing" through challenges and replays. Even better, replays can be downloaded directly from leaderboards. The menu system got a much-needed reworking as well, so this game is going to feel pretty fresh the next time you boot it.
Compression [App Store]
Current Version: 1.2
Our Review
Compression is a great game, but even I'll admit that I was getting a bit bored its mechanics after playing the game for hours on end. The new "Blocked" mode is absolutely pefect for me, as it adds in a ton of variety in the form of obstacles and bombs. The game plays significantly differently in this mode, so everybody who thought they were done with Compression needs to go give it another run.
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Ngmoco CEO Neil Young on the Freeverse Acquisition and Freemium Model
CEO Neil Young took some time to speak with TouchArcade about their just-announced acquisition of . The response to the acquisition in our comments and forums has been very lively both about the overall move as well as the adoption of the freemium model.
In the interview, we addressed their choice of Freeverse as a target, as well as their move into freemium content. The full audio recording is included in our podcast format, while a summary is transcribed here.
Addressing why they choose Freeverse, Young was very complimentary about the company and described them as "wonderful people" who shared their vision and values while also having a pool of talented people and intellectual properties that complemented Ngmoco. Freeverse will remain functionally independent and retain the Freeverse brand. According to Young, to the outside world, things won't look very different initially.
One hot topic amongst our readers is Ngmoco's recent move towards a freemium model — where games are free to download and revenue is generated through in-app purchases. The reason for this move was a combination of factors according to Young. Despite the running speculation, the move was not in response to the high piracy rates on the iPhone.
Instead, there were two main factors. First, they felt that there was a large pool of App Store customers who only participated in the free-download side of the store that were not being captured in the traditional model. Young cited download numbers 10-20x higher for the top free apps compared to the paid apps. And, second, in looking into the future of the App Store, they saw a general trend away from higher priced premium games, and towards these type of games that can be played over time.
Interestingly, Young admits that the first incarnations of their freemium models for Eliminate Pro and Touch Pets Dogs were somewhat "clumsy" and "1.0" versions of the model (and to be followed by 2.0, 3.0 etc…). Part of this is attributed to the fact that neither game was originally conceived to be freemium. Young said, however, they have continued to learn and made ongoing adjustments to the model for their upcoming games including God Finger and We Rule, and beyond.
Finally, Young confirms that Freeverse's existing games including the upcoming Warp Gate won't be affected by the acquisition, but that future games will be designed around the freemium model.
We recommend listening to the entire interview yourself, which is included here.
Podcast music provided by .
Interview Audio: Subscribe in iTunes or Direct Download (M4A, 14.7MB)
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Notable Game Updates – February 7-February 13
Angry Birds Current Version: 1.2.0
The newest update for Angry Birds is nearly worthy of being a standalone sequel, with 42 new levels across two new graphically unique worlds to play through. Crystal has been been added for leaderboard and achievement support for high score/points junkies, and changes have even been made to older levels, mostly in the form of bug fixes, but with some small graphical enhancements thrown in there as well. I fell in love with Angry Birds when I first reviewed it, so you can bet that I’ll be cranking up the game as soon as I get the chance.
Bird Strike [App Store]
Current Version: 1.2
Our Review
Bird Strike was only released about a month ago, so it’s a nice surprise to see an entirely new game mode (in the form of “Endless Climb mode”) make its way into the game. The new mode really raises the value of the game, but the price hasn’t been raised to correspond with the update, so if you haven’t bought the game yet, now is a great time to do so. Those who’ve owned the game for a while and expressed complaints about 3GS performance and a nasty leaderboard duplication bug can breathe a sigh of relief as well, as Prodigy Design has addressed these issues with this update as well.
Call of Duty: World at War: Zombies [App Store]
Current Version: 1.2.0
Our Coverage
It’s been a long wait since Call of Duty: Zombies‘ initial mid-November launch, but a second map, Verrück, has finally been added for purchase in a massive update. Along with this update and new map comes nine new weapons (including FG-42, Gewehr-43, PPsh-41, M1 Garand, and the Springfield), 13 new achievements for Nacht der Untoten, 10 new achievements for Verrück, engine optimizations to make the game run more smoothly, leaderboard enhancements to track a wider variety of in-game stats, more customizable controls, a tutorial adjustment, network reliability enhancements, a “multiplayer point display” to track other players’ in-game progression, and even French-localized text. The new map and all the goodies that comes along with it will set you back $5.
Doodle Bomb [App Store]
Current Version: 1.2
Our Review
Doodle Bomb’s newest update brings 10 new master missions and five new standard missions for players to play through, along with a new anti-gravity control that lets players reach new places and even roll bombs along ceilings. The master missions have been unlocked for everyone, so you won’t have to meet a certain Bomb Badge requirement to play them now, and a new “variable bomb tilt” feature should provide something fresh for those who’ve conquered the game.
Ghosts’n Zombies [App Store]
Current Version: 1.1
Our Review
This update isn’t a large as many of the others on this list, but it’s notable for removing the AdMob banner ad that we complained about in our review. A couple of bug fixes have also been instituted in the 1.1 update, as has the newest version of OpenFeint. We commend the developers for listening to feedback and taking action on the problems that players were having with the game, and now that this update is out, I don’t feel like there’s much getting in the way of a hearty recommendation from us for this game.
Hook Champ [App Store]
Current Version: 1.40
Our Review
Mingore’s John Gore has finally been added as a playable character in this newest update to the legendary swinging game, and he even comes with a usable machine gun (with unlimited ammo!). New levels have been created for playthrough with John, and a brand new control method has also been added and set as the default control scheme, but veterans of the game still have the option to switch back to the “classic” control scheme if they so wish. Naturally, a variety of bug fixes have been tossed in as well, so this might be an update that brings a lot of people back to the game for more.
Parachute Ninja [App Store]
Current Version: 1.1
Our Review
Parachute Ninja’s 1.1 update is a small one, but it fixes what might’ve been a make-or-break issue that I had with the game when I reviewed it: the tilt auto-calibration that activates with the parachute. This issue really frustrated me during my playthrough of the game, but now that I know I can turn it off, Im extremely likely to return to this beautiful platformer for more.
Sunday Lawn [App Store]
Current Version: 1.10
Sunday Lawn has never been a big seller for Donut Games, but I’ve always liked it quite a bit. This new update should’ve been called 3.0 instead of 1.10, because it literally triples the value of this game. A challenge mode (much like the main game in Comet Racer) has been added, as has a fun little minigame called “Sweet Dreams” in which you must keep Charlie asleep by bouncing sheep over fences. Global leaderboards have been added, and the game finally allows you to start the app with your own music playing to replace the in-game music- a feature that all App Store developers should implement. If you’ve never tried out Sunday Lawn, go purchase it now, because it’s finally on par with all their other awesome games.
Trenches [App Store]
Current Version: 1.2.6
Our Coverage
I’ll admit it: when Trenches was first released, I hated it. I beat the entire game on its normal difficulty setting in less than 20 minutes, a task I completed by simply tapping the “spawn infantry” button over and over until the game abruptly ended. We didn’t give much coverage to the game due to its broken nature upon launch, but now that several updates have been implemented, I returned to Trenches to discover a truly fun, well-balanced game. The newest 1.2.6 update is nothing more than a bunch of bug fixes and further (necessary) unit balancing, but it also addresses the crashing that annoyed tons of people before now. Other past updates, however, have added new modes, length and variety to the campaign, and even improved control methods, morphing what was at first a broken novelty into a legitimately great game. If you’re like me and took a pass on Trenches before, it’s definitely worth revisiting now.
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