Archive for the ‘applications’ tag
Apple Accepting iPad Apps, Upcoming iPad Game Forum
With the Apple iPad only two weeks away, Apple has invited developers to start submitting their iPad applications to the App Store. They are asking developers to submit their iPad apps by March 27th to be ready for the iPad launch.
As we discussed during our GDC Podcast, we were surprised at the scope of some of the projects that have been in the works for the iPad. In anticipation of the iPad launch, we've created an subforum for developers to post announcements and screenshots about their upcoming iPad games. Developers can also contact us privately at tips@toucharcade.com if they prefer.
Some of the games already pre-announced for iPad include , , and a .
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‘The Graveyard’ – An Interactive Art Experiment
Thanks to the App Store I have been able to experience games I had missed the first time on other platforms. Dare I say it; I missed Monkey Island the first time around. , The Graveyard [$1.99 / Free] recently hit the App Store, it's over two years old and has even won awards but I never played or heard of it.
The Graveyard is not really game, I feel more comfortable describing it as interactive art or poetry. You can argue that’s what games are but after playing this I feel that the word game doesn’t do it justice. But to make writing this a little easier I will pretend I can call this a game.
You play the game as an old lady visiting a graveyard. Your only clear objective is a park bench at the end of the path. I could tell you more but I would spoil it for you. I know that sounds amazingly too simple, but when you play the game you will see there is so much more. I don’t understand it myself, but the game really makes you think about life.
I would suggest downloading the lite version and giving it a try. I would also wait to play the game when you’re alone in a quiet place to get the full effect.
The developer says that there are only a few differences between the computer and iPhone versions. If you do end up trying the lite and enjoying it, download the full version and it will introduce death into the game. I know that doesn’t sound like much but it adds the sense of urgency.
App Store Link: The Graveyard, $1.99, The Graveyard Lite, Free
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Freeverse President Ian Lynch Smith on the Recent Purchase by Ngmoco
As a followup to yesterday's inteview with ngmoco CEO Neil Young, this morning we spoke with Freeverse President Ian Lynch Smith to hear what the recent purchase of Freeverse by ngmoco means to them. The full audio is attached below, but here is a summary of the talk.
Originally founded in 1994, Freeverse's earliest titles were Mac shareware games. They later branched out in to games for Windows, XBOX Live Arcade, and most recently the iPhone. Freeverse's MotoChaser was one of the few 3D games that launched with the App Store. Also immediately available were Big Bang Sudoku and Jared. They then went on to release a catalog of great iPhone games, both developed in house and and by outside developers published by Freeverse.
Photo by
Since the surprise announcement yesterday of ngmoco's purchase of Freeverse, what we've all been wondering is what is going to change. Ngmoco has recently shifted gears to an entirely free to play business model, while Freeverse has been happily releasing massively successful 99¢ games like Skee-Ball and Flick Fishing while working on highly anticipated games such as Warpgate.
The short answer of what is going to change initially is almost nothing, with very little changing in the future aside from the shift in payment models. According to Ian Lynch Smith, they wouldn't have done the deal if it wasn't for the shared vision between both companies, as each of them focus on the iPhone and iPhone OS. This doesn't mean they're abandoning the Mac games, applications, and everything else they do either. Freeverse will remain its own company in Brooklyn, just as a wholly owned subsidiary of ngmoco.
In addition, Freeverse will continue to publish the works of other iPhone developers, with the same level of quality and care we've seen in the past. As Smith put it, "[Ngmoco] did not buy Freeverse to make radical changes. They bought us because of our success, and they bought us because of what we've been doing right."
From Freeverse's perspective, the main motivation behind agreeing to this deal is the immense potential for growth. Through the years they've done everything they could to reach a larger audience, originally starting with shareware, then making the jump to retail shelves, then bringing their games to both the PC and XBOX, and finally jumping on the iPhone.
In regards to ngmoco's recent push to "freemium" games, Smith said, "We wouldn't have done this if we didn't think there wasn't more growth and more possibilities to reach more people in the free to play model." He cites people (now teenagers) who have grown up playing high quality free flash games as well as the massive successes seen in Asian markets as proof that the free to play model works.
Ian seems open to all forms of free to play games currently, including a one-time purchase to unlock all the features and functionality of a game– Something often requested by forum members regarding ngmoco's TouchPets and Eliminate. Freeverse has no intention of "nickel and diming" gamers, and plans on just being smart about how these things are implemented.
While he was reluctant to comment on future game development, when asked if they were still going to provide substantial gameplay experiences for gamers to enjoy instead of Farmville-like games, Smith simply responded "Yes" and mentioned a "substantial game" being discussed behind the scenes.
Freeverse admits they have much to learn about the free to play world, but with the combined expertise of ngmoco, they hope to release compelling games that can be played at no cost to the player, while providing optional in-game purchases for players who spend hours a day playing. They're hoping this will result in games that see the same exponential growth that the iPhone in general has enjoyed, instead of the current linear growth patterns Freeverse sees now.
Prior to this recent acquisition by ngmoco, Freeverse has never had investors and has been profitable on their own for the last 15 years. According to Smith, the main motivation for agreeing to the purchase was to "swing for the fences" and feels we're at a major moment in time, an inflection point, where we're going to see an explosion of mobile gaming.
"At the end of the day, we are just trying to sell our games in a way that lets us grow and continue making more games," Smith explained.
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, 12.9MB)
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‘Ancient Frog’ on iPad – Developer Thoughts
For the many that surely missed it, on Wednesday Apple quietly announced a new member of the iPhone OS family, the iPad. And, while it runs existing iPhone applications just fine in a pixel-for-pixel or 2x-scaled mode, the device with its 9.7-inch screen has much more to offer in the way of screen real estate (over 5x the pixel count of the iPhone) and both CPU and GPU power. The iPad proposition gives iPhone developers much to ponder in the way of just how best to support it.
James Brown, author of the lovely, zen-like frog manipulation game Anicent Frog [App Store] has, himself, begun to ponder the situation and has shared his thoughts on what he feels makes the most sense in bringing Ancient Frog to the iPad, in .
I can make the current iPhone application recognise the iPad and behave more like a native application on that platform. What I've done here is run it at 768×1024, but allowing it to letterbox slightly to retain the original aspect ratio (luckily the ragged border gives me a neat way to bring the edges in a bit, as well as a bit of room to lose some pixels top and bottom). This already looks way better than the previous shot – lots of elements are still blurry, but things that appear at varying scales in the game are already at a higher resolution. This means the text, the daisy and the particle effects are all crisp, which makes the whole thing seem higher resolution
He goes on to point out that fully supporting the iPad's enhanced resolution in his existing iPhone game would not only require a reworking of the graphics that make up every level, but would also push the game above the 10MB barrier for Edge / 3G download, which would greatly reduce the game's "impulse buy" potential for iPhone users.
Brown's plan is to bring the incremental upgrade that he describes, enhancing the game experience on the iPad in the near term and, down the road, release a separate, larger iPad-only version that takes full advantage of the device, but does not penalize iPhone and iPod touch gamers with a larger install.
For new games, moving forward, building in specific support for the iPad is one thing. But reaching into the back catalog to refresh existing titles for Apple's new device is quite another. Just what degree of iPad support is worth adding? What make the most sense? Once gamers start getting iPads in their hands, the early reaction to the experience of gaming on the device, as well as overall sales levels, should help answer that question. But developers and gamers alike should keep in mind the fact that, when the App Store launched, the iPhone had been on the market for a full year with millions of units sold. When a gamer downloads the first iPad game from the App Store, its market will be starting at zero. As such, it will be some time before developers determine where the "sweet spot" of iPad development effort lies.
App Store Link: Ancient Frog, $4.99
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Apple’s "Our Newest Creation" Event – iPad Starting at $499
‘Doodle Bomb’ – I Came to Drop Bombs
Bottle Rocket Apps is responsible for quite a few entries on the App Store, most notably, the which has been well received by iPhone owning fans of NPR. Their most recently release is Doodle Bomb [App Store], a physics-based bomb puzzle game that is a lot of fun.
The goal of each of the 50 levels in Doodle Bomb is to assist your eyepatch-equipped "bomb master" in tossing bombs from what appears to be some kind of strange sewer pipe to flip various switches, resulting in a door being unlocked– Allowing you to progress to the next level. Bombs are thrown by tapping on screen in the direction you want to throw, tapping closer or farther away from the bomb master to control the strength of your throw.
Throughout the game you will come across many different obstacles such as mice to bounce bombs off of, soldier to blow up with bombs, switches of different colors that control different gadgets and gizmos on the game board, pipes to throw bombs down, and many others.
Each level can be completed either by just tossing tons of bombs out and hoping something lands where you want it to, or by precisely throwing bombs and using the least amount possible. Every level also comes with a target number of bombs to use, and if you get under that, you will earn a "bomb badge" which then unlock additional goodies in game.
Doodle Bomb reminds me a lot of Ragdoll Blaster and other similar physics games on the App Store. I think it's safe to say if you're a fan of the physics puzzle genre, Doodle Bomb will be a welcome addition to your game collection. The also has quite a few people posting positive responses, along with the developer actively answering questions.
App Store Link: Doodle Bomb, $1.99
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Apple Picks Best Games of 2009 on iTunes
Apple has compiled a list of what they consider the best iPhone games of 2009. The list is part of their where they are highlighting the best content across 2009 in music, movies, TV shows, audiobooks, podcasts, and apps.
Apps are broken down into games and more traditional applications. Anyone who follows TouchArcade regularly should be familiar with most of the games on this list. While we've only recently given out star ratings, our currently rated 5 star games are well represented in the list.
The game names are linked to iTunes alongside links to our own reviews of the games.
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Congratulations to the developers who made the list. We'll be compiling our own "best of" list for 2009 in the coming weeks.
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