- Items that does a knockback effect can sometimes end up in an endless loop knocking back monster after monster. This will hang the game. Fortunately this is a rare thing, but still it's pretty severe.
- There's also a problem with the game crashing if fighting on one of the new map tiles (checkered floor or wooden floor).
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Next Dweller release delayed...
I had planned to release the next Dweller version this week, but I didn't get it ready in time. Unfortunately the next version will have to be delayed for a week and a half due to a planned vacation. There are some known issues with the current version, the most severe ones are:
Sunday, June 26, 2011
turntable.fm - US only, bloody record companies
turntable.fm has been shut down/restricted to US users only. I am not the least surprised...
Whenever an innovative music site pops up on the 'net you can be sure that the major record companies will send an army of lawyers and force the site to either shut down or limit it's availability. Why not recognize the innovation and merits of the new site and work together with the people behind the site or buy the whole thing and actually earn some money instead of shutting down apparently popular sites and keep complaining about not earning money from record sales? Who the hell buys CDs nowadays? I want to consume my music online and digital in front of my computer or on the move via my phone!
Whenever an innovative music site pops up on the 'net you can be sure that the major record companies will send an army of lawyers and force the site to either shut down or limit it's availability. Why not recognize the innovation and merits of the new site and work together with the people behind the site or buy the whole thing and actually earn some money instead of shutting down apparently popular sites and keep complaining about not earning money from record sales? Who the hell buys CDs nowadays? I want to consume my music online and digital in front of my computer or on the move via my phone!
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Dweller 1.8.3
This release was focused on improving targeting mode and fixing merchant inventory restocking for good. I think I've nailed the merchant inventory restock code now and quite a few minor features have been reintroduced to the targeting mode (things that broke a few releases ago).
New features
Changes
- Improved targeting mode to follow the last target and pick a new one when the old one dies (all this was once working but broke at some point)
Bugfixes
- Target cycling sometimes hung the game
- Merchant inventory restocking now work properly
New features
- You will now get notified if there are no more targets while in targeting mode and the mode will switch from targeting to look mode
Changes
- Improved targeting mode to follow the last target and pick a new one when the old one dies (all this was once working but broke at some point)
Bugfixes
- Target cycling sometimes hung the game
- Merchant inventory restocking now work properly
Download
turntable.fm
turntable.fm is a pretty cool collaborative music discovery site. The whole thing is designed as a club experience with user avatars, a DJ stand and people listening to the music or preparing playlists to take the place of another DJ.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Yay, 7000 active installs!
Yesterday Dweller reached above 7000 active Android installs (I have no idea about the J2ME version though). It has been a steady increase for quite some time now, but the recent extra push in active installs goes to show how important it is to actively keep developing a game such as Dweller. There is still a long way to go before I dare to remove the beta label though!
Dweller 1.8.2
Dweller 1.8.2 has been released. As with recent releases this release primarily focus on bugfixes and minor improvements. I'm pleased that I've worked up a bit of a momentum again, and I hope to keep it throughout the summer!
New features
- The player will automatically pick-up gold when standing on it
- Added some more trader names (and made sure the healer is given a name as well)
Bugfixes
- Target cycling for missile weapons and offensive spells should not suggest the player as a target
Download
- Dweller @ Android Market
- Download Dweller
- Try Dweller (Java Web Start)
- Dweller @ Facebook
New features
- The player will automatically pick-up gold when standing on it
- Added some more trader names (and made sure the healer is given a name as well)
Bugfixes
- Target cycling for missile weapons and offensive spells should not suggest the player as a target
- It is no longer possible to equip a shield while wielding a missile weapon
- It wasn't possible to scroll the list of current key bindings
- Basic inventory of the trader didn't get refilled properly since 1.8.0
- Dweller @ Android Market
- Download Dweller
- Try Dweller (Java Web Start)
- Dweller @ Facebook
Dweller 1.8.1 - minor updates
This release is mainly a bug fix and responding to feedback release. I've received quite a lot of positive feedback and many nice suggestions on how to improve Dweller lately. Please keep the feedback coming!
New features
- Added description of the services the healer provide
Changes
- Made poisons more dangerous by decreasing attack and defense more
- The Equipped and Not Equipped categories are removed when viewing the inventory of an NPC
- To prevent accidental selection it is no longer possible to confirm a choice in the gain level menu by pressing Left or Right
Fixes
- Crash when buying Curing from the healer
- Some minor copy issues
Download and more info
- Dweller @ Android Market
- Download Dweller
- Try Dweller (Java Web Start)
- Dweller @ Facebook
New features
- Added description of the services the healer provide
Changes
- Made poisons more dangerous by decreasing attack and defense more
- The Equipped and Not Equipped categories are removed when viewing the inventory of an NPC
- To prevent accidental selection it is no longer possible to confirm a choice in the gain level menu by pressing Left or Right
Fixes
- Crash when buying Curing from the healer
- Some minor copy issues
Download and more info
- Dweller @ Android Market
- Download Dweller
- Try Dweller (Java Web Start)
- Dweller @ Facebook
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Realm of the Mad God
Oh man, this is truly a cool game! Realm of the Mad God is a fantasy MMO with nice retro 8-bit graphics (looks like they're done by Oryx). The game is heavily focused on fast paced shooter action against hordes of mobs. There's a big focus on co-op play since you share experience by playing together with other players. You can play several different characters, ranging from powerful wizards to tough warriors. The game features a large overworld, many different monsters and items and contrary to most other MMOs it also features PermaDeath (as seen in most roguelikes). When you die you die and there is no way back but to start from level 1 again. Luckily there isn't much grinding in the game.
Monday, June 20, 2011
Dillo Hills
Dillo Hills is a side scrolling jump racer where you control an armadillo rolling down hills catching big jumps and timing landings for extra points and speed. The key to the game is to time jumps and keep landing in downward slopes to keep your 'dillo happy and retain speed. You can also collect gems to buy upgrades/abilities.
Besides the normal game mode where you need to keep your armadillo happy to keep going there's also a casual Zen mode where you don't have to bother about your 'dillo's happiness.
Oh, did I mention that there are four other characters you can control besides the armadillo? :-)
Besides the normal game mode where you need to keep your armadillo happy to keep going there's also a casual Zen mode where you don't have to bother about your 'dillo's happiness.
Oh, did I mention that there are four other characters you can control besides the armadillo? :-)
Dweller 1.8.0
A lot of players have complained about the menu items being to small. I'm actually not running the game on a high-res device myself (using an HTC Legend) so for me the menus are ok, but I can understand that the height of the menu items can cause misclicks on high-res devices. In the new version the menu item height has been increased for all touchscreen devices. Please let me know if you think the items are high enough or if they need further adjustments.
Many players have also asked for more things on the top level, specifically a small town with several NPCs. I've started looking into this, and a first step was to add a Healer near the dungeon entrance. The healer sells potions and can assist with immediate healing in exchange for some gold. This will need further tweaking but it's a start. I hope you like it.
A third and minor change is some adjustments to item prices. Nothing big really.
Many players have also asked for more things on the top level, specifically a small town with several NPCs. I've started looking into this, and a first step was to add a Healer near the dungeon entrance. The healer sells potions and can assist with immediate healing in exchange for some gold. This will need further tweaking but it's a start. I hope you like it.
A third and minor change is some adjustments to item prices. Nothing big really.
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Continuity
Continuity is a clever puzzle platformer where you need to get a key and reach the door to complete each level. The game resembles a traditional 15 puzzle in the sense that you can shuffle around the different parts of each level to align exits, platforms and holes in order to move across the level in your attempt to get the key and reach the door.
Dweller 1.7.11 - bugfix!
This is a bugfix version to solve a problem (nullpointer) when killing monsters using magic. I'd like to thank everyone who pointed out this very obvious problem to me. As a bonus I have also fixed the issue with empty chests still containing an item when opened.
Dweller @ Android Market
Download Dweller
Try Dweller (Java Web Start)
Dweller @ Android Market
Download Dweller
Try Dweller (Java Web Start)
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Dweller 1.7.10 - now with a little bit more blood
I got around to releasing a minor graphical update tonight. The new version has a simple melee swipe attack animation and a death animation. There's also a chance of blood spatter when hitting a creature.
Download using one of the links to the right.
Download using one of the links to the right.
Monday, June 13, 2011
Super Goblin War Machine
This game is seriously epic! Who doesn't want to control a big goblin war machine rampaging through human villages, mowing down civilians, toppling houses and at the end of each level knocking the king as far as possible from his tower for additional points! The game features some nice physics similar to what you can expect from many side scrolling trial bike games. Your war machine can be upgraded as you progress through the game and it will look really wicked after a while.
Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet
I've seen trailers for, and read about, Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet in the past, but this latest trailer done for E3 is the best so far. The game looks so incredibly cool with the unique black shadowy world with giant constructs, huge alien lifeforms and beautiful landscape that you explore with your tiny, but versatile, little spacecraft. The game seems worth buying an XBox for...
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Nimbus
Nimbus is a physics based puzzle racer where you control a little rocket that need to fly from start to goal on each level. The problem is that you don't have enough power to fly indefinitely so you need to use the environment to shoot, bounce and pull yourself along the level. It's really nicely done with good graphics and simple controls. The game is available for purchase on Steam, but the demo is enough to keep you busy for quite some time before you decide to buy or not.
Nanotube
Yet another Slakinov Games title, this time a mind twisting action puzzle where you need to rotate a coloured ring to catch matching coloured particles emitting from the centre of the ring. The first few levels are easy, but once you get several colours on your ring it starts to get hectic. A fun game, but only in small doses.
Space Rubbish
Space Rubbish is a nice mix between old-school Asteroids and a space mining and traditional shooter. This Flash game uses nice vector graphics true to the old Asteroids game but spiffed up with some anti aliasing and a lot of particle effects and explosions. There's an arcade mode and a campaign mode in the full version while the demo only has the arcade mode. In arcade mode you shoot asteroids and enemies while gaining weapon powerups. In campaign mode you can dock to space stations to buy upgrades and there's a lot of awards to unlock. The full game is only $4 so it's well worth the buy!
Daft Blox
Daft Blox is a combination of Tetris and Collapse where you need to line up differently coloured blocks into rows of three or more in order to blow up grey blocks and clear the level. The game uses classic Tetris controls where you spin, move and drop blocks and is very easy to pick up.
Lume
Lume is a beautiful puzzle adventure game with a really unique style. The game takes place in a paper and cardboard world and your goal is to restore the power to your grandad's house by exploring and solving puzzles while uncovering a deeper mystery and the reason for the blackout. The game is available on Steam and Gamersgate but it unfortunately doesn't have a demo so you'll have to make do with the official trailer before deciding if you want to buy the game:
Retro City Rampage
Retro City Rampage looks like a wonderful GTA meets 8-bit mix with some crazy action. Flame throwsers, tazers, cars, bar brawls, fast cars and a good sense of humour. The game is scheduled for release on XBox Live and WiiWare during 2011. Have a look at the official trailer:
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Hungry Sumo
This is a really silly game that I shouldn't really enjoy, but for some strange reason I do... You need to feed your sumo with rice by hovering with the mouse over him while he is bouncing around the play field bumping into other sumo wrestlers. The tricky part is that your sumo cannot eat when he bumps into another wrestler. If he does it's game over and you need to restart the level. This means you have to time the rice eating well during the short periods where you're not about to collide.
Hawken - more videos
The Hawken team have released a bunch of new videos/interviews where they talk about their design goals and some of the features of Hawken and the mechs within the game.
The mechs in hawken will be rather small (similar to the ones in Avatar) but still feel like heavy machinery when you control it. You will have the ability to sidestep, boost forward, use your jetpack and do quick 180 turns, but all of these movement abilities burn fuel, so you need to keep an eye on your fuel guage. When it comes to using your weapons you have unlimited ammo, but constantly firing your weapons will overheat your mech. You will be able to customize your mech in several ways, and different mech classes can use different weapons and items. You will have a primary weapon and a secondary weapon, with the secondary weapon have a long cooldown time.
The game will feature seven maps and four game modes (death match, team death match and two yet to be disclosed game modes)
The team aims to release in early-mid 2012.
The mechs in hawken will be rather small (similar to the ones in Avatar) but still feel like heavy machinery when you control it. You will have the ability to sidestep, boost forward, use your jetpack and do quick 180 turns, but all of these movement abilities burn fuel, so you need to keep an eye on your fuel guage. When it comes to using your weapons you have unlimited ammo, but constantly firing your weapons will overheat your mech. You will be able to customize your mech in several ways, and different mech classes can use different weapons and items. You will have a primary weapon and a secondary weapon, with the secondary weapon have a long cooldown time.
The game will feature seven maps and four game modes (death match, team death match and two yet to be disclosed game modes)
The team aims to release in early-mid 2012.
Ambia
I haven't really decided if I like this game yet, but it does have some novel features. Ambia is a platformer where you control a little red guy with a gun and your goals is to kill all enemies on the level before you move on to the next one. For each killed enemy you gain some experience that you use to power-up your current weapon. The rather odd thing is that the experience is bound to the weapon and not to your character. This means that if you pick up a new weapon your experience is reset.
http://www.kongregate.com/games/captain_404/ambia
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Point and click adventures
A colleague of mine is really into point and click adventure games and I try to recommend games when I come across them. I used to be a big fan of adventure games in the past, but I seem to have lost some of the touch and I feel I don't really have the patience to really sit down and solve all the puzzles. It's a shame really because there are many good games around. Two recent games I've come across are Tiny Bang Story and The Dreamerz:
Tobe's Hook Shot Escape
This is another one of those "just one more try" games where you control a little guy with a hook shot in a constantly up-scrolling platformer. You need to jump and swing your way upwards while avoiding enemies, picking up power-ups and making sure you don't get caught in an area of the level where your hook shot can't reach and you fall to your death. There is no end to the game and your only goal is to reach as far as possible. There is also a bunch of achievements to unlock.
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