tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-75654940851746866632024-02-07T06:19:01.945+00:00AGameAWeek iDeviPhing development blog, from Jayenkai.Jayenkaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920498300387621327noreply@blogger.comBlogger49125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7565494085174686663.post-19480724277229604062012-02-11T04:26:00.003+00:002012-02-11T04:30:21.815+00:00Unijuggler!Available for <a href="http://bit.ly/iOS_Unijuggler">iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad</a><br /><br /><object width="480" height="360"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/lyhRxHarRHY?version=3&hl=en_US&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/lyhRxHarRHY?version=3&hl=en_US&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="480" height="360" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object><br /><br />Guide Clowny the Clown around the tent, juggling the balls and any other props that might appear along the way.<br />A nice and simple game, with three difficulty levels ranging from easy and relaxing, right up to insanely hard and chaotic!<br /><br />It's <a href="http://bit.ly/iOS_Unijuggler">$.99 in the AppStore</a>, and it's available now!Jayenkaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920498300387621327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7565494085174686663.post-2186527009110385352011-07-29T12:27:00.002+01:002011-07-29T12:31:37.611+01:00Daisy ChainsTime for another app, another update to this forgotten blog, and another $.99 for you to shell out for it ;)<br /><br /><a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/daisy-chains/id450786846?mt=8">Daisy Chains : AppStore ($0.99/£0.69/equiv)</a><br /><br /><i>Everybody's favourite thing to do on a lazy summer's day.</i><br /><br /><br />A simple mix of Labyrinth's ball rolling with Flicky's tail stealing enemies!<br /><br />Roll your ball around the arena to grab hold of the daisies, then guide a chain towards the exit.<br />The larger your Daisy Chain, the more points you'll score, but with each level the target increases, meaning you'll need to continue to dodge the incoming enemy bugs, whilst guiding your larger chain behind you.<br /><br /><iframe width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/T0hHtNjDocQ" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br /><br /><br />For those who love to read'em, the complete PR gubbins is included below.<br /><br /><a name='more'></a><br /><br />Daisy Chains<br />Everybody's favourite thing to do on a lazy summer's day.<br /><br /><br />A simple mix of Labyrinth's ball rolling with Flicky's tail stealing enemies!<br /><br />Roll your ball around the arena to grab hold of the daisies, then guide a chain towards the exit.<br />The larger your Daisy Chain, the more points you'll score, but with each level the target increases, meaning you'll need to continue to dodge the incoming enemy bugs, whilst guiding your larger chain behind you.<br /><br /><br />App<br />http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/daisy-chains/id450786846?mt=8<br /><br />Trailer<br />http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T0hHtNjDocQ<br /><br />-=-=-=-<br />From the same Author<br />-=-=-=-<br /><br />So far, James "Jayenkai" Gamble has managed to create another 5 instant-play iOS games.<br /><br />Stringy Things : A set of 4 happy bubbley word games, each with their own highscores and possible gameplay types. <br /><br /><br />Cardagain : A fantastically playable memory/card game, mixing the repetitive dullness of the rubbish card-turning pair-matching boring game of your childhood, with a much more awesome set of arcade shuffling rules. Remember the Layout, Remember the Order, Card Again!<br /><br /><br />Puzzobomb : Yet another remake of the classic block-shifting Vexed game, but this time with a few tweaks to the gameplay. The blocks no longer move in annoyingly slow ways, the gameplay skips along nice and fast, and for 36 out of the 324 included levels, there are even some nice Bombs to help you along.<br /><br /><br />SpikeDislike : A retro classic in every way. Hop the ball as far as you can, whilst avoiding the spikes. Keep up the speed to earn super combo scores, and get the highest score you can. GameCenter included!<br /><br /><br />Sheep Goes Left : A game created for those who loved SpikeDislike, but would've prefer a laid out, level based challenge. 200 levels of wonderfully tricky, but entirely achievable spike dodging, and a happy sheep to avoid them all. Hard, just like games used to be!<br /><br /><br />-=-=-=-<br />About The Author<br />-=-=-=-<br /><br />James "Jayenkai" Gamble has been busying away for years doing AGameAWeek, creating random games with vague playabilities, testing gameplay mechanics and trying out all the oddities that most developers wouldn't ever consider.<br />With all this testing, he's managed to encapsulate the essence of gameplay.<br /><br />The "feel" of the game is what's important, and when creating games for iOS, that's exactly what he's attempting to achieve.<br />You'll know a game's made by Jayenkai when you see his trademark gameplay priorities, and experience the inexplicable lack of artistic talent.<br /><br />Gameplay First : Because that's what counts.Jayenkaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920498300387621327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7565494085174686663.post-44124841141435223792011-06-20T11:53:00.004+01:002011-06-20T11:58:23.010+01:00Sheep Goes Left - OST - 1!Disc one of two, no less!<br /><br /><a href="http://bit.ly/SGL_OST">Download 'em all here</a><br />It's a complete archive of mp3s, and you can also grab it as one great big zip file, too.<br /><br />Disc two will appear in a few days, or so, and will mostly feature slightly retweaked versions of all the above songs. Mostly shorter versions, as they originally appeared in Al's Tumbly site.<br /><br />Meanwhile, there's also the great big update coming up, which will give you a whole extra 100 screens of chaos to beat!<br />I've no idea if people are actually attempting all the levels, or whether I've gone WAY too far making them all hard, but .. heck, it's fun ;)Jayenkaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920498300387621327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7565494085174686663.post-3537692086718988802011-06-10T09:06:00.003+01:002011-06-10T09:14:38.752+01:00Sheep Goes Left<h1><a href="http://bit.ly/SheepGoesLeft">For iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad</a> <small>(£1.19/$1.99/equiv.)</small></h1><br /><iframe width="425" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/0ilC6F7xwRM" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br /><br />Got an iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad?<br />Grab Sheep Goes Left!!<br />Go get it!<br />It's out now!<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAP3D4o_w2frji7oiKxEp8a-ci7CbdvKpC7Ye24iJ6Q5K3KuiLyJiPM3VFCEe58IIXWX3Nr6UfrPPEJQ1DTbhx5h1m3q-YBV-MWeo3GEQ62X60E7ilG5xnk0S0974rQTTX_KwMd8l_Uavd/s1600/sheep_5.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAP3D4o_w2frji7oiKxEp8a-ci7CbdvKpC7Ye24iJ6Q5K3KuiLyJiPM3VFCEe58IIXWX3Nr6UfrPPEJQ1DTbhx5h1m3q-YBV-MWeo3GEQ62X60E7ilG5xnk0S0974rQTTX_KwMd8l_Uavd/s400/sheep_5.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5616501103916884386" /></a><br /><br />Sheep Goes Left is a good old, retro styled, single-screen, panic enducing, spike dodging platformer.<br /><br />Guide Sheepy to the other side of the screen, just so he can do it all over again!<br /><br />Dodge all the spikes, as well as any other oncoming objects, and you can guide him all the way to the other side.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHmeh9j8JFiR3N8LsToNbd0XhxiC-1PL0k13PVKMM6brnmYU6CCXu_se7rUs5TwYwRLBlEFtXRbvf9gfehArLiwqhDsuXCBWHxznOjEekt0erJFe5Z8cWDITmMMcd0m6UU4jBZyUB2EnKY/s1600/sheep_3.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHmeh9j8JFiR3N8LsToNbd0XhxiC-1PL0k13PVKMM6brnmYU6CCXu_se7rUs5TwYwRLBlEFtXRbvf9gfehArLiwqhDsuXCBWHxznOjEekt0erJFe5Z8cWDITmMMcd0m6UU4jBZyUB2EnKY/s400/sheep_3.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5616501102431035778" /></a><br /><br />The game includes 100 hand crafted screens filled with deadly spikes to dislike, 10 graphical worlds to wander through, and a complete 20 track soundtrack to keep you entertained along the way.<br /><br /><h1><a href="http://bit.ly/SheepGoesLeft">Get it in the AppStore</a> <small>(£1.19/$1.99/equiv.)</small></h1><br /><br />ps, yes, it's a Tier 2 price. That means it's twice the price that SpikeDislike was.<br />SpikeDislike took about a week to make, and is all random elements.<br />This one's taken a month, has (for me!) decent background art, 20 pieces of music, and 100 levels.<br />Hopefully that all counts for something!Jayenkaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920498300387621327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7565494085174686663.post-63524686827464943452011-04-22T23:29:00.002+01:002011-04-22T23:39:15.031+01:00Puzzobomb (again)<h3>November 14, 2010</h3><br /><br />I'm not sure if I posted this here, can't seem to find it, but at some point using my old Framework, I decided to give Puzzobomb a whirl.<br />I whipped up some sprites, drew the logo, drew the icons, converted the audio, got the game running, etc.<br />Then we had the whole iPad related Sprite issue, and I got all ticked off, and threw the whole Framework out.<br />Bah..<br /><object width="480" height="390"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/EG53xRdoRjs?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/EG53xRdoRjs?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="390"></embed></object><br /><br /><a name='more'></a><br /><br /><h3>April 20th, 2011</h3><br /><br />During the month of April, I've taken the month off from AGameAWeek (Which is so far ahead of schedule that I've almost done an entire year's worth of game in the space of half a year!) and instead focussed on iDev.<br />I built up an all new framework based on Cocos2D and my experience with SpikeDislike.<br />Everything is coming along nicely.<br /><br /><object width="480" height="390"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Mfbrt4iInJU?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Mfbrt4iInJU?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="390"></embed></object><br /><br />All-new remade Puzzobomb was submitted to Apple earlier today. woot!Jayenkaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920498300387621327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7565494085174686663.post-65724256598971197202011-04-02T00:37:00.002+01:002011-04-02T00:40:13.097+01:00SpikeDislike + GameCenter!!The v1.4 update is out at last, and with it comes the much requested GameCenter!<br /><br /><object width="425" height="349"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/oULJGUx8uWU?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/oULJGUx8uWU?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="349"></embed></object><br /><br />If I'd done the Top10 properly, that'd be even better, but all scores are stored, badges are collected, and if you switch to the GC App, you can see everything there!<br />Play away, and you'll get a proper Top10 when the next quicky update passes through the Applecart!Jayenkaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920498300387621327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7565494085174686663.post-41458131814718778912011-03-20T22:13:00.004+00:002011-03-20T23:49:35.033+00:00The AppStore Review PileI finally bothered to dust off my Review Scraping perl script today, and jiggered the thing about a bit until it gave me something useful!<br /><br />So, without further ado, and with a whole big bunch of text approaching, let's take a nosey at the great big archive of comments that's been left.<br /><br /><a name='more'></a><br /><br /><b>nmaster66</b><br />Addicting<br /><br /><i>Indeed it is!</i><br /><br /><b>Gamewiz114</b><br />I keep coming back to this for days now. Needs gamecenter but as it looks like that's planned for an update. Love the precise controls. I'm at 3545 score on easy/classic so beat that <br /><br /><i>I very nearly got 4000 the other day! Annoyingly I've since wiped my highscores about 7/8 times, due to various testing. Probably should've saved those. Aw well..<br />Why not head over to the <a href="http://www.facebook.com/?sk=group_167338356646713">Facebook Group</a> and post your best scores!<br />(or.. at least, until GameCenter turns up!)</i><br /><br /><b>Mediconeee</b><br />Very fun game.. I love all the themes and difficulty levels.. Makes me come back for one more try!!<br /><br /><i>Woot :D</i><br /><br /><b>macbony</b><br />Drained my battery before noticing that there's an alternative and random option. Game has a permanent spot on my phone.<br /><br /><i>Plenty to do.</i><br /><br /><b>D&Dplayr</b><br />This game is awesome 5/5<br /><br /><i>5's nice! Thanks to everyone who's been giving SpikeDislike such nice high marks!</i><br /><br /><b>McNuggies</b><br />Lots of fun from square one and there's different speeds to set records at. Got it free but this ones worth a buck.<br /><br /><i>Loads of people picked up the game during freebie day. Over 5,000 players, all within the space of 24 hours! Awesome stuff!</i><br /><br /><b>appstoregamer</b><br />Simple yet challenging.<br /><br /><i>That's the way I like 'em! I'm too lazy to learn controls ;) They should be right, right from the start.</i><br /><br /><b>Flynn_Taggart</b><br />*update*<br />like the challenge modes. Still needs gamecenter badly. Also it changed my icon to the lite version?<br />Presentation could use some polish but it's oddly compelling nonetheless. Practically screams for gamecenter though.<br /><br /><i>I know, I know.. Gamecenter IS coming, it's just.. taking it's time!</i><br /><br /><b>Rocketman919</b><br />Great game, but I always have some hit detection problems. Please fix this! I hate it when the game says I lost but it shows the ball is nowhere near the furry thing. Btw I play on Basketball so that's what I mean by ball and furry thing.<br /><br /><i>Next update should fix this slightly. It's not a hit detection problem, as such, more that the pompoms aren't actually spikey!<br />The game assumes that all sprites are the same size, and does it's detection via a simple circle/box method.<br />I left it like that so that, for example, the Basketball theme doesn't actually become easier, due to the sprites.<br />But then it looks a bit quirky. d'oh!<br />I've tweaked the sprite a little, and it shouldn't be as dodgy in the next update (1.4, coming soon'ish!)</i><br /><br /><b>EddieUp</b><br />One more try and that's it. This game will make a liar out of you more times than not. The update even pays homage to Canabalt (B&W theme). And the new Challenge Mode comes in handy as a built-in trainer. The game comes with lots of different themes to keep it fresh. And enough difficulty levels to make it challenging and fun. 5/5 stars.<br /><br /><i>There are even more levels on their way, too. In fact, the 1.35 update added a nice Evolve mode, which.. to be honest.. probably should've been there from the start!</i><br /><br /><br /><b>Blarghfargargh</b><br />Addictive! Fun!<br /><br /><i>Yup!</i><br /><br /><b>LoobyLibby</b><br />Why does my springboard icon say "lite" for my paid full version?<br /><br /><i>Oh dear.. 1.3, silly bug.. That's gone now! (I hope!)</i><br /><br /><b>ToxicCheese</b><br />This game has that 'just one more time' addictive quality. Games like this prove that amazing next-gen graphics aren't always needed when you have good, solid gameplay.<br />Congratulations on a fantastic release. Look forward to updates and perhaps more game modes.<br /><br /><i>More modes are currently in my head, but not yet in the game! Coming soon!</i><br /><br /><b>Papasito2805</b><br />It takes about three seconds to restart a game. And I haven't seen any way to mute the game without muting the phone. Still, fantastic game, and very addictive.<br />Ps: gamecenter would be nice<br /><br /><i>I'm one of the most impatient players that I know. If a Story Mode pops up, with unskippable cutscenes, I'll be shouting at the game to get on with it. The amount of swearing I did at BurnoutParadise is astronomical. Especially once it crashed, and I had to sit through the whole thing again!<br />It only takes a second or two to restart, and you don't even have to hit Play. The whole right half of the screen is a giant START BUTTON!<br />Beeeeeoooooooooooowwwwwwww Tap now, and it'll restart. No need to wait for the menu, no waiting to find a button, just tap.<br /></i><br /><br /><b>pholly</b><br />Needs Game Center, as it is there's no point in trying to best your highscore if nobody will see it.<br /><br /><i>I'm getting there!!!</i><br /><object width="425" height="349"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/oULJGUx8uWU?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/oULJGUx8uWU?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="349"></embed></object><br /><br /><br /><b>nyarlu</b><br />super addictive little game. very simple concept, really difficult but never unfair. you constantly have to choose between risking death to keep your combo going, or playing it safe. i like spike dislike. :D<br /><br /><i>Everybody Likes Spike Dislike!!! <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/magnetic-shaving-derby/id380720642?mt=8">and shaving!</a></i><br /><br /><br /><b>Danlt</b><br />Great app! Can't stop playing it!<br /><br /><i>Neither can I! That's why the updates are taking so long!!</i><br /><br /><b>Jeremy Clarke</b><br />You push your guy to the right with one button, touching things kills you, try not to die.<br />Main theme, like all other themes, is ugly. Beauty is not always fun, but this game always is.<br />So simple yet so insanely hard, enjoy.<br /><br /><i>Yeah, I kinda suck at art!<br />I'm trying, though.<br />The Munky theme's quite nice!</i><br /><br /><b>timthemute</b><br />Smooth playing and insanely fun game where you bounce a ball around. Perfect!<br /><br /><i>And that's all there is to it! Simplicity!</i><br /><br /><b>Tofware</b><br />Very nice, thks very much.<br /><br /><i>You're very welcome!</i><br /><br /><b>GrooveStomp</b><br />Old-school sensibilities. Keep playing to best your own score. Subtly addictive. Very easy to pick up and play. Variety of graphical settings, but in general the graphics are lacking. Looking forward to the update with additional challenges!<br />(updated version): Challenge mode is fun and provides more reasons to pick up and play. Definitely some added value there.<br /><br /><i>More challenges coming soon. Once I've made some.<br /><br />.. hmmm... <br />I really should get around to that bit!</i><br /><br /><b>Greenloop</b><br />WTF dieses spiel ist eigl nur genial :)<br /><br /><i>Thanks :D</i><br /><br />COUNTRY: Russia<br /><b>Smile4me..</b><br />Took it when it was free.<br />IMHO, one of the best games in this genre. I don`t know what to say more, just like it ;)<br /><br /><i>Glad you enjoyed your freebie!</i><br /><br /><b>Rev. Rob Fearon</b><br />It might not be a looker, but man, Spike Dislike is fab.<br />Simple, compulsive and grinworthy smiley fun. Grab it!<br /><br /><i>Looks don't matter! It's Retro!!*</i><br /><br /><br /><i>* This is an excuse that you'll see a lot from me!</i><br /><br /><br /><b>alidsl</b><br />Some people say that the simple ones are the best, that's completely true for this game. Fabulous<br /><br /><i>Simplicity's the key. Combo's are it's little helper! This game would be nothing if it wasn't for that little risk/reward thing. Combo's are awesome!</i><br /><br /><b>DedHedZed</b><br />Because of the visual aesthetic of this game, you might dismiss it as being 'too simple'. It isn't, it's just the right kind of simple. Getting just the right bounce path to maximise your combo multiplier is essential, and takes quite a bit of practice. Discovering a new path, or getting into a zen-like state of what I've come to call 'freebouncing', whereby the ball seems to be moving perfectly, as if it and you had 'become one' in some kind of existential partnership is probably one of the finest experiences you can have on a portable game.<br />Simple, well designed and incredibly addictive.<br /><br /><i>Mmmm... Freebouncing!!</i><br /><br /><b>Oooooomonkey</b><br />This is one of the most addictive games I've played (and I've played a lot) I love everything about it from the retro look and sound effects to it's simplicity and the way your progress is always popping up on screen always showing you combos,passed,bonuses etc. This was one of the best 59p's I've spent in the app store. There's even plenty of different modes,skins and difficulty settings. Games like this are exactly why I love iOS gaming. Endless replay factor. 5*s.<br />The only thing this needs is online leader boards like gamecenter etc.<br /><br /><i>I hope you're all going to give me 6 stars once I've added GameCenter ;)</i><br /><br /><b>Quixolyx</b><br />Not even going to bother talking in depth about this. This is among the best of the best. Get this. Now.<br /><br /><i>This comment makes me smiley :D</i><br /><br /><b>mobymcg</b><br />Reminds of when games where about gameplay and not shiney gfx<br /><br /><i>Ye-Olde Disliking of Spikes</i><br /><br /><b>SteveAllen86</b><br />This game is so simple yet challenging, fun and highly addictive!<br />It's not aesthetically pleasing (the basketball theme being the only one that doesn't make my colour blind eyes go crazy) but it reminds me of how games used to be and has been expertly designed for use with the touchscreen.<br />Don't even think about it - it'll be the best 59p you spend in 2011! Keep up the good work devs & keep the themes coming!<br /><br /><i>Aaah, about that whole crazy eye thing. You probably won't want to play the upcoming clown theme! ..</i><br /><i>PS, it's "Dev". ..Only me! (hence the rubbish art!)</i><br /><br /><b>CarverC</b><br />New themes and now challenges, really good - worth 59p. Can't wait for future updates!<br /><br /><i>What else is next?! Oooooh!!! GameCenter button!!! yeay!!!</i><br /><br /><b>Flupocious</b><br />One touch control and great fun. One of those games you can just pick up and play when you have a spare minute.<br /><br /><i>Well, unless you get stuck in a 15 minute play session that ends up netting you over a million points. .. Who knew that would be possible!! There's some serious Dislikers of Spikes out there!!</i><br /><br /><b>benjaminben</b><br />Has some annoyances to game play like the flashing combos cutting across the screen obscuring the spikes.<br />Apart from that a great little game.<br />Would love better graphics though.<br /><br /><i>You'll be happy to know, the annoying flashing star is now gone. (in the next update!)<br />Without it, and with a nice clean font, the swooshyness is nowhere near as distracting.<br />... same graphics, though ;)</i><br /><br />---<br /><br />The 1.4 GameCenter update is about 25% done, but it's the hard/slow 25% that's been done. I still have a lot to do, but I'm working as fast as I can.<br /><br />Soon!Jayenkaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920498300387621327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7565494085174686663.post-47124311698469107282011-03-17T22:32:00.002+00:002011-03-17T22:37:50.264+00:00Spike Dislike 1.4 Progress..Blimey.. Adding GameCenter's a big bag of complex, isn't it!<br /><br />I knew it would be, though, so I came prepared.<br />I have my super-coder-hat on.<br />..<br />Actually I don't have a hat. Unless you count my 80's GameBoy baseball cap.<br />But that's not a proper hat!<br /><br /><object width="425" height="349"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/oULJGUx8uWU?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/oULJGUx8uWU?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="349"></embed></object><br /><br />GameCenter will work like that.<br />I'd love to have nice swooshy leaderboard things, but I can't quite fathom all of that!!<br />I'm NEARLY there, but it's just a teensy bit out of my reach, right now.. I'm still learning!<br /><br />Leaderboards do show up in the proper GameCenter app, though, alongside your little achievements, which is nice.<br />If I can very simply grab the top 10, and your chart position, I'll slap them on the right hand side.<br />I tried doing that, earlier on today, and then shouted a bit...!<br /><br />Next week, I'll be tackling the Play/Pass menu, and seeing how much shouting I need to do for that!<br />Wish me luck!Jayenkaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920498300387621327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7565494085174686663.post-48824443625921998962011-02-22T01:08:00.003+00:002011-02-22T01:19:41.539+00:00This review doesn't dislike my game, but I dislike this review..Plagiarism<br /><br />It's simple enough mistake to make. Sometimes when I'm writing a blog entry, a thought might pop into my head, that I'll later realise was lifted from a TV show. Or I might compose a piece of music, and realise 3 years later that it's actually the Pokemon theme.<br />Sometimes these things just happen.<br /><br />It's a subconscious thing.<br />Or sometimes it isn't.<br />Sometimes you make something, aiming to be "a bit" like something, and end up inexplicably "exactly the same".<br />You create based upon what you know, and sometimes things turn out a little bit more like what it is you're aiming for, than you'd like to admit.<br /><br />But sometimes you look at something and think....<br />"hmmm.. that's a bit too close, isn't it?"<br /><br />Today I received a link to my SpikeDislike review, at FamousWhy.com<br /><br />Until last week, I hadn't heard of FamousWhy, and the first time I visited the site, my initial thought was "Hmm.. This looks like a very spammy/adfilled piece of dodgy website."<br />But, whatever.<br />A review is a review, right?!<br /><br />... Probably not, when..<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8Ha-Z8a_yE0kuSJ9xV9_gifVm8NDMgsMF2p6aZ-lyezU2Sb6yTAtzcphey9XjwW0Rk5yKRnh-f6VEhYilCWaawYcebkWOcf3FsFr4FiMXLqv0ao3Dqgf27EOIAiSHLploHIrtGSk0FbDF/s1600/FamouslyLazy.png"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 299px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8Ha-Z8a_yE0kuSJ9xV9_gifVm8NDMgsMF2p6aZ-lyezU2Sb6yTAtzcphey9XjwW0Rk5yKRnh-f6VEhYilCWaawYcebkWOcf3FsFr4FiMXLqv0ao3Dqgf27EOIAiSHLploHIrtGSk0FbDF/s320/FamouslyLazy.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5576316004036360370" /></a><br /><br />Half the damn text has been copy and pasted from <a href="http://toucharcade.com/2011/01/21/spikedislike-review/">TouchArcade.com</a>'s review of SpikeDislike.<br /><br />Maybe the reviewer had an off day, and couldn't be bothered writing all that they should've?<br />But hey, who the hell cares, that's just downright lazy.<br /><br />If you're going to blatently rip someone off, like that, you could at least do the decent thing and link to the original review.<br /><br />I'm REALLY in a bad-word mood, right now, so I'm not going to write much more than this. It'll end up all ranty and horribly unreadable.. so, pretty much as it is,now! But perhaps in the morning, I'll go and copy and paste a whole bunch of bad words, and pretend that I wrote them.Jayenkaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920498300387621327noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7565494085174686663.post-66310980463069854202011-02-10T15:56:00.003+00:002011-02-10T16:03:55.588+00:00Spike Dislike : Test My Challenge!I'm starting to put together the challenge mode, and could do with my "Difficulty" level being tested..<br /><br />So, here's one of my current challenges..<br /><br />Set your level settings as follows.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJJW9N0P9BFdGO3yq5HK2Qxeuk3r7dz1cjwYh6RboYsA11VUBOA5El9LkYpW5WP0L6QPXkAT8JFnBz5QyUvvQppRoLE18_Zrbm2vpUsK2M4jPh_e793t-ugZ0IDwlcacjPiwnrS5WWuOpA/s1600/boing.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJJW9N0P9BFdGO3yq5HK2Qxeuk3r7dz1cjwYh6RboYsA11VUBOA5El9LkYpW5WP0L6QPXkAT8JFnBz5QyUvvQppRoLE18_Zrbm2vpUsK2M4jPh_e793t-ugZ0IDwlcacjPiwnrS5WWuOpA/s320/boing.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5572091665606638978" /></a><br /><br />Speed : Fast<br />Path : Alternate<br />Difficulty : Hard<br /><br />(This'll be the Preset:Hard button, in the next update!)<br /><br /><br />Your challenge is to pass the first 4 spikes without letting go.<br /><br />Give it a difficulty rank out of 5, where 1's easy, and 5's quite hard.Jayenkaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920498300387621327noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7565494085174686663.post-89580369092726966192011-02-09T11:41:00.002+00:002011-02-09T11:44:49.827+00:00SpikeDislikeLite!I realised after I sent it off, SpikeALite would've been a better name..<br />d'oh!<br /><br />No matter, SpikeDislikeLite is now out, so you can tell everyone you know to play it.<br />Play it NOW!!!!<br /><br /><iframe title="YouTube video player" class="youtube-player" type="text/html" width="425" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/cbbZlbIc1kk" frameborder="0" allowFullScreen></iframe><br /><br />And for those of you that already have the full game, but are far more addicted than you oughta be, you should know that SpikeDislikeLite contains it's own unique path.<br /><br />Gotta get 'em all!Jayenkaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920498300387621327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7565494085174686663.post-21850427815095693302011-02-02T15:34:00.002+00:002011-02-02T15:42:34.194+00:00SpikeDislike 1.2This morning I submitted v1.2.<br />Give it a week and it oughta be playable!<br /><br />On the face of it, things aren't too different.<br />There are 4 new themes, including one kindly designed and donated by <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/retroremakes">@RetroRemakes</a>.<br /><br />The menu now slides in from the left, to make the titlescreen a little neater.<br /><br />The scores display Best Combo, Best Super, and Most Passed<br /><br />The combo timer bar's a little bit neater.<br /><br />The graphics have all been rejigged so I can fit more stuff in there.<br /><br />And there are nice little badges that pop up as you play.<br />More badges are planned, of course, but first I really need to start building that Challenge mode.<br />That'll have to wait until 1.3 and, I've said it before... GameCenter will be waiting for 1.4<br /><br />:(<br /><br />Sorry guys, but these things take time.<br />Especially when you're also doing AGameAWeek at the same time!! (for Win/Linux/Mac. I really really doubt I could achieve AGameAWeek on iPhings!!)<br /><br />Oh, and I sent off the Lite edition, too.Jayenkaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920498300387621327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7565494085174686663.post-83473793688398315662011-01-21T22:49:00.002+00:002011-01-21T23:44:00.202+00:00Spike Dislike FAQ<b>What's it called?!</b><br />Spike Dislike, and/or SpikeDislike, either or.<br /> I messed up trying to get the space to work. I had it working fine when I did Stringy Things, but forgot how I did it, and it all messed up when I tried this time! Whoops!<br />Better luck next time, eh!<br />Still, either will do. If it helps to pick one, SpikeDislike is easier to Google, what with it being a none-word.<br /><br />Super Spike Dislike comes from a rush-job with the logo. I grabbed it from <a href="http://jayenkai.socoder.net/GameList.php?ShowJust=221">Super Spike Dislike</a><br />Maybe I'll fix it, Maybe I won't.<br />One day, I'll add shooting, and THEN it'll be SUPER Spike Dislike!!<br /><br /><b>Any updates?</b><br />Of course!<br /><br /><b>Like....?</b><br />I've played with the speed, so perhaps changing other methods of movement...?<br />Shooty bullets would be Super.<br />Different objects?<br />Better gfx!!<br />But, as <a href="http://forums.toucharcade.com/showthread.php?t=81273">Gabrien said on the TouchArcade forum</a>, there's no point in breaking the "real" game's logic. Instead I'll add different modes, with different highscores. That'll keep anything new from breaking the original.<br /><br />I'd also love to add a new gamemode, with little challenges, and things like that.<br />More details as I bother to start that!!<br /><br /><b>And GameCenter?</b><br />YES!!!<br />But..<br />a. Never done it before, haven't a clue what I'm doing, might take a while!!<br />and b... If I want to add achievements, I apparently need a 100% static list.<br />From day 1, I'd need a complete list.<br />Now, assuming these achievements would be things that are relevant to the forthcoming challenge mode, it's probably a good idea to do the whole challenge mode thing first, because I won't know the accomplishments before I've done that, and I won't be able to add GameCenter until that's done.<br />Bah!<br />Annoyingly I'd really love to just plop online scores in, but Apple, in their infinite wisdom, made this annoyingly slow.<br /><br />To be fair, though, if I'd have planned this from the start it'd probably help.<br />No matter!<br /><br /><b>About those themes...</b><br />New graphics, obviously! Try to spice things up a bit.<br />I should probably try to jazz things up a bit, but I've already grown to love the really basic starfield, even if it is the cheapest starfield effect I've done in years!<br /><br />I'm also considering changes the sounds for each pack. I might make that an option, though!<br />I'd love to ask for graphic-pack submissions, but I've not quite decided how they're going to end up being setup.<br />I've currently got all the graphics in 4 different images. One for all the spikes, one for the balls, one for the floors and another for the backgrounds.<br />I really should neaten that up a bit, and make things one-pic-per-theme!<br />I'll let you know how that goes.<br /><br /><b>Other Questions?</b><br />If you have any other requests, leave them in the comments, and I'll get back to you.Jayenkaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920498300387621327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7565494085174686663.post-37374087603095321202011-01-20T00:12:00.002+00:002011-01-20T00:25:00.011+00:00OK, Now What?Plans are afoot to expand Spike Dislike.<br />There's a whole manner of additions I could come up with.<br />Graphic tweaks, gameplay features, game modes, those kinds of things.<br />I'm not entirely sure what'll actually be the next thing to add, though.<br />I really want to start playing with some sort of challenge mode first, I think, but I'm also thinking that it'd be nice to have that unlock things, so then I need to add things that could be unlocked.<br />... This is one of those bulky additions, methinks!!<br /><br />In the meantime, we've also got a few other things to play with.<br />Blockman Gets hasn't gotten got yet, so that should be done.<br />That game needs a menu.<br />I really have no idea what to do for that!<br />It's been sat here for about 3 weeks, in a mostly playable state, but completely stuck because I can't think of a nice menu!<br />..d'oh!<br /><br />Then there's the big three.. <br />Cardagain, Stringy Things and Arcade Slots all suffer from the Early Learning Bugs.<br />Cardagain and Arcade Slots have the good old "I used the wrong audio method" issue, with sound that blasts out at the volume of your ringtone, whilst all three of them have that annoying iPadFREAKOUT issue that renders them all completely unplayable on an iPad.<br />For what it's worth, Cardagain and Stringy Things are both perfectly playable, and are both still available in the AppStore ;) Just not on an iPad!<br /><br />I think, in all honesty, I'm going to have to redo from start with those three.<br />But all three of them were meant to be Battery-Saving games.<br />I'm not really sure how to tackle this.<br />If I do redo them, I'll lose their ability to last ages, as they'll all be redone in this battery-draining Cocos2D.<br />Not that there's anything WRONG with Cocos2D, of course, it's just really bad at preserving battery life.<br /><br />hmm.. what to do..?<br /><br />.. I'm going to go play with Blockman some more!Jayenkaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920498300387621327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7565494085174686663.post-42022654229366381352011-01-14T22:39:00.002+00:002011-01-14T22:42:04.022+00:00Spike Dislike Update 1.1Coming to your iPhings as soon as Apple have thrown it through it's paces, the first update features a few difficulty settings to play with.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/MwG1lIqc9TY?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/MwG1lIqc9TY?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />Level Layout<br />Speed<br />Difficulty<br />and of course, a switchable skin setting (ooooh!)<br /><br />1.1 is a massive update, considering the blandness of the original, but 1.2 will be even bigger!!<br />I have no idea what 1.2 will be, but it'll be bigger!!!Jayenkaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920498300387621327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7565494085174686663.post-65158621079363281102011-01-11T22:35:00.005+00:002011-01-11T22:44:09.622+00:00Spike Dislike!<a href="http://bit.ly/AGAW_iDev_Spike"><b>Get Spike Dislike for iPod Touch/iPhone/iPad here</b><br />$0.99/£0.59/equiv</a><br /><br />Guide the ball to the right, avoid the Spikes, perfect your flight!<br /><br /><object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Q9WgTtm1FV0?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Q9WgTtm1FV0?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object><br /><br />The game is simple, and there's loads of points to earn as you go.<br />But wait, There's More!!!<br /><br />Or, there will be!<br /><br />This edition is the simple "Get it done" edition, but MUCH more is planned, from weapons, to different ball types, and even a few physic tweaks to keep the gameplay interesting.<br />The extras are coming soon.<br /><br />They're not quite done yet, but they will be!<br />Keep it on your iPhings!Jayenkaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920498300387621327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7565494085174686663.post-2807736091279035842010-12-30T01:40:00.002+00:002010-12-30T01:42:49.009+00:00Coming Soon.. Blockman GetsLet's just plain ignore all the bugs, and focus on something that hasn't blown up yet!<br /><br />I started Blockman Gets with a fresh Cocos2D-based engine.<br />I figured, if things aren't going to work, I might as well just plain scrap it all, and redo from start. so, Blockman Gets is me redoing from start.<br /><br />A new engine, a new game, and a whole bunch of sprites, some of which are about 3 years old!<br />That's the way to do it!!<br /><br /><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/JvubslB7cVk?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/JvubslB7cVk?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><br /><br />Blockman Gets is coming along nicely, and it'll be great to see if this (finally!) is something that works on an iPad!<br />.. Because, let's face it, this game would rock your fingers off, on an iPad!!!Jayenkaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920498300387621327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7565494085174686663.post-82143807361444852062010-12-28T08:45:00.002+00:002010-12-28T08:47:31.439+00:00The continuing iPad Bug...I could've sworn I'd fixed that!!<br />Apparently, though, the iPad hardware is doing something entirely different to what I'd like it to do, and not at all what the Simulator says it will...<br />*insert swearing here*<br /><br />Never mind, new game on the horizon while I work out StringyThings' little issue..<br /><br /><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/SZ9XBrjM7sY?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/SZ9XBrjM7sY?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>Jayenkaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920498300387621327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7565494085174686663.post-25460322729549288762010-12-09T22:42:00.007+00:002011-06-18T00:42:44.313+01:00The iPad Bug...Here's what Stringy Things looks like on a classic iPhone/iPod display..<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitqEpn1w_wJFd3ZjmHtQjQ9XamsR8_9iuamTX9OkXFWeEtzP16EDquVKRC03YpgcImHmLojZy3GvD9tkLxVbHseZneqs23sguz3wUCgwPuUJF-oSGkDDHDkK0jI5JyVFrfJQnZXuED3RSF/s1600/Normal.png"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 284px; height: 162px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitqEpn1w_wJFd3ZjmHtQjQ9XamsR8_9iuamTX9OkXFWeEtzP16EDquVKRC03YpgcImHmLojZy3GvD9tkLxVbHseZneqs23sguz3wUCgwPuUJF-oSGkDDHDkK0jI5JyVFrfJQnZXuED3RSF/s320/Normal.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5548816845731311522" /></a><br /><br />Nice and simple, exactly as expected.<br /><br />When the game runs on a Retina capable display, the wonderful language that Apple gave us will automatically pick up any files that are labelled as "@2x", and load those instead of the normal versions.<br />That basically means that you can make all your sprites twice as big, twice as clear, and then leave it to the iPhone to pick which one it wants to use.<br />It's a FANTASTIC idea, and it works brilliantly.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM-B7mqGL9753E3A_QT_5fkxPUunjTcHebNhFCn5P4iPiK8Kk75o0MLudCGuR9TuDoifXufD0mvkFPEwTTo_Ga82jv2DzzUmci5BKl8PDwyDjqts8GkQY82Dmh-iZoULTbGUUr6CcvPgnN/s1600/Retina.png"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 171px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM-B7mqGL9753E3A_QT_5fkxPUunjTcHebNhFCn5P4iPiK8Kk75o0MLudCGuR9TuDoifXufD0mvkFPEwTTo_Ga82jv2DzzUmci5BKl8PDwyDjqts8GkQY82Dmh-iZoULTbGUUr6CcvPgnN/s320/Retina.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5548817405443032354" /></a><br /><br />You get lovely hires displays, and everything works neatly.<br /><br />Of course, when you're snipping your sprites, it's good to know which one it's using.<br />If I need to cut a 256x256 image into 32x32 sprites, but it loads the 2x one, then the sprites I need to cut will instead be twice as big.<br />I accounted for this with a simple bit of code.<br />If Screen=Big, Double sizes!<br />That worked great!<br />Everything was fine.<br /><br /><br />Until this happened..<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxr-DrBVSU0TTZKGkqiDHRT6T6yaRT9sWNe7CCZ3XOXoapA1DJPZYkNE7o76HwXJJeY3yJ-Au06DxZxZIfRS7AziJojf1X45GN8jJFkshO788FFCJjGKD8xzddWvc7y55w-1JkHhp43eHL/s1600/iPad.png"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 169px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxr-DrBVSU0TTZKGkqiDHRT6T6yaRT9sWNe7CCZ3XOXoapA1DJPZYkNE7o76HwXJJeY3yJ-Au06DxZxZIfRS7AziJojf1X45GN8jJFkshO788FFCJjGKD8xzddWvc7y55w-1JkHhp43eHL/s320/iPad.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5548817868927003106" /></a><br /><br />The blinkin' iPad!<br /><br />For some strange inexplicable reason, the iPad, (even though it has a larger screen, and CAN/WILL achieve everything that the retina display can do) completely ignores those wonderful little @2x files, and instead loads the small ones.<br /><br />This basically means that, although my "Screen=Big" code kicks in (what with the iPad saying it's got a big screen), it actually only loads the little pictures.<br />My sprite cutter ends up cutting strange missized chunks of random bits, and attempts to use those as if there's nothing wrong.<br />But there IS something wrong.<br />And it's blindingly obvious.<br /><br />Gah!Jayenkaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920498300387621327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7565494085174686663.post-48623857306171533652010-11-04T23:21:00.003+00:002010-11-04T23:25:55.723+00:00Stringy Things Update<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px;"><b><a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/id397961479">Available Now ($0.99/£0.59/equivilant)</a></b></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/id397961479">Click here to find it at the App Store</a></span></span><br /><br />After waiting for what seems like Months for it to go through, Stringy Things v1.03 should now be appearing on your iPhings.<br />The update brings a whole mountain of new stuff along with it, from simple bug fixes, to new tilesets, a brand new Gameplay mode, and even a whole extra game to keep you occupied.<br /><br />There's plenty to do, and it's the first of the free updates that'll be coming thick and fast! (Or.. as fast as Apple can review them, anyway!)<br /><br /><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/T6ocNKpw8vk?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/T6ocNKpw8vk?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><br /><br />More soon!Jayenkaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920498300387621327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7565494085174686663.post-34006388683163622192010-10-26T22:04:00.004+01:002010-10-26T22:28:59.067+01:00Stringy Things on 4.0<i><a href="http://jayenkai.blogspot.com/2010/10/3-days-later.html?showComment=1288123006049#c9146771789973827720">Anonymous said...</a><br />Is there something so technologically advanced about Stringy Things that allows it to run ONLY on iOS 4.1 or above? It would be great if it would run on the thousands (millions?) of devices that will never be able to run iOS 4.0 and newer.</i><br /><br />Of course, the simple answer is No.<br />There's nothing technical stopping me from releasing this on 3.x, or probably even 2.x<br />It's a simple throw of a switch, a recompile, and a sending to the AppStore.<br /><br />The problem though, for me, is that without any 3.x devices to test it on, I'll be doing it blind.<br /><br /><a name='more'></a><br /><br />Whilst developing the main Framework (Which I then used to rapidly build Stringy Things within a matter of days) I learned not to trust the Mac's little Emulator. As soon as I'd struggled to fix one little quirk, I'd connect up the iPod and blammo... There'd be a whole network of silly little things to have to faff about with.<br />The emulator's a fantastic little tool, it works amazingly well, but it's far, far away from being perfect.<br />You REALLY have to test your apps on the real thing.<br />If you don't, you're going to have random crazy problems turning up.<br /><br /><br />Of course, there are solutions to this.<br />For starters, I could downgrade, test on 3, upgrade, test on 4, rinse repeat.<br />But, without sounding like a self-important crazed maniac, I'm currently juggling a whole mountain of stuff here! I've got iPhing development going, I've a weekly "Write an entire game within the space of a week" game for Windows going on, a weekly newsletter to write, and let's not forget the half-a-dozen forum communities that I'm struggling to keep up with.<br />To then have to keep waiting for my iPod to restore itself half-a-dozen times a day...<br />I think I'd probably end up crazier than I already am!<br /><br />Another solution is to grab another iPod, keep it at 3, and use it as a testbed.<br />Well, I'm too cheap for that! I'm living on a low budget, here. You can't give yourself enough time to do all of these online escapades, and expect a decent paycheck at the end of the week... .. Sux, but it is what it is.<br /><br />So, yeah. It's doable, but it's just ever so slightly out of reach, right now.<br /><br />Given enough time, I'll have a little rest from constantly adding new games to Stringy Things, and I'll instead have a play about with all the 3.x stuff. That's not a promise, but it's something to look into in the future.<br /><br />On the other side of the argument, there's the iPad.<br />I know the iPad is technically stuck at 3.x, and I'm looking at it, and worrying about it's upcoming upgrade to 4.x<br />I worry because, as of yet, I have absolutely NO idea if this'll run on the iPad at all!<br />And even if it does, it'll be reduced to "iPhoneWindow" mode, not "Proper" mode.<br /><br />So, I've been putting away a little bit of cash each week, (and then having it flow speedily out of my hands again) in order to finally get ahold of one of the little beasties. Once I've got one, I'll be hopping through the hard-coded numbers of Stringy Things, fixing up all the quirky areas, and ... hopefully.. manage to wrangle it properly into the iPad world.<br />But again, it'll come down to me having one to actually test it on!<br /><br />I'm not really one of those developers who'll happily fling something together, slap it out in the shop, and plain hope that it works.<br />Anyone who saw the extensive testing of my BlitzMax framework can certainly testify to how much I stress tested the thing, and how sick of all the constant testing they became!<br />But now that I'm asking people to PAY for the privilege of playing some of my games, I'd rather they not also end up the guinea pig to my random coding styles.<br />I want to know that something works, because I know how annoying it is when it doesn't.<br /><br />So, I apologise, but Stringy Things isn't available on 3.x<br />I'm only one man, and I've not a lot of time to do it!Jayenkaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920498300387621327noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7565494085174686663.post-91454711448547360162010-10-22T00:22:00.005+01:002010-10-22T00:37:36.058+01:00Coming soon to Stringy ThingsI've STILL not started to work properly on Game 3 yet, but I've made a huge amount of progress today!<br />There's...<br />A few Memory Leak Fixes<br />A New Gameplay Type (Arcade)<br />A slightly rejigged menu system<br />2 Letter Word allowances in Strings<br />A slight profanity filter, for when I start adding "Pick a Random word" type games. Can't have it swearing at the kiddies!<br /><br />And then I did this..<br /><a name='more'></a><br />I'm not really sure why I did this, and it certainly wasn't planned.<br />I was supposed to be making Game 3, but instead I did this.<br />I faffed about with the memory to fit it all in.<br />I tweaked the "Created by Jayenkai" page into a simple Settings menu.<br />and then I started plopping them in..<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf74RL_xBwiRhsL-MRQ-LOVYeFi_ZHpuaJkB9rjCunnOWSA3MAMkBS85Ctb1fMU-PPhEYo61UHgQolvAryhmCiWTkuX9T4p6uPvXCXxc7XddC5-bliTWQeYZGf6CzK_aB0FNlsHqpyVsMP/s1600/photo+(2).PNG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf74RL_xBwiRhsL-MRQ-LOVYeFi_ZHpuaJkB9rjCunnOWSA3MAMkBS85Ctb1fMU-PPhEYo61UHgQolvAryhmCiWTkuX9T4p6uPvXCXxc7XddC5-bliTWQeYZGf6CzK_aB0FNlsHqpyVsMP/s320/photo+(2).PNG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5530645910115730002" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ604wiSrCHMmiQTVGiJrHOeT7TmhsHXcE2kZf53Ehe8LFX5WWxixTZChfsDEXP9DWZequ0t47yECS6Kt_wWdyafaVZ5ElBKP0p-G2JStEfLBA66iZC25SuyjHkTUUZZvhiFkePvyOwzba/s1600/photo+(1).PNG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ604wiSrCHMmiQTVGiJrHOeT7TmhsHXcE2kZf53Ehe8LFX5WWxixTZChfsDEXP9DWZequ0t47yECS6Kt_wWdyafaVZ5ElBKP0p-G2JStEfLBA66iZC25SuyjHkTUUZZvhiFkePvyOwzba/s320/photo+(1).PNG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5530645903841030978" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1WJ3GNKn_9zfGmF_oxF4LEst4p09T-zAiEQQCmUpzu_iKXpKpGbSIABCLMVjFsY4Iv45uh6xng6DGXD_d-t-WxfZRbUvkZrUuQdtaqOQxJ8MI3j-wXbpYWxSi9agq2LpCWbpD3ghPe7aE/s1600/photo.PNG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1WJ3GNKn_9zfGmF_oxF4LEst4p09T-zAiEQQCmUpzu_iKXpKpGbSIABCLMVjFsY4Iv45uh6xng6DGXD_d-t-WxfZRbUvkZrUuQdtaqOQxJ8MI3j-wXbpYWxSi9agq2LpCWbpD3ghPe7aE/s320/photo.PNG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5530645900624788738" /></a><br /><br />Once I've written Game 3, I'll send it off for review.<br />Should be ready for download in about a week, give or take.<br /><br /><a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/id397961479">Stringy Things is Available Now ($0.99/£0.59/equivilant)<br />Click here to find it at the App Store</a>Jayenkaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920498300387621327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7565494085174686663.post-70841704641180196222010-10-20T00:56:00.003+01:002010-10-20T01:00:16.620+01:00StringyThingsOn Wed 20th October 2010, 00:30GMT, StringyThings was finally released in the App Store!<br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px;"><b><a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/id397961479">Available Now ($0.99/£0.59/equivilant)</a></b></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/id397961479">Click here to find it at the App Store</a></span></span><br /><br />A collection of word games for those "Need a quick word game" moments.<br /><br /><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/tPuzJbwu5KI?fs=1&hl=en_US"><br /></param><br /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><br /></param><br /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><br /></param><br /><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/tPuzJbwu5KI?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><br /><br />The first release is the test release, to ensure my somewhat old-school coding style can get past the Apple sensors! Now that I know it can, we can have some fun.<br /><br />I'll be adding an extra word game with each and every release, and if I run out of word games, I'm sure I can pluck a few other thinking games out, from somewhere!<br /><br />For now, there's two games, and each one is a nice and simple relaxing game.<br /><br />You can pick from a bunch of play styles, too, so if you'd prefer a fast paced timed game, or a nice slow thinking game, you can go for either.<br /><br /><br />There's a whole lot more StringyThings to come.<br /><br />For now, it's in the AppStore, nice and cheap!Jayenkaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920498300387621327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7565494085174686663.post-40690353707055195432010-10-08T22:18:00.002+01:002010-10-08T22:26:43.426+01:003 days later...It's been one heck of a productive week, this week.<br />Since moving the MacMini from the downstairs dining room, up to my bedroom, I guess I kinda spurred myself on a bit.<br />... Either that or I've not been sleeping, and instead coding away like a crazy maniac.<br />..<br />It's the latter!<br /><br />So, what have I been working on?<br /><a name='more'></a><br /><br />Well, the Framework is pretty much "Done". I want to finish off my first Framework based game, to be certain that it passes through the AppleChecks first, to be safe, before I post it all here.<br /><br />Other than that, I've begun my first Framework based game, and what better way to test it all out than writing a good old compilation of games!<br /><br />Stringy Things isn't just a thought. With only a couple of days worth of coding, (God bless the Framework!!) Stringy Things is already a half-formed game. In fact, it already looks like this..<br /><br /><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/K4jacHB3fw4?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/K4jacHB3fw4?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><br /><br />Which, I think you can all agree, is a heck of a lot better than I was doing previously, and at a much quicker rate, too.<br />The game's loading and releasing things nicely, and is ready for me to drop in a few additional word games.<br />.. I now have to think of some!<br /><br />I might do an early release with only a couple of wordgames. Depends on how playable they are.<br />The "Strings" subgame is already VERY playable!!<br /><br />More to come!<br /><br />.. Gotta add a Page for Stringy Things, now!Jayenkaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920498300387621327noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7565494085174686663.post-62172954153653815902010-10-05T23:37:00.007+01:002010-10-06T00:02:04.893+01:00Okeydoke.. Let's try this one..The "Everyone says I should do it this way" method...<br /><br /><pre class="postCode">- (UIImage *)addImage:(UIImage *)top toImage:(UIImage *)bottom at:(CGRect)rect withBlend:(CGBlendMode)blend { <br /> UIGraphicsBeginImageContext(bottom.size); <br /> // Draw image1 <br /> [bottom drawInRect:CGRectMake(0, 0, bottom.size.width, bottom.size.height)]; <br /> <br /> // Draw image2 <br /> [top drawInRect:rect blendMode:blend alpha:1]; <br /> <br /> UIImage *result = UIGraphicsGetImageFromCurrentImageContext(); <br /> <br /> UIGraphicsEndImageContext(); <br /> <br /> return result; <br />} </pre><br /><br /><a name='more'></a><br />The "This is the way I was doing it before" method.<br /><br /><pre class="postCode">void CreateBuffer(int width,int height) // Makes an empty buffer to draw onto<br />{<br /> CGColorSpaceRef colorspace = CGColorSpaceCreateDeviceRGB();<br /> ctx = CGBitmapContextCreate(NULL,<br /> width, height,<br /> 8, width * 4,<br /> colorspace, kCGImageAlphaPremultipliedLast);<br /> CGColorSpaceRelease(colorspace);<br /> BufferHeight=height;<br />}<br /><br />void LockBuffer(UIImage* ImageLock) // Creates a buffer from a previous image.<br />{<br /> CGImageRef oldimage = ImageLock.CGImage;<br /> CGColorSpaceRef colorspace = CGColorSpaceCreateDeviceRGB();<br /> ctx = CGBitmapContextCreate(NULL,<br /> CGImageGetWidth(oldimage), CGImageGetHeight(oldimage),<br /> 8, CGImageGetWidth(oldimage) * 4,<br /> colorspace, kCGImageAlphaPremultipliedLast);<br /> CGColorSpaceRelease(colorspace);<br /> BufferHeight=CGImageGetHeight(oldimage);<br /> <br /> CGContextSetBlendMode(ctx, kCGBlendModeCopy);<br /> <br /> CGRect r = CGRectMake(0,0,CGImageGetWidth(oldimage), CGImageGetHeight(oldimage));<br /> CGContextDrawImage(ctx, r, oldimage); <br />}<br /><br />void DrawToBuffer(UIImage* ImageDraw,int x,int y) // Draw a UIImage onto a Buffer<br />{<br /> CGImageRef useimage = ImageDraw.CGImage;<br /> CGContextSetBlendMode(ctx, kCGBlendModeOverlay);<br /> // add new image<br /> <br /> CGRect r = CGRectMake(x,y,CGImageGetWidth(useimage),CGImageGetHeight(useimage));<br /> CGContextDrawImage(ctx, r, useimage);<br />}<br /><br /><br /><br />UIImage* UnlockBuffer(int freebuffer)<br />{<br /> // create resulting image<br /> CGImageRef thisimage;<br /> thisimage = CGBitmapContextCreateImage(ctx);<br /> UIImage* newImage = [[UIImage alloc] initWithCGImage:thisimage];<br /> <br /> CGImageRelease(thisimage);<br /> <br /> if (freebuffer==1) {CGContextRelease(ctx);}<br /> <br /> return newImage;<br />}</pre><br /><br /><br />I'm pretty sure "Their" method would be the right one to go for, and up there it does indeed seem like a lot less code.<br />But let's see what it looks like when I'm actually using it, shall we?<br /><br />Theirs first..<br /><pre class="postCode"> start=millisecs();<br /> img_Hearts=[jcore makeImage:CGSizeMake(128,128)];<br /> img_Hearts=[jcore addImage:img_Heart toImage:img_Hearts at:CGRectMake(0,0,64,64) withBlend:kCGBlendModeCopy];<br /> img_Hearts=[jcore addImage:img_Heart toImage:img_Hearts at:CGRectMake(64,0,64,64) withBlend:kCGBlendModeCopy];<br /> img_Hearts=[jcore addImage:img_Heart toImage:img_Hearts at:CGRectMake(0,64,64,64) withBlend:kCGBlendModeCopy];<br /> img_Hearts=[jcore addImage:img_Heart toImage:img_Hearts at:CGRectMake(64,64,64,64) withBlend:kCGBlendModeCopy];<br /> view_Heart[0].image=img_Hearts;<br /> Debuglog(@"A--> %f",millisecs()-start);</pre><br /><br />vs mine..<br /><pre class="postCode"> start=millisecs();<br /> CreateBuffer(128,128);<br /> DrawToBuffer(img_Heart,0,0);<br /> DrawToBuffer(img_Heart,0,64);<br /> DrawToBuffer(img_Heart,64,0);<br /> DrawToBuffer(img_Heart,64,64);<br /> img_Hearts=UnlockBuffer(1);<br /> <br /> view_Heart[0].image=img_Hearts;<br /> Debuglog(@"B--> %f",millisecs()-start);<br /></pre><br /><br />Same result, much feckin' shorter, much easier to type, much better on the eyes, pretty much just better!<br />FFS, coders, there was nothing wrong with "Basic"...<br />It worked, it looked half decent, it wasn't a mess, and you could damn well read it!<br /><br />But, of course, the numbers of keys you press isn't really the issue. The actual issue is the end result.<br />So, which is better? "Better" code, or "shitty" JayStyle code?<br /><br /><pre class="postCode">A--> 0.002366<br />A--> 0.002013<br />A--> 0.002013<br />A--> 0.001553<br />A--> 0.001734<br />A--> 0.001661<br />A--> 0.001652<br />A--> 0.001997<br />A--> 0.001926<br />A--> 0.002022<br />B--> 0.001284<br />B--> 0.000755<br />B--> 0.001093<br />B--> 0.001089<br />B--> 0.000946<br />B--> 0.001051<br />B--> 0.001101<br />B--> 0.000967<br />B--> 0.001144<br />B--> 0.001089<br /></pre><br /><br />Aww well, you can't argue with numbers!Jayenkaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920498300387621327noreply@blogger.com1