Kotaku.com has posted a bit of information about Rokkitball. If you want some shiny screens and some information about what the game is all about head over to the exclusive Rokkitball post on Kotaku.
I'd post the screenshots, but they're exclusive. So you NEED to go over there to see them.
For ease of use, I will link to some of the screenshots below:
That's all. Go there!
-Dr Wiley
In case you didn't notice the box art on InstantAction for Screwjumper, it's been revamped. Below you will see the new features in the game:
Multiplayer:
Multiplayer is all new. This mode features a new race mode and 8 new crazy maps. The goal, as with any racing game, is to get to the target before all of your competitors do.
In addition to the new multiplayer version of the game, Screwjumper has also gotten tighter controls in both single player and multiplayer. Both mouse, controller, and keyboard controllers are much more solid now.
So login and check out the new Screwjumper.
-Dr Wiley
"So you downloaded MAME and purchased licenses to every ROM for it. Now you have three thousand games, give or take a thousand. Infinite fun, right? Not exactly, but you do have access to a resource for learning some valuable lessons about game design."
Good informative read about the classics and what they can teach you. Check out the full article on GameDev.net.
-Dr Wiley
If you missed the chat with Tim Aste, Director of Fallen Empire: Legions, no worries. You can watch it here, or you can re-watch it if you were participating in the live chat. This was actually a huge success and a lot of fun so we plan on doing more in the future.
Don't forget tomorrow is the day you can chat with Tim Aste from the Legions Development Team. Following you will find some details about the event:
Set your alarms, tell your friends, create accounts or get there early so you can be approved by our moderator. Exciting times.
-Dr Wiley
It's here! This is the first installment of Marble Blast Online Tricks from Hikaru501. This video will give you some hints and strategies on the map Sprawl. I really can't believe some of the stuff he can do. I gave it a shot the other day and was able to pull off some of these tricks, but it'll take a bit of work for me to perfect the rest of them.
You can catch a higher quality version on 360-live.com, or if you want to watch the lo-res version, check the YouTube video below.
-Dr Wiley
On March 20th you'll have a chance to chat with your favorite Legions developers. This Thursday, starting at 3 pm PST, the developers will be answering questions via Ustream.tv. The Q & A session will last approximately 30 min. long and will be recorded so you can watch it again and again.
I'll be reminding you again as the date approaches, and giving you more details to log in, but get your questions ready now. It should be a bunch of fun.
-Dr Wiley
The time has come: we're finally ready to announce the winners of the 2008 InstantAction Game Developer Contest. So here they are:
-----
Cannon Battle
Developer:
Mark Thurow
Cannon Battle Video:
Gameplay Vid
Why it won:
Cannon
Battle defines the kind of game we're looking for on InstantAction: a
quick-play 3D RTS with exceptional core gameplay mechanics and a unique
style of play.
Cannon Battle allows you to fire your artillery manually as you construct buildings and conquer territory, combining hectic reactionary tactics with the planning and strategy that RTS games are known for.
Survival/Switching Gears
Developer:
Affectworks
Switching Gears demo:
www.switchinggearsgame.com
Survival .plan:
www.garagegames.com/blogs/45181/14313
Why it won:
Affectworks sent us two very different games, which are both great for very different reasons.
Survival is a first person zombie-pocalypse game where building a shelter to stave off the zombie hordes is key to your survival.
Switching Gears is a platformer with a variety of polished gameplay mechanics set in a comedic robotic world.
What they win:
Each
1st Prize winner will receive one Unity Indie license ($199 USD value)
and a Torque Game Engine Advance Indie license with Torsion ($335 USD
value).
Trash: Wasted Earth
Developer:
Inhuman Games/Eipix
Trash info/screens/vids:
www.inhumangames.com/
Why it won:
Trash: Wasted Earth brings to the table everything you can do in a mainstream RTS, but does so in indie style.
Based on the popular indie game Trash, the new version looks to take it to the next level with more options, more units, more players, and improved graphics.
What they win:
The
Grand Prize winner will receive one license to Unity Pro with Asset
Server ($1,999 USD value) and one Torque Engine Suite, which includes:
Torque Game Builder, Torque Game Engine, Torque Game Engine Advance,
Torque X Pro, Torsion, Torque Network Libraries, and art content packs
($1340 USD value). Finally, and most importantly, the winner will
receive an InstantAction publishing contract.
-----
Congrats to all our finalists, and to all those who submitted a game. It's amazing how many quality submissions we received on such short notice. Next year's contest promises to be bigger, better, and (probably what you want to hear most) longer, so start planning your submissions!
In the meantime, we're always looking for great games to add to the InstantAction library. Even if your game did not make the cut this time around, we'd love to see your game. Contact Randy Dersham (randyd@garagegames.com) for information regarding publishing on InstantAction.
The finalists for the contest provided some great links to more info about their submissions, which can be found in the comment section of the Finalist Announcement blog: www.garagegames.com/index.php?sec=mg&mod=resource&page=view&qid=14327
All winners will be contacted shortly with details
I don't know if any of you frequent Penny Arcade, but if you don't, you may want to check it out today. In today's post Tycho compares the art direction of Battlefield: Heroes to ThinkTanks, and "it's a good thing."
It's cool to know that Tycho has played ThinkTanks since he's also a fan of Tribes and Marble Blast. Hopefully he'll get on InstantAction and you'll be able to play against him. I wonder if he's any good.
Anyway, those guys over there are extremely funny and have great comic strips 3 times weekly. Check it out. Laugh and cry over their musings, and be overjoyed that you can play ThinkTanks soon.
Here's something they did Tribes related a while back. Pretty funny. I'm tellin' ya.
-Dr Wiley
So while I was at GDC 2008 we had some of the guys from Wideload Shorts stop by to give some presentations about Cyclomite. The first presentation by Scott Corley (Studio Director of Wideload Shorts) went over rather well and I couldn't help but notice a camera guy filming the presentation. Taking a closer look I noticed that the camera had a rather well known name printed on it, Ziff Davis. Figured cool, we'll see if anything gets posted up.
Upon arrival back to good old Eugene, Oregon, I checked 1up.com. Sure enough they've got an entire write-up about the game including some footage. Coverage includes single-player and multiplayer (co-op and versus). Read the full article on 1up.com and check out Scott's explanation of the single-player mode in the video.
Of course, if you're already in the beta, you could always log in and give it a shot yourself.
- Dr Wiley
It looks like the guys over at www.360-live.com have beta accounts. With those accounts they've played some (probably a lot) of Marble Blast Online and posted about the new InstantAction exclusive multiplayer maps. Included in the post are some awesome screenshots and rundowns of each of the new multiplayer maps. Read it all at http://360-live.com/index.php/2008/02/22/marble-blast-online-new-multiplayer-maps/
Get the Marble Blast lowdown at 360-live.com.
-Dr Wiley
We've got some awesome video for you from the scene of the Game Developers Conference. (As you may have gathered from our earlier posts, GDC 2008 is happening right now in San Francisco, California.)
First up is a developer walk-through from Tim Aste, the Project Director for Fallen Empire: Legions. Check it out!
Next, you can see Legions demo game play footage straight from the GDC show floor, courtesy of this ShackNews article.
Watch this space for a post-show wrap up on all of the InstantAction happenings early next week!
The long awaited unnamed FPS now has one. Fallen Empire: Legions will be available exclusively on InstantAction.
Tim Aste, Project Director, sat down with IGN for an interview about the game. The interview posted yesterday gives some insight into what the game will be about and how it'll play.
"With Legions, we set out to create a fast and furious online shooter. Now imagine that same game, but with a big freaking rocket strapped to your back. Freedom of movement is an integral part of the game concept; we wanted players to feel unrestrained by the world. If a player can see a spot where they wanted to go, we want them to get there easily."
Head to www.instantaction.com to sign up for the beta and get a look at some of the screenshots for the game.
-Dr Wiley
We've got an extremely exciting contest kicking off today, the winner of which will win receive a publishing contract to get their game on InstantAction. In addition to this we'll have a bunch of other great prizes. So read the rules and then get working on your game!
Win a publishing contract from GarageGames and be among the first to get your game on a next generation online platform!
Independent
game developers, this is your chance to turn your dream game into
reality by winning a publishing contract for the InstantAction.com game
platform. The winning entry will join games made by other well-known
industry heavyweights. Finalists
will be announced at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco,
with the winner being announced shortly thereafter.
InstantAction
is all about bringing fun, top-tier games to the already large and
growing audience of online gamers. We're looking for submissions that
are innovative and eye-catching, but more importantly, easy to pick up
and enjoy immediately. Another main focus of InstantAction is
community. As such, all submissions are required to be multiplayer
games or include an extensive multiplayer component.
More
details and prize categories will be announced soon. Questions? Respond
in the comments section below, or send questions to
ContestQuestions@garagegames.com.
Send
all submissions to GameDevContest08@GarageGames.com. Read below for
contest details, including terms, conditions, and prizes.
Terms & Conditions:
1)
Submission Deadline: All entries must be submitted by February 10, 2008
to the following email address: gamedevcontest08@garagegames.com.
2) All entries must include at minimum a playable demo to be considered.
3) All entries must be multiplayer, or include an extensive multiplayer component.
4) All entries must be playable on Windows XP or Vista.
5) Contestants are free to use the technology of their choice for the creation of their game.
6) Entries may include games in progress or previously completed games.
7) Entries must be submitted in .zip or similar file types.
8) Entries must include a short description of the game as well as instructions on how to play.
Prizes:
Grand Prize - An InstantAction.com publishing contract.
-A license to Unity Pro with Asset Server ($1,999 USD value)
Second Prize - Unity Indie license ($199 USD value)
Third Prize - Unity Indie license ($199 USD value)
Other Prizes - To be announced soon! Prizes will include hardware and software from some of the tech industry's top brands. Stay tuned to InstantAction for updates on new prize categories in the coming days.
Bonus - Unity Technologies will be offering extended trials to any registered participant that wants to use Unity.
**Click here for full Official Rules **
So there you have it. I'm excited to see what games come from this. I know there'll be some really great entries.
James
Marble Blast Ultra, made by our parent company GarageGames, is one of the most popular games on Xbox Live Arcade. Microsoft's love affair with the marble has not ended. It's going to Europe. If you're in Europe and want to buy an Xbox 360, Microsoft will thank you by giving you your pick of 10 free games. Marble Blast Ultra is one of them.
Not incidentally, MBU is also one of the featured games you'll be able to play on InstantAction.
