InstantAction Beta Blog

It's Alive! InstantAction Open to the Public

InstantAction today invited gamers across the globe to enter its public beta.  Offering fully 3D, console-like games in a web browser, InstantAction is launching with four games available to the public today.

“Initial feedback on InstantAction from gamers has been very positive and we are ready to pull the covers off and let everyone take a look,” said Josh Williams, CEO of GarageGames. “Even though it’s early, and there is a lot more to add and improve, InstantAction is already impressive. Now with the community’s help, we’re going to work on making it truly mind blowing.”

With the public beta, four games – MarbleBlast Online, Screw Jumper, Think Tanks and Wideload Shorts’ Cyclomite – are already playable. More games will be added in the coming weeks, including the much anticipated FPS, Fallen Empire: Legions.

Early comments from beta testers have filled the InstantAction feedback boards. Regarding MarbleBlast Online, one tester said of his first experience with the title, “This game is surprisingly a lot of fun to play.” While another tester praised Wideload Shorts’ Cyclomite proclaiming “Cyclomite is my new favorite addiction on InstantAction.com. It's good, crazy fun.”

Social gaming is a core part of the InstantAction experience. Gamers can host parties and invite their friends to jump into a game via a URL link which can be sent via email or IM. Gamers can also seamlessly switch games and move their party with them.

“This is only the beginning. New games and features will be added each month,” added Williams. 

Contest Extended and Announcement Info

The deadline for the InstantAction Developer Contest has been extended to February 18th and we'll be announcing the finalists at this year's GDC.

To give developers more time to put the finishing touches on their games, GarageGames has extended the deadline for contest submissions until the day before the Game Developers Conference.

The announcement will be made on Wednesday, February 20th at 4pm at the GarageGames/InstantAction booth. The GDC Booth Crawl begins soon after at 4:30, so celebrate the selection of the finalists by having a drink with us at the GarageGames booth!

Send in your game submissions to GameDevContest08@garagegames.com by the revised date  **Tuesday, Feb 18th** to be considered for the contest.

Exactly one month remaining in the InstantAction Game Developer Contest

The contest is nearing an end so I hope everyone is polishing up their games and getting them ready for submission. 

To recap, the contest runs until Feb. 10th, 2008.  Finalists will be announced at GDC in San Francisco, and the winners will be announced the following week.  Submit all entries to: gamedevcontest08@garagegames.com.

Winners will be receiving awesome prizes provided by Unity and GarageGames, while the Grand Prize Winner will earn an InstantAction Publishing Contract!

**Remember: Only a demo or proof of concept is required, so feel free to submit games that are still in development. Entries will be judged based in large part on whether or not they are fun, so potential will be taken strongly into consideration.**

Looking forward to checking out the submissions!

 

-Dr Wiley

InstantAction in PC Gamer

InstantAction is featured in an article from the January 2008 issue of PC Gamer. 

"Turning on the InstantAction" reads the headline and they pose the question "Will the next big gaming platform be...Your web browser?"  An interesting read commenting on the social aspect of InstantAction as well as the lack of commitment to a certain business model to which developers must comply. 

Developers will be able to choose which type they want to use depending on the style of their game.  This could include a per title basis, subscription, microtransactions, or some could even be scored through competitions or promotions. 

So grab the January issue of PC Gamer, read the article, check out their top 8 games of 2008, and get ready as InstantAction is coming early 2008.  Here's what the cover looks like so you know what to look for. 

I'll leave with a quote from the magazine.  "InstantAction promises 'near-console' quality games with assets that stream to your browser as you play."

InstantAction Game Developer Contest

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

Gamespot Q&A with Josh

One of the most in-depth pieces of coverage of InstantAction so far is Gamespot's Q&A with our CEO Josh Williams.

In this article, Josh describes InstantAction in detail. If you want a more extensive picture of what the platform's about prior to the public launch, check it out.

Wired on InstantAction

It's gamers that are ultimately going to make InstantAction a winner: they are some of the most adept people at using the web to spread the good word on good games.

That said, it's still pretty awesome when technology bigwigs flip their big wigs. Wired recently interviewed GarageGames CEO Josh Williams about InstantAction, and were left optimistic about the possibilities the platform presents for gamers:

"It's not as if I couldn't believe my eyes or anything, but to watch a fast-paced 3D action game taking place in a giant browser window was really something."

The Ripten Review

It's always great to turn a doubter into a believer. It's even better when all it takes is a look at the thing itself. That's what happened when our CEO Josh gave Rob Way at Ripten a first-person look into the sparkling innards of InstantAction.

" My expectations were low when first hearing about InstantAction.com, an online browser based gaming site," Rob said at the top of the review. But not long into the demo Rob changed his tune. "(E)very negative thought I had was proven wrong.  I was wrong. Yes — I know, weird!"

Weird, indeed, Rob. Weird, indeed.