File Buz

Our First Game Is Out For the iPad Hooray!

Last week, Avadon: The Black Fortress HD for the iPad went live in the iTunes App Store. The reaction to it so far has left us stunned. Literally. Like, jaws dropped, walking around in a daze.

The genesis of the iPad version was a few months ago, when I said, "Hmmm. I have a few weeks free on my schedule. I think Ill port Avadon to the iPad. Thatll be good for a laugh!" Ive long known that there was a demand on the device for old school gaming, free of ads, in-game purchases, cute animals, zombies, and farming.

But, it turns out, the demand was far greater than Id ever guessed. My fan mail since the release has been very instructive. Gamers werent just disappointed by the lack of deeper games on the device. They were downright irked.

But that is the Magic Power of the Indie developer. Find an underserved market and serve it.

Writing and releasing my first device for iOS has been very instructive. In case anyone is interested, heres a few comments on Spiderweb Softwares first game for portables.

Learning To Code For a New Platform.

Apple has done an amazing job of making developing for iPhones and iPads accessible. The sets of commands to program the device (i.e. the API, called Cocoa) are very clear and not too trying to learn. The development environment, XCode, is free. There are several good, free game engines for the devices. (I used a heavily modified version of the open source engine iPTK.)

There are also excellent books available on the topic. I leaned most heavily on Beginning iPhone 4 Development. I found iPad Application Development For Dummies to be unusually poor for a Dummies book, but its chapter on Provisioning (a tricky, vital, and neglected topic) is easily worth the cost of the book.

A Decent Port. But Just Decent.

Avadon originally came out for Windows and Mac. I was really determined not to half-ass the port to the iPad. I put a lot of thought into how to best adapt an old school, Western-style RPG to a touch screen. Its not something people have spent a lot of time doing. I think I came up with good answers to a lot of the questions, and the game overall plays really well.

However, there are a number of places where the UI could be better. This isnt because I was lazy or wanted to dump shoddy work on the market, but simply because this was my first iOS application. So have mercy. Our next game for the iPad (out, lets say, next April) will be better. Itll take some doing to modify the engine, but itll get done.

Avadon HD is also a fairly demanding app. All of those icons eat up RAM, and the first generation iPad doesnt have a lot. Its playable, but it will be pokey from time to time. It runs great on the iPad 2, but I dont take a lot of satisfaction in that. The inconsistent performance on the iPad 1 is, simply, a failing on my part.

The Apple Approval Process.

Took a week to get my app approved. No rejections. No hassles. No complaints.

The Eternal Pain of Pricing.

It hasnt all been love and group hugs. Some of my fans have been seriously furious that we sell Avadon for Mac and Windows for $25 and the iPad version is $10. Like, "I will never be your customer again. Die in a fire." furious. I dont normally explain my decisions about pricing, but this merits a few words.

The same game is almost always priced differently on different devices. If you look at the prices charged for, say, Peggle, Plants vs. Zombies, or Angry Birds on different platforms, youll find a huge variety. Angry Birds on the iPhone? One dollar. On the Macintosh? Five dollars. Thats a five times difference!

There are a variety of reasons, all of them out of my control, for why I feel it is appropriate to charge less for the iPad version:

1. It has fewer features, due to the limitations of the device. Most notably, it is stuck at 1024x768 resolution and there are no keyboard shortcuts.
2. Since it is being sold by Apple, it is subject to the rules of their system. Most notably, there is DRM, and we cant give refunds through iTunes. Games bought directly from Spiderweb have no DRM and a Money Back Guarantee.
3. When you buy Mac/PC Avadon from us, you get a registration key that can be used to unlock an unlimited number of copies, over both Mac and Windows. A registration over iTunes isnt quite so liberal.
4. There is no ability to mod the game. This matters to more people than you might think.

But the main reason Avadon HD is $10 is, to be honest, that is the only possible price. Any more expensive, and it will cost way too much for an app. Any cheaper, and were charging too little for what is still an old school niche product with a limited audience. If you try to look at it from our perspective, I think you will see that we didnt have a lot of options here.

One More Disappointment.

We are going to release all of our new games on the iPad. No question.

However, we currently have no plans to write games for the iPhone. After long thought, I came to realize that we just cant figure out how to write the sort of in-depth games we like to do on that screen size. Again, this is a failing on our part. Im sure some intrepid developer will find a way to make it work. (Hear that, young Indies? That is the siren song of a market for you, all wrapped up with a big, red bow.)

Also, since most Android devices dont have a screen big enough to support our games, we are very unsure how soon well be supporting that platform. We are in wait-and-see mode.

Thank You.

And finally, many thanks to everyone who reads this who has supported our games. At the end of the day, Im just a guy in a basement trying to earn a living and feed the kids. I am grateful for every sale. Plus, they make it possible for me to write more games. Lord knows, by this point, Im too old and cranky to learn how to do real work.

Soon, we will release the first screenshots and information for Avernum: Escape From the Pit. For Windows and Macintosh. And the iPad!

Available link for download

Orborun v2 APK Android Free Game Full Download

Orborun v2 APK Android Free Game Full Download

Requirements: Android 2.0.1+
Fast, paced and fun
Rediscover the rolling ball games genre
90+ various and rich levels in 3 robotic environments
Accelerometer and touch controls
9 cute Orbots skins to unlock


Please Wait 5 sec and then skip Ad on top corner and here you go

Available link for download

Obama Saw Game 2 Walkthrough

Full step by step walkthrough solution for the point and click room escape game Obama Saw Game episode 2.  The evil puppet Pigsaw has kidnapped President Obama again to force him to play his twisted game.  You need to help him escape safe and sound.  If you get stuck, then this waljthrough will guide to you freedeom... alive!  Detailed explanations with help, tips, and hints in this walkthrough.

You can play Obama Saw 2 here.

Watch the Obama Saw Game 2 Intro:

And then the Obama Saw Game 2 Walkthrough starts here:

You start your adventure in the TV room.
Take the magnet.

Go right.

Pick up the dog.
Take the stone.
Click on the evil Puppet and play his game.  You need to click when he opens his mouth...

You need to click 10 times correctly then a door will open.

Go right.

Take the nail.
Go back.

Go North.

Take the slingshot.
Combine the nail and slingshot.
Shoot the mask with the nail.
Use the magnet on the nail to get the mask.

Go back.
Go right.

Put the mask on the dog.
Combine the rock and slingshot.
Stand on the platform then shoot the yellow button with the rock-and-sling.
Use the dog on the arrow to get rid of the skeleton.
Fetch another rock and go over to the other side.

Take the doggy.

Click on the Pigsaw frame to play another game.
He will show some faces and then add more. You need to click on the first faces.  This game goes up to 6 faces.  Win it to open the door.

Go North.

Talk to Ronald McDonald.
Give the dog to Ronald McDonald.
Talk to Ronald McDonald and get the password.  1746 for me.  Yours might differ.
Open the steel door using the keypad and the code you got from Ronald.
Enter

Nothing to do for now.
Go out, and out again.
Go right.

Take the paper.
Read it:

Notice the patter on the M.

Return to the McDonalds room.
Walk the M as per the paper note.  I had to do it a few times to get it right.
I clicked so that Obama took small steps up the M, down to the middle then up for the next hump all the way down tot he end of the M.

Take the hamburger.
Go out, out gaain.
Go right.
Go up.

Talk to the big guy.
Ask how much he weighs.
Give him the hamburger.
Go fetch another hamgurger and give it to the big guy.

Talk to the big guy and ask him to stand in the corner.
He is now heavy enough and will open the door.

Go right.

Talk to professor Fink.
Talk about his cat

Go out, out,
Go right.

Take the STOP sign.

Go out. Go South.
Quickly place the STOP sign in front of you to halt Minotauro.

Take the stop sign and place it on the right side at the door.
Go right.

Take Prof Finks cat.
Take the piece of paper.

Go left.
Take the STOP sign and place it at the left door.
Go left.
Go North.
Go right.

Give the cat to Prof Fink.
You will get the see-through-wood-glasses.

Go out, out, Right.

Use the glasses to "read" the wood.  (Your numbers could be different)
My numbers at the top:  724613985
Order: 7359

My code will be:  9415  (the 7th number, then the 3rd, 5th, 9th)
Open the door by entering 9415 on the keypad.
Go right.

Take the paper.
Look at the paper:

I have 5473

Look at the color paper you pick up earlier:

The order will be the number color as per the other paper.
Color 5 = yellow, 4 = pink, 7 = light green, etc.

Now walk to the correct color block in sequence, without touching the other colors.
If you step correctly you will see your number on the wall.

For me it is: Yellow, Pink,Light green, Red

If correct, the door will open.
Go right.

Take the paper and read it:

12-39-17

Look through the hole next to the door.
Now create a path for the robot so that he will have to walk over the 3 numbers on the paper.  Order does not matter.
Here is my solution:

Once you have a path, talk to the robot and tell him to walk.
If he stepped on the 3 numbers and reach the END, then the door will open.

Go right.

Go right.

You have 60 seconds to survive this room.
Take the paper and read.

Yellow, 5, 4, blue

To get this:
Step on Rotate until the 5 is on the left.
Step on Yellow to clear then step on the 5.
Now step on rotate and the left column, rotate, then left column, until the 4 is in the middle right.
Now only step right onto the 4.  Then blue.

Problem solved!
The door will open and you can escape!

Well done on solving Obama Saw 2.
Hope you enjoyed my walkthrough.

Available link for download

OCTOBERS VERY OWN PRESENTS HAW 2015 OFFICIAL CELEBRITY SOFTBALL GAME ON FIELD UNIFORMS

OCTOBERS VERY OWN x UGK x HOUSTON ASTROS: HOUSTON APPRECIATION WEEKEND CAP BY NEW ERA. MADE IN USA

Available link for download