Look ma, no plugin!

Posted by Chris Ramsdale - Thursday, April 01, 2010 at 2:23:00 PM

The new crop of HTML5 web browsers are capable of some pretty amazing things, and several of our engineers decided to take some 20% time to see how far we could push them. The result? An HTML5 port of Id's Quake II game engine!

We started with the existing Jake2 Java port of the Quake II engine, then used the Google Web Toolkit (along with WebGL, WebSockets, and a lot of refactoring) to cross-compile it into Javascript. You can see the results in the video above -- we were honestly a bit surprised when we saw it pushing over 30 frames per second on our laptops (your mileage may vary)!

It's still early days for WebGL, so you won't be able to run it without a bleeding edge browser, but if you'd like to check out the code and give it a whirl yourself, you can find it here. Enjoy!

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Check out these simple but fantastic games surrounded by the branding of Gorillaz' new album "Plastic Beach."

Mimeo and the Kleptopus King

As anyone on Dribbble already knows, I have been hard at work on my next iPhone/iPod touch game for the past two months. With the public launch of Dribbble imminent (I haven’t heard anything more than “soonish”) I thought the Mimeoverse could use a proper introduction.

Early last year, I applied for a MakeWork grant from local Chattanooga arts initiative CreateHere. In May (thanks in part to generous recommendation letters from the talented Messrs. Marcotte and Rubin and some handsome illustrations by Mr. Cornell) I was awarded partial funding for my proposal to create a faux 16-bit game engine. My new game designs are far more ambitious than my inaugural effort, Horror Vacui, aspiring to multiple worlds and levels, various unique power-ups and hand-crafted pixel graphics, all of Super Nintendo caliber.

A few months after the release of Fever I started on the engine. This past December I took a whole week off from support to make one last uninterrupted push and finished the core components of asset management, audio/visual output, a unique touch-based input method, and tile-based animated sprites and maps. I also built out an HTML-prototype map editor. It may sound like I took a vacation to get some work done but when you’re doing what you love, it’s really not work.

A simple proof of concept was required to iron out any kinks in the finished frameworks. That concept proved more interesting than the original game I set out to create.

Pushing Pixels

Before I get to Mimeo, I want to address my love of pixels. The aesthetics of Mimeo (and Horror Vacui before it) are not born solely from nostalgia. Good pixel art strikes the perfect balance between appreciable craftmanship and the gestalt. A single pixel out of place, one too few or too many, ruins the illusion. There’s an unmuddied, economy of expression, the thankless result of the limitations of cartridge-based consoles.

At its core, play, and by extenion video games, is learning. Call it discovery or mastery but a good game introduces new ideas (teaches), leverages existing ones (reviews) and layers them to create unique challenges (tests). Teaching, at its core, is communicating. Verbosity is an academic sleeping pill. A game’s graphics are the player’s teacher and a good teacher is consistent, clear, and concise. Like good pixel art.

Super Mimeo Bros.

Mimeo (even the name) started as a Mario clone with a twist: instead of power-ups affecting the player, they affect the entire game world. A story and mythos quickly developed. The so-called Mimeoverse consists of two 16-bit demiverses sharing 32-bits between them. When the evil Kleptopus King, an 8-bit octopus with an inferiority complex, discovers a portal into Mimeo’s realm and begins to syphon off its bits, Mimeo is sucked in and downsampled to 2-bit. So begins Mimeo’s quest to restore balance to the demiverses.

Mimeo collects carts to upscale himself and the game world and enables switching between acquired resolutions to solve platforming puzzles. He will find guidence from nearest-neighbor and native rabbit Gaido. Collected bits translate into 1ups. Disposing of certain types of enemies leaves behind hoodies that grant Mimeo special abilities. The Quantum Glove puts Mimeo’s bits in a state of quantum supposition; enemies can’t hit him but they can’t dodge him either. “It’s so bad.”

8-bit Hits

In addition to creating the scenario, programming and designing all the graphics I’m also composing and producing all the music. The game uses a Nintendo NES 2A03 APU sound chip emulator (courtesy of Blargg) for authentic sounds that will keep pace with the game’s graphics. Here’s some sample mp3s of the foreboding Fortress:

• 2-bit bass
• 4-bit hi-hat
• 8-bit melody
• 16-bit counter melody

I’m using a combination of MilkyTracker with the nespack.s3m samples for composing, Garageband for arranging, and MML for producing the final NSFs used in the game.

Resolution

I’m aiming for a 2010 holiday season release. There is still much work to be done as every asset exists in 4 different resolutions (I said this project was ambitious) but the majority of core pieces are already in place.

You can follow along (and/or play catch up) with the process on Dribbble once it goes public. Over the course of development, I uploaded some short demo videos to Flickr and this slightly longer executive summary progress report to Vimeo:

Rock Band Opens to Musician Submissions

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Starting tonight, a new program will enable bands to share their songs via the Rock Band video game without having to convince game developer Harmonix to make the tracks itself. Each completed song will go on sale in the Rock Band Network store along with the more than 700 in-house Rock Band tracks already available.

These song-programming tools have been available for a while now, but tonight an open beta testing period will begin. Creators and bands will have a chance to share their songs with a community of critics and fans. Once the library is big enough and the bugs have been exterminated, the content will go live on the average player’s Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3 Rock Band Network store.

Up to this point, Harmonix has had to create each Rock Band track itself. It can only crank out a few songs per day, and these songs basically print money, so why not source this stuff to the users? Bands can team up with talented track-makers working out of their basements (or the band members can do it themselves if they’re savvy), then make a profit and gain exposure through the store, which will give them a 30% cut.

Note that this is not a tool for just anyone who has a few minutes to kill and a song in mind. It’s a full-featured professional editing suite, and according to Joystiq it will take a first-time user between 20 and 40 hours to complete a song. If you’re brave enough to let fans play through your band’s breakthrough single, your time is nearly here.

via toucharcade.com

Back in October we highlighted an upcoming 2.5D sidescrolling puzzle platformer that drew inspiration from classics such as Metroid and MegaMan.

Original Teaser Video from October

The game was originally planned for submission in November, but after all the feedback he received in our forums, the developer decided to bring on more people to try to take the game to the next level. Two additional team members were added to work on artwork, sound and level design.

New screenshots are provided:

The latest developer update promises a well rounded and complete game:

We followed community feedback and as many suggested, we are taking the time to make a nice polished game. I can give you a hint at what to expect, +60 rooms (+30 unlockable with free updates), all filled with platforming action, physics-based puzzles, battles or all 3 Several ecosystems with nice artistic treatment and painted sceneries. Custom music tracks and sounds fxs. I know you will love the bosses and the story. The game is filled with hidden rooms, secrets and rewards. And as promised, full 60fps of pure gameplay response (we will even let you see the fps on screen if you want; its a geek thing)

The developer is working on a new gameplay trailer which should be revealed shortly along with the actual name of the game. We'll let you know as soon as we do. The developer is continuing to participate in the upcoming thread in our forums.

Gaming's Nine to Five

BY JAMES RENOVITCH

Time Fcuk

Just to make things more confusing, I've decided to choose the Top 5 video games for our No. 9-themed Top 10s issue. Don't worry, everything's numbered.

1) FREE BROWSER GAMES Cop-out? Maybe. It could be that I have a weekly blog column covering the world of games readily playable with a working Internet browser and an updated version of Flash. However, 2009 was not kind to the major players in the gaming world despite what you might infer from the Call of Duty sales figures. Most developers played it safe with their franchises. Meanwhile indie gamemakers were giving the year's best titles away. Some, such as Canabalt, were lightning-quick retro excursions and quickly grabbed up by the iPhone App Store. Others had one-of-a-kind gameplay, like Closure. But the real gem this year was from the mind of Edmund McMillen (among others), creator of list-worthy games like Meat Boy and Aether. Time Fcuk is an eerie 8-bit trek through time, space, and insanity with the standard run-and-jump archetype turned on its ear. Add the ability to create levels for others to play, and you have my favorite game of the year. Did I mention that it's free? See for yourself: www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/511754.

2) 'DJ HERO' All I need to say to piss everyone off is that DJ Hero is better than similar guitar-based games – I'm talking to you, The Beatles Rock Band. The creators of Guitar Hero didn't cut any corners on the quality of the original mixes (from DJ Shadow, for chrissakes!) or the plastic turntable peripheral. Take the financial plunge at $100, and play a rhythm-based game with music that is actually rhythm-based.

3) 'NEW SUPER MARIO BROS. WII' However many mediocre games are released for the Wii, Nintendo can always count on two Italian brothers to save the day. It's a dash of the original game mixed with Super Mario Bros. 3, except four people can play at a time. It also balances absurdly difficult levels with the ability to have Luigi (aka the computer) finish the level for you. It may be the weak person's way out, but, trust me, you'll want the option at some point.

4) 'UNCHARTED 2: AMONG THIEVES' Everyone's talking about Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, but Uncharted 2 was sexier, more engrossing, and just more fun. It's not the missing link between gaming and movies that some critics have called it, but it still deserves end-of-the-year accolades. And, be honest with yourself, when you want to have fun in front of your TV, do you want to play the gaming equivalent of Saving Private Ryan or Indiana Jones?

5) 'SCRIBBLENAUTS' This one gets the spirit award. The execution isn't perfect, but the audacity of the game's creators is laudable. Every level has a simple goal, but the fun is that you can write anything on your Nintendo DS to get you there. Anything. Think a cantaloupe can get that star out of the tree? Write it. Need a dinosaur to get you across a puddle? Why not? If you can think it – and spell it – you can play it.

NOVA Launches December 17th, New Video

posted December 15th, 2009 2:28 PM EST by arn in Upcoming Games, iPhone games, iPod touch games

Gameloft's NOVA is probably the most widely anticipated game at the moment. After first being announced in September, excitement has been high for this Halo-like first person shooter.

Gameloft released an impressive new trailer today and finally gave us a release date.

NOVA will launch on December 17th. In related news, Gameloft also released a new GT Racing trailer showing even more in-game footage. See our hands on preview for other early details.

'Low Grav Racer 2': A Step Closer to Wipeout

posted December 14th, 2009 4:27 PM EST by Blake Patterson in $2.99, Racing, Reviews, iPhone games, iPod touch games

Just over a year ago I reviewed CobraMobile's futuristic racing game Low Grav Racer [App Store]. Way back when, it was a visually impressive game and indeed the closest thing to Wipeout in the App Store. (And the degree to which any given low gravity, futuristic  racer approximates Wipeout, the king of futuristic racers, is really the critical metric in determining the game's worth, so high did Psygnosis set the bar of that genre, as every gamer other than die-hard F-Zero devotees are aware.) Though an enjoyable game and, as I indicated, Wipeout-like, Low Grav Racer was, in fact, no Wipeout. Surely driven by the urge to close the gap, CobraMobile has just released Low Grav Racer 2 [App Store] for the iPhone and iPod touch. So how does it fare?

Low Grav Racer 2 puts you in control of any of six futuristic racing craft (three of which must be unlocked) in a race to the finish line across 18 different planet and space system-based tracks. There are two race modes: Single Play and Time Trial. The former is a competition to complete each track in first place against five AI competitors, while the latter is a solo challenge to get from start to finish in the least time possible. As in Wipeout, leading the pack involves more than just speed and savvy handling; it involves weaponry. Scattered about each track are power-ups that enable shields, mines, missiles of several types, speed boosts, and various other items of destruction that help to slow down the competition — and, likewise, help the competition put a little slow on you.

So far the description of LGR2 sounds a lot like that of the original Low Grav Racer. LGR2 does bring a number of enhancements that improve the overall gameplay as compared to the original. The most notable difference is the significantly enhanced draw distance. The original title used a heavy fog effect to mask pop-in, while LGR2 more fully renders distant track elements and the floating, futuristic items of scenery, lending a rather more realistic feel to the overall situation. As well, LGR2 delivers a more intense feel to the race thanks to apparently faster action and tighter track design. Both versions feature very smooth animation with a solid framerate, but there's more going on in this latest release. As well, Plus+ network integration, tracking awards and leaderboards, adds to the game's play incentive.

Like the original, LGR2 features solid accelerometer steering control with a tap to brake and fire weapons. Sadly, like the original, LGR2 lacks left and right airbrakes, an element of Wipeout that allows for superb ship control. I was disappointed to see this feature still not realized in the sequel release. Another criticism I might voice is the overly spacious feel of the tracks. While it is less of an issue in LGR2 as compared to the original, I prefer tighter tracks that demand real control excellence. That's not to say that in this release you don't spend plenty of time scraping along the edge of the tracks thanks to their various twists and turns or slamming into rock formations that protrude into some of the courses, but tighter tracks make for a more breakneck race session. Also, I would prefer that your ship take damage during said collisions, but that is not the case with either LGR release.

The developer's gameplay video illustrates the racing action.

So, is Low Grav Racer 2 a match for Wipeout? Not quite. It gets us closer than the first release, certainly, and is a quality racer that's both challenging and fun. Those who enjoyed the first outing will likely find LGR2 to be worth the price of admission, and those new to the series who like what they're hearing should bypass the original and go straight for this sequel. As more a fan of futuristic racers than the rubber and asphalt variety, I consider Low Grav Racer 2 to be one of the stronger racing games in the App Store.

App Store Link: Low Grav Racer 2, $2.99