GRL Games launches new blog – “Why a card game?”
Have you been wondering why Graeme Devine the man behind games like Quake, Doom 3 and Halo Wars went on to make a card game as his second game under his recently launched GRL games venture? Full Deck Solitaire recently became the best selling card based game on the Mac App Store and can now be purchased for free instead of the original $0.99 launch price. Graeme notes on his new blog:
I wanted to achieve several goals with the first game. I wanted to write an engine that I could reuse and in that I wanted metaphors for things like turns, boards, cards, pieces, players, and the ability to wrap some Objective-C around it to make things like save games, and network transport of positions easy and straightforward no matter what the game was.
My family wanted me to make a card game. They played a lot of the cards games on their iPads and wanted one that played a little bit differently.
Priced at $0.99 before the move to free pricing the game was excellent value for money. Full Deck offers excellent visual graphics and video moving backgrounds – much more than your usual Solitaire! Graeme also makes reference in his blog that he is looking to create more card based game in the future with another game on the table in the next month or so:
I’m working on one more card game with head to head Game Center play that will hopefully be out this month. Stay tuned.
Check out Graeme’s full blog on the GRL Games website:
http://www.grlgames.net/GRL/blog/Entries/2011/2/12_So_Why_Make_a_Card_Game.html
Age of Empires Online development blog – “The #1 Thing You Need to Know About Age of Empires Online”
Ian Vogel the design lead at Microsoft Games Studios has posted a blog on the Ageofempiresonline.com website. The blog post goes into detail about the business model behind the game explaining the content which will be available in both the free and premium versions of the game. The blog post also explains some of the extra add on “booster packs” like the “Vanity packs” which allow users to get access to more tools to develop interesting and exciting looking home cities. Below is an example of a maze created by beta tester Solartide:
(Click to enlarge)
The full blog post is an excellent read for Age of Empires fans and answers many of the questions and some confusions in the press recently regarding the level of free and premium content. Check it out: http://www.ageofempiresonline.com/blogs/
Rogan on route to Remember ES!
RadioKenny of the Age of Empires Online forums recently came up with a genuis idea to send a small action figure around the world and at each stop members of the AOE-O community will sign their names into passport book before posting it off to the next fan. The action figure is a perfect testament to Age of Empires, a knight called Rogan. Here is Rogan at his first stop in Dallas, Texas with Radio Kenny:
From Dallas and back!
The knight will now travel all over the globe to fans worldwide. Each fan will take a photo of the knight before sending it off to the next person. This will continue until the game reaches gold status, then the knight will be sent to Robot Entertainment’s office for a celebratory group picture! Rogan’s first stop will be the United Kingdom, home to Remember ES. I’ll be posting an update as soon as Rogan arrives before sending on his way for further travels!
Robot Entertainment will be keeping track of Rogan’s progress on their Facebook page. If you would like to get involved or even just to congratulate Kenny on this genius idea head over to the thread on the AOE-O forums!
Graeme Devine describes the past and present game industry
Graeme Devine has recently given a presentation to the Baskin Engineering School in Santa Cruz, where he now resides talking about the past and present state of the gaming industry. Graeme describes the previous generation of the gaming industry as “dead” and that the industry is moving forward into new business models. Stepping away from the “four year dev cycles, massive teams and publisher budgets” and moving towards smaller teams, indie development and “creation games”. Graeme kicked off his presentation with a mention to his time at Ensemble Studios working on Halo Wars. Ensemble had a 120 strong team working on the Halo Wars project (although there were other projects in development along side). Graeme made note that 120 is alot of people to work on a game and questions whether such a team size is sustainable.
The gaming industry is definitely changing with the “rise of the indie developer” we have seen a huge success with “App Stores” such as the Apple App Store with games such as Angry Birds plus social games on social networking websites such as Farmville. These types of games did not start with huge budgets, just simple ideas which turned into mass appeal thanks for new vehicles of shipping games such as app stores and social networking websites as opposed to retail boxed copies. Since the Angry Birds launch in 2009 over 50 million copies have been downloaded across all platforms – thats more than all Age of Empires games combined, and its a sure bet Angry Birds cost less to produce than those Age games!
Graeme’s discussion raises some interesting points which may be linked to the closure of Ensemble and the formation of Robot Entertainment to continue the Age of Empires franchise. Perhaps Microsoft’s thinking was that it no longer needed such a huge team to work on the series in comparison to the success of smaller “indie” development teams. Noting Phil Spencer, an MGS executive comments about the closure:
We do have a plan for Age of Empires, and it is something we’ll continue to push, it just didn’t require that we had Ensemble Studios as an entity inside of MGS in Dallas, as full time internal employees, as a studio that would be the sole source of Age content going forward.
Perhaps it was felt a smaller studio, like Robot Entertainment could be formed to continue the Age series, maintaining the same quality of a 120 person studio in a smaller 40/50 person studio. Perhaps Ensemble was too large for sustainable game development?
Check out Graeme’s presentation video on the link below which is a must see presentation for indie developers and for those in the gaming industry. The presentation gives excellent insight into how the industry has changed and is changing going forward with game development.
Play the video: https://slugtube.soe.ucsc.edu/play-video.php?ID=1335
GRL Games announces “Full Deck Solitaire” on the Mac App Store
Graeme Devine’s GRL Games has announced that its second game following Clandestiny has been published to the Mac Store. Full Deck Solitaire is just like your traditional Solitaire, but with a whole lot more – 22 different variations of Solitaire infact! This will be a perfect game for anyone who loves Solitaire on the Mac OS X platform. The game also sports a friendly UI and moving video backgrounds. Below is a screenshot and link to the App Store where the game can be downloaded for just $0.99.
(Click to enlarge)
To read more and to download the game from just $0.99 just head over to the Mac App Store:
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/full-deck-solitaire/id412980789?mt=12
Bruce Shelley joins Zynga as consultant – also part of a keynote panel at D.I.C.E 2011
Just when you thought enough ex-Ensemblers have joined Zynga, a press release from the D.I.C.E Summit has revealed that Bruce Shelley is now acting as consultant for Zynga having recently finished a consulting role at UbiSoft studio, Blue Byte where he worked advising the team on the Settlers 7 game. It is currently not known what type of internal studio Bruce is working with at Zynga, however my guesses would be that he is working with Brian Reynolds on the FrontierVille game. Bruce had previously worked with Brian Reynolds at Microprose.
The other news announced in the press release is that Bruce will be part of a keynote panel at the 2011 D.I.C.E Summit. Conducting a lively discussion, debate and predicting the next frontier of interactive entertainment with five other respected industry experts. The line up includes Bruce Shelley himself plus Mike Morhaime, Mark Cerny, Dr.Ray Muzyka and Dr. Greg Zeschuk. All of the line up have been previous AIAS hall of fame recipients. You may remember that in 2009, Tony Goodman presented Bruce with the AIAS award leading innovator in the RTS genre.
The keynote will be taking place Wednesday, February 9, 2011. Keep an eye out for news and possibly even footage of the keynote!
For more information check out the D.I.C.E website: http://www.dicesummit.org/
Age of Empires Online – Egyptians revealed plus pricing model details
Alot of news has been floating around the internet today on various gaming websites such as IGN, Gamasutra and Joystiq reporting on the news that Microsoft has announced the Egyptians as a playable civilization in Age of Empires Online! This means that the Greeks and the Egyptians are the two civilisations announced so far for inclusion in Age of Empires Online. With this news comes a new trailer with a.. interesting ending plus a new graphic for AOE-O picturing the Greeks vs the Egyptians as below:
It looks like its the Red team vs Blue team! Currently as no other civilizations have been announced it is possible that AOE-O may launch with the Greeks and the Egyptions inititally with perhaps more civilizations becoming available as downloadable content in the future.
New Trailer “The Egyptians”
With another humorous ending as you might expect!
Downloadable Content & Pricing model
Also announced today was the pricing model that AOE-O will be adopting. We were initially told that the game will be free to play with decent sized premium content such as new civilizations and that there wont be a “nickel and dime” effect with micro-transactions such as buying different color helmets for units etc. Microsoft had updated the FAQ on the AOE-O website which details the route Microsoft is going to take with the game. The premium pack includes the ability to unlock Epic gear to upgrade units and unlock advisors which unlock further special units such as the Armored Elephant. Plus a whole bunch of new game play and more buildings for your Capital City For the full low down take a look at the FAQ:
Age of Empires Online payment model
What do you get for free?
The following features are free to play:
Familiar Age of Empires gameplay, and downloadable to any PC for free!
The greatest ancient civilizations, including Greeks and Egyptians.
Constantly new, exciting, and evolving content.
Quest, battle, chat, and trade with other players.
Build and show off your own custom Capital City.
Enjoy historical settings with gorgeous visuals and a cool new art style.
What is premium content?
Premium content packs offer dozens of hours of new gameplay, entirely new features, and an enhanced multiplayer experience:
Premium civilization packs offer an enhanced experience for your favorite civilization, including new gear, advisors, workshops, and PVP features.
Booster packs offer specific new features or storylines.
Vanity packs offer new items and historically themed architectural pieces for players interested in the ultimate level of customization for their Capital City.
What do you get when you upgrade to a Premium Civilization?*
Upgrade and take your civilizations to the next level by purchasing a Premium Civilization Pack, which adds a tremendous amount of gameplay and offers entirely new experiences. Premium civilization packs add the following to your gameplay experience:
Rare and epic gear: Unlock gear that makes your units more powerful, with unique designs to make your armies stand out in battle.
Advisors: In the Advisor Hall, you can unlock unique units, such as armored elephants and civilization powers.
Tech Tree: Experience the full Tech Tree with fantastic end-game Star Techs. For example, generate resources from your Market, have your troops bandage themselves, or make your people immune to conversion in battle.
Initiate player vs. player games: Set parameters for the gameplay you want and invite your friends to play,
Additional Inventory slots: More than double your inventory space.
More Workshops: Drastically improve your capital’s production with more workshops to create all the materials you need for crafting.
Craft Halls: Learn unit enhancements from additional Craft Halls and use them to your advantage in the game. You get seven to choose from, including the Military College, which enhances infantry; the Hunting Lodge, which enhances archers and missile units; and the Cavalry Hall, which enhances mounted units.
Empire Points: Get the ability to spend Empire Points on the best loot in the game. Empire Points reward you for having multiple civilizations.
In-game stores: Earn in-game currency from the stores in your Capital City.
*Content subject to change
So, are you just going to microtransact me to death?
No. There will be no microtransactions or subscriptions with Age of Empires Online. The additional premium content packs are robust offerings that provide dozens of hours of new gameplay, entirely new features, and an enhanced multiplayer experience.
Will there be a subscription fee?
No.
http://www.ageofempiresonline.com/faq/
“Rather large” Age of Empires Online announcement coming tonight!
Microsoft has announced on its Facebook and Twitter accounts that there is going to be a “rather large” announcement going out tonight about Age of Empires Online. Make sure you are in the loop about whats happening by following Age of Empires Online on Twitter and Facebook. The full facebook and twitter post reads as follows:
We’ll have a rather large announcement coming tonight! Keep your eyes peeled!
Slight ESO maintenance changes and downtime consultation
Just a quick note for all Age of Empires 3 players. Ryz0n the community manager at Microsoft who are now running the support for Ensemble Studios Online have announced the times for ESO maintenance is changing slightly. Previously On the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays of each month, ESO underwent scheduled maintenance with Robot Entertainment. Going forward this maintenance will occur on Tuesdays between approximately 10AM PST (GMT -8) and 12PM PST.
There are some discussions about ways users can be better informed about this downtime. You can read about the downtime and the announcement plans over at Age Community:
http://forum.agecommunity.com/forums/thread/908610.aspx
Microsoft brings good tidings to 2011 with another wave of AOE-O beta invites
Good news if you are still in need of a beta invite for Age of Empires Online – CosyGOODkNIGHT on the Age of Empires Online forums has revealed that Microsoft plans to send out a new wave of invites over the next 24hrs. So keep an eye on your inbox’s you may strike lucky and get a chance to check out what your favorite Robot’s have been upto!
