gaming

Microsoft signs up but Apple and Google hold out on Mobile ESRB game age rating

November 29, 2011 | By Surur

esrb The Wireless Association and the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) have announced a newly-developed rating system, the CTIA Mobile Application Rating System with ESRB which will utilize the well-known and trusted age rating icons that ESRB assigns to computer and video games to provide parents and consumers reliable information about the age-appropriateness of applications.

AT&T, Microsoft, Sprint, T-Mobile USA, U.S. Cellular and Verizon Wireless are all members of the rating system, but significant hold-outs are Apple and Google, who both use their own rating systems.

The ESRB system is developer and industry financed and widely supported on consoles and on the PC, but with different systems on each mobile platform it will mean that the same game may have different age ratings on different platforms.

The announcement is an extension of CTIA’s 2010 Guidelines for Application Content Classification and Rating.

Via CNET.com

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Skiller cross-platform game network SDK adds Windows Phone 7 support

September 16, 2011 | By Surur

Press Release:Skiller, a leading provider of social mobile gaming platforms, has managed to overcome the challenging task of developing a multiplayer platform, and released a cross platform SDK, which simplifies the development and creates a true multi-player & social game experience.

"Developing a real multiplayer experience in the mobile world is not a trivial task" said Nir Orpaz – Skiller’s CEO, "Unlike stationary networks and PCs, mobile devices do not necessarily carry a unique IP address, and mobile devices which are not in proximity (Ethernet/Bluetooth) cannot connect and interact with each other"

In order to enable a true multiplayer gaming experience, Skiller’s SDK accomplishes four major challenges every game developer faces: real multiplayer games algorithms, server side logic, hardware backbone, maintenance, and resource scalability.

"Today, many mobile devices include local-area connectivity capabilities in the form of Bluetooth wireless technology or local Wi-Fi. Some games have based their multiplayer functionality on these technologies, only to find out that when it comes to true and global multiplayer experience, those methods fall short." said Michael Lieberman, Skiller’s CTO. "The aforementioned connections only allow people within a limited distance or a local network to play with each other, which in turn, significantly decrease the number of online game opponents and limits social network growth".

Skiller provides a social-centric gaming platform where developers can leverage its wide network of global partners and enable multiplayer over 3G as well as Wi-Fi connectivity. Skiller platform encourages gamers to play more and socialize more, which in turn, leads to improved monetization and serves as a viral incentive to bring more gamers on board. From a developer perspective, the Skiller platform provides a one-stop access to building seamless cross-platform multiplayer gaming services.

The Skiller platform is popular among smart-phone as well as feature-phones users. Skiller provides a social & multiplayer SDK for feature phones which are based on J2ME and supports Symbian OS and BlackBerry. Recently Skiller added support for Android and Windows Phone 7 OS, thereby transforming into a true cross-platform gaming service.

The Skiller SDKs along with Skiller’s social cloud are offered FREE to game developers and abstract a number of crucial features such as server side logic, backbone hardware maintenance and resource scalability, so that game developers can concentrate on developing their game logic rather than worrying about IT infrastructure and network layer development.

To know more about Skiller and how you can use the Skiller SDK to build multiplayer games on leading mobile platforms, visit www.skiller-games.com/Developers

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Developers: Add Support For Peer-to-Peer Multiplayer Gaming In Windows Phone Mango

July 22, 2011 | By Pradeep

One of the neat feature coming to Windows Phone Mango for developers is the support for accessing TCP and UDP Sockets. This will enable game developers to enable their games for multipalyer gaming. From Channel 9,

One of the new features for the app platform in Windows Phone Mango is TCP and UDP Sockets. In this blog post, I’ll talk about using this to augment an existing game to add peer-to-peer multiplayer over WiFi using UdpAnySourceMulticastClient. Phones running the game on the same WiFi network automatically discover one another and the players just appear on the screen.

There is also a sample code of a real game for developers to learn how to enable these for their respective games. Hopefully we get some good multiplayer titles from developers with the release of Windows Phone Mango.

via: mobilitydigest

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Manhattan 2020 WP7 game released

May 6, 2011 | By ludibrium

Turku, Finland — May 4th, 2011 — Finnish independent game developer Ludibrium Ltd announced today the launch of their first Windows Phone 7 game Manhattan 2020. The game is available world wide for free on the Windows Phone 7 Marketplace. Manhattan 2020 fun and challenging old school 2D arcade flying game featured with awesome pixel graphics. Test your brand new jetpack and fly trough futuristic Manhattan, but watch out for those angry looking birds and other traffic!

Manhattan 2020 is free and can be found in Marketplace here.

Read more about Manhattan 2020 here, and contact the developer at info@ludibrium.fi.

About Ludibrium LTD:
Ludibrium Ltd is a newly founded, small independent game development studio based in Finland. The company focuses on creating fun and high quality games for Windows Phone 7 and for other mobile platforms.

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Xbox Live Mobile – 3 Months Later

February 22, 2011 | By Matthew

The single biggest reason I bought a Windows Phone was because of its Xbox Live feature. I’m not saying that there were no other reasons I chose to adopt Microsoft’s newest mobile operating system. I am a long time user of Zune and happy to live in Microsoft’s ecosystem, but the single most important reason was to make my Xbox mobile. There are many reasons for that. Until 2001 I was mainly a PC gamer playing games like Counter Strike and a multitude of RTS titles. Halo changed all of that. It was the first shooter that made a gamepad work, and while mice will always be more accurate, dual joystick gameplay is now as natural to millions of gamers as a mouse. This game locked me into Microsoft’s gaming ecosystem, and Live solidified that relationship. From the early days of Halo 2 (God rest its soul) to the additions of parties on Xbox 360, Live has pushed multiplayer online gaming forward.

Live Anywhere was announced by Bill Gates in 2006 and while the PC version of Xbox Live came out relatively quickly as Games for Windows Live, Live Anywhere on mobile devices was nowhere to be seen. Though Bill Gates promised the feature in 2006 to appear on even feature phones, Live as a mobile experience did not appear until Windows Phone 7 came out in late 2010. It was announced with great fanfare and promise, but how well has Microsoft delivered Live Anywhere? Firstly, we now have an Xbox live experience on our phone. Messages can be sent and received over Xbox Live from our phones. Our achievements can be obsessed over on our mobile devices and editing one’s avatar is also mobile. In the first three months Xbox Live on WP7 has received some excellent exclusive titles, including such outstanding games as Project Sunburst (with some reservations) and The Harvest. Microsoft has also been very good about getting publishers to bring a large part of their iPhone catalogs over to Windows Phone very quickly since launch. However, some key points of Xbox Live have not yet been realized on the Windows Phone platform.

Multiplayer. This single word is what Xbox Live means for millions of gamers. No gaming platform (though I’m biased it’s still true) has as comprehensive a multiplayer gaming experience as Xbox Live on the Xbox 360. Cross game chat, parties, true skill matchmaking and many more features set Xbox gaming apart from its competitors. And these same attributes of the experience are the ones missing from the implementation on Windows Phone. While announced as in the pipeline for Windows Phone, multiplayer is absent at this point from Windows Phone. This is a major missing piece of the WP7 puzzle and Steve’s silence at his keynote at both CES and WMC worries me greatly. I understand not implementing multiplayer functionality immediately, since it is obvious that Windows Phone is very much a v1 product right now. But by the time Mango ships later this year multiplayer over Live should be among its additions. Perhaps Microsoft doesn’t see true Xbox Live as important as IE9 and multitasking; hopefully it only meant that they were not ready to show this functionality yet. Whatever the reason, real time multiplayer gaming is an addition that Windows Phone cannot live without. But the integration with Xbox 360 could be much deeper.

At WMC Microsoft showed off a tech demo of WP7 running alongside the Xbox 360. I won’t go into detail because I know all of you have seen it. These kinds of integrations with the console can set the Microsoft gaming ecosystem apart from Sony’s or Nintendo’s. And I know I can’t be the only one that would like to join parties and talking to their friends over Xbox live while using their phone. And I will cry real tears of joy the day Halo is available on Windows Phone. Please prove me wrong Microsoft and get real multiplayer out on Windows Phone before the end of the year. And perhaps you could throw us a few surprises; things we weren’t even expecting.

BTW: you can tell the picture above is old because Major Nelson has just
above 3000 Gamerscore.

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OpenFeint Connect API now supports Windows phone 7

February 17, 2011 | By Surur

OpenFeint With Xbox Live being an exclusive club, it seems alternative online game networks are falling over themselves to support the other 95% of Windows Phone 7 games and developers.

OpenFeint, who rules the roost on the iPhone app store (that is until Apple released their Game Centre Xbox Live clone) has launched a private beta launch of OpenFeint Connect, a set of social gaming APIs for game developers. OpenFeint Connect makes it possible for developers to release games on every app store for every device, and take OpenFeint game data everywhere.

OpenFeint Connect gives developers access to many of the most important features on the platform, without having to use an OpenFeint-built client and features:

Leaderboards & achievements: Great for encouraging cross platform social competition.

OpenFeint accounts: Perfect for players who want to play games on multiple devices, whether an iPad or a Palm Pre 3.

OpenFeint friends: Make it easier for your players to find new friends, regardless of whether they’re Windows Phone 7 or Android fans.

Developer announcements: Talk directly with your players to keep them engaged and up-to-date on the latest developments.

OpenFeint already serves 4,700 games and over 65 million players, and call themselves the largest mobile social gaming network.

“We believe games should connect people, regardless of what device or mobile OS they own. With the release of OpenFeint Connect, we give game developers the flexibility they need to take their games and game data to players everywhere,” said Jason Citron, founder and CEO of OpenFeint.

“To really thrive, we think social networks must be able to work across every platform and device. OpenFeint launched the first mobile social network and, with OpenFeint Connect, we’re now the first truly cross platform gaming network,” says Peter Relan, chairman of OpenFeint.

Developers interested in applying for the OpenFeint Connect private beta should visit openfeint.com/developers/of_connect.

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PlayStation Suite May Come To Windows Phone 7

January 31, 2011 | By Pradeep

Sony Computer Entertainment CEO Kaz Hirai has hinted in a roundtable event held at Japan that PlayStation Suite may come to Windows Phone and iOS devices. When asked about PlayStation Suite on Android only status, he answered that there are other platforms such as Windows and iOS, but we decided to focus on one platform at launch with all resources and will eventually consider other platforms. If Sony decides to bring PS Suite to Windows Phone 7, Will Microsoft allow it? BTW, PlayStation Suite won’t be able to emulate the newly announced titles that were announced for Sony NGP last week, instead they will have PS one game console software titles (PS one® classics) and it requires Android 2.3 or higher. What do you think of Sony’s strategy on PlayStation Suite? Should Microsoft counter attack Sony using Xbox LIVE?

Image Credit: Engadget Source: Impress.co.jp

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Sony renews fight for the portable gaming market: Microsoft still absent

January 27, 2011 | By rush24

The last time I wrote about Microsoft‘s need to develop a Zune HD2 with a controller pad, I got a tepid response. One reader in particular, Northerngeek, had some harsh comments

This is ridiculous, will never happen and seems like something a 15 year old dreamed up when he should have been working in class. It serves as nothing but to divide the market further, and if ever made into a product would be akin to the release of the Kin

Here is the drawing

Earlier today, Sony unveiled their Next Generation Portable gaming device accompanied with breathtaking specs to challenge the Nintendo DS and 3DS line of products. What’s more interesting however, was engadget’s scoop of the Sony Ericsson Experia Play (PlayStation Phone). Here is a video showing some games played from an emulator.

I think the video clearly demonstrates the superiority dedicated game controller buttons over just using a just a touchscreen with accelerometers and gyroscopes. I agree with ZDnet’s Steve Chapman’s tweet

Am I the only one out there who still hates soft-joystics for games, i.e. playing a side-scroller or FPS on a iPod Touch/iPad?

Sony, during the conference further upped the ante by introducing the Sony PlayStation Suite which would expand PlayStation games to Android phones and other compatible handhelds . That move challenges Microsoft’s Xbox live system and gives Sony and Android a viable gaming platform to also go after Apple iOS with Game Center.

Sales figures from the recent financial reports from Apple and Nintendo do indicate that Microsoft is leaving a lot of money on the table. Nintendo managed to sell 2.5 million DS units in December, while Apple sold 19.45 million iPods during the last quarter (average 6 million units a month). I think a Zune HD2 could be competitive in that space

What are your guys thoughts on the PlayStation Phone, NGP, iPod Touch and Microsoft’s absence in that market?

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A Closer Look at Harvest for Windows Phone 7

August 26, 2010 | By Pradeep

Microsoft first demonstrated Harvest,a 3D WP7 game at MIX10.The game has some astounding graphics that leverages the power of WP7 devices.Also the game has Xbox live integrated which let you to earn achievements,etc.Windows Phone UK team has posted about 10 videos of Harvest’s gameplay.Here is one of them.Head over to their Youtube Channel for other videos.

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An Interview with WP7 Developer Studio Lyrica’s Michael Agholor

August 26, 2010 | By Pradeep

1)Have you developed Apps for any other platforms before?If Yes What are they?

No, I am actually new to coding and programming. I started Studio Lyrica Productions just last month, so this will be the first game I make public. I am really learning as I go along.

2)Why did you choose WP7 as a platform of your choice?

Being a new developer, I thought I should start on a new platform, so I chose the wp7 platform. I also thought my app would make the biggest impact on a new platform since it wouldn’t need to compete with an established library of tens of thousands of apps like other platforms already on the market.

3)Which one do you think as the single most feature you liked in WP7?

I really like the integration with Xbox live that is found on wp7. I feel it will bring more attention to gaming on the platform, and could really be a main feature that attracts people buy the phone.

4)Are you satisfied with WP7 Platform development tools?

The development tools are good. They were fairly easy to use and I found very few problems. I did request a developer phone last week, but mostly to fine tune the app I am working on.

5)What are the Apps you are developing now in WP7?

I am currently developing doodle Ship on the WP7. I started development on doodle Ship in late July, and hope to wrap up development in September. It should launch alongside the wp7 this holiday for all global markets.

6)In what way Microsoft can improve their WP7 or What does WP7 lacks from?

I haven’t looked too much at the technical aspects of WP7 to be honest. I believe it is an attractive platform with an unique UI. I do think some features such as copy and paste should eventually added in, but for a platform just about to launch I think it is quite impressive.

7)Future Plans of you?

doodle Ship is part of Studio Lyrica Productions’ new doodle Series. This means there will be more doodle games to follow if doodle Ship is successful. One is currently being planned to launch sometime next year. I have also paid particular attention to the success of Angry Birds on the iphone, and have a similar concept to bring to the WP7 sometime next year. Overall, my plans are solely focused on bringing fun and entertaining games to the windows phone 7 platform.

I hope readers that are interested in doodle Ship can sign up to my twitter feed and/or subscribe to my youtube account for more updates and videos. http://twitter.com/studiolyricapro

Currently, work is still being done on the app, so I haven’t had time to show the app up and running, but a video should be out before the end of August.

Please enjoy the announcement video to see a preview of what to expect of the game.

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A Closer Look at announced WP7 Game Titles

August 20, 2010 | By Pradeep

Microsoft announced its first wave of titles in the launch portfolio of Xbox LIVE games on Windows Phone 7 and it has touted that WP7 will have something for every mobile gamer. Also it announced that its Windows Phone 7 games will be closely linked with Xbox LIVE, and said that gamers will be able to extend the experience of some of their favourite console franchises to the phone. PCWorld recently listed the announced titles and in what other platforms the same titles are already available.Here are the numbers,which might be pretty interesting.

	50
	36
	9
	10
	10

As you can see iPhone has about 72% of the announced games. This clearly makes the point that Microsoft has approached popular iPhone Game developers for their platform.Its good to see that MS is keen to compete with Apple in every terms. It does also however show that even with the platfrom having 200,000 applications the tiny Windows Phone 7 market will still launch with exclusive titles not found on that platform.

Another interesting fact comes from Android numbers which has just about 20% of the game titles. I think this will change after Sony release their Android phone with PSN service which is less popular than Xbox Live in console world.

The future of Palm Pre lies in the hands of HP which recently acquired it. And Atlast Blackberry,what to say? RIM has to reset their platform as MS did for their Windows Mobile. Their OS based on Java is out-dated and its difficult to develop Apps for it when compared to WP7, Android, etc.

One has to note that the list doesn’t contain Smartphone leader Nokia. Nokia tried and failed in Gaming space which was known as N-Gage.

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An Interview with WP7 Indie Developer Pieter De Rycke

August 19, 2010 | By Pradeep

1)Have you developed Apps for any other platforms before?If Yes What are they?
I experienced with Google Android in the past, but I never created any“real” applications for it.

2)Why did you choose WP7 as a platform of your choice?
I have always been a Java guy, but about a half your ago I became a junior .Net architect at my work. So I wanted something to learn c# and .Net with something that was beyond the classical “Hello World”.
So I decided to port Frozen Bubble from Perl to C# as a personal challenge. Around the time I started with Frozen Bubble for .Net, Microsoft released the first preview version of their developer tools for WP7. I immediately liked the WP7 OS and that’s why I decided to also bring Frozen Bubble to WP7.

3)Which one do you think as the single most feature you liked in WP7?
Undoubtedly the new Metro GUI.

4)Are you satisfied with WP7 Platform development tools?
Yes, I really like the way how Microsoft is focusing on the developers. Microsoft has made the preview SDK available for everyone and they are updating it at regular intervals as the development of
WP7 continues. I also like the fact that they have included free versions of both Visual Studio 2010 and Blend in the SDK. This makes developing for WP7 possible for everyone.

5)What are the Apps you are developing now in WP7?
I am currently busy with finalizing Frozen Bubble for both Windows and WP7 and I am also thinking about implementing multiplayer functionality between the 2 platforms. Besides XNA game development, I am also busy creating a VNC client in Silverlight. But that project is still in the early stages.

6)In what way Microsoft can improve their WP7 or What does WP7 lacks from?
As an end user: I think copy and paste support should be added to the OS in a future release.
As a developer: I find it frustrating that in some regions it is difficult to obtain a developer device. For example: I live in Belgium and for my country there apparently no developer devices available; Microsoft will here only organize a number of lab days to test your application on a WP7 device. While this is better then nothing, it makes it difficult to implement and test features like the accelerometer or the multi touch capabilities in games and applications because they are not possible with the emulator.

7)Future Plans of you?
Continue coding for fun and I will probably write some articles about developing for WP7.

Apart from these any other things you want to share with the community?
Yes, to all developers: check out the WP7 SDK. You will really like it. My Twitter: http://twitter.com/phdrycke

Thanks Pieter De Rycke.All the best for your WP7 Development Efforts.

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And now for some Kinetic fun!

August 19, 2010 | By rush24

I would like you to watch the video in its entirety if you can then read the post after the break

Continue reading →

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