2-25-2008
We are back from GDC 2008, and what a time it was. Lots of people, lots of demos and lots of Lawn Darts! We were active at the IGF Mobile pavillion all week. Hopefully you had a chance to swing by.
But new projects continue to call us forward. Our latest, a collaborative effort with the folks over at Concrete Software is very near release. Powered by Toadlet technology, it is definintely built to impress. Keep an eye here and on their site for details!
12-10-2007
The IGF Mobile finalists have been announced, and it looks like 3D Lawn Darts is one of 3 finalists for the Innovation in Augmented Design award! Since all finalists will be showing their games at the IGF Pavilion during Game Developers Conference, you can expect to see Lightning Toads there. Just look for the LT.
Other projects continue apace. Our current work is nearing release, so keep watching our partner Concrete Software for details. And we have a couple new items in the works, including our submission to the Google Android Developer Challenge. It's going to be a pretty radical departure from the standard Lightning Toads fare, so stay tuned!
9-5-07
Amazing how the end of summer seems to come so quickly; and we spent most of it pushing 3D Lawn Darts to a number of different carriers and distributors. If you run Windows Mobile, it is probably already available for download from your application deck; if you are on a J2ME carrier, there is a good chance you'll see it soon!
The 3D Lawn Darts feedback we've gotten has been exceptional! For some of the best reviews, checkout the following:
But the horizon is always calling, and have we got some exciting things planned! Details are somewhat under wraps, but let's just say we've partnered up on a project that will really show everyone what toadlet can do. Keep an eye out for more news here!
6-21-07
Well, we've done it; 3D Lawn Darts has finally been released! Get on over to Concrete Software and buy a copy for yourself and your friends! We at Lightning Toads really hope you enjoy it.
What's next you ask? More great ideas and more long work hours, that's what. Stay tuned...
5-7-07
After several rounds of testing, demonstrations and feedback, Lawn Darts is finally nearing completion. Very positive publisher feedback has given us additional incentive to make Lawn Darts a top notch product! Great improvements have been made the graphics and gameplay, giving the final result a very polished look and feel. The camera based motion control has been improved on all platforms, including java, that support usable cameras. We are working for our first release within a month!
On other fronts, we have partnered with Quarq Technology Inc. to develop the controlling application and user interface for their exciting new bicycle powermeters. You just have to love the variety of applications for mobile programming.
2-13-07
Our latest concept/demo, Extreme 3D Lawn Darts, has been submitted to the GDC Mobile's Mobile Game Innovation Hunt! The game features simple, highly addictive gameplay, a wacky array of darts, and extensive use of 3d graphics. Optional camera based control to throw the dart will even be available! Here's to hoping for positive feedback from the panel.
Other work has involved additional software contracting and putting together some non-game mobile application ideas. Expect to see more in this area very soon!
1-3-07
Happy new year to all! 2007 finds Lightning Toads as busy as ever. From Coin3d improvements to bizzare Windows Mobile errors our work has had a broad reach this past month.
Our latest project is still under wraps, but development is going quite smoothly. We're excited enough about it to have put Stan on the back burner for the time being. We also have a fun surprise in store for fans of our old Wizard Wars mod. Stay tuned for more on both!
10-25-06
The Windows Mobile version of 3D Construco Combat is being signed for OTA distribution; another great milestone. We've also made the height control on Constructo optional, so it is possible to control the game with just one hand. Advanced users can turn it off and control their own height in the options menu.
Testing was also done to make sure we are compatible with the new Series 40 and 60 3rd edition Nokia devices. They run JSR-184 very well, which we are naturally pleased to see.
Rubberband Stan work continues as well as the different levels are being fleshed out. This will be followed by a round of performance testing on our target devices/platforms. Expect to see more soon!
9-27-06
The Adventures of Rubberband Stan has been submitted to the IMGAwards this fall. Though the project is still largely in the concept stage, Stan himself is functional and was placed in several simple rooms to provide an idea of the look and feel of the game. Keep an eye here for updates.
The Windows Mobile version of Constructo Combat is going live on Handango in less than a week. Final testing and debugging is being done now to help ensure the release is a success!
8-22-06
Work is now focued on improvements and requested changes to Constructo Combat for Sprint/Nextel. The latest version is due to send out to them by this coming Friday. The Windows Mobile work is temporarily on hold until this week is over, but we are testing on device so the full game will be available shortly.
Rubberband Stan is being prepped for submission to the Independent Mobile Game Awards this fall. More details will follow shortly!
6-22-2006
Concrete Software has officially released 3D Constructo Combat on their website! It is available for download on Sony Ericsson phones first. Motorola IDEN versions are also available. The full JSR-184 version will be up shortly; we just need to test supporting phones to see which ones actually run it quickly enough to be playable. We're also testing on the sprint handsets that are listed as supporting Mascot V3 and JSR-184. Go Constructo Crazy!
6-5-2006
Great news! We are working with Concrete Software to bring 3D Construco Combat to market. IDEN phones supporting Micro3D (Mascot Capsule v3) will be the first platform available; others will follow. Stay tuned!
5-11-2006
April just flew by as we've been bringing 3D Constructo Combat to as many phones as possible, and developing a variety of tricks to reduce the memory usage. This is resulting in more useful tools for the mobile version of Toadlet (JToadlet), such as our new sprite packer, which lets you organize sprites differently for Mascot Capsule v3 and JSR-184. We even have Constructo (JSR-184 mode) running on the hardware accelerated Sony Ericsson W900i. Very impressive.
Design work continues on our upcoming offerings, such as Rubberband Stan and Wizard Wars Mobile. Expect to see more on these in the near future.
3-25-2006
Lightning Toads will be at CTIA 2006! Alan and Andrew will be wandering the floor so keep an eye out for the Lightning Toads logo. Progress continues on JToadlet where Motorola IDEN 3D support has been added, giving us three supported 3D API's in JToadlet. Constructo Combat is being polished for multiplayer, and Eric has provided some excellent music.
Brandon Meyer of Tigsoft has begun porting our old demo BaseBegone to the new Toadlet engine, so we welcome him as a full fledged Toadlet developer!
3-2-2006
We've recently added support for the Mascot Capsule (v3.0) 3D API to the Toadlet Java engine (JToadlet). This allows us to get much better 3D performance on less powerful phones. This also requires using our fixed-point math version of JToadlet. While not as powerful as JSR-184, Mascot Capsule is much faster, and is the only truly viable option on many 3D handsets, such as Motorola IDEN.
Our latest mobile title, Constructo Combat, is nearing completion, though some gameplay tweaking is being done. We've also switched to a "third person follow" style view, which ups the 3D effectiveness and slows game speed to a reasonable level for mobile play. A multiplayer mode via Bluetooth peer-to-peer is also being added, so two people can play against each other!
2-6-2006
Mobile development is in full swing. A new polygon reducer and material model will aid in scaling our resources to mobile handsets. We're also looking into a BREW version, since Toadlet makes porting a breeze, and the built-in distribution channels are quite attractive. The downside is the relatively low interest in 3D by BREW carriers.
1-11-2006
Dropscape finally has all levels, bonuses, and challenges in place. We're currently doing some difficulty tweaking, and then the latest beta will be sent out to the testers. Some improvements have also been made to hop, mainly the addition of higher order integration methods within the simulator. This makes things run much better on lower end machines. Finally, our old friend Eric has agreed to try and help us with our musical needs. Welcome aboard!
12-8-2005
Today Lightning Toads released Dropscape to the beta testing crew. We'll be fixing incoming bugs and working with feature requests for the next couple weeks. The toadlet profile mode has also been enhanced to aid Dropscape performance testing, with excellent results.
12-7-2005
The brand new Lightning Toads webpage is now online. Portions of it are still being filled in, but the structure is all in place. A big thanks to those who helped!