<img src="https://socoder.net/AGAWGold_256.png" style="float:right;">Oooooh!!! When I went to add an AGameAWeek Gold function to my Archive's Admin page, I purposely decided not to add any sort of "Look Ahead" function. I knew it'd be as much fun for me, as it is for you, to find out what today's AGameAWeek Gold is! Just a week in, and I'm finding myself waking up in the morning just to click to my admin page, to see if we've got a good game today!! Today's is awesome! Today's was worth wak...

Last night I was asked how I got Monkey to do all the things that I managed to make it do. I tried to describe it as best as I could, but was already wrapped up in bed, trying to remember it all, whilst only holding an iPad! Not an easy job. I suggested to (URL "https://twitter.com/retrorusty">@RetroRusty) that he waits until the morning, when I can better write a nice big (BIG) waffling (WAFFLING!) blog-post about it all. .. This be that!

<img src="https://socoder.net/AGAWGold_128.png" style="float:left"> Sometimes, I like to test different aspects of game development. Will a certain game work better with larger wonderfully presented HD artwork, for example? Since I'm no artist, as we're all well aware by now, I went the opposite way, and tried to figure out what Asteroids might look like in HD, if it used even smaller sprites!! <a href="https://AGameAWeek.com/GameList.php?ShowJust=228">

2011 - TinyAss

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It's our latest regular feature! Hurray! Each month, I'll spend about five minutes doodling some stupid pixellated artwork, then scale it up to insane proportions, and slap it on the internet for all to see. If you like the chunky, heavily pixellated, oversized desktop images, you might like to use these as your system/devices wallpaper. Oh, what fun. This month, an obvious choice! SpikeDislike2 is just a few days away, so here's a lovely big wallpaper for your system of choice. <a h...

I've updated the uploaded Jayenkai Monkey Framework to the latest version that I'm using. woot!

The Download

Downloads have been removed due to.. A) Lack of people using it. B) Lack of ME even using it. C) It's quite old, now, and getting older every day!

The Old Version

<a href="https://AGameAWeek.com/2013/01/monkey-skeleton-13_01_28/">All of this stuff is still included</a>

The New Additions

It's been a whirlwind of a month, and I've...

Last night I finished off the C3ntipong stuff, and got the release edition compiled, tested, double-checked, and uploaded to Apple. That's it! It's gone.. It's off. There's no turning back, now! In about a week's time, C3ntipong may very well pop up on the AppStore, assuming it gets approved! A relatively painless procedure... well, except for all of <a href="https://AGameAWeek.com/2013/02/ios-editions/">yesterday's palaver</a>, anyway!

I've yet to figure out how to solve TamToucan's X/Y Tilt issue, but a couple of gripes have already been tweaked. <a href="https://agameaweek.com/?Game=282">C3ntipong Test Edition for Android - Version 2!</a> The paddle, for starters, is now set much further up the screen. This may result in a slightly harder game, but at least your finger won't be in the way! (or at least, it shouldn't be, unless you have a really really tiny phone, or gigantic finger!) I've dug deep i...

There's still plenty to add. Music, for one. And Badges. And Pickups. If you spot anything else missing, odd, bug-like, or otherwise quirky, let me know. <a href="https://agameaweek.com/?Game=282">C3ntipong - Test Edition</a> The final-ish version will be available on Tuesday.

OK, folk are getting intrigued as to how all of this is working, and how nice the Monkey language is to work with, so in the spirit of not being a complete and total git, here's the complete everything that there is so far..

The Download

Framework Downloads have been removed due to lack of updates! I've also left the html5 build intact, so you can give it a little run if you don't have Monkey installed. (I think!) Should be as simple as going into the .build folder, then the ht...

Is your PC running Windows? Do you like Card games?! Then you're in luck! <a href="https://agameaweek.com/?Game=281">Cardagain for Windows - Test</a> : 10Mb!! If it nags for an OpenAL dll, you can grab that <a href="https://connect.creativelabs.com/developer/Wiki/OpenAL%20Installer%20for%20Windows.aspx">here</a>. I'm going to fiddle with the zip later, and see what OpenAL stuff I am or aren't allowed to include. Let me know if it does/doesn't run. Thanks!

I left my Cardagain soaking, overnight, and it's gotten bigger! How much bigger? Well, yesterday it was about 3.5Mb. Today it's a whopping 10.4Mb!! Yikes!!! <a href="https://AGameAWeek.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/cardagain_r2.png"><img src="https://AGameAWeek.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/cardagain_r2.png" alt="" title="cardagain_r2" width="641" height="481" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-2508" /></a> What's done that? Graphics! Lots and lots of graphics. If...

You all remember Cardagain, right?! <a href="https://AGameAWeek.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Screenshot_2013-01-27-14-48-25.png"><img src="https://AGameAWeek.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Screenshot_2013-01-27-14-48-25-640x1024.png" alt="" title="Screenshot_2013-01-27-14-48-25" width="590" height="944" class="alignnone size-large wp-image-2504" /></a> Cardagain was my first ever game on iOS, so it seems fitting that it also be my first on Android, too. The basic idea is this... A ...

OK, folks, here comes the big test. Is everyone ready? Get your Android device, be sure to enable "UNSAFE!" apps in your settings, point your device's browser to this page, then <a href="https://socoder.net/MonkeyGame-debug.apk">Click here (.apk) to Download</a>. It's a small enough download, only 1.5Mb. Note : This is simply a test engine. This is not a game! Do not expect a game!!! Feedback Required. (Post it below!) Device : What have you got? Android :...

I've been delaying a large list of things, but as I continue to make great strides with Monkey, those tough bits are getting ever so close. Here's what needs doing, as well as explanations as to why they're tough.. (Note : Very waffley, and probably not all that interesting!)

Already!? Who saw this coming?! I sure as hell didn't!! <a href="https://AGameAWeek.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/shootybangbang.png"><img src="https://AGameAWeek.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/shootybangbang-300x228.png" alt="" title="shootybangbang" width="300" height="228" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-2486" /></a> You can Play the HTML5 Edition here, and note a bunch of scrambled debug messages as they pop up underneath the game! Update : I deleted all these earl...

Welcome aboard, Tam Toucan, you're apparently the only one interested in the job of testing my crazy shit, so you're now chief tester! I've no idea when the first test engine will be ready to get to you, but I can't imagine it'll be too long a wait.. Maybe a week or so..? Keep your eyes on AGameAWeek for progress reports! Meanwhile, I did a teensy bit of audio testing, yesterday, and can happily report that Monkey can pitch it's audio, unlike a certain other language which I'...

As I continue to build up the new Monkey-based framework, I have a lot of things to test, and get working. As most of you have noticed, I tend to forget things, like "hey, your game doesn't quit when I hit Alt+F4!???.. That little thing took years for me to bother to implement!! In order to build the best framework that I can, I'll be needing pokes and prods along the way. I also need a fair number of testbeds, to try out everything on. If you'd like to join in, stick your name below. Yo...

OK, let's get some stress testing going, shall we? This test took ABSOLUTELY AGES to get working, because my Mac and iPod suddenly decided they were no longer friends, and XCode was playing up like a moron. AN HOUR!! For two little bloody tests. rediculous! However, what we have here is code that I wrote on a PC, tested on a PC under HTML conditions, then ran on an iPod having compiled it under reasonably fast conditions. (*aside from the bitchyness of the device!)

<a href="https://socoder.net/uploads/1/image-11-01-13-15-41-40.jpg"><img src="https://socoder.net/uploads/1/image-11-01-13-15-41-40_thumb.jpg"></a> o/yeayo/ There's a simple blast test. I installed Monkey on the Mac, I opened my Monkey Framework, I clicked "iOS", compiled, switched to XCode, built and run. It was quite simple, comparatively. Is anything playable? Is it buggery!! But it does show a few... .. Shall we say "quirks". First, and you can't see it, but I can ...

If you've been following AGameAWeek for the past few years, you'll have noticed the occasional blip, where I've mentioned having a repeating neck cramp, with accompanying migraines. These have gotten steadily worse, up until early March 2012, when I was curled over the toilet bowl, throwing up a worryingly black goo of sorts. Enough was enough! An ambulance was called, and after my blood pressure failed to register (too high!?) I was whizzed off to Bolton general where they continued to test...

<a href="https://AGameAWeek.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Mental-Psychic-Pulling-Forces-Screenshot_05-Mar-2012_143603.png"><img src="https://AGameAWeek.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Mental-Psychic-Pulling-Forces-Screenshot_05-Mar-2012_143603-300x187.png" alt="" title="Mental Psychic Pulling Forces (Screenshot_05 Mar 2012_143603)" width="300" height="187" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-2368" /></a>Control the plates with your mind! Guide the plates around the screen, smash up t...

<a href="https://AGameAWeek.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Snaked-Up-Screenshot_07-Feb-2012_111452.png"><img src="https://AGameAWeek.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Snaked-Up-Screenshot_07-Feb-2012_111452-300x225.png" alt="" title="Snaked Up (Screenshot_07 Feb 2012_111452)" width="300" height="225" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-2301" /></a> Last weekend, most of the developers on the internet took part in the great big Global Game Jam, whereby everyone settled down to a nice long ...

Last week, there was no AGameAWeek. It was the clown's fault.. .. stupid clown.. (URL "https://AGameAWeek.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/iTunesArtwork.png"><img src="https://AGameAWeek.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/iTunesArtwork-300x300.png" alt="" title="iTunesArtwork" width="300" height="300" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-2288" />With my newer shinier iOS Framework running the way it was more-or-less supposed to be, I decided to take a week ...

Bah.. I knew that'd happen.. As soon as AGameAWeek kicked back into action, the "Daily Blog" would take a bit of a fall. I'm trying to keep up, though! Honest!!

So, I'm sitting there trying to get a nice GameCenter thing added to my new framework, and I figured that having to display people's names might very well require a bit of Unicode.. (Note : This is the reason my other iOS games don't have names on the highscore lists!) In Cocos, you can use 3 font styles.. one is a simple bitmap font (this one I can handle!) one is a complex bitmap font (with a required 50,000,000,000,000 images to handle all the possible languages!) and the third one uses ttf fonts. ...

Tonight, I got home from work with a game idea in mind. Using my freshly reinstalled PC, I settled down for the first bit of coding on the thing, copied my FrameworkTemplate to a new folder, drew a couple of sprites, opened the code, built up a simple array/tilemap test engine, and then hit Build.. .. Aaah.. Seems my dev-environment isn't quite at 100% yet, because I coded the thing into a FrameworkTemplate from about a year ago, and all the nice new stuff is missing. *sigh* What a waste of an hou...

Another day, another install.. About 12 months ago, my bedroom PC basically crapped it's pants, and became an inexplicably unusable box that sat in the corner of the room. Knowing I'd need to format, I hunted for the Vista install disc, then remembered that.. A) Vista didn't bloody well come with one (Buying from Comet would've been handy, there!) and B) It'd been ages since I'd bought any blank DVDs Still, I had a Mac, so sod it!!