wizardsproductions.com

Operation Arabia Infograph!

admin — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 16:06:40 +0000

Hello everyone!

Today we share with you some data on our game Operation Arabia in an Infograph!! were one of the 1st gaming companies in the region that releases such data, the info graph includes data from both the application itself and its fan page. Enjoy!

Operation Arabia v1.1 is now online!

admin — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 13:26:15 +0000

We are extremely happy to announce the launch of v. 1.1 of our game Operation Arabia, the new version includes a complete new networking layer that enhances the functionality of the game tremendously, below is a list of what has been included in the new version, this will also give us allot of flexibility to add some really cool features in future releases.

Below is a list of all the enhancements in v.1.1

New game lobby which displays more information about the room including the amount of time it has left.
Display list of the players currently in the room.
Display ranks of the players currently in the room.
Included the user’s ping to the game server in the UI, if its above the allowed limit it will turn to red to give the player an idea of his connection speed.
Real time update (no lag like before) in displaying the time left for the room, the number of kills and the number of players in the room and their stats.
Rooms that are about to finish will be hidden so that users dont enter a game that is almost over.
Very fast game start, the new update decreased the amount of time needed to connect to the server to a point that you can hardly notice it now.
Very fast team switches functionality.
Accurate team balancing.
Fast play is now 100% working.
Chat in the room’s lobby now available.
In game Chat now available by clicking H
Limit Max players inside rooms is now functional, no room will go over the allowed number of players.
The game now continues and starts another game automatically if the player doesn’t exit the room, this allows the teams to continue playing without having to gather again in the rooms page.
Enhanced gameplay & better networking.
Death camera added to follow killer which displays the players stats such as his name, weapon he used to kill you, his rank and his kill/death stats.

Were seeing a good increase in the amount of time spent on the game after this update and we will be monitoring the game closely in the coming days and implementing fixes or updates if needed.

Angry Birds finally flies onto Facebook

admin — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 09:08:06 +0000

Angry Birds has finally arrived on Facebook after more than a year of development. The release makes good on the promise Rovio’s “Mighty Eagle” Peter Vesterbacka and Rovio Asia SVP Henri Holm made last month when they announced the Facebook version of the game would launch on Valentine’s Day.

The Facebook version of Angry Birds is different from the Chrome, Google+ and mobile versions of the game in several ways. There are four new powerups to buy in addition to the Mighty Eagle, but unlike the mobile version, where a single lifetime purchase of $0.99 unlocks the powerup, players of the Facebook version can only purchase limited number of powerups that range from 20 uses for $1 to 1000 uses for $20. The Facebook version of the game also includes 15 exclusive levels and a new item called Total Destruction Feathers, which are earned by using the Mighty Eagle. Rovio has also expanded the game’s social features for Facebook, integrating Open Graph so users can add the app to Timeline, creating a more visible leaderboard that stays on the right side of the screen and allowing players to send and receive gifts. Players can also collect bonuses for playing every day. The game also has some sort of avatar functionality which is still labeled as “coming soon.”

Rovio first announced it would bring the game to Facebook last March, but the game’s launch was delayed several times. Angry Birds made its web debut as a Chrome app in May 2011, and was a Google+ Games launch title.

http://www.insidesocialgames.com/2012/02/13/angry-birds-finally-flies-onto-facebook/

Social Media Infographics | Gender-wise Comparison of Who Likes What

admin — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 17:35:10 +0000

Social media has infiltrated into daily routine of our social & professional lives so much that most of the users seem obsessed with it. We check our Facebook Notifications and Tweets more frequently than we check our emails. An average user of social media spends more time on social platforms than he/she studies or works. This is just a generic analysis of social media addiction.

Are you obsessed with social media as well? Are you hungry for who uses social media the most? If you are, I’ve brought you analytical infographics that show “Who Likes What” taking into consideration the demographical and gender-related aspects. After a glance at the pertinent infographics, it is vividly clear that “ladies are first” in this department as well. Women users are larger in magnitude with respect to usage of every social media platform. They seem to have more leisure time than men; rightly so because it suits their gossiping habits. See the rest to know the rest!

29 Ways to Stay Creative ..

admin — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 17:28:26 +0000

29 WAYS TO STAY CREATIVE from TO-FU on Vimeo.

Social Media cheat sheet

admin — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 15:34:09 +0000

5 Hot Indie Game Developers to watch in 2012

admin — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 20:22:28 +0000

Digital distribution services like Xbox Live Arcade and Steam have enabled the indie games community to blossom in the last few years, enabling small teams and hand crafted titles to achieve attention and success on a scale like never before. Here are our top 5 indie game developers to watch out for in 2012.

1) Jonathan Blow: Braid, The Witness

Jonathan and his game Braid has been characterized as epitomising the best of what the Indiegames scene can produce: A product that is highly original, low budget, and dripping with creativity and enthralling gameplay. It is litle wonder that Braid has gone on to accrue some superlative accolades, becoming the second largest selling Xbox Live Arcade title in 2008, and the Guardian newspaper calling it the ‘Sex, Lies and Videotape’ of indie gaming. Jonathan and his team have been feverishly working on their new game, tentatively titled ‘The Witness’, his first move towards a 3D title, and expect 2012 to be the year we see a lot more of the game and hopefully, its debut release.

2) Amir Rao (Supergiant Games): Bastion

Bastion decided to take the standard RPG formula, distil it with a graphics style that blurs the lines between Anime and Cell shading, mix it up with a platform style gameplay where you cannot jump, and then tip it upside down with narration that comments on your choices in real time. The reception was an overwhelmingsuccess, with recent figures showing Bastion pushing over half a million sales through the Xbox live and Steam platforms. Although Amir and Supergiant are keeping their core team together for their next title, they have so far refused any details, simply stating they feel ‘games that aren’t ready to be played aren’t ready to be shown’.

3) Edmund McMillen and Tommy Refenes (Team Meat): Super Meat Boy

Who doesn’t dream of being a skinless boy, trying to save your girlfriend Bandage Girl from a nefarious villain named Dr. Fetus? Apparently, a great many actually do, which resulted in over a million sales of the title. If that success was not enough, they went ahead and made The Binding of Isaac, which has been labelled as some as the only game that made people put Skyrim down. With a recently announced expansion pack coming soon, and work ongoing on the next title, Super Meat Boy and theirantics are sure to fire up the scene in 2012.

4) Phil Fish: Polytron Games: Fez

No, not those ridiculous hats the latest Doctor Who incarnation adores. Though yes, they are a feature of the game. Imagine a game in 2d, a sidescroller which features all the standard tropes of the genre. Then imagine the world itself can be spun, enabling movements that were impossible in 2d to become achievable in 3d.

Polytron Game’s Fez has an immense amount of community anticipation behind it, and set for release finally in the first quarter of the year, we expect it to be a roaring success.

5) Markus Persson: Mojang: Cobalt, Scrolls

I spotlighted Markus recently, but any indie game industry list would be incomplete without him. Having established itself firmly with Minecraft, Mojang is currently hard at work on not one but two new titles, Cobalt and Scrolls. While Cobalt is currently in Alpha Stage, Scrolls has already received immense publicity due to a recent Zenimaxlawsuit against the title name. I suspect that a title that claims to combine the best elements of card gaming and the RPG format, crafted with the design genius he has proven, will ensure Scrolls will be one of the most anticipated indie titles of 2012.

Facebook grew 7 users per second all of 2011

admin — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 20:11:37 +0000

U.S. Army Brands Gear for Gamers [VIDEO]

admin — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 20:04:45 +0000

Call of Duty just got more life-like. The U.S. Army has teamed up with CTA Digital to produce branded handheld rifle controllers, plus other gear just for gamers, for a variety of platforms.

The peripherals are available for PlayStation 3 and Move, Wii, Xbox and Kinect, and Xbox 360.

Licensing fees the U.S. Army collects through sales will go toward U.S. Army Morale, Welfare and Recreation programs.

Check out the video above to learn more.

31 Ways To Get Smarter In 2012

admin — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 11:30:58 +0000