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Automator action for encrypting/decrypting files
Interested in beefing up security on some of your files or folders, but wary of the consequences if FileVault takes on a mind of its own? This Encrypt and Decrypt Files Automator action might be right up your alley, as it allows you to perform these actions with an algorithm and password. Perfect for fitting into the workflows of even the most security-conscious Mac OS X Tiger users.The action is free and can be had over at Automator World.
GDC Awards in the shadow of the Colossus
The 6th Annual Game Developer's Choice Awards were held tonight immediately following the Independent Games Festival awards. While the winners didn't quite match up with our choices, we did manage six out of eight, including Best Game. Shadow of the Colossus took home a total of 5 awards including Best Game, and the critically acclaimed (but commercially ignored) Psychonauts earning 2. Regardless of who won, all of the finalists were exceptional entrants in their respective categories and are worthy of recognition. You can find out more about the Game Developer's Choice Awards at their website or read on for a list of the winners and some select pics of the ceremony.
Getting started with Quicksilver: understanding the basics
Prompted by a TUAW reader comment on my post the other day about some Quicksilver fundamentals, I thought I would take a crack at posting some short tutorials on what Quicksilver actually does, and how to get started with it. I'm talking about the most basic of the basics here for anyone who is curious but still confused as to what the heck they're looking at the first time they launch Quicksilver. To anyone who can't make heads or tails of it: I don't blame you. It took me quite a while to wrap my head around all this stuff, so I hope I can do you some justice with this post.Disclaimer - I use a somewhat modified version of Quicksilver and I've added a lot of extras, but for this demo I *think* I've properly fixed my copy to look like a default Quicksilver install.Speaking of my screenshot - let's get started.
Quicksilver's "Comma Trick"
Today I fall even more deeply in love with Quicksilver, as I have discovered yet another incredibly useful and productive trick from a 43 Folders tutorial. This easy tip, loosely called "the comma trick," allows you first to find more than one item with Quicksilver, then apply an action to all of those items. If you're wondering why or how this could be useful, consider a couple scenarios: You can find multiple bookmarks (as many as you want, as far as I can tell) and open them all in tabs (as long as your browser does the tabs thing). You could find a file, chose Quicksilver's "send immediately" action and then find multiple people from your address book to send that same file to - all without ever touching an actual email compose window. This trick's usefulness boggles my mind, and all you really have to do is hit the comma key in order to chose multiple items. Check out the 43 Folders tutorial for the full deets on how this trick works, then feel free to take a break from being amazed.
Geometry Copyright Wars
Play this PC version of Geometry Wars...I mean...Grid Wars before the Microsoft Legal Department does. [via Xboxic]
More pics from LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy
A few more screenshots from LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy have been posted for our viewing pleasure. Move along quickly, as these very well may be the droids you've been looking for (especially if you've had the privilege of playing the first game, as millions already have). We were originally going to link to an IGN developer diary on the title by director Tom Stone of TT Games and producer David Perkinson of LucasArts, but it turns out that most of the info given was actually spilled by David in an interview we covered near the middle of last month. Which leads us back to those lovely new LEGO screenshots--three they may be, but they do cover all the bases: Luke and Obi-Wan takin' in the town, the Millennium Falcon doin' its best speedy getaway, and the Dark Lord of the Sith chokin' up some Rebel scum. Lovely... truly lovely. [Via Eurogamer] See also: LEGO Star Wars II: Developer Diary LEGO Star Wars II: Return of the Original Trilogy
Geometry Wars creator talks high scores, particle effects
Stephen Cakebread must be one popular fellow around the Bizarre Creations offices. While his brethren spent their time focused on Project Gotham Racing 3, Cakebread made an old-school shooter with simple mechanics, colorful visuals, and no ending. The result? Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved, the biggest reason to own an Xbox 360 and use Xbox Live Arcade (and a game we have obsessed over one too many times). Brian 'ColdForged' Dupuis got a chance to interview Cakebread recently, resulting in some insightful behind-the-scenes commentary on the development of Geometry Wars. Many of the little nuances of the game are discussed here, including the snake's tail and the small purple rectangles ("Satan's Own Miniature Deliverers of Evil and Consternation"). Cakebread expresses delight in his creation, albeit he admits its not perfect (sequel, anyone?). There is talk of the particle effects that, Cakebread laments, with some more time and tweaking could've been prettier and more abundant. Cakebread admits his high score is only 2.1 million, so no advice there...but hey, what can you expect from a guy who openly admits to eating kittens for breakfast? (Scroll down to the halfway point to see the confession.)
Shadow of the (adorable) Colossus
What kind of person would take an adorable Flickr image of an adorable puppy, quizzically tilting his adorable head, and photoshop him into a giant colossus from Ueda's beautiful Shadow of the Colossus? A genius, that's who! The colossi are tragic characters; slaying each one results in a sort of post-coital depression, the totality of your deed laid before you. From now on, with every reflection on the game and its tragic colossi, I will only see puppies. Adorable, fluffy puppies. Brilliant. [Via Cathode Tan] UPDATE: The genius behind the image was aeg1x at Shacknews. Thanks, prfectjon.
Mech Assaults DS, charges filed
Though we spotted this about a month ago, Majesco Entertainment has officially revealed some concrete information regarding a DS version of MechAssault, now subtitled Phantom War instead of Shadow War. Personally, we would have gone with Spook Hostility, but we understand that mech fans would prefer if Majesco took this seriously.Judging by their standard PR list of features, they are. Developed by Backbone Entertainment (they worked on the PSP's Death Jnr), the game allows you to commandeer over 20 types of vehicles, upgrade weapons, engage in four-player wireless combat and just generally obliterate anything you can aim your guns at. The only point of worry may come in with the use of the touch screen: "The touch screen lets players intuitively ‘touch’ the cockpit controls to hack into giant ‘Mechs, eject pilots, switch weapons and check battle techniques."That sounds a lot like "There's an in-game menu at the bottom screen," a design that may prove to be irksome in the heat of battle. We thought that aiming via the touch screen (just like in Metroid Prime: Hunters) would be far more intuitive and closer to the dual-analog control of the Xbox titles. Still, we'll wait and see what the exact control scheme is before we stomp on a game that, at the very least, promises giant robots for our puny portable.[Thanks mandarin!]
Video of #1 Geometry Wars score: 16.6 mln
Prepare to watch your self-worth plummet. Here's a video of current Geometry Wars leaderboard champ K4rn4ge's high-scoring run. It's a twenty minute video--and the recording doesn't even start until 12 million--but there's plenty to learn from them moves. I'm in awe. See also: Geometry Wars: 4.191 million score by xTHeDoGgx Geometry Wars video: 2.1 million score by former world champion, "Striker"
LEGO Star Wars II: Return of the Original Trilogy
IGN has netted an interview with David Perkinson of LucasArts to discuss--brace yourself--LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy. If you loved the first game, you may be equally enthralled by the sequel. Key highlights from the interview include: The game is set in the world of the Original Trilogy (Episodes IV-VI). For those of you who don't know about the first 3 Star Wars films, shame on you. Over 50 new characters, plus the ability to import characters from the original LEGO Star Wars, bringing the total to just over 100 choices. Character creation: mix-and-match LEGO body parts from all of your unlocked characters. 2-player Co-Op mode, no online multiplayer, and DS players can enjoy 4-player Co-Op as well as a single-cart versus mode. Completely reworked vehicle system; non-droids can now enter and exit any vehicle they see at any time, and are free to roam about: "If you want to do the trench run in the Millennium Falcon, or even on a landspeeder, you now can." Sweet. Chewbacca can now rip off LEGO arms as a melee attack. Super Sweet. The title is being developed by Traveller's Tales, who worked on the original (and just recently began development on Super Monkey Ball Adventures), and should be released this fall for PS2, Xbox, GameCube, GBA, PSP, Nintendo DS, and the PC. [Thanks, Princess Zelda] [Update: Forgot a word; thought I'd add it back in.]
More from Geometry Wars creator
When Geometry Wars creator Stephen "Cakey" Cakebread was interviewed by Bizarre back in December, we found some questions lacking. Fortunately the folks at Eurogamer, who share our love for the game, have come up trumps and found out his high score: 2.1 million. The interview also talks about the popular appeal of Geometry Wars, and goes into some of the development process behind the game. What's entirely lacking, however, is any hint of a sequel. Come on, Cakey, you know you want to.
Capcom and Ubisoft partner to port to PC
As suspected, Capcom's mega-hit Resident Evil 4 will be making its way, from its roots on the Gamecube and subsequently the PS2, to the PC. It's not going alone though: Capcom's Onimusha 3 and Devil May Cry 3 will be along for the ride, and Ubisoft will be handling the distribution of all three titles. Hopefully the games will enjoy a high-res makeover before their release, instead of standard-definition ports with PS2 textures. Here's the part where both companies gush about how thrilled -- errr, apologies, it appears they are both excited, not thrilled -- to be working with one another on this historic event. Ubisoft: "Ubisoft is excited to be bringing three of the industry's most innovative titles, including Resident Evil 4... to PC gamers around the world." Capcom: "Capcom is excited to be taking advantage of Ubisoft's global distribution network to deliver our hottest titles for gamers around the world to play and enjoy," This can be roughly translated the following way: A corporate boardroom. Afternoon. Two anthropomorphised corporations sit across a meeting table; their hands almost touching, their eyes locked. UBISOFT: I'm so excited! Think about it: your games, my distribution. We're perfect for each other. CAPCOM: No, I'm way more excited to be working with you! You're French... and sophisticated. UBISOFT: You're sweet, but really, I'm soooo excited. I can't wait to get your games out to gamers to game with all around the world. CAPCOM: I'm excited infinity plus one! [Thanks, JamesO]
Geometry Wars sequel wishlist revisited
When we posted our wishlist of features for a Geometry Wars sequel, we knew there would be some things we'd leave out. So we asked you, loyal Joystiqers, to fill in the blanks. Here are best of the rest: Powerups: When all you need is a little hand, ideas ranged from close-range proximity bombs, to temporary 2-second shields, to a Matrix-like time bomb, to recreate the feeling of playing 3 straight hours of Geometry Wars, tanked up on 6 cups of espresso, and watching time s l o w d o w n. Tournaments: How about special events, held monthly, challenging players to specific tasks, and posting a leaderboard for that challenge? You might not be number one, but you were number 42 in last week's challenge to kill only the green squares while avoiding everything else. Replays: This was the number one request. Above and beyond spectator mode, we want to watch the high score runs over and over and over again. The video of Striker's 2.1 million run blew our collective mind, so why not store replays of the top 10 highest scores? No need for full video, just recreate them in engine for the full experience. Throw in voice support to hear the collective "oohs" and "ahs" of your fellow gamers. We want to reiterate that it isn't that we think Geometry Wars is in need of an update; the game is evergreen. We simply want more!
360 crooner: "Maybe a game or two of Geometry Wars"
There's almost no point in explaining the song, so we'll leave it at this. It's called "Archie's Theme -- The 360 Song"... ... and it's inspired. The backing vocals especially. "The best that you can do / the best that you can do / is run away." [Thanks, InfectedZero]
Automator action: Export movies to iTunes/iPod
Since the 5G iPod landed, an army of scripts and mini-apps have answered the call for a simple, painless way for getting video into iTunes and ready for your favorite little music video player. Since I'm always up for more options, here's an Automator action that accomplishes the same task for Tiger users. You can select a group of files, run the action (it's meant to be installed as a Finder plugin), and it will use QuickTime to export the video and add it right into iTunes for you.While I haven't tested this out yet, I'm excited about being able to do with with an Automator action as it opens up the possibility of adding more steps to your workflow, such as batch renaming files, or anything else Automator can do. Plus, just like one of the reigning favorites - iSquint - the Export Movies to iTunes action is free.
Geometry Wars sequel wishlist
Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved has been an unqualified success, not only for its creator Bizarre Creations, and Microsoft's Live Arcade service, but for the entire 360 launch. While right now it's the undisputed heavyweight of the Live Arcade service, with the influx of great new content set to appear, what can GW do to compete? Stephen Cakebread (Cakey) the developer behind GW said certain features never made it into the title, for better or worse, including mazes and multiplayer. In an "interview" (with Bizarre's PR department) Cakey makes it clear he has ideas for a Geometry Wars 3. What we need to know is what those ideas are! Since Cakey's not talking, here are a couple ideas: Spectator mode! If there's a high score being made, people want to watch. Think DDR at the arcade, or the pinball wizards of yore; we can't get enough of watching superhuman feats of gaming. Watch the video we posted, and know the current high score is over 4 times higher! Multiplayer! Let's get another ship (shape) in on the action. Doubles will introduce a whole new level of play: make it cooperative and work as a team to get into the millions score range; or competetive, struggle to get the kills first to get the high score, but watch out for your partner's fire! Play locally or over Live, complete with voice chat! More guns! Like shmups of the past, Geometry Wars could use a more varied arsenal. We don't want dozens of options, and we love the delicate balance of difficulty the current assortment provides, so even minor additions in the weapons department could go a long way. Stats! Bungie had the right idea with Halo 2, let's get the stats flowing with every little ounce of detail available: shots fired, accuracy, average speed, average speed while firing, average speed while firing and hitting target. Really, just get as detailed as you'd like. Gather these stats, compare with scores, and discover, empirically, the strategies of the masters. How many enemies killed? Not as many? Was it the multiplier?! ? There are surely a couple more great suggestions for ways to improve on an already great thing. So what is it Joystiq'ers? How can we improve on a winning formula?
Geometry Wars trial downloaded over 200K times
Greg Canessa, the group manager in charge of Live Arcade, said the trial of Geometry Wars has been downloaded over 200K times and sold nearly 45K copies adding, "Geometry Wars has been our Halo." The article on MTV gets some industry reaction to Microsoft's Arcade service and to GW in particular; Epic's CliffyB calls it "an interactive version of those acid-trip musical visualization devices." Geometry Wars' developer, Stephen Cakebread of Bizarre Creations, originally planned on having mazes and multiplayer functionaltiy in the sequel to the original Geometry Wars, which appeared in Project Gotham Racing 2. (Tip from Cakebread: the game stops getting harder around 5 million points, the only challenge then is staying alive as long as possible!) MTV says, "Developers interviewed for this story estimated that the cost to create a Live Arcade game could run between $10,000 to $100,000." Let's take the extreme example and say Microsoft takes 50% of the sale from the game and that Geometry Wars cost $100,000, Bizarre has still made a 12.5% profit in under two months! Canessa said to expect 35 Arcade titles by summer, with new games arriving each week! I'm calling it: first game to unseat Geometry Wars for most popular Arcade title will be Street Fighter II. [Thanks, m3mnoch]
See a Geometry Wars high-scorer in action
A great way to improve one's gameplay is to watch the experts in action, and even casual games like Geometry Wars are no exception. Joystiq has managed to find a video of Striker, former leader of the high score chart, scoring a whopping 2.1 million points. For those of us who have yet to hit 100K (too much Hexic) it's awe-inspiring.
Geometry Wars video: 2.1 million score by former world champion, "Striker"
In the clip that you're about to see, Striker, the former worldwide champion of phenomenal game Geometry Wars, scores over 2.1 million points. (Striker's high score is just shy of 3 million, but the worldwide leader, TBone2501 has 3.4 million). If you're a Geometry Wars addict, you'll learn a lot from watching this vid, but will you learn enough to unseat the champ? Got a high-score video? Let us know. If it's impressive, we can host it.
