cross-platform
Latest
Skulls of the Shogun gives asynchronous, cross-platform play a turn
Skulls of the Shogun will feature Skulls Anywhere mode, which offers cross-platform play and asynchronous multiplayer across all of its launch platforms: XBLA, Windows Phone, Windows 8 PC and Windows 8 tablet, a la Microsoft Surface. Players with the required devices will be able to take turns independently of one another, for up to four players, and the single-player campaign will be accessible across all Windows platforms through cloud saves."The turn-based nature of the game makes for perfect asynchronous play across every platform we're shipping on," 17-BIT's Jake Kazdal says. "You can start playing a game at home on your Xbox, then head out and play a few turns from the same game on your phone. You might be playing against someone on a PC or a tablet - everyone's connected via Xbox Live. And regardless of platform, everyone's having the same great experience, because it's the exact same game across all those devices."Skulls of the Shogun will still feature online, real-time multiplayer, called Skulls Online, and the standard local multiplayer matches.
E3 2012: Dragon Eternity's cross-platform warfare and weddings
Harken back, o reader, to ye olden days of E3 2012, if thou canst recall, as a great and powerful force of dragons has arrived among us. OK, so E3 wasn't that long ago (although it often feels like it), but something dragon-like has certainly surfaced: During the expo, I saw an impressive demo of Dragon Eternity, a cross-platform fantasy MMO from Game Insight, and as of this morning, the embargo on all the details of that demo has finally lifted. Hit the break and I'll tell you all about it!
LG and Philips / TP Vision announce Smart TV Alliance for cross platform TV apps
Following up on last year's promise to build a standardized SDK for creating Smart TV apps, LG and TP Vision (the new owner of Philips' TV business) have announced the creation of the Smart TV Alliance. Its goal is to create a "non-proprietary ecosystem" to encourage developers to make platform-independent apps based on standards like HTML5. One of the main problems currently for the Smart TV market is that there's many different platforms, some manufacturer specific while others like Google TV and Yahoo! Widgets play across differently branded devices. Curiously, Sharp was included in the previous announcement at IFA last fall and is not mentioned by name this time around, although the press release hints at "other Japanese manufacturers" in the process of joining that will be announced accordingly. The current plan is to release SDK 2.0 by the end of this year, until then interested devs are asked to register on the group's website for more info.
Sony demos Cross-Play, announces Cross-Controller DLC for Vita and PS3
One of the things we can look forward to in the coming year from Sony is some some lovely cross-platform content that makes the worlds of the PS Vita and PS3 just a bit more tightly integrated. Games like PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale will allow players to compete against each other, regardless of which Sony console they're using. The so-called cross-play functionality isn't limited to live play either, some games (including the aforementioned PS All-Stars) will allow you to save your game on one and pick up where you left off on the other. There will also be new downloadable content that will span Sony's home and portable consoles. The cross-controller DLC will come first to Little Big Planet 2, which will let you use your Vita to actually create levels on the PS3. Sadly Sony wouldn't divulge too many more details, but we can expect Battle Royale to hit shelves this holiday season. We guess this multi-screen entertainment thing is really going to take off this year.
Mozilla plans war on fragmentation, reveals unified UI design for Windows 8 and mobile devices
Mozilla has shown off ideas for future versions of Firefox as it becomes less of a traditional browser and more of a "soft, friendly, human" ecosystem. Slides released on the web hint at a new desktop environ with a simplified menu, cleaner download interface, and a more functional startpage -- all the while maintaining the same curved-edge look as the mobile variant. A Windows 8 Metro tile-based version is also in the works that's similar to the Firefox tab layout on Android. There's no word when Mozilla's so-called Kilimanjaro project will come to fruition, but you can check out the slideshow after the break for an early glimpse.
Interview with Inglorious Apps, a webOS to iOS developer switcher
Inglorious Apps is well-known in the webOS world for its work on Notes, Voice and Glimpse, a multi-tasking app for the Touchpad that lets you divide up the screen and use several different widgets at the same time. Now that webOS is on the decline, the talented development company has ported its apps to iOS and Android using Enyo. Enyo is a multi-platform development tool created by HP/Palm that lets webOS developers write an app for webOS and then port it to the iPhone, iPad or Android devices. After a few months of diligent coding, Inglorious Apps ported two apps from webOS to iOS. Dock is a stylish screensaver app that displays information like your RSS feed, Twitter feed, headline news and more. Panes is an iPad app that tries to simulate Glimpse for the Touchpad. The first version of Panes, which was a straight port from the webOS app, was rejected because Apple's developer agreement doesn't allow apps that use widgets. A modified version of the app is available, but it's a work-in-progress as Inglorious Apps codes around this restriction. We took some time to talk to the developer behind Inglorious Apps (who preferred to remain unnamed) about his experience with iOS development and what he thought about the switch from webOS to iOS. You can read our questions and his answers below. Do you develop full time or is this something you do as a secondary career? I develop apps part-time. Mostly during my spare time, when I get off my (real) day-time job. How many hours a week are spent on development, debugging, updates, and customer service? I spend roughly between 25-30hrs/week total. You are well-known in the webOS community for your work on Glimpse; were you able to reuse any webOS code to create your Panes or Dock app? Or are they new programs created from scratch? Yes, Dock and Panes are a direct port from webOS. I re-used a lot of my code. I only had to make a few changes to things that were "webOS-specific." Where you reused existing code, how long did it take you to port the code for iOS? It took about 10 minutes to port over to iOS (and Android). It then took about 2 months to make everything work as intended. What's the major difference you've found between programming for a webOS device versus the iPhone/iPad? The major difference is in multi-tasking. in webOS, an app stays open forever as long as the 'card' is open. This removes the burden of multitasking from the developer. iOS, on the other hand, multi-tasks differently. So you as the developer have to put a little extra thought/effort into how your app should operate. What was the biggest hurdle you encountered when you created your iOS Apps using Enyo? Since I wasn't quite proficient in Objective-C, the biggest hurdle was having to implement a few "webOS specific" features using Objective-C. So, making the apps (Dock & Panes) wasn't quite as simple as copying/pasting my old code. How is Enyo as a tool for writing iOS apps? Can you easily write code that adheres to Apple's standards? Can you debug effectively without always testing on an iOS device? I found Enyo to be quite useful. Enyo is a Javascript framework that emphasizes modularity. I think of it as a making an app with Lego blocks. You can make fairly simple to fairly complex apps (like Panes) using Enyo. There's also no problems adhering to Apple's standards. Debugging is very easy. Apps written with Enyo can actually work in Webkit browsers [like Safari or Chrome]. Actually, I do a lot of my quick tests in the Safari browser. Though, it's always nice to test on an actual device, just so there are no surprises. After reading this article, users will know that your app is written using Enyo. Is there any performance difference between your app and an app that's originally written in native code? Actually, my app is sort of a hybrid combo of native/non-native. I'm accomplishing a few things (e.g. the web widget in Panes) using native C code. To be honest, I'm not quite sure what "native" means anymore. I think that line is blurred. Sure, depending on the complexity of the app (or task), you may notice slight performance issues. But overall, I do think the average user won't be able to tell "native" vs. "non-native," so I don't think app performance should/would be a source of concern. How thorough is the Enyo programming environment, especially when it comes to graphics or data stores which may be handled differently on webOS? Do you have to tweak things on the iOS side? Enyo is quite thorough. The only tweak I had to make was updating graphics (i.e. doubling their sizes) for Retina display. Are you concerned that HP will stop working on Enyo and won't update it to support new versions of iOS? Do you have a contingency plan if Enyo is abandoned? So far, HP has shown signs of dedication to Enyo. They're currently working on a more cross-platform friendly version (i.e. Enyo 2), and things are looking optimistic. I'm not too worried about possible abandonment, since Enyo is open-sourced. So, I don't have to sit around and wait for HP to make updates, I can just go in and fiddle around with the code. So no, I don't really have any 'contingency' plans. I'm just hopeful the open-source community will sustain it. Do you have any advice for other webOS developers looking to write apps for iOS? I'd advise webOS developers to actually use iOS before trying to develop for it. Coming from the webOS world, the UI paradigm is quite different. I think the most effective way to develop for any platform is to be an actual user of that platform.
ICQ seeks comeback with mobile app update, new iPad version
ICQ, the resilient David Hasselhoff of instant messaging, is updating its app for Android and iOS, as well as its new Windows Phone version. The app already integrates with other platforms like Facebook, AIM and GTalk, but now it'll bring photo and location sharing too, as well as better offline functions so you can read or compose messages without a connection. There's also a new iPad version, although we're not yet sure if it's resolutionary. Either way, ICQ already boasts two million new active users since it launched on mobile platforms four months ago, so perhaps there's room for another rockstar in this post-SMS world.
Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition getting OSX version, cross-platform multiplayer
OSX users looking to get their nostalgia on with Overhaul Games' Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition won't have to resort to Boot Camp black magic. The game will be natively OSX compatible, according to Beamdog creative director Trent Oster.All three ports will reportedly "play similar," despite the fact that the iPad version uses a touch interface. Oster also announced cross-platform multiplayer for the title, which does exactly what it sounds like by allowing PC, OSX and iPad users to all Baldur around together in the same games. Console players, however, may never get chance to join in all these reindeer games, as Beamdog is "pursuing a non-console strategy."
Zynga CEO: company building cross-platform cloud compatibility
We've already heard from Zynga how the company plans expand its scope a little bit from its very popular Facebook-only titles. Zynga founder Mark Pincus says in an interview with Om Malik that its policy extends to current tech being built to share saves across the cloud. "In other words, you can play a game on a computer and call it up on Xbox," Pincus says as an example, "and you resume from the point you left off, except the game play will now be customized for the Xbox controller." Game information will be shared, but the experience will be different.That's already the case for Zynga's games on iOS -- they have a very different feel when played on mobile devices, and have even found different audiences. "Words for Friends doesn't do as well on Facebook as it does on the iPhone," for instance, "because they are a mobile first experience. Our poker game does well on the mobile as well."This doesn't mean that Pincus is saying Zynga's working on Xbox ports of its titles. Instead, the company is building out the tech right now to extend these games out in various forms to even more platforms in the future.
SwiftKey launches SDK, phones and tablets get more predictable
SwiftKey is responsible for as many saved typing hours, as it is crushing affirmations of just how predictable we really are. A fact that can now be drilled home by infinitely more devices, thanks to a new SDK for OEMs. Developers for a variety of platforms and programming languages (including C++, iOS and JVM) can access SwiftKey's core language-engine technology for their own UI or on screen keyboard, and with support for over 40 languages, we can expect many more tablets, phones and even white goods to worryingly know what we were going to say.
Sony promo lets PS Vita, PS3 hold hands for cross-platform play, because sharing is caring
Need another reason to cough up for that PS Vita? Well, Sony's attempting to sweeten the pot for existing PS3 owners with the launch of a promotional lure that'll make a trio of titles available for cross-platform play. Yes, that portable-to-console bridge has been attempted before and though it's always reeked more of gimmick than true killer feature, that's not stopping the electronics juggernaut from giving it the ol' college try. Gamers that download either Hustle Kings, WipEout 2048 or Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3 on the PlayStation Store will be able to transfer and play that content on both devices for the price of one. If you currently claim any of the above as your own, not to worry, you'll still be able to take part in the company's pan-PS content share. So, are you red E? Then hit up the source below for the extended deets.
PhoneGap v1.3 brings better cross-platform app coding to Windows Phone
Nitobi's PhoneGap project helps app developers to code for multiple mobile OSs simultaneously, thanks to the open standard wonders of HTML5, JavaScript and CSS. It's supported Windows Phone since the beginning, but v1.3 builds on that friendliness by opening up the API's full feature set and hence every limb and organ of a Mango handset, from the compass right through to storage and notifications. New plug-ins yield extra goodies, like Live Tile updates, BingMaps Search and social networking integration. Plus, in the interests of fairness, the full list of improvements (at the source link) contains some nuggets for Android, iOS and BlackBerry coders too.
Spacetime announces industry-first cross-platform implementation
If you've ever wondered about the feasibility of cross-platform MMOs, Spacetime Studios is here to tell you that it's a reality. The company announced an industry first earlier today when it removed the barriers between players who use different devices and operating systems. The company's Pocket Legends and Star Legends mobile MMOs share a single global server, and access to said server is now open to users of desktops, laptops, smartphones, and tablets. "There have always been technical walls between players on different platforms," said CEO Gary Gattis. "Now, people are free to play on the device they choose with anyone, anywhere, anytime, whether they are at home or on-the-go." [Source: Spacetime press release]
RIM unveils BlackBerry Mobile Fusion for enterprise, extends reach to Android, iOS
In an apparent attempt to solidify its standing in the corporate world, RIM has unveiled a new platform that allows IT specialists to more tightly manage company devices -- even those from rival manufacturers like Apple and Android. With the BlackBerry Mobile Fusion software, announced this morning, companies will be able to set up rules governing employee passwords apps and other software across a variety of smartphones and tablets, including the iPhone, iPad and Android handsets. The system also allows managers to remotely wipe and lock any devices that go missing or stolen, potentially bringing enhanced security to a workplace that's become increasingly fragmented. "Our customers have been saying, 'We're moving to these different adoption models, and we'd like you on board with that,'" said Alan Panezic, vice president for enterprise product management, in an interview with the Wall Street Journal. Slated to launch during the first quarter of next year, Mobile Fusion represents RIM's first foray into the multi-platform management market, and may expand even further to encompass Windows Phone devices, as well. Compatible with BlackBerry OS and BBX, Mobile Fusion will also allow users to remotely manage PlayBooks from BlackBerry handsets, though that won't happen until February, when the tablet finally receives a software update. No word yet on pricing, but Panezic says it will be "competitive" with the market.
Trine 2 co-op works cross-platform, from PC to Mac, available now in beta
Finnish developer Frozenbyte has announced that its upcoming cooperative platform puzzler Trine 2 will support cross-platform multiplayer across PC and Mac, courtesy of Valve's Steam Play framework. The ongoing beta is also now available for Mac, meaning would-be cross-platformers can test out the new feature immediately ... that is, if you pre-purchased the title. Note: While Trine 2 will also be available via just about every method of digital distribution known to man – including GamersGate, Direct2Drive, the Mac App Store, Xbox Live Arcade, and PlayStation Network – only the Steam PC and Mac releases will support cross-platform play. Sorry, Xbox players won't be buddying up with PS3 players. The release is still a vague "later in 2011" and if our Finnish Indie Dev Hunks calendar is accurate, there isn't much of 2011 left.
Burning Dog announces cross-platform plans for Origins of Malu
We've got some more Origins of Malu news today courtesy of the team at Burning Dog Media. A new press release on the sandbox MMORPG's official website is touting a partnership with Dell and Alienware that will generate awareness of the sci-fi title as it heads into its beta phase and eyes a 2012 launch. The release also mentions cross-platform functionality, and though it doesn't elaborate, we contacted lead developer Michael Dunham for clarification. As it turns out, the Origins team is aiming for both PC and Mac clients, and some sort of mobile/tablet functionality is in the works as well. We'll keep you up to date on that as we learn more, and in the meantime you can head to the Origins website to read up on the game. Before you go, be sure and check out Massively's exclusive interview with the dev team.
BioWare plans to grow community with cross-platform offerings
On stage at the 2011 International Game Developers Association Leadership Forum here in LA, BioWare's Senior Director of Business Planning Development Richard Iwaniuk took the stage to chat about how the company has built up its online community into the 3.2 million-strong registered users it is today, and what it plans to do next to keep that growth going. Iwaniuk's main point was taking BioWare's franchises, which of course include Dragon Age and Mass Effect, and spinning them out to cover as many platforms as possible -- not just the HD consoles, but mobile platforms, online social networks, and even into areas like films and television. Iwaniuk said quality was a big part of that push, but "quality," according to Iwaniuk, "is becoming more relative as opposed to absolute." He added that "it's going to be defined as much by the consumer as it is by the product. It's relative to the genre or the platform that that product is being served on." Iwaniuk said that while sales or ratings might have been indicators of game quality in the past, these new platforms call for other "key performance indicators," like player engagement or just simple awareness. "If [players are] promoting your game," said Iwaniuk, "that's success in some of these genres." Iwaniuk cited Felicia Day and her Dragon Age work as a great example of a cross-platform push on BioWare's end, and said that even BioWare was learning -- originally, the company was using social networks like Facebook simply to push out information and promote its products, but "in actuality, it should be more of a pull" in those places, where BioWare pulls in player feedback and making use of it rather than simply trying to raise social awareness. And how soon will we see this player feedback put into practice, and all of these cross-platform offerings revealed? "Stay tuned," teased Iwaniuk. "I think that might be as short as three or four weeks, and you'll know more."
Spyro figurines bridge the console divide, bring flame-grilled peace to the world
Kids lacking the imagination to bring their own toys to life now have the option of letting a games console do it for them. Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure has teleported into stores, boxed with three toy figures and a 'portal device' that brings them to life in-game. The bundle totals up at $70, and Activision is billing it as the "first true cross-platform game", with the toys playing nice across Wii, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, 3DS and iOS versions. The statuettes, which connect to the portal peripheral through embedded RFID tags, also store game data across platforms. The business plan presumably involves groups of kids investing in Spyro's latest yarn and swapping characters amongst themselves, while holding onto their own precious in-game achievements. If your little brother has trouble trading with friends who couldn't care less about the antics of lava-belching monsters, they can always can stump up an extra $8 for new figures. Click 'Read more' for some explanatory cartoon violence.
Play Wii games on your Android tablet via network streaming (video)
In case you haven't met him already, Obiwan222222 represents the minimalist alternative to hardcore modding. He's already shown us Wii games running on the PSP and iPod Touch, and now he's pulled off the same trick on his Asus Transformer. It's all done with network streaming: he loads up Super Mario Galaxy 2 on his PC using the open-source Dolphin emulator and then transmits it to his tablet via the Splashtop HD remote desktop app for Android. He also throws in an Xbox 360 controller to make things look more confusing than they really are. We'd obviously worry about lag with this type of setup, but the video after the break makes it look just about playable.
Jagex CEO says Runescape will be cross-console, free-to-play (or else)
Developer Jagex is positioned to ship Runescape across all consoles, free-to-play and with complete cross-platform capabilities, if CEO Mark Gerhard has anything to say about it. Which, as CEO, he does. Gerhard told Develop that some console owners wanted to charge for Runescape, which he sees as absolute lunacy. "People get this for free. You're shooting yourself in the foot," Gerhard said. "But Sony was ahead of the game; they said they get it. They understand free. But all three said, 'okay, but we won't let our console play online with any other.'" Gerhard is waiting for the console market to realize cross-play is a universally beneficial strategy, at least with Runescape, as it doesn't have any graphical aspects that favor one console over another. "I think they [Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo] will open up their platforms a bit more, liberate them a bit more. It's just a matter of time," he said. "But we're well placed to be on all devices soon so we can have a global community."
