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Flappy Bird meets Minecraft: the inevitable made into a gif
You can build just about anything in Minecraft, so why not a working version of Flappy Bird? We love it when the internet takes care of the inevitable.
Daily Update for February 19, 2014
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get some the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the player at the top of the page. The Daily Update has been moved to a new podcast host in the past few days. Current listeners should delete the old podcast subscription and subscribe to the new feed in the iTunes Store here.
It looks like Apple isn't banning "Flappy" apps after all
Nothing like a big hairy mustache to let us know that the Flappy Bird clone train isn't dead yet. Despite earlier reports that Apple was clamping down on apps similar to Flappy Bird -- or, more specifically, similar games that also have the word "Flappy" in their title -- today's App Store update brought with it the debut of Flappy Stache. The game features (you guessed it) a mustache that must navigate a treacherous course of clippers. It's the same tap-to-fly gameplay of Flappy Bird and a similar level of difficulty. Really the only thing that sets the game apart from the rest of the Flappy clones is the fancy 50s style film effect applied to the action, which I must admit is quite well done. But despite that, it's still a Flappy Bird clone, it still has "Flappy" in the title, and no, it isn't banned from the App Store. [Thanks, C.K. Sample III]
Apple rejecting Flappy Bird knockoffs, and other news for Feb. 17, 2014
In a hopeful sign that the Flappy Bird craze is abating, Apple has begun rejecting apps that are knockoffs of the popular Flappy Bird game. You'll remember that the developer pulled the game last week, saying that its popularity was overwhelming. Since then, many knockoffs have appeared in the App Store, and several have been reached the top 10 free apps. The news of the blanket rejection of Flappy Bird clones started appearing on Twitter on Saturday. As TechCrunch notes, Apple isn't the only one rejecting Flappy Bird knockoffs. Google has started rejecting them in the Play store as well. In other news: T-Mobile's early upgrade Jump plan is going through some changes. Now customers will have to pay of 50% of their devices before they can upgrade. Users of the Apple Store app can get the official TETRIS app for free this week. Users must obtain the code in the Apple Store app to get it for free. BBM for iOS has been upgraded to version 2.0 with free voice calls over Wi-Fi to other BBM users.
The floating, fragile indie bubble
Days after Braid hit Xbox Live Arcade in 2008, we posted a story titled "Why should we care about Braid?" We liked the game and felt the need to explain: It was a simple platformer made by a handful of people, it was pretty and it had solid controls. This wasn't a review of Braid. It was a defense of the emerging indie industry, and an analysis of why a truly good, independent game deserved adulation, because some of our readers were uneasy accepting them as legitimate products. Now, we're writing about Sony dedicating a large chunk of its E3 2013 press conference – the one just prior to the launch of the PS4 – to indie developers. We're writing about Indie Megabooth being the largest display at PAX. We're writing about Vlambeer, Klei, Hello Games, Dennaton, Fullbright, Polytron, Chris Hecker and Team Meat without having to remind readers who they are or why they matter. We're writing about Flappy Bird. We're not just writing about the existence of Flappy Bird – a free, tap-to-fly, pixelated mobile game from a young developer in Vietnam – we're writing about Flappy Bird spawning game jams and knock-offs from Fall Out Boy. "The biggest change now is that it is so much easier to make games and it is so much easier to find an audience for games," Braid creator Jonathan Blow tells me. "This means a lot more people can build games and make a living off it, which is nice. However, it also means there is not so much of a crucible against which people refine their skills, so if one really wants to become a top game developer, a lot of motivation is required above and beyond that which gets one to 'baseline success.'"
Flappy Jam launches in support of Flappy Bird dev, Fall Out Boy joins the party
Flappy Bird may have flown the coop, but indie developers are banding together in support of the dangerously addictive app with Flappy Jam, an open-invitation challenge to design difficult, avian-themed games in the vein of Flappy Bird. One popular entry emerging from the event is Terry Cavanagh's Maverick Bird, a refined take on Flappy Bird's formula featuring aesthetic elements similar to Cavanagh's Super Hexagon. Developer Adam Saltsman joins the friendly competition with Flappybalt, a reworked version of his genre-defining endless runner Canabalt. An unlikely (and perhaps unwitting) entry comes from pop punk band Fall Out Boy, which plans to release its own version of Flappy Bird for Android and iOS devices later this week, according to BBC News. "Rome wasn't built in a day, but this game was," the band posted on its official website. "We bring you Fall Out Bird. [C]oming this week to Google Play and the App Store (as soon it's approved)." "Shoutout to the OG Flappy Bird," the band adds. "RIP." [Image: Terry Cavanagh]
FlapMMO brings non-combat gameplay to new heights
For years, players have sought MMOs that truly offered a combat-free experience. FlapMMO, a massively multiplayer version of the sadly defunct Flappy Bird (not officially sanctioned), is that rare gem that delivers precisely that. In fact, it delivers everything you could ask for in the genre -- no combat, no levels, and a wide-open world to simply explore. It even offers exclusively horizontal progression (since that's the way the screen scrolls, you can't go backward). If all this sounds too good to be true, you should consider also the fact that the game is entirely free-to-play without so much as a cash shop. Chat functions are currently limited, as is character customization, but there's no word from the developer on whether or not this is part of the design or something that will be addressed in the first expansion. You might want to consider giving this wide-open combat-free exploration simulator a try if you've got some free time on your hands.
Flappy Bird creator says game had to go because it was too addictive
Calling a game "addictive" is typically thought of as a compliment. Not so for Dong Nguyen, creator of recently-pulled mobile hit, Flappy Bird. Nguyen told Forbes in a recent interview that the game was too addictive, and that guilt motivated him to remove the game from the iTunes and Google Play stores. "I think it has become a problem," Nguyen told Forbes. "To solve that problem, it's best to take down Flappy Bird. It's gone forever." Those pining for the good ol' days of birds flapping freely in the pipe-laden lands of iOS and Android may be out of luck, but Nguyen told Forbes he plans to continue developing games. He'll also leave his previously-developed titles like Super Ball Juggling and Shuriken Block up for purchase, as he considers them "harmless." [Image: Dong Nguyen]
Even Fall Out Boy is ripping off Flappy Bird
Once you've collaborated with everyone from Lil Wayne to Elton John where does a multiplatinum, swoopy-haired emo band like Fall Out Boy go next? The answer is apparently ripping off viral mobile hits. Today, the saddest men in rock music announced via Twitter the upcoming release of "Fall Out Bird" once the app gets approved by the App Store. rome (sic) wasn't built in a day, but this game was. in the spirit of Fall Out Boy Trail (http://bit.ly/1bPGoW9), we bring you Fall Out Bird. coming this week to Google Play and The App Store (as soon it's approved). shoutout to the OG Flappy Bird, RIP This isn't the band's first time dipping their toes in the water of tribute games. In 2009, the band released the aforementioned Fall Out Boy Trail where players reenact the famous Oregon Trail by pulling the band's van with oxen. That game was surprisingly fun, so we're crossing our fingers the band can show the same respect for Flappy Bird that they showed that classic title. Even if they don't, at least this current publicity stunt gave us this wonderful gif.
Ironpants is the only Flappy Bird clone worth a damn, and not even a very big damn
Of all the Flappy Bird clones littering the App Store at the moment, only a fraction of those games is actually playable -- meaning that they're fully functional and can be used without glitches, slowdown or outright crashes. Of that small group, there is but one that I've found that is worth your time: Ironpants. Ironpants plays almost exactly like Flappy Bird with the only real difference being that you hold your finger on the screen (rather than tap) to get your tiny superhero to fly higher. You still need to navigate through narrow passages without touching anything; the game goes on forever just like Flappy Bird; and it's also punishingly difficult. In fact, Ironpants may be even more difficult than the game on which it is based, and that's saying something. The tiny onscreen character moves a bit faster than the titular avian in Flappy Bird, and because of that, it's much harder to make adjustments before slamming into a wall. My high score on Flappy Bird is a respectable 51, but I can only manage a 6 on Ironpants. It's that difficult. To be perfectly clear: If Flappy Bird were still on the App Store, I'd probably not recommend checking out Ironpants because it is indeed the inferior product. However, with Flappy Bird's creator promising to never re-publish the game after he removed it from the App Store, it's the only halfway decent alternative currently available.
Flappy Bird creator pulled game because it was an 'addictive product,' and more news for Feb. 11, 2014
The creator of Flappy Bird, Dong Nguyen, has told Forbes that the reason he pulled the wildly popular game was because it was an addictive product: "Flappy Bird was designed to play in a few minutes when you are relaxed," says Dong Nguyen, in an exclusive interview, his first since he pulled the plug on the app. "But it happened to become an addictive product. I think it has become a problem. To solve that problem, it's best to take down Flappy Bird. It's gone forever." The game, which has captivated gamers and the tech media, was the No. 1 free download on the App Store for much of the last month. It's estimated that Flappy Bird was earning Nguyen US$50,000 a day. Many players pointed out similarities between Flappy Bird and Nintendo's Mario franchise, but Nguyen confirmed that his decision was not motivated by legal threats from Nintendo. In other news: Documentary filmmaker Ken Burns has released an iOS app. Burns is best known for his PBS documentaries like Baseball and The Civil War. Apple customers are likely familiar with iMovie's eponymous "Ken Burns Effect," which mimics the filmmaker's slow panning and zooming of still images. Ken's new app features selected scenes illustrating recurring themes in American history and is a free download. Speaking of American history... Steve Jobs is featured in a new "American Cool" exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery in London. Other American icons in the exhibit include Robert Mitchum, Faye Dunaway, Johnny Depp, Elvis Presley, Patti Smith and Jay-Z. The exhibition runs until September 7th. As time goes on, the availability of new Apple products usually improve. Not so for the new Mac Pro. Ship times in UK, other European online stores, Australia and China have now increased by a month to "April" delivery estimates.
Daily Roundup: Panasonic's Lumix GH4 camera, 'Fish on Wheels' and more!
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
Need another reason to hate the horrible Flappy Bird clones? They steal content, too
Flappy Bee -- or "Happy Bee Game" as its title screen says -- is a Flappy Bird clone that changed its name to steal downloads from people searching the App Store for the now-removed iOS top-rated game. Flappy Bee is garbage, which is enough of a reason to hate it, but it also happens to have stolen its mascot directly from the game Bee Leader. Greg Harding, the director of Bee Leader developer Flightless, submitted a complaint with Apple more than three days ago, but the offending app remains on the market. What's worse, Flappy Bee has been in the top 5 most popular free games for more than 48 hours, and is raking in the cash while using stolen assets. I realize there's a protocol for this sort of thing, and the system that is in place exists so that fraudulent dispute claims can't be made against legitimate developers, but give me a break. It shouldn't take this long for an App Store scam artist to be removed, and I can only hope Flappy Bee is axed before much longer. By the way, Bee Leader is a fantastic game that also happens to be free. I'd not had the chance to try it out prior to finding its clone, but the original game is quite fantastic. I suppose I can thank Flappy Bee for that, but Bee Leader should really be the one at the top of the popularity list rather than its poorly coded doppelgänger, so I'll make it easy for you; click anywhere on this paragraph to give Bee Leader a try.
Never fear, Flappy Bird is still available -- on eBay, for a thousand bucks
Less than a day after the explosively popular game Flappy Bird vanished from the App Store and Google Play, it's become available on eBay -- for hundreds of dollars. Lucky owners of the Flappy Bird app have put their phones and tablets up for bidding, with prices ranging from $460 for a black iPhone 4s with an "updated" version of the game to $1,000 for a Galaxy Tab 3 with the app pre-installed. It's unclear if any devices have sold, though there are a few bids in the running. Maybe wait a day or two before pulling the trigger, though; some say this is all a huge publicity stunt and the app will be back up soon, while others say the developer is avoiding being sued by other game makers. You could also check out Flappy Bird clones such as Ironpants. It's free; it offers similar gameplay, if you can live without the bird character; and it doesn't require remembering your eBay password.
Nintendo denies objections to de-listed iOS hit Flappy Bird
Though allegations that Flappy Bird creator Dong Nguyen copied art assets from Nintendo have run rampant since its debut, the Japanese gaming giant claims to have had no role in this weekend's removal of the smash-hit iOS game. "While we usually do not comment on the rumors and speculations, we have already denied the speculation," a Nintendo spokesperson told the Wall Street Journal. Nguyen has remained relatively silent on his motivations for removing Flappy Bird, though in his tweet announcing the game's de-listing, Nguyen states, "I cannot take this anymore." It's unclear what exactly Nguyen is referencing there, though a Twitter search for the phrase "Flappy Bird" returns thousands of harassing tweets alongside numerous articles decrying the independent developer for intellectual property theft. [Image: Dong Nguyen]
iPhones with Flappy Bird pre-installed are getting bids for $99,000 on eBay
In case you missed the news, the creator of Flappy Bird -- Dong Nguyen -- decided to remove the bizarrely popular iOS game from the App Store this Sunday. While Nguyen didn't give a specific reason as to why he decided to forgo US$50,000 a day in ad revenue, he did mention via Twitter that he wasn't removing the game for legal reasons and that he simply "cannot take this anymore," perhaps alluding to the avalanche of attention that greeted him once his app shot to the top of the App Store charts. Nguyen also made a point of noting that Flappy Bird wasn't being put up for sale to other developers. In the wake of Flappy Bird's removal from the App Store, Monday morning saw a few eBay auctions spring up featuring iPhones with Flappy Bird already installed. In bids that I can only pray are in jest, some auctions have bids that are as high as $99,000. For example, here's one listing with a current bid of $98,100 and another with a current bid of $5,000. Now are these bids legitimate? Again, I can only hope not, but given that people actually bought the "I am Rich" app for $999, who's to say. Has there ever been a more overhyped game in the history of the iPhone? iFart is the only competition that comes to mind.
Flappy Bird no longer available from the App Store or Google Play
Oh no! We sure hope you were able to download Flappy Bird before its imminent extinction. Because, as promised, developer Dong Nguyen has officially removed the insanely popular game from both the App Store and Google Play. There's no need to shed tears if you've already installed it, since you can still play it and continue to frustrate over how terribly low your scores are. Even so, it's a little sad to see Flappy Bird go -- especially given that there are probably some people (like this editor's mom) who never got to experience it. Who knows, maybe it'll make a triumphant comeback one day.
Flappy Bird updates with night level, better frame rate, and new birds. Still absolutely impossible.
UPDATE 2/9/14: True to his word Dong Nguyen took Flappy Bird off the App Store today. We hope you were able to download the game before it was taken "to a nice farm in the country side." Our condolences to anyone who was denied the infuriating joy of Flappy Bird. Flappy Bird, the most hated/beloved game currently tearing up the iTunes charts, has been updated with a number of improvements while keeping its absolutely impossible game play. If you're part of the current wave of masochistic gamers dead set on getting that stupid bird through those stupid pipes, this update brings a few wonderful additions to your current addiction. And that's coming from another fellow addict. The most important addition is a staggeringly better frame rate. The graphics are smoother and judging where Flappy Bird is about to go has never been easier. At first, the improved frame rate may seem jarring, but once you get used to it you'll probably find yourself beating your original high score. Thankfully, the crushing difficulty is still in place, so even when you grow as a player your hate will burn like a thousand suns. In addition to the improved frame rate, players can look forward to a handful of new skins for Flappy Bird, including "orange" and "blue" colored birds, and a new night time level. In keeping with Flappy Bird's history of not giving a crap about your desires, be it to win or have new levels, you don't get to choose which level or bird you play as. You are Flappy Bird's property. Just be happy it gifted you new levels. Sadly, progress also comes with regression. The update ditches the ability to share your high score, meaning you'll have to take a screen shot like the rest of us to tell people how far you've gotten. There is a trade off -- the game's tendency to have an ad pop up at the top of the screen at the worst possible moment has been fixed. In fact, the ads have stopped popping up during play entirely since the update. Now your friends won't know how much you've been playing Flappy Bird, but the game is better than ever. So update the game, count your blessings, take a screen shot and make your own bragging rights. Flappy Bird is still a mean SOB of a game. And it's still addictive as hell. Grab it while you can, though, as the developer has threatened to pull the game down soon -- as soon as today.
Flappy Bird's creator says he's taking the game off the App Store shortly
The saga of Flappy Bird took a bizarre turn today when the game's creator, Dong Nguyen, announced via Twitter that he would be taking the game down on Sunday, February 9. Over the last few weeks the game has been getting an increasing amount of press coverage, and the game's creator has been feeling the stress of the internet's passion. I am sorry 'Flappy Bird' users, 22 hours from now, I will take 'Flappy Bird' down. I cannot take this anymore. - Dong Nguyen (@dongatory) February 8, 2014 It is not anything related to legal issues. I just cannot keep it anymore. - Dong Nguyen (@dongatory) February 8, 2014 I also don't sell 'Flappy Bird', please don't ask. - Dong Nguyen (@dongatory) February 8, 2014 And I still make games. - Dong Nguyen (@dongatory) February 8, 2014 The news comes one day after the game received a wonderful new update that improved its frame rate along with adding new bird colors and a night time level. Still it's easy to see how the explosion of press for the small developer has been causing stress. Saturday morning at 5:15AM he tweeted the following. I can call 'Flappy Bird' is a success of mine. But it also ruins my simple life. So now I hate it. - Dong Nguyen (@dongatory) February 8, 2014 As a fan of the game I'll be sorry to see it go, although it should still work for those who already have it downloaded. But if you want to see what all the fuss has been about you have a very quickly closing window of opportunity. You better get to downloading.
Flappy Bird creator to pull game from stores
Dong Nguyen, creator of Flappy Bird, has tweeted plans to "take Flappy Bird down" 22 hours from the tweet's publishing date, which was 2:02 p.m. EST. "It's not anything related to legal issues," Nguyen clarified. "I just cannot keep it anymore." Nguyen did not offer an exact reason for his plans to pull Flappy Bird. Nguyen also dismissed the idea of selling Flappy Bird and asked that such questions not be sent to him. [Image: GEARS Studios]
