Freeverse
Latest
Freeverse Releases Sound Studio 3.5
We talked with Freeverse at Macworld about a variety of products including their audio recording and editing program Sound Studio; now version 3.5 has dropped. Highlights of the new version include Apple Lossless and Ogg support, ID3 metadata editing and various other improvements. I hadn't noticed before, but Freeverse eats its own dog food, and has used Sound Studio "for years to create all the dialog and sound effects in our games."Sound Studio is $79.95 and a demo is available for download.[Via Macworld]
Think 1.0
Applications that offer 'full screen' modes are all the rage now a days. The idea is that if you run one application in full screen mode you won't be distracted by all those other things that fight for your attention on your Mac.The good people at Freeverse are savvy to this, but they figured why bother creating individual applications with a full screen mode when you can create an app that'll let any app have a full screen mode of sorts. Thus Think was born.Think has a very cool Illumination Panel that allows you to pick from any of your currently running applications. As soon as you pick an app, Think throws up a backdrop (the color is up to you, though it defaults to black) that covers up the rest of your desktop (on your main monitor as well as any secondary monitors you might have) though the Dock remains visible. Think goes one step further and displays the icon of the currently focused app in its Dock icon, just in case you forget.It is obvious that Freeverse spent some time thinking about this application. Now, what would you expect to pay for such an application? If you said nothing, not only are you cheap but you're also correct! That's right, Freeverse is giving this gem away (Mac OS X 10.4.3 or later is required).Check out the gallery below for some screenshots. %Gallery-1471%
Macworld 2007 Show Floor Showoff: Freeverse
More video from the Macworld show floor, I bet you're excited! I spoke with Colin Lynch Smith of Freeverse, distributors/makers of more Mac software than you can shake a stick at. We spoke about Sound Studio 3, Lineform, and the forthcoming Heroes of Might and Magic 5 as well as Big Bang Brain Games.Check out the iPod ready version here, and be sure to watch the whole thing to catch a 'blooper' at the end (mostly just me being me).
Mac publishers expect 2007 rebound, iPhone games uncertain [Macworld Expo]
Mac game developers and publishers at this year's Macworld Expo expect 2007 to be a significantly better year for the platform, with more releases and sales. The Mac companies are looking forward to the iPhone and hope to develop for that platform, but none we spoke with over the show week expected to have that opportunity since the iPod has eluded them. The companies said last year's transition to Intel hardware stalled the Mac gaming industry and closed or slowed several competitors. Ian Lynch Smith, president of Freeverse told us, "Everyone else in the industry ran for the hills. That's why there were very few releases last year versus the year before." His brother and vice president, Colin Lynch Smith, remained positive, saying, "2007 should be a great year for [Mac] games." (Disclosure: This writer has created occasional trailers for Freeverse.)David Stephen, head of Feral Interactive, said the "outlook is decent" for this year. "We're benefiting from growth in Apple's installed base," he added. Stephen also looks forward to the thinner number of competitors, saying the few remaining game companies "[make] it a little less competitive."The companies respond to the iPhone after the break.
Freeverse product update (Macworld Expo)
Freeverse occupies a typical booth at the Macworld Expo in an atypical space; instead of joining the few Mac gaming companies located in the North Hall, Freeverse holds down a corner of the bustling South Hall. Brothers Ian Lynch Smith and Colin Lynch Smith gave us updates about the company. (Full disclosure: this writer has occasionally created trailers for Freeverse games.)The longtime Mac developer and publisher chose the South Hall because, like other Mac game publishers, Freeverse has diversified and sells "more than just games," according to Colin. (Indeed, vector graphic app Lineform, audio recorder Sound Studio, and comic maker Comic Life Deluxe are on display.)For games, the company is showing its nearly-finished Mac version of Heroes of Might and Magic V, the first game published using the quick-port Cider technology. Cider helps translate Windows APIs, but the resulting games require an Intel Mac -- which is itself basically PC hardware. As the Cider guinea pig, Freeverse is looking forward to charting the game's sales against its costs.Big Bang Brain Games -- Freeverse's take on Brain Training -- the latest Burning Monkey Solitaire, and other titles are also being showcased. The brothers remained cautiously optimistic about game sales, saying they expect 2007 to be better than 2006's transition to Intel hardware.
MacBowl charity event raises $24,000 (Macworld Expo)
Aspyr Media and Macworld magazine hosted their seventh annual MacBowl contest Thursday night. The Macworld Expo tradition pits Mac companies against each other while raising money through team fees for the San Francisco Unified School District.This year's competition raised $24,000, while the total -- including previous years -- reached $146,000 donated to local schools. Mac gaming companies have historically been big team sponsors, although this year's limited gaming presence left just Freeverse and Aspyr with event teams, while Microsoft, Elgato, and many others fielded competitors.
Freeverse announces winner of Lineform contest
Freeverse, the company behind many a fun Mac app, recently held a contest related to their vector illustration program, Lineform. The contest was simple: submit an image made with Lineform and you get a chance to win $1000. Not too shabby. The contest is over, and the winner was Paul Davidson.You can see Paul's work, and the work of the runners up, on Freeverse's website. The original Lineform files are also available for download.
Burning Monkey Solitaire 4
I love the Mac as much as I do for many reasons, but great indie developers like Freeverse are certainly near the top of those reasons. Today Freeverse has unleashed (from a cage, no doubt) Burning Monkey Solitaire 4. This update to their venerable solitaire program offers a bevy of improvements, including: Support for Intel and PPC Macs Now playable in Widescreen a new OpenGL engine More monkey Burning Monkey Solitaire 4 will set you back $24.95, but it is a free upgrade for all registered owners of previous versions. You'll need at least 64MB of RAM and OS X 10.3.9 to get in on the monkey love.
Freeverse puts 'Big Bang' in Brain Games
Not one to miss out on the 'brain training' craze, Freeverse Software has announced its own line of puzzlers and memory trials designed to keep your dome fit, dubbed Big Bang Brain Games. We're not sure how the Big Bang comes into play, but you're free to download Reaction through Thursday -- the remaining five stimulators (Sudoku, Remembrance, Echo, Novasweeper, and Fallacy) will be released in December (not for free).The Big Bang games were developed by Graveck Interactive using Over the Edge's Unity engine. Designed for Mac, the collection can be integrated with Apple's .Mac service, allowing trainees to show off their "Brain Scores" via Brain Pages. For those of you who can't land a headshot, this might be your best chance to top a leaderboard ... Big Bang l33t, holla!
Sims 2 wins best Mac game award
Aspyr Media's latest newsletter features a summary of the company's participation at last month's Apple Worldwide Developers Conference, where they took home the Best Mac OS X Game award for The Sims 2. Also recognized in the Apple Design Awards was runner-up Wing Nuts 2: Raina's Revenge from Freeverse. While Apple isn't doing much for Mac gaming on the hardware front, Aspyr discusses their plans for using OS X Leopard's XCode developer toolset in future Mac game releases. You can download the Universal Binary update for The Sims 2 here.
Freeverse announces Lineform 1.2
You may remember Lineform as the winner in the student category of the Apple Design Awards, but now it is now a part of Freeverse's software catalog. $79.99 gets your version 1.2 of Lineform which is a Universal Binary (which Freeverse told me would launch in a second on a MacBook Pro, and they were right).$79.99 for an Illustrator alternative that is Universal? Not too shabby at all.
Heroes V hits Macs for the holidays
The Heroes of Might and Magic series has long been a mainstay of Mac gaming, and Freeverse plans to continue the tradition by delivering HoMM V for OS X this Christmas. However, it is uncertain if Ubisoft's popular strategy title will ship as a native Mac app, or if it will come wrapped in TransGaming's Cider emulation software.Freeverse's Colin Smith had previously indicated the game would be a full blown port, but at the end of last week, he told Inside Mac Games that his company is now "actively evaluating" Cider for HoMM V. This would be an interesting test for Cider, given Heroes V's hefty hardware requirements, and it could be just what TransGaming needs to get their new portability engine off the ground.See also: Cohen on Mac Pro's gaming prowess
Wingnuts 2, an original Mac game, takes off
Freeverse has announced that Wingnuts 2, a top-down aerial arcade shooter game, is now available for online purchase and download. The title benefits from being an original and exclusive Mac game, developed and playable exclusively on the Mac. Freeverse co-founder Colin Lynch Smith mentions the advantages of developing games solely for the Mac over on Inside Mac Games:"This is the biggest game to be written specifically for the Mac in years. Targeting just the Mac means no performance compromises (and lower system requirements)-- and we can design in cool OS X specific technologies like CoreImage and iSight integration."It's about time that game developers woke up to the benefits of creating games specifically for the Mac platform. Hopefully this will be the first title of many in a resurgence of big name Mac-exclusive titles.You can grab a demo of the game at this link and a video of the game (complete with an example of the fancy CoreImage effects) is available here. A DVD boxset of the game will ship in early July, but if you can't wait that long the game is available as a whopping 550MB download for $29.95 over on the Wingnuts 2 site.[Via Joystiq]
Wingnuts 2 released
Freeverse has released Wingnuts 2, a $29.95 OMG (original Mac game) that has been billed by the game's creator as the "ultimate arcade game." Based on the time we've spent with a pre-release version of the game, we're tempted to agree. Wingnuts 2 is a bucket of fun to play, and it happens to look great too.According to Freeverse's minimum system requirements, you'll need at least an 800MHz G4, 32MB of VRAM, 512MB of system RAM and just under 1GB of Hard Drive space to run and store the game. You can download the demo here and watch a movie of the game in action here. Expect a full review of the game from us in the next few days.
Wingnuts 2 is almost done!
I'm dreading the release of Wingnuts 2 -- its predecessor was so addictive that it hooked my dad, my uncle and numerous friends. The phrase "can you help me get past this level?" has never been so annoying. On Freeverse's blog, they've announced that the game is nearing Gold Master status (the final stage before distribution) so make sure you've got a clear schedule for the next few days weeks months *ahem* years. While you're waiting for the game to be released, check out the latest screenshots of the game over at Games4Mac.Read - Wingnuts 2 nearing Gold MasterView - Latest Wingnuts 2 screenshots
Game developers react to Boot Camp
Inside Mac Games has a nice roundup of reactions from various Mac OS X game developers on the news of Boot Camp. Reactions on the whole are positive concerning the opportunities that Boot Camp offers, and speculation from the likes of Aspyr, MacSoft, Freeverse and Ambrosia are hopeful that this will help boost the Mac gaming platform even faster.Check out the roundup, as there are some great comments from individuals at these companies that touch on where they think the market is headed, and what we can expect in the not-too-distant future of Mac gaming.
Freeverse offers free automation plug-ins for Sound Studio 3
Freeverse has announced a free set of automation plug-ins for Sound Studio 3, their fantastic, easy-to-use audio editing application which we've blogged before. Dubbed "Monbots" (short for Monkey Bots), these are but the first three in what Freeverse promises to be a series of handy automation plug-ins and tools.The first monbot, Clean & Convert, is an audio scrubber for tidying up any misbehaving or noisy audio. The second, called Mastering Console, offers a set of tools and effects for (you guessed it) mastering audio, while Bookend Audio allows you to easily add intro and outro audio to a file or group of files. A fourth monbot, capable of stitching multiple pieces of audio together into one file, is aptly called Stitch and is listed as coming soon.It looks like the monbots are free, so all you need is a copy of Sound Studio 3 which sells for a mere $79.95.
Freeverse to release Heroes of Might and Magic V
Freeverse, that wonderfully wacky game developer and distributor, has just inked a deal to bring Heroes of Might and Magic V to a Mac near you. A release date hasn't been announced as of yet, but I have it on very good authority that the Mac version will have 20% more unicorns than the PC version.
Decorate your Mac: 3D Snowglobe
Today's Mac decoration is a cute freebie from Freeverse. Add a photo to the 3D Snowglobe with a drag-and-drop, give it a "shake" and watch the snow fall. The photo you add will stay after the application has quit, so you can email your customized globe to friends and family. Best of all, it won't break in the middle of Logan Airport in Boston while your bag is passing through the security conveyer, spilling water all over the place, causing the security guards to descend upon you. Not that this happened to me or anything.
