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Posts tagged game
Incredible Web-Based iPhone/Android/HTML5 Browser Games
Jun 8th
Well, hammer another nail in the coffin of Flash. I stumbled upon this amazing website with tech demos of HTML5 based games. Akihabara (ah-key-hah-bah-rah) is a major Tokyo shopping area for electronic, computer, anime, and otaku goods.
The developer behind Akihabara wanted to create an engine for fast, web based, flash free, game development. Each game represents a different style of game, including action RPG (like Zelda), platformer (like Mario), top down shooters, puzzles (Tetris) and arcade games (Pac-man)…, which shows the platform’s flexibility. Developers can get the toolkit on the website.
All the demos available are playable in modern HTML5 computer browsers, but they also work on the iPod Touch, iPhone, iPad and Android. The results are truly fascinating and gameplay is smooth and buttery. Controls are iffy since Safari always wants to scroll if tapped the wrong way, but it did not get in the way enough for me to stop. The future is bright for open web development knowing that it is extremely capable, even in its infancy. Check it out! While the games are simple and only demos, the things they can do still blow my mind. If you don’t have an iDevice/Android phone, the browser versions are identical (even in how smooth they are).
Akihabara
Uniwar : Cross-platform multiplayer gaming
Apr 29th
The list of my friends obtaining Android device is growing rapidly. Even though the iPhone is extremely popular, I’m getting outnumbered solely because none of the people I know are willing to switch to AT&T. I’ve been blessed with incredible games, both online and offline, for my iPhone and I feel bad for my Android wielding brethren. The gaming scene isn’t terrible, it just isn’t iPhone.
I’ve been trying to find a cross-platform game that we can all play, that is also decent. Believe me, options are limited. After some searching, I came across Uniwar. A kind of mashup between Advance Wars/Fire Emblem and StarCraft. It’s a turn based real time strategy game.
Hit the jump for more.
The game has three races which are identical to the Terran, Protoss and Zerg in terms of their archetypes. Various units are created with different attributes and abilities. For the most part, the focus will be on the rock, paper scissors effect between the units and terrain. Many units have unique abilities that devastate enemies, and since the battles are turn based, using them effectively is easier. There’s a solo mode, and story mode (which includes an expansive tutorial) for those not particularly into multiplayer or those looking for a better reason to hit the buy button.
The turned based nature is a boon for multiplayer, which was ultimately the reason I purchased this game. Offline pass and play is available. However, online (which is free with a quick registration) is where the game really shines. Players create an online username and can build friend’s lists, akin to Xbox Live. There is in game and out of game text chat and matchmaking. This is how the cross-platform multiplayer works since the devices cannot connect directly to each other. A middleman server handles each turn on a turn by turn basis. It’s a cheap work around, but it does work especially well for this type of situation. Games play pretty much identically online as they do offline, the only caveat being the wait times between turns. The style of the game suits a “play a few rounds when I have free time” style rather than a sit-down, six hour epic. One match could potentially last weeks if only a few turns are made each day…, and it requires the cooperation from both players. Thankfully, those unwilling to wait can play up to twenty online games at a time and up to eight players per game- totally anonymously.
As for some closing comments, the game has dozens of maps and will instantly switch between landscape and portrait depending how the device is held (I did run into a one tiny problem with that as pictured above). Uniwar is 99¢ on the iPhone/iPod Touch and $4.99 for Android. Why the great price difference, I can’t say. Unfortunately, the “high cost” (I say that with quotes because the game is absolutely worth $5) scared away all of my friends, making my search all for naught. That being said, I could not test the game on an Android device and cannot vouch for its quality…, I can say that at 99¢, the iPhone version is ludicrous to pass up. Android users shouldn’t think twice if they want a quality game with multiplayer. When I purchased Uniwar, it was $4.99 on the App Store and I am very happy.
Please, I’d love to hear if there are more cross-platform multiplayer games…, even if it’s between Palm HP’s webOS and Blackberry (as random as that might be).
Uniwar website
This application was paid for by GuruClark and tested on an iPhone. Presumedly the Android app is identical.
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