Air Master 3D on Touch of Gaming Podcast
Posted by Alex in Uncategorized on May 18th, 2010
Anthony from the Touch of Gaming podcast briefly reviews Air Master 3D in ToG podcast #58 at the 30:57 mark. Thanks Anthony!
Straight Aces for iPhone/iPod Touch Released
Posted by Alex in Uncategorized on May 15th, 2010
Straight Aces (and Straight Aces Free) are now available in the iPhone App Store! Straight Aces is a poker-themed puzzle/combination game where you attempt to form high-value poker hands as quickly as possible while fighting the clock. I’ve been working on this game for a while now with fellow developers Aaron Calta and Zack Wallig, so I’m excited that it’s finally out there for people to enjoy. More games following the familiar casino theme can be found at the Royal Court Games website.
Air Master 3D v1.7 – iPad Support!
Posted by Alex in Uncategorized on May 15th, 2010
Air Master 3D v1.7 is available on the App Store now, with the following changes:
- iPad support
- 3GS/3rd-gen touch optimizations
- Auto-detect device orientation
Creating the native iPad version was fairly straightforward, mostly involving changes in the Apple UI guidelines (app must launch in the correct orientation, and menus must auto-rotate). I was a bit disappointed with the 3D performance of the iPad, though – triangle throughput is good, but pixel fill rate doesn’t scale up to the higher resolution. Particle effects (the clouds) and dependent texture reads (the explosion distortion effect) are especially slow in the iPad version. On the bright side, optimizing the game to run decently on the iPad has made it run silky-smooth on the 3GS!
Air Master 3D on CNET!
Posted by Alex in Air Master 3D on November 12th, 2009
Air Master 3D has found its way onto CNET in an article comparing the graphics of games running on old vs. new iPhone devices – check it out, it’s the 3rd image in the gallery!
Air Master 3D v1.6 Submitted – 3GS Renderer!
Posted by Alex in Air Master 3D on August 25th, 2009
Hey everyone, Air Master 3D v1.6 is now submitted to Apple! The big one for this update is a completely new iPhone 3GS renderer that adds a bit of eye candy for people with newer devices.
Here’s the changelist:
- Now requires OS 3.0 and up
- 3GS renderer with new special effects:
- Reflective, rippling water
- Distortion effect on explosion rings
- Dynamically lit volume clouds
- Extra up-close terrain detail
- Reduced memory usage
- New player ship model
- Repositioned HUD radar to avoid chase camera conflict
The move to OS 3.0 as a minimum is unfortunate, but the alternative was to release the 3GS version as a completely separate app. This way existing users get the update for free!
Air Master 3D Featured Worldwide!
Posted by Alex in Air Master 3D on August 8th, 2009
Air Master 3D has been featured worldwide by Apple in the games section of iTunes!
Air Master 3D Featured in Canada!
Posted by Alex in Air Master 3D on July 31st, 2009
Air Master 3D has been featured in the Canadian App Store, under New & Noteworthy! I’m pretty excited, it’s slowly rising in the rankings there and I can only hope it gets featured in the United States soon!
Air Master 3D v1.5 Submitted!
Posted by Alex in Air Master 3D on July 20th, 2009
Should show up on iTunes in about a week! This is a big update, but not everything requested made it in, so stay tuned for 1.6. Here’s the changelist:
- Textured models!
- Terrain deforms from large explosions
- Textured water to differentiate from sky
- Option to rotate screen orientation and home button position
- Improved 3rd person chase camera, now less rigid
- Targeting diamonds are now hidden when up close
- Menu shows random battle at launch, current battle if paused
- Added loading screen with progress bar when changing levels
- Added altimeter under health meter
- Wingmen and enemy fighters can now launch missiles
- Added glow effect to lasers and engines
- Increased enemy ground turret rate of fire
- Improved AI aiming ability, tied to difficulty setting
- Added flaming chunky triangle explosion goodness
- Terrain and models are dynamically lit by nearby lights
The Portable Gamer Reviews Air Master 3D!
Posted by Alex in Air Master 3D on July 14th, 2009
Ian Saunders put up a glowing review of Air Master 3D over at theportablegamer.com!
I can honestly say I do not remember the last time I had so much fun with an iPhone game. Reminiscent of the classic Descent series, AirMaster 3D hits a home run… AirMaster 3D has the best executed use of the accelerometer and on-screen controls I have encountered on the iPhone… On the whole, AirMaster 3D brings back the classic good vs. evil, green vs. red that is in the heart of any true gamer.
Thanks Ian! Nice screenshots, too – capturing them at just the right moment on the iPhone is no easy task.
appVersity Reviews Air Master 3D!
Posted by Alex in Air Master 3D on July 9th, 2009
Bob from appVersity posted a very nice review of Air Master 3D last night!
Air Master 3D is a fine addition to the Sci Fi Flying genre. It’s one of the first games that really gave me a good sense of flying and the shooting worked perfectly. I feel like a kid all over again.
Thanks Bob! They’ve got a very active review section at appVersity, and they’re already off to a good start with their new forums (where you can find even more app reviews), so if you’re into iPhone/iPod touch gaming at all, this place is worth going back to.