Ready for 1.6 Donut

Google released Android version 1.6, code name Donut. Goobers Vs Boogers is now updated to ensure compatibility with the 1.6 release as it rolls out to phones. I don't think anything would break (and Google agrees) but it's best to be on the safe side and upgrade to the latest SDK (and Google agrees again.)

After it is clear that the game still runs well on Donut, I'm going back to add more features. I've got a few weapons in mind as well as a handful of small improvements.

Two New Weapons

There are two new weapons slated for this release.

The first is the Pile Driver. It is similar to like-named weapons in other Scorched Earth games like pocket tanks. Some games call it a jackhammer. When the shell hits, it bounces sever times, removing dirt each time before the final explosion. The final explosion is the largest and does the most damage.

The second isn't really a weapon. It's a transporter. It was requested by a user. To use it you shoot another player or a barrel and swap places with whatever you hit. A smart player could place an enemy right on a top of a barrel or in a pit, then finish him off.

The new weapons will come out September 23rd.

Submitted to Android Developer Challenge 2

I submitted Goobers Vs. Boogers to the Android Developer Challenge in the Casual Games category. I thought for a while about which of the two game categories to enter it in. I eventually went with casual games because you can put the phone down without worrying you're missing something like you would with an Arcade/Action game. Also, the game play isn't fast or stressful. It's nice and calm.

So now I wait. And wait. And wait. It will be months before I know if I even get into the second round.

But I will not be sitting still. I have a page full of new features to add. So I'll be working to add those.

Lots More

It's been a while since I posted last. In the interim I've added better AI to the computer players and added options to select the difficulty. There are new weapons too. Napalm and Jumping Beans are both new and are pretty powerful if you use them right.

As always, there are a lot of little improvements that are too small to mention one by one, but as you play you'll notice an overall improvement on performance (a perpetual issue since the game is running on a virtual machine on a phone).

More New Features

The next game update includes some new weapons, the Parachute of Doom, Dynamite, and the M.U.L.E - a big gun with a big kick. It also includes the ability to move side to side by scrolling with the trackball.

There are also some performance improvements and improvements to the AI, although the big AI features will come in a future release.

Lite Version

I am releasing Goobers Vs Boogers Lite. It is the same game, but is limited to one map and the Bazooka and Super Jump. The number of players is limited to two, but they can be either human or computer players. The wind option is available in the Lite version also.

Another feature update

Due to user requests, I recently added an option to control your team size (1, 2, 3 or 4 Goobers per team). I also added two new weapons: the Impetus Gun and Gravity Bomb. These features have been released to the version on the Android Market.

Feature Update

I released an update today with random wind (can be enabled/disabled) and a couple more maps. There's a farm map and a sandcastle on the beach map.

Next features

I have had a request for wind as well as for more "options." I assume other "options" means more weapons, but I'm not entirely sure.

At any rate, these two things are already on my list and will probably be the next features added. In addition, I'll be looking into some performance increases to smooth out the game play.

Release 1!

The game has been released on the Android Market and is available for download.

Preview Video

Here is a screen capture preview of the game from the emulator. There is no sound. The game will change slightly before it is released on August 1st, but this accurately shows the game play.

Done!

I fixed the final two bugs that were plaguing the game. It is more or less ready to go! I will be distributing copies to testers to evaluate it and provide feedback. If the feedback uncovers anything big that I missed, I will update the game before launch. Otherwise it'll be ready to go. The official launch date is August 1.

To Do List for Version 1

The list of things left to do is getting very short! There are only two things remaining.

There is a bug related to the child thread starting/pausing/resuming.

And there is a bug related to loading a saved game.

Neither one of them is a show stopper, as you can still play an entire game if you are not interrupted. But I would like the initial release to be relatively bug free. So I will be working on these two issues then distributing the application for testing.

Moving up Launch Date

When I announced the game I thought I would be releasing it in three to four weeks. Rapid progress on development now leads me to believe that will be much sooner. Possibly a week or two.

I really want to add a bunch of new features that I've been planning, but I'm holding out on those so I can release version 1 and build from there. There will be a steady stream of updates with new features (and possibly bug fixes when/if any are found) so releasing version 1 as soon as possible makes sense. Anyone who downloads the game will get updates as soon as I add them.

Announcement of Goobers Vs Boogers

This is my first post to announce the nearly-completed Android game Goobers Vs. Boogers. The game will be available on the Android Market soon. The game is a turn based artillery game in the line of Scorched Earth, Worms or iShoot.

I will be continuing to post progress updates, pictures and video as well as planned features.

The initial release will feature:

• Selection of combat map or a random map option
• Variable number of players from 2 to 4
• Player vs Player, Player vs Computer, or even Computer vs Computer game modes
  
• Selection between several weapons (with several more in the works)
  
• Cartoon theme
• Touchscreen aiming designed for 480 x 320 displays
  
• Automatic save with optional saved game resume

Much more to come, but I'll need to save some material for future posts.