I wanted this blog to sort of be an update of "what's new" type stuff at Core Concepts, and I feel that a few mentions of what we're currently working on fits into that category.
Right now we are very busy with working on CoLa. We are not only editing the games, but we are fixing them and making them a lot better. When CoLa comes out again, we're going to have several new CoLa games (including at least one new Rich Diamond CoLa game) and a few new additions to the gameplay that will make them better overall. For example, there is now a level select menu for each CoLa game which will not only allow you to select any level at any time, it will also show you what score you got on each level.
Aside from work on CoLa, we are also busy putting Rich Diamond into updated code. This is going to allow us to do several very exciting things. Earlier, I had mentioned that it will allow for much faster replays of game saves. This will definitely still be happening. On top of that, this will allow us to fix the few bugs in the Leaderboard and make it much more solid for the future rush of new customers! Once the Leaderboard is working again, we're going to have another, better contest. Be on the lookout for that!
A few other things we'll be able to do which I haven't mentioned yet are the following: It won't be too long before we get the game running on the Mac. More and more people have been using Macs these days, and people have been asking us why our games don't run on them. Well, fairly soon this will be a reality. This will allow more people to play the games, post on the Leaderboard and Messageboards, and join the Core Games community!
The next project we'll be able to work on is getting RDDP onto the iPhone and other cellphones. We have looked into this, and it actually would be much easier than we originally thought. Hopefully that will be coming out before too long as well.
Aside from Rich Diamond things, we are also still working on the upcoming Puzzle Magazine and Core Access. Both of these are going to be wonderful new ways to play our games, and more details will be given the closer we get to release of these products. I am very much looking forward to their release as I believe our customers will enjoy them greatly.
Thank you all for your continued support of Core Games. Don't forget to tell your friends about us and happy treasure hunting!
Monday, October 27, 2008
Thursday, October 9, 2008
What Happend to CoLa?
Some people have been asking about the 'CoLa' games, such as Quatryn, DigitHunt. When we switched over to the new store, we got Rich Diamond and Mad Scientist running, but we haven't yet got the CoLa games going.
We've been working like mad to get the CoLa stuff up, and it is very close. We were just finishing up our new store and new website, including user accounts, when our old webhost flamed out on us, so we had to switch everything over to a new webhost. The good news is that the new webhost is a lot more professional, and actually costs about 1/6 of what the old host cost, so that's great. But we had to change all of our online code because they didn't support the same types of databases we were using on the old host. The opportunity this gave us, however, was that we could add the new accounts to our site, and a new look and feel. So now you can get your own unlock codes on our website. If you need a code on the weekend or late at night, no problem, you don't have to wait for someone to reply to you.
Another snag we hit is that our DSL provider decided to put more protection on sending emails, without telling us (that would have been too helpful), so for a while this broke our store. People couldn't get their codes after buying a game. And we couldn't email them to tell them the codes! The good news is that this will help cut down on spam, but the bad news is that it cost us a lot of time to fix our system to their new standards.
So last week I was doing a final test of CoLa and the new games...and we ran into another wall. Microsoft changed some things with their new Vista operating system, which broke several things in CoLa. For example, they don't want anyone downloading programs across the web (except for themselves!), which is in general a good thing as this cuts down on viruses. But unfortunately it also cut down on CoLa! Arrgh!
I am finishing up the workaround now. I'm testing about 7 of the CoLa games. So we are getting close (and not just in geological terms, either!). The good news with this is that we have many new CoLa games, and our older games have all been improved. We have a new style of Rich Diamond game called Eldkim, we've got a Chess Game, several word games, some math games and more!
For our customers who have CoLa games now, we appreciate your patience. Next week we hope to be sending you information on how to get the new version of the CoLa games. Let's just hope nobody else decides to thwart our efforts! We've got some new stuff I'm sure you will enjoy...
-dave
We've been working like mad to get the CoLa stuff up, and it is very close. We were just finishing up our new store and new website, including user accounts, when our old webhost flamed out on us, so we had to switch everything over to a new webhost. The good news is that the new webhost is a lot more professional, and actually costs about 1/6 of what the old host cost, so that's great. But we had to change all of our online code because they didn't support the same types of databases we were using on the old host. The opportunity this gave us, however, was that we could add the new accounts to our site, and a new look and feel. So now you can get your own unlock codes on our website. If you need a code on the weekend or late at night, no problem, you don't have to wait for someone to reply to you.
Another snag we hit is that our DSL provider decided to put more protection on sending emails, without telling us (that would have been too helpful), so for a while this broke our store. People couldn't get their codes after buying a game. And we couldn't email them to tell them the codes! The good news is that this will help cut down on spam, but the bad news is that it cost us a lot of time to fix our system to their new standards.
So last week I was doing a final test of CoLa and the new games...and we ran into another wall. Microsoft changed some things with their new Vista operating system, which broke several things in CoLa. For example, they don't want anyone downloading programs across the web (except for themselves!), which is in general a good thing as this cuts down on viruses. But unfortunately it also cut down on CoLa! Arrgh!
I am finishing up the workaround now. I'm testing about 7 of the CoLa games. So we are getting close (and not just in geological terms, either!). The good news with this is that we have many new CoLa games, and our older games have all been improved. We have a new style of Rich Diamond game called Eldkim, we've got a Chess Game, several word games, some math games and more!
For our customers who have CoLa games now, we appreciate your patience. Next week we hope to be sending you information on how to get the new version of the CoLa games. Let's just hope nobody else decides to thwart our efforts! We've got some new stuff I'm sure you will enjoy...
-dave
Monday, October 6, 2008
The Modern Gaming Renaissance
In the 21st century it’s becoming common place to revive “ancient” traditions in order to spice up our modern lives. 80’s clothing, “That 70’s show”, Hollywood remakes, and the list goes on. When it comes to gaming there has been a substantial push lately from major developers to re-release “classic” games on newer systems.
This sudden rush on retro games has lead me to notice a few trends. The first is, game play is king. There is simply no substitute for a game that has engaging strategy, story, and execution. Sure, graphics and sound (moreso sound) are important, but how a gamer feels while spending their free time with a game is critical. For example, simple games such as Super Mario Bros, Mega Man, 1942 are all games that have simple, addictive game play that worked in the 1980’s and holds up well even today. In the age of the sequel I think it fits modern society very well that we’re digging up the great ideas of the past and using them for “new” products. I personally love a lot of Nintendo’s classic NES games because of the simplicity, but overall rewarding experience.
Modern gaming giants (such as Microsoft, Sony, Nintendo) are re-releasing classic titles as downloads from the parent company’s various online networks that support console play. As an owner of console games I love that I can get my hands on my favorite classic games and use modern hardware to play them. If you haven’t been able to deduce the theme behind this posting, here it is: Rich Diamond (RD)/Mad Scientist(MS) fit remarkably well into this new genre of “classic” look games that are available for download. Now obviously RD and MS are not on major consoles, but the principle is still there: Simple, addictive game play that keeps you coming back for more, whether it’s 1999 or 2009.
I’ve always been a proponent of simple controls, and entertainment that requires mental stimulation, rather than simply sitting and staring. As the slogan says, Core Games are classic feel games for thinking gamers. One of my favorite things about modern gaming, and the ability to download content, is the idea of the expandable game. Beat on the first try? Here’s 10 more levels to download. Master a game on the hardest setting? Here’s a higher difficulty setting, or new characters to play as. As before, Core Games has done a masterful job of keeping a classic idea, Rich Diamond, current by releasing new level sets, levels of the week, and even level design content so that gamers can create their own levels and share them online with the community.
Online communities are where modern gaming has really advanced. Online leader boards, the ability to create levels and share ideas/hints/information has changed the face of gaming. Because RD has online high scores, and a growing community of intelligent users, this game offers a great deal of replay value. Don’t just sit and play this game at home alone. Go online and share hints, or ask for help. View and set high scores, and participate in the growing number of interactive features. In the age of the modern gaming renaissance be sure to partake in all the new treats technology has added to this classic” thinking gamer” experience.
This sudden rush on retro games has lead me to notice a few trends. The first is, game play is king. There is simply no substitute for a game that has engaging strategy, story, and execution. Sure, graphics and sound (moreso sound) are important, but how a gamer feels while spending their free time with a game is critical. For example, simple games such as Super Mario Bros, Mega Man, 1942 are all games that have simple, addictive game play that worked in the 1980’s and holds up well even today. In the age of the sequel I think it fits modern society very well that we’re digging up the great ideas of the past and using them for “new” products. I personally love a lot of Nintendo’s classic NES games because of the simplicity, but overall rewarding experience.
Modern gaming giants (such as Microsoft, Sony, Nintendo) are re-releasing classic titles as downloads from the parent company’s various online networks that support console play. As an owner of console games I love that I can get my hands on my favorite classic games and use modern hardware to play them. If you haven’t been able to deduce the theme behind this posting, here it is: Rich Diamond (RD)/Mad Scientist(MS) fit remarkably well into this new genre of “classic” look games that are available for download. Now obviously RD and MS are not on major consoles, but the principle is still there: Simple, addictive game play that keeps you coming back for more, whether it’s 1999 or 2009.
I’ve always been a proponent of simple controls, and entertainment that requires mental stimulation, rather than simply sitting and staring. As the slogan says, Core Games are classic feel games for thinking gamers. One of my favorite things about modern gaming, and the ability to download content, is the idea of the expandable game. Beat on the first try? Here’s 10 more levels to download. Master a game on the hardest setting? Here’s a higher difficulty setting, or new characters to play as. As before, Core Games has done a masterful job of keeping a classic idea, Rich Diamond, current by releasing new level sets, levels of the week, and even level design content so that gamers can create their own levels and share them online with the community.
Online communities are where modern gaming has really advanced. Online leader boards, the ability to create levels and share ideas/hints/information has changed the face of gaming. Because RD has online high scores, and a growing community of intelligent users, this game offers a great deal of replay value. Don’t just sit and play this game at home alone. Go online and share hints, or ask for help. View and set high scores, and participate in the growing number of interactive features. In the age of the modern gaming renaissance be sure to partake in all the new treats technology has added to this classic” thinking gamer” experience.
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