While working on a COM object for a small project I required a lightweight logger framework for C++... looking around took me to the Dr. Dobbs article for creating your own custom multithreaded logger.  After digging a bit deeper I found some unwelcomed dependencies on other third party tools, some more digging took me to logog an AWESOME lightweight C++ logger optimized for games! Out of the box it requires CMake, but with very little elbow grease I have it working with QMake!  

I am attending the AT&T Mobile App Hackathon in Boston Saturday 11/19/2011 and hopefully getting some good feedback on the games I have so far halfway done in haXe along with some time to port Missile Defender to haXe.

Today I posted the UndoPureMVC component I ported from AS3 to Java (you can download it from the link, make sure you are registered on the PureMVC forums).  I have been using it already on two different projects and figured it would be good to give back, I have been using the Java version of PureMVC already for 4 different projects and it has been working really well.

I have been experimenting more with haXe and have created a couple of small games based on it working on the palm-pre.  I have not posted much in a while, sales on Missile Defender were a lot lower than I expected.  However I did get good suggestions for the next update of the game thanks to my feedback option.  The lag on Missile Defender seem to discourage some players, at this point I am sure I will re-write it on haXe for the next release and port it over to Android and iOS. 

After two months of tweaking, optimizing and re-doing some of the graphics the final beta the full game has been finally released!  It plays great, it looks great and it feels like a great game for the WebOS App Catalog... I will be publishing a Lite version of the game soon and based on player feedback I will update the game if issues are found.  This is my first app published and it has taken a lot of effort to get it to where it is today, I am very exited about it and I think the work has paid off!

Eye Candy of Missile Defender

Last night I decided to take a plunge and try out haXe, I used to do AS a while back and have used it on e-learning side projects here and there.  Action Script, if you are a programmer, is really easy use and haXe is based on it.  I create a blank screen project that printed "Hello World", but I was able to compile two versions one for the flash player and another one for the palm pre!  I am planning on making a simple game to try it out and maybe port it to both the android and the iphone platforms.  I will post more on this once I have a plan!

I just released last night/this pas morning the final beta for missile defender on the beta catalog for the palm store!  I had to address some bugs along with a set of features that seemed to be almost requirements by all the reviews/feedback I received.  I am one step away from actually charging for the game!  I am however pending on updated reviews from my loyal beta users... did I mentioned I have currently about 10K downloads on the beta?  This last release added the following:

1. Level selection Shank style!
2. Hardcore game mode (from level one to the end of the game).
3. User name setup screen.
4. New control mode, lots of complains on the drag to fire so I added the tap to fire based on a selected SAM.
5. Updated graphics (I am trying to evolve the theme of the game as much as I can).

This is the last Beta before the final release of Missile Defender for the Palm Pre and Pixi.  The progress has been very slow on polishing the game and some features were tweaked as well as the controls were redone for the last beta.  The accelerometer did not seem to suit most of the game play so I changed it to dragging gestures as opposed to tapping the screen.  The global hidh scores are up and working.

The final release will include the following:

• 24 Total levels.
• 2 more types of missiles.
• 2 more types of enemies.
• Missing graphics for the explosions.
• Redone graphics for levels.

Set of new instructions for the game based on the new control interface... here is a look:

This includes new enemies, such as the J6 fighter and the cluster ICBM.

For score tracking I have now added a profile screen, this will keep the player name stored and it will be displayed only the first time the game is launched.  The player will be able to post its score automatically without a the dialog during the game and the results of daily position will be tracked as well as the all time score.  Other updates are new instructions for the new firing mechanism and game interaction,  change in options section to allow player name change, new type of airplane, new type of enemy ICBM.  These updates are not completed yet, but are soon to be released on the last beta.

A level bug has been fixed as well, and the accelerometer feature might be removed... I have not been using the accelerometer since the new firing mechanism seems better and more interactive.