New this week - Thursday, June 12, 2008:
GameTap Gold (subscription required)
Earthworm Jim

From the minds of game developer Dave Perry and madcap cartoonist Doug TenNapel comes Earthworm Jim. Incredible animation and a wildly imaginative cast of characters makes this side-scrolling action title stand out from the rest of the pack. It doesn't just look great, either -- Earthworm Jim's lengthy levels and sharp control ensure that you'll be hooked the moment you pick up the controller!


Earthworm Jim 2


The zany cartoon antics just keep on comin' in Earthworm Jim 2, the sequel to the award-winning game by Shiny Entertainment. When Jim's girlfriend is kidnapped by the nasty space criminal Psycrow, it's up to the worm-turned-galactic-hero to find her. Where could she be? You'll take a long, strange trip through the galaxy before the answer is revealed!


Earthworm Jim 3D


Earthworm Jim. Once-humble worm made mighty thanks to the power of an atomic super suit, a really bad attitude, and a desire to fight evil. Jim has destroyed some strange enemies -- but nothing's stranger than his own mind. When a cow falls from the sky onto Jim, all his marbles get scattered. Now you must lead this slimy hero through the corridors of his mind to collect the marbles again!


Sacred Gold


In a fantasy world crawling with monsters, unlikely heroes emerge. Whether they quest for treasure, fame or power, these individuals brave many terrors and face down thousands of foes both above the ground and below...and unlock the secrets of a deadly conspiracy to overrun the land of Ancaria with evil. For those with the strength, untold riches await, but the fight will be long and dangerous.

Click to expand...

BurgerTime


Evil hot dogs, pickles and eggs are loose in Peter Pepper's kitchen, and he’s a chef with orders to fill. Stomp across buns, lettuce and patties on a quest to build the perfect burger. Keep your eyes open for yummy ice cream, coffee and French fry bonuses. Use your peppershaker to stop your enemies dead in their tracks, or smash them flat with a well-placed patty. Who knew fast food could be so dangerous?


Flip Words 2

You’ll flip over this word puzzle! Not only are you trying to build words out of a grid, you’re also assembling a secret phrase, letter by letter, in a fashion such as to make Vanna White green with envy. Guess the phrase and you’ll score some massive points!


Pop-A-Tronic

You've swirled until you collapsed... but are you ready to pop? There's a cascade of colored machines, and it's your job to clear them out! Match the colors before your parts bin overflows, and keep an eye out for bombs and other helpful tools in this frantic puzzler!

Click to expand...

Age of Wonders II: The Wizard’s Throne
Fly! 2k
Mall Tycoon
Myth II: Soulblighter
Nocturne
Outdoor Life: Sportsman’s Challenge

Click to expand...

Updated Games (Subscription Required)
Overlord (v1.4 Patch)

Welcome, master, to your Dark Tower. Sorry about the mess. You've inherited the ruined domain of an evil overlord, and it's on you to rebuild and capture some evil glory. You have a busy day: peasants to slaughter, villages to burn, hopes to dash. There's a baby with some candy that needs taking the next town over. Strap on your gear! Summon your gremlins! Evil is not going to do itself!

Overlord has been patched this week to version number 1.4. This patch adds split screen multiplayer, amBX support and Overlord Raising Hell compatibility, and fixes a bug in the Speak to Jewel quest.

Click to expand...

Coming in June:

Coming June 19
Cosmic Osmo and the Worlds Beyond the Mackerel
Descent II
MDK

Coming June TBA
Descent 3
American Deer Hunting 2000
Off-Road Redneck Racing

Coming in July:

Descent: Freespace
Freespace 2
Die By the Sword
ClayFighter


American McGee's Grimm

American McGee's Grimm: A Boy Learns What Fear Is (Coming July 31)
American McGee's Grimm: Little Red Riding Hood (Coming August 7)
American McGee's Grimm: The Fisherman and his Wife (Coming August 14)
American McGee's Grimm: Puss in Boots (Coming August 21)
American McGee's Grimm: The Girl Without Hands (Coming August 28)
American McGee's Grimm: Godfather Death (Coming September 4)
American McGee's Grimm: The Devil and His Three Golden Hairs (Coming September 11)
American McGee's Grimm: Beauty and the Beast (Coming September 18)
American McGee's Grimm: Volume Two (Fall 2008)
American McGee's Grimm: Volume Three (Early 2009)



TBD:
Civilization IV: Warlords (expansion pack update)
Fallout
Fallout 2
Fallout: tactics
Kane & Lynch: Dead Men
Turning Point: Fall of Liberty
Hei$t
Culpa Innata
Pitfall: The Lost Expedition
Sub Command
Circus Empire
Patrician III
(additional Interplay titles)

Click to expand...

Coming to Free:
Dracula Twins
Five Card Deluxe
Burnin' Rubber (aka Bump 'N Jump)
(many others TBD)

Click to expand...

* 2020 Super Baseball
* 1942
* 1943: The Battle of Midway
* 1st Division Manager
* Art of Fighting
* Bagh Chal
* Ball 7 Deluxe
* Baseball Stars 2
* Baseball Stars Professional
* Battle of Europe
* Bee 52
* Black Tiger
* Blast Miner
* BloodRayne
* Brian Lara Cricket 2007
* Bubble Bobble
* Buku Kakuro
* Buku Sudoku
* Burger Time
* Bust-A-Move
* Cannon Fodder
* Captain Commando
* Captain Dynamo
* CJ in the USA
* Cj's Elephant Antics
* Colin McRae Rally 2005
* Colony 7
* Commandos 3: Destination Berlin
* Cyberbots: Full Metal Madness
* D.N.A.
* Daikatana
* Darkstalkers: The Night Warriors
* Defender
* Deus Ex: Game of the Year Edition
* Disciples II: Rise of the Elves GOLD
* Dj Puff's Volcanic Capers
* Elevator Action
* Fast Lanes Bowling
* Fast Lanes Pinball
* Fatal Fury
* Final Fight
* Flip Words 2
* Football Frenzy
* Futoshiki
* Ghosts N' Goblins
* Ghouls N' Ghosts
* Grand Prix Simulator
* Grell and Falla
* Hitman 2: Silent Assassin
* Hitman: Codename 47
* Ikari Warriors
* Ingenious
* Jaws Unleashed
* Jewelcraft
* Joust
* Kamikaze
* King of the Monsters
* King of the Monsters 2
* Kizuna Encounter: Super Tag Battle
* Lara Croft's Tomb Raider: Legend
* Lazer Force
* Legacy of Kain: Blood Omen 2
* Liquid Kids
* Little Puff in Dragonland
* Lunar Rescue
* Marine Park Empire
* Mean Machine
* Mega Man: The Power Battle
* Mercs
* Metal Slug
* Metal Slug 2
* Miami Chase
* Mig-29 Soviet Fighter
* Motocross
* Mr. Robot
* Murray Mouse: Supercop
* Mutation Nation
* Nemesis of the Roman Empire
* Neo Turf Masters
* Olli & Lissa 3
* Poltergeist
* Pop-A-Tronic
* Prehistoric Isle in 1930
* Prince Clumsy
* Pro Boxing Simulator
* Pro Skateboard Simulator
* Psychonauts
* Puzzled
* Qix
* Rainbow Islands: The Story of Bubble Bobble 2
* Rally Cross Simulator
* Rampage
* Rastan
* Real MYST
* Restaurant Empire
* Return of the Invaders
* Robotron 2084
* Rogue Trooper
* Root Beer Tapper
* Sam and Max Season One: Episode 4: Abe Lincoln Must Die!
* Samurai Showdown
* Second Sight
* Sensible Soccer
* Sensible Soccer 2006
* Shock Troopers
* Slightly Magic
* Son Son
* Space Invaders
* Street Fighter II: Champion Edition
* Stuntman Seymour
* Super Seymour
* Super Street Fighter 2: The New Challengers
* Surakarta
* Texas Hold' Em Poker
* The King of Fighters 95
* The King of Fighters 96
* The Last Blade
* The New Zealand Story
* Thief: Deadly Shadows
* Tilt
* Twinkle Star Sprites
* Vampire Savior: The Lord of the Vampire
* Vulgus
* Warlords Battlecry 3
* War and Warriors: Joan of Ark
* X2: The Threat
* Zoo Empire
* Zoo Keeper

Click to expand...

brain_stew said:

Does it work in Europe yet?

Click to expand...

Thomper said:

The free games work, the Gold stuff doesn't.

Click to expand...

Going through GameTap's catalogue is like a trip down memory lane -- I decided it would be fun to put together a playlist of the most memorable titles from my gaming past, the ones that probably had the greatest influence on my development as a game designer. (Plus of course I had to throw in a couple of my own games -- Soul Reaver 2 and Defiance. I didn't see the original Soul Reaver in there, unfortunately -- that one's still my favorite!).

I'm afraid I'm giving away my advanced age by putting Sea Wolf at the top of the list! My best friend and I would spend hours at the arcade, and in the era of Pong and Night Driver, Sea Wolf seemed like the state of the art. You even had to peer through a periscope to play the game -- it was so cool; I can't tell you how many quarters I must've dumped into that machine. Round about the same time, the Atari 2600 came out -- we used to go down to the local drug store every day and stand at the counter playing Combat on the display unit. When my parents gave us the console that Christmas, I thought I'd died and gone to heaven -- I was addicted to Air-Sea Battle, and Adventure was about the coolest thing I'd ever seen.

The console games of the late '80s and early '90s had a big impact on me, as I was just entering the game industry at the time. I remember studying games like Castlevania, Prince of Persia, Kid Chameleon, Landstalker, and Beyond Oasis -- it's interesting to look back now and see how all these titles shaped my ideas about game design. I also have fond memories of hunkering down and playing these games with my young niece and nephew, who were toddlers at the time.

Finally, I've rounded out the list with some of my favorite recent titles. Prince of Persia: Sands of Time was hugely inspirational, as was Beyond Good & Evil. Psychonauts is one of my favorite games of all time; Tim Schafer's an absolute genius. And of course I've got to put Tomb Raider: Legend on there and give a shout out to my old teammates back at Crystal Dynamics -- the Tomb Raider series has always been one of my favorites, and they did a brilliant job bringing the franchise back to life.

Click to expand...

MoxManiac said:

Sacred Gold is an awesome game, highly recommended to people that like the diablo-style genre.

Click to expand...

Cosmic Osmo - Revolution converts

by Jacqueline Landman-Gay





Cosmic Osmo
Cosmic Osmo is a commercial HyperCard game created by Cyan Worlds, the makers of the Myst series. Cosmic Osmo was, in fact, the inspiration for Myst and was one of the very earliest in the adventure game genre. It is an expansive universe of discovery, charm, and whimsey spanning nine different worlds where surprises happen with every mouse click. Cosmic Osmo won high accolades when it was released for Macintosh, and recently Cyan decided to bring the Osmo adventure to Windows users too. Since my company specializes in HyperCard conversions, Cyan contacted HyperActive Software to do the port to Windows.

Revolution was an easy choice for Cyan. Not only does Revolution support virtually all HyperTalk syntax, but it can automatically import, convert, and run HyperCard stacks as well. This capability allowed all the stack structures, controls, images, custom cursors, and icons to be immediately transitioned without any effort at all; any other development environment would have required rebuilding all the object structures from scratch. In addition, almost 90% of the code base could be used without alteration, saving a tremendous amount of time and resources. This was a big consideration, since Cosmic Osmo consists of hundreds of cards contained in 22 stacks, several hundred animated movies, almost 1500 sound files, a handful of embedded "mini" games (including a very amusing spin-off of a breakout game,) and five custom XCMDs written in C++. Rewriting all of that in any other language would have been prohibitive and expensive.

Even with 90% of the conversion done automatically by Revolution, the other ten percent represented a fair investment of time and resources, and provided a few challenges.

ship
Use the ship's warp drive to visit all the Osmo worlds. While you travel you can play music on the working tape deck or dial the phone to call other characters, though if you get a wrong number you'll have to listen to the operator and you may get stuck on hold.

Challenges in the Other 90%

XCMD Conversion
The first requirement was to rewrite the aging HyperCard XCMDs as native Revolution handlers. This was relatively simple for the most part; the only reason XCMDs were used in the first place was because of HyperCard's limited animation capabilities and the slower speed of early CPUs. Revolution's native feature set allowed easy conversions of these XCMDs, and speed is not an issue with Revolution's very fast engine. Without exception, dozens of lines of C++ code translated to only a few lines of script in Revolution. The code compression was quite amazing and the resulting handlers ran faster than the original HyperCard XCMDs. We were able to convert all the original XCMDs to Revolution scripts successfully.

The primary XCMD challenge was in rewriting a very old Director XCMD called "playmovie". This was a complex task but Revolution handled it very well and the result was a handler that accepted all the original parameters and performed exactly as the older XCMD did. This compatibility was important, because almost every card in Cosmic Osmo contains at least one animation, and often more. The goal was to keep the original XCMD syntax intact to cut down on conversion costs as much as possible. The XCMD rewrite, which eventually became a handler also named "playMovie", allowed all the existing calls to work just as they did in the HyperCard version, eliminating the need to change hundreds of lines in the original scripts. Revolution performed very well with this.

Animation challenges
The ancient Director animations used by the original "playMovie" XCMD had to be converted to another format for use in Revolution. We opened and exported them from Director, saving each movie as an image sequence in PICT format. The PICT sequences were then converted to animated GIF files, each of which was individually tweaked for performance and cropped as small as possible. Our converted playMovie handler played back these GIF files as needed. However, some of the GIFs were by necessity still very large and loading them on demand proved to be too slow for a smooth interactive experience. Cosmic Osmo requires immediate feedback when a user clicks on an object, and waiting for an animation to load, even briefly, wasn't acceptable.

To solve the problem we contracted with Runtime to create a custom external that could display any frame of an animation instantly on demand. The new external uses a proprietary, compressed file format, which meant that all the GIFs had to be converted yet again, but this was easily automated with a Revolution script and took only a few minutes. The PlayMovie handler was then revised to use the external, looping through frames in sequence, and the speed problem was solved.
We also gained several other advantages by changing to this method. First, almost 20 megabytes of GIF animations were reduced to only 3.3 megabytes in the new format. In addition, the animations were now protected; users could not pull them from the folder and use them outside the program. And finally, we gained the ability to adjust the playback speed via script, simply by passing a parameter that specified the wait between frames inside the playback loop.

Singing Pots
Click a pot and move the mouse to make them sing. The original had no tonal boundaries. After conversion, three octaves are available, which covers the area of the card but not beyond.

Sound and audio issues
Cosmic Osmo is a rich environment filled with sounds and audio feedback, and sound files comprised the bulk of the resource forks in the HyperCard stacks. We exported the sound resources from each HyperCard stack and bulk-converted them to AIFF files. This wasn't a particularly difficult task, and was the only thing necessary for these resources. A custom "playSnd" handler calculates the file location on disk and plays back the audio.

However, Cosmic Osmo contains many sound sequences that are generated dynamically using HyperCard's ability to play scripted musical notation. Tonal variations were often generated depending on various user actions; for example, the flower pots at the top of the castle sing "la la" at different frequencies depending on how the user moves the mouse. Revolution does not have the ability to play scripted note sequences, so some adjustments were necessary. While my company did sponsor a utility that provides scripted musical notation, it only works with the QuickTime instrument set, and Osmo requires custom sounds as "instruments." After some discussion with Cyan, we decided to record as many variations of the scripted music as possible and save them as AIFF files. The scripts were changed to choose an appropriate pre-recorded sound at runtime. While this did somewhat limit the range of audio output in a few cases, there was enough variation that only the most dedicated Osmo fans would notice.

One other adjustment was needed for sound playback. There are many instances where related sound clips are played back sequentially. In HyperCard, simply issuing the "play" command multiple times will automatically queue sounds and play them one after the other without any pause. Revolution does not provide sound queueing, so we wrote a handler to simulate this behavior. The handler checks at frequent intervals to see if the current sound is done and whether there is another sound in a variable that serves as a waiting queue. If so, the next file is played immediately. The result was nearly identical to HyperCard's built-in capability, though occasionally there may be a brief stutter in playback if other actions are occurring simultaneously.

Sink
Fill the sink, wash the dishes, pop the soap bubbles, or...take a trip down the drain.

Script issues
Revolution's excellent compatibility with HyperTalk meant that there were very few scripting issues. Almost all the original scripts ran exactly as they should. (Indeed, the biggest issue was the fact that I had to examine the scripts of thousands of objects, usually only to find that no changes were necessary.) In some cases, I decided to leave less efficient constructs in place, simply to save time and because they ran acceptably well. In other cases, a rewrite was done to either increase compatibility or to cut down on CPU usage. Mainly this involved changing "idle" handlers (of which there were many,) repeat loops (especially those that tracked the mouse position,) and background processes that repeated at intervals. These were changed to use local script variable flags and "send [command] in [time]" or "mouseMove" constructs, which enhanced both performance and reliability. I found that idle handlers in particular were not as dependable in Revolution as they were in HyperCard, as Revolution apparently dispenses with "idle" if anything else is happening. Substituting all instances of "idle" gave a dramatic improvement.

Study
Osmo's pipe puffs smoke randomly and he turns the pages of his book at intervals. If you poke him, he'll respond. You can write your own books and add them to the bookshelf, or toss them in the fireplace where they go up in flames. The musical instruments let you use a working tape deck to record and play back your own tunes.

The Revolution advantage
The conversion to Revolution provided some enhancements automatically without any programming effort at all. The biggest of these was the marked increase in speed of script execution, which makes Cosmic Osmo highly responsive to user input and gives a very realistic feel to the game. Revolution's smooth response gives the impression that you're really there, interacting with real objects. It is easy to lose yourself in the experience. (Even while I was programming it, I found myself reacting to Professor Osmostein as though he were a real component during a game of Blitzlifter.)

Revolution's excellent image handling also allowed us to add a certain surprise to the program which would have been impossible in HyperCard. I'd like to tell you what it is, but you'll have to follow the clues in the game to find out.

Of course, the most important advantage was the very reason Cyan chose Revolution in the first place: the ability to distribute what was once a Macintosh-only program to Windows users.

Cosmic Osmo is currently in the final stages of testing, and will be released on GameTap soon for download. There are currently no plans to re-release a Macintosh version, though if that should change it would be trivial to recompile the main stack for OS X, which is all that would be required.

If you are interested in converting your own HyperCard stacks to Revolution, HyperActive Software provides a tutorial at our web site which covers the most common issues you'll want to consider.

And if you are interested in writing an adventure game like Cosmic Osmo, there is no better vehicle than Revolution. Let the games begin!

Hyperactive
Jacqueline Landman Gay of HyperActive Software began working with scripting languages over 20 years ago with HyperCard's first release, and now works almost exclusively in Revolution, her programming environment of choice.

Click to expand...

Monday Leaderboard Tournament - June 16, 2008
G-Mode's BurgerTime
Every Monday, GameTap hosts an 18-hour tournament, with fabulous swag given to the top ten winners! On June 16 the hot dogs become your enemies and the black pepper your ally in G-Mode's absolutely terrifying BurgerTime!


Download and Play BurgerTime
Evil hot dogs, pickles and eggs are loose in Peter Pepper's kitchen, and he’s a chef with orders to fill. Stomp across buns, lettuce and patties on a quest to build the perfect burger. Keep your eyes open for yummy ice cream, coffee and French fry bonuses. Use your peppershaker to stop your enemies dead in their tracks, or smash them flat with a well-placed patty. Who knew fast food could be so dangerous?

Download and Play BurgerTime for Free! Download and Play BurgerTime for Free! Download and Play BurgerTime for Free!

This Week's Grand Prize
Two prizes this week! In addition to the super awesome GameTap swag that all the other winners get, the person who scores the most this week wins this neat vintage crap:



There's a BurgerTime doll (complete with authentic 1980s stains!) and a really neat BurgerTime poster that I've never seen before.
The Scores to Beat
The all-time high score for the arcade version of BurgerTime, as recorded by Twin Galaxies, is a cool even 9,000,000, recorded June 2, 2006 by one Bryan L. Wagner.



The all-time GameTap high score Leaderboard is a two-way tie: both jpdegeorge and maddawg831 have maxed out the score at 999,950. Note that unlike Twin Galaxies rules, our BurgerTime score maxes out. The reason Twin Galaxies can go higher is that they have a living, breathing referee able to evaluate the score, and take roll-over into account. If you'd prefer, and you qualify, we can try to get Walter Day come to your house and watch over your shoulder for a few hours.



Get practicing, folks, you have six days! Here are the official rules:

1. Contestants will have from 6 a.m. EST to 11:59 p.m. EST on Monday, June 16, 2008, to submit their scores to the leaderboard via the GameTap client.
2. Only the top score per TapID will count toward the contest, with all other scores being thrown out.
3. Only one TapID per household will be eligible.


Remember that BurgerTime is FREE for anyone to play. Invite your friends! Remember that competition is ultimately healthy, and a monopoly is illegal.

Again, the tournament starts on Monday, June 16, 2008, at 6:00 a.m. EST. If you need help posting Leaderboard scores, check out the handy guide the next post down. Good luck everyone!

Click to expand...