devs posts

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Gaming, Software, Odds and ends, Developer, iPhone, App Store

iQuarterback 1.1 from former Ensemble Studios devs

by Mike Schramm (RSS feed) on Apr 14th, 2009

The folks at FuzzyCube Software dropped us a note that their first game, iQuarterback, is in the App Store now, and it looks all right -- rather than actually quarterback a game, you mostly just try to hit passing targets. And while the game is pretty barebones right now (it's only 99 cents, and they're planning to add new modes to it in the next version), the most interesting thing about the game isn't what it is, but who's making it: the guys behind FuzzyCube are a few refugees from Ensemble Studios, the legendary developer of Age of Empires that got shut down by Microsoft on the eve of their recent Halo Wars release.

Now that's interesting -- a big time studio forced to close by their corporate overlords is finding new life in iPhone development (FuzzyCube isn't the only studio to come out of the Ensemble breakup -- Robot Entertainment, Bonfire Studios, and Windstorm Studios are all being started by ex-Ensemble employees right now, though FuzzyCube is the only group to have released a game so far). Lots of game developers are facing a crunch right now, and with the iPhone easy and cheap to develop for, we might see even more of these former larger game devs turn to the smaller screen.

Update: My apologies to the folks at Newtoy -- they are apparently the first Ensemble refugees to have released an iPhone game, dropping Chess with Friends in the App Store last December. But the point stands: bigger studios who've been asked to dissolve can seemingly find a nice place developing for the iPhone.

Tags: age-of-empires, app-store, breakup, closing, development, devs, ensemble-studios, fuzzycube, game-developers, iphone, iquarterback, release, studios, version

Filed under: Internet, Developer

MacYenta.com allows you to discover the indie developer next door

by Cory Bohon (RSS feed) on Jun 17th, 2008

Sure there are way too many social networking sites like LinkedIn and Facebook, but what if you want to find and connect to indie Mac developers and only indie Mac developers? Well, that's where MacYenta.com comes into play. MacYenta is a one-stop way to connect directly with your indie dev peers (maybe some that you met at WWDC '08).

By registering for a free account on MacYenta, you can instantly see the many indie developers that have already created profiles. Not to mention that you can create your own profile that lists who you are and the current projects you're working on. It's similar to what you might expect from LinkedIn, but on a much smaller scale. So, if you're an indie Mac dev looking for a job, looking to hire, or just looking to connect and talk with other indie Mac developers, be sure to check out MacYenta.com.

Tags: developers, development, devs, indie, Mac, Mac Yenta, MacYenta, tweet-this

Filed under: Software, Leopard, Developer

Apple to release latest Leopard beta to developers who couldn't make WWDC

by David Chartier (RSS feed) on Jun 22nd, 2007

A little green and blue TUAW birdie has just informed us that Apple is planning to release the Leopard beta that WWDC attendees received last week to the rest of qualifying ADC members. As to when developers can fire up their browsers and download managers, the only language we have to go on is 'soon.'

We're also told that this secondary release is happening quite a bit sooner than it did at last year's WWDC, so I guess this might be a win for developers, all things considered.

Tags: adc, apple developer section, AppleDeveloperSection, developers, devs, leopard, wwdc

Filed under: Hardware, OS, Software, Features, Apple, Leopard, TUAW Interview, Developer, iPhone, Apple TV

TUAW Interview series: Brent Simmons on the Leopard delay - does it change anything?

by David Chartier (RSS feed) on Apr 20th, 2007

Apple's announcement that Leopard has been delayed until October was quite the shocker, especially since we apparently have the iPhone to thank. This of course elicited nearly every response you can think of from every walk of life, but we don't often hear from what I feel is one of the most important building blocks of the Mac OS X community: 3rd party developers. Sure, developers blog about stuff like this on their own, but not everyone is down for sifting through posts about the inner workings of Mac OS X for the insightful opinion pieces on what things like a Leopard delay mean to Apple and its users. And that isn't a bad thing, especially since it inspired me to bring the developers' thoughts to you in an interview series with some of Mac OS X's biggest hitters, including Wil Shipley (co-founder of Omni Group and Delicious Monster), Paul Kafasis (CEO of Rogue Amoeba), Gus Mueller (of Flying Meat software) and Allan Odgaard (of Macromates).

I wanted to get their thoughts on Leopard, the iPhone and where Apple is headed as a company in light of Mac OS X delays and Apple's gadgets which would (or should) make great venues for their products. Thankfully, all the developers responded positively and offered some great insight on these issues. These guys have a unique perspective on the state of Apple and its products, and I'm thankful that they all took the time to lay it down as only a Mac OS X developer can.

First up (only because he was the first to reply) is Brent Simmons of NewsGator fame. Read on for thoughts from the man who brought RSS and blogging to the Mac masses with NetNewsWire and MarsEdit (which was acquired recently by Red Sweater Software).

Continue reading “TUAW Interview series: Brent Simmons on the Leopard delay - does it change anything?”

Tags: apple tv, AppleTv, brent simmons, BrentSimmons, delay, delays, dev, developer, developers, devs, interview, interviews, iphone, leopard

Filed under: Software

Developers unleash exclusive offers for MacHeist participants

by David Chartier (RSS feed) on Dec 21st, 2006

One of the appeals of MacHeist that a few participating developers cited for their participation is residual sales. Things like upgrade licenses, extra plugins and add-ons can all be big boosts to a 3rd party developer's revenue, and some of MacHeist's participating devs have certainly hit the ground running. Yesterday I received my confirmation emails and licenses from RealMac Software (RapidWeaver) and Dave Watanabe (NewsFire), both with exclusive offers for MacHeist customers. First, RealMac Software is offering a 10% discount on theme packs, and Dave is offering a 'lifetime upgrade' add-on for NewsFire for a mere $11. We've also known from early on that John Casasanta has had a version 4.0 upgrade just around the corner for iClip, and MacroMates had an offer on the table since day 1 of at least 60% off an upgrade license to an upcoming version 2 release of TextMate.

It will be interesting to see how all this plays out for these 3rd party developers in the coming months. I know I'm already falling in love with TextMate, and even though I use WordPress, ecto and Dreamweaver for most of my website needs, RapidWeaver is tempting me with its sexy ease of use and purty themes. The 3rd party devs, it seems, have already made a revenue statistic out of me.

Tags: 3rd party, 3rdParty, coupon, dev, developers, devs, discount, iclip, macheist, newsfire, rapidweaver, realmac software, RealmacSoftware, textmate

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