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September Update
September 18th, 2008
Another month, another update. Firstly we have another real time multiplayer game in beta which will be shortly added to our skill gaming portfolio. We still haven’t decided on a name for the game yet but it is currently going under guise of Beach Bugs (any suggestions for the name of this game is very welcome) and can be played http://www.dukesbox.com/games/game23.php by following that link. Being a multiplayer game you’ll need to find a friend or 2 to play this game! The game has different objectives depending on what type of game you are playing. There are currently three types of games to play; Football - Aim your bumper cars to get the ball into the oppositions net. Sumo - Aim your bumper car to bump your opponent out of the circle. King of the Hill - Use your bumper car to bump your opponent(s) into the pit(s). We hope to release this game in the next week or so.
After the launch of this game we aim to add more and more game types, such as mini golf, racing, croquet etc.
Development has also now started on another Tower Defence game, which we hope will bring a fresh concept to the genre. This game should be released in around 1-2 months time.
As September progresses it is looking less likely that we’ll be ready for the ambitious September launch we set ourselves, rest assured we are still working extremely hard behind the scenes to create the very best skill gaming site on the web.
Hello everyone. Things may have seemed a bit quiet of late, but rest assured we’re still working extremely hard behind the scenes. We still hope to launch the site around the end of the September but it’s going to be tight. Things we will achieve before launch include;
Finishing our first multiplayer game of asteroids, it’s currently nearing the end of its development and it seems to be working well. The game will continue to improve with age as we introduce new features, upgrades, space ships etc. If you have anything further to suggestion on this game please feel free.
We have also started to develop another real time multiplayer game, it’s a tactical strategy game where you have to out fox your opponents, and we’ll keep the rest under our hats for now.
Along with the release of these two games we aim to develop some more ‘classic’ skill games to our portfolio including mah-jong, a ‘bejeweled’ variant and more. If you have any suggestions on what type of games you would like to see on dukesbox, please do not hesitate to put your suggestion forward.
A downloadable web application which will act as a hub for all things dukesbox. You will be able to edit your profile, add friends, send challenges, play games, enter tournaments and much much more. The application will also be fully integrated with instant messenger applications so that challenges can be made quickly and easily.
Continuing work on improving the layout and re-designing games.
We continue to have ideas so this list could grow somewhat before September but this is just a snippet of what we have been up to in the last few weeks.
Thanks to everyone for their input already and thank you for your patience.
Regards
Jonathan Starnes.
Development on our first real time multiplayer skill game is going much faster than expected. We hope to have a playing version available to play in alpha between Friday and Saturday. The working title of the game is Battle Stars. In the game you fly a ship and the aim is to destroy the other player’s ships. How does this work in a cash game? In a 20c game for example killing players earns 18c when you die you lose 20c (2c towards ‘admin fees’). If anyone has any ideas for better names for this game we’d love to hear them. If we decide to run with the suggested name you’ll receive a little token of our appreciation.
After this game we plan on making another real time multiplayer game which should be out in a month(ish). Details of this game will follow soon.
Today should see cash games being introduced to Bubble Beach, if anyone uses StumbleUpon please feel free to give it the ‘thumbs up’ (when playing the sandbox version of the game). Also happening today, 1 v 1 cash games will be introduced to Poolbox. Final piece of news, we have just put another game (freecell) into beta, feel free to give it a go any problems/suggestions etc are always welcome.
Hi all sorry for the lack of updates recently. We’ve been hard at work finishing the new Tower Defence game and developing our new Bubble Beach game. Bubble Beach is a game of similar mould to King.coms Jungle Bubble. Fire bubbles to make a chain of 3 or more similar coloured bubbles next to each other and they’ll explode. The game can be played here: Bubble Beach.
In other news, congratulations to Ikaruga from Cash Gamers for winning the first Tower Defence Progressive Tournament. The new build of Tower Defence has been released and with it a new Progressive Tournament good luck to all!
The newest build of our tower defence game has gone into beta, feel free to give it a try and as all ways suggestions positive or negative are always welcome. You may have noticed that we’ve made a few changes to a few pages. Again if you have any comments to make on these changes feel free to get in contact.
A little update on what we’re up to. We’ll continue to improve tower defence whilst the progressive tournament is still in progress. You’ll continue to see small improvements in and around the site. After we have launched the newer build of tower defence, we’ll being designing and developing our first real time multiplayer game to our site.
Here’s the results of an on running conversation between us this week. Our favourite random games from yesteryear. I should note, this isnt meant to be a list of the best older games, for example I know that Commander Keen was a bit of a Mario rip off etc, but that’s not the point, the point is that we played and enjoyed Commander Keen. In no particular order lets crack on
Roland in the Caves
One of the first games I ever played. You’re a little purple chap in a cave. You have to escape this cave. However there is massive Jurassic bird that whats to clamp on to your head which you need to avoid. After a quick google it appears you’re a frog? I disagree, froggers a frog Roland is a mental purple thing that stands on his hind legs. Anyway the main thing I remember about this game is the sheer panic when that bird came near me.
What we loved about this game, is that you could pick your own car and modify it the way you liked. The main appeal of the game for me was trying to be able to afford the best car/stuff. I don’t know if it was just me or not but I found the marshmellow level at the end pretty impossble. Playing it again today, I’ve realised the game is pretty bad. Download this game
Worth it just for this guy singing the ghostbusters theme tune at the start. I’d stop watching after that though, it goes downhill after those dizzy heights. He gives it a 0/10, a fair reflection I think.
Jet Set Willy
Miner Willy, intrepid explorer and nouveu-riche socialite, has been reaping the benefits of his fortunate discovery in Surbition. He has a yacht, a cliff-top mansion, an Italian housekeeper and a French cook, and hundreds of new found friends who REALLY know how to enjoy themselves at a party. His housekeeper, Maria, however, takes a very dim view of all the revelry, and finally after a paricularly boisterous thrash she puts her foot down. When the last of the louts disappear down the drive in his Aston Martin, all Willy can think about is crashing out in his four-poster. But Maria won’t let him into his room until ALL the discarded glasses and bottles have been cleared away. Can you help Willy out of his dilemma?
This will probably be an on running theme but something about this game distubed me. And that something was the package art. Now looking back at it, it’s fairly obvious what it is. But as a kid of about 5ish? I thought it was some monster crawling out of the toilet, how I got that I don’t know.. So it now it appears the whole concept game is that ‘Willy’ got pissed with his mates then the cleaner sets him on a mission to tidy the broken glass up… I’m hooked all over again!
Yup, another game on the Amstrad and another game that I found pretty freaky. What can I say getting chased by a floating pig’s head that was trying to harm me was a pretty scary concept for a 5 year old. In the game you are the last free scocerer and you have to fly about trying to save your ‘scocery’ buddies and in turn save the world from the evil Necomancer ‘once and for all’.
Where has it all gone wrong, nowadays the hero’s in video games are probably the most thought of and developed things when designing games ‘to reach the right demographic’ yaddayadda. Let me play as an egg and I’ll be happy. ‘Dizzy’s world is being harassed by the evil wizard Zaks! You play as Dizzy, the anthropomorphic egg, and you must search the land for a Leprechaun’s Wig, a Cloud’s Silver Lining, a Vampire Dux Feather, and Troll Brew, to make a potion to defeat Zaks with.’ I had no idea about the evil wizard Zaks!
Quite possibly the worst game I remember with fond memories. (along with ghostbusters) Basically in this game you run a motorbike team that will race at Le Mans(I think). You pick your team name, colours, engine and other motorbike specs. Then you watch the race, when I say watch the race, I mean watch the bikes zoom past the start line. When I say zoom I mean all the other bikes, not yours. They’ll either be out the race or be chugging along in last place a second or two after everyone else.
“Captain Comic, galactic hero, prepares for his impossible mission… Armed with only his courage he enters the teleport chamber” Hell yeah, that’s what all 7 year olds want to hear. What I remember about this game is watching my brothers playing it (damn being the youngest.) I also have a vague memory of just floating up the top of screen shooting at things, happy days. ‘Your mission is to recover three treasures from the planet Omsoc, which have been stolen away and hidden on the remote planet of Tambi’ Just to warn you about some of the horrors you face along the way, your enemies include ‘Shy Birds’, ‘Blind Toads’, ‘Space Pollen’ and a ‘Beach Ball’, gee this does sound fairly impossible, thank god you’re a galactic hero hey!?
Marooned on Mars and The secret of the oracle probably remain my favourite games, the blurb to Marooned on Mars: ‘Billy Blaze, eight year-old genius, working diligently in his backyard clubhouse has created an interstellar starship from old soup cans, rubber cement and plastic tubing. While his folks are out on the town and the babysitter has fallen asleep, Billy travels into his backyard workshop, dons his brother’s football helmet, and transforms into…Commander Keen - Defender of Earth!’
What doesn’t appeal to a kid in there!? The name Billy Blaze, working diligently, a backyard clubhouse, creating an interstellar starship from old soup cans, putting on a football helmet and transforming into Commander Keen Defender of Earth. Why hasn’t this been made into a Hollywood blockbuster yet!? If that doesn’t convince you that Commander Keen is the greatest game ever made, then watch this.
Halloween Harry a.k.a Alien Carnage just looked damn cool to me. ‘you play a character called Harry, equipped with a jetpack and a flamethrower. The planet is under attack by an alien force and they are turning humans into BRAINDEAD ZOMBIES! Your mission is to go through the many levels, saving hostages and kicking zombie behind! The game was Apogee’s first VGA platformer. Levels feature zombies, aliens, spikes, safe points, hostages, elevators and weapon dispensers. You have to find all the hostages (the women and men covered in slime) and then enter the elevator, which marks the end of the level.’
A diabolical plot indeed, you’re right to suggest that Harry.
On to the golden age of my game playing days, Lucasarts.
Day of the Tentacle
So a Purple Tentacle, one of Dr. Fred’s crazy creations drinks industrial waste, from Dr Fred’s Sludge’o’matic. For some reason this makes him an insane genius. To save the world Dr Fred send three friends Bernard, Hoagie and Laverne back in time to yesterday in order for them to turn off the sluge’o’matic. However the mad Dr uses a fake diamond insted of a real one, which blows up sending Hoagie 200 years into the past and Laverne 200 years into the future.
Note: Drinking sewage doesn’t make you a genius, it just makes you very ill.
Escape From Monkey Island
The first and the best. If you ever played this game I warn you not to press play on this youtube video, the music will just want you to play the game and make you feel empty inside because, games like this are not being made anymore. If you haven’t played this game before, ‘You are Guybrush Threepwood, Mighty Pirate!’ it’s your mission in life to become a pirate, find a crew, find a boat, find monkey island, woo the governor, escape from monkey island and defeat the evil le chuck in no particular order. Any wit or lack of wit for that matter that I have is a result of this game. How appropriate you fight like a cow.
One of the many games I was given the job of pressing space bar at the right moments, or just holding space bar down if we had unlimited ammunition. It’s a combat flight simulator, but what I really liked about the game was being a B-17 and controlling all of its guns.
Right so this game probably freaked me out the most out of any game I ever played as a child. Firstly you don’t have a face, a bit like death, secondly all your friends at the start of the game are turn into swans and leave you, you have a stick that can play musical notes to do things, and pretty much every place the game takes you is freaky, like the dragons nest and the blacksmiths guild and at the end you go head to head with some flying devil thing. The game as a whole is just all round eerie.
Hello gamers, its Mark here again with another update, but this is not just any update, this one is very exciting for all here in the dukesbox offices…
First of all were going to reveal some of the new features that we have in store for you, the gamers, in the new look and feel dukesbox.com site. Lets not keep you waiting any longer!
New Features:
Customize Dukesbox! - Make Dukesbox your own with your own color scheme and layout style. Open and close the dukes boxes to make your gaming experience flow faster and how you want it to!
New Replay Feature! - Just been pipped by your opponents score in a cash game? Replay the game with no cash at stake and with the same layouts to try and beat the score, improve your game, and get ready to win some cash!
Private Match Control, You Set the Stakes - Gamers can now create private matches more easily that ever on Dukesbox.com! Decide how much is played for, entrance fees, and who takes the winnings! Winner takes all, or something for everyone?
Search for some friends! - New search feature lets you filter people to find gamers with the same interests as you!
Shoutboxes - Let us know how your feeling! All games pages have a new ‘Shoutbox’ for you to write how your getting on, your game plans, or just about anything!
New look Mybox - Control everything from your new look Mybox! Create games, read mail, view tournaments and stats, edit your profile, dabble with color schemes, browse the forums, spend in the Dukeshop, see your ranking badge and keep us up to date with the new Status feature! And more! Mybox is the new hub of Dukesbox, with everything just a click away!
Twitterbox - Keep up to date with the Twitterbox informing you of all things Dukesbox via the site, mail, or SMS! You’ll always been in touch with the Twitterbox!
And if that was not enough for you, we’re still developing! These are a few things still in development:
Widgetbox - Put your favourite Dukesbox games into your Facebook or Myspace using the Widgetbox, and spread the fun!
Games Games Games!!! - With the new site and some more time, there will of course come new games! Exciting times gamers!
Watch this space - Dukesbox.com will never stop developing, so keep on coming back or join the new twitterbox when launched to keep updated for all things Dukesbox!
That is all from me at the moment, war nearly broke out in the offices yesterday over who was the best at tower defense, so I’m going to go and practice some more to beat the others at their own game! Victory will be mine in true Stewie Griffin Style!
Oh and if you want some free banners to spread the Dukesbox.com word, just get in touch!
Some of you may be familiar with the names Jon and Andrew, and it is these guys who have managed to pursued me, Mark, to take the time to start this blog (Believe me you do not want to be on the wrong side of those guys…) so as well as my duties as one of the site programmers, ill be the one keeping you posted. So I will now let you know where dukesbox is headed;
The last few weeks has been one of the most hectic in the Dukesbox offices, with the designers, programmers and all in between (Even including Maurice, who has become the official head of the Tea making department now, as well as his more mainstream duties) working hard to deliver what we think will be the best skill gaming experience available, when the new look and feel Dukesbox.com is launched. Countless hours have been put in by the team to make sure that your experience is fun, as well as innovative and social, as we all want to make friends! We will keep a few features under our hat so that the all of you will be in for a huge surprise! As far as development is concerned, we are getting down to the last few hurdles now, so hopefully the waiting wont continue for too long. The Dukesblog will keep you posted on developments as soon as they happen, so watch this space!
One other development of note is the much anticipated Dukesbox.com game, ‘Tower Defense‘. All of you who have been lucky enough to play the game in its beta stage will hopefully agree with us that it is something a bit special, and we hope that soon this will be ready for a full launch once the final bugs have been ironed out. We know the waiting is a pain, but making this game as good is it can be will definitely be worth waiting for! After this we are developing more and more games, with the list currently including a Freecell game, Breakout style game, as well as a helicopter based game. Seems like im in for a busy few weeks…
Quick few thankyous to hand out, Afort for some great features about us on his Blog, Ikaruga for featuring us on the home page of cashgamers.net, and everyone in all the forums for the nice words and great suggestions. We strive to create what you want, so keep those suggestions coming!
Well that is all from all of us here at the Dukesbox office, and from me!
Keep Gaming!
Mark - Dukesbox.com Programmer and new Blogg/ist?/er?/guy?
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