Pokemon Tower Defense: v2.7 level cap to 36! Evolve your starters! New Story Mode Level!

Hey guys I'll make this quick cause I need to leave.

Want to play Ninja-ja? Get a shiny pikachu, shiny mew, shiny starter or have your suggestion for a weapon design to be used on Ninja-ja? Click here for more info on how you can get those things.

Get your shiny Abra! Click here!

New version 2.7.1 is now out! It includes:

• New Story Mode Level
• Level cap up to 36 (you can now evolve your starters and pidgey to the max evolutions)
• Fixed the bug with Charizard
• Fixed Fury Swipes to do the intended damage.

Where can I play?

• Play here on the blog by clicking on the "Play PTD!" tab.
• Download the EXE, SWF or APK by clicking on the "Game Downloads Link" tab.
• PlayTowerDefenseGame (Updated to 2.7.1)
• OneMoreLevel (Updated to 2.7.1)
• FreeWorldGroup (Updated to 2.7.1)
• Gamerfish (Updated to 2.7.1)
• NewGrounds (Updated to 2.7.1)
• MiniJuegos (Updated to 2.7.1) 

Some notes about the level: It is not intended that you have all pokemon at level 28 since somebody starting from the beginning would not have pokemon that high when they reach this level.

Ninja-ja update coming early next week, new pokemon update progress list will also come next week.

As always let me know what you think below.
Have a good weekend.

Lake Trasimene Scenario

Historical Summary

In the last days of 218 BC Hannibal defeated the combined Roman consular armies of Scipio and Sempronius at the Battle of Trebia. The Roman Senate was shocked by the defeat but used the winter, when little military activity took place, to renew its efforts in the prosecution of the war against the invader.


The new consuls for 217 BC were Servilius Geminus and Caius Flaminius. Each was given command of a newly levied consular army, bolstered by the survivors of Trebia, for the coming campaign. Hannibal was still the wrong side of the Appenines with only two possible routes into the Italian peninsular. Geminius’ army was posted to Ariminum (modern Rimini) to cover the eastern, and easier route; Flaminius’ army (c. 30,000 men) was posted to Arretium to cover the western route.


As soon as the weather allowed, Hannibal moved south. He chose the western route over the Appenines and then crossed the marshes of the Arno which had flooded after the winter rains. The marshes proved especially difficult going, and for three days the army struggled through them without dry ground on which to rest: Hannibal lost an eye to ophthalmia during this march because conditions did not allow proper treatment. But his strategy was sound. His choice to move early, by the hardest route, allowed him to cross the last major natural obstacle into Italy without interference and he now stood in the fertile plain of Etruria.


Hannibal quickly bypassed Flaminius at Arretium and marched his army (c. 50,000+ men) south, pillaging and burning as he went. It must be remembered that it was immensely humiliating when an enemy violated the fields of a state or its allies without interference and it is doubtful if any consul, at this time, could stand by whilst it was happening. Flaminius had no choice but to follow, and follow quickly, to avenge the insult – he could not, with honor, wait for Geminus to join him.


Hannibal continued south, provoking the Romans with every step he took and every farm and village he sacked and burned. When he reached Lake Trasimene the Romans were only a day’s march behind and coming up fast. Studying the road which led through a narrow defile between the hills at the lake’s northern edge and the lake itself, Hannibal saw an opportunity to deal Flaminius and Rome another devastating blow. During the night of 20 June 217 BC Hannibal set a trap for the Romans by laying an army sized ambush.

Polybius, our best source for the 2nd Punic War, says: “He himself [Hannibal] occupied the hill at the eastern end with his African and Spanish troops. His slingers and pikemen were ordered to make a detour and march round from the front under cover of the hills, and were posted in extended order to the right of the valley. The Celts and the cavalry were moved round to the left of the valley and likewise stationed in a continuous line under the hills, the last of them being posted at the entrance to the defile between the hillside and the lake. All these dispositions were effected during the night, and having surrounded the valley with his troops posted in ambush Hannibal made no further move.”


When Flaminius’ army made camp, on the night of the 20th June, his camp was in sight of Hannibal’s camp. At first light Flaminius led his army into the defile. Being so close behind he must have been sure that he could catch up to Hannibal before the day was out, stop his freedom of movement and deprivations, and bring him to battle. How right and, at the same time, how wrong he was.


Polybius continues: “That morning a thick mist still hung over the lakeside. Then, as soon as the greater part of the Roman army had entered the defile and was already in contact with the Carthaginians [the slingers and Libyan spearmen at the head of the defile, which the Romans wrongfully thought were a rearguard], Hannibal gave the signal for battle, passed the word to the troops who were lying in ambush, and fell upon the Romans from all sides at once.”


Polybius says that 15,000 Romans perished in the valley, amidst the reeds and croaking frogs, or sheltering neck deep in the lake (where they became sport for Punic cavalrymen after most of the fighting was over). Flaminius was killed, fighting bravely, with his men. Up to 15,000 Romans were taken prisoner, including 6,000 Romans who managed to escape as a body by breaking through the troops directly to their front (they were captured without a fight on the following day). Many hundreds managed to escape the valley in small groups, arriving at their homes (including Rome) over the days that followed. Hannibal’s casualties were minimal, perhaps as low as 1,500.


NOTE: There has been much debate over the composition of Flaminius' army. Some authors contest that Flaminius had a standard consular army of 20,000 or so men, but the casualty and prisoner totals go against this. Personally, I favour Flaminius having a standard consular army bolstered by the remnants of a Trebia consular army in addition (about 10,000 extra men). Apart from the quoted casualties, I have three other reasons for this:

Firstly, it would be logistically easier to raise two new consular armies rather than 'refit' two battered ones that had suffered 50% casualties - manpower was not an issue in 217 BC.

Secondly, given that the strategy was to split the consuls to guard both the eastern and western routes into the Italian peninsular, and that two consuls had been defeated at Trebia the previous year, I find it hard to believe that Rome would risk giving battle with an army half that size.

Thirdly, we know that Geminus had 4000 cavalry and this is a double complement. Some argue that the extra were raised from the allies in addition to standard numbers. I think it would be more likely that the standard 1800 were raised for Geminus' standard consular army and the rest were remnants from Trebia - which tends to favour my 'consular army plus' theory.

If nothing else, it makes the game less lop sided.

The Wargame

This scenario was written for use with Ager Sanguinis Punic Wars rules. I have recently spoken to Andrew Hubback of Miniature Wargames Magazine and it looks likely that the rules will be published in that magazine later this year. Hopefully, it will be published in a similar manner to Ager Sanguinis Crusades - a multi-page (12?), advertisement free, centrefold pull out with cover page.

My armies are somewhat larger than most wargame armies for this period so feel free to scale numbers - the rules were not written with only large games in mind.

My Roman Army for Trasimene

The Roman army is split into 6 command groups. Each legion is comprised of a Roman legion and its ala which form two triplex acies formations. My army totals 580 figures.

• Extraordinarii: 1 officer stand, 2 units of 8 cavalry, 2 units of 12 velites, 2 units of 24 hastati.
• Legion 1 (deployed in triplex acies): 1 officer stand, 2 units of 12 velites, 2 units of 24 hastati, 2 units of 24 principes, 2 units of 12 triarii.
• Legion 2 (deployed in column): 1 officer stand, 2 units of 12 velites, 2 units of 24 hastati, 2 units of 24 principes, 2 units of 12 triarii.
• Legion 3 (Trebia remnants, deployed in column): 1 officer stand, 2 units of 12 velites, 2 units of 24 hastati, 2 units of 24 principes, 2 units of 12 triarii.
• Roman cavalry (deployed in column): 1 officer stand(Flaminius), 2 units of 8 cavalry.
• Allied cavalry (deployed in column): 1 officer stand, 4 units of 8 cavalry.
Libyan Phalanx 1: 1 officer stand, 3 units of 24 Libyan spearmen, 2 units of 16 Libyan javelinmen.

My Carthaginian Army for Trasimene

The Carthaginian Army is split into 7 command groups. Hannibal is a 'floating' officer stand without a command group. My army totals 857 figures.

• Libyan Phalanx 1: 1 officer stand, 3 units of 24 Libyan spearmen, 2 units of 16 Balearic slingers, 1 unit of 16 Numidian javelinmen.
• Libyan Phalanx 2: 1 officer stand, 3 units of 24 Libyan spearmen, 2 units of 16 Libyan javelinmen.
• Spanish infantry: 1 officer stand, 4 units of 36 Spanish scutarii, 2 units of 24 Spanish Caetrati.
• Gauls 1: 1 officer stand, 4 units of 44 Gallic warband, 2 units of 12 Gallic cavalry, 1 unit of 16 Gallic cavalry.
• Gauls 2: 1 officer stand, 2 units of 44 Gallic warband, 2 units of 12 Gallic cavalry.
• Spanish cavalry: 1 officer stand, 4 units of 12 Spanish cavalry.
• Numidians: 1 officer stand, 4 units of 12 Numidian cavalry.

Scenario notes

The Romans will use a D10 sequence deck and army die. All commands will used a D10 motivation die, except for the extraordinarii which will use D12.

The Roman army comprises 121 unit integrity points and will draw 6 cards from the characterisation deck; morale chips are doubled.

On the first two initiative rolls of turn 1 Rome will use its initiative second. For the duration of turn 1, all manoeuvre cards will be treated as group manoeuvre cards.

The Carthaginians will use a 12* sequence deck and a D12 army die. Libyan phalanx, Spanish cavalry, Spanish infantry commands and Hannibal will use a D12 motivation die; other commands will use D10.

The Carthaginian army comprises 160 unit integrity points and will draw 7 cards plus a stratagem card from the characterisation deck; the stratagem will be number X - Surprise Attack. Morale chips are doubled.

Here are some shots of the Ilkley Lads Trasimene game at Triples this year. I have now finished with Trasimene and I will not bore you with it any longer!

iRolling Cigarette Now on the App Store!

Roll your own cigarettes and then smoke them, or learn how to roll in this very realistic game!
It is also a good way to stop this bad habit.
iRolling Cigarette teaches you step by step how to roll a cigarette with great photorealistic graphics.
When you have your cigarette ready then you can smoke it.
Or you can just smoke one from the beggining without the need to roll one.

Features:
- Easy step by step guide on how to roll the cigarette
- Amazing photorealistic graphics
- Roll a cigarette and then smoke it or you can smoke one from the beggining
- Realistic smoke effect
- Cigarette reacts to accelerometer orientation changes
- Ashes will fall when you shake the device

Steps:
1. Add the cigarette paper
2. Fill with some tobacco by moving your finger over the paper
3. Add the filter on the lower part of the paper
4. Move your finger up and down on the left part of the paper to add a streak of saliva
5. Then move the rolling paper from right to left to complete your cigarette
6. And finally smoke it and enjoy!

PTD: v2.6.1 Trading is back! Keep your fans close and your hackers closer.

Version 2.6.1 is out! Trading is back! But first the usual announcements.

Want to play Ninja-ja? Get a shiny pikachu, shiny mew, shiny starter or have your suggestion for a weapon design to be used on Ninja-ja? Click here for more info on how you can get those things.

Get your shiny Zubat! Click here!

This week is Ninja-ja first update, and here is the list that Dan and I came up with:

• Android Version (0%)
• Tweaks (0%)
• Adding the Health Bar (50%)
• Graphic (100%)
• Programming (0%)
• Being able to lose (death) (50%)
• Graphic (100%)
• Programming (0%)
• Simple Point system (0%)
• Programming (0%)
• Sword mode (75%)
• Graphic (50%)
• Programming (100%)
• And a new different Bo Staff Mode (0%)
• Programming (0%) 

Okay now on to v2.6.1 a couple of new things on this update:

• Trading is back again.
• Shiny rate is now 1/1000 or 0.1% (more shinies!)
• You can trade mew again.

Also I added a link to a trade chat if any of you are interested you can go to that one or use the one on the forum.

Now making a game as popular as PTD is going to get attention from a lot of people. Some of those people enjoy exploiting and hacking game. This is going to happen when the game is played offline and all the information is easy to edit. So instead of fighting them I've talked to them, and here is the resolution. If anybody wants to play the game with pokemon that are easier to catch (hit them once and they will turn red), x3 exp given per kill, x5 money given per kill they can, why not? 

So here is the link to the official hacked PTD version http://www.hackedarcadegames.com/game/5714/Pokemon-Tower-Defense.html

Also if you feel like cloning your pokemon is a good way to pass the time then go ahead, no harm done.

But... what about all the legit fans, all the people that don't want all this hacking and duping and easy exp?

What about all the people that bought Ninja-ja or that donated in the past? Is that all for nothing?

Fans, I got your answer.... Multiplayer!

Multiplayer will be ran all on a server, similar to how MMOs work, so there will be no duping, no free shinies (the shiny rate will return to lower rates in multiplayer), everybody will start from scratch, and if you donated or bought Ninja-ja you will get the following benefits.

• You will get beta access to multiplayer (Play before anybody else)
• You will get your shiny codes again so that your shiny pikachu, starters, and mew will be added to your multiplayer account, and will be totally legit.
• You can think of Multiplayer almost as a sequel to PTD.
• All your single player profiles for PTD will not be deleted, ever.
• Multiplayer will be almost like a new game so it should be expected that you start over in a new game.
• You won't be able to import anything from single player to multiplayer or vice versa.
• The people who donated or bought Ninja-ja will get new codes, meaning they start over also but they might start over with a shiny starter (level 5) or a shiny pikachu (lvl 1) or shiny mew (lvl 1).
• All the levels on multiplayer will be different from single player.
• Multiplayer will have co-op and versus modes.
• There is no date on multiplayer, most of the focus right now is on single player.

PTD Weekly Update Progress: Update out now!

• Final Touches (100%)  
• Double Slap will no longer slap for more than it is supposed to (100%)
• On your profile "Pokemon" should be spelled correctly (100%)
• New Story Level (100%)
• Intro (100% done)
• Waves (100% done)
• Ending (100%)
• Adding Items to PokeMart ( Postponed until next update)
• New Evolutions (4) (100%)
• Graphics (4) (100% done)
• Shiny Graphic (4) (100% done)
• Add pokemon stats to game (4) (100% done)
• New Level Cap to 36 (100% done)
• Moves for 29 (3) (100% done) Skipping Natural Gift
• Moves for 30 (4) (100% done)
• Moves for 31 (4) (100% done)
• Moves for 32 (4) (100% done)
• Moves for 33 (8) (100% done)
• Moves for 34 (6) (100% done)
• Moves for 35 (2) (100% done)
• Moves for 36 (1) (100% done)

Again your feedback is very important, I would love to hear it. Have a good night.

Tablets - What's the best choice?

The network has recently been looking at the potential use of tablets within schools.
At BETT there where loads shown off and they have been slowly being released.
I have been looking at a number of the main offerings. I have looked at the iPad of course and the windows based RM Slate.

Recently I have had the chance to look at a Acer Iconia, which runs Android Honeycomb. Below is a video of my impressions, anyone else have any thoughts?

Pokemon Tower Defense: v2.6 is out now! Level cap to 28! Shiny Zubat Code Hunt! Move Relearner! New Challenge Level!

New update for PTD is out now!

Want to play Ninja-ja? Get a shiny pikachu, shiny mew, shiny starter or have your suggestion for a weapon design to be used on Ninja-ja? Click here for more info on how you can get those things.

Get your shiny Zubat! Click here!

What's new on this update?

• Move Relearner - Try out old moves that you missed.
• New Challenge mode - can you get the old rod before you run out of energy?
• Level cap up to 28 - Who's that pokemon? It's Primeape!
• New pokemon to catch with the old rod.

Where can I play?

• Play here on the blog by clicking on the "Play PTD!" tab.
• Download the EXE, SWF or APK by clicking on the "Game Downloads Link" tab.
• PlayTowerDefenseGame (Updated v2.6)
• FreeWorldGroup (Updated v2.6)
• Gamerfish (Updated v2.6)
• NewGrounds (Updated v2.6)
• MiniJuegos (Not yet updated) 
• OneMoreLevel (Not yet updated)

Let me know what you think of the new update.

This week is Ninja-ja first update, and here is the list that Dan and I came up with:

• Android Version (0%)
• Tweaks (0%)
• Adding the Health Bar (50%)
• Graphic (100%)
• Programming (0%)
• Being able to lose (death) (50%)
• Graphic (100%)
• Programming (0%)
• Simple Point system (0%)
• Programming (0%)
• Sword mode (75%)
• Graphic (50%)
• Programming (100%)
• And a new different Bo Staff Mode (0%)
• Programming (0%)

Khurasan releases the Mekanoids!

Here is a little something that snuck on by me while I was grinding away on the 15mm Crusader.

Jon over at Khurasan released the 15mm scale Mekanoids. I had the pleasure to design the Dictator and Hatchet gunship. You can see details of the release posted on TMP and purchase them here.

These kits have been a long time coming and I am very happy to see them in production.

This Week on Sam and Dan Games: Ninja-ja and Pokemon Tower Defense Progress

Want to play Ninja-ja? Get a shiny pikachu, shiny mew, shiny starter or have your suggestion for a weapon design to be used on Ninja-ja? Click here for more info on how you can get those things.

Hey guys! Another week of updates is upon us, so let's get started.

This week we are giving away a shiny Rattata, thanks again to our new sponsors PlayTowerDefenceGames.com, the clues are a little harder this time so good luck. Click here to start your hunt.

Looking at the poll it seems that most of you liked the change of scenery around here so I will keep this new layout for a while until we all get tired of it.

An update about the artist position, we still haven't decided on who are going to pick but we have narrowed it down from 77 applications to about 17 that we really liked. If you haven't applied but are interested then you are more than welcome to submit your portfolio to sotero86@gmail.com. But before you do, look at past blogs to find out what the requirements are.

New APK v2.5.3 fixes many issues found on 2.5.1 and 2.5.2, download it now!

This week is Ninja-ja first update, and here is the list that Dan and I came up with:

• Android Version (0%)
• Tweaks (0%)
• Adding the Health Bar (50%)
• Graphic (100%)
• Programming (0%)
• Being able to lose (death) (50%)
• Graphic (100%)
• Programming (0%)
• Simple Point system (0%)
• Programming (0%)
• Sword mode (75%)
• Graphic (50%)
• Programming (100%)
• And a new different Bo Staff Mode (0%)
• Programming (0%)

For Pokemon Tower Defense: (Looking at a Sunday release EST Time)
Just FYI, trading is disabled until the next update, you will be able to go up to the preview mode but the security code will not work.

• Getting the APK out for v2.5.3(100% done)
• Shiny versions of all current wild pokemon (100%)
Nidoran Female, Nidorina, Nidoqueen, Nidoran Male, Nidorino, Nidoking,
Zubat, Golbat, Mankey, Growlithe, Arcanine, Poliwag, Poliwhirl, Poliwrath,
Oddish, Gloom, Vileplume, Bellsprout, Weepinbell, Victreebell, Vulpix, Ninetails,
Paras, Parasect, Clefairy, Clefable (100%)

Nidoran Female Shiny: Step one: Find shiny picture on bulbapedia.

Nidoran Female Shiny: Step two: Make copies of the pokemon sprite and recolor them.

• Move Relearner - For a small price you can re-learn moves that your pokemon could previously learn (100%)
• New moves (2) (100% 2 move done) Don't have enough time, so adding the other moves in a later update.
• Programming (100%)
• Final Touches, publishing, and distribution (100%)
• Challenge Mode Level - can you grab the old rod before you run out of energy?(100%)
• Level graphics (100%)
• New attack mechanic (100%)
• Level design (100%)
• New Pokemon to capture - use your old rod to capture this pokemon (100%)
• Graphic (1) (100% done)
• Stats in game (1) (100% done)
• New Moves (1) (100% done)
• Shiny Graphic (1) (100% done)
• Level Cap Increase- Will mankey finally evolve? (100%)
• Moves to 26 (2) (100% done)
• Moves to 27 (7) (100% done)
• Moves to 28 (9) (100% done)
• Evolutions (100%)
• Graphics (2) (100% done)
• Stats in game (2) (100% done)
• Shiny Graphic (2) (100% done) 
• Bugs
• APK version won't allow you to get past movie scenes. (100%) New APK available that fixes this issue you can get it now (v2.5.3).
• Can no longer trade certain illegal pokemon like (Kyogre, Mew, Onix, Blastoise, Horsea, Shellder, Staryu, Starmie), or pokemon with a higher level than the current cap. Applied to the game right now (100%) Mew is a special pokemon, too much copying of him going around, so trading has been disabled for him. Once I fix the copying issue I will return him to normal.
• Crush claw will now do damage when it removes an enemy's defense buff. (100%Thanks Zivan for the tip) 
• Level 10 Cerulean Gym will now have gym battle music (100% done) 
• After saving your profile on v2.6 you will no longer be able to save it on any lower version (Postponed)
• Trying to save an older profile online when a newer one has been save previously will no longer be possible (Postponed)
• Fixing the stop evolution button crashing the game (Postponed)
• Fixing the ally switch move (Postponed)   

As always I will be updating this post as the week progresses so check back to it from time to time.

Let me know what you think.

Punic Update: The Trasimene Armies

At last, I have finished the armies for the Battle of Lake Trasimene for the game at Sheffield Triples this coming weekend. Here are some shots of the figures ready for packing.

Breakdown:

ROMAN ARMY
Cavalry: 8 units of 8 figures = 64

Hastati: 8 units of 24 figures = 192

Principes: 6 units of 24 figures = 144

Triarii: 6 units of 12 figures = 72

Velites: 8 units of 12 figures = 96

Command: 7 stands, 15 figures total

Total 583



CARTHAGINIAN ARMY

Spanish Cavalry: 4 units of 12 = 48

Numidian Cavalry: 6 units of 8 figures = 48

Gallic Cavalry: 4 units of 12 figures, 1 unit of 16 figures = 64

Libyan Spearmen: 6 units of 24 figures = 144

Spanish Scutarii: 4 units of 36 figures = 144

Gallic Warband: 6 units of 44 figures = 264

Spanish Caetrati: 3 units of 12 figures = 36

Balearic Slingers: 4 units of 8 figures = 32

African Skirmishers: 7 units of 8 figures = 56

Command: 7 stands, 17 figures total

Total 853

Next up on the painting list, the last of the Romans and two elephants for a big Trebia battle, a mere 100 figures or so. Then I'll be finishing off the other national contingents, Gallic, Spanish and African, a rather more substantial 800 odd. Ho Hum, but at least I'm down to three figure totals.

Pokemon Tower Defense: v2.5 is out now! Level 10, Trading, new pokemon!

I registered for the PTD Fan Forum chat as Samsndgames!

New update for PTD is out now!

This week we are giving away a shiny Rattata, thanks again to our new sponsors PlayTowerDefenceGames.com, the clues are a little harder this time so good luck. Click here to start your hunt.

What's new on this update?

• Trading is now available!
• Level 10 Cerulean Gym.
• Two new pokemon to find, one on the level, and one done by trading with an npc.

Where can I play?

• Play here on the blog by clicking on the "Play PTD!" tab.
• Download the EXE, SWF or APK by clicking on the "Game Downloads Link" tab.
• PlayTowerDefenseGame (Updated v2.5.1)
• FreeWorldGroup (Updated v 2.5.1)
• Gamerfish (Updated v2.5.1)
• MiniJuegos (Updated v2.5.1) 
• NewGrounds (Updated v2.5.1)
• OneMoreLevel (Not yet updated)
• Funny-Games (Not yet updated)

Have a good Sunday, and I will see you guys back here on Monday, next week is PTD and Ninja-ja update week!

Let me know what you think of the new update.

On the bench

What’s next? The smaller 15mm scale Crusader.

5.5” (140mm) tall with FAR less parts, this model will satisfy a few aspects left wanting from its full-scale 28mm brother. This kit will be far simpler to build, no cutting, cussing, and a bit more survivable on the game table regardless of its smaller size.

I had to go slightly larger than a true 15mm conversion on this kit due to the part thickness and casting concerns. I did not want any part thinner than 2mm. The model is roughly .5” taller than it should be, but as there are no windows or hatches to denote scale, this should not be an issue. I will keep this fact in mind when designing future releases and make sure no part is thinner than 4mm on the full scale 28mm models.

The desire to make a model with fewer parts and a lower cost, required making the model a more fixed pose affair. Not wanting to have all the models look the same if you are fielding an armored lance or armored company, I decided to make a few customized parts to aid in changing the pose from one model to the next. To accomplish this I created three versions of the waist hydraulics, this will give the upper torso a twist. The upper body can face directly forward, to the left and to the right. To change up the leg pose I created a neutral posed leg set, a leg set with the left leg advancing and one with the right leg advancing. All total nine poses possible not counting how you decide to position your weapons. This should give you enough freedom to field an entire table, without the cookie cutter look.

Price? Nothing set in stone, yet… I need to get a quote from the caster but I hope to come in at the $45-$60 range. My hope is that with the smaller model and FAR fewer parts that the kit will not be such a rubber hog when it comes to the molds and resin.

ETA? It’s being printed now, then I need to spend about 2 weeks benching the model to get rid of the stepping on the surface. After that, it’s up to the caster and their time table to get this into production.

Here are a few part renders.

Body parts

Detail parts

Leg parts

Sword parts (left only)

Vulkan parts (left and right available)

Mauler parts (left and right available)

Waist hydraulics

Twist due to waist hydraulics

Leg poses

Neutral leg pose

One leg advancing (left and right available)

 

Catapult: Absolute Madness Now on the App Store!

Get ready for a very addictive game with amazing physics and lots of fun!

Destroy your enemies using the catapult and get the best hi-score in all of the 45 challenging levels of the game separated in 3 different worlds.
Can you unlock them all?

Simple gameplay. Turn the Angle Wheel to change the direction of the catapult and hold the Fire button to charge the power of your shot.
Kill all the enemies with less shots for more points.

Also collect Coins for extra points.

Explosive Power-Ups can help you a lot in certain levels.
Collect the 'Red Explosive Ball' Power-Up and your next shot will bring the destruction to your enemies!

The game features hours of gameplay.

Features:
* Amazing physics engine
* Simple but very addictive gameplay
* 45 challenging levels to unlock
* 3 Different worlds to explore
* Explosive Power-Ups!
* Beautiful Pixel Art graphics
* Level specific hi-score system
* 2 types of enemies
* Collect Coins for extra points
* Hours of gameplay

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✔ A small Review for the game after the Download may help a lot.

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What's next? Pokemon Tower Defense v2.5 update this weekend!

Want to play Ninja-ja? Get a shiny pikachu, shiny mew, shiny starter or have your suggestion for a weapon design to be used on Ninja-ja? Click here for more info on how you can get those things.

I just want to personally thank everybody that bought Ninja-ja, you are helping to support Dan and I to continue to grow and keep making games for you guys, we still have a long way to go but we are going to keep going at it until we make it.

Also I had a good break, I still put out an update and released Ninja-ja but I did manage to gather my thoughts and clear my mind a bit. Some of you might have noticed that Dan is now answering blog questions, so feel free to ask him anything :)

I do read everybody's comments and email, even though it is impossible to answer them all in a timely fashion, but I wanted to let you guys know that your comments and suggestions are being heard.

So I wanted to comment on a couple of things, this new level will have the appearance of a non Generation I pokemon (I won't spoil it so wait until the update to find out) but you won't be able to capture it. Also as of right now I don't plan on including any non generation 1 pokemon that will be able to be captured. Once the game is done and you can capture all 151 I will decide on what I will do. So please don't ask about including crobat (lol), and if you see somebody asking about it let them know :)

Another thing is Mystery Gift Codes, there are only 2 free codes available (pidgey and jigglypuff ) at this time and both of them will expire this weekend when v2.5 comes out. If you happen to hear from somebody of a code or just randomly type in a code and it says this code is used, that means that somebody at some point got that code and used it already. Only the free codes can be used over and over, but codes for pikachu or starters or mew can only be used once, and those are not given out for free. But if you really want to get a mew you don't have to worry because he will be in the game eventually in a future update. So while shiny mew is exclusive to those who pay, regular mew should be available to all.

We are committed to making games that you guys want to play and making them better based on what you guys want, but we still want to be creative ourselves and we want to surprise you guys with new and unique ideas.

Thanks for all the continued support.

This is the last week we are giving away a shiny Jigglypuff, thanks again to my friend at PlayTowerDefenceGames.com, the clues are a little harder this time so good luck. Click here to start your mystery gift code hunt.

Okay let's get down to the update.

First of all this update will be most likely be coming out this weekend (Fri-Sun), the list below is what I'm focusing on for this update. The list doesn't apply to earlier versions of the game, only for v2.5. The list is not complete and I will be adding more to it as I get things done.

UPDATE coming out withing a couple hours!


Trading/Transferring  (100%)

• You will be able to trade or transfer a pokemon from one profile to another. This includes from your first profile to your second or third. You can also trade or transfer a pokemon to a different account all together be it your other account or another person's account. You can even trade or transfer to the same profile. The way it works is that you go into the trading menu and select the pokemon you want to trade, the pokemon will be removed from your profile and in exchange you will get a code. You can then trade that code with somebody. Once you have a code that you want to use, you go to the trading menu and insert the code, that pokemon will now be added into your storage.  You will be able to trade shiny pokemon. Pokemon that are traded or transferred do not gain any benefit to how much experience they gain. Pokemon that evolve from trading will evolve when you trade or transfer them in any of these ways. Pokemon that will evolve when traded are Graveler, Kadabra, Machoke, Haunter. Note: Only Graveler is in the game as of v2.4.

 Finishing Touches (90%)

  New Level (100%) Cerulean City Gym

• In this level you will finally get to Cerulean City and challenge the second gym leader, Misty. You guys voted and both Joey and you will get a chance to fight Misty and try to win a badge.
• Intro Scene (100%)
• Level Graphic Assets (100%)
• Level Layout (100%)
• Level Waves (100%)
• Level Ending (100%) 

  New evolutions (100%)

•  Golem Graphic (100%)
• 2 new evolutions Graphic(100%)
• Evolution (3) Stats Added to Game (100%)
• Shiny Graphic (3) (100%)

 New Catch-able pokemon (100%) 

• Pokemon (1) Graphic  (100%)
• Pokemon (1) Stats Added to Game(100%)
• New Moves (3) (100%) 
• Shiny Graphic (1) (100%) 

 Npc trade pokemon (100%)

• Pokemon (1) Graphic (100%)
• Pokemon (1) Stats Added to Game (100%)
• New Moves (5) (100%) Skipping Mean Look
• Shiny Graphic (1) (100%)

 New non catch-able pokemon (100%)

• Pokemon (6) Graphic (100%)
• Pokemon (6) Stats Added to Game (100%) 

Like a said before more things like bug fixes, new pokemon, level cap increase will be added to the list as I get them finished. 

As always let us know what you think.

Ninja-ja out today! Buy and get special gifts!

Ninja-ja Alpha v1 is out now! You can expect Dan to answer some of your questions about the game, you can read more on it below or just click on the "Get Ninja-ja!" tab. Thanks.

A lonely man gets attacked by a group of ninjas, he must use his three weapons to stop them at all cost.

Features:

• Use your Bo staff to stop incoming kunais!
• FREE Bi-weekly updates, new levels, more weapons, new modes!

Ninja-ja is now in alpha v1 a very bare bones version of the game, the video shows you what is to come in the future updates.

Buy it today for your PC and get special gifts for Ninja-ja and Pokemon Tower Defense! 

Apprentice Edition - includes:

• Ninja-ja Game
• 3 unique codes to get Shiny Pikachu for PTD.

Master Edition - includes all the above plus:

• A special skin for your Bo Staff
• 3 unique codes to turn your starter into a Shiny Starter for PTD.

Grand Master Edition - includes all the above plus:

• A special skin for your Sword and Shuriken weapons
• 3 unique codes for 30,000 poke dollars for PTD.

Hero Edition - includes all the above plus:

• The ability to suggest a special skin for your weapon or the enemy's projectile that only you and other Hero Edition players have access to.
• 3 unique codes to get  a Shiny Mew for PTD.

Once we get your payment we will send you the game and the PTD codes within 24 hours. The Ninja-ja prizes will be delivered at a different date.

Different Editions

Apprentice Edition $1.00 Master Edition $5.00 Grand Master Edition $10.00 Hero Edition $20.00

Thanks for your continued support! Enjoy and as always let us know what you think!
Click on the Get-Ninja-ja! tab for more info! 

This week we are giving away a shiny Jigglypuff, thanks again to my friend at PlayTowerDefenceGames.com, the clues are a little harder this time so good luck. Click here to start your mystery gift code hunt.

We have gotten a lot of great artist applications, and if you sent one in and haven't heard from us it doesn't mean you aren't getting picked, Dan and I still need to sit down and decide who has what we are looking for. For those that are interested in applying you can still apply.

Dan and I are looking to add more members to our development crew and right now what we need the most is a capable artist. Somebody that wants to work with us on our next games. This is a paid position. All communication will be done online. Here is what we are looking for:

• A passion for games.
• A passion for making art.
• 18 years or older.
• Must have a portfolio.

Also these next requirements are extra but if you have these it will make you more likely to be picked.

• Be able to animate.
• 3D modeling experience.
• Vector art
• Concept art
• Game development experience (web games, console games, apps)
• Flash experience.

We can't wait to check out everybody's art :) so just email me at sotero86@gmail.com with "Artist Position" as the subject and we can talk about further details.

Into the Valley of Death..........

The Battle of Lake Trasimene is now taking shape. My 'hill stuff' arrived today; it was sunny; rain forecast for tomorrow; paint brush down and take up the saw. The hills at Trasimene are substantial and form three sides of a bowl - no 'cow pat hills' for this game.



The hill material is 50mm thick DOW Floormate by Sheffield Insulation. You can buy it online, but this means buying quite a bit - eight sheets, each 2450mm x 600mm x 50mm. With VAT and carriage this runs in at £123.00 a shot, but time is short and I had to bite the bullet. This job uses about half of it, though quite a bit is 'uncut filler'.

I cut the sheets in half with a normal saw (into 2 x 4s), laid some pieces on my table and began to mark out the forward slopes with some basic lines.

 

After remarking a wavy front edge I cut them vertically with a coping saw, marked out the top contour 3" in, then cut the slope by cutting on the angle between lower front edge and the contour line. This method gives a fairly uniform slope.



Coping saws are an essential, fairly cheap, tool for this kind of thing as you can vary the angle of the blade within the saw bow. In this case I shifted it through 90 degrees.



Once I had done the first contour - all 20 feet of it - I started on the summit pieces in a similar manner.




Once the cloth was thrown over it, the lakeside was added with a few trees and a few troops it began to look quite good. I still need to paint 36 Gallic cavalry and 48 hastati before Triples, and several units will need basing, but all is well in hand now. Also, my table is only 12 feet long and the table for Triples will be 14 feet, so imagine, if you will, two foot more hill between the central 'summit / knoll' and the hill on which the Numidian cavalry stand. 

I hope that this set up meets with the approval of those who know this battle.

Pokemon Tower Defense: v2.4 is out now! Play it here first!

Looking to play v2.4? Click on  the "Play PTD!" tab to play the game. Enjoy.

Profile saving will only work on v2.4 and not the earlier versions.

Click on Game Download tab to grab the apk, exe, or swf.

Newgrounds - Updated!
Playtowerdefensegame - Updated!
OnemoreLevel - Updated!
Gamerfish - Updated!
MoFunZone - sent but not updated
FreeWorldGroup - sent but not updated
Funny-games - sent but not updated
Minijuegos - sent but not updated
PTD Forum - Updated!


This week we are giving away a shiny Jigglypuff, thanks again to my friend at PlayTowerDefenceGames.com, the clues are a little harder this time so good luck. Click here to start your mystery gift code hunt.

We have gotten a lot of great artist applications, and if you sent one in and haven't heard from us it doesn't mean you aren't getting picked, Dan and I still need to sit down and decide who has what we are looking for. For those that are interested in applying you can still apply.

Dan and I are looking to add more members to our development crew and right now what we need the most is a capable artist. Somebody that wants to work with us on our next games. This is a paid position. All communication will be done online. Here is what we are looking for:

• A passion for games.
• A passion for making art.
• 18 years or older.
• Must have a portfolio.

Also these next requirements are extra but if you have these it will make you more likely to be picked.

• Be able to animate.
• 3D modeling experience.
• Vector art
• Concept art
• Game development experience (web games, console games, apps)
• Flash experience.

We can't wait to check out everybody's art :) so just email me at sotero86@gmail.com with "Artist Position" as the subject and we can talk about further details.

Orders are in to the caster.

He is completing another customers order and will begin production on Monday. I will have him send the pre-orders in batches of ten or so to get them out to you ASAP.

Any changes to any orders will need to be completed by Friday, May the 6^th 3:00 PST. After that any additions will have to be shipped separately from your main order. If you have a change to an existing order, you can contact me here. Please reference the name and PayPal email of your original order so that I can match up the changes.

A note on armor upgrades:
I received a price for the per-arm armor, and updated the website with this option. The caster has a minimum price, I have cut my margin on this item to try and keep it as affordable as possible.

All Crusaders are shipped with the armor shown in the pics, if you purchased extra weapons they will not have the additional armor.

There have been some questions about the armor upgrades and what fits what.. Each arm type has its own armor, Shooty weapons such as the Vulkan, close combat weapons such as the Scythe and Sword and finally the Claw. Each of these is designed to be either right or left.

I do not have armor for all the weapons, some are being printed right now..

Here is what is available as of today:

Left hand Mauler

Right or left Vulkan Cannon

Left hand Reaper Scythe

Left hand Executioners Blade 

Being printed today: (These will not be ready to ship before the current pre-orders have been completed. You can purchase them later and they glue right onto the assembled model.)

Right hand Mauler

Right hand Reaper Scythe

Right hand Executioners Blade

All the best,

Mark-

Pre-Orders Are Now Closed…

I would like to thank my customers and the gaming community for a very successful pre-order. We filled 50 slots in far shorter time than I had imagined. I will be batching up the orders and sending them off to the caster tomorrow morning.

Does this mean that you cannot place an order? No, we will continue to accept orders and all orders will be filled in the order they are received.

The completion of pre-orders will allow me to give my caster a group order and receive a discount that I passed along to my customers in the pre-order pricing.

Some of you have noticed that the instructions for the Leviathan Crusader have not been posted yet… I will be working on these and updating the link ASAP. They will be posted before the first kit has shipped.

Once again, to all my current and future customers, THANK YOU for your business… I sincerely hope that you enjoy your purchase.

All the best,
Mark-

48 Slots Filled!

Once again, thank you!

I am feverishly working away on the files for the 15mm version. The armor for the Crusader is a challenge. I have to make it integral with the arms and legs due to the thickness of the half scaled parts and the desire to have as few parts as possible in the kit, so we can keep the costs down.

With all the slots almost filled, I am chewing my nails down thinking about my caster and making sure he QC's everything to our expectations... I have done what I can, soon it will be out of my hands and with any luck, I will not need to be contacting him to resolve issues. He runs a big shop and I have been clear about my expectations but it sure is nerve racking to hand off a project that has taken sooooo much time and energy to get it to this stage.

All the best,
Mark-

Major Announcement - LearnMeet 2011

Redbridge Games Network are pleased to announce the launch of the first LearnMeet within the London Borough of Redbridge. 

The aim of Learn Meet is to celebrate the creative, inspiring and innovative work carried out in schools, however,  it has a slight twist. We are all used to teachers talking about their work, this time it will be the children in the classes showing off what has inspired them – this can be a project, a unit of work, a series of lessons or just tips – it does not have to be ICT based but should be something that has engaged and enthused the children. Schools can enter teams of 4 children and although teachers can assist the children in the planning process, it should all be the childrens’ work including delivering the presentation.

Learn Meet will take place on Friday 1^st July from 2.30-4.30 at the Redbridge Teachers Centre,  schools that enter will be given an inspiration table where they can showcase their work, and will be asked to prepare an 8 minute presentation, which if chosen they will present in the main hall, this will also be streamed live across London via LGFL. The projects will be judged on their impact, innovation, learning, inspiration and wow factors by a panel of judges.

The winning school will receive a Wii for the school and each child will receive a Kindle. There will be a range of prizes on offer throughout the afternoon, including a 3DS in the children’s raffle and 6 month subscriptions to Purple mash and BrainPOP.

We feel that this will be a great event highlighting and celebrating the creative work of our children and enable us all to learn from each other.

For more details and to register your interest go on the link on the top of the page, Learnmeet 2011. This event is open initially to Redbridge Schools but others are welcome to register their interest.