eSoft Interactive's Blog » xp http://esoftinteractive.com/blog Everything about the team, the games and mobile stuff! Sat, 19 Dec 2009 12:49:09 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 eSoft Interactive’s Hot Pursuit–coming soon to a device near you! http://esoftinteractive.com/blog/2009/04/07/esoft-interactives-hot-pursuit-coming-soon-to-a-device-near-you/ http://esoftinteractive.com/blog/2009/04/07/esoft-interactives-hot-pursuit-coming-soon-to-a-device-near-you/#comments Tue, 07 Apr 2009 00:05:23 +0000 Administrator http://esoftinteractive.com/blog/?p=65

Check out this teaser video for eSoft Interactive’s Hot Pursuit! Hot Pursuit will take you on a crime solving journey spanning over 42 different cities around the globe! We are expecting a worldwide release on April 14, 2009 and the game will initially be available for Windows Mobile devices. Be sure to subscribe to our mailing list so you’d be the first one to know.

]]> http://esoftinteractive.com/blog/2009/04/07/esoft-interactives-hot-pursuit-coming-soon-to-a-device-near-you/feed/ 1 The good old days! http://esoftinteractive.com/blog/2009/04/04/the-good-old-days/ http://esoftinteractive.com/blog/2009/04/04/the-good-old-days/#comments Sat, 04 Apr 2009 11:56:31 +0000 Administrator http://esoftinteractive.com/blog/?p=62 Our trusty old iPaq 3760!

While we were going through our old garbage and cleaning up stuff, we came across our old iPaq 3760! The iPaq 3760 was one of the most high tech devices way back–combine an ARM processor with Windows CE OS and you need not carry a laptop anymore! This device was one of our first ever Pocket PCs and the one that started it all–yes, we’re talking about eSoft Interactive! For those who don’t have an idea, eSoft Interactive started as a small hobby and a huge penchant for learning new technologies. About 8 years ago, Windows Mobile (then called Windows CE) didn’t have much software and games on it which is what inspired us to explore the platform and develop games! We sold our first ever game–The Fly–on Handango (one of our very first partners) and has now become a part of Arcade Challenge. When we found out that people loved what we did, we developed and designed more games, turning it again into profits and soon realized that we can convert this hobby into a full-time business–and the rest became history! The good old days! :)

]]> http://esoftinteractive.com/blog/2009/04/04/the-good-old-days/feed/ 4 We’re now on Facebook! http://esoftinteractive.com/blog/2009/03/25/were-now-on-facebook/ http://esoftinteractive.com/blog/2009/03/25/were-now-on-facebook/#comments Wed, 25 Mar 2009 02:05:16 +0000 Administrator http://esoftinteractive.com/blog/?p=59 eSoft Interactive on Facebook

Social networking is the buzz these days and we finally joined the bandwagon! We figured that creating a Facebook page can add a more personal touch as to how we handle our support, updates and releases. We’re even planning to release our beta programs on Facebook if possible–we’re still in the process of exploring its capabilities and features. Join us on Facebook and become a fan now! Tell us your unique eSoft Interactive game story!

]]> http://esoftinteractive.com/blog/2009/03/25/were-now-on-facebook/feed/ 0 Time to explore http://esoftinteractive.com/blog/2009/03/09/time-to-explore/ http://esoftinteractive.com/blog/2009/03/09/time-to-explore/#comments Mon, 09 Mar 2009 09:52:16 +0000 Administrator http://esoftinteractive.com/blog/?p=56 Blackberry--possibly our next stop!

One of our goals this year is to learn to develop and release our games on other platforms like iPhone, Android, BlackBerry, XBox and more. With Windows Mobile and Palm OS sales steadily declining, we figured its about time we expand our game catalogue horizontally. Late last year if we hadn’t ventured into the iPhone market, our huge loss wouldn’t have been compensated. After releasing several iPhone ports, we’re now planning to explore the BlackBerry and Android platforms. We’re currently evaluating the two platforms as far as markets and ease of development are concerned. We’re also excited to expand our PC/MAC game catalogue this year because we have plans of releasing “extreme” versions of some of our recent mobile games. Things are definitely going to be busy here at eSoft in the coming months!

]]> http://esoftinteractive.com/blog/2009/03/09/time-to-explore/feed/ 0 Game design and development – Part 2: Prototyping http://esoftinteractive.com/blog/2008/08/31/game-design-and-development-%e2%80%93-part-2-prototyping/ http://esoftinteractive.com/blog/2008/08/31/game-design-and-development-%e2%80%93-part-2-prototyping/#comments Sun, 31 Aug 2008 23:34:43 +0000 Administrator http://esoftinteractive.com/blog/2008/08/31/game-design-and-development-%e2%80%93-part-2-prototyping/ Part2: Prototyping

After all the game features and details have been discussed, the next step is to create a playable prototype of the game. This is usually done within two to three weeks after the brainstorming phase. Prototype builds usually just need temporary placeholder assets (graphics and sounds) because the focus is more on gameplay and usability. The main idea for prototyping is to find loopholes within the gameplay as well as pinpoint key features and consider them in the final development process. Another advantage of creating playable prototypes is to determine which kind of user interface lay-out will best fit most screens without sacrificing the main game contents and bearing in mind how the game will automatically adapt and adjust itself on different screen sizes. Like apps, games nowadays need to be “intelligent” too–they should know what device and resolution they are being run on.

The prototyping phase is what usually gets us more excited here at eSoft. It’s where we decide if a game project is worth pursuing and if its gameplay is addictive enough to pass our standards and expectations. We also let our internal beta team play all our prototypes so we can get as much feedback on it as possible. Come back soon for Part 3!

]]> http://esoftinteractive.com/blog/2008/08/31/game-design-and-development-%e2%80%93-part-2-prototyping/feed/ 0 Game design and development – Part 1: Brainstorming http://esoftinteractive.com/blog/2008/08/04/game-design-and-development-%e2%80%93-part-1-brainstorming/ http://esoftinteractive.com/blog/2008/08/04/game-design-and-development-%e2%80%93-part-1-brainstorming/#comments Mon, 04 Aug 2008 23:29:05 +0000 Administrator http://esoftinteractive.com/blog/2008/08/04/game-design-and-development-%e2%80%93-part-1-brainstorming/ Part 1: Brainstorming

For the next couple of weeks, we’ll be sharing with you how we create games here at eSoft Interactive in a series of articles. I’ll synch this article with one of our on-going game projects which we’ll call Hoist for now.

Like any other project, game design and development for Hoist began with brainstorming. We usually conduct several brainstorming sessions and invite everyone from the team to share their own ideas and suggestions for a new game. These ideas are then consolidated, sorted out and combined together to form an interesting game. There are no valuable and lame ideas, there are only used and unused ones. Unused ideas are kept for reference and sometimes used in later game projects. We have what we call an “ideabank” wherein all our game ideas, features and miscellaneous stuff are stored for future reference. The chosen ideas are then combined and discussed further so that we can produce a playable prototype out of it.

I usually head all our design sessions within the company and these ideas are very essential to my work. I always expose myself to various games, reading materials and any other media to keep my imagination in its top shape. Whenever I’m not doing any programming work, I usually carry a small notebook with me so that I can easily write my thoughts and ideas wherever I am, that is, if I’m not carrying my PDA. A cool idea or game concept is the heart of a game. It defines whether the game will appeal to its audience or not. It keeps the players interested. If implemented properly, it makes the game a best-seller!

Watch out for for Part 2!

]]> http://esoftinteractive.com/blog/2008/08/04/game-design-and-development-%e2%80%93-part-1-brainstorming/feed/ 0 Using reading materials as a source of inspiration… http://esoftinteractive.com/blog/2008/07/28/using-books-as-an-inspiration/ http://esoftinteractive.com/blog/2008/07/28/using-books-as-an-inspiration/#comments Mon, 28 Jul 2008 13:47:57 +0000 Administrator http://esoftinteractive.com/blog/2008/07/28/using-books-as-an-inspiration/ Books and other reading materials...

Being in an industry where imagination is used more often than anything, one of our passions (or most of us, at least) here at eSoft is to catch up on reading–all kinds of interesting books, novels, comic books (yeah! we’re huge Marvel and DC fans!) magazines and other reading materials. Creating video games, like any form of art, comes from a source of inspiration and we often find it by exposing ourselves to various reading materials. This gives us a chance to gather new ideas or something that we can improve our own ideas. Its not always play and work here at eSoft, we also stock up on knowledge about the gaming industry and its history, related businesses, various technologies, upcoming games and software, the latest mobile devices, what’s hot and what’s new. Have you read any good book lately?

]]> http://esoftinteractive.com/blog/2008/07/28/using-books-as-an-inspiration/feed/ 0 Is Technology aging rapidly? http://esoftinteractive.com/blog/2008/07/08/is-technology-aging-rapidly/ http://esoftinteractive.com/blog/2008/07/08/is-technology-aging-rapidly/#comments Tue, 08 Jul 2008 02:56:10 +0000 Administrator http://esoftinteractive.com/blog/2008/07/08/is-technology-aging-rapidly/ Mobile Device keyboard

At eSoft Interactive, it’s more than just releasing games to the public. There are many different things we have to be concerned about. Recently we upgraded our computers to Intel-Based MacBooks, which we are very proud to own. Since BootCamp is available for free, this allows us to have Windows XP, working hand in hand with OSX on a solid and stable hardware. But there’s a concern with technology that happens to be a big question to developers; and many technology enthusiasts. What’s happening on June 30th, 2008 is a big regard to many companies. Windows XP sales will be discontinued, the operating system will be phased out and Windows Vista will be on the forefront of many new computers. Free support will still be available until April of 2009, but extended support (which is not free) will be until 2014 only according to ZDNet. As developers, we have to stay up-to-date when it comes to software and hardware technology. We all know that new technology is not cheap and can be very expensive (cough…iPhone Generation 1…) which is why our developments will be heavily affected by this and we will have to carefully assess how upgrading will impact our operations.

Here at eSoft, we love to see and read about the latest technology. The future is starting to become more interactive, and many people just want to look inside of it. We don’t know if we could be developing for multi-touch devices in the future (maybe Windows Mobile 7 will have this cool technology). We will have to wait and see what the future holds for us. What do you think what will happen to mobile devices in the future?

Photo borrowed from Pocketables.net.

]]> http://esoftinteractive.com/blog/2008/07/08/is-technology-aging-rapidly/feed/ 0 New game release: Sprill: The Mystery of the Bermuda Triangle http://esoftinteractive.com/blog/2008/03/24/new-game-release-sprill-the-mystery-of-the-bermuda-triangle/ http://esoftinteractive.com/blog/2008/03/24/new-game-release-sprill-the-mystery-of-the-bermuda-triangle/#comments Mon, 24 Mar 2008 14:08:38 +0000 Administrator http://esoftinteractive.com/blog/2008/06/10/new-game-release-sprill-the-mystery-of-the-bermuda-triangle/

eSoft Interactivein partnership with Alawar Entertainment has just released a brand new PC game: Sprill: The Mystery of the Bermuda Triangle!

Aliens have kidnapped Sprill and won’t let him go until he finds a special pearl that will save their planet! Help the cute fox search the wreckage of boats and planes that have disappeared over the Bermuda Triangle. Explore beautifully crafted undersea locations for hundreds of items that provide clues to the location of the pearl. And solve clever mechanical puzzles that will help you accomplish the task before you. You’ll have fun from beginning to end as you and Sprill discover the secret of the Bermuda Triangle!

Sprill: The Mystery of the Bermuda Triangle is available for Windows PC. Grab a FREE trial copy now!

]]> http://esoftinteractive.com/blog/2008/03/24/new-game-release-sprill-the-mystery-of-the-bermuda-triangle/feed/ 0 Boy do we want these toys! http://esoftinteractive.com/blog/2008/01/17/boy-do-we-want-these-toys/ http://esoftinteractive.com/blog/2008/01/17/boy-do-we-want-these-toys/#comments Thu, 17 Jan 2008 16:01:53 +0000 Administrator http://esoftinteractive.com/blog/2008/06/10/boy-do-we-want-these-toys/ \

Several months ago we upgraded all our development machines to Macbooks and installed Windows XP on them. It’s not that we’re being sponsored by Apple but we just believed in the sturdiness, reliability and solidness of these machines. Just recently at the Macworld Expo 2008 the Macbook Air was unveiled and boy are we so looking forward to these! Now we’ve got more reasons to work even harder this year and aim for that upgrade! :)

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