Nothing like a change in spec to mess with my day. iPad the Next Generation is coming out and in typical “Q” fashion, a snap of the fingers has our interface in two split realities. For those not keeping up, iPad:TNG has 2048—1536 pixels while the previous iterations are 1024×768. 4X pixels in the same surface area is great for super crisp graphics, but what happens to apps using pixel resolution to drive touch interactions like pinch, slide, and swipe?

In general, touch location is returned as a pixel location.  As the touch location moves, comparing the previous touch location to the new touch location to determines the delta (change). On iPad2, if a touch moves 1 inch horizontally in portrait mode, the delta is ~105 pixels, on the new iPad it’s ~210 pixels. If an image was set to rotate fully …

When looking at a good game board, there is a bunch of information you just intrinsically “GET”. (You can check out Pat’s Map Blog and see the great visual “coding” he is providing.). On my end, I need to provide that same amount of information, but to a virtual Game Master. The Game Master is the person that knows and keeps track of the rules and score. As a player, being Game Master stinks because you aren’t coming up with a killer strategy or outfoxing your opponent. How much satisfaction can really be garnered from beating someone that doesn’t even know the rules? (Liberal application of the “Crouch” button notwithstanding)

“Closing my eyes, I was finally able to see.”

There were a few different ways I envisioned the map being represented. The initial challenge was in the very natural layout. There are …

Today wraps up my first week with the talented folk here at Shenandoah. There’s so much to do, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. My first priority is setting up a development environment that everyone is comfortable with. Before a single line of code is written I want time spent learning the rest of the team’s approach to problems.

No designer wants to scroll through memory management code

In getting to know Pat (Art Director) this week, I found he’s incredibly mindful of how his art is used and presented. This is a great quality because if I can provide a way to quickly view/tweak assets, he can keep his focus on a stellar presentation, instead of waiting for the latest build.

Jeff (Game Designer) has been tweaking and building some cool systems that make Bulge a blast to play …