>> CAVEMAN HD - UPDATE AVAILABLE ON APP STORE

Thanks to an expedited review request - Caveman and Caveman HD have been approved and are now available for download to resolve the iOS 9.x issues that had plagued the game and frustrated so many of our users over the past few months.

Mobile 1UP would like to once again thank our supporters for keeping the spirit of the games alive; we are just as passionate about playing the games as we are about creating them. To us; being authentic to the original is what we do - see below for our special easter egg!

As a matter of fact, Caveman is five years old this month! The first version of Caveman was released on 31st March 2011 and we have seen almost 50,000 sales over this period - not a bad feat at all! I would like to reach out to Tomas Miller (artwork) and Michael McGee (audio) who helped make this project be a success.

Did you know we put a real special easter egg in Caveman?

  for (int j=1; j<13; j++)
  {
    for (int i=1; i<32; i++)
    {
      int val = ((i * 100) + j) ^ 0x5555;
      val = 80000 + (val % 10000);
    }
  }

In the above code, i represents the day and j represents the month. Simply put in the value for date set on your device and it should give you a number starting with 8. Then enter the code into the game and see our surprise! If you just want codes - open this secrets file.

With these codes; you can see how authentic our game is to the original Lemmings game!

>> iOS 9.x ISSUE - INVESTIGATED AND SOLVED!

I would like to personally thank the people who used the contact me form on the website and being patient while we investigated the issue with our games running on iOS 9.x devices. It seems that not all devices were affected either - my own iPad mini could be updated to iOS 9.3.1 and showed no problems. In the end; mainly retina based devices were affected.

Unfortunately; the computer used to compile the games was sitting so long - the hard drive died and it was a painful mess to recover the source code from old backups scattered across various sources. Thankfully nothing was lost so diagnosing the issue was made a little easier.

In the end; getting the latest Xcode and iOS 9.3 SDK's installed - tweaking a few of the project settings to match (heck, the old code was iOS 4.2 SDK) I was able to start the project up and I received the following error:

CavemanHD[9687:235437] *** Terminating app due to uncaught exception 
'NSInternalInconsistencyException', reason: 'Application windows are 
expected to have a root view controller at the end of application launch' 

Of course; this has not been a problem on earlier versions of iOS - going way back to iOS 2.x; so why did apple decide that now was a time to enforce such a thing? In the end; the solution was quite simple, it seems I was not the only one with this issue.

  // add the the OpenGL view to the window
-  [ g_window addSubview:g_view ];
+  [ g_window setRootViewController:g_view_controller ]; 

It seems that Apple isn't smart enough to realize that if there is only one view in the application; then it should be the root view. To make matters worse; the addSubview code was taken from one of the earlier sample applications that was provided with the iOS SDK.

We will do some testing on some devices and from there hopefully submit a new version of our games over the next few days for approval by Apple. Hopefully if all goes to plan (approval) everyone should be able to get back to their Caveman goodness! We defintely wanted to write about this to highlight that this was in fact a fault from Apple - not ourselves.

A colleague of mine suggested it is the low-level bit fiddling we do at times that could have broken the software on some 64 bit devices - most of which are retina. Just to be on the safe side, including two binary versions in the next update (uploading now!!)

>> CAVEMAN HD - 'approved' for Built For BlackBerry™

Mobile 1UP is proud to announce that Caveman HD has a status upgrade!

Caveman HD has been approved for the prestigeous "Build for BlackBerry™" certification program - wasn't easy, but this puts Caveman HD in the top of the "list" of high quality applications that has passed the certification tests by the BlackBerry team.

This App has achieved the Built for BlackBerry™ designation.
This means that it has been through a rigorous approval process
at RIM and will deliver a quality BlackBerry® 10 experience.

This is a great milestone for Mobile 1UP - we are proud to have been part of the team and supporting the BlackBerry 10 platform!

>> CAVEMAN HD - PIXEL PARTICLE EXPLOSION - PURE RETRO!

Mobile 1UP felt extremely festive this morning - check out the video.

Just like the original game - a pixel particle explosion instead of a not so cool animation.

It will be included in the version 1.2.3 update that will be submitted to your favourite device store in the near future. Oh, we just made a video with the original Lemmings graphics so you could remember that lovely popping sound and put a smile on your face.

- version number to 1.2.2
- bugfix: should not show tutorial overlay on non-tutorial levels (repeat)

bbx (blackberry playbook):
- tweaked and updated for blackberry 10 device support (150x150 icon et al)

- version number to 1.2.3
- do not show tools (on toolbar) that are not available in a level
- implementation of "classic" particle explosion for retro goodness

Due to the size of the update and long approval times we didn't release version 1.2.2 on all platforms - however, the next update will be pushed out to all platforms at the same time.

>> CAVEMAN - apprewards club promotion (iOS)

Mobile 1UP has made Caveman free for a limited time only!

In collaboration with App Rewards Club, an alternative to allow applications to get noticed and visibility - Caveman will be FREE for a limited time! Caveman HD is a must if you have an iPad device - take this opportunity to test Caveman free and upgrade for the best experience on the iOS platform!

www.apprewardsclub.com

Participate in their comments competition to have a chance to win a $10 iTunes gift card.

>> toucharcade forum promotion winners

Mobile 1UP recently ran a competition on the toucharcade forums to increase awareness for Caveman / Caveman HD by running a promotion for writing reviews of the lite versions of the application. There were a tonne of entries, it was very difficult to choose the winners!

The winners received a $15 iTunes gift-card to spend on more stuff!

Lemmings re-imagined
Nostaliga aside, this Lemmings makeover arcade game is kind of a cerebral puzzle game. Your caveman are dumb like robots. So you need to be smart to guide them to safety. You assign simple tasks for them. Different skill sets are needed in combination to get them safely to their exit portal. You get to play 10 levels in this freebie demo. The first few trainer levels are kind of a no brainer but the last 3 "easy" levels are a bit challenging. I noticed that the placement of bridge in level 10 has to be exact. A little off and the caveman will turn around. I can only imagine how difficult the full game may get with medium, obscure, and insane categories beckoning. Fortunately the developer has a secret YouTube channel that you can "consult" should the challenge become too frustrating.

THE Best iOS Lemmings Port
This is seriously THE Best iOS Lemmings Port. Whether you've played Lemmings or not, you are going to love this game. You basically have to play god and save the cavemen from mindlessly killing themselves or ending up in a dead end. Quick thinking & master planning is needed to guide them to the exit. Assign unique characteristics that help solve the puzzles and avoid obstacles on the way. The graphics and music are funky with a retro spin. This is the real deal as it is brought to you by the original lemming guys themselves :) Accept no imitations if you are a lemming fan!

Cavemen Rock!!
I am so glad I came across this Lemmings remake - it is just as addictive as the original! I remember spending hours cooking up ways to make my lemmings do my bidding. Now I get to relive all that frustration and exhilaration through cavemen. This is such a BRILLIANT concept. Just make a pathway to the exit and get as many of the cavemen out as you can. You'll have to sacrifice a few along the way - but thats part of the fun. If things get too out of hand - there's always the nihilistic bomb.... These sheeple dont have minds of their own - they just do as they are told so it's up to you to save them! I LOVE the graphics and the music. Some of the levels are really hard and you'll have to redo them a couple of times. everything just adds up to great gameplay. The Dev's have been really generous and there are 10 complete levels without adds in this lite version. The full has 120 to unlock. Absolutely worth the upgrade.

Lemmings just became cooler!!
This is by far the coolest Lemmings remake. The caveman theme, graphics and music fit perfectly. These numbskull cavemen can't find the exit - so you have to assign them skills and lead them past obstacles and roadblocks till they march their way to freedom. I love putting it on superfast mode and watching those crazy guys bump around till they file past into safety. And watching them dig through the ground and float down with their umbrellas is a hoot. This will be easy to pick up if you've played Lemmings, if not - don't worry, there's a very detailed tutorial and the first few levels are easy so you know what it's about. After that you'r on your own!! The first 10 levels in this lite version are pretty straightforward. It's when you unlock the higher levels in the full version - THAT'S when you need to get your thinking caps on! I also tried the game on my ipod - but this ipad version is way cooler and easier to use.

Safely Herd your Clueless Cavemen to the Exit
This is a really fun puzzler. The caveman theme & retro graphics are a nice touch. Safely lead your cavemen past obstacles by giving a select few special properties. If you're not careful they tend to swarm like ants!! I never played Lemmings as a child - so I can't compare - but if that game is half as fun as this then I'll have to go ask my cousin to dust of his old copy :) I love the challenging levels - I've not been able to beat them all perfectly yet, but I'm working on it! This lite version has 10 advert free complete levels. The full version is HD & optimized for the iPad. Definitely worth getting if you are a fan of unique puzzles.

Mobile 1UP enjoyed running this promotion - it was exclusive to the toucharcade forums (iOS, gaming community). The forums have been a great help for indie developers so this was a gift back the community. Review the submissions and discussions over in the forums:

CONTEST: 5x $15 itunes gift cards - Caveman Lite / Caveman HD Lite

Mobile 1UP wants to thank all the participants for their support and dedication!

>> CAVEMAN / CAVEMAN HD VERSION 1.2.1

Mobile 1UP received some welcomed feedback and bug reports - thanks!

- version number to 1.2.1
- added a threshold for touch panning to prevent sudden jumps in the display
- improvement to toolbar character animations (reset on change, floater)
- bugfix: bashing near ice/stone can get caveman stuck in walk (spinning)
- bugfix: builder (left) sprite presentation order issue (first half reversed)

Mobile 1UP has submitted new binaries for review and they should be published in the upcoming days (depending on the platform review process). This is an update for all platforms: iOS, webOS, BlackBerry PlayBook and Mac OSX - keep an eye out for it.

>> CAVEMAN HD - MAC OSX!

Mobile 1UP is happy to announce Caveman HD for Mac OSX!

$9.99 USD (or equivalent)

Mobile 1UP made extensive changes and adaptions to the mobile version of the game specifically for the desktop computer - utilizing the keyboard, mouse and different user expectations. The Mac OSX version is the first - version for Windows and Linux are planned.

>> CAVEMAN / CAVEMAN HD VERSION 1.2.0

Mobile 1UP received some welcomed feedback and bug reports - thanks!

- version number to 1.2.0
- auto cancel fast forward mode in critical game moments (death, et al)
- adjustment to level summary screen (MENU ... CONTINUE/RETRY) as options
- improvement to initial viewport based on entry/exit locations
- added level completion indicators (xx/30) on the main menu screens
- added animations to toolbar on the active caveman tool (via caveman)
- added in game helper guides/tips to the seven tutorial levels
- bugfix: "paused" text should be an overlay, centered on the display
- bugfix: correction to game save state (mask, brick) persistance/restore
- bugfix: "timewarp" levels should not be considered for game history

webos (pre, touchpad):
- improvement to touch event handling (accidental taps, assign, panning issues)

ios (iphone, ipod touch, ipad):
- universal build for 480x320 to provide auto scaling to 960x640 on iPad

bbx (blackberry playbook):
- changes to timer/thread mechanism to minimize sporatic game freezes

Mobile 1UP has submitted new binaries for review and they should be published in the upcoming days. We had a small issue with out Mac OSX version showing an iPad in the tutorial, so we had to fix that and it is also going through the review process right now.

We will also start working on a trailer to help drive up the interest and we hope we can get some publicity so everyone can enjoy the game! Please do keep sending us feedback, as you can see we have made a number of user-driven changes to the game!

>> CAVEMAN / CAVEMAN HD VERSION 1.1.1

Mobile 1UP received some welcomed feedback and bug reports - thanks!

- version number to 1.1.1
- tweaking of touch bounding boxes (controls) within game and menu
- placement of "||" (pause) as larger area to allow better usage
- 480x320: corrections to level foregrounds (13,24,25,27) - mask mismatch

Mobile 1UP has submitted new binaries for review (update: all approved). In addition to the full versions, all mobile platforms now have LITE versions (100% free, 10 levels included) for you to give the game a test run before making a decision to purchase it.

Please do keep the feedback coming in! A number of great improvements and suggestions are coming up - some already implemented. Mobile 1UP will post more information here on the blog once new versions are available and features/suggestions have been integrated.

Mobile 1UP is eagerly awaiting the approval of Caveman HD for the Mac AppStore™ - we hope it will be welcomed by all, a number of changes have been made to make it desktop friendly. Available soon if all goes well with the review process.

>> CAVEMAN / CAVEMAN HD VERSION 1.1

Mobile 1UP received some welcomed feedback and bug reports - thanks!

- version number to 1.1
- bugfix: cases where auto tutorial displayed after playing levels
- bugfix: double tool assignment when another tool runs out
- bugfix: assign via tool bar selection not functioning correctly
- pressing +/- no longer interferes with the smoothness of the game

Mobile 1UP has submitted new binaries for review - we hope to see the update start rolling out to your devices in the upcoming days (two weeks when it comes to iOS). In addition for all the mobile platforms supported, LITE versions (completely free) have been submitted so you can get a feel for the game about before purchasing it.

>> NEWSLETTER - 2011-07-20

Mobile 1UP's latest newsletter is now available online: 20110720-newsletter.txt

>> CAVEMAN / CAVEMAN HD (iOS)

After 11 days in the review process/queue - the Apple review gods have approved the iOS versions as well - making the game available for the iPod Touch / iPhone ($2.99 USD) and the iPad ($4.99 USD).

>> CAVEMAN HD - MAC OSX (DESKTOP)

Mobile 1UP promised desktop versions of Caveman HD - Mac OSX first!

To provide the best experience the game runs as a full screen application (1024x768 stretched) and we have made a number of adaptations from the mobile version to the desktop version (mouse, keyboard et al).

The Apple Mac App Store only provides distribution for Intel Mac OSX computers running Mac OSX OSX 10.6.6 or later however we have also built versions for PowerPC and Intel - which we will distribute via our own online store. The desktop version will be $9.99 USD.

In case you have not noticed, the game is already available for the BlackBerry Playbook ($4.99 USD), Palm Pre/Pre 2 ($2.99 USD) and the HP TouchPad ($4.99 USD).

We are praying to the mighty Apple gods iOS - lets hope they review and approve soon!

>> CAVEMAN / CAVEMAN HD VERSION 1.0 - YAY!

Mobile 1UP has just spent the weekend working hard finishing up Caveman!

As you can see; there are THREE (3) PLATFORMS in the review process right now; bets are on the BlackBerry review process finishing first; then webos (due to technical issues during submission) and followed up with iOS.

Keep and eye out for it in your local App World, App Catalog and App Stores!

>> BLACKBERRY 10 WORLD JAM TOUR + CAVEMAN HD!

Just in case you haven't heard - Mobile 1UP has been touring the #bb10jam's in EMEA!

Mobile 1UP has been demonstrating Caveman HD 'as it gets developed' - so far at the Barcelona, London, Berlin, Warsaw and the Dubai event that is scheduled for next week. The biggest hit at the show is the "easter egg" unlock code (this code will change daily btw).

Mobile 1UP wants to give you all an update as to what has been going on in Caveman and Caveman HD over the last year (yes, it has been an awful long time - but the wait will definitely be worth it). Let's look at some statstics on the code base:

/Users/ardiri/development/mobile1up.com/caveman/tags/v0.9.2
Aaron-Ardiris-MacBook-Pro:v0.9.2 ardiri$ du -hs
1.4G	.

compared against ...

/Users/ardiri/development/mobile1up.com/caveman/trunk
Aaron-Ardiris-MacBook-Pro:trunk ardiri$ du -hs
5.0G	.  

That is a whopping 5.0 gigabytes of assets/code! As part of the version 1.0 launch we have created solution videos (1024x768) of every single level - which comprises around 3.0 gigabytes of that asset base (H264 MP4). Some of these levels are tough and wont be "simple" - so everyone will be kept busy for hours on end!

The following is the CHANGELOG.TXT for Caveman / Caveman HD

- version number to 1.0
- zoom option: get a closer look at what is going on
- lock option: pick a caveman, follow him to avoid assigning wrong caveman
- tool selection: hide used, ensure one is always selected (if possible)
- allow holding of +/- to increase/decrease release rate (no more tap-tap-tap)
- alpha-blending optimizations (pixelation errors corrected)
- correction to bashing/mining logic (allow early exit if path is clear)
- correction to bashing/digging mask to allow "bash/mine/dig" transitions
- correction to building logic (continual, straight build line possible)
- correction to blocking logic (top of screen, special cases)
- correction to mask drawing leaving "pieces" behind on screen
- clarification of "tool assignment" language on OPTIONS screen
- correction to "background" art: easy: 10,24 medium: 1,9,27 (missing layer)
- correction to various levels (part of re-order and balancing)
- added a tutorial (how to play) section to the application for newbies
- implemented save state of game (so can pause, exit, re-open and resume)
- must complete a level pack before unlocking the next (no cheating!)
- removed 'flip display' option (auto rotate supported); now unpause on touch
- tweaking of touch event sensitivity to prevent mis-firing of actions/tools
- buffer-underflow fix for build/explode/dig/mine/bash at the top of screen
- added 'secret' timewarp codes to unlock all levels
- added 'lemmings' tribute easter egg timewarp code (changes daily)
- +30 levels (OBSCURE SET) - yippee!
- +30 levels (INSANE SET) - yippee!
- re-ordering and balancing of all 120 levels to match the difficulty

The CHANGELIST.TXT includes a number of bugs that have been reported and added a tonne of new features/functionality - but let's not forget the all important rounding off the game to the milestone of version 1.0.

Mobile 1UP will be uploading a version for release/review in the upcoming days!

Mobile 1UP will keep you posted - let's hope the submissions go through without problems!

>> CRONK AVAILABLE ON BLACKBERRY APPWORLD™

Well - that was quick! (SDK, porting and publishing).

Mobile 1UP has successfully posted Cronk to BlackBerry AppWorld™ to extend the selection of devices supported by the cross-platform framework. It is available for $2.99 USD or the equivalent local currency.

BlackBerry AppWorld™ : Cronk

>> BLACKBERRY 10 / PLAYBOOK

Caveman HD running on a BlackBerry Playbook:

Mobile 1UP has successfully ported to BlackBerry 10 (Playbook) devices - it was not that difficult (BPS, POSIX, asound), a small break while going the final play testing (and video recording to prove/ensure solutions) of all remaining levels.

Mobile 1UP will also be at the Nordic Game Conference on May 23-25, 2012.

>> ALL 120 LEVELS COMPLETED!

Mobile 1UP has finally generated all 120 Caveman levels!

To give you an idea of what is involved; look at the statistics below - the uncompressed assets vs the compressed assets (precious space on device) and the amount of time it takes to generate the final assets for distribution.

:: 480x320                          :: 1024x768
   original size:    167Mb             original size:    529Mb
   compressed size:  75Mb  (44.9%)     compressed size:  170Mb (32.1%)
   time to build:    78 mins           time to build:    266 mins

Mobile 1UP is now doing the play testing and recording of the solutions to ensure that the game is 100% solvable - a tonne of new features have been added so this update will be hitting to application market places well received.

>> MESSAGES ARCHIVED

older blog entries have been archived and are no longer relevant or visible.