Blog Link
http://blog.smallworlds.com/2009/03/15/a-sneak-preview-smallworlds-13-release/
Some pretty interesting stuff
Its been getting so loud that neighboring businesses have been complaining about the noise. The combination of hard drives straining under the increased load of 3D art creation, programmers cursing in binary (which sounds surprisingly poetic), and the collective sound of a million keystrokes an hour - these periods right before a new release have their own special brand of intensity at SWHQ.
Despite the secrecy, SmallWorlds reporter Honesty Blaize was determined to get in and find out what was going on. We sent her to infiltrate the development team with Danish pastries and coffee for all. These (in combination with her considerable powers of persuasion) resulted in her being able to bring you a special sneak preview report. There was no doubt that the development team kept a few of their secrets hidden, but she has some exciting news to share about the 1.3 release! Over to you, Honesty
SmallWorlds 1.3 Release Preview
by Honesty Blaize
Greetings all SmallWorlds citizens! This week Im bringing you a sneak preview of some awesome additions to your favorite game. And whats more, I know the developers didnt tell me everything. As I walked around, I noticed a corner of the SmallWorlds development studio had a flurry of activity around it. I walked over and was quickly ushered away I intend to return next week, with more food (it seems to work!), determined to get the full story. Heres what they did let me in on:
Improvements to social network support
In addition to Facebook and Bebo,
you can now install SmallWorlds as an application on two of the biggest Opensocial based networks: social networking site Myspace, and Ning, an online platform on which users can create their own social websites and networks.
Improvements to SmallWorlds Chronicle
Great news! The newspapers going to have an improved Enter World interface. As you can see from the image below, you can now flip through all your avatars and choose which one to use, right from within the Chronicle! You can even select to bring your pet into world with you (or not), direct from the newspaper.
Youll also have the ability to quickly access the SmallWorlds Chronicle, without leaving the room youre currently in. Instead of hitting the Home button, just click the Launch the Chronicle icon (indicated by the red arrow on the left).
The Chronicle will be Growing
They tried to hide it, but I managed to peek. The developers at SWHQ are working on expanding the SmallWorlds Chronicle. It may not be ready in time for the 1.3 release, but more pages, sections, columns and features will be added not long after. And pretty soon, my bosses at the Chronicle will be asking you to send in your contributions. Thats right, youll be able to send in your poems, articles, pictures, or whatever, and they could be published for all to see. So polish those screens, sharpen up those mice, and watch out for more details coming soon in the Chronicle your favorite morning newspaper.
Time for some Mood Lighting
Interior Design consultants will tell you its all in the lighting. Now SmallWorlds gives you the power to create a space with even greater impact and style, with these new special lighting effects. Hey, the light even goes on when you open the fridge door!
Rooms can be dark, with lit areas - creating true ambiance. Lighting can be configured to change as the day progresses from day to night. Lights will be able to be tinted (colored), and objects that emit light (lamps, candles, fireplaces) will now actually light up the areas around them.
I managed to sneak out of SWHQ with a picture of one of the test rooms where many of the new lighting effects were being tested and refined. You can see how the lamps and candles not only glow but actually cast their light on the darker areas surrounding them.
Ill be doing a more detailed report
on the new lighting feature in an upcoming report, explaining just how it all works, and giving you some great ideas for using light in creative ways to help you create some real atmosphere in your SmallWorlds spaces.
And I dont want to scare you, but while I was checking out the new lighting effects, I found some ninjas sneaking around in the dark. First vampires, and now this! You just never know what will happen when the lights go out.
Three Different Ways to Burn up the Dance Floor! (VIP)
Ever wished for a little more flexibility in your moves when youre hanging out in any of the SmallWorlds dance clubs without first needing to go back and create a new move inside the dance studio?
Now, within the dance studio you can create three dance moves for each VIP Club avatar, and then choose to dance em in-world! So, you can choose dance 1, quickly swap to dance 2 and then 3 WooHoo! (did I shout that out loud?). Burning up the dance floor is about to take on a whole new meaning in SmallWorlds.
Improved Missions User Interface
Rich Text Editor
When youre creating missions, youll now find a rich text editor for the missions panel (the dialogue boxes that players see when doing the mission). Youll be able to add boldness, italics, underlining and font color. Size and type of font changes will not be possible as this can cause clarity/layout issues.
Mission Dialogue Box Style Options
When you are designing your missions, you can now choose between three options for the mission dialogue box: past, present and future! Ive pictured the three options below: a medieval-styled one, a futuristic option and the third to reflect our current position in the space-time continuum.
Resizeability - Caring for Those Older PCs!
SmallWorlds 1.2 displays a larger area than version 1.1. This looks great, but can be slower on older PCs. SmallWorlds 1.3 will have the ability to easily switch between the smaller and larger display areas. There will be a Minimize button at the bottom right of the window, where the Rotate and Zoom buttons are. This means you can now easily reduce the size of
the in-world display area back to the original smaller height, speeding it up for less powerful systems. Great, huh!
Next Assignment - Full 1.3 Release report
Thats all the information I could get out of them, honest! Perhaps if I turn up swathed in green, spouting Gaelic and dancing an Irish jig theyll mistake me for a leprechaun and let me in for another look. Somehow, some way Ill get the full story and be back to give you a full report, giving you the complete story on the 1.3 release - coming soon to SmallWorlds!
~ Honesty Blaize
http://blog.smallworlds.com/2009/03/15/a-sneak-preview-smallworlds-13-release/
Some pretty interesting stuff
Its been getting so loud that neighboring businesses have been complaining about the noise. The combination of hard drives straining under the increased load of 3D art creation, programmers cursing in binary (which sounds surprisingly poetic), and the collective sound of a million keystrokes an hour - these periods right before a new release have their own special brand of intensity at SWHQ.
Despite the secrecy, SmallWorlds reporter Honesty Blaize was determined to get in and find out what was going on. We sent her to infiltrate the development team with Danish pastries and coffee for all. These (in combination with her considerable powers of persuasion) resulted in her being able to bring you a special sneak preview report. There was no doubt that the development team kept a few of their secrets hidden, but she has some exciting news to share about the 1.3 release! Over to you, Honesty
SmallWorlds 1.3 Release Preview
by Honesty Blaize
Greetings all SmallWorlds citizens! This week Im bringing you a sneak preview of some awesome additions to your favorite game. And whats more, I know the developers didnt tell me everything. As I walked around, I noticed a corner of the SmallWorlds development studio had a flurry of activity around it. I walked over and was quickly ushered away I intend to return next week, with more food (it seems to work!), determined to get the full story. Heres what they did let me in on:
Improvements to social network support
In addition to Facebook and Bebo,
Improvements to SmallWorlds Chronicle
Great news! The newspapers going to have an improved Enter World interface. As you can see from the image below, you can now flip through all your avatars and choose which one to use, right from within the Chronicle! You can even select to bring your pet into world with you (or not), direct from the newspaper.
The Chronicle will be Growing
They tried to hide it, but I managed to peek. The developers at SWHQ are working on expanding the SmallWorlds Chronicle. It may not be ready in time for the 1.3 release, but more pages, sections, columns and features will be added not long after. And pretty soon, my bosses at the Chronicle will be asking you to send in your contributions. Thats right, youll be able to send in your poems, articles, pictures, or whatever, and they could be published for all to see. So polish those screens, sharpen up those mice, and watch out for more details coming soon in the Chronicle your favorite morning newspaper.
Time for some Mood Lighting
Rooms can be dark, with lit areas - creating true ambiance. Lighting can be configured to change as the day progresses from day to night. Lights will be able to be tinted (colored), and objects that emit light (lamps, candles, fireplaces) will now actually light up the areas around them.
I managed to sneak out of SWHQ with a picture of one of the test rooms where many of the new lighting effects were being tested and refined. You can see how the lamps and candles not only glow but actually cast their light on the darker areas surrounding them.
Ill be doing a more detailed report
on the new lighting feature in an upcoming report, explaining just how it all works, and giving you some great ideas for using light in creative ways to help you create some real atmosphere in your SmallWorlds spaces.And I dont want to scare you, but while I was checking out the new lighting effects, I found some ninjas sneaking around in the dark. First vampires, and now this! You just never know what will happen when the lights go out.
Three Different Ways to Burn up the Dance Floor! (VIP)
Ever wished for a little more flexibility in your moves when youre hanging out in any of the SmallWorlds dance clubs without first needing to go back and create a new move inside the dance studio?
Now, within the dance studio you can create three dance moves for each VIP Club avatar, and then choose to dance em in-world! So, you can choose dance 1, quickly swap to dance 2 and then 3 WooHoo! (did I shout that out loud?). Burning up the dance floor is about to take on a whole new meaning in SmallWorlds.
Improved Missions User Interface
When youre creating missions, youll now find a rich text editor for the missions panel (the dialogue boxes that players see when doing the mission). Youll be able to add boldness, italics, underlining and font color. Size and type of font changes will not be possible as this can cause clarity/layout issues.
Mission Dialogue Box Style Options
When you are designing your missions, you can now choose between three options for the mission dialogue box: past, present and future! Ive pictured the three options below: a medieval-styled one, a futuristic option and the third to reflect our current position in the space-time continuum.
Resizeability - Caring for Those Older PCs!
Next Assignment - Full 1.3 Release report
Thats all the information I could get out of them, honest! Perhaps if I turn up swathed in green, spouting Gaelic and dancing an Irish jig theyll mistake me for a leprechaun and let me in for another look. Somehow, some way Ill get the full story and be back to give you a full report, giving you the complete story on the 1.3 release - coming soon to SmallWorlds!
~ Honesty Blaize
