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Rich (aka. Deceptikong) made this fantasitc timelapse video of last Saturday’s Sundowner (click through to the original for high-res):
Let’sMakeGames.org Sundowner from Deceptikong on Vimeo.
Thanks to everyone for coming and thanks Rich for the video (it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy)! Look out for our next event in a few months time! 
As the sun sets on a significant period for the Perth game development community, Let’s Make Games has decided to run a sundowner so that everyone can catch up over a drink and a BBQ.
Details:
Here’s a handy Google Map (click the markers for more information):
View BBQs at Matilda Bay in a larger map
We apologise for the late notice compared to our previous events (a number of us have been distracted by recent matters), but we hope to see you there!
Update: Facebook event page.
The second ever Global Game Jam is on this weekend and everyone here at Let’s Make Games would like to wish all participants the very best of luck.
For those of you who don’t know about the phenomenon that is Global Game Jam, here’s a quick summary: 48 hours of unadulterated creative energy poured into collective game development at breakneck speeds by teams all over the world!
Here in Perth, the local site is being hosted at the Joondalup Business Centre. Setup begins at 5pm tonight and submissions must be in by 3pm on Sunday (the event officially ends at 6pm on Sunday – leaving some time to actually play the games!).
Thanks to the efforts of Simon Wittber (aka. Different Methods), Perth is very well represented as a regional centre for game jamming. Perth was the only Australian location for the first Global Game Jam (at which point Simon had already organised two previous local game jams). This year, the Perth site is also being supported by local game developers Rockethands and Subversive Games.
For more information, see: the Global Gam Jam website; the list of participants for the Perth site; the local event schedule; and the official website for the Perth site.
Black Lab Games has just sent out a press release announcing that Star Hammer is now a series AND it includes a new turn-based strategy game: Star Hammer Tactics!
Star Hammer has really been shaping up over the last 12 months and we’re looking forward to see what happens with the (new) franchise in 2010.
Here are the press release and gallery of new screenshots:
PERTH, AUSTRALIA – January 6, 2010 – Black Lab Games is pleased to announce a new game in the Star Hammer series, Star Hammer Tactics, is in development and slated for release in early 2010 for the Xbox 360 via Xbox Live Indie Games.
Star Hammer Tactics is a fast-paced turn-based game of tactical space battles that anyone can learn to play in minutes. In the single-player campaign mode, players will assume the role of a naval strike group commander as they defend the planet Novus from the marauding alien menace known as the Nautilids. Alternately, challenge a friend to a duel to the death in the local multiplayer mode – customize your fleet, then compete for glory and bragging rights!
Featuring a rule set that is deliberately simple whilst still allowing for maximum strategic depth, Star Hammer Tactics is sure to engage and entertain gamers of all persuasions. Achieve victory by outwitting your opponents, and then blasting them to little pieces!
More details, including the latest screenshots and video are available from the Star Hammer web site by visiting www.starhammer.com
About Black Lab Games
Black Lab Games is a boutique game development studio specializing in modern downloadable games with a hint of nostalgic flavor. Headquartered in the city of Perth, Western Australia, the company was established in 2008, and began active development of it’s first title, the episodic Star Hammer action series, in early 2009. For more information about Black Lab Games, please visit www.blacklabgames.com.au
Contact: Paul Turbett (paul@blacklabgames.com.au)
The Perth Game Jam blog recently posted news that registrations for the next Global Game Jam (January 29-31, 2010) are now open. Check-out the blog post for instructions on how to sign-up to participate in Perth. There’s also a page where you can see all the currently registered Jammers.
Game Jams are short-term collaborative game making events. They are great opportunities to meet other (practising or aspiring) game developers with different skill sets (programming, art, music), and to experiment with novel gameplay concepts. The Global Game Jam is a 48-hour event run simultaneously at numerous locations worldwide.
This will be the second Global Game Jam and the fifth Game Jam run in Perth. Simon Wittber is the organiser and driving force behind these local events. This makes him a beacon for the respect and admiration of local game developers.
Here at Let’s Make Games, we would like to commend Simon for his commitment to bringing Game Jams to Perth!
Fizzy.com, the flash game site operated by Sydney-based 3RDsense, has announced a game development competition for 2010.
Game developers can sign-up to the Fizzy GDN (Game Developer Network) to have Fizzy.com distribute their titles, earning them a share of advertising revenue and sales. Like similar sites, game developers retain their own intellectual property and the agreement is non-exclusive (games can be posted elsewhere as well).
The Fizzy Biggest Game of 2010 competition is a year-long competition based on revenue earned through the Fizzy GDN. In a nutshell, the game developer that makes the most money from a game through the Fizzy GDN (between January 1 and December 31 2010), will be awarded an additional $50,000 first prize at the end of the year.
It sounds like an interesting promotion to provide some additional incentive for developers to distribute their flash games via Fizzy.com (and to increase their catalogue of titles). Are any local developers already on Fizzy.com? Or planning to sign up in the near future?
Thanks to Doug for sharing this news!
Our very own Anthony (primarily of Rockethands fame) has started a campaign to promote locally developed iPhone games over the holiday period.
AussieAppSale.com will launch later this week, but the teaser is already up and it’s looking all Australian and awesome:
If you are Australian game developer with an iPhone title on the iPhone App Store, you’re invited to be part of the sale. More details are available in this post to the local PIGMI mailing list… which I’ve included below for convenience:
Hey guys! It’s Anthony from RocketHands here. I just wanted to let all of the iPhone developers on PIGMI know about AussieAppSale, a website I’m organising to help promote Australian made iPhone apps over the Christmas season.
It’s free to participate, all we need is:
* A high-res copy of your App’s icon and its link in the iTunes App Store (typically http://itunes.com/apps/appname),
* That over the promotion period (December 11 to January 2) your app will be on sale,
* And that you’ll help share the love and promote our campaign and fellow aussie developers whenever possible!Placement on the site will be a first-in-best-dressed deal, so please make sure to get back to me as soon as you can! The deadline for the first round of submissions is Thursday 10th, though there will be subsequent additions throughout December if you don’t get back to us straight away.
If anyone is interested or has any questions, please let me know!
-Anthony
It’s great to see these sort of initiatives coming out of Perth. 
Local game development studio Spinfast have released an update to their iPhone cricket game with a whole bunch of upgrades and a bowler expansion.
Here are a few snippets from the official announcement:
Incredible Graphical Upgrades! We’ve remodelled the players and environment, added new animations and an umpire. Improved all game textures and added an “Advanced graphics” mode.
Use a unique gesture-based bowling system that allows you to control line, length, spin (left/right/top/back) and swing, all with a single gesture!
And here are some images (more on their website):
Congratulations Spinfast!
Note: Our next event isn’t going to be for a few months, so we’ve decided to post more local news articles to the website. Please contact us with any local news or press releases concerning the Perth game development community!
Perth iPhone developers Sandbox Software have just released their first iPhone game: Adrenaline Snowboarding!
Here’s a gameplay video showing off some hot 3D graphics:
Here’s the pitch from the developers’ Touch Arcade forum thread:
Sandbox Software is pleased to announce Adrenaline Snowboarding, our first title for iPhone!
Get it from the App Store now: Adrenaline Snowboarding
Take on the role of an extreme snowboarder and shred down the slopes, grind rails and bust out huge aerial tricks. Score big to compete against your friends, or others from around the world.
Features:
* Multiple courses
* Variety of characters including a gnarly looking robot!
* Massive jumps
* Rail grinds
* Mid air grabs and tricks
* Intuitive tilt and touch screen controls
* Online high scores with custom leaderboards
* Adrenaline pumping soundtrack
* Listen to your iTunes music while you play
* Much more coming really soon!
And here are some screenshots:
I guess the only thing left to say is: Congratulations Sandbox Software on the release of your first iPhone game!
iParty 2.0 was a great success with around 100 people attending!
Thanks to everyone who attended (you make organising these events worthwhile), our volunteers (Stewart, Brett, Alex, Saxon, Steve, Nigel, John, Sam, Simon, Anthony), and our sponsors (Different Methods, the Innovation Centre, Subversive Games, Rockethands, Black Lab Games, and Reveries Virtual World):
Special thanks also to all companies that contributed to the showreel (apologies to Binary Space for not getting their “Class 3 Outbreak” teaser in) and to Game Pride for bringing along some laptops to demonstrate their latest game “Boo!”. Thanks also to Ben, who took most of the photos.
Here are some photos from the night in chronological order:
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