GotAPI: Use as You Type API Search Engine

Very often I am knee deep in some DHTML project and I need to remember the syntax for some javascript function or YUI method. This site gives you a ready reference to many of the standard web API's that you'd need during the course of your development. Thanks to hybridhacking for the link.

AIR Cheat Sheets!

TheFlexBlog points to some new PDF files created by Sean Moore to help with Adobe Integrated Runtime (AIR) development. There are also some Papervision3D cheat sheets there.

Find Orphan CSS with Dust-Me Selectors

From the site:
Dust-Me Selectors is a Firefox extension (for v1.5 or later) that finds unused CSS selectors.


It extracts all the selectors from all the stylesheets on the page you're viewing, then analyzes that page to see which of those selectors are not used. The data is then stored in your user preferences, so that as you continue to navigate around a site, selectors will be crossed off the list as they're encountered.

You'll end up with a profile of which selectors are not used anywhere on the site.

SOULFU: Secret of Ultimate Legendary Fantasy Unleashed now free!

Looks like the creator of the cool new 3d RPG SOULFU has released the game for free. You might know him as the originator of Egoboo. Here's a screenshot.

Doing the FlexCamp thing

Sitting here in a crowded room with a bunch of fellow internet developers checking out the new features of Flex and Flash. Sliderocket is really cool, and I just learned about something called mixbook. Can't wait to see what other interesting things will be shown. And hey, I FINALLY got a copy of Flex Builder -- whoo hoo!!

Sliderocket: The Web's Powerpoint Killer

Ted on Flex talks about a new Killer App built in Flex called Sliderocket. It basically takes presentations to a whole new level on the web. Be sure to look at the sample presentation which takes advantage of PaperVision3D!

Out Sick....

Not much stuff to report this week, since I'm out sick. So many great things out there on the web, and I'm too sick to care right now .. bleah.

More LimitlessQuest updates and other stuff later in the week. See yah.

Novlet Collaborative Non-linear Fiction

Have you ever had the desire to write a story, but then after a few paragraphs it sort of sputtered out? If you have ideas like that and want to see your story continue on after you've run out of ideas, try this site - you can collaborate with other folks to create non-linear stories. Interesting idea...

Weekend Fun: Casual Clone Creator

I thought about how it might be fun to create a page that pokes a bit of fun at the phenomena of game "cloning". Whenever a casual game is released and gets a bit of popularity, there inevitably are knock-off games that seek to steal a bit of the thunder.

I thought about it a bit and created an ad-lib style website that will create a casual game for you - complete with genres, style/theme and a catchy game name. Try it out and let me know what you think. If you can think of ways to improve it feel free to comment here.

Miro - free open source internet tv

From Asa comes news of a new free, open, internet tv app called miro.

New Aquaria Footage - on Linux!

Looks like folks who are dreaming of playing Aquaria on Linux may get their wish. Plus you can get an additional peek at the interaction in Aquaria...

Ask the Crowd - What's the best way to do multiplayer in AIR?

There's no link for this blog post... although I wish there was. I need to figure out a method for allowing folks to play and chat with one another via LimitlessQuest. I've been leaning toward doing it via jabber but I want to ask the community. What's the best way to do multiplayer in Flex/Air?

How to OpenID Enable your site

From the site:

This is a step-by-step tutorial guide for implementing OpenID consumer-side support with a web site that already has users with accounts. It will explain how to easily let new users sign up for an account on your site using their OpenID URL and how to let existing users attach their OpenID(s) so they can sign in using them.

Porting JavascriptGameLib to YUI

I've been wanting to bring the Javascript GameLib (open sourced from Scott Porter and Brent Silby's work) into the modern world of javascript libraries for some time now. I've been working to clean up the code a bit, and I now have plans to create a version that works with the YUI libraries. Look for updates as I update the codebase.

AOL AIM Launches Casual Games over IM

Dubbed QQ Games Plugin - AOL wants you to play multiplayer casual games over AIM. You have to download a new beta, so if you are adventurous, check this out. Got this from Gamezebo.

Limitless Quest Update .96006

Tonight's update adds support for dialogs. Walk over to the glowing crack on the floor and you'll see a dialog popup.

More to come!

CodeApollo - Adobe AIR Forums

Although there seem to be many places to discuss Adobe technologies (their forums, etc.) it seems hard to find a place with enough people around to get answers in the same week even as your post. The folks over at CodeApollo are trying to get a critical mass of AIR developers together to talk about all things AIR. Give this site a try and join up if you are interested in learning more about AIR stuffage.

Using Game Desing Principles in Web 2.0

This is an interesting article about the development strategy for Flextor:

From the site:

Flektor took an approach that is more common in the video game development business. Flektor invested time and focus up-front on building a platform (or toolkit) that would enable rapid iteration of the service in the future. The Flektor team wanted designers and product specialists to be able to edit and extend the product line without needing to go back to the development team to make improvements. This parallels the approach to game development where the game engine is built to make graphics adaptations easy. The Flektor team also placed a great emphasis on product quality, as witnessed by a staff of five full-time quality assurance employees.

Huge List of AIR Applications

If you were curious about the kinds of applications that are being created with AIR - this page will allow you to try out many of the ones in the "wild" right now. It even has my RPG listed there :)

AIM WIMZI Widget - anonymous chatting with your web visitors

From Slayeroffice I discovered that AIM.COM is distributing a widget that lets folks who visit your site chat with you anonymously. Sounds interesting!

Dragon Quest Swords movie

Dragon Quest Swords for the Wii is looking really great. I can't wait to try this out.

Graphics for Tile Based Games

There is an awesome collection of graphics for tile based rpgs here. Check it out if you are working on creating a tile - based adventure.

Uses for Limitless Quest

Why am I spending all of my free time working on this janky RPG engine? Well I have plans, bigish plans. I wish that there was already a web version of RPG maker or another web-based rpg tool. That way I could do what I really want to do which is create stories for myself and other folks to explore. Instead I have to create the world I want to play in first.

Here are a few of the ideas I have for Limitless Quest:
1) Create widget versions for the various widget engines.
2) Create a service which allows you to create your own mini-rpgs.
3) Auto-generate a mini-rpg that you can complete in 30 mins or so.
4) Create a DMO (Dually Multiplayer Online Game) where you can play with a friend. One of you will be the "DM".
5) Create a user-generated world where everyone can create new maps on the edges of the current world - other members vote on which maps get added.
6) Allow folks to play "PBEM" or Play by Post games using a graphical UI.
7) Create a persistent world which turns every web page into a "level".
8) Using AIR - have a desktop app that allows you to play a simple RPG anytime you want.

How far will I get with this? Well I will continue to persist and progress till we see results. If you want to help test the engine or give feedback please do!

Aviary: Creation on the Fly

Really creative folks get Adobe AIR and Flex. They "get it". This site seeks to create an ecosystem of creative works along with tools to actually create more stuff. Incredibly ambitious, I heartily support and await big things from these folks. You're looking at the future of (web) apps.

(Hey! That's the Enterprise hidden up there in the sky :) )

Beginner's Guide to Indie Gaming

This post is a great introduction to indie gaming. It's not meant to be a top 10 list or a favorites list, but instead a sampling of what kinds of awesome games there are out there which give you an insane amount of gameplay for free.

Limitless Quest Developer Diary .96006

You cannot say I'm not responsive to feedback :) I have a regular commenter to this site suggest that things are too quiet in the land of Limitless Quest, so I dug around and found how how to add background music. When all of this pulls together this is going to be really interesting. Right now the music is somewhat dorky since it's something I created years ago for another rpg. However, I'll get some better music, plus add sound effects for various things.

Please check out this Adobe AIR based RPG and send me comments!

Limitless Quest Developer Diary .96005

More refinements and I've turned off the logger as it just looks so ugly. Soon, a real game! Next up - items and dialogs.

Limitless Quest Developer Diary .96003

It's buggy, but you can now actually slay the monsters you encounter! There's some wierdness with monsters not disappearing when they should, but they cannot fight back yet anyway so have fun bashing em!

Laszlo iPhone App Newsmatch

Yes, Laszlo does DHTML as well! Check out this cool iPhone application written in Laszlo using their new DHTML capability.

iUI - Javascript Library for IPhone from Joe Hewitt

From the site:

First and foremost, iUI is not meant as a "JavaScript library". Its goal is simply to turn ordinary standards-based HTML into a polished, usable interface that meets the high standards set by Apple's own native iPhone apps. As much as possible, iUI maps common HTML idioms to iPhone interface conventions. For example, the <ul> and <li> tags are used to create hierarchical side-scrolling navigation. Ordinary <a/> links load with a sliding animation while keeping you on the original page instead of loading an entirely new one. A simple set of CSS classes can be used to designate things like modal dialogs, preference panels, and on/off switches.

Let me re-emphasize that all of this is done without the need for you to write any JavaScript. It is meant to feel as though HTML was the iPhone's own UI language.

Galaxy Zoo - my new obsession

I'm sure you've heard of the Mechanical Turk, where you manually do some repetitive task that only a human can do well. And I know you probably know about SETI@Home, which allows you to use your computer to search for extra-terrestrial life. Now there's something that is a bit of a mix of both. You use your talented brain to classify galaxies for a huge project to determine the taxonomy of a staggering amount of galaxies in the universe.

After a brief tutorial you'll find yourself out in space, classifying galaxies. It's surprisingly engrossing.

Papervision 3D Public Beta!

This is amazingly awesome news. If you havent been exposed to Papervision 3D yet you are in for a treat. I have visions of creating a 3d RPG someday, or even just a dungeon viewer :) Anyway - go try it out now - its the future of 3D in Flash.

RIA pedia - blogging about Rich Internet Applications

From the site:

RIA pedia (pronouned ree-ah-pedia) is a site devoted to Rich Internet Applications. We're not talking Web 2.0 stuff, we're talking actual applications developed with technologies like Adobe Flash, Adobe Flex and Adobe Apollo.

Game Boss: User Generated Casual Games

This site appears to be aiming for the casual game developer as well as anyone who has said to themself "I could make a game". With a combination of a game building tool (GBOSS) and a portal site, DigitalBrix seems poised to fulfill the dreams of many wannabe game developers with an easy to use game making tool. Looks very interesting.

The Rise of Branded Applications

Ryan Stewart talks about how branding will be a big factor in the rise of Rich Internet Applications. When the ability to create an app is as easy as making a web page, applications which meet an immediate need will be like commodities. Branded apps which are downloaded, used for a few days and deleted will become like the fast food of applications.

Top 10 Ways to Get Folks to Play your MMO

Yeah the title is different than the actual article, but I think mine is better :) This article talks about ways to make it more easy for potential players to come into your MMO.

Limitless Quest .96001 Update

Another major breakthrough tonight. I revamped the way monsters are created and placed on the level. It's way more efficient and you might see a little speed improvement. Now when you move from level to level the monsters will appear and disappear properly.
Right now the monsters are reset back to their original locations, which I think will be the way the work for the time being.

Next feature, you'll be actually able to do battle!

Adobe AIR: Many Things To Many People

Ryan Stewart talks a bit about Adobe AIR and offers some helpful explainations as to what the heck it is it already. If you are still stratching you head about Adobe AIR you might find this article a bit helpful.

Aptana Updates for Spry and AIR

Here's another Aptana posting that talks about some of the new features and additional sample code.

onAir Weblog

So I guess I'm just becoming an Adobe AIR fanboy. I don't really mind because unlike many forms of fandom, you actually get something in return for your efforts. This site is a blog that will fill you in on what is going on in the world of Adobe AIR. If you can throw together a web page, and can download Aptana you can build cross platform applications.

Experimenting with Web Games (using Haxe)

This is a site which seeks to create games that run both in Flash and as desktop applications. Sound familiar? Only their tactic is to use the Haxe language to compile to a flash app. The site seems pretty interesting.

Building a Desktop App with Aptana, Air, Ext and Red Bull

The redoubtable Jack Slocum gives a high level overview of how to get an application up and running using his JS library along with Aptana and Adobe AIR. He "gets it".

Teknision - the folks who created Finetune Desktop and more

Whoever is working over there in Teknision, they know their stuff. They are creating such things as the AIR based Finetune Desktop as well as the Wii interface for the same company. They are one of those companies that "get it". Can't wait to see what they are working on next.

3D Shooter Created in Javascript in Less Than 5K!

I remember seeing this demo years ago and marveling at it's features. Don't let anyone tell you that it's not possible to create compelling games with just javascript and HTML. This is a Wolfenstein-like game created with just JS and HTML. It doesnt work all that well in Firefox, but it's still pretty cool.