Seethingswarm has done it again!

Hobo 3 is ready for release! Hobo 3 continues with the story line where Hobo is a wanted fugitive after escaping from prison, and the government wants him dead or alive.

Some of the new features include:

• Vending machines with unlimited amounts of bottles to throw
• GUNS!! Kill and be killed by pistols, pump-action shotguns and sub-machine guns!
• 3 new combo moves to unlock
• And last but not least, a new end boss..

Make sure to go to Armor Games on Thursday to check out Hobo 3! This is a game that will be played by many!

Here are the two previous versions of Hobo:

Hobo

Hobo Prison Brawl

Armor Games would like to introduce a new and upcoming game by the name of Planet Noevo, developed by Louissi himself! We had the chance to receive the inside scoop on what to look for in Planet Noevo.

Louissi, can you tell us a little about Planet Noevo?

Planet Noevo is a survival shooter, run n’ gun type game that include  great key elements that make this game really enjoyable to play.!

What are some of the key elements gamers can expect to see in this game?

I have featured a diablo style inventory that has around 30 different items the inventory itself. Along with that, gamers will experience nonstop action on a very big landscaped map. I have also included a base with a lot of upgrades, a stats system, and a continuous time with day and night. As far as battle, there are over 20 aliens rushing you as a horde.

As a developer, what are your expectations for the game?

I expect Planet Noevo to be really fun to play, and to replay. There is many different angles in the game, and you will be tempted to play this game more than once just to see if your strategy is the best.

Is there an idea of when Planet Noevo will be released for play?

I would say within the next few weeks you could expect to see PN!

Make sure you stay on the look out for Planet Noevo on Armor Games. This is a game that is not going to disappoint!

Microboats is a game currently being developed and will be featured on Armor Games very soon! Armor Games had the chance to talk to the developer himself, Tony, to find out what to expect from the new game.

Tony, what is Microboats?

It’s a competitive racing game where you can play as one of 5 characters racing around several courses with obstacles, jumps, speed boosters etc in order to win.

What can gamers expect when playing Microboats?

One of its main features is the ability to race several ghost replays of friends at a time to make it even more competitive, and level up your boat as you go for more power/speed. Also, as mentioned before, there are 5 characters with the option of racing on several courses that include different obstacles as well.

Is there anything additional you would like to highlight about Microboats?

The artwork is being done by Anton Karlov, the excellent artist behind mining truck. I also intend on having several subtle 3D objects around to nicely compliment the area without getting in the way of gameplay. Also, my expectations are for it to be a fun experience to play alone and addictively competitive when using the Armor games Gamesharing system to compete with your friends.

Is there a release date set for Microboats?

The release date is within the next two weeks time, so not much of a wait!

Keep a look out for Microboats on Armor Games. This is a competitive, addictive game that you do not want to miss!

As part of our ongoin effort to bring you closer to the people behind Armor Games we sent off 10 questions to Larry Root, the Head of Web Development (Armor Games user lroot). He was kind enough to provide the following responses. We hope this helps shed some light on his role here as well as provide a small glimpse into the future of Armor Games.

Could you introduce yourself and tell us a little about what you do at Armor Games?

My name is Larry Root and I am the Head of Web Development at Armor Games. This role basically means that I am responsible for the technical development, maintenance and architecture of our online services. This includes the website, in game services like high scores & game shares as well as new online features still in development.

What was the first programming language you learned and how were you exposed to it?

The first language that I was exposed to was probably BASIC. My dad was, among many things, a programmer and we always had a computer in the garage (not sure why it wasn’t allowed in the house). He would purchase programming magazines that would contain the source code for simple games written in BASIC. I would copy the source code by hand into our old Intel 8088 DOS PC and eventually with a little luck and a lot of debugging I could play these games.

I would not say I ever “learned” BASIC I was not capable of writing anything from scratch. The first language that I officially learned was probably ADA when I attended Fullerton College. I haven’t used it since but that was my first real introduction to structured programming concepts and object oriented principles.

When did you realize web programming was something you wanted/would do?

That was something I decided on while attending college in San Francisco at the Academy of Art University (I transferred from Fullerton College). Growing up I had always been drawn to both computers (system moding, gaming, BBS’s) as well as the arts (drawing & illustration). Discovering photoshop brought both of these passions together and I new that a creative, digital medium was something I wanted to do. So off to San Francisco I went.

My major at the time was called “Interactive Digital Media”. It was a broad study of creative digital media including desktop publishing (illustrator, photoshop), Video editing (SGI Oxygen systems), Director (and advanced Lingo programing) as well as a relatively new class at the time called “Web Design”. The web class fascinated me because of its newness and its immediacy in publishing and broad reach. Before this I figured I would specialize in CD Rom development of some sort. But the web class changed all that. I started freelancing outside of school doing web projects and eventually landed a job at a small company as a web designer/developer and never looked back.

When did you start working at Armor Games, and how do you like it so far?

My first day at Armor Games was January 26, 2009. Up until this time I had worked for interactive consulting firms for over 10 years doing web development for all sorts of companies and brands (cat.com, nissanusa.com, mazdausa.com, snow.com to name a few). Leaving the consulting field and joining a small team of passionate and inspired gamers was thrilling to me. Being able to work to work directly with the team to shape and implement the future of Armor Games online was both a daunting and exciting challenge. The first few months were busy. Being the only person in house that did web work meant that I did everything. That includes fixing spelling errors to reworking the entire caching strategy for the current site to stabilize slow pages. All in all its been great and I am still as excited as I was when I first started.

You have created many additions and improvements to the site and system so far, what are some of your favorites?

Looking back over the past 1+ years since I started quite a bit of work has gone into Armor Games. The first job was to stabilize the current armorgames.com website. There were many issues with slow pages, especially within the forums section. A rewrite of a some code and a new caching architecture (using Memcached) helped us accomplish that. Armor Games has some ambitious plans so I began architecting and developing a new web platform that would better meet our requirements for the future. The first tangible result of this platform for our users was our in game services which we dub the “AGI” (Armor Games Interface) which of course is a play on the acronym API (Application Programming Interface). This brought High Scores and Game Sharing features into some of our most popular games. We have accomplished quite a lot since I first started and these are just a couple of my most memorable so far.

Do you have any new features planned for the website?

Absolutely. I cant give everything away but I can certainly share a few things. Look for more improvements and features to our AGI (ex: Authentication & persistent game data & stats storage cross browser). Also don’t expect the AGI to be limited to just Flash games either. We are looking to rollout a completely revamped multiplayer platform with new multiplayer games to follow (and yes this includes updating the current Colony multiplayer system). Finally some of you may have seen glimpses of our new brand here and there or have discovered this peculiar site http://beta.armorgames.com. Stay tuned…

When you are not busy working at the office, what are somethings you like to do for fun?

Outside of work I do enjoy spending time with my family (my wife Laura, 3 year old son Owen and 5 year old daughter Amanda). I am also a pretty big computer geek as you might imagine so I do spend quite a lot of time on the computer. I also play ice hockey, something I got into as a kid. I usually play a couple games a week. However recently I suffered my first major injury so I have been off the ice for a bit.

Could you tell us a little more about the Hockey you play? What is your favorite NHL team?

I play most of my hockey at Anaheim Ice, the same place where the Anaheim Ducks practice. I play on the Chiefs. The name was taken from the team in the movie Slap Shot. I would also have to say that I’m a pretty big Ducks fan.

What’s your favorite Flash game? What are your kid’s favorite Flash games?

One of my favorite flash games of late is Crush the Castle Players pack. I spent many hours building all sorts of structures in that game. It was very addictive. Owen is still a bit young for flash games, however Amanda loves just about every game on the Nick Jr.’s NOGGIN site.

Whats are some of your favorite websites? (Besides ArmorGames.com

Most of my social needs are satisfied with:
http://facebook.com
http://twitter.com (@lroot)

For all my geek news and gadget cravings:
http://lifehacker.com
http://slashdot.org
http://boingboing.com
http://gizmodo.com
http://engadget.com
http://digg.com

Some of my web development favorites include:
http://www.alistapart.com
http://www.phparch.com
http://highscalability.com

Here is a teaser showing the illustration of a new character on the upcoming game, Crush the Castle 2. I hope you enjoy!

Everyone in the Armor Games community is raving about Crush the Castle players pack. Now it is time to get a inside look at what to expect from Crush the Castle 2. To get the best inside look possible we had time to catch up with the developer himself, Joey, for some insight on the upcoming game.

What are some of the new features we can expect on Crush the Castle 2?

Crush the Castle 2 will be a refreshed experienced from the ground up. Everything from the castle editor to the trebuchet have been revamped and updated with a new look. Castles will look more detailed, environments will be more expansive, and as always the game will cater very much to the castle builders. New environmental features such as varied terrain and weather will offer a different challenge for players. Creative projectiles will offer more strategy and skill while still keeping the game simple and fun.

What are some of the new changes in game play we can expect?

The castle editor has seen the biggest change overall. With over 300,000 castles shared in the Players Pack alone, I really wanted to create a more robust editor and offer more creative freedom when building castles. With all of the creative and talented castle builders out there, I took it personally to make sure their experience was just as good as the castle crushers.

Is there a release date for Crush the Castle 2?

You can look for Crush the Castle 2 around early may.

Crush the Castle 2 sounds like it has the potential to surpass the original. With a refreshed new look, a higher level of strategy, and a more creative editor; this game has the potential to make players everywhere thrilled when it comes out. Look for the game when it launches on Armor Games in early May.

Exit Path is a game being developed that will be featured on Armor Games. To learn more about Exit Path, Armor Games caught up with the game developer himself, John. This is John’s first multiplayer game he is releasing on Armor Games.

What type of game is Exit Path?

Exit Path is a gauntlet-themed racing platform game that allows 3-4 players to race at once. The idea “Exit Path,” came from or was inspired by European exit signs

What can gamers expect when playing Exit Path?

It is a gauntlet-themed race track set up with multiple distractions set throughout the raceway to make it difficult to reach the finish line. For example, there will be spikes to jump over and treadmills to run on. The purpose of the game is to be the first one to cross the finish line before your competitors. There is a one-player mode offered to gain practice before joining multiplayer as well.

Is there any additional information you would like to share about Exit Path?

Exit path will also be available in BETA multi-player within a few weeks of its actual arrival. For all those who are interested in its release date, Exit Path will be releasing around mid-April.

All gamers should keep their eyes open for Exit Path! This is not a game you want to miss!

Game Distributor/Programmer - New Position Open!

Armor Games is a Flash game portal and developer, hosting thousands of Flash games on our website and producing our own premium games.  We are looking for an individual to jump into an entry-level part-time/full-time position for Flash Game development at our office in Irvine, CA. We develop many games concurrently and we need a qualified on-site individual to aid the end process of getting the games finalized, published, and distributed.  You’ll join an awesome team of developers who love to make and play games, and help our game reach millions of gamers around the world.

Responsibilities:
Implementation of third-party code into our Flash games
Distribution to various Flash portals and websites
General game testing, debug, and feedback

Here’s Some Requirements for the Job:
1-2+ years experience in Flash development, game programming preferred
Strong Actionscript 3 development experience (additional AS2 knowledge is a plus)
Understanding of Object-Oriented Programming
Strong background with Adobe Flash CS3 or CS4 environments
Experience in image editing (Photoshop, Fireworks, etc)
Fantastic interpersonal and communication skills
Work well with other programmers and their code
Understanding of basic game design principles
Internet and computer savvy

And some pluses:
AA Degree, Bachelors Degree, or equivalent
Experience in CSS, HTML, C++, and other programming languages
Mac and PC oriented
Previous experience implementing third-party code

What We Can Offer:
Competitive Pay/Salary
Company Incentives
Health and Dental Insurance
401k
Paid Vacation
Annual events with the company (golf, kart racing, company dinners, etc)
Open snack bar when you get hungry
Fun, casual office environment, and did we mention snacks?

Please send your resumé, questions, or whatever else you want to send us for the job to (DO NOT post it here!):

jobs+games [at] armorgames.com

We’ll get back to you shortly, thanks!

Hi, could you tell us a little about yourself and what you do?
Sure thing! I’m Ido. It’s a tricky one to pronounce, it’s originated from Hebrew. I love video games, and I’m an independent game developer. A highschool student as of today, but this is my last year. Hurray!

When and how did you become involved in Flash game development?
I was always curious about what’s happening behind the scenes in video games. I found video games and interactive worlds inspiring since I was a little kid. Eventually I got my hands on Flash 5 back in the day, and started out as an animator. I was never good at animating but it was fun, and in the long run also useful as I began to program games in Flash, using Actionscript 2 and then 3.

What do you like most about developing games in Flash?
I love how smooth it is to deliver the game to the player, since it’s played online. And everybody’s online. It’s incredible how a single indie production can reach millions. It gives the developer exposure and space to express creativity, while it gives the player a free game to play (well, in most forms). Win-win!

What were some of the first games you developed?
I developed little games in my early Flash years but none of them were worthy of a release. The first game I developed and actually released was the fan made game Portal: The Flash Version with my partner Hen who nailed the graphics. It was my ‘breach’ to the online game scene. I guess that’s how I am here!

Could you tell us about your future game trilogy, Echoes?
Echoes is an action-strategy game. It’s set in an extensive universe on a torn Earth almost three-hundred years in the future. It joins the famous Real Time Strategy genre with many elements from the Third Person Shooter genre, in a side-scrolling environment.
It is explored in three Acts, released as three games. Every Act is built from 5 stages and an unlockable challenge game-mode. Every stage has its own learning curve and objectives, and is loaded with dialogues carrying on the storyline of the series.

What kind of game-play can we expect to see in Echoes?
The gameplay in Echoes is combined. As mentioned, it joins RTS and Shooter. Ingame, this means you can switch live between Strategy-mode and Combat-mode.

- In Strategy-mode, you’re able to construct a base, recruit an army and control them around. To encourage that, some of the resources in the game are collected throughout the map by capturing Control Points.
- In Combat-mode, you’re able to join your army in the mission to repel the enemies. The cursor turns into a crosshair and the camera focuses on the hero - D.e.m. (name is storyline-related). Controls in Combat mode turn into action game controls. Dem is packed with abilities and weapons which he can carry out during the battle, to support allies and resist enemies. So basically you join your own army, and fight with them side by side in Echoes.

Every stage is filled with dialogues and cutscenes, each time revealing more about the universe of Echoes. All dialogues in the game are voiced, not a single line out!

How long has Act 1 been in progress and when will it be released?
We’ve been developing Act 1 and Echoes in general for some time now - the original design is over two years old! Echoes is a massive project, and it was not easy to develop independently, especially not for a perfectionist :). However I’m happy to say it’s a few weeks to release now.

When you are not developing games, what are some things you enjoy doing?
Hmm, random things I enjoy… I enjoy listening to music (I am pretty open about the genres), playing the drums (on and off for around two years), hanging out with mates… and I can drown myself into a 2 hour movie at 4AM after work spontaneously. And when I am not being teeny, I talk: I try to take opportunities to talk in front of a crowd. This is an opportunity that was given to me through the game industry after the first game I released, and I realized it’s a skill I must develop, especially because it’s not natural for me, deep down I’m kinda shy!

————

Thanks for taking the time to answer some questions Ido. We look forward to playing Echoes.

Everyone (and I mean EVERYONE) should fly on over to the screw attack website to check out the awesome video review of Upgrade Complete that was recently posted there.

Upgrade Complete on Screw Attack

It really is nice to get positive feedback in any form for work you do, but when someone goes to all that effort just to provide you with positive feedback (and entertain viewers, of course) it really makes you smile. Upgrade Complete was one of those  games that recieved almost universal acclaim for its quirkiness, most often for how unique the idea behind it all was, when in actual fact the entire project was pretty much moulded around the idea of Johns “Achievement Unlocked”, only taking a jab at a different aspect of gaming. I actually however, quite like the feeling of upgrading items/weapons/computers to run the latest games, so I hope no Upgrade friendly developers took too much offence (The end screen was, at one point, criticised for being too insulting, oh well!).

I hope everyone is having a good year so far, and I’ll be getting back to you very soon with some exciting updates! Thanks to Dan for showing me this great link