Canadiandroid was nice enough to post an interview with me on their blog.
You can read it here: http://www.canadiandroid.com/2011/03/09/an-interview-with-scott-mills-creator-of-volcanic-ascent/
Read MoreThe biggest change will be the re-addition of touch input as an option of controlling the main character (double-tap will jump). I will be adding an options menu to allow you to choose your desired input method (touch or tilt).
I will be tweaking the difficulty a bit, and adding a new exclusive powerup for the paid version (the free version will then get the time-stop powerup).
If you have any feature requests or suggestions please either post them as a comment here, or on this forum: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=969297
Many of the additions to the game started off as suggestions or requests 
.
The first update is out for people that own the full version of my game (update to free version coming in the next few hours), and it is a big one!
Please add a comment to this post and tell me what you think of the changes. Most of what I do for updates is based off feedback.
Full final release notes:
* Completely overhauled most of the in-game graphics
* NEW OBJECT: Coin (adds 200 points on pickup)
* NEW OBJECT: Snowball (moves left to right and hurts you if you hit it)
* Replaced tree with stone
* Added flashing to the ghost powerup to indicate it is ending
* Time stop now fades out instead of abruptly stopping
* Changed max no. of shields to 4
* Improved visibility of shield sprite
* Significantly reduced battery drain in menus, and slightly reduced it while in-game
* Improved performance
* Main character now changes size when jumping
* Now one tap to jump
* Fixed invulnerability exploit
* Changed the way score calculates
* Improved difficulty algorithm and fixed fireball clumping
* Even more milestones
* You can now pick up shields while ghost powerup is active
* Decresed file size by ~200kb
* Several other minor fixes/tweaks
I am hard at work at version 1.1.0. It will be a major update, I am planning on significantly overhauling most of the graphics.
This update will mainly affect the presentation of the game, but will also increase performance (by about another 10-15% overall) and significantly reduce battery drain (I am aiming for about a 40% reduction when in-menu and a 10% reduction while in-game). More info coming soon…
More info:
- The game now has a distinct ‘style’ and I believe it looks a lot more professional.
- I have added more effects for powerups. Time stop now fades out over the last second and everything smoothly increases back up to full speed. The main character now flashes when the ghost powerup has a second and a half left to indicate that it has almost run out.
ETA:
The update is going to have many significant changes (I am heavily modifying the score system, look and difficulty as well as adding a lot of small tweaks here and there and an unannounced surprise…) so it is going to be a lot of work, but I am planning to have it out well within a week.
Read MorePRESS RELEASE
ASCENDED STUDIOS ANNOUNCES THE RELEASE OF VOLCANIC ASCENT – AN ADDICTIVE NEW CASUAL GAME FOR THE ANDROID PLATFORM.
PERTH (AUSTRALIA), FEBURARY 25, 2011 – Newly formed independent game developing team, Ascended studios, announces the release of “Volcanic Ascent” for the Android Market™. This new game will put Ascended Studios on the map as a quality game developer for the Android Market™.
Volcanic Ascent is a casual game centred on an intrepid mountain climber scaling a very dangerous and incredibly tall volcano. The climber must dodge fireballs, avoid pit falls and navigate through the jagged terrain of the volcanic cliff face. The game utilises the popular tilt control system which provides a greater sense of involvement with the game. With the addition of various power-ups along the way, Volcanic Ascent provides many hours of entertainment for all ages.
The full version has been released to the market at a cost of AUD$1.29. This will be ad-free and will include an extra power up and priority updates with more features coming soon. Volcanic Ascent Free will display ads in-game and will include fewer features than the paid version.
Volcanic Ascent is compatible with all mid to high resolution Android™ devices and tablets. Lead designer and programmer; Scott Mills, commented on his game and the quality of the Android Market™. “Through my research, I found that people responded well to games that were simple and fun. The aim of this game was to offer just that; a simple casual game that will hopefully provide many hours of entertainment”.
To try Volcanic Ascent please search for “Volcanic Ascent” on the Android Market™. A video of the gameplay is available here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xb5yxtRkFWg. If you require access to the full version of the game for review purposes please contact me at smills@ascendedstudios.com. For more information please see http://blog.ascendedstudios.com/.
Ascended Studios
Lead Designer and Programmer: Scott Mills
Contact: smills@ascendedstudios.com
Website: www.ascendedstudios.com
Android, Android Market and Google are trademarks of Google, Inc. The names of other companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.
Download a copy of the PRESS RELEASE: http://ascendedstudios.com/downloads/press_release.docx
Read MoreI have completed the release build of ‘Volcanic Ascent’. I also have more information about the differences between the paid and free versions of the game. The full version will be officially launching within a few hours!
The paid version will be called: “Volcanic Ascent“.
The free version will be called: “Volcanic Ascent Free“.
Differences between the Paid version and the Free version:
- Free version will have ads and screen space permanently devoted to ads even if they don’t load. Because of this, the complete version will always have a larger view of the playable area.
- The Free version will always have one less power-up than the complete version (when the game is released it will be Time Stop, and more power-ups will be added with future updates).
- Both versions will have tilt input only, touch input is removed with the next update (except double-tap for jumping). After considerable testing (and altering of the gameplay to more suit tilt input) I believe this is the best way to go.
- The complete version will get different game types with the first feature update. This will essentially be another menu item that will allow fun or silly gametypes such as ‘all fireballs’ and ‘no powerups’ to be played in addition to the ‘normal’ game mode.
- The paid version will get priority for all updates over the Free version.
Change list for 1.0.0:
(note: open to change. Accurate as of 25/02/2011)
* Removed touch input, tweaked tilt input.
* Added new power-up (time slow) for full version.
* Improved performance by ~40% in menus and ~25% in-game.
* Modified help screen, score screen, and menus for overall polish.
* Improved graphics, and added more effects and visual feedback for main character damage.
* Revamped difficulty system and changed the way powerups are spawned.
* Added more milestones.
* Improved the game engine and overall game stability.
* Heaps of minor bug-fixes/other performance tweaks.
Thank you, and I hope you all enjoyed the Volcanic Ascent Beta!
Screenshots:
I have finally (sort of) got my site up and running! I will be posting any news/developments in this blog in future. The full release version of my first game ‘Volcanic Ascent’ will be out in the next few days, so keep an eye out for it!
Read More