iDevGames

FontForge is an outline font editor that lets you create your own Postscript, TrueType, OpenType, cid-keyed, multi-master, cff, svg and bitmap (bdf) fonts, or edit existing ones. The application also lets you convert one font format to another. (FontForge has support for many Macintosh font formats.) This handy application, is released as open source and available under a revised BSD license. The current downside is that running FontForge requires X windows (Included with Mac OS X.) Hopefully a developer in the community will port it to run under Aqua.

FontForge

http://fontforge.sourceforge.net/

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free,solution,for,font,creation,on,mac,os,x,2

flipCode, a popular resource for game development news, articles, and discussion on the Web, quietly closed down last month after over six years of service. All article and forum archives will stay available (though they are temporarily not available now), but no new submissions of any kind will be accepted.

Kurt, flipCode’s primary editor, left this message on the site’s front page:

As the site’s primary editor, I would personally and sincerely like to thank everyone who’s contributed positively to the site and surrounding community. This site couldn’t possibly have grown to what it was in its prime without your help. I realize this announcement may be a disappointment to many, but I feel I’ve done all I can with this site to serve the game development community over the years. The industry is changing rapidly, as is the face of the web. There are plenty of other game development resources out there (of all shapes and sizes), and more are sure to pop up. I genuinely hope you enjoyed your stay at flipCode, and wish you the best of luck with your future adventures.

Here’s to game development harmony. tips glass

Many former regulars of flipCode have migrated over to DevMasters.net. DevMasters features a game development wiki, forums, articles and tutorials, news, and looks like a great community.

Best of wishes to Kurt, and everybody who made flipCode what it was for the past six years.

flipCode

http://flipcode.net/

DevMasters

http://www.devmaster.net/

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flipcode,closes,its,doors,2

Potrace is a simple to use utility for tracing low-rez bitmap images into high detailed vector graphics which can be resized to any resolution. Whether you wish to create scalable sprites for you games, or merely pump up your 32×32 logo to a more 2005 appropriate 128×128, there are plenty of uses. It is not completely all powerful—it is only limited to two color images. However, the source code is freely available for those wishing to not only see how it works, but perhaps expand on the author’s original idea.

Potrace

http://potrace.sourceforge.net/

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easy,to,use,bitmap,tracing,tool,2

The JME Physics System provides an interface between the Java Monkey Engine and ODE (ODE is an open source, high performance library for simulating rigid body dynamics). It is completely open source and looks to be a simple solution to the complex problem of adding realistic physics to your Java applications and games.

JME Physics System

http://jme-physics.sourceforge.net/index.php?page=download

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java,jme,physics,system,2

On the September 26th broadcast of iGame Radio, the Mac gaming radio program, host Omaha Sternberg talks with Carlos Camacho, Editor-in-Chief of iDevGames. Recently, iDevGames.com has undergone a redesign. Questions about the new site, uDevGames, a new Autumn game programming challenge, the future of iDevGames, and more will be discussed. Also, a review of Dr. Germ by Game Savant. Carlos Camacho is also the founder of the iDevGames website, a site dedicated to independent Mac game development. Dr. Germ is really four games in one. A quartet of puzzle games developed and drafted by Game Savant, Omaha will review this recently released game as part of her series focusing on small independent developers. Omaha will also offer Mac gaming news and commentary, and together with her guest will take questions live from listeners in the iGame Radio chat room (AIM/iChat room name “iGameRadio”). iGame Radio can be heard live on MacRadio from 6 to 7:30 pm Pacific Time, 9 to 10:30 pm Eastern (Tuesday from 0200 to 0330 UTC), and on demand thereafter. Listeners can tune in at iGame Radio web page, where they’ll also find archives of past broadcasts. QuickTime 5 or 6 and a 28 kbps or faster Internet connection are required.

• iGame Radio

igame,radio,carlos,camacho

Chronic Logic has released a patch to bring their blockbuster action game Gish up to version 1.43. Gish is a highly unlikely hero-a 12 pound ball of tar. Save your friend Brea from the horrors below through the powers of… tar. Gish has been showered with awards-among others the Seamus McNally Grand Prize 2005 at the Independent Game Festival. Try it out if you haven’t!

Chronic Logic

http://www.chroniclogic.com

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chronic,logic,updates,gish,2

Ambrosia recently released The Adventures of El Ballo by community members Casey Gatti and Ivan Milles. El Ballo is a classical platform game that dances to the beat of a different drummer: el Ballo. This soon-to-be-hero jumps on the scene with glorious graphics, superb sound and retro gameplay — give it a spin!

The Adventures of El Ballo

http://www.ambrosiasw.com/games/elballo/

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ambrosia,software,releases,el,ballo,2

The Nintendo Revolution, the company’s upcoming new console, is moving closer to living up to its name. Nintendo unveiled the controller for the system at the Tokyo Game Show 2005. In a shocking change, the controller looks like a TV remote control, unlike the traditional game controller look Nintendo arguably pioneered. Held with one hand, it has a myriad of sensors to detect hand movements, allowing the player to control not only directions, but also pitch and yaw, in and out. A D-pad is still present, along with a small number of buttons. Nintendo believes developers will concentrate less on buttons and more on natural movements for game control.

Images available at CNN Money

CNN Money article

http://money.cnn.com/2005/09/15/commentary/game_over/revolution/index.htm

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nintendo,revolutionizes,its,controller

At the company’s Professional Developers Conference this week, Microsoft said it will allow programmers to use its latest front-end development tools to write applications that run on operating systems other than Windows Vista, the forthcoming edition of desktop Windows.

The company introduced Windows Presentation Foundation Everywhere , or WPF/E, software to build applications using Microsoft’s XAML page layout language in conjunction with JavaScript.

Until this week, it was thought that Microsoft’s Windows Presentation Foundation, formerly code-named Avalon, could be used only to build graphics-rich applications on Windows. But because JavaScript runs on many operating systems, developers could, in theory, use WPF/E tooling to target several operating systems.

Apple’s Mac OS will be one of the operating systems supported with WPF/E, as well as older versions of Windows and Microsoft Smartphone, according to Microsoft executives. And other operating systems are planned, said Forrest Key, group product manager in Microsoft’s developer tools division, without confirming plans for Linux support.

http://news.com.com/Microsoft+offers+development+tools+for+Mac%2C+Web/2100-1007_3-5867417.html

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microsoft,offers,development,tools,for,mac,web

A dangerously vague bill passed in the Michigan legislature this year is being attacked by the Entertainment Software Associated (ESA). The ESA claims, “This bill is an effort to substitute the government’s judgment for parental supervision and turn retailers into surrogate parents.”

Some of the text of the legislation in question, Michigan SB 416, have dubious qualities. From the bill:

“(a) drafted research overwhelmingly finds that ultra-violent explicit video games are harmful to minors because minors who play ultra-violent explicit video games are consistently more likely to exhibit violent, asocial, or aggressive behavior and have feelings of aggression.”

Full text of Michigan Senate Bill 416

http://www.legislature.mi.gov/documents/2005-2006/billenrolled/senate/htm/2005-SNB-0416.htm

ESA press release, WarCry Network

http://www.warcry.com/scripts/columns/view_sectionalt.phtml?site=15&id=108&colid=7945

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esa,to,sue,michigan,over,video,games,2