World of Goo, an physics-based 2D puzzle game, is only $4.99 on the Steam online store today (original price: $19.99). There are some other great deals to look out for on Steam’s five-day-long holiday sale, but I wanted to focus on World of Goo, because it’s an incredible game.

I played through the game’s entirety earlier this year and loved every moment of the game.

From World of Goo’s starting screen, it’s already evident that the art and sound design of the game is gorgeous. The music is very frantic and almost sounds like something from Danny Elfman’s early soundtrack catalog (all of the music is done by Kyle Gabler, 1/2 of the World of Goo team). The graphics are very cartoony with bright earthy colors and shades of gray glossed over with oily gobs of goo.

The premise of the game is that these little gobs of goo must be connected together in an infrastructural manner in order to transport whatever remaining gobs to a pipe that transports the player to the next level. Initially, these gobs are only black and can connect to each other permanently, without the ability to detach again, but as the game progresses, different varieties of goo gobs are introduced.

These new gobs can re-attach, catch on fire, catch onto surfaces like Velcro or roll around like large, round boulders. This adds more complexity to the later levels with new methods of connecting goo gobs and reaching new locations.

One of the greater challenges of the game is that these goo gobs aren’t the best building material for large structures, seeing how they are gooey and inherently flimsy. So a player might think that building a large, tilting tower will best reach the pipe at the top of the level, but they will probably have to rethink their strategy after it haplessly topples over into a sad pit of goo. There are also obstacles that can destroy of disconnect goo chains, such as large rotors and bales of fire.

One thing that really struck me about this game is it’s melancholic feel. The game starts out innocent and bold, but slowly, the game uncovers this ominous corporation that shadows the entire game. As the game goes on, levels become darker with more grays and sorrowful music. It was really emotionally moving when I played it, and I’d like to explore the game’s sadness in another post. Watch this trailer, and you’ll pick up on the game’s sorrow immediately:

I don’t have any more to say, so if I have piqued your interest, go buy the game now! Or play the demo first! You only have 18 hours left!

Das Spieleentwickler-Studio 2D Boy brachte vor einem Jahr das enthusiastisch aufgenommene Indie-Game World of Goo. Von Anfang an setzten die Developer auf offene, kundenfreundliche Vermarktung ohne DRM, und akzeptierten Schätzungen, wonach 90 % der Spieler keine gekauften, sondern nur kopierte Versionen nutzten. Zum ersten Geburtstag des Spiels öffnete 2D Boy das Angebot weiter:

Jetzt konnten Fans das Spiel zu einem selbst festgesetzten Preis kaufen, zwischen einem Cent und dem Startpreis 20,00 US-Dollar. Ergebnis der Aktion: Über 57.000 Leute kauften das Game, zu einem Preis von durchschnittlich 2,03 Dollar. Die Entwickler machten also eben mal 100.000 mit der Aktion, abzüglich PayPal-Gebühren von etwa 30 Cent pro Transaktion. Dabei bezahlten 306 Spieler den (ehemals) vollen Preis, über 7000 legten freiwillig einen Fünfer hin, gut doppelt so viele einen bis zwei Dollar, und 16.852 nahmen das Mindestangebot in Anspruch. Die Entwickler sprechen von einem Riesenerfolg, die Aktion wurde bis zum 25.10. verlängert. Auf auf anderen Vertriebskanälen wie Steam stieg die Nachfrage nach World of Goo um bis zu 40 %.

Was für eine Bedeutung hat dieses (erfolgreiche) Experiment für die Entwicklung der digitalen Distribution? Einfache Zusammenfassung: Wenn ein Anbieter seinen Kunden die Freiheit gibt, an der Preisgestaltung mitzuwirken, verdient er eine Menge Geld extra. Das funktioniert deswegen so gut, weil digitale Distribution so gut wie keine Nebenkosten produziert. Also: Wann wechselt iTunes auf das Bezahl-was-du-willst-Modell? Und die anderen Plattformen?

( 2dboy via rockpapershotgun)

]]> http://envanna.wordpress.com/2009/10/22/pay-what-you-want-marketing-experiment/ Thu, 22 Oct 2009 13:09:26 +0000 vannade http://envanna.wordpress.com/2009/10/22/pay-what-you-want-marketing-experiment/

Indie game developer 2D Boy just made an interesting experiment, in which they sold their game World of Goo for whatever price you were willing to pay.

I find this quite interesting from a business standpoint. Considering that most things are freely (if often illegally) available on the internet, I think exploring new marketing strategies is of paramount importance, probably more so for smaller companies than for large companies.

2D Boy wrote an exhaustive blog entry about how the experiment went and they also published an interesting chart on how much people decided to pay:

Click for a larger image.

Many people only paid one cent for the game, (16,852 of them), and 15,797 paid between $1 and $2. They even had a questionnaire later on where they asked people to answer why they paid what they paid, and while many said “That’s all I can afford right now” (which I don’t buy for the 1 cent crowd, as I imagine anyone who can download a video game online could probably do without at least $1), many also said they wanted to support the “pay-what-you-want model”, many said they already had it but wanted it for another platform, too. Some said “I’ve played the game but never paid for it, took this opportunity to get legit”.

They also wrote that their sales of the game on Steam rose 40%, which makes me wonder whether maybe some of those that paid 1 cent for the game decided to buy it for the normal price once they tested and liked it.

I also wonder whether the people that only paid $0.01 would have bought/obtained the game through any other means or whether they wouldn’t have been customers any other way.

It’s also interesting to know that 2d Boy made no money on purchases of around 30 cents and under, as they had to pay PayPal for those purchases, too.

“Since the birthday sale started, about 57 thousand people bought World of Goo off our website. The average price paid for the game was $2.03 a significant percent of which went to PayPal for transaction fees. Normally, they keep about 5% of the revenue, but because PayPal fees are structured in a way that they take a larger percentage for smaller transactions, we ended up paying over 13% in transaction fees. For all purchases of around 30 cents and under, we actually saw no money, PayPal took it all, but they probably ended up losing money on most of those transactions ($0.01) as well, they’re not the bad guy.”
(http://2dboy.com/)

At any rate, I suppose this could be a good way to make some money off of a digital “product” few people are buying anymore.

World of Goo

2D Boy asked consumers to name their price for World of Goo until the 19th, but just as it worked with Radiohead, it did with them. Now, in case you still haven’t bought World of Goo, you’ve got a second chance…until the 25th.

If you don’t know what this is about and why 2D Boy and Radiohead have something common, check the previous post “Catering to the Consumer”.

Though publishers, developers, and service providers might worry about tending to their customers, truth be told: In the end it’s about the profit. A business cannot maintain itself without making money and that isn’t something new. The novelty arises when different strategies are used to cater to the consumer and obtain income simultaneously. 2D Boy acted in that sense by allowing customers to pay what they wanted for the game World of Goo for the duration of one week.

The response came through statistics released by 2D Boy via surveys and interestingly revealed that though consumers do care about those developers, publishers (not so much), and service providers who treat them well, in the end it is how much they can afford that matters. According to the sale results, 2D Boy’s Ron Carmel deduced “Few people chose their price based on the perceived value of the game. How much the person feels they can afford seems to play a much larger role in the decision than how much the game is worth.” At the time, 22.7%  of the buyers had confirmed in a post-purchase survey that they paid what they could afford.

It does make a lot of sense that people might think a a game is worth $60 (insert currency here) or more. It also makes a lot more sense that you can’t buy what you don’t have money for or isn’t considered a priority. Entertainment, as a whole, tends to always remain steady among society’s needs, however when choosing between putting food on the table and going to the movies, it is pretty clear which choice prevails. The strategy adopted by 2D Boy and their conclusion reveals that making things easier for the consumer, in this case financially, is extremely more valuable than opting for aggressive anti-consumer measures (such as DRM). After all, when people pay what they can (or want within their limits), buyers are being created where previously there were none. Even if one cent is a meager amount, this means that 17,000 new buyers payed one cent where previously there were none. The same goes for the $1-$1.99 pricing category with at least 16,000 buyers.

Please note that figures might rise and change because the sale has been extended to the 25th.

"Name Your Price" Sale Survey Results

I opted to pay $5 USD (which comes close to $10 Reais) and became part of 29.3% of the buyers. I justified my purchase by selecting the “I like the pay-what-you-want model and wanted to support it” answer and became part of 25.6% of the buyers. In other words, I am also one the buyers that came into existence once the “price bar” declined.  I also said I thought the game was worth around $15 USD (along with 25.9%), which still is less than the usual price. Are we hypocrites? On the contrary, consumers need to dictate what services please them, because by paying for something (or not) they are expressing their priorities. Alternative pricing models, like this one, reveal that it is better to have a (cheap) paying customer than none.

Carmel’s words to Gamastura were especially insightful regarding their perception “I do get a sense … that there is a lot of room for improvement in how games, and in fact, all digital products, are priced. I think the optimal pricing strategy for any digital product is one in which every person pays what they feel is a fair price that they can afford, based on their economic situation, their perception of the value of the product, the balance of their bank account on that particular day.” By acknowledging consumer’s difficulties and particular scenarios, he continues “Neither fixed pricing nor pay-what-you-want even come close to achieving this, however. The answer is elsewhere, but this was our first step in exploring alternative pricing models, not sure what our next step might be yet.“ Regardless of being an experiment, this has definitely been a very important step for business models in the game industry.

Customers want to pay. Customers want to go legit and show their appreciation for a service or product, but they won’t be fooled twice (or so we hope). Show them your respect and their money’s worth, and they’ll show you they care.

Jako, iż ostatnio sobie gram w World of Goo, to napiszę o nim wiadomość.

Przeglądając Gamezillę, zobaczyłem wiadomość, o urodzinowej promocji gry, można ją kupić za wybraną przez siebie sumę, od jednego dolara zaczynając. Promocja ważna do 25 października.

Gra jest godna polecenia, ładna, dwuwymiarowa grafika i przygody glutów, czego chcieć więcej? Tych którzy jeszcze nie mają tej gry w swojej kolekcji, zapraszam do sklepu 2D Boy – producenta tejże gry.

Odnośniki:

Gamezilla, dowiedz się więcej.
2D boy, kup grę.

World of Goo is 1 year old. Happy Birthday World of Goo!

The little indie game from 2D BOY (a team of just 2 guys) decided to celebrate it’s birthday by going almost free.  People could buy the game by paying whatever they felt like: lower limit 0.01$ and upper limit… hasn’t been reached yet. This was supposed to last until  October 19 but, proving to be a huge success, has been extended until the 25th.

Also 2D BOY has revealed the details of how their World of Goo Birthday Experiment went so far. Let’s have a look at the chart below:

As expected, most people paid 1 cent for it, the lowest amount possible. Some of these customers were getting the game a second time, say they paid for it full 20$ price a year ago and now they wanted to get in on another platform without buying it again (or paying just 1 cent). Next we have around 6000 people paying between 2 cents and 99 cents for it. Nothing surprising here until we take in account the next sale spike, for people who paid 1$-2$ for it. And there’s 15000 of them.

Note-worthy are also the 5$ & 10$ price points, people seem to like round numbers much more than paying, say, 9 bucks for it. I was expecting a somewhat bigger number at the 10$ price point, considering what the games’s full price is and that it’s a 1 year old game but you can’t argue with the numbers.

There were also 306 people who paid full price for the game, when they could’ve gotten it for 1 cent.  Weird and fascinating.

The game’s Steam sales also were 40%  up, which is highly unusual. While the game was priced next to nothing on the official website customers bought it via Steam for the full price. This is mostly due to the advertising that the game got during the sale and fans of Steam deciding to make the jump (as you know, games bought on Steam can be downloaded as many times as you want).

Another important piece of information is a survey that customers could take part of, containing, among others, the reason people paid said price for it. The most frequent reason was “I like the pay-what-you-want model and wanted to support it” and, coming in second place “That’s all I can afford right now”. This is very expensive market survey material right here, that 2D BOY is sharing with everyone.

There’s all sorts of interesting data over at 2D BOY (for example they didn’t make any money on copies sold around or under 30 cents, PayPal having higher fees if the price is lower). At the end of the sale (25th October, as long as it doesn’t get extended again) the final results should be revealed.

2D BOY link here, survey results here and you can purchase the game here. Tried to purchase it all day today, had no luck, the servers probably are having a tough time dealing with the demand.

World of Goo: Name Your Price!

Part of being successful on the game industry relates not only to making great games, but also establishing a healthy relationship with your consumer. Many developers and publishers fail to see their gamers as legitimate consumers and when that happens, sales tend to drop. These scenarios have been witnessed before, be it with aggressive DRM implementation or broken promises. On the other hand, allowing for player customization, such as mods and plug-ins, and providing free DLC through ongoing development are known strategies that have led to the growth of loyal gamer communities. No developer or publisher is perfect, but a consensus remains that usually it pays off to treat your customers with due respect.

In this sense, aiming for similar strategies, World of Goo developer, 2D Boy, has just announced that you can name your price for their game. Starting at one cent and normally being charged at $20 USD, customers have now the opportunity to pay what they think their entertainment is worth. Some might may this business strategy is flawed, but RadioHead would disagree. They did it before and simply revealed that new business models demand new forms of pleasing your customer. When it came to World of Goo’s birthday, 2D Boy took the opportunity to come up with a nice surprise. No matter the cost you pay for your Linux, Mac OS, or Windows version, you’ll certainly be sure that the developers are aiming for something than your money. That extra something you’re paying is your potential loyalty. As in the future, it is only natural that we, as consumers, tend to favor those who in the past have done good deeds. Be fast though, their benevolence ends on the 19th. Oh, and 2D Boy, please release the statistics tracked for prices over the week.

Dragon Age Origins: Character Creator

Bioware has also adopted a seen-before-strategy to cater to the customer. However this time unrelated to the music industry. By releasing their Dragon Age: Origins Character Creator, the developer is allowing players to create and customize a player character which they can save and use when the PC game launches. Spore did this before and the number of assets (or weird creatures) created through their Creature Creator before the release of the game was huge. Dare I say it generated a lot of talk and buzz about the game itself, but ultimately (given the reviews on the final product) the creator itself became more popular. Regardless, consumers felt honored by getting the chance to actually create their aberrations before the game was out and make up their minds whether or not they would like to take part once the game hit the shelves. Now you can save hours of character creation before Dragon Age is released and when the game is out, you’ll already be itching for a long time to be playing with your human noble, commoner dwarf, or magi elf. This time, the strategy is not about paying less, but staying in tune with the potential product you’re about to acquire.

In the end, the one that strives is the one who pleases the consumer. No longer are we gamers playing simply for the products themselves but the services that accompany them, be it innovative DLC, up-to-date patches, customizable add-ons, and better integration with a social network.

I’ve finally gotten on the band wagon and purchased World of Goo from the indie developer 2D Boy. Currently, the game is for sale at the unprecedented price of $Whatever-you-think-its-worth.  That’s right.  The game is a year old, and the developers are having a sale from the original price of $20, to a price that anyone can afford. The sale ends on October 19th, so you need to hurry. Is it worth $20? Is it worth less or more? You be the judge. World of Goo is a 2D comic-style game that involves getting the gooballs into a suction tube somewhere on the screen.  How do you do that? You click and drag the gooballs to create structures that resemble crystalline structures, and build your way towards the pipe opening.  Hopefully, you have enough free roaming gooballs left to be sucked into the tube to finish the level. Here, a bridge is being built of gooballs to cross the space between the two land masses.  Oh, a little detail that I forgot.  The structures made up of gooballs are very rubbery as well as being affected by the laws of physics.  So if you make a mass that leans in one direction, eventually it will topple over or sway in that direction! LOOK OUT BOYS! SHE’S TIPPING!!  This is what can happen when you don’t build a sound structure! There are numerous levels, and if you have played Super Mario World, the “world” system is the same.  You have a world made up of several levels, that when conquered, allow you to unlock the next world.  The graphics are cartoonish, and there are numerous hazards to overcome such as goo pools that will suck your gooballs back into them (thereby losing those from play) as well as spinning gears and spikes that will pop or destroy your attempts to build towards the suction tube. To aid you in your gameplay, each level contains a signpost that contains a cryptic message from a mysterious “sign painter” that nudges you in the general direction of the solution. The background music also sets this indie game apart.  It is lively and advances the comical environment that make up the World of Goo.  You may even find yourself tapping your toe to the tunes as the game progresses. Building…building…building… This is another one of those addictive games that you keep coming back to to see if you can better your score by using fewer gooballs to complete a level, or can save just one more of those little rolling balls of goo. Much like Plants vs Zombies, this game grows on you, and really makes you think about how physics will affect your structure and how that can also work in your favor towards your quest to get as many gooballs as possible

Você já jogou World of Goo? Provavelmente, não, mas com certeza já deve ter ouvido falar. Pois bem, o jogo foi escolhido em 2008 como “O melhor jogo independente já lançado”. World of Goo é um game feito pela 2D Boy, e certamente ele é sim um dos melhores game independentes já feitos.

Joguei a demo do jogo, e nossa adorei, tenho até hoje no PC, mas na verdade quem joga ele mesmo é minha mãe ou minha vó, é até minha vó é viciada em game.

Mas vou deixar de lenga, lenga, a questão aqui é que a 2D Boy lançou hoje uma super promoção, mais super mesmo. De hoje até o dia 19, você poderá comprar o jogo pelo preço que desejar, isso mesmo, você escolhe quanto quer pagar por este super game.

O valor mínimo é de 10 centavos de dolores, e o máximo, ah não tem. Se você tem muita grana, não sabe com o que gastar, e deseja ajudar a galera do game, pode pagar até uns 5000 mil dolares para a 2D Boy, ou se você é como eu, uma pessoa de classe média, e que não tem muita condição, pode dá somente uns 50 centavos de dolares. Eu já garantir o meu, não irei dizer quanto paguei para não passar vergonha, mas se você quiser falar, deixe seu comentário ai.

Ae se quiser comprar clique aqui.

World of Goo feiert Geburtstag. Und zwar einen ganz besonderen. Im Rahmen einer Sonderaktion kann man für das Spiel bezahlen, was man möchte. Ab 1 Cent und nach oben offen ist alles möglich.

Das betrifft die Mac, die Windows und die Linux Version.

Die Aktion läuft bis zum 19. Oktober und sollte man das Spiel noch nicht haben, gibt es jetzt wirklich keine Entschuldigung mehr nicht zuzugreifen. Denn man bezahlt einfach was es einem selbst Wert ist.

http://2dboy.com/games.php

Mein Bericht zu World of Goo:

http://apfelblitz.wordpress.com/2008/11/14/mittagspause-world-of-goo/

Gefunden bei maclife.de:

http://www.maclife.de/mac/software/sonstiges/„world-goo“-fuer-eine-handvoll-cents

Το World of Goo στα iPhone και iPod Touch – Gameover.gr
Η 2D Boy ανακοίνωσε ότι το εξαιρετικό puzzle παιχνίδι World of Goo, έρχεται στα iPhone και iPod Touch. “Δεν έχει ακόμη ολοκληρωθεί, ούτε έχουμε ημερομηνία κυκλοφορίας” αναφέρει η εταιρία στο blog της. “Το κάναμε να τρέχει άψογα στο iPhone 3GS και με λίγη τύχη θα το κάνουμε να τρέχει το ίδιο καλά και στο απλό 3G.[next]

World of Goo e една изключително интересна и забавна игра (няколкото награди подкрепят това твърдение), а днес се навършва една година от излизането и.

По този повод 2D Boy имат интересни новини.
Първата е свързана с iPhone, и изглежда така:

Eто какво пишат младежите в блога си (клик) който в момента надали ще успеете да заредите.

Играта върви добре на iPhone 3GS, и с малко късмет се надяваме да я подкараме гладко и на 3G. Надяваме се скоро да имаме още новини по темата.

Не е ясно, дали се планира това да е директен порт на оригинала, или изцяло нова игра (или по малко от всичко), но при всички случай един от най-забавните пъзели на които съм попадал от много време насам се е запътил сериозно към нашите iДивайси

За не запознатите със заглавието – ‘World of Goo’ има версии за Win, MAC, Linux и Wii, а на сайта на 2d boy има демо версия. Тъй като обаче, последните новини и породилият се от тях трафик тотално срина сървъра на инди дивелъпъра, ще отбележа, че може да си дръпнете PC демото и от Steam

Така стигаме и до втората новина, която не е свързана с iPhone но пък е доста подходяща за категорията “на далавера“

Мхм, до 19 октомври имате възможност да си закупите PC, MAC и Linux версията на играта срещу каквато сума пожелаете. Нещата се случват по следният начин -> след като кликнете на линка ще бъдете препратени към paypal където избирате сумата която искате те да дарите -> логвате си се в акаунта (има опция да не минавате през paypal – клик) -> дарението ви бива обработено и получавате инструкции от къде да си свалите PC, MAC и Linux версиите. Само имайте предвид, че в момента сървърите на младежите са доста умрели от трафик, и е възможно поръчката ви “леко” да се забави.

UPDATE \15.10.09 – 5:16 AM\:
Най-накрая получих дългоочакваният далнолоуд линк, и както можеше да се очаква от него имах възможност да си сваля WIN, MAC и 3 Linux-ки версии на играта (клик)

2D Boy’s popular World of Goo typically sells for $20. (Or 1500 Wii points.) But to celebrate the game’s first birthday, 2D Boy is offering gamers the chance to pay whatever they think it’s worth until October 19.

The 2008 Independent Game of the Year is compatible with Windows, Mac OS, and Linux, with a demo available for each platform so you can try before you buy. You can also buy it as a gift for your friends, family, or maybe a stranger.

The physics-based puzzle construction game has a great sense of humour and is absolutely worth the price of admission. Whatever it is.

2D Boy
[via VideoGamer.com]

Heute gibt es World of Goo zum halben Preis. Schlagt auf jeden Fall zu, wenn ihr das Spiel noch nicht habt!

Einen kleinen Bericht von mir findet ihr hier:

http://apfelblitz.wordpress.com/2008/11/14/mittagspause-world-of-goo/

Zum Promo Angebot geht es hier:

http://www.mupromo.com/deal/984/5801

Well, I just felt like posting something, so I thought I’d tell all you loyal and not-so-loyal turtles out there what I’m busy with now.

As I mentioned in my last post, Totem is learning me how to do MySQL. It’s quite interesting, and very simple. The searching is of course the easiest, but making tables isn’t that difficult either. Anyway, enough about that.

I was reading about UFO’s and that kind of stuff today… Very interesting to read how other people think about that kind of subjects. “Aliens want to take over the earth”, “Aliens are way smarter than we are”, “Aliens are keeping an eye on us”… I don’t know if it’s true or not, and I don’t think I’ll find out, except if I get abducted by aliens (and that’s not very likely to happen, so…), but it’s interesting to read… I mean, some things are in one word ridiculous (like the GF, the galactic federation) but others could be true (well, I don’t know, but are more likely to perhaps exist)… This is actually really a what-if topic, but this is enough for one post.

Furthermore, I’m experimenting with codes and ciphers… Just seeing how much I know about it, and how much I can do… So I’m looking on the internet at explanations for that kind of things, like the enigma machine (WW2 German encoding machine) and purple (WW2 Japanese encoding machine)… It’s very interesting . But I should be doing homework… But f**k homework, this is way more interesting…

Also, I have a new game: World of goo. It’s made by 2D boy, and it’s simple yet brilliant: you have to build all kinds of things with different species of goo blobs to get to a pipe. The goo blobs that you haven’t used for building then get sucked in, and you complete the level if more goo blobs get sucked in than the goal amount of blobs (well, if 10 blobs get sucked in and the goal is 10, you still complete the level). But, if you want to read a review, don’t look in this post; for a review, you can do three things, with the handiest method first and the least handy method last:

1. Look on a game-review site, like GameSpot.
2. Search Google.
3. Wait for one of us to put a review on this blog.

This was quite a long post. Nothing more to tell you now, so…

I greet you, holy turtle fanz!
ShadeTornado

¿Que tiene que ver? No sé, pero esta nueva sección en UD fue festejada por bastantes amigos… Se vienen los juegos lisérgicos y World of Goo tiene mucho que ver con esto…

World Of Goo Fue desarrollado por dos ex-desarrolladores de Electronic Arts, Kyle Gabler y Ron Carmel, quienes al dejar esta gigantesca empresa de video games, formaron 2d boy para crear y comercializar sus propios proyectos de manera independiente. Con tan solo un presupuesto reducido de 10.000 dolares, Kyle y Ron crearon uno de los mas adictivos juegos que pueden encontrarse hoy en dia…

Vayan espiando un trailer que publicó 2d Boy previo a su lanzamiento:

¿Pinta bueno, no? La realidad es que ya lo terminé y este juego no tiene desperdicio, pasé horas y horas jugandolo, tiene una extraña combinación de ingenio y fisica, lo cual, a mi parecer, es la formula de esa extraña adicción que genera.

Les dejo dos link para descargar World of Goo:

MAC: http://rapidshare.com/files/181477446/WrldfG.dmg

PC: http://rapidshare.com/files/240860198/WorOfGo-Es.rar

Les debo la versión para wii, pero a cambio les dejo 4 screeshots y otro trailer del juego, Saludos!

Em breve, já não será preciso máquinas tão parrudas para jogar um game em alta definição. Por meio da tecnologia denominada Cloud Gaming, parece possível jogar grandes sucessos via streaming. É o que mostra o projeto OnLive, a maior revelação da Conferência dos Desenvolvedores de Games 2009, em São Franciso, nos Estados Unidos.

Os jogos serão armazenados em servidores, havendo dois tipos de plataformas jogáveis: em computadores e na televisão. No primeiro, o usuário faz download de um software e, no segundo, adquire o conversor (set-top-box) e um joystick.  As plataformas devem estar conectadas a uma internet com velocidade entre 1,5 M (baixa resolução) e 5 M (alta definição).

De acordo com a matéria publicada na Revista W, possíveis lags (atraso na resposta ao comando do jogador) acontecerão, sim, mas nada que estrague a brincadeira. Apesar de ser o ponto de vista de quem quer vender,  o sistema cloud gaming, dando certo ou não, representa um avanço na área de vídeos interativos.

O OnLive já atraiu investimentos da EA, Ubisoft, Epic Games, Codemasters, THQ, Warner Games, Eidos Interactive e Take-Two. A má notícia é que o  Brasil ainda está fora dos planos do OnLive, de acordo com a W, em função da baixa velocidade da internet.

A expectativa em torno do serviço, que não será gratuito e ainda não teve sua tabela de preços divulgada, é alta: o mercado criativo aposta suas fichas no game on demand, porque além de estabelecer um novo modelo de negócio – que, teoricamente, evita a comercialização ilegal dos jogos - é também um novo caminho para a compressão dos vídeos interativos. Ou melhor, um novo rumo, quem sabe, para a indústria televisiva e cinematográfica.

(fontes: GDC2009, OnLive e Revista W)

+ Saiba mais sobre o OnLive

Quem está por trás do OnLive?

Os investidores do OnLive

Nanda Sarmento

I’m not much of a computer/game platform player, I’m more a logic puzzle person. The last games I completely finished on my own were Myst, Riven, and I loved Time Lapse.

My sons tried to get me to play Gran Turismo but I kept running into things, spinning around, driving off cliffs and into oncoming traffic. I wasn’t doing it on purpose either, I just couldn’t race. I would start laughing so hard while trying to play I had tears streaming down my face and then I’d just get worse. I wouldn’t even be able to see the screen clearly which would make me laugh even more. Needless to say they gave up on me.

I also tried to play Tomb Raider because along with the action there are problems and puzzles to solve as you progress through the game. Alas right in the beginning you have to defeat wolves in order to actually get into the tomb to explore and I was killed every single time (I laugh a lot trying to play things like that). Once I got inside but then I was continually killed by a very angry bear. I gave up. I’ll never make a quick enough shooter for those types of games. I did get to help on the puzzles parts though which I enjoyed.

My favorite interactive game of all time is still The Neverhood put out by Dreamworks with clay scenery and creatures.

I loved every minute of that game and Klaymen rocked! As I said before I love puzzles. Neverhood’s claymation was wonderful and there hasn’t been any other games that could come close to it. The background music was fantastic and refreshingly different too. I think there’s actually a Neverhood cd of the music.

At best I sit watching others play through things like Silent Hill, Diablo, Halo and whatever game is the current one being played around the house in marathon fashion.

I stick to CSI type games where speed and dexterity isn’t necessarily going to win the game it’s thinking and piecing things together that saves (or solves) the day so to speak.

At any rate, I was given this game “The World of Goo” by 2d Boy for my mac and told I’d probably like it. It won a number of awards for best game so figured I’d see what it was like. I tentatively poked at it and found it became rather addicting. Some of the “levels” are hard and require some trial and error before you figure it out and I’m not great at physics of building bridges and things but it was fun and kept changing as you went. It’s fun and doesn’t hate you when you fail… you can redo, skip a little around, and there’s no time run down to stress you out.

The creatures (Goo) are unique and make little noises. There really isn’t any dialogue. The attributes of the Goo changes in different places and it’s fun to figure out what you have to do to progress along. Even I wished it was a much longer game so I imagine a real gamer who spends hours playing something would be done with it much faster than I was. I only worked on one or at most two puzzles at a time. This is a great interactive, people friendly game and quite interesting. It’s rated E for everyone though I don’t know that really young folk would be able to do some of the levels. The background music/ambience grows on you and the goo well it kind of giggles for lack of a better word. My only complaint was that the end came too soon and was a bit anti climatic but I still liked it.

Again I’m not a gamer by a long shot but “World of Goo” was a lot of fun and not terribly expensive at all. Kindof like a wild version of living tinkertoys. You can download a free level or two online if you want to check it out at:
World of Goo game

I’m working on a game now on the Nintendo DS I borrow from Charl sometimes called “Broken Sword Shadow of the Templars.” It will likely take me a while since I rarely have the time or desire to play for longer than an hour here or there.
Try the World of Goo, it’s worth the time!

G’night,

Laura

I hope you don’t finish reading this review.

Go ahead and leave! Really, I won’t mind. I’d rather you not waste any more time before you close your web browser and download a copy of World of Goo. But hey, I’m not here to tell you what to do — I’m just a lowly blogger who’s here to state my case, and let you make the decision.

But come on. Let’s be honest — you and I both know you’re gonna get this game, and you’re gonna love it to death, and you’ll think back on it fondly for years to come. Sound good? Great. Not convinced? Read on.

What is World of Goo? It’s a game about building bridges and overcoming obstacles with ingenuity and persistence. It’s an indie darling that was developed primarily by the two folks who comprise 2D Boy — two guys who fine-tuned and polished their game to a mirror sheen, putting just about every other studio to shame.  It is, without a doubt, the easiest game to recommend to anyone: the old, the young, the hardcore and the casual, the structural engineers and the chemical manufacturers, the cosmetics gurus and environmentalists…anyone and everyone will find a reason to love this game.

The premise is simple enough: The goo balls need your help on their journey to reach their destination: the World of Goo Factory. There, at the goo-ball Mecca, they’re sticking together and building a tower into the sky. Why do they want to stack up so high? What are they searching for? What makes a ball of gelatinous goo tick?

The answers are there, and they’re certainly clever enough in their own right. But the real beauty of the game is in its flawless marriage of art and design. Colorful environments, bizarre but affable monsters and hilariously rendered stick-figure people populate the game world, and it’s all held together by the narrative wit of the omnipresent Sign Painter. Speaking to the player through various advice-giving signs in each level, the Sign Painter’s writings guide the game’s narrative through its transformation from a basic premise for a puzzle game to an experience that’s far more memorable. It’s executed with perfection.

At $20 on Steam and $15 on WiiWare, World of Goo is an absolute bargain. You’ll get just as much time and enjoyment out of it as you would from the average triple-A action blockbuster, but you’ll be left with a unique set of unforgettable experiences. Simply put, World of Goo is one of the most universally appealing games on the market and an absolutely essential experience for any gamer.

Recommended for:

• People who like games
• People who like a few games
• People who don’t really like most games but Tetris is okay and sometimes they play FreeCell when they’ve got some downtime at the office
• Everyone, really

Not Recommended for:

• Jerks

Read our policy on reviews here.

World of Goo isn’t your typical puzzle game. It doesn’t rely heavily on pattern recognition, sequence solving, or color matching. Those sorts of mechanics create controlled chaos – World of Goo thrives on the real thing. 2D Boy’s innovative little title is predicated on physics. It’s unpredictable, messy, and, well…cute.

John Walker over at Rock, Paper, Shotgun describes World of Goo thusly:

Small blobs of Goo, when put near one another, form rigid bonds. Connect enough of them together and you can build towers and bridges along which unconnected Goo can saunter. The goal in the majority of levels is to see particular balls of Goo reach a pipe opening, into which they are satisfactorily sucked. There’s your raw concept. Now apply four hundred million gallons of imagination.

Most would argue (as I think Walker does) that the bit that makes this game fun is its reliance on the basic physical laws it establishes early on, and then tweaks. Repeatedly. As a player, you constantly find yourself in situations that are just the tiniest bit alien. What do these red goo balls do? Why’s that translucent goo ball bond differently from this stripey green one? 

These are fun problems to solve, but what appeals to ME is the aforementioned chaos that arises from the game’s physics-based underpinnings. World of Goo’s real genius lies in its almost preternatural ability to wreck your best-laid plans at the last possible instant. All that other stuff  is just icing on the big, bouncy, and sometimes buoyant cake. 

Unlike most puzzlers, World of Goo makes you feel as if you’re in complete control right up until the very second your entire flimsy structure goes. Pluck the balloon goo? You’re toast. Connect one too many black goos? Oop. But what’s lovely about all this trial and error is the experimentation is provokes. Players are allowed to squash “time bugs” in order to sort of control-Z their most recent move, so screwing up doesn’t necessarily mean starting over. What’s more, I’m fairly certain that many of the puzzles contain multiple solutions. Each of which is probably equally likely to topple on you just moments before you’ve brought things to their natural conclusion.

Fun’s never been so infuriating!