Well, I’ve been pretty busy working on some top secret projects (if I talked about them, they’d have to kill me!) but in the background the improved Dink has been slowly shaping up for release.
Here are the latest new things (all the screenshots are from the iPad):
- It’s now a universal app – it runs natively on iPhone and iPad
- Added an additional way to install add-ons. Besides downloading directly by url, you can just drag and drop .dmod files into iTunes. Nice if you want to install a lot at once.
- Added instant quick-save and quick-load from anywhere. I debated about this but I figure with how hard some DMOD’s are this is key to avoiding frustration. It’s lightning fast and remembers your last quick save on a per-dmod basis. Normal saving and loading with save spots is still supported, as well as automatic ‘save and restart’ from anywhere when you quit. (Credit: the dmod in the screenshot below is Pilgrim’s Quest)
- Added a “speed up” rabbit icon – hold this, and the entire game runs faster. Useful for zooming through unskippable cut-scenes and dialog.
- Add-on select menu now shows actual images from the dmod
- Added a second control scheme “drag-anywhere” to move Dink around for those that don’t like the virtual pad.
Not much left to do!
Justin is working on new icon artwork and I’d like to play around with getting external bluetooth/dockable keyboard controls working. (anybody know if you can get raw key-up/key-down messages from it?)
I also plan to release this for PC (this new version is ultra portable) after I add gamepad support. I know, it had it in before but I sort of killed all things DirectX when I made it GL optimized.
So to anyone having problems with the current freeware dink versions, hold on a bit.
Wow, this is progressing great. This makes me really want an iPad now!
Nice to see another way to install dmods. Hurry up and get it released! I want it so bad for my iphone! :)
Exciting!
This “save anywhere” feature… will that trigger something in-game? There are some temporary stat-boost potions that would just break the game if you’d be able to save with the temporary stat-boost, making it permanent. It’ll probably mess up some other timing-based scripts. Ah, well. I guess you can’t have anything.
And getting rid of DirectX… this makes me a happy man. I doubt I’ll ever get an iDevice, but this means I can probably get it compiled in Windows. Thanks :D
I really like the centurion dude on the background of the title screen- it has so little relevance and so much awesomeness at the same time I couldn’t help but grin at it. :)
Magicman – the great thing about this “full state save anywhere” is it is it so thorough it doesn’t run into any of the problems the normal save does.
The game can’t even tell it happened, every active script and callback is saved at a very low level. You can state save mid-conversation and continue talking after loading. Even things like audio are saved and continued at the exact correct point.
Ooooooh, sweeeeet. Thanks for clarification :D
Sounds great.
I’m really looking forward to this.
Will there be a way to check if the player is using this version of dink with dinkC? So you can change things ingame depending on if it’s played on an iphone or not? (Like making monsters a little easier)
Linus: Yes – in addition to version and seeing if it’s the “mobile” engine there will a way to ask for which platform (iPhone, iPad, PC, etc) for further customization to the actual device type.
Something that would be really cool would be if the game didn’t rotate if you hold the device up-side-down. This way you could make dmods designed to play with the iPhone standing. Imagine My dmod FallDink (at dinknetwork.com) with platforms scrolling from right to left instead.
Maybe a dinkc commando for locking the function that turns the game would be à way.
I don’t know if you can understand what I’m saying… But well… Anyway.
Never mind; OS4 have a rotation lock function.
It’s been years since I’ve played Dink Smallwood, but I still have fond memories of it. I’m glad to see it’s still under active development in different forms.
How’s it going? Made any further progress on it? And can we expect a release in… let’s say 2 month’s or so?
Yep, it’s been busy but I’ve been sneaking to work on it here and there – it now supports iPhone4 (960X640) as well. Hoping to release soonish.