After Danger released the latest version of their Simulator I was able to test the ability to load themes on the new devices. Here are some screen shots. This theme was made for the SK3 but is automatically fit to span the larger screen of the LX. The theme is one I made a while back and posted on www.skthemes.com.

As you can see the larger screen is noticeably larger in the above screens. To load the themes you place a folder named themes in your removable0 folder, exactly like you would for you would normally load themes.

Just a quick update on a new program in progress for the Sidekick 3. Remember. A pattern matching game with a few twists that are being worked out. I’m sure you’ve all played Simon, at it’s heart that’s what this game is, a few twists and turns and even a story mode. How ridiculous this may sound to some but I have high hopes for the finished product. Enjoy these screenshots as I work towards completion.

Due to my love of Pac Man C.E. for Xbox Live I decided to do something I’ve never done before. Create a Sidekick 3 theme celebrating the rebirth of the Pac Man franchise. Adding themes to your Sidekick 3 is easy; create a folder named “theme” at the root of your Mini SD card. Extract the theme to the “theme” directory, which should create a folder that contains a theme.txt file and the assorted graphics and sounds.

PacMan.zip

You can check out www.skthemes.com and www.sk3themes.com to select from thousands of themes for download. Most of the themes are of people you don’t know; really, if I were to create a theme about myself and put it up for download I think I would be more afraid if someone DID download it.

Today is a great day for all Xbox 360 owners, Xbox Live Wednesday. Carcassonne is the latest release to Xbox Live costing just 800 points ($10.00 for those following the economic ties between the US Dollar vs. the MS Point) and providing hours of enjoyment to the strategy gamer. I have filled up my time lately playing Settlers of Catan, a game similar to Carcassonne only due to the use of random tiles and both are based on beloved board games, and now I will spend my time losing to strangers in the French city of Carcassonne.

The game is easy to learn, even if the tutorial doesn’t give you all the information you need (where is the info about farmers, and post game scoring?) and isn’t available where it should be (not located under the Options & Help menu), and allows for increasing levels of strategy. Normal game-play in Carcassonne revolves around taking turns placing tiles drawn at random while utilizing “followers” to accomplish different goals; bandits to control roads, farmers to build farms, and knights to control cities, and monks to complete cloisters. Players score points when areas are completed and controlled by a follower. Once all the tiles have been placed players score points for farms and unfinished areas based on being controlled by their followers. The game requires a player to look for ways to score immediately by controlling roads, cities, and cloisters while preparing to score points once the game is over by controlling farms adjacent to completed cities.

The game involves the luck of the draw as you wait to draw the last tile to complete a section hoping your opponents won’t draw it first and play it elsewhere thus locking you out from completing your area and scoring. This is just one of the strategies involved in playing a game of Carcassonne, for new players some things to keep in mind while playing: your followers are in limited supply and you should only play the last one if it is absolutely necessary, ensure control of fields during the middle to late game since your followers aren’t returned until the game is over, and keep opponents from scoring alone by placing tiles adjacent to near completed areas.

I could have spoke about the rules, the game-play, or how nice it would have been to have more than just one of the expansions (The River expansion is included, which replaces the single starting tile with 12 tiles representing a river) playable from the start.

The game has great replay value since no two boards will ever be the same and unlike most games made these days (unfortunately) this game has same screen multi-player. Playing on Live is great, but unfortunately when you have friends over it’s fun to talk trash with friends than to sit and watch and patiently wait your turn. On Xbox Live 2-5 people can play while 1-4 people can play on a single Xbox. Normal games of Carcassonne usually last around 45 minutes but is considerably shortened through the miracle of modern technology, no cleanup, no setup, the least amount of physical movement required for any board game. In terms of graphics this game won’t inspire tears of joy but does more than enough to get the point across.

I’ve found Carcassonne to be right up my alley; simple mechanics, ability for future Downloaded Content to change game play while not breaking the bank, same screen multi-player, and some of the easiest achievements I’ve encountered in an Xbox Live arcade game (I ended up with 4 achievements during my first game, which I guess that can be a negative as well), and a chance for players of all ranks to have fun with a great mixture of strategy and luck.

Learn more about Carcassonne and other board games at Board Game Geek.

Check me out on Xbox Live.

I can answer that, I’ve been reading and programming. Ever since Professional XNA Game Programming For Xbox 360 and Windows was realeased I’ve been nose deep in the pages. I’ve been attending work regularly, going off on vacations with my wife, and working on releasing a game to the public that takese advantage of the XNA libraries.

The book is great, but I wouldn’t suggest it for someone looking to jump into programming. Even though the title starts with the word Professional it hasn’t scared people off from buying it and trying what they see. The first chapter is a great introduction but then quickly spirals out of control as you move farther and farther into the book. If you are new to programming then you will need to download the source code available from Wrox website for Professional XNA Game Programming. A great book that sheds light on what XNA can do and is a great intermediate read for people looking to jump into writing managed game code.

Colorful Sidekick ID spotted in its full glory: a rebate form

Filed under: Cellphones

For some odd reason — and a most fortuitous one for us — the rebate team never seems to quite get in sync with the launch team for a good percentage of handset launches, giving us tantalizing glimpses at the future of cellphones now and then, or at least a model name to go on. This time we’ve got all we could ask for out of this common snafu, since friendly tipster AJ managed to track down a rebate form for the much-rumored Sidekick ID on T-Mobile’s site that not only promises a handy $50 to whoever can navigate its tricksy questions, but also gives us a likely sounding April 18 launch date to mull over, along with our first full-on “press shots” of the phone. The cute, pared down exterior is further complemented by a selection of primary colors, as seen above, making this a likely pick for the budget-minded “I don’t need no stinkin’ EDGE data” fashionphone set. In fact, with prices like these ($99.99 after a $50 rebate), why not just buy ‘em all to mix and match with your outfits? You know you want to.[Thanks, AJ]

Gallery: Colorful Sidekick ID spotted in its full glory: a rebate form

Click the Zune tab at the top of the page and download to your hearts content.

That’s right, I do.

I updated Chalkboard Jumble and posted it (along with source at www.skdr.net) for public consumption. I made a few slight changes but have yet to really dig deep to start developing for the Sidekick again.

I tried the Blackberry platform and realized it’s not for me. I’m glad to be back with Danger and their amazing Hiptop device and look forward to releasing something new in the next few weeks. Now I just have to figure out what that will be.

You need to use the official Divx codec that can be downloaded from http://www.divx.com. From the responses that I’ve received it seems that the problem is using anything other than the official Divx codec (either a hacked version from a Codec pack or Xvid) will cause problems with the ability to convert files for the Zune.

I’ve suggested this to multiple people who have all confirmed that the Zune software is now able to convert videos since they have installed the official codec.

This would be my first recommendation for someone who is having issues converting Divx files for play on the Zune.

Mizuguchi’s Every Extend Extra Extreme announced for XBLA

Filed under: Microsoft Xbox 360, Action, Online, Puzzle, GDC, Rhythm, Galleries

It was never going to be Rez, and we knew it — not unless Q has surprises for us — but Tetsuya Mizuguchi’s next bound-for-XBLA opus does have sufficient neon-on-black to make us very happy Marketplace campers. Every Extend Extra Extreme, or E4 for short, is a new take on E3 (which Q developed for the PSP last year). The original Every Extend game was developed by Omega for the PC (the freeware version is here).

Described as a “trippy visual journey of self destruction,” E4 will enable you to play with your own tunes — or, according to the peoplespeak of Q’s press release, “wiz ur muzik” — and against others in an online versus mode. If you’re hooked on the PSP version (and if not, do get hooked), you’ll know that the gameplay is all about chain reactions. Pretty chain reactions. But this XBLA version also offers Leaderboards and Achievements to keep the chain junkies flying. When, you ask? “Later this year.”

Gallery: Every Extend Extra Extreme (E4)

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technorati tags:XBLA, Xbox

To begin: if you are not comfortable taking your computer’s well-being into your own hands then do not follow the following instructions. Making changes to your computer’s registry can cause many serious problems, you are warned.

To begin with you need to have a registry entry to merge with your computer’s registry. What we will be using as our registry entry today is the combined AVI and DVR-MS registy file located here. Download the file ZuneRegistyHacks.reg to a folder on your computer.

Right click ZuneRegistryHacks.reg and select Edit from the menu. The file opens in Notepad and contains the information that will allow the Zune software to add both AVI and DVR-MS files to its library.

THE ZUNE SOFTWARE WILL NOT BE ABLE TO PLAY AVI OR DVR-MS FILES! IT WILL ONLY ALLOW FOR THEM TO BE ADDED TO THE LIBRARY AND CONVERTED TO BE PLAYED ON THE ZUNE.

The registry file begins by listing the location where the new entries will be added - [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Multimedia\Zune\Extensions\.avi]. All this registry hack does is tell the Local Machine that Software made by Microsoft for Multimedia purposes named Zune can use files with Extensions of .avi. Each of the keys or values will be added to that part of the registry.

Let’s open the registry and locate where the new keys will be added. To open the registry click on the Start button and then click on the Run… option. If your computer doesn’t have Run… listed as an option - hold the Windows Key and press R. The Run dialog will appear, enter regedit in the text box and press Enter or select Ok with the mouse. A window similar to the one on the right will appear. This is your computers registry.

To protect yourself you should create a backup of your registry. To create the registry backup select File > Export > Select All name your registry file and press Enter. Wait while the backup is created, this may take some time depending on the size of your registry. When the backup is complete (the backup can be quite large mine is over 72 MB) I recommend keeping a copy of it on removeable media. To repair any issues that may arise you now have two options to turn to; repair your registy using the file we created OR using Windows system restore.

To locate where we will import the registry keys you need to follow the trail located at the top of the ZuneRegistryHack.reg file. Open keys by clicking the plus sign; HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE > SOFTWARE > Microsoft > Multimedia > Zune > Extensions. The keys listed under Extensions show the current file types the Zune software supports: .wma, .wmv, .mp3, mp4, etc. Our registry changes will add new keys under the Extensions key adding the new file types. You can see the registry before and after in the pictures below.

<Before and After>       If you want to remove the keys we are about to add at a later date: right-click the Key you want to remove and select Delete, it will prompt you asking “Are you sure you want to delete this key and all subkeys?”

ONLY DELETE KEYS FROM YOUR REGISTRY IF YOU ARE 100% CERTAIN YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING.

Once you have selected Yes then the Keys will be removed. The Keys that we are adding are .avi and .dvr-ms located in the Extensions key under Zune. These are the only keys that we will be adding and that you will need to remove to put your registry back to its former state.Now, close regedit and navigate to the folder where you downloaded ZuneRegistryHacks.reg. To add the registry keys in the file to your computers registry double-click the file or right-click the file and select Merge. You should see a dialog asking you to confirm.

Select Yes and the information will be added to your registry. Two keys will be created AVI and DVR-MS like the pictures above. You will receive a confirmation that the keys have been added successfully.

If you wish you can confirm the entries have been added by opening RegEdit and navigating to the Extensions key. Now that you have add the needed keys to the registry it’s time to set up the Zune software to add the new file types to its library.

Begin by opening the Zune Software. To add new folders to be watched click Options and select Add Folder to Library or press F3. All of your folders the Zune software is currently monitoring will appear. Select Add Folder… and browse to the folder containing your AVI or DVR-MS files and select OK. The dialog window will close and after a period of time all the files from the folders will be added to the Zune library. Select a file and drag it to your Sync window connect your Zune and select Start Sync. After a while (most conversions occur at real-time speed) the file will be converted and copied to your Zune.

If your AVI files are poor quality try adjusting the Sync settings to convert files to a higher quality. Click Sync Options from the Sync window > select More Options > Click Advanced… > put a check in Choose quality over speed when converting video.

I hope this helps someone out there with getting AVI and DVR-MS files onto their Zune. My wife and I are incredibly happy with the results we’ve had using this method. Since the conversion process involves only one piece of software it’s simple to use and it copies the file to the Zune without having to do so manually. We set up the Zune every night with new media and in the morning it’s ready to go.

Best of luck everyone, hope this helps someone else out there.

I changed just a few keys in the registry and now I’m able to sync .DVR-MS files to the Zune using Zune player only. The quality is amazing and it syncs the episode description as well. I have tried this on a computer running Windows XP and a computer using Vista Premium with the same successful results.

You can download the DVR-MS registry hack from here or you can get the AVI and DVR-MS registry hack in one file from here. Or you can create it yourself by copying and pasting:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Multimedia\Zune\Extensions\.dvr-ms]
“Extension.Handler”=”Microsoft.Zune.1.DVR-MSFile”
“MediaType.Description”=”Microsoft Recorded TV Show”
“MediaType.Icon”=”C:\\Program Files\\Zune\\ZuneLoc.dll,-736″
“Extension.MIME”=”video/dvr-ms”
“AlreadyRegistered”=”no”
“Runtime”=dword:00000007
“PerceivedType”=”video”
“Permissions”=dword:0000000f
“UserApprovedOwning”=”no”
@=”"

Of course when changing your registry always be careful and take precautions, i.e. back up your registry, only make these edits if you are familiar with what you are doing. Once you have made your registry file or downloaded the one from above Zune player will be able to recognize DVR-MS files but not be able to play them.

To begin with you need to add your “Recorded TV” folder to your watch list in Zune player. Press F3 and then select “Add Folder” and browse to your Recorded TV folder. Select “OK” to close the screen and Zune player will automatically search for content in the watched folders. You will soon see recorded television shows appear in your video library.

Select which files you would like to covert and drag to your sync list and connect your Zune. Select “Start Sync” and wait some time and it’s complete.

This isn’t the fastest way to convert files for playing on the Zune but it is one of the easiest since it only requires the Zune player to convert and copy content for watching videos on the go.

This has worked for me and am looking forward to hearing success stories from others in the near future. Best of luck.

Microsoft gives you the info you need to succeed at XNA development with

Microsoft XNA Game Studio Express Creator’s Guide. You can pre-order it at Amazon.com set for release on May 21st.

How to Get Your Game on XBLA

XBLA Games Portfolio Planner David Edery recently discussed the ins and outs of XBLA games with Gamasutra, including a few pointers on just what types of new games are most likely to make the cut. There are the obvious requirements, of course, like taking good advantage of the Live service, being easy to learn, and not demanding too much of a player’s time, but Edery also had a few other pointers for budding XBLA game developers:

There are definitely specific games that we’re looking for, and game types that we’re looking for more of. Some examples:

1) Non-combat, cooperative multiplayer games (as I mentioned earlier).
2) More board games.
3) More “experimental” games and models of gameplay, in general.

You hear that, people? More. Board. Games. Get crackin’.

Q&A: David Edery on Xbox Live Arcade Strategy [Gamasutra]

technorati tags:Xbox, XNA, Programming