.: The Joys of Reaching Out :.

Throughout August, ByDesign has worked to convert and extend the The Late Call code-base over to V2 of the Unity engine. Progress has been excellent and the game is already enjoying enhanced stability as well as performance boosts across all target platforms.

If that wasn't enough, in August we also participated in a few new short-term projects for the fun, challenge and interest they bring :

* New Game Design for EA; I cannot say too much about this at the moment, but ByDesign is performing Design Direction with the developer on a new version of a classic & critically acclaimed Electronic Arts console & desktop video game, originally released oh so many years ago. In days gone by, it landed on no less than 13 (that's right, count 'em!) platforms. This mystery game I grew up playing & enjoying as a wee sprout, and so leaped at the chance to help usher in a new version. More about this as it unfolds!

* New Interactive Visualization Toolkit; this project took shape initially to help an existing art client realize their interactivity goals. The end result is a very usable design & development toolkit that enables artists to create interactive visualization applications with no programming head-aches. If such a toolkit sounds interesting to you, you are welcome to email: archviz @ bydesigngames . com for more info.

Both projects have been interesting to participate in and great to work on, but alas, with our resources, they've taken some time away from The Late Call. From the looks of things, they will continue to do for at least a couple more weeks. So it goes...

Don't worry though, the TLC baby will be birthed soon enough! We're obviously taking our time on what is in some respects, a flagship game, in effort to deliver a fun and refreshing Next-Gen CasualTM play experience, hehe. Oh if only we all had more arms like our friend up above!
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So that's most of the excitement happening over here at ByDesign; the moving and the shaking. I hope this finds everyone healthy and satiated by the summer months here in the Northern Hemisphere.

And if you by chance are reading this from the Southern Hemisphere, well... consider this: there exists strong evidence to suggest that in the distant past, the Southern Hemisphere was actually the Northern Hemisphere! :P Just another reminder for us all to hang on tight!


"I put a dollar in a change machine. Nothing changed." [George Carlin -- Humourist]

Tagged with: ByDesign Games, The Late Call, Design, ArchViz

.: Unity v2 Goodness :.

Technology Loving: ByDesign Games is pleased to announce The Late Call will use the very latest Unity technology from Over The Edge.

Previously, The Late Call utilized the 1.x codebase of Unity, but after discussion with OTEE, it became clear that porting the game to their soon-to-be-released v2 engine is definitely worth the time.

The upside is that The Late Call will look better & play faster on many more machines (even many older machines). The downside is that it will take a little longer to wrap it up. We continue to target a Summer release, though the game likely won't be available before the end of August.

So stay tuned and we'll get The Late Call out to you just as soon as humanly possible!

New Interview: Early in July, Joe took a few minutes to chat with Mac Radio & their iGameRadio show about how ByDesign Games got started, The Late Call, how breathing in a game doesn't have to be adult-orientated (zoink!), and why Wayne Gretzky is truly great.

Listen in on the show here!


So that's all for this update! August is shaping up to be a very exciting month for ByDesign Games, so until next time.. have fun!


"Humor is reason gone mad." [Groucho Marx -- October 2, 1890 – August 19, 1977]

Tagged with: The Late Call, Beta, ByDesign Games, Interview

First the boring stuff to get out of the way; have added certain usability features to the website, including a clickable "lightbox" for game screenshots plus search via Google. Nothing too exciting, but it should help you better find & navigate to the content you want.

Also of minor note, have added social networking buttons to the Blog and The Late Call game pages. Being a smaller developer, ByDesign Games relies on positive "word of mouth" from you, the press & players (yes YOU!). Social networking sites like Digg are a very effective & fun way to get the word out. So, for those of you who wish to help promote the work we do here, go ahead and try it, it helps!

Next up, The Late Call page has been redesigned for better navigation; finding info & content on your favorite upcoming game should be a lot easier. Also updated the game's News page with info on language support (hint: The Late Call will most likely "spreck-en-zee" your lingo!), plus status on last month's beta program; now closed. We've had a great response so far, thanks to all who applied!

What's more, have added some info about a few interactive projects ByDesign Games created this spring. You can check them out on the Games page.

Last thing, we suffered some data loss here at ByDesign due to an unreliable backup medium. Who knew hard disks wear out too!? Apparently everyone that I've talked to, heh. The good news: "most" of the lost data was recovered. The bad news: what was lost has suffered us some minor delays on certain projects (including The Late Call). Nothing too drastic, but enough to mention.

"So it goes..." [RIP Kurt Vonnegut Jr. -- November 11, 1922 – April 11, 2007]

Tagged with: The Late Call, Beta, ByDesign Games, Past Work

Updated The Late Call news page with some details on current status (progressing nicely), the upcoming open beta (update: beta is now closed!), plus some eye & ear candy in the form of an ambient music sample & a 3D screenshot.

3D screenshots are similar to movies, but where you control the perspective, unlike movies. The result captures a moment of in-game action viewable from any 1 of 360 degrees at a time. Despite Apple's pioneering efforts, I found it incredible that the best tools for such things are not mac-derived.

Nonetheless, it felt kind of cool when it finally came together. Take a look for yourself!

Tagged with: The Late Call, Beta, 3D Screenshot

Tagged with: The Late Call