Galaxy Chase - Our newest game!

Hi everyone! We just published Galaxy Chase our newest game on Google Play. The game is being published by Playphone our publisher. Do have a look and tell me what you think. I would love to hear from you guys.

We are also updating our website with a blog which we plan on writing our development process and ideas on game development. Will most probably move these stuff there when it goes live. So stay tuned and be ready for more exciting games!

Where's My Chicken? + Heyzap (And other news + teaser)

We were recently approached by Heyzap to have "Where's My Chicken?" featured in their app. For a small developer like us, the ability to reach as many people as possible is the greatest challenge. So when a app which promotes games approaches you, you quickly jump on the wagon and see what ride it takes you on.

For starters, Where's My Chicken? spots the Heyzap Checkin button now. We will also be featured starting on the 15th of May 2012. I have no idea how big a difference this will make for us. So this post and subsequent posts will serve as a research on the effectiveness of Heyzap.

***

Just as an update for all, we have had a bit of a slump from last month. Strangely, our daily downloads reflect the download trend of "Angry Birds Space". There has been a steady decline in both Where's My Chicken? and Angry Birds Space since the past 3 weeks. For us it has now stabilized around 500 to 1000 downloads per day. A far cry from the 8,000 downloads per day we had earlier.

Previously our largest user base was from Malaysia and China. This has shifted with downloads from Malaysia having a steady decline. However the good news is that downloads from USA has seen a steady increase. Currently they make up over 50% of our downloads.

Here's hoping that Heyzap can  increase our game downloads! 1 Million Downloads, we hope to see you soon!

***

By the way, here's a teaser of our upcoming game! Be very very excited!

Version 0.3

Windows 8 Developer - Not Available for Malaysia

One of the most irritating things that we face as Developers is that we are Malaysians. Yes I said it. 

I love my country, but why oh why is it that being born here dictates how we interact with the rest of the world? The recent news that ticked me off was that Malaysia is not one of the countries that can publish Apps to the upcoming Win App Store. 

I beg your pardon? I thought Malaysia has this thing called MSC and some digital revolution thing going on where we are pumping millions of Ringgit? Really? We don't even have the presence of Luxembourg? Even with millions of Ringgit we are still a second class country in Software development?  

For now, this is the list of countries which can register as Developers for Win App Store. 

Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Columbia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Korea, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, and United Kingdom.

No Malaysia there. But trust me when I say that we will always find a way around this unnecessary hurdle to do what we love. That is to development games and to have fun doing it! 

//End Rant

Space Express

Space Express is our newest Android Game!

Do download it here and have a go!

 

The game description is as follows:
Space Express is a physics game with an exciting twist. Launch humans, rats and even anvils into space as you race to deliver packages as fast as possible.

Match different packages with different thrusters to reach the orbiting space stations. Try to save money and experiment to reach even higher scores while competing with your friends.

Mr.Bob is the Founder, Employee and Janitor of Space Express! The leading package delivery company... in Space! With just one reusable rocket, Space Express aims to conquer the market of shipping rats and monkeys into space! No amount of space debris and orbiting anvils can stop their quest to go farther and deliver heavier and heavier shipments. Now if they could only get an elephant into space, then the eternal question of "When an elephant falls from orbit, what sound does it make?" can at last be answered.

MCMC - The Internet Police Are Soo Cool!

Don't tell me you didn't know this? The Internet is Serious Business! Think of the consequences, millions of people reading your blog and being subverted by your subtle placing of words and images. You devil you! You are the reason the people are like this! Murderers and criminals are running amok in the streets because of you! 

Lynas Rare Earth Plant - Why Are We Afraid?

The reaction of Malaysians to the construction of the rare earth plant near Kuantan is something that should be expected. Sure, the authorities are saying that the proper steps will be taken to ensure safety for the surrounding environment and communities. Yet people are still fearful, why?

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) assures that the plant will be safe, and has added further 10 issues to improve the safety of the plant. But is it convincing? 

300,000 Engineers by 2020, Quantity or Quality?

The nation is capable of producing between 275,000 and 300,000 engineers by the year 2020, thus achieving the status of a developed country with one engineer to every 100 residents.

~ Datuk Seri Mohamed Khalid Nordin, Higher Education Minister

Produce engineers to achieve the status of a developed country. Sounds like I'm in the middle of a production line.

I wonder if there's this image in people's mind, that the moment we reach 300,000 engineers, suddenly Malaysia will level up and be transformed into a developed country. 

Can’t find the Blogger App in Android Market? Here’s the solution.

For all those bloggers who can’t find the Official Blogger App in the Android Market, read on to find out how to install the app to your smartphone.

Why Does Piracy Exist?

As I have mentioned many times in my previous blogs, the issue of piracy is an issue about economics. It is not an ethical conundrum, but rather how the economic forces push the average individual into piracy.

List of Hacked Websites in Malaysia

Updated : 9.00am 16/6/11

Following are the current list of Malaysian government linked websites which have been hacked. The morning news only mentioned 2 websites being hacked this morning, which are CIDB and Sabah Tourism. Many government websites were taken offline during the night to prevent any attempt at hacking. 

• SabahTourism.com - Hacked & Leaked 
• CIDB - Hacked & Down
• Land Public Transport Commision - Down
• Malaysian Meteorological Service - Down
• ASEANconnect - Down
• Bomba - Down
• TMNet - Down
• Tourmalaysia - Hacked 
• JBiotech - Hacked 
• Jabatan Kebajikan Masyarakat - Down

How To Access Blocked Sites - Malaysia

There are tons of ways to access blocked sites. Some overtly complex, while others are quite easy. It pretty much depends on what you aim to do with the site access. Following we show you 2 simple ways that you can  use to access blocked sites. 

CIDB Site Hacked by Anonymous!

CIDB Malaysia Official Portal has been hacked by the group Anonymous. At the bottom of the site, the following text has been posted.

Greetings, Malaysia, We have seen the censorship taken by the Malaysian government, blocking sites like The Pirate Bay, and WikiLeaks. Malaysia is one of the world's strictest governments, even blocking out movies, and television shows. These acts of censorship are inexcusable. You are taking away a basic human right. The internet is here for freedom, without fear of government interference. Do not think that no one else notices. Your structured government has done the talking, and we hear loud and clear. Let this be an announcement to all your people. This is a sign, a warning, and an opportunity to listen to ideas above your own. In a way you are being stubborn. But how will this help anyone or your country. We fear that if you make further decisions to take away human freedom. We are obligated to act fast and have no mercy. For rules were meant to be broken. And corruption was meant to be washed away and forgiven. Now we will wash your corruption away so be prepared. Take this as a favour. 

Schools May Punish Students For Off-Campus, Online Speech

Read the full news here. I just hope that this idea doesn't get picked up by our good Malaysians.

What Would The Malaysian Gov Do After A Cyber Attack?

There is a lot of talk of the upcoming Anonymous attack on Malaysian Government sites. It may or may not happen, but it makes me wonder what will be the followup action by the government?

If memory serves right, this would be the first time the Malaysian Government is faced with a serious cyber threat. Whether they successfully repel the attack depends on their current awareness of the situation. However if we base our opinion on their previous misguided attempt at blocking file sharing sites, we would assume that they will take the most conservative and reactionary approach. 

The first action will be to find out who to blame. The most obvious target will be to blame Anonymous as the culprits. But the idea behind Anon is itself a little hard to grasp for the laymen. 

"Wait, are you telling me a that a bunch of people around the world who don't know each other hacked our government's website because we blocked a few websites in Malaysia which don't effect them in anyway?.... But Why? Did someone pay them? and what are these sites in the first place?"

The average Malaysian wouldn't care or even know what has happened. But they will care when it is portrayed that a group of dissidents have launched a cyber attack on the government due to certain illegal sites being blocked. 

Why dissidents? Because they support piracy and do not care for copyright infringement. 

Why illegal sites? Because they host copyrighted content and result in a significant loss of revenue to the hardworking content creators of Malaysia. 

Now who would push the point home? Celebrities, and Directors will be interviewed to express their outrage behind the lack of support for local content creators. Supporters of file sharing will be labeled as pirates who are out to make a quick buck. 

Unfortunately, the real difference between file sharing and piracy will not be discussed as it would open the topic for debate. By focusing the viewers to a certain point of view, the majority of people will be convinced that the government and local content creators are the victim, and the villains are the group of file sharing supporters. 

The authorities may then continue for some time with a short lived campaign to support local content creators. This may also be accompanied by an increased scrutiny in file sharing sites, but no concrete action will be taken as it is only meant to be a show of action rather than any real commitment. However 2 months down the road the whole issue will be engulfed by the National Day Celebration as well as the upcoming Election Campaign. 

So what happens to the users of file sharing? Durianbot predicts that some sites may stay blocked indefinitely since ISPs can't outright ignore the government decision. The ISP's themselves are not committed in their execution as they realize that high traffic sites like these are the reason people use their services. If you are a heavy social network user, the current trend is to move your social networking experience to your smartphone. Why would the user spend the extra cash for the same experience at their desktop? Therefore a certain portion of users who are forking out for the premium packages are those with an interest in file sharing. 

Alienating their premium users would not be a good business option for ISP's. As such, the current situation where some sites are accessible at various intervals, while others are accessible with their download speed reduced will go on for some time. After a certain period, ISPs will allow access but will threaten to throttle speeds for heavy users. If such a statement is made, it will be made at an obscure press conference or entered in their lengthy End User Licence Agreement. 

So what does matter at the end of the day? The authorities will remain blind to the real reason behind piracy. The users will adapt and new players in the local file sharing scene will emerge as a result of this fallout. However an important lesson will be learnt by 2 different segments of people in Malaysia. 

One, the authorities will realize that the internet is as wild as ever and that they still don't understand what to do with it. 

Two, the people will realize that no matter what is done, they can still trust themselves to pull through and find a way to move on to even greater heights. 

The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion ~ Albert Camus

Blocking Facebook - True Genius

Here we go again... to protect national security we should block Facebook! Check the news here.

Durianbot is still waiting for someone to see the real problem... wonder when will that happen?

The Definition of Not Getting the Point - RIM

The Recoding Industry of Malaysia wants to block site jiwang.org as it promotes illegal file sharing. Sigh, I seriously wonder if they realize what they are doing? Have they even compared to how organizations around the world have tried blocking file sharing and have ultimately failed. 

You cannot simply block sites and hope the problem to go away. If they block jiwang.org, what is stopping people from starting jiwang.com.my? jiwang2.org? or any other file sharing site under a different name. The problem is not file sharing, it is the high price of sold goods in comparison to the buying power of the people. Read the full news here. Durianbot only hopes that someone at the top grows some brain cells and tries to tackle the real problem rather then waste the people's time and money. 

Anonymous - Operation Malaysia Video!

Whaaat? .... You serious? Waiting to see what happens!

EDIT - The original video was taken down at around 1pm on 15th June 2011. I have linked it from another source.

Anonymous - To Attack Malaysian Gov Portal

Anonymous is going to attack Malaysian Gov Portal, that's the big news being reported by the Malaysian media. The objective behind the threat is said to be unknown. 

Well I can try to guess the reason behind the attack. Hmm, how about the recent block of 10 file sharing sites? Guess the Malaysian Tech experts are flummoxed by this sudden change of events where random hackers around the globe are targeting our poorly defended government sites. 

I can't wait to see how the event turns out. Although a part of me is saying that this all could be just a hoax. I have tried my limited best in tracking down where the hackers are gathering, unfortunately I have yet to come across the point of convergence where the planning is taking place. Guess we have to wait and see how this plays out. 

Hitman Absolution - What Have They Done?

One of my all time favorite game series has to be Hitman. From the first Hitman: Codename 47 until the recent Hitman: Blood Money, I have played them all and have  fond memories of most of the games and missions. Therefore I was more then excited when Hitman: Absolution was announced. But as more information was released, my faith has wavered significantly. Let us just explore some of the confirmed features and plot devices that have been announced so far. 

• Agent 47’s handler, Diana Burnwood, has a “close relationship” with 47 in Absolution.
• It has been confirmed by the developer that Diana will get kidnapped mid-game.

Wait, what? Putting close relationship in quotes does not change the implied meaning that Agent 47 may have... and I am forced to say this... may have feelings for Diana. When did 47 think of settling down and raising a family? I really despise games that try to bring drama and emotion by randomly initiating romance between characters. I actually flinched watching 47 kill an innocent messenger in one of the cut scenes. Have a look at it below.

  

That is a cold blooded killer. An assassin, not some vigilante hero out for justice. If we took 47 and put him in another game, he would be the damn villain, not a villain with a "close relationship".

• It has been confirmed by the developers that the game is only going to be set in the United States, with one portion taking place in Chicago. Other locations are unconfirmed.

This is really disappointing. One of the best moments I had while playing 47 was when he went to KLCC, Malaysia. Being a Malaysian, that was an epic moment for me. Although the whole thing was very wrong and showed a serious lack of research by the developer, it was just too funny to be mad about. What was wrong you ask? Well everything from the architecture, to the costumes (especially the police uniform, it was brown in game while its actually blue here). On top of that the voice acting was hilarious, but hey that was the first time my country was in a game (don't quote me on that, I could be wrong). Oh well, I can only hope that they do a good job with their locations in Absolution. 

• Players will be able to set up elaborate traps. 

Well this sounds like the only piece of game play related good news. Only time will tell of how this is executed.  

• There will be a moment in the game which will divide fans into 2 distinct groups. 

Guess what? I am already divided. I know it is still very early to comment on what this actually might be, but I have a feeling its going to be like some kind Good vs Bad scenario. Ethical choices is the trend in RPGs not here. But of course, I can still see another way this could be handled which could turn out well for the player. However it seems to imply an action done by 47 will divide the players, rather then plot progression. Let's hope they can pull it off and maintain the character of 47. 

Either way, many of what is discussed here are pure assumptions based on what little information that has been released to the press. We can only wait and see how developer IO Interactive plans to continue this beloved franchise. 

The Genius Behind Blocking File Sharing Sites In Malaysia

June 11 marks an interesting turn of events here in Malaysia. Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) has ordered Local ISPs to block 10 file sharing websites. The reason given was to curb the illegal downloads of movies. Although strangely, songs and software are not mentioned as being part of the reason behind the block. 

The Sites blocked are:

• warez-bb.org
• thepiratebay.org
• movie2k.to
• megavideo.com
• putlocker.com
• depositfiles.com
• duckload.com
• fileserve.com
• filestube.com
• megaupload.com

What really shocks me is that MCMC is the national body which oversees multimedia and communications in Malaysia. Yet sadly they seem to lack the basic knowledge of how the internet works. Blocking any site on the net is a futile effort. There are tons of ways users can bypass ISP blocking, yet the national body which should understand how the internet works comes with the most basic and inefficient action. 

Piracy is an economic problem. If the software, movie or song is being sold at a price that is too high; piracy will the viable alternative for the user to access the content. A movie being sold for RM 120 looks like a ripoff when the pirated copy is being sold at RM 10. A software being sold at RM 300 would seem like an illogical price point when a user could download it for free online. 

So how does one fight piracy? Rather then taking the most obvious route, MCMC would have benefited more by introducing or at least suggesting innovative pricing solutions. 

Why not create an online content distribution site exclusive for Malaysia? A content producer when selling a DVD includes his content production cost, distributor cost, and the DVD packaging & printing costs. The pirate on the other hand has only the DVD packaging & printing costs to handle with. Removing the distributor cost, and DVD packaging cost would afford the content creator to reduce the selling price to meet user expectations. 

Create a portal to sell your contents online, include unique DRM (Digital Rights Management) to ensure only the user who purchases can use it, include limited sharing capabilities, and make exclusive deals with content producers to get new content online fast. What do you have? A legitimate alternative to piracy as well as a tool that leverages on the internet's strength. And is this really a new idea? Of course not!

This is the idea behind many of the international content distribution websites. Was it so hard to come up with the idea? No it wasn't. All you had to do is search for better alternatives and emulate the idea for local consumption. It wasn't too hard was it? I would have have expected MCMC to at least put some minimal effort and research before choosing their action. 

The single word to describe this whole debacle? Disappointing.