ChickenBrick Studios to release MMO game for Android

Taylor Wimberly — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 22:22:23 +0000

ChickenBrick Studios, developers of my favorite Android multiplayer game Cestos, have started taking beta signups for their next work, codenamed ProjectInf. Details are scarce, but it appears to be the first massive multiplayer online game for Android. Cestos was one of the first multiplayer games for Android allowing 2-4 players to compete. ProjectInf will offer massive games with a large number of players and I’m excited to see what gameplay awaits.

This is what we know about the game so far.

Codenamed ProjectInf
Real-Time Networked Play
Massive size games
Long-term games (join and leave as much as you like, the war will keep raging!)
Multiple types of units to choose from
Social aspects
Team based as well as individual gameplay
Tons of replayability

If you would like an early look at the game, you can submit an application to become a beta tester. Just visit their site and fill out the form. Invitations should start going out this weekend. Be warned the game is in its early graphical stages, but that should be changing rapidly over the next two weeks.

You still haven't played Cestos? It's free. It's fun.

Cestos Brings Multiplayer Gaming To Android

Taylor Wimberly — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 04:10:32 +0000

Cestos is one of the first and only multiplayer games for Android. During its first week on the Android Market, this new release from ChickenBrick Studios has already been downloaded over 10,000 times. In addition to multiplayer gaming, this free title also offers its own community with a chat lobby and friends list.

Play

The concept of Cestos is simple and easy for anyone to pick up and play. Each game you are given a set of marble shaped creatures that you shoot around the map while trying to remain the last man standing. Every time you move your marble, an explosive mine is left behind. On the 2-3 player maps, the goal is to avoid losing your marble in the pits. On the 4 player map, it is all about survival as you attempt to avoid the mines.

What sounds like simple gameplay, soon turns into advanced strategy as you gain experience. Each marble can be moved by touching and dragging on it. An arrow is displayed that shows the direction and velocity of your next move.

All players enter their moves at the same time, so you must anticipate what each player is trying to do. Some people play defensive and move their marbles to the corners of the maps. Other people are more aggressive and shoot their marbles with full force attempting to knock other players around.

Each match last a few minutes which is perfect for a mobile game. Within seconds, you can find a game for your map type and begin competing. You can play a few rounds while standing in line at the bank, build up your experience points, then close the game at any time.

A full list of play features includes:

Multiple Maps and Play Modes
2, 3, and 4 player maps
The ability to Friend/Ignore anyone
A chatroom where people can talk about the game
Private messaging (like an in-game email)
Options menu to turn off vibration/language filter
Online Now list to show all the online players
Rematch options (after any game, you can rematch, as long as all the players are still there)
Improved connection handling

Customize

As you progress through the multiplayer matches, you accumulate experience points and unlock new customizations. When first starting the game you only have a few choices, but soon you can customize your character to give it your own personal touch. Your character avatar is displayed at the start of each game and througout the community features like the chat room.

The following items are available to customize:

Featuring 15 marble colors
15 different physical attributes (skins, eyes, mouths)
15 different “extras” (hats, eyewear, and some other things)

Stats

Also included with the game is a detailed stats system for your character. This allows you to easily keep track of your wins, losses, games played and more. The stats option also tracks a number of in game feats(think Xbox Live achievments). A full list of feats is available in the game so you can see what tasks are worth unlocking.

A leveling system – everyone starts at level 1, doing different things will give XP to level up. Cap is at level 50
Stats – keeps track of your wins/losses/ties, and a bunch of other neat things (messages sent, turns played, etc)
Achievements – 47 of them with about 40 of them unlocking various items in the customization menu, these include win X games, lose X games, play X games, hit X mines in a turn, hit X mines in a game, etc (there is a list on one of the pages in-game)

Updates

My favorite thing about Cestos is the constant updates from the developer ChickenBrick Studios. The game started as a beta with a single map and the dev used all the feedback to create the full version. More updates are promised and I can’t wait to see what features are added next.

My wish list for the next version include:

Virtual keyboard support for my HTC Sapphire
Sound effects and music
Performance enhancements to improve game speed

If you have yet to check out this game, please download it from the Market. It is FREE and does not take up much space, so there should be no excuse not to try it. For those of you that already have the game and are enjoying it, send an email to the developer and encourage them to keep up the great work.

Cestos is the best multiplayer game for Android and a perfect example of how to use community features in a mobile app.