Archive for October 2007

Most people won’t spend their free time wondering what Tetris would be like if it went sideways and had to fit into a set board. The answer is that it looks like Puzzle City with a little Sim City thrown in. The result? A fun twist and change of pace for Tetris fans without Sim City‘s complexity.

Meet no nonsense boss, Mz. Towers and the friendly foreman who shows you around. Mz. Towers sets the goals and expects their successful completion. Both characters pop in with dialog to motivate me, to insult me, or to provide a little comic relief. The foreman loves to order pizza while Mz. Tower questions hiring me. Usually, I’m too busy to read the dialog, but it mostly repeats a handful of phrases.

A level consists of a grid that varies in sizes. Some grids are narrow while others are quirky and full of angles. A conveyor belt sits on the bottom of the game screen rolling out the blocks for placing on the grid. These blocks range from one to four pieces creating different shapes.

Not only do I fit pieces into the grid, but also I must pay attention to areas highlighted in a specific color. Colors represent the type of building such as aqua for a shopping center, yellow for factory, green for homes, and blue for police station. Sometimes I can’t tell what color blocks belong in a highlighted area, but the game doesn’t allow putting in wrong colored pieces into highlighted areas.

Mz. Towers might give orders where you must build a 2×2 police station or a 3×3 hospital. I’ve blown that a few times especially when there were no highlighted areas. Since the conveyor belt stops for no one, I feel like Lucy at the candy factory when trying to manage pieces that I forget about the objectives leaving no room to build a 2×2 or 3×3 building. Sometimes I want to throttle the grid or Mz. Towers, but it’s all in fun as Puzzle City offers a diversity of challenges.

The game contains two types of power ups. One affects items on the conveyor belt and the other affects pieces. The latter power ups include a tractor for destroying buildings to make room for more, a recycler for changing the shape of an existing piece, and a trash bin for recycling pieces (This is a very green company!).

Conveyor belt power ups appear just below the belt (OK, I can just hear the quips flying). Dynamite blows away all pieces currently on the belt. Spray paint randomly changes the color of the current pieces. Other power ups include freezing the conveyor belt for a few seconds, reversing the conveyor belt, and (my favorite) the hammer for converting pieces into one-block pieces. Some levels spoil me with power ups while others have me dying for one or the right one.

My favorite part is the mysterious “special building.” Its brown pieces only come in single blocks. When all the blocks fill in the highlighted space, the building materializes and angels sing its praises. These special buildings should come along more often.

Due to the randomness of the pieces, it’s easy to get trapped and replay a level a few times. The game takes luck and strategy. Puzzle City brings out all kinds of emotions from euphoria in finally making through a tough level to aggravation in watching your belt fill up with no help in sight.

The second game mode, untimed, requires reaching a specific score rather than completing objectives. I don’t care for this mode especially since I could not move pass level 3-4 even after reaching the minimum score many times. Story mode is the stronger of the two, but I wonder if I would want to play the game again once I finish it. With Puzzle City‘s having an arcade element, it should be possible to create an arcade version without a story.

I ran into a technical glitch where the game freezes when the puzzle pieces cover all of the squares. Other than that, Puzzle City‘s colorful cartoon characters and upbeat music give it a neat spin on Tetris while bringing something novel to the casual games arena.

System Requirements: Windows

• Windows ME/98/2000/XP/Vista
• 600 MHz or faster processor
• 128 MB RAM
• DirectX 6.0 MB or later

That’s not a typo in this entry’s title. It must be negative week as I came across two compelling entries on using negativity in writing.

Admitting Weaknesses

I took an superb online writing class from Jeff Sexton, the author of the Accentuate the Negative post. He gave great examples of how showing the downside of a product or service could gain more credibility than one that has nothing but raves.

Remember Avis? “We’re number two, we try harder.”

I’ve been fortunate to work with clients who use my services again. However, I had a client that didn’t work out. When I stopped working for the client, I asked for a testimonial and said that I didn’t expect a positive one. The client chose not to do it.

But it’s understandable as few want to go on public record making a negative statement about someone’s work. I don’t think I could do it as I prescribe with Lyndon B. Johnson’s approach — criticize people in private. I read a story about the former U.S. president who asked a staff member who did something embarrassing aside where he lectured him. I couldn’t find the story — if anyone knows the story, please let me know.

Using Negativity to Create More Clicks

The second entry comes from David Meerman Scott. In Do Not Read This Post (yeah, I read it and stole his headline — actually, doesn’t putting “” around it indicate I’m quoting him?), he discusses the use of “not” and the importance of delivering on the headline. Take care and “Don’t let people think that you really are being negative or exclusionary.”

Exclusivity also increases want. Example: Google’s Gmail. To get an account required receiving an invitation. Somehow Google pulled it off without coming across as “exclusionary.” Though plenty of blogs had comments from those who had not received an invitation feeling left out or not “in the in crowd,” the whole campaign didn’t emit a negative tone.

Like Scott says, have fun with using the negative approach.

IttyBiz offers six excellent tips for finding four hours in your day. Successful freelancers must balance their time as not working = not earning money. This is especially true for those who have lives outside of freelancing and value sleep. The Internet unquestionably provides valuable resources for helping our business, but it easily steals your productivity time if a site or Web-based application gets their hooks in you and won’t let go.

It happens to me on occasion especially when the creativity levels are low and uncooperative. But I also take care in avoiding sites and applications that will lure me in if I dare venture there. Twitter and Second Life are two examples. When I first heard about them, I took a quick look to learn about them to keep up with what’s hot.

Before checking them — I put up a warning flag in my brain because I knew they stole productivity time based on what I had heard. It’s OK not to participate in the latest greatest of everything online. I had to learn this in the mid-’90s when I used to buy the latest techie stuff. By then, new products came out and in droves. It would’ve put my bank account in danger.

Good sites and content give you an idea of what you could get into if you click a link or check a recommendation. If you decide that you just want to satisfy your curiosity and spend only a few minutes on a site before visiting, it’ll be easier to pull away rather than let it trap you.

I’m already ready for more and hope that Hipsoft, the company behind this brilliant addition to the tycoon genre, works on a sequel (could be same topic or something different with a similar concept). No one thing makes Build-a-Lot special — it just has the right amount of challenge, an easy to figure out interface, and absorbing game play.

Rub elbows with the mayors of eight locales where you buy and sell land, build and upgrade homes and special buildings, and help communities make their dreams a reality and thrive. The settings take builders from ornery towns and the countryside to the not-so-wild west known as Granite Springs and to Palm Grove, a Hollywoodish spot aiming to have its own film festival in hopes that it rivals Cannes.

The key factors involve buying blueprints, training workers, purchasing materials, inspecting houses to stave off damage, and building, of course. The steps to take depend on the goal and resources available. Two special buildings, the Workshop and the Sawmill provide added bonuses in lowering the cost of training workers and the price of lumber. It still takes money and workers to build these and these don’t bring in any rent money.

You can also build two types of banks, one where all profits go to charity and one where you keep the profits. However, keeping the profits means Mr. Taxman will come knocking on your door with a huge property tax bill especially on larger homes. If you don’t have the money, the tax bill climbs faster than a credit card with high interest rates.

In Career mode, what most know as story mode, buildings must meet all the goals for the level to move forward. The mayor is the boss and sometimes the boss makes requests in the middle of a job. But rewards will follow upon successful execution. A level begins with a specific cash amount, available workers, and units of material. And the hard work comes in carefully using these resources while obtaining more.

The interface uses tabs for easy switching to get the needed information. The all-important goals that take you to the next level always appear at the top of the screen complete with checkboxes letting you know when you’ve met the goals. This lets you spend more time focused on the other tabs that keep the work moving.

Most games have a second game mode to extend the game’s playability. Usually, the casual or endless game mode doesn’t interest me or they look like an afterthought in meeting gamer expectations of a second mode. Build-a-Lot gives players more freedom for creativity.

Rather than endlessly building and selling homes and lots, you can do whatever you want as long as you reach the financial goal. With many possibilities for reaching the goal, the casual game mode compels builders to play again after conquering all the goals. Furthermore, after completing Career mode, you can return to any level and play it again especially for those that don’t have a star indicating you beat the deadline.

I’d like to see more buildings to include a special feature like the one that comes with the post office. After building the first post office, you’ll get mail at any of the places you own. These letters are usually the bearer of great news and added funds — small but helpful. Perhaps, the cinema could send movie rentals and a much needed break from hard labor. OK, maybe that doesn’t have much to do with the game, but you get the idea.

The game also attracts those not into tycoon or diner style games as it capture my better half’s curiosity and he loves the game. This alone should speak volumes for Build-a-Lot -– a game of a specific genre that could convert non-fans of tycoon games and rivet those who are. Speaking of rivets, I had better return to work on those extravagant mansions and castles and sell those lower-priced Rambler, Colonial, and Tudor homes to make room for them.

System Requirements: Windows

• Windows ME/2000/XP/Vista
• 500MHz or faster Processor
• 256MB RAM

Gamezebo has tips and tricks for surviving the more challenging levels of the game.

Evil mastermind, Dr. Chaos, travels the world in an attempt to cause destruction. Your job, of course, as an INTERPOL special operative is to stop him. The game does a superb job of giving the game a cool and futuristic look and feel with the Interpol Crime Computer. Other than that and scenes that reflect the current locale, Interpol: The Trail of Dr. Chaos is an atypical game in the hidden object games genre.

Travel to Paris, London, New York, Rome and many other countries as you follow Dr. Chaos’ trail to thwart his plans. When you arrive in a country, seek out the hidden objects in different locations the run from the gamut of museums, coliseums, and churches. The game is very up to date as it includes objects like a USB drive, Bluetooth headphone for cell phones, and laptops for finding.

Each level requires finding a set number of objects — and the number goes up as you advance — and ends with solving the puzzle by seeking 10 specific objects or things wrong with the picture in a picturesque scene. You could be in China looking for 10 Chinese flags, in Italy looking for things that don’t belong such as an alien ship or clothing on a statue, or in Paris looking for differences between two of the same scenes.

Interpol: The Trail of Dr. Chaos contains fabulous graphics, splendid scenes, and sleek spy-style effects. While it doesn’t offer anything different or original outside of the graphics, the game provides long lasting and an enjoyable gaming experience. It takes a lot of gameplay before the game starts reusing scenes and objects. By the point, the game feels repetitive as you find many of the objects in the same place as in a previous visit.

As you inspect a room, a green box like those you see in spycams acts as your mouse pointer. Even with the box, the game might not recognize that you’ve clicked the correct hidden object. Sometimes object clicking works well and others it doesn’t.

If you find multiple objects in a row, you must wait a second or two for the previously selected object to disappear before the game accepts your next found object. I appreciate the game retains the names of the found objects for those times when you luck out and don’t know what you found. I also pick up a couple of new words and remember forgotten words. One new one is fasces, which is a bundle of rods bound together.

As for hints, you get four per level and you pick which item you want to find. I prefer this to games that randomly select the object for you. Also be ready for unexpected music. Music pops out of nowhere while you inspect a scene. For example, expect to hear either orchestra music or applause while reviewing the scene at a theater. The music grates after a while, so just turn it down or off.

Interpol: The Trail of Dr. Chaos makes a fine addition to the hidden object genre. The trial period is more than enough to give you an idea of the game. You won’t miss surprises down the road other than whatever comes with finishing the game. If you love things 007 or Mission Impossible, this one should satisfy your inner agent.

System Requirements: Windows

• Windows ME/98/2000/XP/Vista
• Pentium III 800 MHz or faster processor
• 128 MB RAM
• 75 MB available hard disk space
• 16-bit graphics card with minimum 800×600 resolution

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Freelance Folder’s How Fast Can You Get Back to Doing Business provides three big events to prepare for:

1. Replacing the computer ASAP
2. Setting up software and configuration settings
3. Getting data back on the machine

Freelancers and small businesses might not give thought to computer disasters, but for clients’ sakes… have a process in place. I’ve had my share of crashes and fortunately such set backs don’t affect my clients. These apply to home computers, too. Here are the things I do:

• Backup data on a regular basis to an shared storage external hard drive.
• Run Belarc Advisor on occasion to stay on top of the programs I have.
• Take a screen shot of my desktop, Outlook, and any other application with lots of interface customization.

What I would like to do:

• Set up my external drive to do a daily backup of its data to another resource outside of my office.

Plenty of online backup services exist, but they can’t do this (that I know of). And I have to be realistic — I don’t have time to backup the external drive to another drive and take it off site on a daily or weekly basis. Backing up my computer to an online service won’t do since I haven’t found a service that works for me without straining my computer’s resources.

What action do you take on your computer to prepare for the worst?

Nadine Vogel has a great article on marketing to people with disabilities, but it is not available online. Her article references a U.S. Census Bureau report that says 20% of adult Americans have a disability. 20%! That’s one out of every five people you talk to. With numbers like that, why would marketers want to overlook this market?

One reason Vogel provides is that “People are generally uncomfortable with disabilities.” True statement. This year, I am taking a break from doing PTA Web sites for two local schools. I’m friends with one of the women who does the webmaster job and she tells me about people contacting her with requests.

I never had this many or these types of requests in my five years as a webmaster for one school. It isn’t long before the tune sounds familiar. People who take over my job receive more calls, requests, and comments than I did when in the job. Over time, I have figured out that some people may not be comfortable telling someone what to do when that person has a disability.

It sounds silly plus I have friends who ask me to do many things for them, but it’s the only logical explanation. My friend takes her duties seriously — so I know it’s not a factor of she isn’t keeping up. In my corporate career, I saw co-workers receiving constant phone calls and visitors while I had a hardly a drop. I understood about the phone calls, but not stopping by?

Seeing this makes a girl question herself. Was there something wrong with my personality? Did my voice annoy them? Or did the plain fact I was deaf make them uncomfortable?

No matter. People with disabilities have the same wants, needs, and hopes as an average person. We want people to like us. We want to succeed. We want to have family and friends. We want to look stylish. We want to come across as smart and valuable.

Marketers did get one thing right — targeting the Baby Boomers. If they can target that market because of “age,” then they should be able to take a similar approach with people with disabilities. Guess what? Many of these Baby Boomers face disabilities that come with aging.

Don’t shy away. Talk to us. You might be surprised and you might impress the boss.

October 15 is Blog Action Day in which bloggers post something about helping the environment. One thing I wish everyone especially politicians would do is watch An Inconvenient Truth. Forget what you think of Al Gore, good or bad, the message comes through clear — we must do something for our environment and our future.

You don’t have to do something big like buy a hybrid car. Little things like recycling make a difference. One thing I try to do is limit how much I print. When I do print something, I reuse the back of the paper whenever possible. For shredded paper, I use them in packaging.

Here’s an entry that discusses recycling computers and other junk. Here are resources from Blog Action Day’s site. Go, Green!

Alawar Entertainment, publisher of casual games like Snowy the Bear series, Magic Shop, and Magic Ball to name a few, announces the creation of Alawar NewEdge Mobile. This company specializes in publishing games for smartphones and mobile devices. The new company will launch over 1000 games for mobile devices including Magic Ball 2, Treasures of Montezuma, Snowy, and more.

NewEdge will continue and focus on developing games while Alawar does the publishing and distribution. With more companies producing games and applications for handheld devices, we won’t have to wait till we get home or to the office to get things done or have fun. Just do it while you fly, ride (not drive, of course), or wait in a doctor’s office.