EP2 Submitted!

Wow, it's the end of the week already! A few minutes ago, I submitted Episode 2: Shock and Oww. The last couple of days were hit with a slew of bugs that got found late in the cycle.

My catch phrase for today was "What you have on your iPhone is the final version.". After around the 10th time of saying that, it became "Just take it!".

Lumpy would like to thank all of the Beta testers that donated their valuable time to help refine EP2. He hopes it was a pleasant experience! We're sorry that we could not address all of the issues that people have mentioned, but we'll do so in future Episodes.

Lumpy is also quite excited right now! One may even say glowing. But as you know stars are demanding. He's already asking me what EP3 is all about. The only thing I can tell him is the title: Do You Really Want to Hurt Me?

Wednesday's EP2 Update

Soooo close to submission! The saying goes the last 10% of a project takes 90% amount of time. And it is an appropriate saying for this episode.

It has taken some time for our first update, but we've made several changes to how QuitIt! works. We want QuitIt! to be a quality product in the long term, so we thought it would be better to try and make EP2 meaningful. This update should start to address several of the issues that people have cited in reviews and direct feedback.

Lumpy is anxious! Everyone's anxious!

We're doing the final testing and tuning right now. I did just find a crash bug a few minutes ago related to the Joy Buzzer and having no memory to dynamically load in all the needed assets for it. Should be a straight forward fix, so it should not impact us too much. Our goal is to get it submitted end of day today or first thing tomorrow. Hmmm ... for me right now, end of day and first thing the next day seem to be the same...

Grab Yourself an MGD!

That's Mini Golf Appreciation Day! We made this holiday already, but since we have not submitted it yet, you wouldn't be able to see it until 2010 (or if you changed your calendars). Lumpy suggested we post this up on our blog!

I'm not sure which is scarier. The Joy Buzzer, the clown, or the kid!?

Monday's EP2 Update

This weekend was filled with joys of Beta Testing, huge volumes of coffee, and last minute changes/tuning. Lumpy wants to thanks everyone that has participated! We got some very helpful information and will take the next couple of days addressing some of the comments.

The ones we can't get to this round will be addressed moving forward! I'll start to post EP2 features soon! And once submitted, you should see the EP2 Update News change to EP3. Yup, we'll be going right into production for EP3!

Ahoy! Talk Like a Pirate Day

Arrrh, avast ye mateys! Lumpy's sayin' he's all shipshape fer Talk Like a Pirate Day! Yaarrghh! He's also hopin' those participatin' in t' Beta testin' are havin' fun!

Beta Testing has started!

At long last, we're in Beta. While we certainly have some last minute tweaks and tuning, we're looking forward to getting feedback from the fans that have volunteered their valuable time to make QuitIt! a more enjoyable experience for all!

This weekend we plan on cleaning things up, tuning as well a integrating in as much feedback as possible from the testers. Our goal is a submission on Monday or Tuesday!

Lumpy's nervous, excited, and a bit sleepy from the long nights...

DAILY DISH - Is that Lumpy's Missing Food Replicator?!

Lumpy heard about a new documentary about food called Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs so he decided to check it out because it looked simply delish. But after viewing the documentary, Lumpy was shocked to discover another food replicator that looked suspiciously like his missing unit.

Lumpy snapped a picture of the replicator from the documentary:

After watching the recent District 9 documentary and dealing with the MNU, including the disappearance of his Agent, Lumpy is starting to wonder if there is some kind of Earthling policy to borrow alien technology and to adapt it to questionable uses.

Lumpy’s now rummaging through his stuff to see if other high tech Zgrunturian gizmos are missing…

EP2 Icon

Well, people have had mixed reactions about the icon. While the battery seemed like a funny concept at the time, maybe it was a bit too much!? We removed the battery and left the bolts of lightning. We're now experimenting with the background color a bit (red and dark yellow).

When asked about the having an icon with battery versus not, Boyd's wife said "one is an act of nature and the other is an act of torture". If I was drinking milk at that moment, it would have been coming out of my nose...

EP2 Shock and Oww Icon

We've come up with the icon for EP2. In honor of the Joy Buzzer (aka the Tazer), we wanted the icon to have a bit of a jolt. We first tried to put in the Joy Buzzer itself, but thought the battery was funnier.

When we were talking about this in the office, the Hermanator wondered if the icon was too "graphic" because we are rated as a 9+ app. Getting rejected over the icon would be ... well ... crappy.

Even though I'm in competition with him over the top scores in our mini games, his statement got me thinking about it. Boyd came up with the excellent suggestion that we ask people for their opinion.

We have a poll on the right sidebar as to whether or not we should use it or not. Or if you have any other comments on it, feel free to leave them below!

Monday's EP2 Update

Things are really getting there! Near the end of any release, there are always challenges. Right now it is all about getting all of the last assets finalized and refining different parts of the app.

This particular update has taken a bit of time, but it will pave the way for faster updates later on. We should be doing a pretty short Beta test in a couple of days and then submission. I can almost taste the salty Lumpy Ohhs goodness.

We definitely appreciate people's patience. Lumpy thinks you'll see the progression between the Pilot Episode and Episode 2. As well as the potential changes we can make in the future! And speaking of EP2. We have the title for it. Check it!

EP3 will provide more happiness to Lumpy. We've already got the title picked out for that one!

Oprah Winfrey Show Season Premiere

Ruh-roh. Looks like Lumpy's locked himself into the Green Room. He's hung a sign outside reading "DO NOT DISTURB."

Ever since he found out about Oprah's season premiere with the soon-to-be-epic Whitney Houston interview, he's been muttering, "Today on Oprah..."

We knew Lumpy was a devoted fan of Oprah, but we didn't think that he'd go as far as disrupting production by locking himself into a room for a bit of "me" time.

Oh great. Now we we’re hearing some gentle sobbing from behind the door.

Anyone have any tissue?

Lumpy Out of Control at the SF Poke Festival?

Lumpy checked out the SF Poke Festival over the weekend despite the weird weather that brought rain and thunderstorms to San Francisco. He was really looking forward to watching others being poked for a change. The Lumpster also thought that maybe he'd get a chance to do some poking too.

But that was not to be. Poor Lumpy. He didn't realize the festival was a cook-off competition for the Hawaiian delicacy of poke (pronounced poh-kay), which is usually made from bite size cubes of raw tuna mixed with soy sauce, sesame oil, seaweed, green onions, and sea salt.

Things got a bit ugly when Lumpy tried to get the poking spirit going in the crowd. Unfortunately for him, the security detail at the event didn't take kindly to a blue alien randomly poking people. When one of the security guys threatened to call the cops, a quick-thinking intern escorted the Lumpster to safety.

Lumpy's take on the whole event? He apologizes for the misunderstanding, and he hopes to attend next year's event because he thought this poke was delish.

Daily Dish - Lumpy in Michael Jackson Tribute at the VMAs?

Sources close to MTV say Lumpy may join Janet Jackson on the stage Sunday night at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards with dancers who were to perform with Michael Jackson on his now-cancelled This Is It tour.

It’s rumored that MTV and Lumpy have been in talks for some time regarding this event being held at the Radio City Music Hall in New York. MTV general manager Stephen Friedman apparently has been overheard discussing the need to “…get Lumpy onboard to add an intergalactic dimension to the tribute in honor of Michael’s legacy as Captain Eo. Michael’s pioneering work as an interstellar statesman in the alpha quadrant needs to be recognized."

When reached for comment, Lumpy's Agent said, "I have no statement about my client’s rumored appearance at the VMA's, but he thinks he may have met Michael a long time ago in Zgrunturos. If such rumors were true, he would have enjoyed performing with Michael. Lumpy also would have shown Michael Episode 2 of QuitIt!, because he thinks it would be a Thriller, just like Michael."

Friday's EP Update

What's this, a Friday update? Just wanted people to know that we are closing in on our Beta testing phase ... then submission! Right now all functionality is in. It is now a matter of clean up, tuning, final assets. Oh yeah, and bug testing.

We've been still tuning our two new Mini Games, and are looking forward to getting feedback from our Beta Testers! The Hermanator and I have been battling over some high scores lately!

I've also just finished up the unlock system. This episode and future ones will have some hidden things for you to discover.

Oh, and my bank amount in that screenie. I had to reset my game to for testing the unlock system. Not that I'm being defensive...

Daily Dish EXCLUSIVE – Lumpy Nixed as American Idol Judge?!?!

Sources close to Fox’s American Idol have informed Lumpy’s Pad of the behind-the-scenes drama in the recent announcement of Ellen DeGeneres as the full time replacement judge for Paula Abdul.

As reported here first, Lumpy was rumored to be negotiating with Fox to fill the position left by Abdul. Allegedly, tensions between Lumpy and Simon Cowell boiled over and resulted in Lumpy getting nixed from consideration.

Cowell is rumored to have said, “That chap definitely has no talent. And I know what talent is. I’ve seen some of his work and it’s utter crap. He has no business judging what talent is on our show. Is he even here on this planet legally?”

But Lumpy's Agent tells a different story. "Perhaps Mr. Cowell's just jealous that Lumpy may have influenced Paula’s decision to go it alone as a solo act. Lumpy understood Paula's situation revolving around her negotiations with Fox, and gave her a shoulder to lean on. Unlike Mr. Cowell, Lumpy is a good listener and a communicator who's seen his share of career hiccups."

His Agent added, "As a big fan of Ellen, Lumpy’s thrilled that she’ll be the new judge on American Idol, and wishes her well. Oh, and Episode 2 of QuitIt! is about to enter beta."

Poke Festival in San Francisco

Lumpy was intrigued by a flyer that an intern brought into the studio about a Poke Festival in San Francisco. Being the focus of all the poking on the QuitIt! show, Lumpy was excited by the prospect of seeing other people being poked for a change. And even more at the possibilities that he may actually be able to poke someone else!

The Lumpster’s interest in the festival was also piqued because there will be an eating contest and live music.

Lumpy’s really looking forward to checking it out!

Did Michael Jackson Visit Zgrunturos?

The other day, Lumpy overheard some interns talking about a glove belonging to someone named Michael Jackson that sold for $49,000. He couldn’t figure out why on Earth anyone would want to pay that much money for a single glove.

After doing some research about it on the net, he thought he met that Michael fellow once on Zgrunturos. But back then he was calling himself Captain EO. His research also revealed rumors about a country called Disneyland reviving a documentary film about his adventures.

Lumpy has a bad feeling he’s seen a glove like that somewhere before…

Monday's EP2 Update

We are closing in on submission time! While it has taken some time to get to this point, we think that the time and efforts will be worth it to you, our Audience. Right now, we're in the process of tuning our 2 mini games. Today, we'll be putting in the high score system. For now these are local, but once we get our networking support in, you'll be able to post your scores to the global leaderboards!

Recently, Lumpy's Agent has managed to do something good. Here at our office, we're a little suspicious of the guy. But some how, he's managed to procure a crate of Lumpy Ohhs for our blue buddy. We don't want to know how he got them through customs, but we're ecstatic. It has given us a temporary break from the incessant requests for pho. After a little work, I've been able to get them into the app. Behold!

Hmmm ... I wonder what you can do with them in game!?

Happy Labor Day!

When Lumpy came into our offices today, he was a little confused. He thought that Labor Day meant that it was a day where one labors extra hard. But he found only some of the EP2 production staff around. It was explained to him that Labor Day is a celebration for the economic and social achievements of the worker.

The actor in him told him the "show must go on" and in eager anticipation of EP2, he stuck around the office. Maybe he should have gone home, so I took that opportunity to further test the tazer...

Happy Labor Day!

Name the Tazer Challenge Winner!

We’re pleased to announce the winning entry for the Name the Tazer Challenge!

After a thrilling, nail-biting battle between Joy Buzzer and Tesla's Touch, a winner emerged!

The tazer will be called Joy Buzzer! You can check it out in Episode 2 of QuitIt!

A big thank you goes out to Devilishly Good from the Touch Arcade forums, who submitted the winning entry.

We’d also like to thank the other members of Touch Arcade who gave us suggestions! We really appreciate your audience participation.

Lumpy wants to send out a special message to everyone too.

When asked about the sign’s meaning, Lumpy’s Agent said, “It’s obvious one of your interns can’t spell. I’d like to assure everyone that my client is looking forward to Episode 2 and all the adoring pokes his fans will give him. This includes pokes with the Joy Buzzer. This interview is over.”

Name the Tazer Challenge Finalists!

Thanks to all your awesome suggestions for the Name the Tazer Challenge, we were having a fun time sorting through all of them!

We wanted Lumpy to have the honor of this task, but he’s nowhere to be found. He skipped breakfast too, so something is amiss as Lumpy loves to eat.

Hmmm. But I did notice the lights dimming in the office again…Lumpy could be in Ben’s lab…

In any event, behold – here are the final 5 candidates (in no particular order)!

• Lumpy’s Nitelight
• Tesla’s Touch
• Joy Buzzer
• Watts Up, Doc!
• Electri-Fryer

Please vote for your favorite name at the poll on the sidebar of the blog!

The polls will close at midnight on Wednesday, September 2nd, so make sure to vote (and vote often?!)!

Remember, the fate of the tazer’s name rests in your mouse click!!!

Today's Lumptoid* – Sanduleak -69° 202a

Sanduleak -69° 202a was the Earth name of an unassuming blue supergiant star near the Tarantula Nebula as shown by the white arrow on the picture to the right. This star went supernova as shown in the left picture and became the trigger for The Great Economic Hiccup on Zgrunturos.

*Lumptoid - A factoid about Lumpy