Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Wednesday's EP3 Update!
It's Wednesday and almost ready to submit. Today is a day of caffeine, caffeine, caffeine. No wait. What I mean. Bug fixes, art optimizations, and clean up! Hopefully soon, you'll all see the "we've been submitted" posting!
Veterans Day Double Trouble!
Today is Veterans Day. We had a special day made for it in EP3. Unfortunately, we're on the verge of submission, so Lumpy's fans won't be able to see it in-game. Lumpy suggested we post an image of it.
So in our studio this morning, we took a quick picture. Seems like we caught Lumpy and Zynx in action.
Much to our confusion, there were two Zynx. And if that wasn't enough they were flying around Lumpy doing what Lumpy called later a Buzz Attack.
I asked him later if he got hurt. He let me know that Zynx is his BFF here on Earth and they were just horsing around.
I didn't have the heart to tell him that Zynx is nothing more than a toy dog!
So in our studio this morning, we took a quick picture. Seems like we caught Lumpy and Zynx in action.
Much to our confusion, there were two Zynx. And if that wasn't enough they were flying around Lumpy doing what Lumpy called later a Buzz Attack.
I asked him later if he got hurt. He let me know that Zynx is his BFF here on Earth and they were just horsing around.
I didn't have the heart to tell him that Zynx is nothing more than a toy dog!
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Many Faces of Lumpy
Our boy Lumpy is an actor. On his home planet, when Lumpy was a young lad, he gained notoriety from his snarky one liners and his once ever so popular catch-phrase "It's lumperrific!". Like many child stars here on Earth, Lumpy never quite transitioned from a cute and snarky to a serious actor. He nailed the teen heartthrob roles, but that marked the apex of his career.
His arrival here on Earth was to broaden his acting horizons. To get the street creds to be considered a serious actor back on Zgrunturos. Or so his Agent claims. Word on the street, or more precisely in our office, has it that Lumpy actually is suffering through some financial problems back on his home planet. So he's here getting roles that he couldn't or normally wouldn't get/take on Zgrunturos. In a bizarre way, not unlike how certain American celebrities do cameos for ads in Japan, like this:
I'm not sure if that's true, but I'd have to say I'm starting to become impressed by Lumpy. When I first heard we were getting some bratty ex-child star from another planet to star in our show, I thought we'd get some prima donna strutting around the office asking for 30 degree temperature water or no brown M&Ms.
While he does have his demands, I'm thinking maybe he has way more acting chops than people ... errr ... aliens think!
I mean, what other actor could pull off this range of roles? 
You'll be seeing these many faces of Lumpy in EP3. And even more in future episodes!
His arrival here on Earth was to broaden his acting horizons. To get the street creds to be considered a serious actor back on Zgrunturos. Or so his Agent claims. Word on the street, or more precisely in our office, has it that Lumpy actually is suffering through some financial problems back on his home planet. So he's here getting roles that he couldn't or normally wouldn't get/take on Zgrunturos. In a bizarre way, not unlike how certain American celebrities do cameos for ads in Japan, like this:
Monday, November 9, 2009
Monday's EP3 Update
We've come to another EP3 Monday update! This will hopefully be the last Monday update for EP3! Over the weekend, we've been getting in a lot of artwork. We've also been putting in more of our Achievement and Secrets support. This includes Open Feint integration. The OF system and our system pretty much match, so if OF isn't your schtick, then you won't be affected. Right now, we're currently testing it internally and will very shortly give it to our Beta Testers!
While there are still a slew of issues we need to handle before submission, it should be very soon. And now that Lumpy's washed off all that flour, he's been running around like a school kid. I guess after quasi-hibernation ... you have lots of energy!
While there are still a slew of issues we need to handle before submission, it should be very soon. And now that Lumpy's washed off all that flour, he's been running around like a school kid. I guess after quasi-hibernation ... you have lots of energy!
Sunday, November 8, 2009
The Redemption of Lumptacius Hrudkovity
During this past Halloween, Lumpy was disappointed because he thought he was going to be able to dress up and go trick or treating. But much to his horror, he discovered that everyone thought he was already in costume! And when he took first place at a local costume contest for his "Casper" costume, well, that was just too much.
Through his Agent, Lumpy demanded that we have a poll to prove to everyone that he does not indeed look like one Casper McFadden. Well the results are in! People generally agree that our blobby blue friend does not look like Casper. Upon hearing this news, Lumpy was relieved. So much so, he resumed his normal activities of talking about his new friends and cleaning around the apartment.
He was spouting off about his new friends telling him they had a super important cleaning job for him soon. As he had not cleaned in the past few days he was a bit overzealous, worried he was out of practice.
During vacuuming he knocked over a container of flour, causing a huge flour dust storm all over the place. And afterwards, once everything settled ... he saw a quick glance of himself in the mirror!
Oh great. I just heard the lock on the bathroom door!
Through his Agent, Lumpy demanded that we have a poll to prove to everyone that he does not indeed look like one Casper McFadden. Well the results are in! People generally agree that our blobby blue friend does not look like Casper. Upon hearing this news, Lumpy was relieved. So much so, he resumed his normal activities of talking about his new friends and cleaning around the apartment.
He was spouting off about his new friends telling him they had a super important cleaning job for him soon. As he had not cleaned in the past few days he was a bit overzealous, worried he was out of practice.
During vacuuming he knocked over a container of flour, causing a huge flour dust storm all over the place. And afterwards, once everything settled ... he saw a quick glance of himself in the mirror!
Oh great. I just heard the lock on the bathroom door!
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Help Us Improve QuitIt!
Clearly, we have some pretty odd ideas over here at 2n. And while we all really really really enjoy working with Lumpy and on QuitIt!, we're not just making the game for ourselves. We're also making it for you the fans! We're nearly ready to submit EP3. And we've actually already secretly (well not any more) been working on EP4. During our last production meeting, Lumpy asked ... but what do my fans want?
Well, we want to know! Help us improve QuitIt! Let us know what you'd like to see. We've already had some great suggestions in the past like the JOY BUZZER, and CINCO DE MOLAR. And recently we've gotten cool suggestions like the GOLDEN MARSHALL (see the comments).
Lumpy suggested we start a poll on the right sidebar to help you better point out what you'd like to see worked on sooner versus later. Do we have a feature not listed there? Or do you have a more specific idea for a Gift or Poker? Then just leave a comment here!
Friday, November 6, 2009
Lumpy's One Smooth Criminal!
You may not know it, but Lumpy is a huge fan of MJ. Not only does he like Michael's music, but I suppose he can also relate with the struggles that another once-child star goes through.
His Agent is quite insistent that Lumpy has met Michael before. He further claims that Lumpy was also supposed to have had a cameo in Michael Jackson's This Is It movie. Unreliable sources say it was cancelled due to the other dancers complaining that Lumpy's dancing skills were upstaging them!
During the early production of EP3, Lumpy's Agent approached us, contract in hand, demanding all the Lumpy get to share the moves he had been practicing for the movie with everyone.
At first we were reluctant. But after we saw the blue blob move ... we were sold.
It also seems that Lumpy recently has a fondness for acting like he's a bit of a toughie. Lately he's also been donning MJ's Smooth Criminal hat. But that's probably just because This Is It just came out.
Rumor has it that if you do the right thing in EP3, Lumpy will do a special dance just for you! And just maybe you'll be able to get that hat too!
Pho Garden Challenge ... the Aftermath!
It's been a few days since our boy, Lumpy, partook in the Pho Garden Challenge. Lumpy managed to finish the challenge in a record break pace of 10 minutes flat. A time so mind-boggling that Pho Garden owner Brenden Lam declared that from that point on, only humans would be allowed to take the challenge!
After finishing, Lumpy asked for seconds.
After finishing, Lumpy asked for seconds.
Before they could bring out a second bowl, the original bowl got its revenge on Lumpy! Apparently a little known fact about Zgrunturians is that when they eat too much, they enter a quasi-hibernation state.
The last few days at the office and at my apartment have been quiet. And if I dare say, I think I may be missing the energy of having his royal blueness around!
Now I feel like eating some pho...
Friday's EP3 Update
This has been quite the week! Between Lumpy taking the Pho Garden Challenge and being in Beta, time has really flown by! On to the deets on the EP3!
We are still in production. We've almost finished tuning our minigame, Lumpy Hoops. And right now we're plugging in the Open Feint achievements as well as all the achievement and unlock points in this Episode. This time around, we're will make getting some of the Achievements and Secrets easier! We apologize if EP2 was too hard.
EP3 will also have some Thanksgiving themed items!
Our current goal is to try and submit by Monday! This is an ambitious goal, but as Lumpy keeps telling us ... "If you don't aim for the stars, you'll always be on Zgrunturos." He assures us it is a saying that sounds better in Zgrunturian.
On a sad note. The other day we found out that Lumpy's animator's girlfriend's Mother passed away. We're deeply saddened by this news. Lumpy and the 2n team sends our condolences to their families.
We are still in production. We've almost finished tuning our minigame, Lumpy Hoops. And right now we're plugging in the Open Feint achievements as well as all the achievement and unlock points in this Episode. This time around, we're will make getting some of the Achievements and Secrets easier! We apologize if EP2 was too hard.
EP3 will also have some Thanksgiving themed items!
Our current goal is to try and submit by Monday! This is an ambitious goal, but as Lumpy keeps telling us ... "If you don't aim for the stars, you'll always be on Zgrunturos." He assures us it is a saying that sounds better in Zgrunturian.
On a sad note. The other day we found out that Lumpy's animator's girlfriend's Mother passed away. We're deeply saddened by this news. Lumpy and the 2n team sends our condolences to their families.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Celebrate King Tut Day with Lumpy ... with a SALE!
On November 4, 1922, King Tutankhamun's (aka King Tut) tomb was discovered in Egypt's Valley of the Kings.
Today is King Tut Day ... a Holiday we had included for EP3. But since we're still in Beta testing, the fans won't be able to see it until next year or if they change their calendars. Then again, maybe we'll be putting in a special mode later on to see all the different rooms!?
Lumpy felt bad that such a cool looking room is in EP3, but that it isn't available yet for his fans. So he wanted to give something to the fans.
King Tut was 9 years old when he became pharaoh. And his reign lasted about 10 years. He died at the age of 19. When Lumpy heard about this, he thought why not a 19 hour sale for $1.99?
Lumpy's Agent disclosed the details of the sale to us this morning, saying it the 19 hour sale would be from now until 11:59 PST.
When someone in the office mentioned from now to 11:59 PST is less than 19 hours, Lumpy's Agent simply remarked "This interview is over."
So, as his royal blueness requested ... celebrate King Tut Day with Lumpy with a sale. Today only until 11:59 PST!
Monday, November 2, 2009
Lumpy Takes the Pho Garden Challenge!
Life around Lumpy, for the most part, has been a pleasant experience. Learning about a new alien culture is not an opportunity that everyone gets. But sometimes, we also end up learning about the quirks of another culture. And in the case of Zgrunturians, one of the bigger quirks is the sheer volume of food they go through each day.
In normal circumstances, this would not be a problem. But as luck would have it, Lumpy forgot to pack his microfusion powercells for his food replicator. Since then, we've had to find Earth food that he could eat. Which really hasn't been too much of a problem. Except for people around the office. On a fateful day back in August, our blue buddy was introduced to a dish called pho. To say he likes it would be an understatement. Ever since then, Lumpy has demanded pho nearly every day.
As of late, it's really taken it's toll on everyone. As mealtime roles around, everyone suddenly has a reason to be somewhere else. And who's left to handle the dietary needs of our Star? Yours truly. Normally, I'm a fan of pho. Really, I actually like it quite a bit. But after multiple meals of pho ... daily ... how would you feel?
Just when I was feeling I was reaching my wits end, I discovered something ... big. In San Francisco, there is a restaurant called Pho Garden. At Pho Garden, they have what is called the Pho Garden Challenge. And just what is this challenge? Try 2 pounds of noodles and 2 pounds of combination beef with tripe! If you can finish that ginormous bowl of pho within 60 minutes ... it's on them. For me, it wasn't about getting a free bowl of pho. It was about teaching his royal blueness that too much of a good thing isn't always good!
And just what happened when Lumpy took the Pho Garden Challenge? The full story can be found on our website here.
And if you want to check our more pics of Lumpy in action during the challenge ... go here!
Pho Garden is located at 2109 Clement Street in San Francisco, CA. Deets on Pho Garden and the Pho Garden Challenge can be found on their website: http://phogardensf.com.
In normal circumstances, this would not be a problem. But as luck would have it, Lumpy forgot to pack his microfusion powercells for his food replicator. Since then, we've had to find Earth food that he could eat. Which really hasn't been too much of a problem. Except for people around the office. On a fateful day back in August, our blue buddy was introduced to a dish called pho. To say he likes it would be an understatement. Ever since then, Lumpy has demanded pho nearly every day.
As of late, it's really taken it's toll on everyone. As mealtime roles around, everyone suddenly has a reason to be somewhere else. And who's left to handle the dietary needs of our Star? Yours truly. Normally, I'm a fan of pho. Really, I actually like it quite a bit. But after multiple meals of pho ... daily ... how would you feel?
Just when I was feeling I was reaching my wits end, I discovered something ... big. In San Francisco, there is a restaurant called Pho Garden. At Pho Garden, they have what is called the Pho Garden Challenge. And just what is this challenge? Try 2 pounds of noodles and 2 pounds of combination beef with tripe! If you can finish that ginormous bowl of pho within 60 minutes ... it's on them. For me, it wasn't about getting a free bowl of pho. It was about teaching his royal blueness that too much of a good thing isn't always good!
And just what happened when Lumpy took the Pho Garden Challenge? The full story can be found on our website here.
Pho Garden is located at 2109 Clement Street in San Francisco, CA. Deets on Pho Garden and the Pho Garden Challenge can be found on their website: http://phogardensf.com.
Meet Zynx Part 2 ... and Monday's EP3 Update!
Hope everyone had a Happy Halloween! Aside from out little problem with Lumpy not getting to wear his costume on Halloween, things have been going swimmingly.
We started Beta yesterday and will continue adding in our last features as well as tuning the app. Since we realize that EP3 will be the version everyone will have around Thanksgiving, we decided to add a few delicious Thanksgiving goodies for you in it! Stay tuned for more deets on that.
We also wanted to show you a bit more of Lumpy's new BFF, Zynx. Check him out in action in a little video we made. This is still a work in progress and some things are still being cleaned up.
Something weird happened to Zynx over the weekend. It seems that he has a special ability that we didn't discover until we were filming him. You can catch that bit at the end of the video. Can you figure out what the heck he's doing?
We started Beta yesterday and will continue adding in our last features as well as tuning the app. Since we realize that EP3 will be the version everyone will have around Thanksgiving, we decided to add a few delicious Thanksgiving goodies for you in it! Stay tuned for more deets on that.
We also wanted to show you a bit more of Lumpy's new BFF, Zynx. Check him out in action in a little video we made. This is still a work in progress and some things are still being cleaned up.
Sunday, November 1, 2009
EP3 Beta Underway!
We just started our Beta testing with our AWESOME! AWESOME! AWESOME! Beta testers! Lumpy and the 2n team wants to thank all those participating! We expect to be in Beta for probably a bit more than a week. We want to add in a few more features since we missed that Halloween window!
Interested in Beta testing? Let us know. We work with a small group, mainly because we like dealing directly with everyone to get the feedback. And we like getting to know them! So we usually work with people that communicate with us via our threads on Touch Arcade, through e-mail, or through comments here on this blog.
Interested in Beta testing? Let us know. We work with a small group, mainly because we like dealing directly with everyone to get the feedback. And we like getting to know them! So we usually work with people that communicate with us via our threads on Touch Arcade, through e-mail, or through comments here on this blog.
Lumpy Takes First in Local Costume Contest!
Yesterday was Halloween. Lumpy was excited at the notion of getting dressed up and going trick or treating. Before going out, Lumpy was quite insistent on ... *sigh* ... getting some more pho.
Walking down to one of the many pho restaurants we're regulars at, a strange thing happened. I started to hear a lot of "Your boy is sooo cute!", "What do we have here? A little ghost?", and "That's the best ghost costume I've ever seen! It looks so real!". At first I thought I was overhearing conversations between other people. Then it slowly dawned that they were talking to us!
And just what ghost did they all seem to think he was? Why Casper!
Everyone apparently thought he looked so much like Casper that he even accidentally won first place at a local costume contest.
Lumpy was so distraught about this that he had his Agent demand that we make a poll to prove he doesn't!
If you check out the sidebar to the right, you can vote on it. Does Lumpy look like Casper?
Help put Lumpy's mind at ease by voting No. Or give him a complex by voting Yes. Or better yet ... keep him wondering by voting Maybe!
In the end? Our blue little buddy never got a chance to dress up! It seemed au naturale won out as the best costume.
And how did Lumpy take this disappointment?
After first locking himself in his room. Then the bathroom. Then his room. He came out declaring all the crying has left him dehydrated and hungry. But nothing that a few bowls of pho couldn't cure. So here I sit, blogging this on my iPhone. As Lumpy gently sobs between mouthfuls of pho.
Someone ... help ... me ... please....
Walking down to one of the many pho restaurants we're regulars at, a strange thing happened. I started to hear a lot of "Your boy is sooo cute!", "What do we have here? A little ghost?", and "That's the best ghost costume I've ever seen! It looks so real!". At first I thought I was overhearing conversations between other people. Then it slowly dawned that they were talking to us!
And just what ghost did they all seem to think he was? Why Casper!
Lumpy was so distraught about this that he had his Agent demand that we make a poll to prove he doesn't!
If you check out the sidebar to the right, you can vote on it. Does Lumpy look like Casper?
Help put Lumpy's mind at ease by voting No. Or give him a complex by voting Yes. Or better yet ... keep him wondering by voting Maybe!
In the end? Our blue little buddy never got a chance to dress up! It seemed au naturale won out as the best costume.
And how did Lumpy take this disappointment?
After first locking himself in his room. Then the bathroom. Then his room. He came out declaring all the crying has left him dehydrated and hungry. But nothing that a few bowls of pho couldn't cure. So here I sit, blogging this on my iPhone. As Lumpy gently sobs between mouthfuls of pho.
Someone ... help ... me ... please....
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