The number one question we get from fans of Ramps:
“When are you going to make an iPad version?”
Those of you who follow us on Twitter may have guessed that Tim and I have been tinkering with Ramps for iPad ever since Ramps 1.1 debuted back in April. We’ve taken that time to insure that the iPad experience isn’t a mere port, but a definitive version of the game.
Another question we get asked a lot is whether or not Ramps for iPad will be a separate app, or a universal update. We wrestled with this distinction for quite some time, with both options having pros and cons, but we think you’ll be happy with our decision.
40 marvelous new HD levels exclusively for the iPad… 240 levels in all now!
An epic new iPad title screen chock-full of delightful surprises to uncover!
Full iCloud support with game save and score auto-sync!
New Game Center Achievements! Who doesn’t like bragging rights?
Major stability and design improvements. Shiny new buttons!
If you dig this update, consider spreading the holiday cheer by rating the app or gifting it to a friend!
Tim and I would like to extend a sincere and heartfelt thank-you to those of you who have played and supported our game. We hope you have a wonderful holiday season, we’ll see you in 2012!
Exactly one year ago today, Tyler and I joined forces to create simple, pick-up-and-play games for modern touch platforms. We christened our effort “Backabit” (Tyler’s mom came up with the name) because of our fondness for timeless, old-school gameplay.
To celebrate how far we’ve come, we want to give something back to you. For a short time, we’re giving away Ramps for iPhone. Seriously, take a look… it’s 100% free.
If you’ve already got a copy, thank you so much! This wouldn’t be possible without your support. Now’s your chance to gift a copy to friends, family, even your dog!
We’re cooking up some big plans we hope to announce in the coming weeks. Stay tuned to this blog or follow us on Twitter to keep in the loop.
The article talks about the design realizations I had between creating the original Flash game and the new iOS title. Here’s a short excerpt:
I didn’t want Ramps for iPhone to feel hermetically sealed. I wanted it to feel friendly, approachable and alive.
So I gave the ball a face.
When the ball was inanimate, only the player’s pride was at stake. The introduction of another personality, however subtle, elicits their empathy. The ball’s well-being is in his or her hands.
I was digging through some of my old files from college and stumbled upon my earliest experiments with ball and ramp physics in Flash.
These were created on August 25 and 26 respectively back in 2006 as part of a homework assignment for Dan Chapman’s Interactive Motion Scripting course at the Art Institute of Portland. We were working through chapters 9 and 10 of the ActionScript 2 edition of Keith Peters’ Foundation ActionScript Animation.
The first draft of my homework used assets directly from the examples in the book. You could click, drag and “let go” of the balls to throw them, but there was no interaction with the randomly generated ramps (referred to simply as “lines” in my original script).
It wasn’t long before I added drag events to the ramps, which resulted in this:
At this point I became a little frustrated with the white and red, so I created the style that would define the look of Ramps Classic. I also took a stab at ramp rotation, though only on the rightmost point:
It’s fun to look back to the beginnings of this fun project. It shows me the value (and fun) of building things just for the heck of it.
It also makes me very, very glad to have a collaborator now. Physics are hard to troubleshoot by yourself!
We hope you enjoyed our little