Hello everyone. Dropping in to announce a new game coming soon to the app store called Garden of Orbs. Its the first game release from Synthesis Design Solutions and will be a gorgeous and challenging action based puzzle hybrid. It combines the action of trick-shot billiards with challenging level design layered on top of immersive graphics. The app will contain 4 enchanting gardens and will start out with 100 puzzles with many more to come in future updates. [EDIT] Below is a trailer for the game. We hope to have it submitted this month to the app store. Additional screenshots below: Thanks for stopping by to check it out! Cheers! Syndessol.
Certainly looks nice. Any video of the game in action? Alternatively, could you explain the UI in more detail? It looks to me that the number of shots is limited or ideal number of them to solve the puzzle (Goal) within a limited time frame (the clock icon and number right of the Goal number). Coins? What are they for...or the other icons between Grid and Goal? The icon in the upper right corner is restart?
Hello Dimarchi. Sorry no video yet...but there will be one soon. We still are finishing up the 4th garden (French gardens) and some of the sound and music tracks for the game. Once we have it ready and in testing...we should have a video for you to check out. How the game works in detail is... You use the green crosshairs to aim a shot. The power bar adjusts the amount of power on the shot and the shoot button then takes the shots. The HUD shows how well you are doing. The first green number displays how many lives you have used. If your shooter orb goes out of bounds...it costs you a life. There is no limit to how many lives you have. But the fewer you use...the better your score. The goal value is how many shots you should need. You will want to try to meet or beat that goal value. The second green number tracks the shots you have taken. The fewer shots you use the better the score. The final number is how many seconds it should take to complete the level. Match (or beat) all those number and you can win a gold orb for the level. When you finish a level...you are given "prize" orb medals. You can win a bronze, silver, gold or crystal orb for each achievement in lives, shots and time. Your total performance is then scored and you are given a rating for your completion. The goal is to improve your scores over time and try to get your average rating for all levels as high as possible. Crystal orbs are awarded for exceptional performance. The coins are bonus points that can help your score. The mores coins you collect - the better...as they may help you in upcoming updates to the app. If the game is a success, we hope to provide many more gardens to come as well as some new extended gameplay features. Thanks for you interest! Syndessol (game designer)
This looks very nice! Action puzzlers are my thing so will be on the lookout for this. Any chance of adding Game Center as well?
Hello NEGamer... Glad you like the look of the game. No plans to incorporate GameCenter right away. We are using a 3rd party GDK to develop this title and GC is not supported yet in that game development kit. However, rest assured...as soon as GC is supported...we will integrate that into the game. For now...we just have OF support. I suspect GC support will come sooner than later. Cheers. Syndessol
Great! I hope it is soon. I really enjoy Game Center better than OF. Just easier to see everything in front of you. Their friends list is easier to manage. Just a lot I like. But to the game it looks great. So will pop by for news.
Progress Update Here is a little update for those of you interested... We are wrapping up the fourth garden, The French Gardens...and I thought I would share a few preview screenshots of a couple of the levels. We appear to be still on track for a submission to Apple. Stay tuned for future updates. We hope you like the latest garden samples. Enjoy! Syndessol PS: Please note that the images have been compressed a bit for faster loading over the web and they are a bit grainy. Rest assured they are crystal clear in the app.
Just a quick update... The original soundtrack for the app is done and we are finishing up with the full Open Feint integration. We should be in final testing this week and hopefully will have all the minor little lingering bugs squashed by week's end. If all goes well...we are still on track for a January submission to the app store. We are really excited about getting this out to all of you. We think its going to be a unique and satisfying gaming experience for all ages...young and old. Thanks for checking in! Syndessol
Posting this morning to let everyone know that we have released our game trailer. I've placed it at the top in the OP for your convenience. Thanks again for dropping in to take a look. We hope you like the game. For those keeping track of our progress... We've completed the build and all level designs and are in final testing. Thanks again! Syndessol
Our showcase page for Garden of Orbs is now live. You can check it out at http://www.furiousApps.com There you will find the trailer, features list, more screenshots and a press release for the app.
After watching the trailer (and reading the press release for more info) I am - at the very least - interested in this. Hence this comment propping.
Garden of Orbs 11th Hour Update: Here is a little update. We are making AMAZING progress on the debugging, testing and polishing of Garden of Orbs. This is a game we are really proud of and we think you all are going to love it. It plays REALLY well and is proving to be very addictive. Lately we've added game modes and redesigned the heads-up display (HUD). We think its going to give it a cleaner look and the new game modes has made the game even more deep. Now with 3 game modes...and 100 puzzles...the game depth is quite respectable. And the game modes are significantly different. 1 mode is a practice mode...which is perfect for young kids that just want to knock balls around. Then for those looking for a serious challenge...there are 2 challenge modes. 1 is a shot challenge where you are tasked with finding the most efficient solution to clear the orbs from the garden. You only have 3 lives...so you have to make them count. Clear the garden is the allowed shot count and with 1 life used and you earn the crystal orbs. The other challenge mode is a time challenge. This is very different in that you are allowed a couple extra shots...but you have to clear the garden before time runs out. In this mode you only have 1 life...so it takes a good combination of skill and speed to earn the crystal orbs. Below is a couple of fresh screenshots showing the game mode selection options and the brand new HUD. We still have just a few things we want to get pulled together...but if luck is on our side, we hope to submit sometime late this week...fingers crossed. We think you all are going to LOVE this game. It truly is a fun game...trust me! (and I'm not just saying that because I created it...just saying it because it actually is REALLY FUN!!!) Cheers and thanks for stopping by! Syndessol
Almost there... A quick update on Garden of Orbs: We have completed performance testing. The app appears to be 99.9% bug free!!! (saving that 0.1% for the gremlins that always seem to linger unknowingly) We are going to spend a few days fine tuning the level design challenges and make sure the settings are just right to keep the game challenging and super fun! We hope to submit this week. Thanks for the interest! Syndessol
One last update on Garden of Orbs! Just dropping in to say we have COMPLETED testing, polished the orbs up to a sparkling shine and are planning to submit to the app store tomorrow!!! Stay tuned... Hopefully the wait won't be too long with Apple for approval/release. Thanks for checking in! Syndessol PS: If interested...the video on the OP is updated and demonstrates the final look of the game.
Did submissin go ok? Are you guys going to hold the game for some goofy 'release date' or is it going live immediately upon approval? I know you have to package it and ship it to all the retail stores
Hi Colorsound! Yes Garden of Orbs has been submitted. It has been in review for a couple of days now. Hopefully it will go live in the very near future. We do not have a delayed release, so it will go live immediately. We had another one of our apps, Rum Connoisseur (www.spiritApps.com) get submitted for an update at the same time...and it was approved today. So hopefully we will see Garden of Orbs out this week. It may take a bit longer since it is a new app rather than an update. We don't anticipate a rejection...its bug free to our knowledge and we've never had a rejection yet...so fingers crossed! I will be sure to announce the pending release here once I am aware that it is under review. That is usually a signal it will be released within 24-48 hours...usually within a few hours. Stay tuned. Hopefully you all are as excited as we are!!!
Awesome Colorsound!!! We are too. I don't think you will be disappointed. HOURS of solid gameplay. As a developer...having worked and played it for MONTHS on end day in and day out...this one holds up and doesn't wear out.
In review!!! Garden of Orbs is NOW IN REVIEW!!! Stay tuned...assuming we pass inspection...it should be live at any moment! I will be sure to alert this thread with a link once approved and live on the store.
