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Good Morning Gato #48 – An Attack From Above

Dustin "SuperDunner" — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 20:00:29 +0000

Here you see Gato participating in her favorite pastime: terrorizing Neko. Gato patiently lingers above just waiting for an opportunity to attack her sister. It’s a devilish display of kitty power that Gato routinely feels the need to exert.

ZP2KX v2.0.6 Has Arrived!
ZP2KX v2.0.6 is now available! The free update to our Xbox LIVE Indie Game ZP2KX implements a bunch of fixes, makes some enhancements, adds new Mutators and injects new map awesome! Check out the game trailer, right now. I’ll wait.

The update has taken a while to get out the door (we were hoping for a much quicker turnaround), but in the end we’re happy with what we were able to accomplish with v2.0.6. While many fans would say that their favorite changes are the bug fixes, kill console upgrades and new map, I believe that the real star of the update is the No Swords Mutator. Try it. You’ll fall in love.

Earlier in the week, the entire Ska team went online for an organized ZP2KX playdate and for those who were able to join, thanks for playing! It was crazy fun getting the chance to play with fellow ZP2KX‘ers and we heard lots of positive feedback about v2.0.6. (Note to self: More organized playdates.)

There you have it, an updated ZP2KX for your enjoyment. If you haven’t played in a while, there’s no better time than now to download the update and hop back into the mix.

Obligatory PAX Planning Update
PAX East 2011 is coming fast. Like, caffeinated cheetah running across the open plain fast. But unlike our inagural PAX showing last year, we now know what to expect and how to better prepare. Right now I’m making sure everything is lined up and products are ordered in the most organized way possible. We will have new t-shirts to sell, even more Vampire Smile to share and there’s a great possibility that we’ll have major prizes to giveaway. Details to come.

PAX East is going to rock, so get your tickets now, visit us in Boston next month and everyone will be happy.

Overloaded
Word of advice: don’t plug a 1000 watt heater into a circuit that powers all of Ska Studios. It’ll trip said circuit and shut down every computer in the room. Knowledge is power, now go have a great weekend.

It’s A ZP2KX v2.0.6 Playdate!

Dustin "SuperDunner" — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 18:00:11 +0000

The ZP2KX v2.0.6 update just made its way out the door, which means it’s the perfect time to schedule another legendary ZP2KX playdate.

The fun starts Wednesday evening, when James, Michelle and myself will be hosting ZP2KX servers of varying gametypes, settings and active Mutators. Let’s all work towards that mystical rank 100 by banding together on Xbox LIVE and getting our ZP2KX on.

What? ZP2KX v2.0.6 Playdate
When? Wednesday, February 2nd @ 9PM Eastern
Where? Xbox LIVE
Why? Because ZP2KX is fun, we’re fun and we like fun.
How? Look for Xbox LIVE Gamertags Jamezila, SuperDunners or Shelldragon3 and join our server.

ZP2KX v2.0.6 Releases, Adds More Awesome!

Dustin "SuperDunner" — Sat, 29 Jan 2011 19:32:13 +0000

ZP2KX, our recently released Xbox LIVE Indie Games sensation has been injected with even more awesome.

Available today is a free v2.0.6 update to ZP2KX, which we’re calling ZP2KX v2.0.6 (how original, right?) The update ushers in a bunch of fixes, makes a few enhancements and tweaks what needed tweaking. In addition, v2.0.6 adds three new Mutators and an all-new map, “The Harvest”. Check after the break for a complete list of update notes.

General Updates
- Character movement is now more precise.
- Character spawn locations are now chosen more randomly.
- Game drops now handled more gracefully.
- Game music restarts after a rank up.
- General bug fixes.
- In-game roster now shows current player level in addition to insignia.
- In-game roster now shows active Mutator.
- In-game roster now centered on the screen.
- Main menu controller rumble bug is now fixed.
- Main menu audio bug is now fixed.
- Reduced kill console text to display a maximum of five lines.

Game Mode Updates
- King of the Hill leveling glitch has been patched.
- King of the Hill scoring has been reduced slightly.
- Scoring objective now set to lowest value by default.
- Zombie Hunt balancing has been made.

Map Updates
- The Harvest map added.
- Ice Burg has additional spawn locations.
- The Mine graphic bug has been fixed.

Mutator Updates
- Firestorm Mutator, removed DRGN Flame weapon from initial loadout.
- Goodie Bag Mutator added.
- Jet Max! Mutator added.
- No Swords Mutator added.
- Sword Mutator, removed all initial loadout swords except for the Masume.

Skills Updates
- Chemist Skill has had its impact reduced.
- Griefer Skill has increased its griefing effectiveness.
- Kung Fu Hero Skill now features a new kicking animation.
- Shifter Skill now features air recover ability. Kick mid-air to recover.

Weapon Updates
- AK-47 That Fires Cats now features black (Gato) cats AND white (Neko) cats.
- AK-47 That Fires Cats now has limited ammo.
- Assault Rifle’s volume reduced.
- Blade of Tyr’ Az-Gul’r’s damage count increased.
- Lightning Grenade’s volume reduced.

Good Morning Gato #47 – Kitty Cubed

Dustin "SuperDunner" — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 20:00:24 +0000

Aww, look at Gato in her very own cube. Adorable, right? The only thing that could make this blog any better would be confirmation that progress is being made on the release of ZP2KX v2.0.6. It’s true, progress is being made and there is more info to share after the break.

ZP2KX Mutated
Earlier in the week I unveiled three new Mutators that will be included in ZP2KX v2.0.6, and the overall response has been that of excitement and extreme joy. This positive reaction mainly comes from the highly influential “Anti-Swords Coalition” who are overjoyed by the addition of the No Swords Mutator. Obviously, No Swords means just that, swords are removed from the map and anyone caught equipping the Samurai Skill will have their sword replaced with a submachine gun. But worry not sword supporters, the new Jet Max! and Goodie Bag Mutators will satisfy your hunger for variety while keeping swords in play.

Yup, Still Waiting On That Update
Speaking of that whole ZP2KX v2.0.6 update thing, where is it? Well, imaginary person who asks questions, the update just officially passed through peer review! Very soon, ZP2KX v2.0.6, the new Mutators, the new map and all the enhancements will be live. Remember too there’s an epic new trailer that is just itching to make its way onto YouTube. Stay tuned.

That Be It
Short and to the point. That’s it for now.

Next week I’ll be able to talk about how awesome the just released ZP2KX v2.0.6 update is and how much fun it is to use No Swords. Until then, stay safe and happy gaming.

Good Morning Gato #45 – Checkerboard Cat

Dustin "SuperDunner" — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 20:00:56 +0000

I accidentally broke my glasses into two pieces last night. I can barely read what’s on my computer screen which ultimately means that you’re in for a short edition of Good Morning Gato. But all is not lost, because there is ZP2KX news to share, including a first look at the content that’ll be a part of the next game update.

ZP2KX v2.0.6
After surpassing the 10,000 sales milestone (yay!) it’s time to let the metaphorical Gato out of the bag regarding the game’s first update.

Basically, the update (which will now and forever be referred to as “v2.0.6″) is now finished and will likely be placed into peer review in the next week. And for fear of sounding like a broken record, I’m not going to go into detail regarding how long after the peer review submission it takes to actually make its way to your Xbox. It’ll take some time, so again I ask for your patience™.

As far as what ZP2KX v2.0.6 brings to the table, I can confirm that known exploits and glitches are fixed (die exploits DIE!) and balancing tweaks have been made for weapons, skills and game types. But that isn’t all. The update will also come packed with a few new Mutators AND a brand new multiplayer map called “The Harvest”, which you can peep below. Also, be on the lookout for a new ZP2KX v2.0.6 trailer that’ll show off some new “The Harvest” gameplay, a few ZP2KX reaction quotes and an EPIC “Zombies & Pterodactyls” song written and performed by Mr. Silva. Oh yes, friends, you’re in for a treat.

Click to pterodactyl-size!
Going, Going, Gone!
Don’t forget that this is your last chance to purchase The Dishwasher: Dead Samurai for only 400 Microsoft (pending your Xbox LIVE Gold status.) The Dead Samurai Deal of the Week offer wraps up this Sunday, so get to getting, download a copy and prep your dismemberment skills for the release of Vampire Smile.

It’s time for me to get a new pair of glasses. Bye now and have a happy weekend