TED Talk: How to Defend Earth Against Asteroids
Posted on November 30, 2011In this recent TED Talk, Phil Plait outlines steps to prevent giant asteroids from demolishing the planet.  This solution doesn’t involve photon cannons, but does use ion thrusters.
He mentions the B612 Foundation, which is an organization of other bona-fide scientists dedicated to this end.
Asteroids Movie Gets New Writer
Posted on November 12, 2011
After two years in development at Universal Studios, the Atari Asteroids movie has a new writer: Evan Spilotopoulos. He recently worked on next summer’s Snow White and the Huntsman (watch the first trailer here), and past credits include a number of Disney animated sequels and prequels.
Read the Hollywood Reporter story here
For more about the Asteroids movie: www.atariasteroids.net/archives/tag/film
Atari Releases Asteroids: Gunner for iOS
Posted on November 10, 2011
Atari released its latest official version of Asteroids today — Asteroids: Gunner, for Apple’s iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch.
Experience the next evolution in the legendary Asteroids franchise!
Blast your way through deadly asteroids fields and alien war ships to become the most wealthy and powerful Gunner in space history. Work your way to the top of the gritty crystal mining business by traversing through the galaxy and collecting the treasures of the cosmos. Upgrade your ship as you climb up the intergalactic ranks and become a force to be reckoned with!
Asteroids made its arcade debut in 1979, and was followed up by Asteroids Deluxe and home game console versions (Atari 2600 etc). Atari all but disappeared from the scene for a while, but returned with revamped versions of their classic titles starting last year. Asteroids Online for Facebook was among the first, now followed by Asteroids: Gunner for iOS.
We first heard about this title in September, when the Edmonton Sun ran an article about local Canadian game company Fluik being commissioned for the job. “[Fluik CEO] Rubba was headhunted by Atari after they played his game Gunner Galaxies — starring a spaceship-piloting chicken who also blasts incoming asteroids — at a conference earlier this year.” Rubba sounded psyched to work with Atari.
Asteroids: Gunner is similar in concept to Asteroids Online, but simplifies the sprawling universe to just 3 galaxies, and many ship options and variations to three (the original Dart, the heavy-duty Bomber, and the robust Miner). The plot is also slightly revised: instead of working for the good of your mining company, you’re out for personal wealth and glory (plus, saving the Earth).
Both are more complicated than Asteroids (1979), where you are a polygon destroying other polygons.
The initial download is free from the iTunes App Store, and you accumulate in-game wealth from mined minerals for certain weapons upgrades. You have one ship and access to one galaxy. Further ships and galaxies can be purchased for the price of an average game, and there are online networking options.
The game play is fairly simple. The ship is locked in the screen’s center; one thumb controller scrolls the background, and the other is shooting plus aim. Unlike a lot of modern Asteroids clones, the graphics are sharp and uncluttered. And rather than a driving heavy metal soundtrack, the score has soothing Native American flute-like sounds with and a background beat.
In-game bonus items include gold, health restoration, and extra shields which function like a flower in Super Mario Brothers or power pellet in Pac-Man. You can also customize extra weapons, but again, they have a simple, straight-forward interface.
The game scales nicely, and is a pleasure to play on both iPad and the smaller iPhone (unlike Atari’s Greatest Hits, where some titles like arcade Asteroids are impossibly small on the iPhone/iPod — although it’s great otherwise). Of course, we’d rather have a beautiful, clunky vector screen, but you can’t carry that in your pocket.
Official Atari Asteroids: Gunner page: http://www.atari.com/games/asteroids_gunner/ios
More on Atari’s Online and Mobile strategy: http://www.atariasteroids.net/archives/457
Tobii Technology Builds Eye-Controlled Asteroids Cabinet!
Posted on November 06, 2011
Tobii Technology has built a one-off Asteroids arcade cabinet, designed to showcase their eye-tracking technology. Â The game made its premiere at CeBIT in March, to demo eye-tracking on laptops. Â This is another step towards more natural human-machine interaction, and according to Tobii, much faster than hitting buttons or full-body motion sensors.
The full arcade version of Eye-Asteroids makes its debut on Tuesday, November 8, 2011, at the Dave and Buster’s in Times Square, New York, before heading off on a world tour. Â Known stops are London in late-November, and Las Vegas at CES next year.
The game is much closer to Missile Command than Asteroids, as you protect Earth from incoming ELEs (Extinction Level Events) by blasting them with lasers with your eyes. Â They could have used this technology to create Superman-Meets-Big-Buck-Hunter, but we approve of their choice.
The game’s debut corresponds with Tuesday’s near-Earth encounter with a real asteroid, that will pass by closer than the moon. Â Read about that here.
We’ll stop by Dave and Busters for a full review. Â Check back for that!
Engadget’s coverage of Tobii at CeBIT (includes video):
http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/01/tobii-and-lenovo-show-off-prototype-eye-controlled-laptop-we-go/
Pocket-lint’s report of Eye Asteroids:
http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/42895/tobii-eyeasteroids-arcade-machine-eye-controls
Tobii’s Site:
http://www.tobii.com/
Asteroid Buzzes Earth on Tuesday!
Posted on November 06, 2011
On November 8, 2011, an asteroid named 2005 YU55 (hereinafter referred to as “Yolanda”) will pass .85 lunar distances from the Earth — closer than the moon! Â It has a 400 meter diameter, the size of an aircraft carrier, and is dark and nearly spherical. Â [Click the image above for an animated view of the asteroid’s path].
At its closest, Yolanda will be visible from the Earth’s southern hemisphere. Â Officials are employing one of the coolest-looking telescopes — Arecibo, star of “Goldeneye” and “Contact” — to create an extraordinarily detailed image and 3D model of the asteroid as it zips by.
Yolanda is classified as a “potentially hazardous object,” but it will not hit the Earth or moon. Â The only defensive action being taken on Tuesday is the introduction of Tobii Technology’s new eye-controlled version of Asteroids at Dave and Buster’s in Times Square. Â Read that story here.
The next time an object will pass this close to Earth (that we know about) is 2028, when asteroid (153814) 2001 WN5 will pass to within 0.6 lunar distances. Â In the mean time, we recommend that you find your nearest Atari Asteroids arcade machine and do your part.
NASA Near Earth Object Program page on Yolanda:Â http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news171.html
 
Monochrome Game Design: Parallax
Posted on November 03, 2011
Zi Ye and Jesse Burstyn at Toasty Games (well, actually they are Toasty Games) are developing Parallax, a new game with a sharp black and white design. Â From their website:
Parallax is an interdimensional platforming and puzzle-solving game. The goal in each level is to reach the exit by travelling between two overlapping dimensions through rifts. Parallax challenges the player to think beyond the spatial boundaries of traditional platformers.
What caught our eye is the minimal, black and white design.  Parallax’s creators told ars technica that they tried out more realistic shaders and colors before settling on this scheme.  “It’s a striking, bold look, and fits the game’s play brilliantly.”  And speaking to DIYgamer, “We think this gives Parallax a rare level of visual cohesion.”
We here at AtariAsteroids.net don’t pay much attention to new (post-1979) games outside the Asteroids family, and even then, we mostly admire the elegant minimalism of the original. Â But we tip our hat to Parallax. Â It’s not being retro, visually busy, or cute. Â It’s a product of 21st century computing. Â But it boils the visuals down to simple lines, and in doing so, manages to create a rich, three-dimensional world with a timeless feel. Â We look forward to playing it!
Ye and Burstyn have just submitted a beta demo of Parallax to the 2012 Independent Game Festival (IGF).  Follow Parallax Game on facebook, Toasty Games on twitter, and visit their website.  Watch the IGF trailer below.
