Generals Redefined! + Free-for-a-day!

Generals has reinvented itself. What's new in version 1.8?

• Generals FREE is now multiplayer enabled! Play unlimited Blitz games ("real-time" games where it pays to stay logged in - although you can reconnect if you're dropped) and up to 5 Push games at once!
• Play up to 50 push games at once in Generals!
• Many minor fixes and improvements that make the game more playable. For instance, armies are hidden until everyone has placed them (makes sense!) and a game log lets you know what happened while you were logged in.

Here are some of the 5-star reviews we've been getting:

"Great adaptation of a certain other game, with just as much fun and gameplay"

"Amazing. This is just as good as Words with Friends, except instead of Scrabble, it's Risk. Huge improvement with the last update. Online multiplayer and push notifications when it's your turn. Awesome!"

"Excellent game. Though an easier way to setup a push game with friends is needed."

"Bugs fixed in this version. :)"

To celebrate the release of Generals version 1.8, we're happy to announce our plans to go free-for-a-day with www.appventcalendar.com on Sunday, December 19th! Happy AppVenting!

What have we been up to?

Time to update the blog... really! It's been a while and a lot has happened.

Generals is now on the third update - the latest version is 1.101 (building on 1.0, 1.05). We've fixed a number of issues in the initial release and added some new features. Here's a quick recap of some of the new features:

• Single player game progress is now saved when Generals is closed! You no longer have to worry about losing your place in the single player game when you get that phone call or text message.
• Added some stats to the lobby screen, including: the number of players online; the number of games in progress, and the number of players in the lobby.
• Re-tooled territory selection to make it easier.
  
• Added some new sound customization settings.
• Re-tooled the redeem cards logic and got rid of the sliding tabs (replaced by a single bar in the bottom right hand corner of the map screen).
• Many minor (and more major) issue fixes, including better memory management for a more stable game!

Many thanks to all of you who have given us glowing reviews in the app store. For those of you that mentioned areas of possible improvement we thank you too! Please "stay tuned" because the show's only just starting and many of the features requested are on their way!

Speaking of reviews, feel free to check out our latest review from the good people at appVersity! They were kind enough to give Generals an A for "Amazing". And they couldn't have put it better:

Lead your army to world domination with one of the best strategy games to grace your iDevice yet: Generals – Online Global Conquest. Generals is a near flawless Risk clone that does everything Lux does, but better. Throw in online multiplayer and you have yourself the indisputable champion of Risk clones on the App Store.

Thank you appVersity!

So, what's in store? Check out our development page to keep current; otherwise, here's a run down of what we're working on at the moment:

• Improved "human factor" to help ease new players in to the game. Improved info-graphics and in-game tips for new players that will take the edge off the learning curve. When? Next update.
• Push games! When? Very possibly in the next update.
• HD (iPad) version. When? Soon.
• More game customization. When? Soon.
• More maps. When? Soon.

Please bear with us as we'd like to see these features just as much as anyone!

Big News! Generals - Apple Approved and Released!

Generals, the epic multiplayer game of strategy and world conquest for the iPhone and iPod Touch has been approved by Apple and is working its way onto the App Store as I type this. When its finished propagating through the App Store servers you'll be able check it out by clicking here!

Price?

$2.99 to begin but it won't be long before we release some cool upgrades and raise it to cool $4.99 (note: upgrades will be free for those who buy now and for the foreseeable future). That said, it's a bargain for a single and multiplayer game of this calibre and a competitive price point given your options (Lux DLX @ $4.99; vConqr @ $3.99; Conquest @ $1.99 -- note that none of these games offer a multiplayer experience!). We encourage you to check out your options and most of all, to give us a try!

Where are we going from here?

Don't think we're done developing. Ideas abound at Cyrillian Studios and we plan to make the most of the opportunities we see before us. We've given Generals a fair amount of effort and are proud of what we have to offer; still, we think we have a lot of potential.

Most importantly we realize that our development efforts have reached a sort of "critical mass"; with a strong designbase on both the client and the server, we see explosive opportunities for a better game experience. More modes, maps, etc... here's an example of what's brewing:

Push Notification Games!

Push games are our top development priority at this time. Imagine being able to play 20 games at once with the luxury of being notified when it's your turn by a push notification (this would work much the same way as email and facebook message notifications with a the number of games awaiting your attention appearing in the top right-hand corner of the Generals icon).

For a good idea of what we're aiming to accomplish you can check out Words with Friends. Although this game is a completely separate genre, we really like its Push Notification implementation and expect to make Generals Push notification just as slick and easy-to-use!

Press Release

Click here to view our official Press Release.

Happy Gaming!

The Devil in the Details

Truly the last 10% is 90% of the work. With that in mind I assure you that the hamster wheels are spinning fast as the final touches are made to the Beta build of Generals.

Taking a break from the testing and tweaking I've decided to compose this post to give you an update on what we're up to (after all, this is a development blog!).

You might be wondering what all the fuss is about and why we can't just release the beta already? Well, using simple and intuitive software is a lot like watching a professional golfer, they both make it look easy. Ok... maybe there's less infidelity and heartbreak with software development, but I bet you catch the drift.

What I mean to say is that there are a lot of details you probably wouldn't think about just using the software. Here are some of the details (features) we've been working on:

• Automatic rejoin option for accidental disconnection in a multiplayer (online) game. Don't worry about the phone call that comes in and forces the app to quit - if the game's still running when you log back into the server you'll be prompted with an option rejoin it.
  
  The server will randomly assign your armies when its your turn and allow the remaining players to continue to play. If you log back in (hopefully soon!) chances are that you'll still have a good shot of successfully continuing the game.
  
  One catch: if there are only two players left in the game (i.e. it's down to you and one other player) then you can't use a forced disconnect (like quitting the app) to get out of a losing game. The server will automatically give the remaining player the win.
  
  
• Timed turn limits. Sick of waiting for the other player to make their move? We've implemented timed limits (complete with a ticking countdown clock!) that will keep people on their toes and make certain the game keeps moving at a decent clip.
  
  
• Exponential attack and army movement. When you're finished amassing your ultimate army and ready to annihilate your enemy the last thing you probably want to do is spend five minutes tapping the map in order to execute your individual strikes (i.e. the single dice rolls necessary in the classic board game we all know and love). To overcome this our routines recognize the difference between a single tap and a tap-and-hold. No matter the size of the army each attack / move can be made within a second or two.
  

And the list could go on... but we can't give away all our goodies :)

BTW, there are still some open Beta slots left. If you've already signed up for the Beta feel free to have your friends join! We look forward to releasing the Beta and hearing from you shortly. Thanks for following our progress!

Now accepting Beta Sign-Ups for Generals!

We are putting the final touches on the beta build and are ready to accept sign-ups immediately!

In order to participate in Generals beta you need to become a fan of our Cyrillian Studios Facebook Page so we can verify your identity.

Please fill out the information below and send it to us via email at generalsbeta@cyrillian.com.

Full Name:
Email Address:
Facebook Profile Link:
Touch Arcade Name:
Device OS Version:
Device Type & generation:
UDID:
Have you beta tested any other games? Details please!

The main focus of this beta will be multiplayer play testing. With that in mind, it's probably a good idea for you to apply with some friends so you can play against each other. We are aiming to sign up 60-80 testers.

We can't wait to get feedback from you guys!

Going Public: Introducing Generals for the iPhone and iPod Touch

Going Public!

Do you like the classic board game Risk, the game of strategic conquest? If so then we have some good news!

After approximately six months in the making Cyrillian Studios is glad to announce the lastest iPhone strategy game about to hit the Apple App Store: Generals.

Generals is our turn-based masterpiece strategy game coded in tribute to the classic board game we all know and love.

Do you enjoy Lux DLX, Lux Touch, vConqr or Conquest? We do... but what about multiplayer? What about extended features or game modes? With a lot of ideas in mind Cyrillian Studios set out to create our own unique and feature-filled game.

Soon to be released, Generals will be the first internet (WiFi/3G) multiplayer game of its kind for the iPhone/iPod touch.

To learn more, please see our post on Touch Arcade: http://forums.toucharcade.com/showthread.php?t=51745.

You can also follow us here, or use the following links:

Twitter: http://twitter.com/CyrillianStudio
Facebook: Cyrillian Studios on Facebook
Web: http://generals.cyrillian.com
Blog:http://cyrillianstudios.blogspot.com

Next step: we'll be sending out a call for Beta Testers! If you would like to participate please follow us on Twitter or browse any of the above links.

First post!

Pardon the mess while we set this up.