Having sent iPad’s Viva la Turret off for approval, we were once again faced with our favorite dilemma: what’s next? Artwork and concepts for Game II have been piling up since March of last year. But in the volumes of never-realized ideas for Tilt to Live, one has persistently tugged at our heartstrings: cooperative play. Before we move on, we just gotta.

February 24th is TtL’s first birthday, and what better present is there for our game-child than two player Viva la Turret? None, and don’t tell us how to raise our kid.

Why Viva la Turret? It works more naturally as a two-player game than the other modes. One of you will man the Perforator, defending your imperiled teammate as he grabs jewels and brings you fresh pickups. All of the rules and dot behaviors are being redone to accommodate two players, so expect a fresh remix of familiar Viva elements.

Coop (nearby/offline only) will be a free update for anyone who’s purchased the Viva la Turret Expansion. The iPhone version is about 60% complete, and should be released around the end of next month.

We were so busy with Viva la Turret last month that we didn’t get a lot of playing done. This month, we’re starting to binge again.

Adam’s Picks (Art/Writing)

The last two console games I’ve played were both platformers with hidden collectible stuff, which I can never seem to ignore. Even when the collectibles are things like fruit lamps and sewing machines for my imaginary room, I must have them. Playing Kirby’s Epic Yarn was like taking valium (I imagine). It’s a relaxing platformer for people who enjoy quilts. Donkey Kong Country Returns was a challenging platformer for people who enjoy the movie Groundhog Day. Specifically the part where he keeps killing himself and starting over. Both good games; I liked Donkey Kong better. As for the more relevant platforms:

Neuroshima Hex (Universal App, Lite):
It’s a multiplayer strategy game with kind of a steep learning curve, but it’s been our go-to road trip title for a couple of months now. You place pieces on a hexagonal board, aiming their attacks in the direction of your opponent’s pieces. Once your turn is over, your pieces are stuck where you pointed them. So then the jerk you’re fighting does his best to ruin everything you just set up. It’s One-upmanship: the Game, for up to four players.

Alex’s Picks (Codesmith)

When I find a game I truly like, I tend not to move on. These days I’m still coming back to Quake Live for quick 5-15 minute frag fests, and if I’m truly in the mood for getting my ass kicked I still go to Starcraft 2. With the amount of stuff we’re working on in January, I haven’t had much time to explore the deep caverns of the App Store.  So this recommendation comes from a friend, and after playing it for a short while I was hooked. I’m still not too far into it, but it’s been an utter joy playing this on my iPhone whenever I have a small amount of downtime:

Battleships (iPhone):
While not to be confused with EA’s Battleship, this is a really clever take on the latter. It’s actually a puzzle game, where you are trying to discover the location of several different sized ships on a grid. Each row and column have a number indicating how many “Ship Tiles” are in that row or column. Each level can be solved completely with logic alone, and that’s the really appealing part. I’ve sat and stared at the grid for minutes at a time convinced there’s no way to figure this out other than trial and error, but knowing that fact I’ve stuck with it and solved each puzzle so far without guessing. A really satisfying puzzle game worth checking out.

Next week: We’ll show you what’s coming your way after Viva HD (which is in review and on its way).

Tilt to Live HD‘s ¡Viva la Turret! expansion has come together at last. It’s a 99¢ In-App Purchase for those who already own the Full Version, just like its little brother was. For demo users, the Full Version IAP will be going up to $4.99 USD, and will now include Viva la Turret right off the bat (to simplify things). At face value the gametype feels pretty similar to the iPhone version, but you’ll notice some important gameplay differences as you’re swiveling for survival.

The walls are farther apart.

Big deal, right? Right! Assuming you were not being sarcastic. You may not realize it, but a lot of dots in the iPhone version die from being smashed against the walls by the Perforator’s shockwave. In HD, depending on your turret’s position, a lot of that smashing isn’t going to happen. What will happen is you’ll push the same dots back again and again, and they’ll start closing in faster and faster.

The jewels are farther apart.

How long does it take you to make a trip around your iPhone screen? Not long, so it’s not unheard of to collect every jewel you create. The HD arena is about 4x the size, so you’ll find it much riskier to be OCD with your jewel collecting. More often than not, you’ll have to learn to let go.

Get to da Perforatah!

Developing Turrets HD, we noticed the extra screen real estate made being outside the turret feel a bit too safe. To spice things up, we’ve added a cruel new wave that only appears when you’re unarmed. It’s guaranteed to make you forget your jewels and run for the nearest weapon.

We’re submitting the update to Apple tonight, so you can expect ¡Viva la Turret! to reach your iPad before the end of the month.

With the new update, Tilt to Live finally has enough music to make a short soundtrack! You can stream it all you want below. The only track we couldn’t secure the rights to was Gauntlet’s theme, so our apologies to fans of the mambo.

You could also support our composer by buying a copy on our Bandcamp site ($1.99), or on iTunes ($3.99 – we can’t tell iTunes what to charge). Or if you’re quick, you could click here and enter one of these five codes to get it for free:

3fgq-63ee
wau7-g4f3
p65v-3q54
rnr8-hz2a
ddm2-5tx7

Ten more free copies are heading out to our mailing list today, all of whom are getting a coupon code that reduces the soundtrack to 90¢. Now we’re friends with benefits!

Viva la Turret is now available for In-App Purchase in iPhone’s Tilt to Live! If you’re on the fence about dropping 99¢, maybe this trailer will help.

Having cleared up our indiscretions with the turret update, One Man Left has been removed from the naughty list and given a big ‘ole sack of approval. Viva la Turret will be in your hands December 22nd! God bleth uth, every one.

Trailer coming soon!

Update: The new “¡Viva la Turret!” version is being submitted tonight, so the delay may only amount to a week or two.

It is apparently in bad taste to name your gametype after an affliction for which perfectly nice people are ridiculed. Lesson learned. The gametype formerly known as Turret’s Syndrome has met strong opposition over what is perceived, by some, as objectionable content. We’re now in the process of renaming it “¡Viva la Turret!” and resubmitting the update.

How will this affect the December delivery of Turret’s Syndrome? It’s likely to push it into early January, but we’re exploring every possible avenue to deliver this month. We’ll keep you updated.

We’re one week closer to the release of Tilt to Live‘s Turret’s Syndrome expansion later this month. You blog-&-facebook-&-twitter followers were the first to see the new weapon, and now you’re the first to get the details of our fifth gametype: Turret’s Syndrome. Check out the new music by Tilt to Live’s always-excellent composer, Whitaker Blackall.

Your Arsenal

Turret’s Syndrome will feature only one weapon type: the Perforator turret. In last week’s post, we mentioned that the dots would incinerate when they reached the turret pod, rendering you invincible. In Classic and Code Red that’s true, but it’s not the case in Turret’s Syndrome!

To be specific, the Perforator lasts 6 seconds and there is NO eject button. So for those six, point-earning seconds, you’ll be vulnerable to droves of dots bearing down on you from all angles. A word of caution: the deadliest formations are actually WAITING for you to get into a turret. You can shoot them at long range or, for an up-close-and-personal touch, fry them by sweeping your gun barrel.

The Jewels

You may be thinking it’s best to hop from turret to turret all day long. But what keeps this mode interesting is its multiplier system, which makes the difference between a “meh” highscore and a “MUAHAHAHA” one.

In TS, each dot is carrying a jewel in its little dot purse. The more dots you blow away, the more jewels litter the battlefield. Once your turret ends, you’re free to snag as much moolah as possible before entering another. But choose wisely! The jewels you don’t collect will disappear for good.

Jewels will multiply the points you earn in a turret. Grab 20 jewels before hopping in, and your kills are multiplied by 20. But multipliers only stick around for the life of one turret, so you’ll need to keep collecting jewels between Perforators for a truly great score.

Feeding the Turret

But what if you’ve got x200 multiplier, and aren’t ready to say goodbye just yet?

While you’re occupying one turret, the other pickup is floating innocently around the arena. Shooting that pickup actually draws it closer, like a tractor beam. Once it reaches you, a shockwave shoves your pursuers away, your Perforator’s life extends by 6 seconds, and your multiplier stays alive! The trick is knowing when to fire at your enemies, and when to go for that pickup. You’ll find yourself in a deadly game of chicken, praying that your weapon reaches you before the dots do!

When Oh When Oh When Is It Coming?!

Turret’s Syndrome has been finalized and submitted to Apple for approval. Once we’re given the okay, we’ll have a definite release date for you guys. For now, the best we can tell you is, based on past experience, we expect it to be out this month. The expansion for iPhone’s Tilt to Live will cost a mere 99¢, with a similar arrangement coming to Tilt to Live HD shortly afterward.

Don’t forget to join our mailing list for a chance to win one of 10 free copies of Turret’s Syndrome on launch day!

This week, we’re proud to unveil the next unlockable for your TtL weapon arsenal. Ladies and gents, the Perforator turret:

Hopping into this new pickup triggers a shockwave, shoving nearby dots backward (or smashing them to pieces against a wall). You’ll appreciate the breathing room when your mini-gun armor sprouts, spewing dot-chewing bullets in whichever direction you tilt. Dots that get too close will disintegrate against your hot metal pod. And when your turret finally overheats, a second shockwave shoves the survivors back for your escape.

The Perforator will be the star of our new gametype, Turret’s Syndrome, similar to the Burnicade in Frostbite mode. You can use it in that gametype from the start, but you’ll have to unlock it for Code Red and Classic. Unlike previous unlocks, though, the turret won’t be earned by grabbing awards (you’ve all had too much time to buffer those Pocket Scores). Instead, all of your scores in Turret’s Syndrome will be added to a pool of points. Earn enough lifetime points in TS, and the Perforator is unleashed upon the other, unsuspecting gametypes.

That’s all you’re getting out of us this week! Stop by next week for more on the new gametype, and how this weapon fits in.

Without further ado (well, maybe just a little more ado) we now decode the codename of Project Codename, Tilt to Live‘s next expansion. First came Code Red & Gauntlet mode, then Frostbite & the Burnicade weapon. Coming this December, cover your children’s ears for the new Turret’s Syndrome gametype and the Perforator turret.

The graphics envelope has been pushed, the spaghetti western musical theme is coming along beautifully from composer Whitaker Blackall, and I’ve already witnessed significant battery drain from gameplay (this is how we know when we’re on the right track).

The Turret’s Syndrome expansion will be released for the iPhone version of the game first, with an iPad edition to follow. You will not want to miss next week’s post for a first look at the Perforator turret (in mid-perforation, no less).