February 28, 2013

I’m back with another TestTubeGames update –

A Quick Trip

And I do mean ‘back,’ because I just returned from a trip to London.  We got to visit friends, family, and some interesting science-attractions.  There was, of course, Newton’s grave in Westminster Abbey.  The tombstone(?) towers higher than I would have expected, and he wasn’t alone, either.  Darwin is there – though I didn’t get to chat with him.  The place is littered with memorials to physicists, including Kelvin and the infamous Green.  (Yes, of Green’s functions — a topic I’ve learned many times and not at all.)  But there was also the tiny Fleming museum, set in the lab where Alexander Fleming first discovered penicillin.  *And* the visually stunning ‘King George III Collection’ of science demonstrations in the Science Museum.  A whole bunch of beautifully crafted brass and glass physics experiments straight out of the era when people used to have parties and zap their guests with newly discovered ‘electricity.’

The Solar System on a turntable. (http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/onlinestuff/stories/~/media/5FF62C757FB14E1EB94E26A337807056.ashx)

Agent Higgs updates

But even if I’ve been traveling, there are a couple things to report.  First, I’ve been tweaking Agent Higgs Chapter 2.  I’m getting a lot of nice feedback, and am trying to get everything running as smoothly as possible with the game before I release it other places.  I added in Keyboard functionality (to save the fingers of folks using a track pad), and beefed up the instructions a bit.  You can see all the changes in action here.

I also revamped Chapter 1 while I was at it.  I just released that update today, so feel free to check it out.  It should (a) run smoother than before, with easier interfaces and controls.  And (b) it now has a Level Editor, too!  So if you were pining to make some levels with electrons, you’ve got your wish.

Is that Higgs? In a prettier ‘Chapter 1’ icon? Yes, I suppose it is.

Nicely, the Level Editors from Chapters 1 and 2 are compatible, so if you share a level with your friends, they can load it up in either game.

-Andy

February 14, 2013

I just uploaded Agent Higgs: Chapter 2!  And yes, it is subtitled Revenge of the Neutrinos.  Click on the picture below to give it a play.

He’s right behind you! Argh, that sigma is helpless.

This is the continuation of Chapter 1, of course, and it includes a new set of levels.  Modeled after the ‘Neutrinos’ section of the iPhone game, this game also includes a level editor.  As always, if you make cool levels, I’d love to know.  Here’s the rundown…

Agent Higgs is on the run, again. The problem is — physicists now *know* he exists! After the discovery of the Higgs boson last summer, our Agent is going to have to hide better than ever. And he needs help, which is why he is turning to the Neutrinos. These ghost-like particles are the masters of hiding, being very difficult to detect. But will their help be enough to save Higgs this time?

In Chapter 2, Higgs must use all the neutrinos (and antineutrinos) to solve increasingly challenging puzzles. There are three different types of neutrinos, but they’ve been known to spontaneously change, so beware! Can you outwit the scientists *again* and hide Agent Higgs?

For those of you who don’t own an iPhone, here is your chance to play through some more levels with different physics.  And for those of you who already own the App, try out the Level Editor of this new game.  Easy to use, and easy to share levels with your friends.  If you ever get in a dispute about what a level’s true ‘perfect’ is, I may be able to plug it into the EPAHPS (a.k.a. Ethan’s Patented Agent Higgs Perfect Solver) to settle it for you.

Enjoy the game, and if you find any bugs/problems/suggestions/gold doubloons, feel free to email them my way.

-Andy

February 13, 2013

This just in!  The second installment of the Agent Higgs flash series is on its way.  Keep your eyes peeled for Agent Higgs: Chapter 2, you’ll find it on this site *tomorrow*!

Extra, Extra!

Just as Chapter 1 took some levels from the first section of Agent Higgs (the iPhone version) and put them into a flash game, this one will include the second set of levels.  The topic: Neutrinos.  Get ready to deal with three generations of matter, antimatter, and a bit of neutrino oscillation.

I’ve made plenty of modifications along the way.  One big thing this game includes is a nice Level Editor system.  It is easy to use, and as importantly, easy to share levels with other people.

Find him!  Also, Frank, check out this cool level I made…

The game will, as usual, be free and easy to play online.  And why now?  Well, I’d been meaning to release it, and with the influx of visitors on this site in the past few weeks, I figured that Higgs needed a bit more of a web presence.  Namely, he’s well developed in the iPhone app, but his flash incarnation has remained fairly sparse.  So I spent a couple weeks bringing Chapter 2 to life.

Now off to make the proverbial last-minute changes…

-Andy

February 10, 2013

It has been a fun week over here at TestTubeGames headquarters, and a big welcome to everyone who is visiting the site for the first time. In the last update, I mentioned that my first game, Velocity Raptor, won a NSF competition for science visualization. Well, the news popped up in a few fun places, which I thought I’d share.

SciVis News

The news about the competition jumped around to a bunch of websites. For a small sampling, check out: Wired.com, Guardian.co.uk, NBC news

On top of that, Velocity Raptor was featured in a recent episode of SciShow.  Check out the video below.  The description of my game is wonderful…

Higgs Returns

Throughout the past week – in addition to watching that SciShow episode ad nauseum, I was working on the next flash installment of Agent Higgs.  When the iPhone game came out, I released some of the levels online in Agent Higgs: Chapter 1.  And I’d always meant to find time to release Chapter 2.  And the time is very soon.

Agent Higgs: Chapter 2 will deal with all three types of neutrinos.  The puzzles involve matter, antimatter, and even neutrino oscillation — as well as a fair bit of spatial reasoning.  I’ve also added in a Level Editor.  Which means you can try to make levels even better than mine.  Or just spell your name.

Well, part of my name…

You’ll be able to play through your new creations and share them with friends.  I’m excited to see what creativity gets unleashed.  Stay tuned for this release, it will be coming soon.

-Andy