Last week the latest Away3D release was launched – the FP10-only 3.6.0 version which added some much needed memory and speed optimisations to the main branch of the engine. Now, these updates have been transferred to an interim 3.5.2 version (one that requires no code refactoring) and an equivalent FP9 2.5.2 release, both of which try to includes as many of the bugfixes and optimisations from the FP10 trunk code.

The announcement of the new release appeared alongside a new Away3D demo called BattleCell, the result of a recent collaboration with Influxis which uses both the extra power of the new engine and the peer-to-peer capabilities of Flash 10.1 to produce a realtime 3D multiplayer prototype. Special thanks must go to Influxis dev Sean McCracken, as well as Away3D coders David Lenaerts and Fabrice Closier, and 3D designer Federico Selmi for their hard work on the project.

The demo uses a newly developed API for multiplayer games over RTMFP (the new P2P protocol available to Flash 10.1 users). What this allows is many live data connections directly between clients with little to no latency, creating the perfect environment for some serious fragging fun! BattleCell is the name given to both the demo and the underlying AS3 API, the latter written by Sean in order to easily connect multiple users and pass data between clients.

The BattleCell demo is a typical FPS Deathmatch-style game, complete with room allocation, choice of weapons and a large play area for you to roam. Obstacles in the game include lifts, teleport windows, acid baths and secret tunnels to assist your attacks… but be careful who is lurking round the corner!

The new 3.6.0 version of Away3D has a completely remodeled core to take full advantage of all native 3D APIs in Flash 10, which results in more stable and less memory-hungry apps. Performance has improved also, and we expect framerates to increase still further as we continue to optimise the new framework. There have been some older class replacements that you need to be aware of when upgrading: both custom classes MatrixAway3D and Number3D have been replaced by the native Matrix3D and Vector3D classes respectively for added speed and stability.

The Battlecell demo is kindly hosted by Influxis and can be accessed online at http://www.influxis.com/battlecell. Type in a room name for your friends to join, and a user name so that others can identify you in-game. The game URL can easily be copy-pasted for fast access to a room, and any user leaving the game automatically frees-up their slot for a new user to join. As the APIs are still being tested, a maximum of 4 users can join a single room at once, but we hope to increase this limit in future versions of the demo.

As usual, all updates can be downloaded from the googlecode svn, or from the downloads section of away3d.com.  For those of you just interested in upgrading your FP10 library without having to worry about existing code breaking, there is a specially tagged 3.5.2 version of the code that includes all enhancements up to the point where external API adjustments are made. This version is recommended for developers in the middle of a project, who don’t want the hassle of changing their code. A full breakdown of the API changes for 3.6.0 will be posted on the Away3D mailing list in the next few days.

Away Media recently teamed up with CBBC to assist in the production of the latest web content for the children’s program Escape from Scorpion Island. The TV show focuses on two teams assigned a series of island-style challenges, and the website continues that theme with a navigable series of mini-games.

Away Media were brought in to assist with the Flash development of the web interface for series 4 of the show. This included the development of the 3D island interface, the navigation interfaces, animations for all intro screens, info panels, hi-scores and video players, and the client-server communication using the existing BBC login facility.

Visitors to the site can keep a running score of their achievements on all minigames, that are entered into a hi-score table alongside other CBBC players. The mini-games were developed independently by 4T2 and Collective, two London-based digital agencies.

Away Media has recently been involved with CBBC in the development of an online interactive story for the kid’s TV show My Almost Famous Family. The show tracks the highs and lows of the Swann family as they try to make it as a band, and the recently launched online story continues the narrative with a series of minigames based around the children of the family as they attempt to form a breakaway group and win the local battle of the bands tournament.

The entire game is located in a 3D ‘map’ of events as they unfold, with various mishaps and discoveries along the way unlocking new content. The user is drawn into the narrative with a clever use of webcam video of the band seen as if they were communicating directly with you, and it is here where the main story unfolds. Each event is punctuated by either a video clip or minigame, with the latter requiring the user to perform a task that allows the story to advance to the next stage.

Each minigame can be completed fairly easily so that no one game is a barrier to progressing through the story, however for those who like a more competitive edge, results and highscores are logged and users can revisit a game at any stage to try and improve on their personal best. There are also some nice touches in the story where the results of your completed tasks are used directly with the narrative.

Away Media’s role in the project was primarily the development of the global navigation and game shell, with the 3D map using a mixture of Away3D Lite and native Flash 3D. The minigames were contracted separately and integrated into the main site with the help of the Away Media development team, who also looked after all server communication, asset loading, video playback and control interfaces. The end result is an engaging interactive story that treads new ground for the online portal of a TV show, mixing live action video with interactive flash games in a seamless and convincing manner. Check it out here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc/myalmostfamousfamily/

Toyota have recently launched the English version of their minisite for the new Verso. Based around a series of minigames, the Verso minisite was built as a collaboration between Rehab Studio and Away Media for the Brussels branch of the media agency Saatchi & Saatchi.

Away Media were responsible for the development of the minigames, which included some 3d elements that were created using Away3d. Each game integrates with the rest of the site using video shorts that play after completing one of the game tasks. Games developed by Away Media include the Luggage game, Personal storage, Driving dynamics and Harmony.

The entire site is built to be localised and has already been translated into French & Dutch for the Belgian version which can be found here.

Last week saw the launch of the new version of Intel’s ITManager gaming experience: IT Manager 3 : Unseen Forces. The premise is a simple one – you are an IT manager charged with running an office whose success relies on your ability to keep things running smoothly.

Away Media acted as 3d consultants on the project, assisting MRM Worldwide to achieve the best possible 3d experience with the Away3d engine. The game takes advantage of a lot of Away3d features to produce something never before seen in a Flash game – highly detailed interactive 3d scenes running at a smooth pace.

Starting with only 3 floors, you can work your way up to bigger and better offices by providing the best technical assistance to the company. Performance is linked to a number of different scoring systems, including your mystical ITChi level which reacts to the overall competence of your actions. Get this above a certain point and you’ll achieve “ITChi enlightenment”, a nirvana-like state in which everything turns a calm blue, and special power-ups are awarded.

The game requires that you register a username and name of your virtual company before commencing battle with your evil computing nemesis. For login details, go to  http://itmanager3.intel.com.

While having a brief respite from the pressures of the very real 3d world, I managed to slot in a game for my friends over at creativestream. It’s a tribute to the slightly backward but still immensely popular Deal or no Deal game on Channel 4, and instead of money, you win christmas turkeys (among other things). You get one chance to win a prize every day, all the way up to the 24th. Surely that’s better odds than the lottery! Oh wait…

Unfortunately his paisley-shirtedness Noel was unavailable for comment.

Rob