Bullfrog 1.2.2 has been released. This fixes several issues with high score submissions.

Download directly or use Check for Updates.

Release Notes

• Fixed: High score submission is now done in the background for better performance over slow connections.
• Fixed: Fixed bug in high score submission that could allow fake high scores.
• Fixed: Scores of zero points are no longer accepted as high scores.
• Fixed: Minor user interface improvements for the high score submissions sheet.
• Fixed: Help Menu item displays in-game help screen.

LicenseKeeper 1.4.3 has been released. Download it directly or use “Check for Updates” from the main menu.

For further details, check out the release notes.

LicenseKeeper 1.4.2 is now available. Use “Check for Updates” under the main menu or download directly. This is a free update and is recommended for all users.

LicenseKeeper now sports a new optional toolbar button for a one-click refresh of all applications’ versions and icons.

In addition to the copy serial number to clipboard shortcut (changed to Command-Shift-K), you can now also copy the registered name (Command-Shift-L) and email (Command-Shift-M) to the clipboard.

Due to popular request, there’s now a “Reveal App in Finder” item under the Product menu and in the contextual popup menu.

The email scanner has been updated to correctly detect serial numbers for Sandvox, Twitterrific, and VideoDrive.

Several small interface bugs have been fixed along with some memory leaks (thanks to LLVM Clang Static Scanner).

See the LicenseKeeper 1.4.2 Release Notes for further details.

Gustavo Duarte: Lucky to be a Programmer

Under the right conditions, writing software is so intensely pleasurable it should be illegal.

Many programmers relate to this, but others are taken aback when they hear it. I think it’s because institutions are so good at squeezing the fun out of everything. It’s appalling for example how schools can take the most vibrant topics and mangle them into formulaic, mediocre slog. And so it is for programming.”

(Via Duncan Campbell.)

Back in May of 2007, I announced that Bullfrog 2 development had begun. The game engine was to be entirely rewritten to accelerate graphics by using OpenGL and to add many of the game play features I always felt were missing from the original Bullfrog.

Then in September, I shared with you a short movie showing a very early version of the new game engine. This was all targeting the Mac, just like the original.

While I was very excited about the project, Marcus and I were quite busy with other projects and development was slow. But, just as our schedules began to open up a bit, Apple announced that they were allowing third party developers to write software for their new iPhone.

I guess timing is everything. Within hours of the announcement, we had decided to change directions and target the iPhone and attack the world of mobile gaming.

After more than a year since the original announcement and four months of intense development on a brand new and very exciting platform, the original vision was released.

Bullfrog Touch sports a fast graphics engine, accelerometer-based controls, beautiful scrolling maps, animated water, obstacles, and my personal favorite lily pads.

But, the most exciting part of this whole journey is the huge list of ideas we generated while working on this project. The iPhone and iPod Touch platform is an extremely powerful environment for all kinds of software. The ability to take your iPhone anywhere you go and have the full power of OS X under the hood is sure to lead to some great things.