1) Keep your specializations

When developing games, keep the specializations you chose (Game World, Polish, Approachability, etc) for multiple games in a row. This will create a situation where your reputation starts to form and you will get significant increase in fans.  I tend to switch directions after I get this notice, to replicate it in another area.

2) Get multiple game types and styles to lvl 2 and lvl 5.

Every time you get a genre to level 2 and level 5, you gain an additional 2 points to assign in the game specialization.  This will help your over all scores, and fans.  Thus making you more money, which is the primary goal.

3) Do not skimp on your staff hiring.

Everything relies on your staff.  Always spend the extra money to hire the best, it will make you a ton more money in the long run as their skills will create better games, which will sell better.

4) Advertise

Building your fan base inside the game is very important in keeping your sales high.  Spending the money on advertising seems expensive at times, but it will definitely be worth it in the long run.

5) Time your releases around the end of the year.

Try and make sure one of your games per year come out in late November or early December.  This will help even a poorly made game gain significant sales due to the timing of the release.

6) Create your own hardware.

Eventually the game will unlock the ability for you to develop your own console.  This will cost you $90 million if you choose all the top end options.  This is a good idea, as it will save you money in dev costs and produce revenue for you.  The problem most people have is finding a Hardware Engineer.  The way you gain one is to train one of you employees to level 5 in all the roles.  This requires a lot of discs, change job manuals and time.  So start prepping an individual early for this role.  Also, purchase job change manuals early as this will also save you money when it comes time to train yourself an engineer.

7) Take contracts when needed.

At times it’s good to gain some extra fast income from doing contracts.  This can be done very quickly with a highly trained staff sometimes finishing a 10 week contract in 2 weeks.  If you put a couple of these together quickly, you can make up that extra cost hiring that marching band cost you last month.  As a side tip: Never accept someones offer to improve a contracts graphics,sound, etc.  Many times it will cause you a loss of money, delayed time and lost discs.  Don’t even consider it.

8 ) When assigning jobs watch fatigue levels.

When you are giving someone a job at the various stages of development, make sure to give it first to someone who has the highest stat, but you also need to make sure that the person is not tired, and has not been used multiple times in a row.  It is sometimes not a bad idea to hire an outsider to do the job for you to give your main employee a rest.

9) Sequels rule the gaming world.

Eventually you will start creating sequels.  It is good to have about 3 or so different franchises that you run through consistently, trying to never repeat a type/genre.  Any game that reaches the hall of fame will be eligible to have a sequel created.  These will also be your biggest sellers, and as a bonus you get a base start of stats, which will help your score.

10) Use obvious combinations

This one seems like a no brainer, but make sure you always pick types and genres that match.  No one wants to play Puzzle/Marathon, but I’m sure there are a ton that like Shooter/Robot.

11) New Game++

After you complete your 20 years of service to the slave driver known as GDS, you get to go at it again if you want.  Start a new game and you will gain a bonus of all your previously gained levels in each genre/style, as well as access to secret Monkey and Robot employees.

I’ll add to this post as I think of more, or come across any additional information.

Top 3 Games:

It was the year of the sequel.  Each one of these games completely blew away the game before it.  The all deserve to be on this list, and if you haven’t played them, go out and put money down on them.  You will not regret it one bit.

1) Mass Effect 2 (xbox 360) – The first game was one amazing space opera.  It had some flaws, but overall was a much improved experience which took out all the stuff I hated in Mass Effect (Mako driving!).  The space mining was a bit tedious, but overall the game was executed very well.  I’m excited to see how this crazy space trilogy ends.

2) Starcraft 2 (PC) –12 years in the making? A rumoured 100 million spent to make it? Well all of that was worth it.  The best RTS game of all time has captured my attention since I got into the beta in March.  I still play it regularly and have a blast.  There is a pretty amazing e-sport scene surrounding the game over in Korea, and it makes watching the game played fun to watch.

3) Uncharted 2 (xbox 360) – Naughty Dog blended Indiana Jones and game playing perfectly, then improved on it.  This game was a ton of fun, and I’m really excited for the third one coming out sometime this year.

Runners Up: God of War 3(PS3), Assassins Creed 2(xbox 360)

Top 3 Albums:

1) Brothers(Deluxe) by The Black Keys – Hadn’t heard of them until their grammy nomination.  Now I can’t get enough of this blues rock brother combo.  Do not miss this album.  It’s like if you took Gnarls Barkley and Stevie Ray Vaughn and mashed them together.  So weird, yet so good.  Pick this one up.

2) Travel Vol 3 by Future of Forestry – The idea of releasing about 5 songs every 6 months or so is awesome.  More bands need to this more often.  I loved the first two volumes, and the third one of the set was by far the best.  The tempo was increased, more guitars added and the lyrics just as strong.  You need to pick this up.

3) Stone Temple Pilots – Stone Temple Pilots – After a many year hiatus, mutliple “super groups” and apparently a few times in rehab.  The group has reformed to put out which I think was one of the best albums of the year.  If you are a child of the 90s then you owe yourself to buy this album and give a good listen.

Top 3 Movies

1) Inception – Does Christopher Nolan ever make a bad movie? So far the answer is no, and this movie blew away my large expectations for it.  It is a bit mind bending, but simply amazing.

2) True Grit – This one squeaked into my top 3 at the very end of the year.  The Coen brothers do it again with this sort of remake of the original.  This movie was carried by the actors and the excellent dialogue written for them.  Go see it, you still have time.

3) Scott Pilgrim vs the World – This movie was about an hour and half of pure 90s video game references and inside jokes.  It was great to see a film that seem to have been made for my child hood growing up in Canada with the tastes that I have.  It is definitely not for everyone, but it was definitely for me.  If you did like the movie, make sure you go up and pick up the comic books the movie was based off of as well.

Runner Up: The Book of Eli

Top 3 Trips

1) The Hospital - I became a father this year.  Driving to the hospital after Jenn’s waterbroke was something I’ll never forget.  It’s been a pretty crazy experience over the last couple months, learning to be a father but I hav enjoyed every minute of it.. (well most minutes).

2) Europe (Germany, Italy, Austria) - Jenn and I finally got to do our planned trip to Europe.  We are still paying for the trip months later, but it was worth every penny.  Getting to see things like the coliseum and Dachau were pretty amazing.  I could go on for hours about the trip, but I won’t.  Oh yeah, and the food was awesome too.

3) San Francisco –San Fran makes it onto the list for the second straight year as I was able to attend my first GDC.  I had been following the event for many years, and now I was finally able to attend.  I don’t think I’ll get to go to it this year, but it was a blast nonetheless.

Top 3 Restaurants

1) Churchill Arms – For the second straight year, Churchill Arms makes my #1 favourite restaurant.  I still order the same thing every time.  They even got featured on Regis and Kelly this summer.  Get the curry half and half.  They’ll know what you mean and you won’t regret it.

2) Zen Sushi Bar – We are crazy blessed with Asian food now in Charlottetown.  We have Korean, Japanese, Thai, Chinese, and we just now need a Vietnamese place, but regardless of all that, the first real sushi restaurant opened and it good.  It’s a weekly tradition amongst some of my coworkers and we enjoy the trip to the small little shop every time.

3) Casa Mia - They keep me caffeinated daily.  That should say enough.

Top 3 websites

1) Netflix.ca – This year we finally got the video streaming service to Canada and it’s awesome.  The only draw back is that their selection is a tad on the week side.  With the cost only being $8/month, it is very easy to overloook the poor selection, because there is usually something to watch there.  It’s really only 1 movie rental to keep a subscription, so until there stops being stuff I want to watch, I’ll continue subscribing.  I also read somewhere this year that they were 95% of all Canadian web traffic one evening.. that is nuts.

2) Gawker Blogs – This company runs a ton of different blogs such as Kotaku, LifeHacker, and Gizmodo.  They keep me up to date on a ton of different topics and the information is pretty reliable and fast.

3) Huffington Post/Drudge Report- This is technically two different sites, but both exist on the extremes of Right and Left news.  Usually the truth lands somewhere in the middle, but they keep me informed of what’s going on in the world from two very different perspectives.

Runner Up: http://www.google.ca/ig?hl=en – It’s the first thing I see when I launch a browser, and therefor should always make my list until someone figures out a better replacement.

Top 3 Shows

1) The Walking Dead - As soon as you think zombies have been done way too many times, something fresh comes out.  This year it was AMC who are best known for Mad Men and Breaking Bad revealed a 6 part first season of the hit graphical novel of the same name.  It was very well done, and an excellent first real step into a series around zombies.

2) Fringe – This show has really pushed it story line forward this year and made some huge improvements over last years wishy washy parts.  So far the season has been great, and I hope it ends as strong as it began.

3) The Daily Show with John Stewart - The most trusted name in news for people of my age.  He leaves no one alone, and pokes great fun at the obsudirty that is American politics.  It’s a great way to kill 20 minutes while eating supper and always makes me laugh while keeping me informed.

Top 3 Books:

I did not read much this year, therefor this list is not as strong as it could have been.  I will be reading more this year for sure.

1) The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins–I came across this on a “Best books you’ve probably never read” list.  I had never heard of it, but it got me hooked.  I finished the book in about 3 days staying up late to get through it.  It’s pure teen fiction.  Treat the book like fast food and you’ll enjoy it.  It isn’t going to change the world, but it was definitely a really fun read.

2) Tribes by Seth Godin – This small little book had some great quotes in it.  It takes a look at how each person has the capability of influencing others within their Tribe.  The world is becoming increasingly accessible to anyone.  Reading through this gave me a new perspective on just that.

3) Stuff Christians Like by Jon Acuff- Last year his website made my top list, now this year his book did.  It’s a funny take on the stupid and crazy things Christians do.  I love satire, and Jon Acuff does it well.  Pick it up if you like a good laugh.

Well that’s it for this year.  Hopefully 2011 will have just as many good movies, books, games, and trips.

Oh, I also became an uncle this year too, which was pretty sweet.

Top 3 Books:

1) Freakonomics – If you have ever thought “If crack dealers make so much money why do they still live with their mothers?” Then this book is for you.  It will change the way you approach problems and situations, and in a good way.

2) The Shack – Yeah it was hyped to insane levels, but for good reason.  This is a great read for people of faith or not.  It turns some of your preconceived notions of God on their heads.  Some people really didn’t like it, but I did.. so much I’ve given it out to a few people already.

3) 1984 - It’s a classic for a reason.  Finally got around to reading it this last year.  If you haven’t read this book why not? Go, buy it now.

Top 3 Games:

I game too much, but here are some games that if you have time to play do not miss them.

1) Batman: Arkham Asylum (xbox 360) – This game was perhaps the perfect mix of Batman style gameplay, memorable characters (they used the cartoon voice actors which added a huge amount of polish), and game pacing.  There were some minor gripes with the boss fights, and the detective mode, but it was an otherwise enjoyable experience.

2) Shadow Complex (xbox 360 Arcade) – It was an arcade title this year done in the MetroidVania style.  It was an awesome game that kind of came out of nowhere for me.  If you haven’t played it, spend the Microsoft Points and pick it up.  I promise you won’t regret it.

3) Modern Warfare 2 (xbox 360) – It’s sold like a billion copies, and deservedly so.  The single player story can be extremely confusing, but the set pieces were amazing, but I bought this for the Multiplayer and I’ve played a lot of it.. probably too much.

Top 3 Albums:

1) Armistice by MuteMath - I LOVED their first album, and this one destroyed it.  It was my most anticipated album of 2009 and it did not disappoint me one bit.  Please go buy this one, it is simply amazing.  From some Jazz inspired hits, to some hard hitting rock songs it’s a varied piece that was well put together.

2) Church Music by David Crowder Band – A Collision was an absolute masterpiece, Remedy wasn’t that great or memorable, so how does Church Music stack up? Well they went back to their A Collision routes and wrote an album that has to be listened from first to last song as each flows right into the next.  I really loved this album and still play it months later.  It’s not as good as A Collision, but is definitely a close 2nd.

3) Travel Vol 1 & 2 by Future of Forestry – I had never heard of these guys before this year, but their unique sound grew on me.  The two EPs are basically half albums that make up a full set.  I wish more bands did this, release a few songs every few months rather then keeping a ton for one release every 2 years.

Top 3 Movies

1) District 9 – I love Science Fiction and I love Peter Jackson what happens when you put both together? You get an awesome directorial debut by Noel Kampann about an Alien race that landed in South Africa and is stuck and treated like garbage by us.  It was a fun ride, and I can’t wait for the inevitable sequel.

2) Zombieland – This movie kind of came out of no where.  It was a fun ride, the highest grossing Zombie movie of all time and had a sweet Bill Murray cameo.  If you haven’t seen this yet, go watch it now.

3) Avatar – This was closer to a Disney Ride than your typical movie.  If you haven’t watched this yet, go, now!  Do not wait to see this on a TV, it will never do the experience justice and you will walk away thinking that you just watched Pocahontas in space.  The 3D was crazy awesome.

Runner Up: Star Trek – It was awesome and JJ Abrahms touch is golden.

Top 3 Trips (I love to travel and do as much as possibly can!)

1) Alaska - I got to see Alaska with my Grandfather and Dad.  It was an amazing experience I will never forget.  The view and good times are something that you can only experience once in your life.

2) Bahamas - I went to the Bahamas with Jenn and her Family in May.. that was sweet.  I love beaches and hot weather, which I got a lot of.  I liked it much better then when I was in Jamaica a few years back.

3) San Francisco – I was there for work, which kinda sucked but regardless I have few nights to myself and I was able to go check out some sights and sounds of a pretty cool city.  I also had the opportunity to have dinner with the creator of Rolando.  That was a pretty sweet experience.

Top 3 Purchases

1) PS3 - Yeah, I was a hater at first.  The machine has potential, but right now the game library is just too small, hopefully that changes this year.

2) Tom’s Shoes – I bought myself a pair of Tom’s Shoes, I’ve blogged about them earlier as they give away a pair for every one they sell.  This is a sweet concept that I hope more companies jump on board with.

3) 23″ LG Monitor – Got this on a boxing day sale.  It’s nice going to 1080p, and it was an amazing deal.

Top 3 Restaurants

1) Churchill Arms – I love their curry, and rarely buy anything else when I’m there.

2) Gahan – Amazing pub food and very reasonable prices.

3) Casa Mia - I don’t eat here often, but their coffee is awesome, and they are next door to my office which is ++!

Top 3 websites

1) Twitter.com – It’s a weird site, that some people don’t get.  But it benefited me in 2009 in a few ways.  So it gets on my list. Follow me at @rfilsinger.  Even though it’s a great site for some things, it’s good for a laugh too… check this out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5Ff2X_3P_4 for a good satirical look at Twitter.

2) http://www.google.ca/ig?hl=en – Makes the list again this year.  No better homepage out there.  All my news in one easy to view spot.

3) http://stuffchristianslike.net - He is a very funny blogger who organized people to raise $60,000 to build a Kindergarden in Vietnam.  If you love Christian Satire presented in a unique way, this is definitely a great site to read.

Runner Up: Wikipedia .. because it has taught me so much, so quickly.

Top 3 Shows

1) V - It’s only 4 episodes in, but it has me hooked.  I’m just a SciFi junkie though, so I’m easily hooked by half way decent science fiction.

2) Fringe – JJ Abrahms at it again.. this guy works magic.  It has one of the best TV characters of all time in Walter.  A decent cross of  X-files and lost.

3) Dexter - In season 4, they blew us away with an ending no one will ever forget.  Glad to see the writers go somewhere tough in this weirdly styled show.

Well that’s it for this year.  Hopefully 2010 will have just as many good movies, books, games, and trips.

• Tethering Support
• 3mb Camera
• Tap to focus
• Video
• MMS
• Voice Activation
• Hardware Compass
• Battery Upgrade
• CPU/RAM upgrade

Most of this is old technology, and the iPhone should have had when it launched, but plugged some of the final holes/criticisms of the device.  Now we just need a front facing camera, and flash support built into safari.

The only thing stopping me really from getting the iPhone is Rogers.  It has been said before, but Rogers is the worst iPhone provider in the world.  This is a comparison of the fact that they require a 3 year contract, and they don’t offer unlimited data.  I really hope someday soon the spectrum auction that happened late last year here in Canada will open up the GSM spectrum so more than just Rogers will be able to sell the iPhone.

On another note, ngmoco got to show off their game Star Defense, which is available today, and my company Sculpin QA worked on it with them.  When I first heard about the iPhone 2 years ago, never did I dream the device would pay my bills, and I wouldn’t even own one.  haha.

The one thing that really impressed me today was the application for doctors.  I said to myself “wow we are in the future”.  This app lets a doctor monitor his patients without actually being in the hospital, now it just needs to read alien life forms and be used by Captain Kirk.

The new device comes in at $199 and will have 16gb of storage.  No mention of any new iPod touches, but perhaps that will come out later this summer.  Are there better devices out there?  Yeah in some areas, but it’s the App Store that really makes this device limitless in terms of expandability.  Should be another interesting year.

What they appear to have done is turned you into the controller, and if it works half as good as the video, than I am impressed.  With menu navigation similar to the Minority Report, voice recognition, and Peter Molyneux presenting an AI that if it is 25% of what he claims, is really impressive (as he really doesn’t have the best track of delivering up to his promises).  If that wasn’t all enough, they have now integrated facebook, and twitter into Xbox Live, setup High Def streaming service, the ability to buy old 360 titles via an On Demand solution.  Oh and they happened to have the Beatles stop by to open things up.

Nintendo and Sony execs must be scrambling to out do Microsoft this year, cause if all Nintendo has is a new Mario game and Sony announcing a price cut than both are in big trouble.  It should be an interested few days ahead as we see where E3 goes from here.

See below for videos on the AI and the motion sensor.