Breach of Harmony

Breach of Harmony

 Not too long ago somebody decided that what the My Little Pony fan community really needed the most was an online PvP arena game, and thus Breach of Harmony was born. It features everything you'd expect from this type of game: multiple player classes, gratuitous amounts of colourful horses and an unintentionally cheesy plot involving a secret society of rich ponies who apparently get a kick out of paying the lower classes to fight each other. I could dissect it further based on the preview video, but since it's still in the pre-alpha stage I shall refrain from doing so for the time being (given that most of the problems I have with it are related to the animations and will most likely be resolved in the near future).

You can find more detailed information about the game at breachofharmony.com.



...I'm just going to pre-emptively tag all newer Unity games on here as "multiplatform", since a developer using it would be foolish to not export OS X and Linux binaries these days.

Pony Joust

Pony Joust

Ok, I know it's tricky to stay angry at Rainbow Dash after this morning's episode - but in the season premiere, she knocked best pony flying in a jousting match. That sort of behavior is inexcusable.

Thanks to NutcaseNightmare, creator of Pony Wings, now you can make her pay! Um... if that's alright by you. You could also get knocked repeatedly in the mud. Engage in the sport of pegasi champions in this quick, sleek pony jousting game. 

MLP:Online Shut Down

 If you have visited MLP:Online's website at all during November you would have noticed that the game was no longer available for download, with an announcement that the game was no longer under development. No details were given as to why this might have been the case, but today our suspicions were confirmed in that the project had been taken down by Hasbro for copyright reasons. All hope is not lost, however, as the developers have stated that they are going to begin work on a new MLP-related fangame, and will give details on how to help fairly soon.

Anyhow, in case you want to read the original announcement you can do so via this link or just go down and read beyond the break.

 Just over a month ago, we released our first episode of our game. After a year and a half since the outset of the project, we were happy to present our first Episode to you. Though our servers suffered, we were pleased with the response and the great feedback we received!
 Shortly after that–exactly 4 weeks prior to now–we received a complaint about copyright and trademark infringement. We initially dismissed this it was most likely submitted by some trolls, as they could be submitted anonymously by anyone through our CDN. However, we continued to look into it, and by the following Monday, found it to be very real.
 Hasbro is not to be blamed here. As per U.S. Trademark law, as soon as an infringement comes to light, they are obligated to defend the trademark, or they will lose it. They had no choice in the matter, regardless of what they thought of the project or how it benefited them.
 The matter was quite strict: there was little that we could do to work around it. We removed the download link and development was suspended. Discussions continued through the month, but it came down to one fact: MLP:Online had come to an end.

MLP:Online: April 2015-November 2012. RIP. 

 We apologize for the wait. The time that we were taking for our discussions and to announce this publicly was time-boxed. Salty will be posting a eulogy about the project.
 But all hope is not lost. While MLPOnline is officially dead and buried, the team is mostly sticking together. Some took their leave due to real-life considerations, but about 75% of the old team remains. We've officially changed our name to Starlight Studios, as per a team vote last week. We have selected a new project. It is pony related, but otherwise we're keeping most of the details secret. It is our goal to have it completed by Bronycon 2013, though this may be ambitious.
 You should expect to see something unveiled this summer.
 EDIT: If you would like to help out with our new project, keep an eye out. I will be posting information about how to within the next 8 hours.

 Kind of a bummer, eh? At least they're going to be working on another project, so at least there's that to look forward to.

Another Legends of Equestria Open Server Weekend

 In order to ensure that their upcoming public stress test gets as much publicity as possible, the Legends of Equestria team decided to announce this one over a month in advance. As can be mostly deducted from reading the header image (unless you're a hardcore CLI fanboy browsing this site with Lynx, in which case you should probably ignore this game and go back to Angband), the event starts on January 24th at 12:01am EST and ends at 11:59pm on the 26th, and will most likely feature overworked servers crammed with seas of ponies to murder your framerate, along with a snazzy new Linux client. You'll also have to register on their forums in order to play, which can be done at http://forum.legendsofequestria.com/index.php?action=register.

 This will also coincide with their Ohayocon panel, where you'll be able to watch people demonstrating a game that you could have played yourself had you stayed at home.

Magic Duel Episode Minigame Compilation Post

Sweet mother of Celestia, that was quite an episode last weekend. In just a few days, it's spawned loads of fan content - including games, of course. Astounded? Don't thank me, thank sparklepeep, FearlessPie, and SylrePony! More after the break.

Thrack-It Trixie

Working on a rock farm? Sounds like a great central mechanic for a game. Relive Trixie Lulamoon's time in poverty, and earn a million bits to purchase the alicorn amulet and defeat that no-good Twilight Sparkle. Avoid the treacherous wheels! After a few levels of frantic teleporation, this game actually gets fairly hard - prepare to spend a little more time than you expect.

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Animal Juggling

Fluttershy will mess you up if you drop her animal friends. Seriously, don't even think about it. However, this may prove difficult, as they just keep falling from the sky. Master the art of magical animal aerobatics in preparation for a high-pressure exhibition in front of several foreign diplomats! 

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Rainbow's Tail

Rainbow Dash has a serious need to collect magical floating orbs, but her balance is off. Way off. Can you master the challenges of one-button flight? This game can be frustrating on your first few tries - miss one sphere, and you're pretty much doomed - but gets much more satisfying when you finally get the knack of keeping Rainbow Dash airborne. An even harder sequel centered around the flight-challenged Scootaloo in commemoration of next week's episode would be pretty cool.

>CLOP

>CLOP

 Before you ask why we have big green letters in the post's header, >CLOP is "the game of pony friendship and world domination", whipped up in a week and playable entirely in your web browser in all its wondrous, half-baked glory (the game lacks a front-end designer as of now). Players are given their very own nation to manage, and they can interact with other players via the online marketplace. It's still very unstable and, being under active development, still missing quite a few important features, but I get the impression that >CLOP might be worth looking into.

No, I haven't played it yet; I'm still snickering at the awful webpage.

Ye Old Time Foal Slapping Simulator

Ye Old Time Foal Slapping Simulator

Ahhh, it's good to be back!

While I was off hunting Wompas in the hinterland, Sparklepeep over on DeviantArt released the next season 3 minigame. Nothing fancy: just whack Babs Seed to keep her in the air, and try to launch her as high as possible! For the first half of last Saturday's episode, I was ready to smack her myself.

So, how does the whole minigame-an-episode concept sit with you? Do current pony games in small doses hit the spot, or do they waste your time? Tell us in the comments.

Bonus: find the season opener minigame here.

Cadance Toss

Cadance Toss

This has been on the posting roster for a few days, but our tactical posting bot dropped the ball. For those unaware, the notorious futzi01 has created the first game to feature the much-lauded sport of wife tossing! Hurl Cadance as far as possible, collecting crystal hearts to stay airborne. Go! For the Crystal Empire!

Pinkie Pie Population Perforation Project

Pinkie Pie Population Perforation Project

How do you guys feel about episode-themed minigames? Really, that amazing? Well, if you insist. Apparently, Sparklepeep over on DeviantArt has a whole series planned.

Nothing too fancy here - blast the Pinkie clones with Twilight lasers while avoiding the original. Have at it!

PonyPlace

PonyPlace

Is it a game? Well, you can move ponies around on the screen - good enough for me. PonyPlace is a simple yet elegant idea - a 2d pony chatroom with a wide variety of swappable avatars derived from the Desktop Ponies sprites. There were plenty of people online both times I logged on, although the project's still pretty basic - ideally, we'll see some more features in the future. Go check it out!

Update: Issue resolved, ponyplace is up and running again.

Poképon early alpha release

Poképon

 This one's been sitting in the inbox for a little bit while some preparations were made for the post. Poképon, made by Silverweed91, is a Pokémon-styled battle simulator featuring various ponies and other characters from the FiM universe. The current early release is a little barebones and unstable, but battling and teambuilding over the internet are fully supported. The game takes inspiration from Pokémon Showdown in its presentation and layout, for an easy transition for anyone used to that interface.

 A download link is available on the game's site, and the source code is located at the game's GitHub repository. Since there's no official game server running, I've set one up on my VPS; to connect, set the IP to lyrawearspants.com and the port to its default. There may not be anyone ready to battle when you connect; in that case, simply wait around for someone to show up.

Legends of Equestria Stress Test Weekend Overview

Pictured: Partying at Sugarcube Corner on Chrysalis server

I've been playing this game for about an hour and a half (has it been that long?), and I figured I'd give you guys my first impressions before I dive back in. I think it's safe to say that even though the current version is in pre-alpha, it's one of the most impressive pony gaming projects I've seen to date.

Yes, you heard that right. More of me waffling, a couple of tips, and a bunch of screenshots after the break!

There's actually a large range of functionality already implemented - the game supports the creation of multiple custom pony characters, running, flying, wearing items, and chatting, among other things.

The sheer amount of modeling that's already been done for this game boggles my mind. Locations include a massive Ponyville, Sweet Apple Acres, the Everfree Forest, and an halfway-finished Canterlot.

The game's riddled with minor glitches at this early stage - however, I found most of them more humorous than troubling. A couple of notable terminal bugs to look out for include getting stuck in the Canterlot meshes and being buried (or spawning) underground. Logging out solves most problems, although for some serious cases I've had to make a new character. However, the team is very clear that this is an early alpha and not representative of any final product, so I'm confident these problems will be ironed out.

The controls aren't very clearly explained in game, so I figured I'd give you the basic rundown here. Walking is controlled using the WASD keys - 'a' and 'd' rotate you while 'w' and 's' move you forward and back, asteroids style. To jump, hit the space key, and if you're a pegasus, pressing space again in midair lets you start flying. While flying, use space and ctrl to increase and decrease altitude, and the 'q' and 'w' keys to barrel roll. Touch the ground to land.

Many of the game's features are currently only usable through the in-game chat box. Type "/help" in the chat box for a full list of commands. Most commands instruct you on how to use them - for instance, typing "/additem" will prompt you with the message "syntax: /additem <itemId> [amount]". Executing this command, you might type "/additem 17 2" to add two pairs of goggles (ID #17) to your inventory.

Without further ado, screenshots!

Ahh, Ponyville. Look at all the pretty polygons.

Flying through Equestria at twilight is a pretty awesome feeling. Also, barrel rolls.

It's a good thing there don't seem to be any laws about breaking and entering in Ponyville.

Friendly warning: after talking to this character, I was unable to exit the dialogue pane and had to log out.

Wonder who lives here?

Canterlot!

Airships make every game better. Remember that, folks.

I get the Cutie Mark Crusader's clubhouse, but not Fluttershy's cottage? Grr.

Animal models in the Everfree!


The full inventory interface. Visible also are the chat window, emotes, and minimap.

Click here for a direct link to a Windows mirror, or hit up the team's facebook page for alternate downloads or to comment on the project. Kudos to the LoE team on their great work, now, let's flood the servers and make their test weekend a success! Remember, the demo will only be playable for a limited time. I'm off to play some more Parasprite Pac-Man in the Ponyville well.

Legends of Equestria Stress Test

Legends of Equestria (Stress Test)

We figured that you would all like to know that during Canterlot Gardens, Legends of Equestria will be undergoing a little stress test. What does that mean for our readers? Well, it means that from September 28-30 LoE will be open to the general public! That's right, for a limited time only everypony will be able to give Legends of Equestria a spin (except for Linux/FreeBSD users, who will have to wait for the release of Unity 4), and we'll be able to see how far the dev team has come. Once my extremely slow 20-90Kbps internet connection finishes downloading the game I'll test it myself and give you my thoughts on the game so far, but don't worry! Since the developers openly admitted that it's still in Pre-Alpha and not a finalized product I won't be unfair and give the game a score, but only a "first impressions" post. That sound good to you?

Also, there's a torrent for the LoE pre-alpha over at http://www.legendsofequestria.com/LoEPreAlphastresstest.torrent, which we advise that you use if you can. Have fun!

Twilight's Epic Hill Ride

Twilight's Epic Hill Ride

Good morning, ponydom!

This little flash game has been passed around a lot lately, and rightly so! In case you've been out of the loop, I'll give you the upshot. In the latest game from futzi01, you play as an anthropomorphic purple unicorn attempting to snowboard down an endless rock-strewn mountain. Dodge rocks and changeling beams, and accidentally smash into floating logs. Awesome, right? See for yourself. 

Review: Canterlot Siege

Play it on the Equestria Gaming Arcade

or on DeviantArt

Good (late) evening, mares and gentlecolts! For all of you teaching and learning this fall - myself included - who are regretting the end of another fantastic summer, I have just the thing. As for the rest of you, you'll probably enjoy this too. 

Yes, the fabulous futzi01 has once again landed a game upon my reviewing table. And it's a tower defense title, no less - something which we can never have enough of. Can the mane 6 blast their way through parasprites, griffons, and diamond dogs to become a fandom classic, or do they fall a little short? All this, and a secret code, after the break!

In Canterlot Siege, one places ponies around a the map in order to defeat waves of enemies - pretty standard tower defense fare. All of the mane six are available, and each one has it's own strengths and weaknesses. Each can be upgraded five times, becoming immensely powerful by the final upgrade. The game includes a pleasant amount of strategy, forcing you to optimize your tower layout for each enemy type while not becoming overwhelming. Additionally, it includes targeting options: you can set each pony to target the weakest, strongest, or farthest forward enemy within it's range.

I found the game playable, polished, and balanced - meaning that it definitely met my expectations for a tower defense title. In addition, the difficulty increases to the point where even more serious fans of the genre should find an enjoyable level of challenge. My only qualm was that occasionally, when the option to target the farthest forward enemy was selected, your ponies would fire on enemies further back along the path.

Strategy-wise, figuring out pony placement and how quickly to upgrade was key. Earlier upgrades buffed your ponies' attacks only slightly, but were cheap enough that they were well worth buying. Keep in mind that while one pony, depending on it's placement, might not need a range upgrade, it might be essential for another. Augment your bits by calling waves just far enough apart so that no tower has to fire upon multiple waves at once (unless your infrastructure can handle it.)

[MILD SPOILER ALERT] I told you I'd give you a secret code, right? As in a few of his other games (I'll leave it up to you to discover which ones) futzi has included a secret unlock related to the Konami Code. By keying in the particular sequence (up-up-down-down-left-right-left-right-b-a) on any level, you unlock Twist Mode, which turns all enemy types into the unlucky filly.

There's not a lot to fault in this game. It's charming and very polished, and, thanks to it's rare qualification as a tower defense game, I'd give it a high spot on my list of pony flash. While perhaps not a massive undertaking, it stays within it's limits and solidly lives up to it's billing. 

Text Adventures: My Little Time Killer/Welcome to Dream Valley

Play My Little Time Killer / Play Welcome to Dream Valley

Text adventures? Why not? It's been a lazy week so far - two today to stave off the August blues.

My Little Time Killer takes place aboard a space station (see, the header image is at least tangentially relevant) and the goal is to fill time and stave off boredom between the station's many conveniences. Fortunately, between the holodeck, simulated combat system, growing crops, and chatting up your fellow astronauts, there's plenty to do. (Caution: Shipping and a little T-rated humor.)

Welcome to Dream Valley is currently abandoned, but like its sibling features a full combat system and is significantly more complicated than your run-of-the-mill text adventure. Playing as a Unicorn, Pegasus, Earth Pony, or Unicorn, hone your skills while exploring Dream Valley!

Map of Equestria (Flash)

Map of Equestria

Although this program by futzi01 (pony flash game maker nonpareil) isn't technically a "game" per se, it's quite handy and elegantly programmed (plus I love maps). So here it is. This nifty piece of Flash takes the Official Map of Equestria Season 2 poster and gives you a little blurb from the location's MLP Wiki page upon hovering with your mouse. Also, clicking on a location will link you to the full article. With new locations and information being added as it is called for, this program is quite helpful for anyone who wants to get a sense of Equestria as a whole.

MLP Online Demo Update 8/21/11

MLP Online Website

 MLP Online is a fan made My Little Pony Friendship is Magic MMO, currently being produced by Urimas, Salty Justice, and their team of programmers, spriters, and other members in a custom made C++ engine. The project has been in development for a while now, and when finished, will be 100% free to play.

The MMO is still in its early stages, but a lot of the features are already nearing completion The game currently has eight different movement directions, functional NPCs, flying, bucking (Kicking objects around) and several maps.

Currently, the sprites are a major developing point in the project, many different sprite sheets have been made for the mane cast and many other ponies who will be in the game. You can find a demo showing the current progress of the game HERE.

The battle system is currently being worked on, you can play a short demo of what it might look like HERE.
The team is also working on scripted events, allowing for small cut-scenes to take place, as seen below.

A short video demonstration of the battle system

Currently, only Ponyville and Sweet Apple Acres are the two completed maps, and Fluttershy's cottage is being worked on. There will be many other maps in the near future, allowing players to fully explore Equestria.

MLP:Online Alpha 009 Demonstration

MLPOnline Physics Demonstration

Urimas has released a small Sprite Test game, though he says the test is not an actual part of the game engine itself, and is just a temporary way of showing people what the team has achieved so far.

 The Sprites shown are the walking and running sprites, though there are trotting, jumping, flying and bucking sprites also completed.

The Flying Sprite Test Game can be found here

If you're looking to join the production team for this game, there is a section on the forums HERE that lists all the different open positions, though if there's something that's not there that you want to help with, sending Urimas a friendly message asking about it probably wouldn't be a bad idea.

The game is in its early stages, so feeback is welcome, you can give some feedback about already implemented features HERE or suggest new ideas for the game HERE.

Salty Justice also does daily reports on the game's progress, if you want to follow up with that, the topic can be found HERE.

Game: Ponysweeper

Play Ponysweeper

I could marvel at the ever-expanding list of ponified games, but to be honest, I'm not even surprised any more. Minesweeper. Ponies. Ponified Minesweeper. What took you guys so long?

Ponysweeper is exactly what it says on the tin. Playing as Twilight, excavate a garden full of handily numbered cabbages/eggs/watermelons while avoiding the buried changelings. Board size and number of changelings can be modified in settings, and I can't complain about the execution. Have at it!

Updates: Ponyplace/Nightfall Beta 2

Scootaloo's bringing the news! That, or I needed an excuse to use this vector.

Important updates from the Ponyplace and Nightfall projects after the break!

Ponyplace

After a long hiatus, Ponyplace is back! The layout of rooms and character selection is much the same, but accounts are now handled through your gmail via Mozilla Persona. 

When I logged on, the site seemed much better regulated than its former incarnation, with several mods patrolling the chat rooms. Whether you'd care to try out the new classroom minigame or just shoot the breeze, it's worth a look!

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Nightfall Release Post

Hot on the heels of the original, Nightfall's second beta release is here! It's always nice to see frequent updates of a game incorporating gamer feedback, and bodes well for the project's success in the future. Notable upgrades include ten more nights, doubling the original number, and a new mercenary system. Also added are some new keyboard controls and several balancing measures.

For more screenshots and a full list of new stuff, check out the release post and give the game a whirl!