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App Week #41 2013

Apple picker
7

Offline mode for SimCity 5, patent troll Lodsys is a coward, the upcoming games Final Fantasy VI and Grabriel Knight for iOS, the new racing game F1 Challenge, some important apps and a big line of discounts, this is the 41st episode of App Week.

News from the world of applications

SimCity 5 May Finally Get an Offline Mode (4/10)

Ever since the release of SimCity 5 on both Windows and Mac, players have been facing issues related to Electronic Arts' servers. The game requires a constant internet connection. Although EA claims that this is a benefit of interacting with other players, it is actually DRM that is paid for by the highest paying users. Now there is hope for them, a developer from Maxis revealed on the SimCity blog that they are considering an offline mode:

We currently have a team specifically focusing on the offline mode option. I can't promise when there will be more information, but we know it's something our players have been asking for. Although the server connection issues are behind us, we would like to give our players the ability to play even if they choose not to connect. The offline mode would have the added benefit of allowing the modding community to experiment without interfering or adversely affecting the multiplayer.

Source: TUAW.com

Patent troll Lodsys is actually a coward (7/10)

Lodsys is a patent troll that has been going after smaller developers since 2011 for using In-App Purchases. Although Apple has licensed this patent, Lodsys says it does not apply to third-party developers, even if they use Apple's API. After the company decided to go after even bigger developers who could afford to go to court, it turned out that Lodsys is actually a big coward.

This was shown in a case where the anti-virus company Kaspersky Lab was threatened with a lawsuit over a license renewal patent. When Kaspersky Lab's lawyers examined over 2000 documents and prepared overwhelming counterarguments, Lodsys withdrew the lawsuit before the trial date. Apparently, he was afraid that the court would not set a precedent for similar cases or invalidate the patents that the company uses to get money from developers. But it's sad that indie developers who don't have the time and resources to face Lodsys have no choice but to cave in for the sake of the company and pay the license fees.

Source: TUAW.com

Gabriel Knight Coming to Mac and iPad Next Year (9/10)

The well-known graphic adventure game Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Father will get a new remake. The good news is that this modern remake of the classic game is now coming to Mac and iPad. Jane Jensen, who is behind the entire game series, will also work on the entire project.

The new Gabriel Knight, a point-and-click adventure game, will primarily bring solutions to various puzzles and supernatural mysteries. The setting of the story will be the American New Orleans. The game will be redesigned from the ground up and will support Retina display resolutions at launch. The game experience will also be enhanced by the remastered soundtrack, which will also include bonus content. According to current assumptions, the game should be available in the middle of next year.

Source: iMore.com

Final Fantasy VI coming to iOS (9/10)

Game company Square Enix is ​​preparing another installment of the legendary Final Fantasy series for mobile devices. Several parts of the original games have already been released, namely I, II, III, V, and the 4th part is coming soon. Final Fantasy VI, which is supposed to be next, is said to not be a direct port like in the case of the 1st and 2nd parts, but rather a remake adapted for mobile play with reduced difficulty. The graphics are also to change, although it will not be a conversion to a 3D environment, as was the case with the 3rd part, but the original 2D graphics will receive significant improvements for a higher resolution of supported devices. Unfortunately, it will also include microtransactions, with which Square Enix wants to get more money from an already expensive game - the Final Fantasy series is one of the most expensive popular games in the App Store ever. The creators also mentioned the possibility of releasing Final Fantasy VII, among fans of the most popular part of the FF series ever, for iOS, but that is still in the stars.

Source: Kotaku. com

New applications

F1 Challenge - formula racing from a bird's eye view

Codemasters has released a new racing game – a Formula 1 racing simulator called F1 Challenge. The game features over 90 racing events including real highlights from last year's season. In the game you will find licensed teams and drivers from Formula 1. You control the game from a bird's eye view by touching and dragging your finger, it is partly reminiscent of DrawRace. If you are a fan of formulas, or have become one after watching the movie Rivals, you can buy F1 Challenge in the App Store for €2,69.

[button color=red link=http://clkuk.tradedoubler.com/click?p=211219&a=2126478&url=https://itunes.apple.com/cz/app/f1-challenge/id657423319?mt=8 target= ""]F1 Chanllenge - €2,69[/button]

[youtube id=uApNM2CkQMw width=”620″ height=”360″]

Important update

Launch Center Pro 2.0

The iPhone Launch Center Pro event launcher has received a major update to version 2.0. It brings a completely new design compatible with the look of iOS 7, as well as new customization options. Users can choose new backgrounds, images, or use, for example, photos or web images for their icons. Some interesting actions have been added, especially related to Dropbox, for example, with one action you can upload the last photo taken to the storage and save the link to the clipboard. Other system actions have also been added, such as saving the last photo taken to the clipboard or linking messages with Dropbox. Launch Center Pro 2.0 can be found in the App Store for 4,49 €

Skype or Whatsapp

Skype, the most well-known and widely used tool for Internet telephony and video calling, certainly does not need a long introduction. The official client of this service received a relatively important update. This time, the update to version 4.13 includes not only the usual fixes for minor bugs and speeding up the application, but also a new fresh look adapted to iOS 7.

X-Com: Enemy Unknown

The game blockbuster X-Com: Enemy Uknown was also updated. The update to version 1.3 brings a big news – the ability to play asynchronous multiplayer. In the game, it is now possible to create your own team of human and alien soldiers and challenge your friends through the Game Center. The update to the new version also brings better optimization for iOS 7 and minor bug fixes. You can buy X-Com at a reduced price 8,99 €

calendars 5

After a very short time, the excellent Calendars 5 calendar from the Ukrainian developer group Readdle was also updated. Tasks can now be created from virtually anywhere in the app, so the user no longer needs to switch between different views. The second very positive innovation is the possibility to view the date on the application icon. The previous options for using the badge on the icon have been preserved, so in addition to the current date, you can also see the number of today's events, the number of today's tasks or the sum of both directly on the application icon. You can find Calendars 5 in the App Store for 5,99 €

Discounts

You can also always find current discounts on our new Twitter channel @JablickarDiscounts

Authors: Michal Žďánský, Michal Marek, Denis Surových

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