So what's happening with the update, then?

Good question

I got a bit caught up in a business trip to the US and some work on our new project. The big task is sorting out a patch that will update the CD and download versions properly, but we think we've got a suitable app for that now

Any updates on the update yet ? I keep wanting to do a quickie airburst, but the thought of a swollen hand clicking 800 times up reminds me not to.

Still been working like mad on the new project. The new version of the ABE app is actually done, but we've still got to sort the actual patch application and the home site for the patch creator is down at the moment

I've been trying sooo hard to be patient. Reading "The new version of the ABE app is actually done" from 12 days ago is just killing me. What's the current status?

We let Fedule have a play with the update and he broke it (he found a possible bug that would need fixing before release). Going to spend some time on it tomorrow and see if we've got a releasable version. Anyone who wants to test this update, send me an email at and let me know if you're using the CD version or the download version.

A bug? A bug?

Well, whatever. But it seems that the update does indeed exist. But I don't think we should really be playing it... yet.

well, it was *A* bug until I just got your new email with the others :/

No worries though, I can't fix them if I don't know about them

Yup, I can say with a reasonable degree of certainty that I'm done bughunting.

I was going to have them all beheaded and put them up on my wall, but I forgot I was supposed to give them all to Zwilnik...

So how's the update now then ? Do new bugs keep popping up or is it actually close to completion ?

I'm scheduling some ABE time this weekend. At the moment I'm on new project duty, but looking at ways of tracking and fixing the dodgy background loading bug in ABE as it's something that will potentially leak to new projects too.

At the moment, apart from the cosmetic and thankfully not too common background loading bug, the version is releaseable, we've just got to sort out the patch app license with Freeverse when they get back from Thanksgiving on monday. If I don't get lucky with the background bug over the weekend, we'll probably release the current patch then do another with new features and that bug fixed later.

Do you know what's causing it to happen at this point?

And, while we're at it, have you seen what happens when it mucks up while playing on Pluto? It's actually a really nice effect - it's the snowy background from the "Welcome to the PLANET Pluto" CG background, but for some reason there's two big red and yellow swirly things in the foreground that mess it up. Kinda like the Maestro logo, but drunk.

It looks like we've squished the dodgy background loading bug (it seems to have been more prevalent on faster Macs).

Yay! Looks like the update is finally coming. I have almost reached level 2000. I was beginning to feel that…

…and still do. What's the progress so far? Can you give us an estimate for the release date or will it take some more time ?

At the moment it's more of a case of finding some spare time to put the patch together and sort out the release. The update itself seems to be solid enough for a first update, but we're currently working on something very cool which we plan to have a demo of released before Christmas.

I haven't forgotten though, so hopefully soon!

This is going to be another one of those things where you start work on a very, very hyped and anticipated project only to pause in the middle to start a completely different project, isn't it?

Fortunately, last time that happened we ended up with ToySight, which makes it OK.

I think it's the Curse of Airburst Extreme. With other projects and the day job (before we started Strange Flavour fulltime) it's been in development longer than all our other games put together

However, if you like ToySight, you're going to love what we're about to announce

How's the update coming along now ? I played Airburst last week with 4 players after clicking up some 2300 levels. And we gained another 1000… -_-"

Assuming it passes testing at Freeverse (it's been there since Christmas), it's ready for release.

Excellent. Looks like the update is finally coming ! (how many times would I have said that?)

Looks like the updates have passed testing and will be going up on the Freeverse servers today

These updates concentrate on fixing gameplay bugs and problems from the initial release, with a few tweaks for good measure (including a couple of suggestions from this forum). There will be more updates at a later date, but not soon.

Sorry it took so long folks!

Aah, this is great ! But now that I don't have to wait for the update anymore you took all the excitement out of it, how could you ?!
Anyway, clicking up goes like a breeze, which is the biggest improvement. Just played a frog game however, and I still controlled maya and flux, same at football but with 3 characters. But that's not a problem, I hardly play them. They can wait 'til the next update which I kind of expect in the next 18 months. (should be safe, no?)

Capture The Frog and Football are team games, so you're supposed to control all the characters on your side. The bug with the original version was that when you were playing with 2 human players, you could end up controlling characters on the wrong side.

So besides bug fixes and saving time by clicking up, is there anything new that I might miss in my ignorance?

one thing I implemented from the forum suggestions was the small amount of extreme power at the start of each game so that you can use thrust immediately.

Little late for Christmas, but I'll take it!

well technically, this is the version that was sent to Freeverse (just) before Christmas.

Thought I would have another computer player on my side. It plays a bit awkward though, thrusting one player away from the burster could send the other one right into it.
Also, floaters still aren't saved in this version. Not a big discomfort but I find myself giving every player a different floater before playing. Moon just performs 200% better in his all-yellow outfit. Or at least for me… And my Jera just doesn't go without his purple floater, no ?

Well, I went to the Freeverse servers and downloaded BOTH updaters. Neither of them do anything at all when I open them. I couldn't find any instructions telling me how to install this so I assumed it would be obvious. Apparantly it isn't. How do I use these?

they're patcher apps. You run the app appropriate to your version of ABE (the CD one if your version of ABE was installed off a CD, the DL version if you bought your ABE as a download and register version from the FV server). You then drag your original Airburst Extreme app to the patch window that opens and it should update it to 1.01