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The Blockheads, the open world exploration and survival game from Majic Jungle, just got a big new update. The new update brings a host of new building and structure features, including trade portals, server lists, scorpions, death, and a whole lot more.

We had an opportunity to review The Blockheads in early 2013, and liked it a lot. The Blockheads is available on the App Store for free (with optional in-app purchases).

New features
- New trade portals allow buying and selling items on a global marketplace with all other Blockheads players
- A new tutorial to help out new players starting a single player world
- Adds recent server list for connecting to online servers
- New scorpions can be found in the desert, and are particularly active at night
- Blockheads can now die, but can regenerate at the portal
- Craft paintings using any picture you like from your camera roll
- New stairs and columns for decoration and to make moving between floors easier
- New fast and convenient electric elevators
- New golden bow & poison arrows
- You can now paint ladders, beds, chests, shelves, display cabinets, safes, signs and shops
- Many bug fixes and tweaks

The expansive 2D Minecraft-like that is The Blockheads has just received another major update, bringing the list of features into the realm of the ridiculous.

In addition to all the expected (but still very much welcome) improvements, most of which involve multiplayer stuff like item ownership and player device banning, there have also been quite a few additions. Things like HD textures for newer devices, the ability to warp in up to 5 Blockheads, electric workbenches that are faster and use less fuel, new types of weapons and armors, a few new mysterious enemies, and trains to transport materials (and players) around the world. Seriously, that should be more than enough incentive to check The Blockheads out if you haven't already.

David Frampton, the sole proprietor behind Majic Jungle Software, has been on the App Store since day on with his game, Chopper. Ever since then, he's become one of the first developers to experiment with TV gaming with Chopper 2, and took the open-world crafting genre to a mobile-friendly place with The Blockheads, which recently got a big online multiplayer update. He took some time out to answer our questions about his experiences on the App Store and what he thinks about the future of the store.

148Apps: Why did you get started making apps for the App Store, in particular Chopper?

David Frampton: Before the App Store was announced, I had a day job and was saving towards doing full time indie shareware Mac/PC game development. But then Apple announced the App Store and it seemed like a much better opportunity to survive as an indie, so I decided I had to do my best to have something on there as soon as possible. Chopper was a great fit, given it was a relatively straightforward port and suited the iPhone. So I spent every evening and weekend working on it, right up until the deadline for submitting apps for day one. Boy am I glad I did!

148Apps: You explored TV-based gaming in a significant way with Chopper 2. How did that work out for the game?

Frampton: I think it was great, it did a lot to publicize Chopper 2 before launch, gaining a lot of attention due to the unique wireless control scheme. It was a good fit for the game, and when AirPlay for the Apple TV came out later it was only natural to support that too. I'm not sure that a huge number of people still play Chopper 2 on their TVs, it was and still is a bit of a novelty. But I still think there is great untapped potential in that area.

148Apps: What do you think about future pushes into TV gaming in the market now?

Frampton: I don't really think that AirPlay in its current form can break out of its niche, and I'm not convinced that a full blown App Store for the Apple TV is the answer either. So it's a tricky one to predict. If Apple can find a way to make AirPlay far more seamless and accessible it would have a very positive impact. Or if an extremely popular game used TV integration very well it could have the potential to transform the space, too. Also the new iOS controller APIs hint that Apple might be looking towards future developments in the area.

148Apps: You've made a push into free-to-play with The Blockheads. How did you feel about making a game with this f2p model?

Frampton: I was hesitant at first, but it's been a very positive experience. One thing that is really great about it is that there is financial benefit to keeping up on update releases. With Chopper and Chopper 2 I rapidly saw diminishing returns for the effort I was putting into making updates. With The Blockheads, every update sees a significant increase in IAP sales and ad revenue. Given I have lots of ideas for improvements and I want to keep adding to the game for some time, this is great. The other awesome thing is that such an insane number of people are playing it. To date it's made less money than either Chopper or Chopper 2, but it has had 10x the downloads of either, and has many many more people playing it every day. This makes me really happy. A game needs to make money to pay for development, but seeing lots of people playing and loving the game is the biggest reward.

148Apps: As a solo developer on the App Store, do you think that it will still be viable in the next few years for developers who want to go solo to keep thriving?

Frampton: There's no doubt that the quality of the best games on the App Store just keeps going up, and the bar for any game to get noticed keeps getting higher along with that. But in saying that, throwing more developers at such a problem isn't usually a good solution. It seems pretty common for even the biggest studios to have small clusters working on each game, often only a handful of people. A small team will have a time and experience advantage over a solo developer, and big companies with many small teams have a better chance of striking it lucky with a particular game. But an experienced solo developer can spend a bit longer and if they're lucky, still come up with something that competes with multi-billion dollar companies. It's awesome, and I can't see it changing significantly any time soon.

148Apps: What is your biggest wish for the App Store in the future?

Frampton: Really I just want to see Apple and the App Store thrive. New hardware and OS features are always exciting, both for the new opportunities they provide to developers, and for the new potential audience they can attract. Already we have hundreds of millions of potential customers out there that can download and pay for our games at the tap of a button. But there is still plenty of room for Apple to expand, both within the confines of iPhone/iPad and into totally new markets. And given its success, wherever Apple does take the App Store, there's a decent chance that they'll also take us developers along for the ride.

Thanks to David for his time; it is greatly appreciated.

[ Photo Credit Jon Jordan ]

Creating artwork from sand seems to be the new big craze in the arts and crafts world. It's not surprising really as the results are frequently rather beautiful. For those not wanting to dabble with actual sand (which loves to get everywhere in an insidious, never ending kind of way), Sand Pictures enables iPad owners to create their own beautiful landscapes without going anywhere near the real thing.

Sand Pictures promises to offer a realistic simulation of falling sand with nearly 100,000 different particles of sand, all responding to the user's interaction and the power of gravity. Different colored sand grains exist on screen with darker grains falling faster, thus allowing users to create layers within the sand. Different color gradients are also possible with 50 built in choices that can be simply adjusted with the tap of a couple of fingers.

The effects are pretty astonishingly beautiful, immediately making for an app that's ideal for young and old, with only the need for creativity to divide anyone.

Users can push the various sand grains around with their fingers or they can pop bubbles with a simple tap. Bubbles can be further added by holding a finger down in one spot. The aforementioned power of gravity also plays an important role here as users can turn their iPad around, thus adjusting the directions in which the sand fall.

Sand Pictures offers 20 different background landscapes for users to create their own image in front of, and there's always the option of using an image from the user's photo library.

Once the user has created their picture, they can then share these images via Twitter or Facebook, or simply save it to the photo library for future reference.

Sand Pictures is available now for the iPad and it's currently on sale for a limited time, priced at $0.99.

Chopper 2, the next instalment and much-awaited sequel for the hit game Chopper, has been submitted to Apple and is pending review. The application will be universal, so owners of both an iPhone and iPad will be able to reap the benefits on both devices without having to pay twice. iPhone 4 owners will be able to make full use of their 326ppi display with some the same HD graphics from the iPad edition.

Chopper 2 features "a complete re-written 3D game engine, all new enemies, weapons, graphics, and missions" packed into 36 levels over 12 unique locations. The game will use OpenFeint leaderboards and achievements, a growing gaming network that provides a more interactive and challenging gaming experience.

iPad owners who own an iPhone or iPod Touch also are in for a special treat, with Majic Jungle developers providing the ability to control the helicopter from Chopper 2 on an iPad from your iPhone. The feature works over bluetooth, meaning no network connection is necessary. In addition, you can hook up your iPad to a TV via component cable or VGA adapter and play the game right from your couch or bed from your iPhone. To see how this works, take a look at the video below.

Read the official post at Majic Jungle. Be sure to check back here for updates as soon as it's released.

[Note: the first four images are courtesy of Touch Arcade.]

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In the competitive battle for the newest and greatest iPhone apps and games, five independent developers set aside their own pursuit for that #1 spot in the iTunes store and created a pioneering new concept.

Sega had them, Playstation had them and Nintendo had them. Now, the iPhone has one: the game bundle.

The 5 Fingers Games Bundle takes five of the most popular and best selling iPhone games, and combines them into one great package. In addition, besides having five great games readily available, because they are all together in one app, it only takes up one app space on your iPhone. That means five games for one dashboard spot!

With a shared admiration and enthusiasm for each other's work, these 5 indie developers have joined forces to bring you the following five addictive and high-energy games on one simple launch pad:

Chopper - Majic Jungle Software
Up There - Veiled Games
Sneezies - Antair Games
BurnBall - IMS
Blackbeard's Assault - Warhorse Games

Often for a games bundle, a publisher pulls together one or two good titles and throws in some weaker games to fill in the space, but these are the best selling game from each of five indie developers. Each one is a gem in their own right, with production values, quality, and most importantly, heart.

Together these games have a value of over $10.00, with each being at least $1.99. The bundle is available for just $4.99, a discount of 50% or more off each game.

Could this be a new trend in the competitive world of iPhone gaming? We'll just have to wait and see.

For more info click here.

David Frampton, the developer behind Chopper (iTunes Link) which had reached as high as #2 on the top paid games list and #3 paid app overall as recently as Christmas, and Duck Duck Duck (iTunes Link) has posted a great article on his blog about what sales numbers he has seen as he has changed the price of his apps. He's got some great insight in this post.

Some of the findings he shares include info on what pricing your app at 99 cents does to the sales, and the reviews. What giving away your app for short periods can do. Here's an excerpt about pricing your app at 99 cents:

Many apps have dropped to $0.99 permanently, and my own DuckDuckDuck also dropped to $0.99.

I regret it.

One of the problems with hitting this price point is in the long term income. A month after the price drop, 6 months, 2 years… People who like an app, and then recommend it, are the best form of advertising. These wonderful, loyal customers perhaps unknowingly convince their friends to pay well for the recommendation. But not just yet. The tail of 1000 sales today lasts a hell of a long time. When their friends do happen to buy an iPhone, and then try out the App Store, and then buy an app or two, your app might be it. Hopefully it’s not $0.99.

Head on over and read the post, it's worth the time if you are interested in what developers experiences are with the pricing of their app.

[via Majic Jungle Blog]