I normally use this quad to look back a few of my preferent Widgets , but this week I ’m croak to instead talk about a unique Widget contest . As reported by Peter Cohen earlier this workweek , developerOTEEis currently conducting a Widget - designing competition based around their single secret plan development chopine . As explained by Peter , “ Unity is an integrate game product surround that can be used to make 3D games . The software program ships with an innovative lighting organisation , build - in shaders and let in Ageia ’s physX aperient engine . stock features include skinned character reference animation , Javascript support and more . ” OTEE invited developers to practice Unity to create Dashboard games and enter their creative activity in the Unity Dashboard Widget Contest ; 13 entries were received , which OTEE hasmade available for download .
Some of these games are quite good , especially given the time frame in which they were produced ; here are a few of my favorites :
All Around The Wall . Remember Tetris ? Imagine that instead of placing engine block as they fall , you ’re actually shoot those block from a cannon , trying to get them to down next to similarly - colored blocks . Now imagine the whole thing in 3D , so you have to worry not just about height and width , but also about profoundness . in conclusion , ideate that every once in a while , the “ rampart of bricks ” rotates . That ’s All Around The Wall in a nutshell . Oh , and did I name that all of this takes place in outer space ?
Banana Warehouse . Such a mere objective ; such a thwarting plot . Your goal is to use your trustworthy forklift to put the yellow - branded banana boxes in the lily-livered section of the warehouse , and move the unripened - brand banana boxes to the green discussion section . Except that your forklift does n’t precisely , well , lift , so you have to crusade the boxes around . And you get only 75 instant to perform the job . Sounds easy ? Give it a effort and then get back to me .
Open Fire . I ca n’t describe this one any well than the developer : “ What is there for a lone man in a tugboat , build up only with his trustworthy rocket rocket launcher , unlimited ammo , and knavish wits , to do with an endless stream of lemming - like tanks and army jeeps ? Blow them up for merriment , perhaps ? ! ” Think “ Missile Command”—the 80s favorite — but set in someone ’s backyard with toy tank and jeep . And with your “ missile catapult ” on a table off to the side .
Overwhelmed Arena . In this blank space - establish shooter , you choose one of four ships and then vaporize around the shut in arena , staying alert by preemptively destroy the other ships . Your ship ’s shield loses office each time you ’re hit by another ship ’s arm or run into the arena ’s legion strong-arm obstacles . Thankfully , various power - ups — shield regenerators and good weapons — are scattered around the arena for you to grab .
What impress me most about these games is that they in reality calculate and play likegames . They have unspoilt graphics ( include dynamic ignition ) , decent cathartic engine , and flirt with gameplay . And here ’s a handy tip : insistence Command+F while play any game to tack it to full - sieve mode . ( According to OTEE , most of the games will actually perform better in full - screen mode than in Widget window style . ) One caveat : Some of the game are still in development , so they may occasionally quit on you ; this wo n’t affect your arrangement or Dashboard .
gizmo plot are a great way to squeeze in a quick break from work , and the crop of Unity - power games are some of the best yet . So download a few of the accounting entry in the Unity Dashboard Widget Contest , give them a endeavor , and thenvote for your ducky .
Macworld ’s own Widget
Given that this column is about Widgets , I would be remiss — and perhaps docked a workweek ’s pay — if I did n’t remark the fact thatMacworldnow has a Widget of its own . you may keep an eye on the late Macworld news , article , blog entries , and hints by diving into Dashboard .
Via the Widget ’s options , you’re able to choose which of our incision you want to keep an eye on ; you could , for example , use the Widget to see just the most late Mac Gems columns . ( Not that I recommend that , of course , since you ’d be missing out on all of the rest of the enceinte content here on the land site . ) The “ Most Recent Stories ” point present you a live list of the most recent report in all but the “ Around The WWW ” and “ Mac OS X Hints ” categories .
you could download theMacworldWidget directly by clickinghere . If you ’d like to provide feedback on the Widget , please point out in the forum thread via the link below .
