Astroslugs Newsfeed

iPhone! Update 1.2! Sale!

Mon, 19 Sep 2011 11:46:00 +0200

Things have been pretty busy since we came home from GDC Europe and gamescom a few weeks ago. Here's what's currently going on:

We just released our second update for Astroslugs for iPad (or as it is now called: Astroslugs HD). Over the last weeks we've listened to your suggestions and made a lot of them come true. Please do have a look at them in the AppStore. If you want more updates like this, please rate the game with five stars on the AppStore (again). Also: If you've got ideas for more cool stuff then don't hesitate to contact us via info@bitbarons.com or on Twitter (@bitbarons). Here's the changelog for Astroslugs v1.2
- added the gloom planet (10 new puzzles!)
- added the magma planets (another 10 new puzzles!)
- the very impatient can now prematurely unlock all planets for a small fee
- significantly improved performance on both iPad 1 and 2
- the recognition of gestures is now way more accurate
- reduced the size of the game to less than 20 MB
- minor design changes (new icon, slugballs, screenshots)
- added some more Astroslugs to the game
- changed the name to Astroslugs HD
- made quite a few usability improvements

We've brought Astroslugs to your iPhone (3GS/4) and iPod Touch (3G/4G). We've optimized the game for the smaller display size, for example by adding a magnifying glass which helps if your thumbs tend to get into the way. We also came up with about 50 completely new puzzles that fit in a 7x6 slugball playscreen. So even if you already own the game for the iPad don't hesitate to get the iPhone version too, there's lots of new puzzles to solve. We're currently on a introductory sale which means that you can get the whole game for just 99ct. On thursday, we'll bring the price back up to 1.99 USD.

Apple's editorial team found out that Astroslugs is actually a pretty great game. That's why we're featured as the iPad Game of the Week in more than a hundred local AppStores. And that's why we're running a sale on Astroslugs for iPad. Currently ou can buy the game for just 1.99 USD, this will be back to 3.99 USD on Thursday.

Astroslugs Goes Free For A Day!

Thu, 28 Jul 2011 12:20:00 +0200

[edit] We've extended this for a day as we hit the #1 App spot in the German AppStore. And we'll keep extending for a day if we hit yet another #1 spot. Astroslugs Deluxe for iPad is today's featured iPad game over at Free App a Day!

To celebrate our first month in the AppStore, everyone can now get the full game completely for free instead of paying the ususal 2.99 USD / 2.39 EUR. This also includes all further content updates - the next one is to be launched soon(tm).

Astroslugs Deluxe on the iPad AppStore
Astroslugs Deluxe on FreeAppADay

Patch 1.1: 10 New Puzzles for You!

Tue, 19 Jul 2011 16:49:00 +0200

We've just released the first free content update for Astroslugs - the Ice Planet. Astroslugs 1.1 now features ten new puzzles - in both the Lite and Deluxe edition of the game. All current owners of the Deluxe version will get those ten puzzles for free when they update the game through the AppStore.

Here are the direct download links for the game for those who haven't already bought it:

Astroslugs Lite for iPad
Astroslugs Deluxe for iPad

PS: We've also included some hints for the last mountain puzzle. Somehow those got lost in the process of submitting Astroslugs 1.1 to Apple. =D

The Astroslugs head for your iPad

Thu, 30 Jun 2011 14:34:00 +0200

Today is an important day for our small indie studio. We're now officially able to announce the release of our first mobile game, Astroslugs for iPad. It should right now be available on all AppStores worldwide in two exciting flavours.

1.) Astroslugs Deluxe for iPad – 1.99$
This is the Deluxe version of Astroslugs which gives you access to all current puzzles. You'll also get all future content updates for free. It is currently on sale for 0,99$. This price will stay for a week to give you - our friends and fans - a chance to get the game for a little less than everyone else.
2.) Astroslugs Lite for iPad - free
This is the Lite version of Astroslugs which will let you play the first two planets (15 puzzles) for free. You can unlock more planets via In-App-Purchases.

Rising Sale
We currently have 35 different puzzles in the game. Some of them will be known from the PC & Mac version of Astroslugs but a lot of them are completely new. We also plan to release 10 more completely new puzzles about every two weeks. That means that everyone who buys the game now will get about 75 puzzles for just 99 cent - if you wait until the last update the prize will have risen to 5.99$.
What's new?
Astroslugs is still a colorful and soothing puzzle board game. It still features the same game mechanic of fitting all those finicky shapes into the play field. It still has a lot of Astroslugs & slime in it and features the beautiful soundtrack by our friend Filippo Beck Peccoz. That hasn't changed.

But whille Astroslugs for PC & Mac plays in the current age and all Astroslugs are rather ... well ... dumb, the new Astroslugs for iPad is set in a long forgotten age when the universe still looked like an old parchment. See, in that age the Astroslugs were pretty intelligent. They already had their space ship going. And they used it to travel through space and visit far-away planets to gather the prized Slug Energy. Also,

We've changed all the graphics. Not because we didn't like the old ones but because our Art Department (Alex Widl) wanted to be challenged and create something new.
We've streamlined the controls for the iPad and re-designed all tutorials. They're now much more intuitive.
We've added something that all Astroslugs players asked us for: a proper hint system that will help you once you get stuck in the game.
We've also put in a few dozen Game Center achievements. Some of them are pretty easy to get. Some are so hard to spot that we don't expect a lot of people to get them.

And now, without further ado: Here's the release trailer for Astroslugs for iPad.
Flash ist Pflicht!

Only for three days: Free Astroslugs on the Mac App Store

Fri, 11 Mar 2011 11:57:00 +0100

The Astroslugs finally made it to the Mac App Store. To celebrate their appearance in this uncharted territory we decided to give you guys a little present. Astroslugs will be completely free for the next three days (Friday to Sunday) on the Mac App Store. That means you will save 12$ / 9€ on the full price of the game.

And that is not all. As an added bonus we will also give everyone who buys Astroslugs on the Mac App Store a free copy of Astroslugs for Windows*. With no DRM at all. So you can easily gift this version of the game to your friends who still have no Mac. And there's even more! You'll also get a free copy of the Astroslugs & Friends Soundtrack* by Filippo Beck Peccoz and his Audio Designer friends.

To sum this up:

free version of Astroslugs for Mac on the Mac App Store
free version of Astroslugs for Windows from yours truly*
free version of the Astroslugs & Friends Soundtrack*
save lots of money
have even more fun

* To get those goodies you just have to send a copy of your Mac App Store receipt for Astroslugs to info@bitbarons.com. We'll send you the Windows game and the Soundtrack as soon as this celebration is over (which probably means Monday). Update I: There seems to be a problem when trying to download Astroslugs from the US Mac App Store. We're talking to Apple, trying to find the error.

Update II: Lots of people from the US have downloaded Astroslugs from the Mac App Store now. If you still have download problems, please contact us at support@bitbarons.com and we'll help you get your copy directly from us.

The solutions for all your problems ...

Thu, 03 Feb 2011 17:40:00 +0100

Disclaimer: We originally did not want to release solutions for the puzzles in Astroslugs. This is due to the facts there is not only one solution for each puzzle. Most level have dozens, if not millions. A lot of the fun of Astroslugs is based on finding YOUR OWN solution - and not the one that we published. But still, lots of people asked for solutions. We've now completed the first in three steps to the ultimate solution system: 1.) We've uploaded a picture of every solved level to flickr. You can find them by clicking on the solutions button in the top navigation of this site or by browsing to astroslugs.com/solutions. Beware: You'll be able to see all solutions here, this might spoil some exploration fun for you. 2.) In the future we plan to update our website with a system that will only show you the solution for a single level at once. This will decrease the amount of spoilering. 3.) In Astroslugs' update 1.1 we'll include a hint system into the game. This will save you from going to the web for a solution. But we're still designing that system so it will take some time. Until then: Have fun playing Astroslugs and don't give up too early. All puzzles can be solved without using any hints. Expand your mind. PS: Lots of thanks to Bill from Mr. Bill's Adventure Land who took the time to work his way though Astroslugs, solve every last puzzle and send us the screenshots for you. You're the best!

The Astroslugs are on their way!

Thu, 27 Jan 2011 15:27:00 +0100

As of 00:00 on this Thursday the 27th, Astroslugs has officially launched. If you head over to our online store, you'll get the full version of Astroslugs free of any DRM and for both PC and Mac for a modest 9.99 EUR / 13.99 USD / 8.99 GBP. There is also a demo version of the game that'll allow you to try Astroslugs for half an hour.

We're looking forward to hearing your feedback on the game. We've poured our heart and soul into and and we're already quite anxious to see how you like it.

To answer a frequently asked question: Yes, we'll have solutions for all puzzles on the web site for you tonight. You'll find them at astroslugs.com/solutions but beware - it's way more fun to do it on your own then spoiling the fun with the solutions. So before you go for them, take your time and try it for yourself. You can do it - every puzzle is solvable.

Online launch is on time, retail will be slightly delayed

Wed, 19 Jan 2011 16:19:00 +0100

First things first: Astroslugs will be released in eight days (on January 27th) for both PC and Mac. You'll be able to get the game directly from us and from a number of download game portals (for example Gamersgate, Gamesload and Gamehouse). We'll release the full list of portals on the 27th.

The retail version of Astroslugs however takes some more time. We've just gotten the news that the Windows retail version for Germany, Austria and Switzerland (published by Headup Games) will not be released until February 10th. It seems like the sudden holidays really surprised the retailers. But don't worry, we'll get there.

For Mac users: We're working on some more deals that will bring Astroslugs to european retailers, the Mac App Store and BFG. But those will take some more time. We'll keep you updated on when they'll be released. But you should anyways buy your Mac Astroslugs directly from us on the 27th. =D

Seven composers - one indie game album

Mon, 06 Dec 2010 12:58:00 +0100

The indie game scene is a magical place of friendly collaboration and unrestricted creativity. While this sounds like a big-time cliché, it is more often true than not. This is another example of what great things can happen when creative people work together without asking for money first. You probably already know that Astroslugs' complete soundtrack was composed and recorded by our friend and office room-mate Filippo Beck Peccoz, a Munich-based and Italy-born freelance composer who graduated from renowned Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachussets. Fillippo one day told us that he'd love to continue working on the Astroslugs theme even if the game music itself is already completed. So he decided to call up his former fellow students, some indie composers from all over Germany and the local munich audio scene. They were all provisioned with the Astroslugs theme song and only one request: "Please take this piece of music and make something great out of it that reflects your music style."
And so they did: The album entitled "Astroslugs & Friends - Theme and Variations" currently consists of eight tracks by six different composers. All have their roots in the Astroslugs theme song but each of them sounds very different. There's a "Progressive Trance Mix" by our own Alex Widl, a Speed Metal cover by independent composer Bastian Kieslinger, a solo piano version, a jazz arrangement and many more. More releases are already in the works, including a chiptunes remix and a Ukulele cover. Here comes the best: If you're fast, you can get the album for free from the Bit Baron's Bandcamp-Account. The first 200 downloads will be completely free of charge. Afterwards there'll be a pay-what-you want sale where you can download the album for a donation of "whatever you think our work is worth". All proceeds of this project are going to be split equally amongst the participating composers. So don't hesitate and get this great piece of game audio now.

Current track list:

1. Filippo Beck Peccoz - Astroslugs Theme Medley 05:34
2. Ajan Shani - Progressive Trance Mix 04:48
3. Simon Osterhold - Astropiano 02:58
4. Bastian Kieslinger - Metal Version 01:40
5. Casey Merhige - Arrangement 01:37
6. Lex van Dawn - Remix 08:18
7. Jakob Thomsen - Astroslugs Techno 03:13
8. Jakob Thomsen - Spaced Out 00:51
9. Jakob Thomsen - Three Fourths 01:15

Astroslugs will be released on January 27th 2011

Mon, 15 Nov 2010 18:22:00 +0100

We're very glad that we can finally give you the definite release date for Astroslugs' PC and Mac release. We'll launch on January 27th 2011 via digital distribution (globally) and in retail (Germany, Austria, Switzerland; in cooperation with Headup Games). Astroslugs should be available for 9.99 EUR / 13.99 USD / 8.99 GBP on all platforms. There will probably be some minor variations in pricing but this is what we're shooting for.

Final beta version:
We've finished the last beta version that we're ever going to release. Our next milestone will be the first release candidate. You can download the latest beta here. There is a lot of pretty cool stuff in this release, for example:

You can now delete shapes by simply right-clicking on them. You can turn this feature off in the ingame menu.
Added an ingame menu to the playscreen where you can adjust sound and music volume and right-click-deleting.
Added sound effects to nearly every object in the game. All praise Filippo.
Added particle effects and background animations throughout the game. Everything is now much more vivid.
Added a level-end-screen to praise you for solving a puzzle. You really deserve it once you go beyond the desert.
Styled the profile screen. You can now also delete profiles.
Re-Designed the zone selection (planet) screen. It's gotten a lot more cloudy on Slegmo.
Added an intro screen to the game to remind you who made this game. Yeah ...
Added a file icon to the game. We really like the Unity icon but this has really been overdue.

Final screen shots / press kit:
We've updated our Flickr account with a new set of Astroslugs screenshots. There have been a lot of minor improvements but these now represent the final graphics of the game. Feel free to use them for any coverage. You can also download them in maximum size in our press kit which will also deliver you some captions and logos for the game and our company.

Thanks for being with us on this huge roller coaster ride towards the release of our first game. We're having a blast and we're very glad to have you on board.