Mobile Pie » Fun

(Belated) Friday Fun: Our Mugs on Our Mugs

Will Luton — Tue, 18 May 2010 11:21:16 +0000

One cold day in April whilst making a round of teas for the MP team, I thought to myself: “There must be an easy way of remembering whose tea is whose – perhaps we should write our names on the mugs or order some with our names on or, even… No… Yes!” I rushed back to the office and pronounced my epiphany. It was greeted by a hushed silence, followed by a wave approval and excitement. Designs were made and submitted and then last week the package arrived.

What happened next is a magical camcorder moment.

Friday Fun: Name That Game!

Will Luton — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 11:20:39 +0000

Can you believe it was all the way back in November that I last tapped out a Friday Fun? That last installment, the Lunchometer, is now infamous around the Bristol foody community; only a few weeks ago I was conversing with the proprietor of the fantastic veggie food stall The Parsnip Ship about the sadness they felt at not being included in that eponymous totem of digestive data. Consider this a very special honorable mention in light of the accidental neglect we have shown them.

So, onwards with this week’s end of week merrymaking. It’s in celebration of a new arrival in The Oven. She’s 20 years old and from Japan. Her name is SEGA Master System II:

To be this old takes AGES!

This beloved mass of silicon and injection molded plastics has been especially introduced to the Mobile Pie team for tonight’s big (belated) B-Boy Beats launch retro gaming party! Ever the sharing type here in The Oven we want you to be in on the fun, by joining us in a little game.

To play:

Below is a series of pictures, each displaying a section of a classic Master System game’s box art. Some are obvious, some are more obscure. Simply identify the game and pop your answers in the comments.

Game 1.

Nintendon't like the publisher of this classic arcade puzzler

Game 2.

Radical!

Game 3.

Everyone was shiny and muscly in the early nineties, even criminals

Game 4.

A very underrated shooter - a Transformers game in disguise

Game 5.

A very buggy title that featured a hint-giving professor in the manual

The correct answers will be revealed on Monday and muchos kudos goes to the person who gets the most right!

Answers

Game 1: Klax
Game 2: California Games
Game 3: Streets of Rage
Game 4: Transbot
Game 5: Teddy Boy

B-Boy Beats: Developer Diary Tuesday 2nd February

Will Luton — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 11:08:17 +0000

What’s gone in to B-Boy Beats? Blood, sweat and tears. Except the blood.

B-Boy Beats: Developer Diary Friday 8th January

Will Luton — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 15:15:29 +0000

In this installment me and Tom discuss our pie-oneering project management technique: Roadmap Checklisting!

B-Boy Beats: Developer Diary Thurs 7th January

Will Luton — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 17:47:53 +0000

Learn the secrets of IND (Iterative Napkin Development) in the first of a series of B-Boy Beats (formally B-Boy Brawl) developer diaries.

Mistletoe, Wine & Our Year in Brief

Will Luton — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 17:29:10 +0000

When I was a little younger than I am today, Christmas was really about videogames. Sure there’s family, friends, food, the baby Jesus, trees, carols, snow, but for an awkward pre-teen boy the main event was less brussel sprouts and more the magical pixel forms of Sonic, Ryu and Pac-Man.

These days of course I’m in The Oven where we actually create that special thumb-destroying magic. And what a magical year it has been…

*Wavy dream sequence*

We’ve seen the release of two versions of our critically acclaimed word puzzle game Oh, My Word! 2 which also featured, alongside a couple of fantastic jumpers, in ustwo’s Christmas romp Crazo.

We announced our partnership with iPhone publishing premiers Tag Games to bring B-Boy Brawl to your iPod touches and iPhones in early 2010.

Myself and Matt Aranha joined the pie, adding a delicious creative aroma and robust C++ flavours (respectively).

I was all over the media with two appearances on local radio and a cutting edge article on videogame design techniques at the industry website, Gamasutra. Oh, and there was also the handful of YouTube videos, Richard was on this podcast and the whole team got interviewed by Pocket Gamer!

We announced Bristol’s first and only Global Games Jam.

All the way back in September we had a brilliant time at igfest ‘09 and early still in the year Rich and Tom rocked SXSW and the GSMA Mobile World Congress.

Our much hyped and loved business cards arrived in August.

We moved to our spanking new eco office and stuck I Am 8-bit Bliks everywhere.

And just last week the team were pap’ed for Heat magazine whilst enjoying the festive cheer at the Mobile Pie christmas party:

From left: Will, Matt and Tom D relax after a feast of Christmasy proportions

2009 was a great year, but look out 2010 because we’re heading right at you, full steam ahead with great games and entertainment for your mobile. You’ll never be bored again.

But until then:

Merry Christmas and a happy new year to you and your family!

With love,

Mobile Pie x

Friday Fun: Offical Mobile Pie Lunchometer

Will Luton — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:44:15 +0000

“If music be the food of love, play on, give me excess of it” – William Shakespeare

In The Oven we’re more likely to say “if music be the food of love, how far is it and what are the portions like?”

Gastronomy gets a fair share of big talk here in the office and even more so now foodie Matt Aranha is on board (we recommend you visit his edifying food blog). But being on the doorstep to St. Nicholas Market and a world of titillating cuisine often makes a group sustenance decision difficult to reach.

On occasion arguments will erupt over the particular merits of Sausage Man’s delectable portions when compared to the bountiful value offered by the Italian. So, in order to calm all ill feeling, we’ve turned to a beloved mutual friend. She’s called Science.

As you can see from the above venue-value cluster-stacked column chart or ‘lunchometer’ (click it for a clearer view) each venue has four variable properties: cost, portion, distance and quality. Each subject was awarded up to a maximum of ten for each property derived purely by objective formal logic and was subject to full peer review.

As you can see Bristol Sausage Shop has a whopping 30 out of 40 or is 75% the ideal outlet, while the frankly awful Taste of India struggles with an appalling 22.5% presenting an idealism range of 52.5% across all venues. Fascinating results, I’m sure you’ll agree.

We offer our findings to the wider scientific and central Bristol lunch eating community where we’re sure it will offer public value and a basis for further research. We hope that by 2016 a near ideal lunch venue can be artificially synthesised under laboratory conditions.

Enjoy your weekends!

Friday Fun: When The Meeting Room Is Booked

Will Luton — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 15:52:41 +0000

It’s a common dilemma: You need to discuss a big pitch, but all the meeting rooms in your office are in use and you don’t want to disturb anyone. What do you do?

Well, we aren’t ones to flounder here in The Oven, so figured out a simple solution: Get yourselves in a phonebox. It’s sheltered, has excellent teleconferencing facilities (a phone) and can be used as a toilet. Unfortunately, however, most lack even the most rudimentary tea and coffee making facilities.

This one was just around the corner from our office. The smell was overpowering.

Friday Fun: Haircut Wars

Will Luton — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 15:47:06 +0000

A strange thing happened yesterday: Myself and Tom, the ever dedicated followers of fashion we are, both happened to have haircuts booked for the same day. This, inevitably, sparked some rivalry in The Oven and the results are something that, any fashionista would agree, are outstanding.

Jazzy hands, jazzier hair

This morning Ally, one of the lovely receptionists here at The Office, said she loved my fresh new image and stated that it was a “100% improvement”. You simply can’t argue with maths.

Tom didn’t get a mention, but would like to include he’s trimmed his beard. I hadn’t noticed.

So, let’s have your say: Who’s hair wins Haircut Wars, mine or Tom’s? Your votes in the comments please and the loser has to make all the hot drinks all day Monday!

Friday Fun: Are You Will Luton?

Will Luton — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 13:10:40 +0000

You know when you’re young and adults say to you you should “just be yourself”? Well, what happens when others are more you than you?

Who is the real Will Luton?

It was recently discover that Jon Miller of the evil cheating Korean Lazer Ball team Team Hat, actually looks more like me than me (at least the me on my business card).

So, today’s Friday Fun is: Who’s the real Will Luton? Will Luton on the left or Will Luton on the right.

Answers in the comments. The correct Will Luton will be revealed on Monday!