The Making of the Making of Nihilumbra

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The Making of the Making of Nihilumbra

Posted by timothy on Saturday August 23, 2014 @05:38PM from the has-it-ever-recurred-to-you dept.

SlappingOysters (1344355) writes "Digital magazine outlet Grab It has been pushing the boundaries of what can be achieved with media on touchscreens, which includes an experimental special edition of its publication focused on indie platformer Nihilumbra from BeautiFun Games. In this blog entry, the editor talks about how the digital format can be used to create reading experiences that you physically play just like it is the game. The app is available on iPad, but the article itself is an intriguing read for those wondering where the future of digital magazines can head."

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foffbeta by Anonymous Coward · 2014-08-23 18:35 · Score: 0

to much space
Why only on iPad ? by Anonymous Coward · 2014-08-23 18:37 · Score: 3, Insightful

If that product supposed to " pushing the boundaries " why then it limits itself to the iPad platform ?
1. Re:Why only on iPad ? by SlappingOysters · 2014-08-23 19:15 · Score: 1
  
  There was a previous blog entry on that topic that explains why it is currently only on iPad.
2. Re:Why only on iPad ? by unrtst · 2014-08-23 22:36 · Score: 2
  
  There was a previous blog entry on that topic that claims to explain why it is currently only on iPad.
  FTFY. In short, that post says that they'd lose a lot if they made a pdf instead of their magazine app, and thus they only make it for the iPad because... well, just because. Personally, I'm going to assume they chose to use some platform specific toolset(s) and either lack the time or expertise to port to other platforms or do cross platform development... of a magazine.
  The interactive features they'd lose is the ability to click on a title and have it go directly to the app store on your device and have you playing with minimal interruption (according to their post). I don't see why that'd be lost. Just have different links in each platform specific version and leave the content the same, so the iPad version links to the app store; the windows version links to the homepage; the android version links to the google play store; etc etc.
  Whatever. It's their business decision. No real reason they don't support other platforms.
3. Re:Why only on iPad ? by m00sh · 2014-08-23 23:57 · Score: 1
  
  There was a previous blog entry on that topic that claims to explain why it is currently only on iPad.
  FTFY. In short, that post says that they'd lose a lot if they made a pdf instead of their magazine app, and thus they only make it for the iPad because... well, just because. Personally, I'm going to assume they chose to use some platform specific toolset(s) and either lack the time or expertise to port to other platforms or do cross platform development... of a magazine.
  The interactive features they'd lose is the ability to click on a title and have it go directly to the app store on your device and have you playing with minimal interruption (according to their post). I don't see why that'd be lost. Just have different links in each platform specific version and leave the content the same, so the iPad version links to the app store; the windows version links to the homepage; the android version links to the google play store; etc etc.
  Whatever. It's their business decision. No real reason they don't support other platforms.
  Isn't the common understanding that iPad and iOS device owners are richer?
  By limiting the experience on only one platform, they probably make their product more attractive.
  Imagine their shiny and gaudy product being used on a cruddy cheap Chinese Android tablet. That would ruin an appetite.
  This isn't the stuff for the common masses. It is for refined tastes only.
4. Re:Why only on iPad ? by Anonymous Coward · 2014-08-24 01:35 · Score: 0
  
  why then it limits itself to the iPad platform
  If you only have the resources to devote to one platform, iOS is better to chose than Android, because much more money is spent there. Yes, there are more Android users, but iOS users spend more money.
  Source: hundreds, but here are a few:
  http://www.ibtimes.com/android-may-outsell-iphone-developers-make-more-money-ios-apps-1614244
  http://www.neowin.net/news/ios-users-spend-more-money-online-than-android-users-study-reveals
  Makes sense to target iOS before Android.
5. Re:Why only on iPad ? by Anonymous Coward · 2014-08-24 04:04 · Score: 0
  
  They created "something" that, does some generic stuff like other 427 ones.
  That's for uninteresting people who buy expensive stuff, in order to feel extraordinary.
TL;DR They don't really the English by grcumb · 2014-08-23 19:17 · Score: 4, Informative

The article itself is an intriguing read for those wondering where the future of digital magazines can head.
No, no it's really not.
The article is a breathlessly juvenile attempt to assert style over substance. It's an empty - deeply, deeply empty - gesture in the direction of hipness, and as such, has nothing at all of interest to say. Its descriptive abilities are so impoverished that the only way one could even comprehend the article is by watching the promo video. And who wants to do that, when someone composes English that sounds like a high school assignment handed in by one of those kids who tries WAY too hard
.

--
Crumb's Corollary: Never bring a knife to a bun fight.
1. Re: TL;DR They don't really the English by Anonymous Coward · 2014-08-23 19:43 · Score: 0
  
  Agreed. Hyperbole++. Content--.
2. Re:TL;DR They don't really the English by Seumas · 2014-08-23 20:06 · Score: 1
  
  Welcome to modern video game journalism, where people endlessly navel-gaze about how amazingly mature things like adult relations and romances in games are, because you can choose to fuck the chick with the gas mask on her face *or* the chick with the tattoos *or* the chick with the booty in Mass Effect.
3. Re:TL;DR They don't really the English by Anonymous Coward · 2014-08-23 21:53 · Score: 0
  
  But nihilumbra, man. nihil. umbra. That's Latin. This is the kind of thing I'd do with words in my Latin class at school. When I was 9. Fuck yeah private school!
  If I wasn't a simple trustafarian, I might waste some of daddy's not-so-copious money starting up some stupid thing like this, just to collect a bit of retardinvestor (lol word agglutination) money and run.
play it now by Anonymous Coward · 2014-08-23 19:27 · Score: 1

Niggerhombre on GayPad.
ten thumbs up!
500 stars!
best thing every made by human hands!
Looks like a really good Flash site from 2004 by Animats · 2014-08-23 19:50 · Score: 1

Grabit's video looks like the sort of things people were doing with Flash a decade ago. Flash has more or less died under Adobe, but it's an excellent multimedia tool in competent hands.
digital magazine by cascadingstylesheet · 2014-08-23 22:46 · Score: 1

The first "digital magazine" I remember encountering consisted of mostly Quicktime videos on a CD. By the time I got it, it was on the bargain rack at a computer store (remember those?).
But ... you used it on a computer! So it was digital! And a magazine, kind of.
Not a magazine by Anonymous Coward · 2014-08-23 23:44 · Score: 0

A magazine is something you can read. This seems to be a video presentation (couldn't try it out because I don't have one of these overpriced incompatible devices). It's not available in any format other than as an opaque executable. Did they ever consider accessibility?
Video game accessibility by tepples · 2014-08-24 03:19 · Score: 1

Did they ever consider accessibility?
It's an article about a video game. How many video games are accessible, outside of games specifically designed for the "one switch" controllers?