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About John Laster

John Laster has been writing about video games for almost a decade. He's frequently found streaming on our partnered twitch channel. He's the one obsessively muttering this year is our year in relation to the Chicago Cubs. John works full time as a video game attorney at Laster Law, Follow him on Twitter and LinkedIn
Latest Posts | By John Laster
Hydrophobia not intended to see life on Xbox Live Arcade: an interview with Dark Energy’s Rob Hewson
14 years ago

Hydrophobia not intended to see life on Xbox Live Arcade: an interview with Dark Energy’s Rob Hewson

By  •  Interviews

hydrophobia

The following article is based around an email interview conducted by our team with Rob Hewson from Dark Energy Digital. For the uninitiated, Dark Energy Digital is currently developing Hydrophobia based around the HydroEngine.

Many games begin with a dream; Hydrophobia began with a PHD.

To follow the beginning of Hydrophobia’s creations one must start with Huw Lloyd, R&D of Dark Energy Digital. Described as brilliant by colleagues, Huw sought to put his PHD in Astrophysics to use, attempting to succeed where other had constantly failed: creating lifelike water in a video game.

Water presents some unique difficulties to developers. Both simultaneously clear and reflective in nature, the appearance itself is hard match. But even if one could nail what it looks like, water isn’t solid object; it’s a liquid. It takes an entirely different branch of physics to properly represent movement.

And that’s where the HydroEngine comes into the story. Dr. Huw Lloyd and Dark Energy over a three year period of development created an engine they feel can accurate model water and other flowing objects for the first time. This entirely dynamic process allows for different effects each time based on the situation. The engine also interfaces with solid body engines, such as Havok, allowing for lifelike, floating debris.

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MetaReview: Tecmo Bowl Throwback (XBLA)
14 years ago

MetaReview: Tecmo Bowl Throwback (XBLA)

So Tecmo Bowl Throwback has been on Xbox Live Marketplace for a few days now. Our review is still pending, but in the meantime, we’ve broken down …
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XBLA Fans Wednesday Night Game Night: Undertow
14 years ago

XBLA Fans Wednesday Night Game Night: Undertow

By  •  News

The staff here at XBLA Fans are really passionate about games. Heck, we spend our free time writing about them. But there’s nothing better than actually playing …
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MetaReview: Final Fight: Double Impact (XBLA)
14 years ago

MetaReview: Final Fight: Double Impact (XBLA)

Final Fight: Double Impact has been on Xbox Live Marketplace for a few days now. Our review is still pending, but in the meantime we’ve broken down …
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XBLA Wednesday: Final Fight: Double Impact
14 years ago

XBLA Wednesday: Final Fight: Double Impact

By  •  News

Final Fight: Double Impact was released on Xbox Live Arcade earlier today. The game contains both Final Fight and Magic Sword and features an arcade cabinet view …
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Microsoft Points Now Sold in Useful Sizes
14 years ago

Microsoft Points Now Sold in Useful Sizes

By  •  News

So if you’re like us, you find Microsoft Points to be one of the most annoying things out there. For one thing, why couldn’t 100 points equate …
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Updated #1: Giveaway: Win a copy of Trials HD *CONTEST OVER*
14 years ago

Updated #1: Giveaway: Win a copy of Trials HD *CONTEST OVER*

By  •  Contests

So the wonderful people over at Redlynx, have passed along three codes for Trials HD to us. As such, we’ve decided we want to give them to …
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