Tuesday Updates

I've added a 'suggest a clue' feature, so instead of creating your own scenario you can just help with the two public ones. Please help me out by adding some clues. The international one has less than a dozen right now. And if you want to be famous you can say that you are the person they are looking for at the clue's destination...

I've also *some* protection against people hacking the high scores. In the end you have to remember this is a web-based game so there's no way to stop it completely, but I think this new method should help.

Also, does anyone want to redo the top graphic for the website and game? I made it in a rush and I realize it's pretty ugly! Please try to stick with the same dimensions and email it to me. Thanks!

Welcome Slashdot Visitors

On a whim I submitted Brewster Jennings Protects America to Slashdot last afternoon and was really surprised to see them post the story (as they get hundreds of submissions a day). Within a few minutes it was nearly impossible to connect to the game as the Slashdot effect had begun. So I decided to purchase some real hosting at dreamhost and moved the game over there. I'd like to thank the following people for PayPaling me some money to pay for the new hosting: Richard Ozenbaugh, FlyWire and Miles Goodhew.

Some of my favorite comments on the Slashdot article include:

• The post on how to cheat and set a high score
• The multiple discussions on the use of the word 'jingoistic'
• "[He can't] stop the incoming terrorist attack on his server"

Interestingly enough we also hit #2 on the del.icio.us most popular list yesterday. Thanks for all the visitors and support! Please keep leaving me suggestions on how you'd like to improve the game.

We've Gone International!

A lot of the visitors to Brewster Jennings Protects America are not in fact American. Truth be told neither am I. So with that in mind, I have created a new scenario in which you must catch a terrorist before his plane lands in America. Travel all around the world in this new scenario. But watch out, it's quite a bit more difficult that the first scenario. I also haven't added that many clues yet so feel free to leave a comment with any landmarks you think I should include.

As Promised: Scenario Editing

As I promised all weekend, today I brought the scenario editing system online. Now you can't complain about the lack of clues in the main scenario -- instead you can create your own! There are a few quirks so I suggest playing around with the sample scenario before you set out to create your own. If you create your own scenario then please leave a comment with its URL and share it with the rest of the Internet. Let me know if you have any suggestions or comments.

This Weekend's Developments

Over the weekend the game's popularity has soared thanks to a link from the terrific Google Maps Mania site as well as a few other sites. It's really nice to see all the visitors coming to try it out. Earlier today I fixed a bug that prevented the game from working properly in the Mozilla browser (thanks to Phillip Pi for reporting the bug). Finally I also brought the high score page online. Now you can see how well you do compared to others playing the same difficulty/length. Strangely I am actually quite bad at the game!

Hard Becomes Really Hard

I saw someone had beat the game on hard with a few minutes remaining so I decided that hard was in fact too easy. Not anymore. Now instead of the map being a hybrid (satellite + map) it's now just a satellite. So you better know your geography. Try beating it now!

Brewster Jennings Goes Public

Okay the game is very basic and there is just one scenario with very few clues, but I decided I'd make it public it anyway. So far the reaction seems pretty good with hundreds of hits and dozens of people beating the game. Coming soon I expect to add a scenario editor where you can add your own scenario and clues. You can then share the mission with friends or the rest of the Internet. Also, I am looking for someone to help make some graphics for the game. It's pretty bland right now. Maybe even some music? Let me know if you want to help make Brewster Jennings Protects America a success.