As part of the New Year’s App Blowout (link) SteamPunk Hockey HD for iPad has made another appearance in the USA Games/Arcade and Games/Family categories of the App Store, and appears in the UK Canada charts.

*update 1 currently #74 Games/Arcade & #72 Games/Family in USA,  and #100 g/a, #87 g/f in Canada.

*update 2 currently #63 Games/Arcade & 54 Games/Family in USA, and 63/56 in Canada.

*update 3 USA: 57 Games/Arcade, 45 Games/Family, Canada: 55 g/a, 45 g/f, UK: 86, 70 Australia 86,74

Fans and Friends, we at Central Planning of SteamPunkHockeyopolis are proud to announce, at long last, an update to v1.6!

Our technicians have recrafted this exquisite yet simple game with the most modern of technologies, including:

* Retina Display support
* iOS4.2 compatibility
* Game Center support with LeaderBoards and 39 achievements
* New music courtesy of Morningdew Media
* Updated game frameworks including OpenFeint.
* Multiply button to increase/decrease number of particles.
* The Game Robot polls online leaderboards and updates your unlocked levels to match your highest score. If there are different scores on OpenFeint and Game Center, the highest will be saved to the device.
* New icon

Our artisans have re-crafted the backgrounds and images to be of lighter weight in the memory of the device, and scores are now saved after each level.

Those paying the bills at Central have apparently hit the festive ‘nog’ as they have ninja-slashed the price of SteamPunk Hockey 1.4 by 50% to celebrate this news. We think the pressure of waiting has driven a few screws loose over there.

The ponderous gentlemen at Logistics and Appearances insist we mention this is a maintenance update of the current game.

Our Futurists will have it known that new gameplay features are already in progress for the next update, and that it will have brought change to the calm streets of SteamPunkHockeyopolis.

Thank you and good tidings!

** update SteamPunk Hockey 1.6 with Retina Display and Game Center is now LIVE in the App Store **

The boffins at Central Planning are proud to announce SteamPunk Hockey for iPad has been conveyed to the App Store.

Version 1.2.0 iPad features:
∝ 1 to 4 players at once. Double-team on one opponent or double up both sides
∝ Up to FOUR discs at once
* Game Center leaderboard
∝ SIX high-quality backgrounds including exclusive ‘Time Traveller’ and new ‘SteamPumpkin Hallowe’en’ backgrounds
* Music by MorningDew Media
∝ One-button *fast* start-to-play
∝ Auto-save settings, level, score: pick up and play anytime!
∝ Replay unlocked levels
∝ Forty-eight levels premade
∝ Endless random levels thereafter
∝ AI plant life/Robot/Sentient selector
∝ Switchable soft/hard puck bounces
∝ Particles on/off
∝ Five obstacle types: accelerator, bead, barrier and gliding pylon, exploding “breakout” brick
∝ Musical sounds
∝ Obstacles on/off
∝ Physics-based motion ∝ Choice of paddle and disc sizes

The fellows in Mechanics have worked both over-time and magic into the iPad offering to produce a new ‘Huddle-phonic’ sensation – up to four players may compete on the iPad electrical device! Man against robot, man against fellow man, a gutter dust-up of two against one, or equal odds for the noble-hearted.

Mechanics have also added a ‘Lucid Re-configuration Circuit’ to redraw the screen as the device is rotated in-hand. Therefore SteamPunk Hockey may be played in any orientation, laterally or vertically.

Lest we forget, the Futurists will have left a note on Central Planning’s desks – how will they have done that? – that sea change is coming to SteamPunkHockeyopolis’ competitive features.

SteamPunk Hockey v1.4.5 is LIVE in the App Store.   iTunes Link

Central Planning reports yet more options to customize gameplay, including one to four discs at once and a special ‘hard bounce / soft bounce’ switch.

As always, level and score are saved across upgrades, and the fine fellows in Mechanicals have ensured that your pleasure can begin with the single touch of a button!

Innovative obstacles redirect the discs during gameplay to challenge expectations at each level. For those eager to collect OpenFeint Achievements, ‘unlocked’ levels may be replayed at will.

SteamPunk Hockey’s robotic intelligence has been adjusted to better protect its home goal territory against simultaneous discs, and appears to have ‘un-learned’ some unfortunate lessons as to which goal to score. A fine candidate for boarding school where there ever one to be seen.

Your reviews and support are readily and gratefully accepted by Central Planning, and our fellow Futurists are planning yet more intriguing game features for you, the gentle player.

SteamPunk Hockey (click: itunes link) Central Planning have analyzed the ticker-tape count results from our new SteamCountometer, and now can proudly claim to have a population of players the size of a small city! We shall name our city – SteamPunkHockeyopolis!

46,000 62,000 68,000 99,000 new residents of SteamPunkHockeyopolis from nations around the world retrieved their game copy, meant entirely for their worldly pleasures, from complimentary partners Apple, OpenFeint, and Free App a Day (which keeps app ennui at bay!).

Several have left impassioned reviews of four and five stars which, truth be told, has made us blush with pleasure – the old guys in Accountancy notwithstanding.

In the spirit of the olympic celebrations, let us convey current scoring results for our new city:

Currently we are informed that elite Leaderboard contributers have numbered past 11,000 13,000 15,000 players 24,600, and a trophy must go to OpenFeint player ‘Brentyy‘ for his singular achievement of 1170 points in SteamPunk Hockey!
Clearly an athlete of the finest breed and likely our next mayor of SteamPunkHockeyopolis.
Editor’s note: Brentyy’s courageous score of 1170 OF points is presently bested by andyrdrgz520’s performance at 1251. OF player “MARLOW” is also closing fast with 1008 points. We may see a contention for the Mayoralty.
Editor’s update: new player pik11 has taken the lead from andyrdrgz520, with longtime player lostintheinternet closing in fourth place. The race for the mayoralty is intensifying at pace.
Editor’s update: SteamPunk Hockey players have taken it to the stratosphere with an OpenFeint top score of 5427(!) by Player 118062454. The new Mayor of SteamPunkHockeyopolis?

SteamPunk Hockey is holding the line on the Apple game charts, charting Top 10 in Games/Family/Free amongst 31 countries including Italy, Japan, France, Argentina, Germany, New Zealand, Russia, Peru, Canada, Australia, and the USA. The population of SteamPunkHockeyopolis is expected to grow rapidly over these next days.

In the Games/Arcade/Free category, SteamPunk Hockey is holding in the Top 30 amongst 37 nations including Austria, Singapore, UK, Australia, the USA, Mexico, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan (at #2).
A more cosmopolitan place surely cannot be found on this good earth.

Looking to international representation across all categories, SteamPunk Hockey is charting Top Free Games at #4 in Japan, through to a precarious #49 in the USA. We have sincere hope our city will rally with new players to save the day and improve our scoring.

Lastly, let us look at global results. SteamPunk Hockey is positioned well on the Top Free (all applications) with Japan once again representing at #22, through to Italy at #44.

That is all the current news. More forthcoming as we restore boiler pressure in our amazing new contrivance, the SteamCountometer – and wrest the Pterotype from our eager journalist tangling up the typebars.

The vision of SteamPunk-Hockeyopolis

Update: Accountancy has had their way; SteamPunk Hockey has now returned to the original $0.99 favoured price point. Presently we think the old guys in Accountancy are pleased, in secret!

News item just received from our Telegraphist:

starting signal
steampunk hockey sighted rise in charts wait
2 in greece 2 in japan 21 in usa 23 in germany games family free wait

further special notice top game in greece at 15 wait
special note top free all games in greece at 33 wait

good speed all wait
end of work

original imprint:

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Central Planning in concert with the old guys at Accountancy have agreed to a fantastical idea – SteamPunk Hockey v1.3.0 is FREE to all comers for a period of 24 hours!

Planning also reports that SteamPunk Hockey has started to make appearances in the Apple’s ‘App Store’ charts in the Games/Family/Free section.
Thus reported in good faith:

Occidental countries:
USA #51
Canada #95

Oriental:
Hong Kong #97
Japan #45
Taiwan #93
Thailand #89

Updates as we receive them VIA the Marconi wireless telegraphy.

SteamPunk Hockey Central Planning is proud to announce SteamPunk Hockey v1.3.0 for iPhone update has been completed to specification and conveyed to the App Store: http://itunes.com/app/steampunkhockey

Of greatest importance is completion of the Tw0-Player mechanisms. These wondrous additions allow two steampunkers to play on a single device!

Our hats are of the the mechanics here and they are sure to entitlement of rest days.

Audiophonics have adjusted the ‘accelerator’ sounds to a much more pleasing ‘whoosh’ given some discomfort with the metal scraping amongst Northern Hemisphere residents.

We have also issued Achievements for the top performers of the game, and added an acceleration sensing effect, which spurs on the playing disc when the device is shaken roughly.

Amazing new features are planned for SteamPunk Hockey!

SteamPunk Hockey Central Works, in fellowship with our Futurists Department colleagues, are pleased to announce imminent plans to develop SteamPunk Hockey for the Apple iPad.

Improving our game for you, gentle player, is constantly at the top of our daily docket rolls.
New features are planned and tested by the finest minds, instruments, and courage our modern age can provide.

Hailing from distant and exotic ports of call, our diverse team of mechanics and audiophonic engineers is working around the clock under tight security to plan this special, startling edition of SteamPunk Hockey.

Stay posted for related and forthcoming iPad edition announcements from Central Works at steampunkhockey dot com.

Sales proceeds from January 20, 2010  will be donated to Doctors Without Borders in support of Haiti.

purchase link: SteamPunk Hockey

SteamPunk Hockey for iPhone is participating in IndieRelief’s promotional effort to raise money for the families in distress in Haiti after the 7.0 earthquake devastated homes and took lives there recently.

Donation will be gifted upon payment of proceeds from Apple.

Please visit http://www.indierelief.com on January 20 to purchase applications or make a donation to a charity of your choice.