InstantAction was a web gaming site and digital distributor featuring 3D , browser-based games.
43-473: The site was created by GarageGames after being acquired by IAC/InterActive Corp in 2007 and released a year later. InstantAction's goal was to allow publishers and developers the ability to embed games across the internet through the use of InstantAction's embed-tech. Publishers were then able to set monetary rates, including social features, release free demos and more. Users were required to download an initial plug-in that would be used across all games using
86-432: A game or join one and filter parameters such as level, players, and gamer zone. Private games are also supported. In December 2007, Marble Blast Ultra had its price lowered. In 2008, three new achievements totaling 50 gamerscore were added to Marble Blast Ultra on Xbox.com. Three DLC packs were released for the game during that year. On October 29, a DLC pack contained a new multiplayer level "Marble It Up". In December,
129-430: A magnetic beam to grab a ball and shoot it into holes in the wall to score points. Smaller, higher holes are worth more points than the lower, larger ones. Players have a limited amount of energy, which is needed to sprint and to use the "magno-beam" that holds the ball. Energy constantly regenerates when not being used. Players can shoot rockets in order to propel the ball, make enemy players lose all their energy, or knock
172-587: A stand-alone game for the PC, and was eventually ported to InstantAction. There are two game modes: Deathmatch(Battlemode) and Scrum. Both can be played with or without teams. In Battlemode, players try to shoot and destroy the other tanks. In Scrum, players try to get a ball and drive it to a goal placed on the field. The game is no longer available to purchase. However here is a small but dedicated community at www.planetthinktanks2.com . An independent master server and game servers are running. The community has also expanded
215-459: Is a platform game developed by GarageGames . It was released on January 25, 2006 for the Xbox 360 via Xbox Live Arcade . It is the sequel to Marble Blast Gold . It features 60 levels, enhanced graphics, 2 new power-ups and a multiplayer mode. A browser port of the game under the title Marble Blast Online was released on March 7, 2008, and was available at InstantAction until the website
258-503: Is a World War I dog-fighting game where players fly fighter planes and attempt to score points by shooting down enemy planes or blowing up the enemy base. Players can choose to play as either the Axis or the Allies. In the single-player Training Mode, players can complete two tutorials: one on Marksmanship, which teaches the basic controls, and one on Ground Attack, which teaches how to assault
301-421: Is also used for non-game applications like serious games and virtual worlds . It has been licensed by NASA , L3 , Lockheed Martin and it has been used for dozens of virtual worlds applications like Onverse and by IBM for internal and external training simulations. Torque is currently used for education in more than 200 schools and universities worldwide. Marble Blast Ultra Marble Blast Ultra
344-549: Is only one mode which consists of collecting gems within a certain time limit (three to six minutes), which depends on the level. After a group of 2-6 gems are collected entirely, another set of gems appear elsewhere on the board. Players race to these gems and use power-ups to navigate across the level quicker and interfere with other players. There are three types of gems: red, yellow, and blue. Red gems are worth one point, while yellows are worth two and blues are worth five. Most likely, blue and yellow gems are much harder to get than
387-477: Is updated whenever a player gets a new record time. The game makes use of two new power-ups: Another added feature is the introduction of Easter Eggs , which are found in hidden locations in 20 of the game's 60 levels. After finding one Easter Egg, the game will award the achievement "Egg Seeker". After finding all 20 Easter Eggs, the game will award the "Egg Basket" achievement. Multiplayer mode contains 20 levels and supports up to 8 simultaneous players. There
430-605: The Microsoft Digital Literacy Program for Windows 8 and an undisclosed project for a World Famous Theme Park. The company also created game-based learning courses for online colleges in the areas of criminal justice, customer service and career development. In 2014, GarageGames CEO Eric Preisz announced the establishment of GG|Interactive, a subsidiary of GarageGames that would focus on bringing game design, game programming and game development courses to middle schools, high schools and colleges. Under
473-612: The "GarageGames" brand was retired. On November 11, 2010 it was announced that IAC was shutting down InstantAction, and the intellectual property for the Torque game engine would be sold off. On January 20, 2011, the Torque engine and GarageGames brand was purchased and the company was re-launched, as GarageGames again, with new CEO Eric Preisz. The company moved to a new office in Las Vegas, Nevada. In 2011, GarageGames began doing game and technology-based service work. The company created
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#1732800907311516-517: The Fittest', 'Natural Selection', and 'Ordeal') are recycled from Marble Blast Gold . There is a par time set for each of the levels, and if the player beats the level under par time, the player will earn achievements based on how many levels they successfully completed under par time. Additionally, if the player has an Xbox Live connection, their best time will show on a leaderboard where players worldwide can compare their best times. The leaderboard
559-493: The InstantAction platform. Game downloads were transparently broken into small "chunks", which were streamed onto disk behind the scenes, allowing players to start playing much faster than ordinary downloads. The games were downloaded to the user's hard-drive, allowing them to play the game instantly after initial download, wherever the game was embedded. InstantAction's platform initially hosted eight games that featured
602-540: The InstantAction webpage on November 11, 2010. GarageGames GarageGames was a game technology and software developer . GarageGames was the parent company of GG Interactive, developers of educational technology in the areas of computer science , video game development and programming . In addition, the company has been a video game developer and publisher . GarageGames created several game engines targeted for indie development . Founded in Eugene, Oregon ,
645-521: The Marble-Fu map pack and Agoraphobia pack were released. Each pack contained five maps and was available on InstantAction prior to their Xbox 360 release. The Xbox 360 version received "generally favorable reviews" according to the review aggregation website Metacritic . IGN gave it an average review over a month before its worldwide release date. Since its release, the game sold 756,178 units worldwide by January 2011. Marble Blast Ultra
688-542: The Torque 2D Engine and Torque 3D Engine would be offered free as an open-source MIT license . The source code was released on GitHub on September 20, 2012. Torque is primarily a video game development technology. Various versions of the engine have been used to develop more than 200 published games. It has been licensed by Electronic Arts , NC Soft , Sony , Disney , Vivendi Universal , Hasbro , and many other game teams and publishers and it has officially supported middleware for Microsoft and Nintendo . Torque
731-833: The Tribes IP to Hi-Rez Studios , developers of Global Agenda . Shortly thereafter, it was also announced that their game platform deal with Penny Arcade to release PlayGreenhouse.com had been withdrawn, along with their deal with Mad Otter Games to host their MMO A Mystical Land. On November 11, 2010, InstantAction's community manager announced that the company was shutting down, though the TorquePowered.com website would be kept active. InstantAction stated that they were "winding down operations" and thanked all their customers "for their support." On December 22, 2010, Eric Preisz posted an update informing everyone that they were no longer looking for buyers of their Torque engine, and that
774-445: The ability to add friends, chat, and create parties which could jump from game to game together without being forced to leave the party and rejoin it. In 2010, these games were taken down after InstantAction announced it was focusing on embedded 3D gaming technology for external websites, rather than operating its own website. Several developers have shown interest in releasing said games at some point, however. On November 11, 2010, it
817-460: The ball out of an enemy’s grip. There were four arenas for Rokkitball: Gauntlet, Cathedral, S-Hook, and Canyon. It is currently unknown what the future of Rokkitball is. Marble Blast Ultra is a 3D platformer in which the player maneuvers a marble to collect gems or reach the end of the level. Variations of this game have been developed for the Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows. Lore: Aftermath
860-449: The company InstantAction. InterActive Corporation later bought out the remainder of GarageGames' equity for an undisclosed sum and on July 15, 2009, Louis Castle , notable for his Command & Conquer series, would become the CEO of GarageGames and InstantAction. The company headquarters were moved to Las Vegas and some employees relocated to Portland, Oregon . Shortly after the move,
903-591: The company had offices in Las Vegas , Nevada , United States and its headquarters in Vancouver, Washington . In 2007, GarageGames was acquired by IAC and the company was renamed TorquePowered. In 2011, the company was purchased by Graham Software Development and reverted to the original name GarageGames. GarageGames was founded in Eugene, Oregon in 2000 by Jeff Tunnell, Tim Gift, Rick Overman, and Mark Frohnmayer. Working in their garage on severance checks ,
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#1732800907311946-487: The company launched several of its own games, including Marble Blast Ultra for Microsoft Windows and Xbox Live Arcade . In 2006, GarageGames acquired BraveTree Technologies, developers of Think Tanks and real-time networked multiplayer physics technology. In 2007, Barry Diller and InterActive Corporation (NASD: IACI) acquired a majority interest in GarageGames for an estimated $ 80–100M in cash and renamed
989-484: The enemy base. The Multiplayer Battle Mode features five different modes: Team Dogfight, Furball, Fox and Hounds, Rescue the Spy (CTF), and Base War. Mad Otter Games, the developers of Ace of Aces , are planning on re-releasing the game at AceofAcesthegame.com. [2] Rev was an arcade racing game developed by Luma Arcade. It never got past the private beta phase, though the developers have still shown interest in releasing
1032-425: The enemy by sending ships to take over their planets. Every ship that is sent will destroy one ship docked on the enemy planet; once the planet is reduced to 0 ships, a ship can conquer it. The planet will then begin to produce ships for the new owner. The goal is to capture all the planets on that particular map. While no longer available on InstantAction, it's available for purchase at Galcon.com [1] Ace of Aces
1075-460: The founders derived the name GarageGames as a play off the term " garage band ", and is meant to evoke a similar attitude in game development. The stated goal of the original founders of GarageGames was to offer licensing of game engines to virtually anyone, allowing independent game-makers more options in developing and publishing video games. In 2001, GarageGames released the Torque game engine . It
1118-462: The future "looks bright." On January 20, 2011, it was announced that Graham Software Development were the new owners of the Torque engine, and the company was renamed back to GarageGames. Fallen Empire: Legions was a first-person shooter that consisted of two teams: team alpha and team beta. The game included several gametypes, including Deathmatch , Team Deathmatch and Capture the Flag . It
1161-453: The game at some point. The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition was the first game to be released on InstantAction's embed-tech platform. The game is an enhanced remake of The Secret of Monkey Island developed by LucasArts . It was originally released on July 15, 2009 for the PC , Xbox Live Arcade and iPhone / iPod Touch . On April 29, 2010 InstantAction released a 20-minute demo of
1204-570: The game to show off the companies new embed technology, along with the option to buy the full game for $ 9.99. Instant Jam was a music rhythm game similar to Guitar Hero, only in the browser. The game supported 2000 songs at launch, with plans to add more in the months thereafter. Instant Jam scanned the user's hard drive for any songs matching the services own database of note charts, and offered Amazon.com and iTunes links to buy songs they didn't already have. Players could either use their keyboard or Rock Band and Guitar Hero controllers to play. It
1247-437: The game types to multiple game types: Capture the Flag, Keepaway, Dodgeball, & Rollerball. The game is very easily modded and there are currently thousands of unique maps available. These include all of the maps, objects and effects developed for the failed InstantAction platform. ZAP! was a multiplayer top-down space shooter. The player controls a triangular ship and tries to accomplish different objectives depending on
1290-531: The mode. Most modes involve shooting enemy ships with various weapons and moving flags around. There are six modes in ZAP! These include BustIn, CTF (Capture the Flag), ZoneControl, Retrieve, Hunters, and ZapMatch. The game is no longer available to play or purchase. However, its successor Bitfighter , is currently being developed by a small community. Galcon is a real-time strategy game where players try to eliminate
1333-471: The option to buy the full game, while the previous games, known as the Arcade, remained offline. This was the first game to take advantage of their new embed-tech platform. On August 16, 2010, the company unveiled Instant Jam at Gamescom . It launched in open beta and was the company's second, and ultimately last game to feature their embed-tech. On October 23, 2010, it was announced that InstantAction sold
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1376-680: The product name Dev|Pro: Game Development Curriculum, the company offers digital education courses in the areas of computer science, game design and programming. Offices for GG|Interactive were established in Vancouver, Washington while the Las Vegas offices remained open. GarageGames offered the Torque Game Engine for sale in 2000, offering the technology under a per-seat "Indie" license . GarageGames also offered "Commercial" licensing options to companies with more than $ 250,000 in annual revenues. In 2012, GarageGames announced that both
1419-432: The red ones. The player at the end of the round with the most points wins. Players can change their marble's appearance by choosing from a variety of patterns and pictures in the main menu, such as a globe marble or a tiger marble as well as adding several different effects to use online. Ranked matches and player matches are supported along with an overall multiplayer leaderboard for ranked and player matches. Users can create
1462-477: The section that was the same color. Ian Tornay (Crash7800) explained why the game was taken off the site in a video podcast, saying that "A lot of the users who tried Cyclomite as their first game didn't stick around." PlayTribes , Starsiege: Tribes in the browser, was originally planned to release on InstantAction but was canceled when the company sold the Tribes franchise to Hi-Rez Studios. IAC shut down
1505-400: Was a multiplayer mech combat game, and a sequel to Dark Horizons Lore: Invasion . Players control mechs called MAV, and can use preconfigured mechs or access the “MAV Lab” to create their own with customized looks, weapons, and statistics. The developers are planning on distributing the game elsewhere once they secure the rights from InstantAction. Think Tanks was originally created as
1548-469: Was also announced that InstantAction would be split into two divisions, one in Portland, Oregon and the other in Las Vegas, Nevada . On March 13, 2010, InstantAction.com was taken down as a gaming portal, with the company instead moving to support the embedding of 3D games on external websites. On April 29, 2010, the company released a 20-minute demo of The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition with
1591-438: Was announced that InstantAction would be "winding down" their operations. In 2007, GarageGames was acquired by Barry Diller and InterActive Corporation (NASD: IACI) and was renamed InstantAction. Soon after this announcement, InstantAction.com went into open beta on March 31, 2008. On July 15, 2009, it was announced that Louis Castle would become the new CEO of GarageGames, after Josh Williams stepped down in late 2008. It
1634-403: Was both single-player and multiplayer and featured 5 modes (although only 4 were available at any point) and eventually dropped to 2 modes. Cyclomite was an action/puzzle game developed by Wideload Games that was removed in 2008. The game involved rotating a multicolored sphere as meteors of different colors approached it. Players had to align the sphere so that the meteors made contact with
1677-646: Was considered a "spiritual successor" to Tribes , and featured similar elements such as skiing and jetpacks. After InstantAction was shut down, the game was re-released as a stand-alone downloadable client on December 20, 2010. The game is being developed by community members and previous InstantAction interns.Visit www.legionsoverdrive.com to play the game. \ Rokkitball was a team-based game similar to basketball or soccer with futuristic weaponry. The game launched on InstantAction.com in April 2008 with support for up to eight players. Players move around an arena and use
1720-601: Was delisted from the Xbox Live Arcade service in February 2011. Despite this, a Microsoft Windows version was released in 2015. GarageGames , now a subsidiary of Graham Software Development, retained the rights to the Torque Engine which powers Marble Blast Ultra , but not the rights to the game. Game rights are property of InstantAction Holdings. GarageGames CEO Eric Preisz said that it was "unlikely" that
1763-592: Was shut down the same day InstantAction was and will not return. Screwjumper was a game where players try to get to the bottom of the mine shaft and then escape it after detonating it. The story is that aliens have invaded and as part of the ScrewJumper team, the player needed to help to destroy those mines and thus save the planet. The player had a choice of three different characters playable in 20 different levels (ranging from very easy to very hard) which contained different obstacles as well as bonuses. The game
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1806-470: Was shut down. In the single-player mode, the player has the main goal of reaching the finish pad of the level as fast as possible. Obstacles will hinder the player's progress, but powerups are also provided to help the player finish the level. There are sixty single player levels that can be completed by the player. They are divided into Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced Levels, each category containing twenty levels. Many of these levels (such as 'Survival of
1849-591: Was used to create the Tribes game series and was released at an initial price point to allow independent game developers access. Later the company expanded its product lines with additional tools, and more advanced engines and introduced tiered licensing. In 2005, the company introduced Enterprise licenses for large companies and educational institutions available for annual fees ranging from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of dollars per year. In 2006, its developer community surpassed 100,000 users. Over its history,
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