I currently have a problem where the screen says, "You ran out of time!" every time I start up a new game. The screen will only let me exit the game and go back to the planet. Anyone else have this problem? Any advice?

Use the two columns (one on right, one on left) to speed up game play and get more currency. The one on the left is the most helpful. Simply click on it to inflame your cursor and then click where you want tiles/chains destroyed.

I think it's fun, although clearly made for youngsters. -- Cara

I love this game. The cajun/zydeco type background music is GREAT! Really actually challenging for a match 3 game. Definitely a keeper! Thanks!

Cute game for match-3 lovers like me! Install is easy and straight forward on Win7 64bit. Loads quickly and plays smoothly. Thank-You Alawar and GGOTD.

Like the symbols of food as part of match 3! @ 12 - cheek of whiterabbit, fancy going out for a few hours and leaving all of us to our own problems! Dude - when the rabbit is away, the gotd mice can
play! Been alot maech 3 games lately! I like backrounds behnd match 3 i.e mushrooms and plants! The rabbit is always giving leads on reduced price games! Dude - if wait a few years ggotd will give them away for free!!!

Nothing about this game pops my eyes.

Frogdom however makes my eyes explode right outta my head!

p.s as alawar game and set against the other games presented here it still gets my thumb up ;)

you need to play a lot of match3 before you got enough money to create a simple monster. Within the match3 the hint pops up way to quick imho.
If you made a bit more money so you could create a bit it might have been more to my liking, now after about 5 levels I only had enough for one ball of fur, no eyes etc. not even started at plants.

nah, guess I stay with spore for creature creating ;)
anyways thanks for the offer GGOTD and Alawar

Just played first level. Maybe me but sometimes clicks seem to 'stick'. Like they don't take. But could just be getting used to it. M&S sliders help. Not worst I've seen. Note that Exit dumps you out of game rather than back to main menu as most do. 8/10 fans but I haven't tried the shop extras yet. Thanks.

Sorry, I just now read the comments and want to add: works perfectly fine under Win7 for me!

At first I was very excited about this game as I like match-3-games and love populating planets, modify species etc. - but then I quickly realised I can't stand the music and don't like the graphics - particularly the special effect after creating a match of 3 or more is awful. I still like the idea (!) and will turn off the music and keep on playing to see how my first species will turn out in the end. But not any further (buying plants, buying another planet) as it's really hard to bear. Sorry. I'd love to see this game with different graphics and music.

Can you believe the cheek of whiterabbit, fancy going out for a few hours and leaving all of us to our own problems, anyway enough moaning the game downloaded and works fine on Vista 64, good gameplay that will keep the grandchildren (& me) occupied for a few hours, its a fun game, good graphics easy to pick up the role play, music was muted it gets on my nerves after a while, but pleasent for about 30secs, all in all worthy of downloading.
PS: Whiterabbit I hope you feel guilty leaving us, just not on you know. Best wishes to the Family.


...............................Moderator Comment.........................


:) Thanks popz

Doesn't work under Windows XP x64. After launching a black window appeared for a moment, then it closes. Nothing more. A file log.txt in the game folder says:

HGE Started..

HGE version: 1.80
Date: 12.05.2013, 20:33:07

Application: Evoly
OS: Windows 5.2.3790
Memory: 4192460K total, 3091128K free

D3D Driver: nv4_disp.dll
Description: NVIDIA GeForce 9500 GT
Version: 6.14.12.6658
Mode: 800 x 600 x X8R8G8B8

Init done.

..........................Moderator Comment...........................

Hi Vladimir, try updating your direct X. The error message you posted, indicates its direct X that's the problem.

I don't like games with timers/clocks. To me they provide a source of frustration, not challenge.

The match-3 part of the game is fairly primitive by today's standards. There's no sign of any power-ups or even a hammer to take care of that last piece.

Game downloaded just a tad slower than usual. (I just went to a different tab and read a short news article while I waited) After an initial 'failed to connect' message while trying to activate, second attempt went smoothly. Game plays just fine. I found the music annoying immediately and turned it off to play. The initial match with the fruit seemed difficult for my eyes to quickly spot my matches-not normally a problem for me. Have only played the one match but will certainly keep it and play more later. Thanks.

Seems to work fine on my WIN7 Ultimate - I only played one level as RL is calling me away.

Hope your house restauration goes well!

don't like match 3 but this one might be worth looking at. spore was funny, this one might be funny as well. will give some feedback after trying it out.

Alawar usually puts out better games than this. So, I was a bit disappointed. However, not a bad game.

..................Moderator comment....................

I'm going to be out for a few hours so no moderation, will try and moderate further just after lunch

First off, installation was easy and it seemed to run fine up to a point. I'm on XP pro-service pack 3.

Match three games are a favorite of mine so I snagged this to see what it was like. Though it's typical of many out there, I didn't enjoy this one much, despite the concept of being able to 'buy' things and decorate your 'world' with it.

First issue was that I had an problem even getting the name to want to take. That took several minutes to figure out. Then when I finally did start to play, the gameplay itself was slow and 'klunky', not moving fast, something that gets rather irksome quickly. The time it takes to shift the tiles around is much slower than most games like this. Then there was the fact that the 'hint' pointing you to a move came on too quickly. The graphics also aren't up to others I've seen from this developer in the past. In fact, they aren't even close, giving it almost a retro feel to it, though not in a good way. It's just not a good game. It crashed several levels into it and I haven't bothered to open it since.

Alawar usually puts out some great games, however, this isn't one of them. Sorry!

........................Moderator comment.........................

Hi Da Myst,

Thank you for your feedback.

The game ran absolutely fine on both of the computers I installed it to. (Win 8 Intel i7 2600K 3.4GHz quad core, 16GB of sysRAM, 6GB of gRAM and a Win 7 Athlon dual core 3.2GHz, 6GB of sysRam and 2GB of gRAM)

How much RAM do you have and is there lots of background programs running? These could affect the way the game runs. Try using a free program such as Game Booster (available from the Razer site) to improve the performance while playing games; it may solve the clunkiness.

Will this game work on a 64 bit system please?


...........................Moderator comment......................

Hi MaDonna,

This game works on both of the computers I've installed it to. A 64 bit Win 8 and a 64bit win 7 system. So yes, it will. :)

To all community members that experienced problems getting last weekends game, Atlantic Quest past the Atlantis Resource Creator window. Christiane found a simple fix that worked. The original fix isn't possible now because the giveaway version isn't available any longer. Basically you installed the Playrix demo first then installed the gamegiveaway version over that.

There may be an alternative method available assuming you still have the game installed (If you deleted it, check your recycle bin- if you are like me I tend to only empty it very occasionally, so chances are its still recoverable). Basically do as above but instead of reinstalling the giveaway version, cut (or copy) it from its present position and paste it over the newly installed Playrix version. I can't guarantee that this will work, but it's worth trying. I also suggest you firstly start up the demo so as to run through the Atlantis Resource Creator setup first (this is a one off process, so once run should allow the giveaway version to work), then close it down before pasting the giveaway version over the demo.

You will need to make sure when installing the demo that you don't overwrite the game giveaway version by changing the installation path. Let me know if you manage to get the game working following this method. :)



You can download the Playrix demo HERE

I will be over at my house late morning and most of this afternoon, so moderation may be a little slow at times. All comments will be moderated when I'm able. :)

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Evoly:

Installation:

Evoly downloads to an 66.0 MB zip file that unpacks to a read me and a wrapped setup file (the orange colored file with the key symbol), plus there's a setup file with security (setup.gcd) that's protected from being hacked (because the previous giveaway system was easily cracked). This file may case some security software to alert the user to a possible malware attack, but it will be a false positive.

The game giveaway team check all game giveaways for malware using several well known anti -malware suites. There has never been a game giveaway infected with malware since the project started back in Dec 2006. (The owners know that allowing such things would compromise their buisness, so they make sure all software given away via the giveaway and gamegiveaway sites are throughly checked for all types of malware before allowing community members to download any files.

Some community members have been having problems installing games since the security software was added. It's been found that turning off your security temporarily or configuring it to accept the setup.cgd file usually sorts the problem out.

To register and install the game click on the orange colored icon. The installed game is 60.2 MB in size and installs to the following path by default:


C:\Games\Evoly_Game

The path can be changed to suit whatever your wishes are. Once the game is installed you can delete the giveaway setup files.

Evoly works on both my Win 7 & Win 8 computers.
I don't have a Vista or XP installation set up at the moment (and won't for several months until we move house later this year).




Introduction:

Hours of match-making and creature-creating fun await you in Evoly, a delightful new arcade life sim! Make fast matches in the puzzle rounds to clear the board and watch your income grow. Then use the money you've earned to purchase a range of plants and creatures and bring a barren world back to life. As you progress, you can upgrade your creatures to produce hundreds of unique species and populate three worlds with a variety of eye-popping delights. Don't pass up the chance to play this new classic!

Reference accessed HERE May 2013

You can read user reviews from iWin HERE one link. :)

The Game:


Evoly is a standard match three game with a very basic spore like species and environemnt building game. This is an excellent game for the children (and possibly some adults as well). :) I'm not going into a long description simply because we all know what a match threee game entails. As a standalone match three there's nothing special about the game, but the addition of the life simulation adds enough to the game to maker it a worthwhile download, especially if you have children.


Make fast matches to clear the board of Match 3 and watch your income grow. Use your money to purchase a range of plants and creatures and give life to three different worlds! As you progress, you can improve your little fur balls to produce hundreds of unique species and grow a variety of plants.

As you collect matches the column to the left of the screen fills up. This is the fire bonus indicator, the more it fills the more powerful the fire bouns becomes. To use the fire bonus, click on the column then on any chip you want destroyed. Depending on how full the column is, you can destroy almost half of the board. The right hand column shows the lightning bonus, which works the same as the fire bonus. The main difference is that you can only destroy tiles that are shown at the top of the column.

To complete a level destroy all of the the blue colored tiles.

Music:

If you don't like the non descript music you can change the four files (Grass, Menu, Sand, Snow) any of your favorite (or your childrens) music. You will need to convert any music you choose to the .ogg format and rename them to one of the names mentioned previously. You'll need to copy the converted files to the following path:

C:\Games\Evoly_Game\res\sound\Gass.ogg or Mnu.ogg or Sand.ogg or Snow.ogg

I'd back up the originals just in case you mess the process up. :)











Video:

You'll find a couple of videos (not good quality) HERE (German), HERE and HERE (French).

System Requirements:

Windows XP/ Vista/ 7
Pentium 4 processor or equivalent
System RAM: 128 MB
Graphics RAM: 16 MB
3D graphics card
60 MB hard drive space
DirectX 8.0 or higher




Conclusion:
As mentioned above, a standard match three, with bonuses and sim game included. To create your world and species you need to earn money.

For those who love match three games you'll find this far too easy. The two power ups included can wipe out half ther board when full and even with just a few matches can destroy several tiles. With its simple graphics, easy game play and species/environment simulation this is an ideal match three for children.


Scoring:

Gameplay: 7
Graphics: 7
Sound & Music: 6
Replayability: 6
Originality: 7

Total = 6.6 out of 10

Problems:

If you are posting late in the day I would also suggest posting in the main giveaway forums, in the game discussion section because I cannot moderate 24hrs a day over the weekend. If you've installed the game but it won’t work for some reason, it should still be registered, so someone may be able to help at another time. Unfortunately if your problem is actually installing it then once the giveaway period is over there’s nothing that can be done until the game is given away again (though that isn't guaranteed). Sometimes you can still register the game after the giveaway has ended so long as you managed to start the download before the giveaway ends. I've tested this and sometimes the grace period lasts for up to 2 hours, but more often than not 1 hour is the norm.




It’s always worth checking out the free games sites as sometimes the games we get here are also available for free from them. MyPlayCity (MPC) has the most with over 800 games to choose from. Today's game is available from MPC HERE .

If you do download any other games from MPC or the other free game sites (e.g. Jenkatt Games, Gametop or FreeGamePick) 'do' watch out for toolbars etc. Make sure you uncheck the checkboxes during installation .

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Games, Games, and yet more Games plus Download, Installation & Game play Problems:





If you have any problems installing or getting to work today's game please go HERE for help. I've posted all of the common problems and solutions in a FAQ thread, which you can find in the sticky section of the forums by following the above link.



If you're looking for something other than today's game check the didimatic site via THIS link for some brilliant deals.

Steams weekend deals include 33% off the latest Call of Duty game i.e. Black Op's II, plus you can play the multiplayer part of the game for free all weekend. There's 75% off the first person perspective tower defense game Sanctum and also you can play this one for free all weekend. (I don't think the dlc's are included in the free play). If you pre-order the latest Sanctun 2 you'll get the just released Super sanctum TD game for free (usually costs £2.99/$4.50) There's 25% off the recently released Trials Evolution Gold Edition, 75% off the Bit Trip collection, 67% off Special Forces: Team X, 50% off Trainz Simulator plus most of the dlc's, 75% off Avencast: Rise of the Mage, 50% off g o home Dinosaurs, 50% off Retro city Rampage, 75% off Jack Keane, 50% off Oil Rush, 75% off the ankh series. You'll find at least 60 games on sale at the moment on Steam with discounts from 10% to 75%. You'll find all the deals via the Specials tab on Steams front page HERE. The 24hr deal is 66% off Torchlight II the excellent sequel to the award winning Torchlight


On sale over at at GreenManGaming is 50% off the Steamworks version of Shattered Haven, 50% off the Steamworks version of a Valley without wind 1 & 2, plus there's a 20% off voucher available that can be used against selected games. Check all GMG deals HERE.

You can get the recently released Steamworks version of Shattered Haven for 70% off via GreenManGaming if you use the 20% off voucher in conjunction with the 50% off Deal. I got the game for £2.80 (approx $4) instead of £6.99 (approx $10).

You'll find the deal HERE.






You'll find many more game deals from Gamersgate, Gamestop, Greenman Gaming and GOG; all of which you can find via the Didimatic site, which I've linked to above (apart from Greenman gaming - GMG which I've included a separate link above).


To be honest there are too many game deals around too list them all. Just visit the sites I recommend above and I'm sure you'll find something that suits you for a very decent price.


You can get a free arcade game via Alawar's game box, just click the free game tab. It changes approximately every month If that's not enough, check out the Game Discussion forums HERE for details of other games either free or on deals such as the Indie Game bundles or check out the four day sales at IndieGameStand.

The latest IndieGameStand game is Pulseshift a first person puzzle platformer which you can get for $1. If you want the extra's pay the average price which was $1.36 this morning. Stardrone ends around 4am Thursday GMT. The extras for this game include a copy of the alpha, an unlocked profile and level concepts. To see more details about Pulseshift with images and a description of the game click HERE

There's also three indie bundles over at Indiebundle.org (The Hellish Dungeons bundle, the Alpha Fundle bundle and the Ultimate Bug Out bundle) . Each bundle has three games and costs $5 each for the basic bundle plus a few dollars more for extras. Check the Indie bundles HERE



You'll also find some Indie bundles available such as the NYOP Adventure Gamer Bundle, The Indie Gala Tropico bundle, the Indie Gala Mobile 3 bundle, Bundle Stars 7, and finally the Humble Double Fine bundle (Oh...! and there's a free bundle). All bundles are excellent value for money apart from the free one which is brilliant value for free :). For most of these bundles you need not pay more than $5 for several games that would usually cost you a lot more. You'll find links to all of these bundles in the Game discussion forums HERE





A Request for help:

Developers rely on good feedback to improve their games. If you download this game please take some time once you’ve played it a while to leave some constructive feedback either positive or negative. The more constructive feedback we get, the more likely developers are going to give more games away. The giveaway site already has a very good standing with the search engines. Developers want their products out there on the WWW, this site has the potential to do that. The game giveaway project gives away on average between 9 to 17 thousand downloads for each game depending upon what genre and how obscure the game is. That’s a lot of homes these games are being downloaded into and a lot of 'potential' cash that’s being lost by the developers. If we get better games because of better feedback, the community are likely to continue to benefit from the generosity of the developers. Satisfied community members are then more likely to visit the home sites of those developers and purchase games that they may not have bothered with before they discovered the developer via the game giveaway site, thus giving the developers more incentives to give away even more decent games.

Please leave some feedback once you've checked the game out. It can be positive or negative, but please explain what your reasons were for the feedback you post. You could also leave suggestions for improving the game, for example, this game could do with more block types for the levels editor, add more power-ups, describing the ones you think would be suitable, add some mini games (which seem all the rage in some arcade games now) or enable the user to be able to change the in game music easily.

Thank you in advance to all those who take the time to post a constructive comment.

Regards

Whiterabbit aka Stephen

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