Hack Week: Envisioning ROBLOX on the iPad

By Miguel Ortiz - August 2, 2012

During this year’s Hack Week, ROBLOX developers shifted gears, working tirelessly to devise and present ideas fueled more by creativity than priority. This week, we’re featuring some of the most innovative ideas to come out of Hack Week. Our third highlighted project is an exploration of how ROBLOX’s in-game, game-browsing and social networking interfaces might look on an iPad. These early-stage mock-ups were conceived and produced by Visual Artist Tara Byars and Visual Designer Miguel Ortiz.

ROBLOX is an expansive platform. So, when it came to mocking up a new ROBLOX interface for a new device, we quickly realized we had to narrow the scope to the stuff users want to do on the go – browse games, play games, network with friends and groups, and buy and sell content.

Help ROBLOX Developers Fine-tune the ROBLOX Player

By Dylan Bromley - July 31, 2012

In the time since its launch, ROBLOX has gone from being compatible with Internet Explorer to five major browsers, including Internet Explorer, Chrome, Firefox, Safari and Opera. As part of our ongoing effort to streamline ROBLOX, we recently removed a legacy of single-browser support: the embedded browser in the ROBLOX Player.

This browser occasionally caused problems for users with a default browser other than Internet Explorer and slight confusion as to whether you should browse games in the Player or on Roblox.com. Now, there is a clear distinction between browsing, which takes place in your preferred web browser, and game play, which happens in the ROBLOX Player. We believe a faster, leaner application will benefit ROBLOX users more in the long run than the Player’s web browser.

Weekly ROBLOX Roundup: July 29, 2012

By Andrew Haak - July 29, 2012

Every week, we’re busy telling the stories behind our platform, our technology, and our place in the gaming and technology industries. For those of you who catch up with ROBLOX over the weekend, the Weekly ROBLOX Roundup collects the best stuff to hit our various avenues of publication in the last week. This time: how ROBLOX has inspired young entrepreneurs, robust hinges, motors and vehicles, the inspiration and making of Apocalypse Rising and more.

ROBLOX inspires young entrepreneurs

Sure, ROBLOX users create a lot of impressive games — that’s why our site exists. But there are a few users who have gone above and beyond, and it’s been hard for us not to notice. Brandon LaRouche, otherwise known as CowBear16, is one such example; he harnessed his own motivation to write a book about scripting with Lua and create mobile ROBLOX apps. Now, it’s paying off, as he sells hundreds of books and delves deeper into iOS development under his LLC, Double Trouble Studio. Read about Brandon and two other young entrepreneurs in this blog article.

Responding to User Feedback, V6

By John Shedletsky - July 28, 2012

Ever since we made the request for your ROBLOX “Top Three,” we’ve been combing through the feedback and responding to your most insightful comments and pertinent questions. This week, John Shedletsky, ROBLOX’s Creative Director and Content Lead, elaborates on a variety of topics, including making money off your ROBLOX creations, dynamic “loading” of levels and content, Linux support, multiplayer ROBLOX Studio and more. For previous entries in this series, click here.

Monetize

centraltrains: In-game purchases. I would like to be able to sell a VIP pass to my game in-game through the official system! Maybe charge users to use this, but it would be like teleport for buying.

Spotlight: Three Teens Use ROBLOX to Ignite Careers

By Alan Fackler - July 23, 2012

ROBLOX is many things to many people. To some, ROBLOX is a simple and dynamic service that provides hours of gaming entertainment. To those willing to invest a bit more time, ROBLOX is a tool for creative expression. And to a select few, ROBLOX has become a jump off point to careers in programming, gaming, and even literature. Our “Spotlight” segment features author/programmer Brandon LaRouche, and programmers Alex Binello and Seth Tyler.

After receiving an iPod Touch for Christmas in 2009, Brandon LaRouche, known in ROBLOX as CowBear16, was eager to find a ROBLOX application in the app store.

Weekly ROBLOX Roundup: July 22, 2012

By Andrew Haak - July 22, 2012

Every week, we’re busy telling the stories behind our platform, our technology, and our place in the gaming and technology industries. For those of you who catch up with ROBLOX over the weekend, the Weekly ROBLOX Roundup collects the best stuff to hit our various avenues of publication in the last week. This time: graphics rendering, the first ROBLOX Hackathon, new groups features and more.

RGC 2012: Observations from the First-ever ROBLOX Hackathon

By Andrew Haak - July 20, 2012

ROBLOX Game Conference 2012 had music, lights, crowds and noise – distractions at every turn. It was the type of environment where you don’t get work done. Yet, in the gated-off space behind the black Hackathon sign, ROBLOX users intently churned out code and built complex structures – with the pressure of limited time, no less – like the rest of the conference didn’t exist.

Now that’s composure.