Facebook Page and New Email Address

Just a couple of updates:


Now you can access the FastKeys Facebook Page through
http://www.facebook.com/FastKeysGame


Feedback, questions and feature suggestions can now be sent to
developer.fastkeys@gmail.com

Progress Update

If you're looking to play the current version, you can do so in the new "Play" tab (just under the heading).

Just in case you're wondering how the new game is coming along, I've decided to give a progress update. I've had a bit of time this weekend to add the actual game play to the completely redesigned game. I thought it needed a bit more of everything - more options, more game modes and more choice in how you play.

Main Menu

Firstly to house all these new features, I've redesigned the main interface. Generally speaking, I've kept the same menu layout as the previous version because I thought it was simple and to the point, but it now looks much cleaner. Clicking the "Settings" tab will take you to a much more organised screen, allowing you to quickly find the setting that you want to modify. 

"Statistics" and "Instructions" will not take you to a new screen anymore, simply because I think they should be used 'on the fly'. Instead, they will activate a sliding canvas which will fill the rest of the screen space.

Note: This is still not the final design, just a sneak peak (I welcome your input).

The Game

Okay, so I had to rewrite the whole game, so I thought, why not add some major improvements? Some of the feedback I've been getting really made sense, and I've been wanting to add it to the game, so I thought now was the chance. So here are a few of the features I've already written:

• Automatic Resizing Keyboard that changes size depending on the note range you've chosen. I received some comments stating that the keys were to small; this won't be a problem any more.
• On the same note, the game won't be running in a browser anymore. It's going to be a standalone Java application, meaning the size won't be as much of a limit. The window is now a fair bit bigger than before, so you'll be able to see the notes for longer and the keys will be larger.
• Midi Input has probably been the most frequently suggested feature. I've gone ahead and added it to the game. It's working great so far, but I'm still yet to test it with different devices and give the option of selecting one if there are multiple inputs. 
• I've added an In-Game Tempo Changer to the scrolling games. This will give you much more freedom when choosing the speed of the game. 
• There are also some other little things, like a pause button, individual note range for each staff, chord mode, solfa mode etc. 
• I still haven't started designing the song mode, but I plan to dig into that some time soon. 

I can say that there is a chance I'll have the game finished by the end of July, but if not, the end of the year. If there is anything else you want me to include that I haven't mentioned, email me at developer.fastkeys@gmail.com or you could just leave a comment.

The next version

It's not here yet...

I know many of you are eager to try out the next version of FastKeys, but you will have to wait a bit longer. I am making great progress, but there are still a few more features and a couple of bugs that I need to add before I enter the testing stage. I'm about to start Uni, so I won't have as much time to spend developing, but hopefully I will allocate time to the project every week. My next set of holidays aren't until around July, so that is probably the earliest that I am hoping to release it.

I started the new version from scratch, because I had to use Java in order to add Midi support, but it was worth it! It's looking good so far, and running quite well.

If you want to stay informed, I've set up a Facebook page that I will keep updated with my progress. You can also check out some screenshots and give some feedback.
You can access this page from the side bar on the right.

You can still play version 2 by clicking on the "Play" tab at the top of the page.

Thank you all for your support so far!

Fast Keys 2.0

It's here... Well mostly. I've updated most aspects of the game, still a couple of things left, but they will have to wait a bit longer. Most importantly, I've included the option of 1 octave piano with letters on the keys and a full 1:1 piano - each note matches a seperate key (available in options under 'beginner piano'). I apologise for the rusty piano sounds, but I was in a rush, so I'll try to improve them next version. Thanks for everyone's feedback. Feel free to offer a suggestion - it does help to motivate me if people are asking for things.

There is one problem, the game didn't fit with my blog template, so until I update it, you can play the newest version of Fast Keys at:

http://fastkeys.netau.net/
---EDIT---
The game now fits right here. If you want to play previous versions, you can access them in the archive on the left.

Play the game by clicking on the "Play" tab under the heading.