Kintarla - 2009 Shiraz

Kintarla 2009 Shiraz Label

Our 2009 Shiraz will be bottled in the next month or so. This is our first vintage so we are very excited and on a steep learning curve.

Designing the labels was a lot of fun. There is an old dead tree which we wanted to feature on the front label. The visual designers at the Label House have done a great job (in our opinion anyway).

The next step is to update our website which is looking decidedly dodgy at the moment.

Kintarla - Vintage 2010 Verdelho

Australia Day Harvest

We had our first crop of Verdelho picked on Australia Day (26 Jan 2010). About 1.5 tonne was the final weight of grapes which we supplemented with another 1.5 tonnes from neighbouring vineyards.

The fruit was a bit damaged from hail that we had in December but seems to have held up fairly well considering. Lisa skidded the ute into one of the end posts due to the wet and greasy conditions (it rained the night before). I think we should have bought a 4WD!

Last year the Shiraz wasn't ripe until late Feb, it will be interesting to see if there is any difference this year. We did a heap of bunch thinning on the 25th Jan which should help the remaining bunches ripen. We probably dropped about 1/3rd of the crop.

GeoDefense Swarm Strategy - Hard Level 10 (Crazy 88's)

The Jab Solution...

This level seems to be a favourite with folks. Here is another solution submitted by Jab.

Over to Jab to explain...

Hi everybody.

I am happy to see that many people love this game as I do ^^
I manage to go until wave 261 with 2 830 millions , but the score did not save..
Hopefuly, I took screenshots :-p
My technique is simple : I do not juggle. I use all kind of towers and make the creep pass by the corner back right after the fast 8.

Jab

GeoDefense Swarm Strategy - Hard Level 10 (Crazy 88's)

Tactics for getting High Scores over 3,000,000,000

Kevin from Chicago sent me through his tactic for generating huge high scores (Thanks Kevin). Let me hand you over to Kevin to describe how...

"My simple trick to getting high scores (and not necessarily high levels) is at the very beginning of the game. If a creep comes to within the last one or two hexes before the exit when you kill them, you get a bonus: x5, x10, x20, or x50 if it is really the last moment.

These scores affect the scoring multiplier for the entire rest of the game.

So, to get significantly higher scores without any kind of fancy trickery with your pattern, just start the level by killing the creeps just before they exit for several rounds. There are few pretty predictable positions to kill creeps for bonus points in the first rounds. Once you know what you are after, you can get the multiplier up to x500 within the first 10 or so rounds.

After I get the multiplier up, then I focus in on just making sure none of the creeps escape, which is pretty easy in this level.

Attached is my high score and my pattern. I am pretty sure a more optimal pattern exists, but this one works quite well.

I made it to level 237 with a similar pattern, but it won't go much further. There just doesn't seem to be enough time to micromanage the towers vs. specific creeps..."

Kevin from Chicago

Kintarla - 2010 Vintage

It is an exciting time in the vineyard as the 2010 harvest approaches. We have just finished the label design which was great fun. The following are the tasting notes for our 2009 Shiraz, which are currently in French oak barrels and will be bottled in March:

“The wine is crimson red in colour with a vibrant purple hue. This is an elegant Shiraz offering aromas of ripe plum, cherry, spice, and toasty oak. The complex palate is rich and full, offering great flavour intensity, balance, and length. This well structured wine should mature gracefully over the next 5 years”

We are hoping to get a Shiraz and Verdelho crop this year. Both took a hammering during the hail storms in December but fingers crossed. The Semillion didn't make it - maybe next year!

The following are some notes from our vineyard consultant on the December conditions and there effects on the grapes.

The weather features that affected the vineyard this month were:

Ø After a very warm November, December was also a degree warmer than the average daily temperature based on the 30-year average, and we had 15 days over 30C, and quite a few close to 40C. These hot days were interspersed with very mild days.

Ø The first 3 weeks of December were very dry and we were beginning to run low on water levels stored in dams and in the soil. Christmas time heralded the beginning of the cyclone-influenced cycle we are seeing now… warm dry days followed by humid, showery milder periods lasting 7 to 10 days.

Ø Humidity stayed low during the first half of the month but once the rain started on Boxing Day it was very high, and has remained that way well into January.

The results of these conditions were:

- Many vines kept growing and new disease infections appeared. Downy mildew pressure returned in the last week of the month, and spraying was problematic with the regular showery, and often windy, conditions. Once downy mildew infection became established, it has been very difficult to totally eradicate, although in most vineyards it is now under control.

The rain at the end of the month has come at a bad time in terms of coinciding with the vine stage of berry swelling and veraison. In any tight-bunch varieties (like Semillon and chardonnay) this has led to berries splitting. With the humidity levels as they are Botrytis was the inevitable result. This has red berries (eg in shiraz) rapidly expanded , the hail scars became loci for splitting, exposing seeds and flesh to Botrytis spores, ubiquitous to our Hunter environment.

It is tough being a farmer...

GeoDefense Swarm Strategy - Hard Level 10 (Crazy 88's)

Welcome to 2010.

Here is a solution to GeoDefense Swarm Hard Level 10 sent to me by Telo. I will hand you over to Telo now to explain what is happening...

"The first pic shows the route the creeps take, I drew on the route in pea green to show it clearer, and the second pic is my score at the end. I'm going to have another go at it soon! Hopefully do better second time."

Telo wiped out 239 waves using this strategy, which kicks the arse of my solution. If anyone can do better and is willing to share then shoot your solution through and I will post it.

iPhone - Screen Capture

iPhone Screen Capture

The iPhone includes a handy feature to take a photo of the current screen.

To take a screen shot you need to hold down the "Home" button (at the bottom of the screen) and then hit the "power/sleep" button (at the top right hand side of the phone).

Your screen shot will then be available in the camera roll section of your photo app.

The attached photo should illustrate the process.

GeoDefense Swarm Strategy - Hard Level 10 (Crazy 88's)

iPhone

GeoDefense Swarm Strategy

Hard Level 10 - Crazy 88's

Spoiler Warning!

My approach here is to split the screen into two regions and allow the creeps to channel between the two 8's.

I start with laying out the path near the exit. It takes a bit of trial and error to work out what the minimum number of towers work.

Interestingly my highest score is with 180 waves. Using another approach I got to over 215 but the score was lower.

Well that concludes the game! Hopefully Critical Thought Games will release some additional map packs. V3 of the iPhone OS has enabled in game purchases, more games should take advantage of this (IMHO).

GeoDefense Swarm Strategy - Hard Level 9 (Revenge of the Eye)

iPhone

GeoDefense Swarm Strategy

Hard Level 9 - Revenge of the Eye

Spoiler Warning!

There are a couple of different ways to skin this cat. Start with the towers near the exit to maximise your score - you may leak a few creeps.

GeoDefense Swarm Strategy - Hard Level 8 (Slightly Buggy)

iPhone

GeoDefense Swarm Strategy

Hard Level 8 - Slightly Buggy

Spoiler Warning!

Just lay the path at alternately upgrade the missiles and thumpers.

GeoDefense Swarm Strategy - Hard Level 7 (Looking Glass)

iPhone

GeoDefense Swarm Strategy

Level 7 - Looking Glass

Spoiler Warning!!

OK this strategy allowed me to get a highscore which is number 14 in the world.

The secret is to allow an opening at the edges and don't build too many towers early.

By wave 5 you need to close the gap so you can get the creeps that are only effected by thumpers and lasers.

The pictures should be pretty self explanatory.

Of course this is probably going to destroy my top 14 ranking ...

iPhone Application - Life Goals

iPhone Application - Life Goals

It looks like Apple has accepted me (or Kintarla Pty Ltd to be precise) as a new iPhone Developer - Hurrah!

As this is my first program written in Objective C and Cocoa Touch, I'm keeping things fairly simple. The plan is to release a goal setting application before the 1st Jan 2010.

I'm finding Objective C to be quite a bit different to C#. The way that methods are handled is doing my head in but after a week or so of concentrated effort it is starting to make sense.

The Icon in the title page screen shot is a west African symbol of life transformation called SESA WO SUBAN. It means to "change or transform your character." You can learn more about these symbols at http://www.adinkra.org/htmls/graphics.htm

To get everyone in a goal setting mood for New Years, I'm collecting relevant quotes. Here are a few to get you started ...

Goal Setting Quotes

"Success is 99% failure." - Soichiro Honda

"You are never too old to set another goal or dream a new dream." - C.S. Lewis

GeoDefense Swarm Strategy - Hard Level 6 (Singularity)

iPhone

GeoDefense Swarm Strategy

Hard Level 6 - Singularity

Spoiler Warning!

There are a few different ways to complete this level.

Start off by channelling the creeps by placing the rocket towers near the entries.

You can then start building towers around the singularity. You need to build fast but once you get here it is pretty much all over.

Happy Swarming...

GeoDefense Swarm Strategy - Hard Level 5 (Thump This!)

iPhone

GeoDefense Swarm Strategy

Hard Level 5 - Thump This!

Spoiler Warning ...

Another fairly straight forward level, although difficult to get a high score.

GeoDefense Swarm Strategy - Hard Level 4 (Crazy Ivan)

iPhone

GeoDefense Swarm Strategy

Hard Level 4 - Crazy Ivan

Spoiler Warning...

I'm not sure why this level is named after a submarine tactic but what the heck.

This shouldn't be a hard level (in my opinion). The first solution I tried worked. It should be fairly obvious from the attached photo.

There is a new creep introduced in this level - a sort of sparkly dude. Lasers don't seem to do them much damage but the rockets knock them out.

GeoDefense Swarm Strategy - Hard Level 3 (The Race is On)

iPhone

GeoDefense Swarm Strategy

Hard Level 3 - The Race is On.

Spoiler Warning...

Ok this level is tough! I tried a bunch of different strategies before hitting on the winning solution. Just getting past Wave 1 is tricky.

I finally settled on the formation shown in the attached photo. You can clear the 1st two waves using just this. I then added one of the top 3 laser towers. This will allow you to get past wave 4 which is the next tough spot. Add the remaining two laser towers in this formation and then start replacing the blasters with lasers. Replace the ones which line up with the creeps path first. Upgrade as you go. Wave 10 is tough to get past as is 14 and 15 but following this strategy should get you there. I'm not sure how sensitive this solution is to build order.

I have seen another strategy using juggling but I try to avoid those if possible. No juggling is required for this approach.

The game hints at using an upgraded blaster strategy but I couldn't get that to work. I would be interested in a solution using blasters - let me know if you managed this.

GeoDefense Swarm Strategy - Hard Level 2 (Lovely Flowers)

iPhone

GeoDefense Swarm Strategy

Hard Level 2 - Lovely Flowers

Spoiler Warning...

Nothing fancy required, just block the gaps and hit them with missiles.

GeoDefense Swarm Strategy - Hard Level 1 (Middle Ground)

iPhone

GeoDefense Swarm

Hard Level 1 - Middle Ground

Spoiler Warning....

I'm not sure how the difficulty levels are worked out but I didn't find Hard Levels 1 or 2 particularly difficult. Hard 3 is a nightmare but we will come to that.

Simply lay out the path using the blasters and then add in the missile towers as money allows. Upgrading the missiles towers working back from the exit will maximise your score but may leak a few creeps if you time it too fine.

GeoDefense Swarm Strategy - Medium Level 10 (Minefield)

iPhone

GeoDefense Swarm Strategy

Medium Level 10 (Minefield)

Spoiler Warning

The 2nd of the endless levels. I tried a few different approaches on this level but the best result (wave 169) resulted from the following strategy:

1. Start laying out the maze with blaster towers. Work from the exit back.

2. Use thumpers where you can weave creeps past them. You will need to add the thumpers early because this level has the creeps that cant be hit with Blasters below level 7.

3. Gradually replace the Blasters with Missiles and Lasers and upgrade as cash allows.

Eventually you will max out with spots to put towers and upgrades. I started to leak creeps around wave 155. You may be able to last longer if you replace all the missiles with lasers as well.

No juggling was used to get this result.

GeoDefense Swarm Strategy - Medium Level 9 (The Hatch)

iPhone

GeoDefense Swarm

Medium Level 9 (The Hatch)

Spoiler Warning

Another one of my favourite levels. You need to get the tower balance right or you wont make it.