Chris, Clive, Joseph, and several other extremely helpful ngmofos spent quite a bit of time this evening at the ngmoco event answering my endless array of questions about their in-development FPS game tentatively named LiveFire.

In the demo I saw today, four players sat around a set of iPod Touches all playing online via the hotel's WiFi. Since all the games in LiveFire are played online through ngmoco's matchmaking servers, Chris was directing people when to start their game to guarantee everyone got matched. After a lively countdown the players were thrown in to a heavily modified Quake 3 engine to play one of the most impressive online multiplayer experiences I've seen for the iDevice platform which according to ngmoco works equally well when played over either 3G or WiFi.

The controls for LiveFire are so intuitive I had already figured out how everything worked before they even started explaining it to me. They call it a "touch anywhere" control scheme, where the right half of the screen regardless of where you're touching controls your aiming and the left half controls your movement. Since they're working with a limited set of input methods, firing is handled automatically. If you get someone in your crosshairs, you automatically start shooting.

The gameplay is very similar to the old Quake II Lithium mod. There are six weapons, a whole set of power ups, and even a grappling hook. Having played more hours of Quake II Lithium than I'd care to admit, this really grew on me quickly. The maps are small and perfectly tailored for playing with four people. There was never much time where I was ever without someone to shoot at, and respawn timers are quick when you die.

The genius in LiveFire is the online ranking and matchmaking system. ngmoco has an algorithm which they wouldn't disclose too much of which basically tracks your performance to compute your overall ranking using how well you've done against whatever ranking the opponents you're playing against are and some other ngmoco magic. Also, there will be XBOX Live! Halo-style player groups, so you can play with your friends and an online friends list which will be a part of their "Plus" online system which they were also reluctant to talk about until it's all ready.

As you rank up, you will have access to different colored armor, so people will instantly be aware that you're a skilled player when you join the game. Overall, the entire ranking system I think will lead to a highly competitive community of gamers at the top, while allowing a comfortable level of play for casual gamers at the bottom.

Players will be able to choose from several armor types, and depending on which you choose you will have slightly different abilities. For instance, the heavy armor obviously gives you better defenses and the flight armor gives you the ability to jump farther. These armor types are cleverly tied in to the story of the game, in which you play a live human test subject for Arsenal Megacorp. It is an extremely amusing premise for a game, and I highly recommend reading the memo from the CEO on the LiveFire site.

I know in the past due to the downloadable content demonstration, players have been apprehensive about LiveFire due to the stigma of being nickle and dimed in being forced to buy weapons or other key components to gameplay. When I asked Joseph, the co-founder and COO of ngmoco about this he assured me that nothing that in any way would upset game balance is going to be sold as an addon. You will not be able to get any kind of advantage over other players by buying anything. He wouldn't say for sure what they were planning, but it sounds like cosmetic addons like skins and other personalization options above what is included in the game may be coming.

I asked several of the other ngmoco people at the event about their plans with DLC and every one of them assured me that if they do it, they're going to do it right, and provide a good value for gamers. Overall I walked away with a really good vibe from the event, and an intense anticipation for all the games exhibited.

Ngmoco held a press event tonight at WWDC detailing their upcoming titles due this summer. The games on display included the just released Star Defense as well as unreleased titles including Rolando 2, Touch Pets and the first-person shooter formerly known as LiveFire. This was first time any of the press has had hands-on time with Rolando 2 or the new and improved LiveFire and we'll cover those separately.

While we'd seen Ngmoco's Touch Pets before, today's build had progressed notably towards completion and the core gameplay remains the same. The game taps into the virtual pet market allowing you to own and care for your own virtual dog.

Simply petting your dog can be a very tactile experience on the iPhone by actually rubbing the screen with your finger. As you care for your pet, his or her caretaking, training and socializing scores rise, giving you a very happy canine. Neglect the dog, and well, you'll have to put some quality time in to make up for it.

The game includes 9 different locations that you can play in, as well as various clothing items, toys and accessories for your pet. Special shirts, hats, colors and even advanced toys such as boomerangs eventually become available for use. One feature that I hadn't seen before was the use of touch gestures to instruct your dog to do tricks. Swiping in a circle, for example, instructs your dog to roll over. And, as you advance, additional tricks are unlocked.

This basic care video provides a look at the game:

Touch Pets is due sometime this summer.

Meanwhile, we had a chance to speak to Neil Young of Ngmoco to hear his reactions to the upcoming iPhone 3G S. What we hadn't been aware of was the fact that the demos during today's keynote were actually run on the iPhone 3G S. And the biggest reaction from the Ngmoco founder was that the new device is fast. Both in execution and launch time, Young found that Star Defense loaded in entirety in 6 seconds on the new device, notably faster than on previous generation devices. He also observed that another developer's game was running so quickly that they had to frame limit them.

We still don't have specifics on what processor the new iPhone 3G S has, but it seems clear that the 2nd Generation iPod Touch is no longer on the top of the heap.

ngmoco's Star Defense [App Store] is finally here for $5.99! I competed in the Twitter Challenge a while ago and I've had my hands on the final copy for a few days now. So far, Star Defense has been an enjoyable spin on the tower defense genre. Expect a full review soon, but for now, here's part of the press release ngmoco sent out:

In Star Defense, players battle hordes of alien S’rath invaders in their quest to save human outposts across the galaxy. Using innovative Multi-Touch controls, players twist, spin, and zoom-in on breathtaking 3D planets and examine the terrain to plan their defenses.

Armed with a powerful arsenal of five classes of towers, for a grand total of 15 different weapons, players strategically place turrets that unleash everything from burning hot plasma to high-voltage decimation. The S’rath regularly fortify their troops with new unit types, new formations and new armor. Survival depends on the player’s ability to respond to their maneuvers in real time.

Innovative integration with social networks allows players to expand their campaigns and compete with friends over Twitter, Facebook, or email. They can also check out scores posted by other Star Defense players and take on all challengers by searching for #StarDefense on Twitter.

With seven unique planets, two different game modes, more than 50 Medals and Commendations to be earned on the field, and three different difficulty settings available at launch, Star Defense offers endless replayability for newcomers and war-hardened veterans alike.

ngmoco will provide regular updates to the game with expansion packs, bringing new weapons, planets, invaders and new modes of gameplay to the Star Defense universe.

As I mentioned in the keynote post, we have a ngmoco press conference to attend at 4:00 PM PST. I'm not sure what is going to be discussed, but hopefully we'll find out a little more about their plans with the future of Star Defense.

Update: ngmoco posted on our forums clarifying the content of the game and future updates:

For $5.99, you are getting the full SD experience. That's an entire seven-planet galaxy, three difficulty modes, and a challenge mode. We'll also be regularly updating the game with free content.

Once 3.0 launches, we'll be offering much larger expansion packs for sale.

App Store Link: Star Defense, $5.99

The keynote is about to begin! For up to the second coverage check out Mac Rumors Live, otherwise this post will be updated periodically with things that pertain to iPhone gaming.

So far we've seen new laptops, a demonstration of Snow Leopard complete with its $29 upgrade price point, and now Scott Forstall is taking the stage to discuss the iPhone.

Scott is currently going over the features of 3.0 which include everything we've seen before, Bluetooth multiplayer, in-game downloadable content purchases, and the ability to talk to other devices via the dock connector or Bluetooth.

Mark Hickey from Gameloft is unveiling a new game, Asphalt 5, which he claims will be the best racing game on iPhone. Lets you play music from your library while you drive, advanced lighting and graphics -- fully pushing the hardware, Peer to Peer multiplayer over Bluetooth, worldwide multiplayer over wifi in-game voicechat, content packs for sale (1 racktrack and 3 new cars for 99 cents).

Neil Young from ngomoco:) unveiled Star Defense, launching today for $5.99. Also briefly mentioned is the "Plus Network" to play online, and additional 3.0 features when 3.0 goes live. (We are attending a ngmoco:) press conference later this afternoon where I expect we will hear more about this.)

iPhone 3.0 available for free on June 17th, and iPod Touch users can purchase the upgrade for $9.95.

The iPhone 3G S is here! (Well, coming soon.) The biggest benefit that has been announced so far for gamers is the inclusion of OpenGL|ES 2.0, and faster hardware. Also included is a 3 megapixel auto-focusing camera, digital compass, and voice commands. Since these are all accessible by developers using various API's, who knows what kind of crazy geolocation photo games/apps we'll see in the future.

The new iPhone 3G S will be released on June 19th for $199 (16GB) and $299 (32GB). Also, the 8GB 3G iPhone will stick around and be sold for $99! All prices listed are with a two year contract. According to the fine print- "For non-qualified customers, including existing AT&T customers who want to upgrade from another phone or replace an iPhone 3G, the price with a new two-year agreement is $499 (8GB), $599 (16GB), or $699 (32GB)"

It remains to be seen what if any concessions Apple and/or AT&T will make for existing iPhone 3G customers looking to upgrade.

As we have mentioned, Touch Arcade will be on-location in San Francisco for the full week of Apple's World Wide Developer Conference 2009, providing keynote and iPhone gaming coverage.  Additionally, TouchArcade (Arnold Kim, Blake Patterson) and MacHeist (Phill Ryu, John Casasanta) will be co-hosting what we hope is the highpoint event of the week, the iPhone Launch Party 2009.

The iPhone Launch Party, which takes place on Wednesday, June 10th from 8 PM to midnight, will serve as the official launch party of Firemint's much-anticipated racing title, Real Racing.  A number of other notable titles will be demonstrated for the first time at the event as well, including Freeverse's Warpack Grunts and Toy Kite's iSamurai games, as well as new apps from Delicious Monster, tap tap tap and possibly more.

A large number of notable personalities will be in attendance as well, including:

• John Geleynse, Eric Hope, and Matt Drance of Apple, Inc.
• Robert Murray of Firemint
• Ian Lynch Smith of Freeverse
• Simon Oliver of HandCircus
• Wil Shipley of Delicious Monster
• Danielle Cassley and Jason Citron of Aurora Feint
• Brian Greenstone of Pangea Software
• Leander Kahney of Cult of Mac
  
• Brian Lam of Gizmodo
• Keith Shepherd and Natalia Luckyanova of Imangi Studios

The event will take place at the Cartoon Art Museum at 655 Mission Street in San Francisco and should be an amazing time for all.  And not just because of the free champagne....

If you're interested in attending, visit the official party site to sign up and look for a confirmation email, but space is limited.

In June, iPhone gamers will have both E3 Expo and Apple's Worldwide Developer's Conference (WWDC) to look forward to. While, WWDC will likely be more directly iPhone relevant, TouchArcade.com will be present at both conferences reporting on the latest in iPhone and iPod Touch gaming.

Our last expo visit to GDC brought you the first looks of titles such as UniWar, Freeballin', Touch Pet Dogs, Dexter, Glyder, Zenonia and much more.

We expect the combination of E3 and WWDC to be much larger in terms of iPhone gaming announcements from both established companies as well as indie developers. We are happy to set up meetings with any iPhone gaming developer. Please contact us at tips@toucharcade.com to set up a time and place. Meanwhile, if you feel you have a particularly notable never-seen-before iPhone or iPod Touch game to demo in time for WWDC, we may have a special press opportunity for you (contact us here).

E3 Expo takes place from June 2-4th in Los Angeles, CA and Apple's Worldwide Developer's Conference from June 8th-12th in San Francisco, CA.