GE Plugin Archives
March 9, 2010
Playing games in Google Earth
Since Google Earth was first released, a variety of people (including myself) have looked for ways to use it for gaming. While it will never be a true gaming platform, there are still some fun choices out there to play with. Here are a few of the best:
• The Flight Simulator: This was first unveiled with Google Earth 4.2, and it's a built-in feature of Google Earth. You can fly as either an F16 or an SR22, and start from a variety of airports around the world. Press CTRL-ALT-A (or Command+Option+A on Mac) to get started. This video gives a nice overview of the controls:
• GEWAR: One of the first games people thought of when Google Earth came out was "Risk". Playing that kind of game on the Google Earth platform would be pretty cool. It was something I chewed on for a while, but couldn't figure out how to make it work. Eventually I discovered a way to create dynamic network links and I created "GE War" in mid-2005. It was mostly a proof-of-concept game, but it became quite popular. I eventually handed the game off to some of the more active players, and they've been improving it ever since. You can check it out at GEWar.net, where they have nearly 80,000 registered players.
• Ships: Last year, PlanetInAction.com released a neat game simply titled "Ships". It gave you the ability to take the helm on 3D ships, and was very well done. Here's a video tour of the game:
• Apollo 11 Moon Lander: The same guys that brought you "Ships" also released the "Apollo 11 Moon Lander" game. It's a very simple game, but it's very well executed with 3D models, responsive controls, and audio taken directly from the Apollo missions.
Beyond those, there are a wide variety of other games you can play. A few more:
• GEMMO: A DND-style game.
• Mars Sucks: Blast aliens from your space ship.
• Milktruck Madness: Drive a milktruck around the earth. No scoring or lives (and really, no point to it), but it's quite fun.
• Football: An American-style football game.
Do you know of any others we've missed? Let us know in the comments.
Posted by mickmel at 10:25 AM | Comments (2)
December 30, 2009
The year 2009 in Google Earth
We've already showed you the 10 most popular stories on our site for 2009, but we thought it'd be fun to look back through the year at the newsworthy stories for each month.
It's been quite a year for Google Earth, with tons of new features, imagery, 3D buildings, StreetView releases and much more. Here's a look back at 2009:
January
- New view of the Ocean Floor
- New imagery in Washington, DC
- Obama Inauguration in 3D
- Vancouver in 3D in Google Earth
February
- Google Earth 5 Released
- Google Chrome supports the Google Earth Plug-in
- Imagery Update (February 28)
March
- New 3D cities (Lucerne and Santa Rosa)
- Update to Google Mars
- Historical Imagery Update
April
- Google Earth 5 Plugin Released
- Imagery Update (April 11)
- Updated terrain
- Great Lakes Underwater features added to Google Earth
May
- Imagery Update (May 9)
- 3D Buildings Update; 11,000 new models
- New Business Layer for Google Earth and iPhone Google Earth
June
- Major StreetView Upgrade - 3D features
- New Imagery (June 6)
- New 3D cities (Tokyo, Osaka, Kobe, Kyoto)
- New 3D cities (Warsaw, Prague, Oslo, Toronto, Indianapolis)
July
- Imagery Update (July 11)
- Look at the Moon in Google Earth
August
- Imagery Update (August 2)
- 3D buildings added to Helsinki, Finland
- StreetView released in Switzerland, Portugal and Taiwan
- Imagery Update (August 26)
September
- New 3D Cities (Dublin and Cardiff)
- Google Earth 5.1 Released
- Imagery Update (September 23)
- New 3D Cities (Copenhagen, Marseilles)
October
- New StreetView Releases: Canada, Prague
- Google unveils the "Building Maker" tool
- New 3D cities (Antwerp and Portage)
- New 3D cities (Melbourne and Lyon)
- Imagery Update (October 20)
- New 3D buildings
November
- Imagery Update (November 3)
- New historical imagery (November 6)
- New 3D cities (Milwaukee and Indianapolis)
- New StreetView imagery in Mexico, Netherlands and Hawaii
- New 3D cities (Valencia and Oklahoma City)
- Google Earth 2.0 for iPhone released
- More cities and options added to Building Maker
- Google Earth 5.1 no longer considered beta
- Imagery Update (November 19)
- SketchUp 7.1 Released
December
- New StreetView imagery (Singapore, Canada and others)
- More cities added to building maker
- Imagery Update (December 3)
- New 3D city (Milan)
- Aerial Perspective imagery released for Google Maps API
- New 3D city (Detroit)
- Imagery Update (December 15)
- New 3D cities (Tucson, Cleveland and Florence
- Vancouver Olympic Venues in 3D
Posted by mickmel at 7:35 AM | Comments (0)
December 23, 2009
Happy Holidays from Google Earth Blog
With Christmas just a few days away, we thought we'd share our annual holiday greeting card. You can download the KML file
to view it yourself, or check it out via the Google Earth Plug-in.
Santa's NORAD tracker will be going live tomorrow, so be sure to check back for that.
Happy holidays to all!
Posted by mickmel at 8:14 AM | Comments (1)
December 22, 2009
Vancouver Olympic venues in Google Earth
With the 2010 Winter Games getting closer every day, Google has just released 3D models for all nine venues in Vancouver. The city of Vancouver was given the 3D treatment earlier this year, but now the venues are in 3D as well.
The models are exceptional, and really give a great feel for each venue. They've even included smaller details like spectator bleachers, trees and the gondolas.
To see a tour of the venues, you can download this KML file, or watch the embedded tour on the Lat Long Blog.
Google will be making more improvements to the models before the Games begin, but they're already fun to look at. Which area is your favorite? I'm personally drawn to the Whistler Mountain ski area (KMZ file), as I enjoy skiing and I think the 3D models of the lifts are pretty slick. However, all of the models look great and it's been fun to explore them.
Posted by mickmel at 8:28 AM | Comments (0)
December 21, 2009
Top 10 Google Earth Blog stories in 2009
It's been quite a year for Google Earth. Not only was there a major update to the software, but we also saw a ton of new imagery, 3D buildings, and StreetView locations. Based on what you looked at this year, here were the Top 10 most popular posts:
1. Using StreetView in Google Earth: With all of the great StreetView imagery added this year, many of you kept coming back to Frank's post that explains how StreetView works inside of Google Earth.
2. Fantastic Free Google Earth Game: Ships: A very impressive (and fun) game in Google Earth, using 3D modeled ships.
3. The New Google Mars: As part of Google Earth 5, they introduced "Google Mars". This post shows how it works and what some of the best features of it are.
4. Google Earth 5 Released: One of Google's big releases this year was the introduction of Google Earth 5. With it came Google Ocean, Historical Imagery, Tours and Google Mars. It's hard to believe we didn't have any of those features until this year.
5. Home Made StreetView: Not content to wait for StreetView to come to his town, an enterprising student at National Taiwan University made his own!
6. New Imagery - February 28: Google has released a lot of new imagery this year, and their release in late February was a big one. Not only did it include a ton of new aerial imagery, but they also updated some 3D terrain, some bathymetry, and the roads layer.
7. Planes for Google Earth Flight Simulator: The Google Earth flight simulator is pretty neat, and 'Amir B' came up with a creative way to add more planes to it!
8. Titanic Wreck in 3D in Google Earth 5: When Google unveiled the new Ocean feature in Google Earth 5, people wanted to know if any famous shipwrecks could be found in there. Indeed they can.
9. Marijuana Field Found?: Early this year, there was a major marijuana bust in Switzerland. Using Google Earth, GEB reader 'dulk' apparently found it!
10. New View of Ocean Floor: Prior to Google Earth 5, the only view of the ocean floor was the imagery seen from the air. In January, Google enhanced the view of the oceans worldwide. It was certainly a great improvement, but it was blown away by the release of Google Earth in version 5.
So there you have it; our most popular stories of 2009. What was your favorite Google Earth story this year?
Posted by mickmel at 8:06 AM | Comments (0)
More entries for this category:
- Take a virtual helicopter tour with the Google Earth Plug-in - December 14, 2009
- New imagery in Google Earth - December 3, 2009
- NORAD will track Santa once again - December 2, 2009
- Tracking the migration of Osprey - November 30, 2009
- Disney in Google Earth - November 23, 2009
- Links: Full list of StreetView updates, TeachMideast.org, CyberCity 3D partners with HomeGain - November 11, 2009
- The best finds in the new imagery - November 4, 2009
- A closer look at Africa - October 28, 2009
- Links: Load KMZ files on handheld Garmin devices, video of NASA rocket crashing into the moon - October 9, 2009
- Links: Improve Map Data, Urban Planning Webinars, Students building 3D models - October 8, 2009
- Use the Google Earth Plug-in with Google Wave - October 1, 2009
- Loop Links, Biodiversity and the Law of the Sea - September 30, 2009
- Links: Building Design Competition, Google Wave - September 29, 2009
- Update for Google Earth 5.1 released - September 23, 2009
- Climate change tools for Google Earth - September 22, 2009
- New World's Largest Optical Telescope - August 26, 2009
- Afghanistan News Overview in Google Earth - August 21, 2009
- Google Earth Lesson Presentation - August 12, 2009
- Links/Tweets: Google Mistake, Shadow Animation, Locating Missile Strike, - August 10, 2009
- Kaisei Project - Researching the Plastic Vortex - August 5, 2009
- Links: Timelapse 3D, Star Tweeting, New Imagery, GeoWeb Glimpse - August 4, 2009
- New 3D Perspective in Maps API for Flash - July 31, 2009
- GE Tweets: 3D Cities, 53 Stations, New Earth API Docs - July 29, 2009
- Amazing Lunar Lander Game Using Google Earth - July 27, 2009
- Links: Multiple Searches, More Moon Stuff, New Sightseer, 3D Cities - July 23, 2009
- Best Google Earth Tour To Date: Apollo 11 - July 22, 2009
- Favorite Places of Famous People in Google Earth - July 18, 2009
- View Details on July 22 Total Solar Eclipse in Google Earth - July 13, 2009
- Beastie Boys Create Google Earth Driving Game - July 9, 2009
- Snoovel - Google Earth Tour Creation and Hosting Site - July 7, 2009
- EarthURL Released - July 6, 2009
- New Places Site - Record Movie Postcards in Google Earth - June 22, 2009
- Gimme Shelter Campaign via Google Earth - June 18, 2009
- Using Google Earth to Review Urban Development Project - June 15, 2009
- Making 3D for Google Earth, Google Seeking Help, KML Regions, OpenStreetMap in Google Earth - June 4, 2009
- Links: New 3D Tours Gallery, Earth API Update - May 29, 2009
- Where 2.0 - Day 1 - Workshops and Ignite - May 20, 2009
- Fantastic Free Google Earth Game: Ships - May 18, 2009
- Earthtwit - Combining Twitter with Google Earth Plugin - May 13, 2009
- KMLFactBook - A Data Visualization Tool with Google Earth - May 6, 2009
- Henry Hudson 400th Anniversary in Google Earth/Maps - May 4, 2009
- Swiss Fighter Video Synched - GE 5 Style - April 26, 2009
- Links: Ocean Now, Michigan Earth Day, Goldman Prize, Convention Center, Queen Mary - April 21, 2009
- 3D Tour of Tahina Expedition Catamaran - April 20, 2009
- USS New Jersey Battleship in 3D - April 16, 2009
- Synchronized YouTube with Google Earth Plugin - April 15, 2009
- Submarine Sim for Google Ocean - April 14, 2009
- Visualizing GPS Tracks for Trips with GE Plugin - April 13, 2009
- Simple Embedding of a Google Earth 5 Tour - April 10, 2009
- Why Google Earth 5 Tours in a Plugin Rock - April 9, 2009
- Introduction to Mars Tour with GE Plugin - April 7, 2009
- Touring with Google Earth Plugin - April 6, 2009
- New Google Earth 5 Plugin Released - April 1, 2009
- Home Made Street View for Google Earth - March 25, 2009
- Stereo 3D Views for Google Earth - March 23, 2009
- US Solar Jobs Map - March 11, 2009
- Links: Missing Atlantis, In the Navy, Predators Not Censored, Utrecht Building Plans, English Lake District - February 24, 2009
- CO2 Emissions Data Visualization in Google Earth - February 23, 2009
- Links: New Geo Developer Stuff, Embeddable GE Plugin Gadget, Google Earth Cache Basics, Mac Stuff - January 15, 2009
- Google Earth Surfing with Wii - January 9, 2009
- Happy Holidays from Google Earth Blog - December 23, 2008
- Google Earth Plugin Roundup - December 5, 2008
- Google Earth Plugin Available Now For Mac OS X - December 3, 2008
- Famous Tourist Sites in 3D - November 14, 2008
- Links: Location OS, GeoEye, Super Tour Mashup - November 10, 2008
- Google 3D Warehouse Adds Google Earth Plugin - November 7, 2008
- Frank Gehry Buildings in Google Earth - November 3, 2008
- WikiSailing - Flying/Sailing Sightseeing Tours in Google Earth - October 29, 2008
- Paragliding Simulator with Google Earth Plugin - October 23, 2008
- Terrain of Google Earth - Awesome Tour - October 22, 2008
- Enhancing Presentations with Google Earth - October 20, 2008
- Interior 3D Building Tour With Google Earth Plugin - October 13, 2008
- Budapest 3D Tour in Google Earth - October 11, 2008
- Worldwide Marine Protected Areas in Google Earth - October 7, 2008
- Earth Atlas - Google Earth Plugin Application - October 6, 2008
- Singapore Grand Prix Track in 3D - September 25, 2008
- Top 10 Games With Google Earth - September 24, 2008
- Real-time Satellites in Google Earth - September 8, 2008
- EarthGamz Using Google Earth Plugin - August 19, 2008
- 3D Driving Directions and Driving Simulator - August 12, 2008
- Google Earth Plugin Now Runs in Firefox 3 - June 22, 2008
- Easy Embedding of the Google Earth Plugin - June 20, 2008
- Roundup: Firefox 3 and Earth plugin, Google I/O, Spam Alert, Google Analytics - June 18, 2008
- Thematic Mapping Engine, Plugin - June 6, 2008
- Sweet! Bouncing Google Earth Plugin Animation with Controls - June 2, 2008
- Plugin Links: Singapore Tour, Tagzania, PhotoFlyr, EveryTrail, - June 1, 2008
- Google Earth Plugin Adopted Quickly - May 29, 2008
- Monster Milk Truck Game for Google Earth Plugin - May 28, 2008