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.

GEWar

• 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)

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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

Happy Holidays

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.

Vancouver 3D venues

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.

Mars Canyon

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.

Titanic Wreck

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:

  1. Take a virtual helicopter tour with the Google Earth Plug-in - December 14, 2009
  2. New imagery in Google Earth - December 3, 2009
  3. NORAD will track Santa once again - December 2, 2009
  4. Tracking the migration of Osprey - November 30, 2009
  5. Disney in Google Earth - November 23, 2009
  6. Links: Full list of StreetView updates, TeachMideast.org, CyberCity 3D partners with HomeGain - November 11, 2009
  7. The best finds in the new imagery - November 4, 2009
  8. A closer look at Africa - October 28, 2009
  9. Links: Load KMZ files on handheld Garmin devices, video of NASA rocket crashing into the moon - October 9, 2009
  10. Links: Improve Map Data, Urban Planning Webinars, Students building 3D models - October 8, 2009
  11. Use the Google Earth Plug-in with Google Wave - October 1, 2009
  12. Loop Links, Biodiversity and the Law of the Sea - September 30, 2009
  13. Links: Building Design Competition, Google Wave - September 29, 2009
  14. Update for Google Earth 5.1 released - September 23, 2009
  15. Climate change tools for Google Earth - September 22, 2009
  16. New World's Largest Optical Telescope - August 26, 2009
  17. Afghanistan News Overview in Google Earth - August 21, 2009
  18. Google Earth Lesson Presentation - August 12, 2009
  19. Links/Tweets: Google Mistake, Shadow Animation, Locating Missile Strike, - August 10, 2009
  20. Kaisei Project - Researching the Plastic Vortex - August 5, 2009
  21. Links: Timelapse 3D, Star Tweeting, New Imagery, GeoWeb Glimpse - August 4, 2009
  22. New 3D Perspective in Maps API for Flash - July 31, 2009
  23. GE Tweets: 3D Cities, 53 Stations, New Earth API Docs - July 29, 2009
  24. Amazing Lunar Lander Game Using Google Earth - July 27, 2009
  25. Links: Multiple Searches, More Moon Stuff, New Sightseer, 3D Cities - July 23, 2009
  26. Best Google Earth Tour To Date: Apollo 11 - July 22, 2009
  27. Favorite Places of Famous People in Google Earth - July 18, 2009
  28. View Details on July 22 Total Solar Eclipse in Google Earth - July 13, 2009
  29. Beastie Boys Create Google Earth Driving Game - July 9, 2009
  30. Snoovel - Google Earth Tour Creation and Hosting Site - July 7, 2009
  31. EarthURL Released - July 6, 2009
  32. New Places Site - Record Movie Postcards in Google Earth - June 22, 2009
  33. Gimme Shelter Campaign via Google Earth - June 18, 2009
  34. Using Google Earth to Review Urban Development Project - June 15, 2009
  35. Making 3D for Google Earth, Google Seeking Help, KML Regions, OpenStreetMap in Google Earth - June 4, 2009
  36. Links: New 3D Tours Gallery, Earth API Update - May 29, 2009
  37. Where 2.0 - Day 1 - Workshops and Ignite - May 20, 2009
  38. Fantastic Free Google Earth Game: Ships - May 18, 2009
  39. Earthtwit - Combining Twitter with Google Earth Plugin - May 13, 2009
  40. KMLFactBook - A Data Visualization Tool with Google Earth - May 6, 2009
  41. Henry Hudson 400th Anniversary in Google Earth/Maps - May 4, 2009
  42. Swiss Fighter Video Synched - GE 5 Style - April 26, 2009
  43. Links: Ocean Now, Michigan Earth Day, Goldman Prize, Convention Center, Queen Mary - April 21, 2009
  44. 3D Tour of Tahina Expedition Catamaran - April 20, 2009
  45. USS New Jersey Battleship in 3D - April 16, 2009
  46. Synchronized YouTube with Google Earth Plugin - April 15, 2009
  47. Submarine Sim for Google Ocean - April 14, 2009
  48. Visualizing GPS Tracks for Trips with GE Plugin - April 13, 2009
  49. Simple Embedding of a Google Earth 5 Tour - April 10, 2009
  50. Why Google Earth 5 Tours in a Plugin Rock - April 9, 2009
  51. Introduction to Mars Tour with GE Plugin - April 7, 2009
  52. Touring with Google Earth Plugin - April 6, 2009
  53. New Google Earth 5 Plugin Released - April 1, 2009
  54. Home Made Street View for Google Earth - March 25, 2009
  55. Stereo 3D Views for Google Earth - March 23, 2009
  56. US Solar Jobs Map - March 11, 2009
  57. Links: Missing Atlantis, In the Navy, Predators Not Censored, Utrecht Building Plans, English Lake District - February 24, 2009
  58. CO2 Emissions Data Visualization in Google Earth - February 23, 2009
  59. Links: New Geo Developer Stuff, Embeddable GE Plugin Gadget, Google Earth Cache Basics, Mac Stuff - January 15, 2009
  60. Google Earth Surfing with Wii - January 9, 2009
  61. Happy Holidays from Google Earth Blog - December 23, 2008
  62. Google Earth Plugin Roundup - December 5, 2008
  63. Google Earth Plugin Available Now For Mac OS X - December 3, 2008
  64. Famous Tourist Sites in 3D - November 14, 2008
  65. Links: Location OS, GeoEye, Super Tour Mashup - November 10, 2008
  66. Google 3D Warehouse Adds Google Earth Plugin - November 7, 2008
  67. Frank Gehry Buildings in Google Earth - November 3, 2008
  68. WikiSailing - Flying/Sailing Sightseeing Tours in Google Earth - October 29, 2008
  69. Paragliding Simulator with Google Earth Plugin - October 23, 2008
  70. Terrain of Google Earth - Awesome Tour - October 22, 2008
  71. Enhancing Presentations with Google Earth - October 20, 2008
  72. Interior 3D Building Tour With Google Earth Plugin - October 13, 2008
  73. Budapest 3D Tour in Google Earth - October 11, 2008
  74. Worldwide Marine Protected Areas in Google Earth - October 7, 2008
  75. Earth Atlas - Google Earth Plugin Application - October 6, 2008
  76. Singapore Grand Prix Track in 3D - September 25, 2008
  77. Top 10 Games With Google Earth - September 24, 2008
  78. Real-time Satellites in Google Earth - September 8, 2008
  79. EarthGamz Using Google Earth Plugin - August 19, 2008
  80. 3D Driving Directions and Driving Simulator - August 12, 2008
  81. Google Earth Plugin Now Runs in Firefox 3 - June 22, 2008
  82. Easy Embedding of the Google Earth Plugin - June 20, 2008
  83. Roundup: Firefox 3 and Earth plugin, Google I/O, Spam Alert, Google Analytics - June 18, 2008
  84. Thematic Mapping Engine, Plugin - June 6, 2008
  85. Sweet! Bouncing Google Earth Plugin Animation with Controls - June 2, 2008
  86. Plugin Links: Singapore Tour, Tagzania, PhotoFlyr, EveryTrail, - June 1, 2008
  87. Google Earth Plugin Adopted Quickly - May 29, 2008
  88. Monster Milk Truck Game for Google Earth Plugin - May 28, 2008
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