Remember that Triple Triad PSP homebrew from almost a year ago? Yeah, the game based on the Final Fantasy VIII card game was quite a smash hit back then and right now, development for the game has taken it to a whole new direction: MMO Infrastructure. Huwhat?! Did we just hear that right? If No Gravity was pushing the graphics-side envelope of homebrew development, Triple Triad PSP is definitely pushing its online aspect.

Part of the Triple Triad Team is Zero-One, who tipped us off, saying that they're finally ready to dish out some info about the whole hush-hush dev project they've been doing for about a year now. alexmae from our forums was kind enough to post a translation of the changelog (which is in Italian) for Triple Triad PSP Online:

• Complete graphic Restyle; Optimized code, 60 fps
• 3 decks besides the classic (FFVIII) , over 330 cards + bonus
• For the first time MMO Infrastructure; Massive Multiplayer Online
• A virtual world based on FFVIII world; Shop, buy and sell cards
• Private messages; Live chat during the game; Friends list, black list
• Possibility to view users' status, track their movements
• New FFVII and FFX decks (coming soon FFIX deck)
• Added help during online game and rules info

Zero-One has announced that they plan to roll out Triple Triad PSP next Monday, so you better be sure to keep your eyes peeled. Upon its release, we hope to get more info of how the whole online aspect works... This whole project is posing a very interesting revolution for the homebrew community. What say we release the source code for this game, 'ey, TT Team?

Visit: PSP Development Forums

LTE Studios showed their support to budding and even seasoned homebrew developers when they took the wraps off a free, custom made 3D engine- the LTE 3D Engine. Now, they continue to show that support as they have recently updated this helpful app to version 2.0. Aside from that, the app now sports a different name, so let us all welcome the LTE Game Engine 2.0.

The first release was not free of some bugs and the recent version definitely provides a remedy to most of its known issues. To start using this app, you can refer to our earlier report as the process is still the same. It also wouldn't hurt if you read the provided readme file, and while you're at it, go ahead an also read the license file that comes with the download. The latest version has a lot of features and general speed improvements.

And on a more personal note, we would like to thank Alexmae for the tip. So with all that aptly mentioned, let's go over the changelog:

• Changed name from LTE 3D Engine to LTE Game Engine
• Added support for Mipmapped textures. Mipmapping gives an high speed improvement. By default all textures are mipmapped, you can disable this feature with driver->setTextureCreationFlag(video::ETCF_CREATE_MIP_MAPS, false);
• Clipping comes necessary when your meshes has big triangles, but for model and object meshes (like the character) this is not necessary. By default now clipping is not enabled by default: if you need the engine to clip your mesh type node->setMaterialFlag(video::EMF_CLIPPING, true);
• Mesh triangle subdivision: Now it's possible to subidive the triangles of your meshes wich sides are greater than a value. You can do this using the Mesh Manipulator: SceneManager->getMeshManipulator()->subdivideTriangles(YourMesh, MaxSideSize)
• Added support for rendering into textures. This feature is very common, and the engine now can do it. Look at the RenderToTexture example for further information.
• Multitexturing is now supported. This feature is limited because it doesn't support multi texture coordinates, and it takes one more rendering pass (PSP GPU doesn't support one-pass multi texturing). Look at the SpecialFX example for further information.
• Added Sphere mapping: this effect is now supported. To enable sphere mapping for your scene node type node->setMaterialType(video::EMT_SPHERE_MAP).
• Added B3D Mesh support with full bone animator.
• Added celshading effect for your IAnimatedMeshSceneNode. To enable this feature for your scene node simply do: node->addCelshadingSceneNode(). Look at the documentation for further information.
• Added support for Dynamic Shadows. Look at the Dynamic Shadow example for further  information.
• Added ATRAC3 Audio support. Note that you can set position, get position, get duration, only for mp3 audio files.
• Now the File Browser sort the list pushing the folder on the top of the list.
• The speed of the mouse cursor is proportional to the current frame rate, this allows to use the cursor also at lower framerate.
• General speed improvement
• A Lot of Bug fixes
• Changed the intro logo screen and music effect

Download: [LTE Game Engine 2.0]
Link: [LTE 3D Engine Official Documentation]

Thanks to Alexmae's tip, we can all enjoy Stefano Rusello's PSP to Joypad version 0.2. You might remember a feature we did a few weeks back on his first release of the program. Just to refresh your memory, PSP to Joypad allows the user to connect your PSP to a PC via WiFi (tested with WiFiMax) and use it as you would a typical joypad. It can support two PSPs at the same time, without having to edit the IP address as well as simulating the keys L2 and R2. Another famous creation by Russello by the way is the very useful PSPBrew.

You'll make the most out of the site if you're Italian or if you're familiar with the language, but if not, you'll have to make do with crude online translations. It'll also help if one of our Italian friends out there translate it for all of us. We used Babelfish to translate the page and here's what we got:

"E' possible the program to qualify or to disabilitare to chosen analogic in its the two aces X and Y and to set up the sensibility (being put the sensibility to the maximum will have the same effect of the pad digita them)." This may also bit may also be useful: " E' possible to select the IP to which connecting the PSP directly from the same Homebrew without editare some rows. E' possible moreover to set up the type of those adopted a position in the PSP trà logon. E' possible to disabilitare the echo of the keys. Disabilitandolo will be possible to avoid the lag of the keys that in some games could have an undesired effect."  

Download: [PSP to Joypad v0.2]

It has been quite a while since we have given you an update about Stefano Russello's homebrew application, PSPBrew. For those of you who have forgotten what this does, it is a very useful tool to install, manage and edit the homebrew apps on the PSP. It's also a good app to split a game's eboot to install it in your 1.50 PSP.

The 0.90 version will feature a few minor bug fixes and support to the newest discoveries (like the %__SCE__), but that's just the tip of the iceberg. Apparently, the good developer, after a conversation with the guys from LTE Studios, has decided to update PSPBrew with a new function about parameters. This new feature makes possible to transform a user-friendly app to a flexible and powerful module at the developer's command.

What happens is that once PSPBrew is installed, it will be possible using the command line to tell the PSP Brew module to install or convert an EBOOT, and with the LTE Editor it will be useful to create and transfer EBOOTs ready to be executed on the PSP after being compiled. What can we say, the app, just like a good bottle of wine, just keeps getting better and better in time. Here's the changelog:

Changelog:

- Spanish language fixed
- Now hides corrupted data with __SCE__ method
- Automatic save system on Memory Stick for firmware 1.0-2.x and 1.50
- Automatic recognise if the EBOOT is the DATA.PSP instead of giving error
- It can be run from batch or command prompt with the following syntax:
pspbrew.exe /p [path eboot] /h [homebrew name] /d [dir name] /n [hide corrupted data] /u [psp unit] /f [firm 1.5] /s [hidden mode]
/p [path eboot] path source EBOOT.PBP
/h [nome homebrew] Homebrew name, if empty it doesn't change
/d [dir name] Directory name, if empty it uses the homebrew name
/n [hide corrupted data] 1 yes 0 no
/u [psp unit] psp unit (es. e: ), if empty it searches it by itself, if it can't find it uses one of default
/f [firm 1.5] 1 yes 0 no (1 Firmware 1.5 , 0 Firmware 1.0-2.x)
/s [hidden mode] 1 Doesn't show any messages 0 Shows all the messages
Example: pspbrew.exe /p C:Documents and SettingsStefanoDesktopeboot.pbp /h PSPtoJOYPAD /d JOYPAD /n 1 /u G: /f 1 /s 1

On a more personal note, we would like to thank Alexmae for the heads up!

Download: [PSPBrew 0.90]