TopoMania Blog
New Multiple Choice game in HTML5 version
03-05-2019
The HTML5 version of TopoMania now includes a Multiple Choice exercise. That brings the total number of exercise types to four!
The Multiple Choice exercise can be configured from 2 to 5 options per question. The more options you select, the more points you earn for each correct answer.
Several other features have also been added in this new version, such as a cool animation when you achieve a high score. The editor also gained new powers: you can now reposition the labels of map features to an optimal spot on the map.
By 2020, the new HTML version should become a complete replacement for Flash.
Have fun with the new version!
Happy Bach Day 2019
20-03-2019
March 21, 2019 marks the 334th birthday of Johann Sebastian Bach. Nice, of course, but what does Bach have to do with TopoMania?
Here's why: the new version of TopoMania features Bach background music that you can listen to while practicing.
But why Bach?
Bach's music is well known for enhancing focus and concentration. Scientific research shows that listening to Bach while studying helps you learn better. Whether that's true for you is something you can experience for yourself! Just turn on the music while practicing and see if it works.
When you click the music button, the music will start as soon as you begin a geography exercise. It even resumes automatically right where you left off last time.
The piece you hear is Das wohltemperierte Klavier (The Well-Tempered Clavier), performed on piano by the renowned Japanese pianist Kimiko Douglass-Ishizaka. She generously dedicated this performance to the Open Source community.
New version of TopoMania HTML5
23-02-2019
The HTML5 version of TopoMania has been updated. I've added the following features:
- The user interface has been polished
- The fill-in-the-name exercise has been added
- Highscores have been added
- The editor has been expanded with new capabilities
The HTML5 version of TopoMania works directly in your browser without any Flash plugin. Unfortunately, it is not yet suitable for tablets, so it is not a replacement for the app just yet.
The three main exercise types are now available, and more exercises will be added in the near future. Ultimately, the HTML5 version is set to completely replace Flash.
You can also play your existing maps with the new version, and you can edit your existing maps with the new editor as well.
Have fun with the new TopoMania!
10 Years of TopoMania!
11-11-2018
The TopoMania website is now ten years old!
The geography game started out as 'The Province Race' on the dadsproject.com website. Soon after, maps of the continents were added. The game quickly became a popular way to practice geography at school. In 2008, the first version of topomania.net saw the light of day. Together with a few volunteers, we created maps at a rapid pace for the most commonly used geography curricula.
It quickly became clear that it was impossible to satisfy every need on our own. The map editor provided the solution: TopoMania visitors could now create their own maps, drawing from an ever-growing database of map features.
We have now arrived in the JavaScript era, and a JavaScript version of TopoMania is now available. Over the coming years, this version will become the main engine behind TopoMania's programs.
Over the past ten years, TopoMania has grown into an essential website for schools in the Netherlands and Belgium. Teachers create practice maps for pupils to practice at school and at home. And together, TopoMania users have created more than 20,000 maps!
We hope to keep TopoMania going for a long time to come and continue helping everyone practice geography. Here's to the next 10 years!
Have fun on the site!!
TopoMania HTML5
24-10-2018
Starting today, TopoMania can also be used without Flash Player. A new version of the TopoMania Player and Editor has been built with HTML5. This means you no longer need Flash to enjoy TopoMania. The trusted Flash Player and Editor will remain available as well.
So if you have no issues with Flash, you can continue using the maps just as you are used to, but if you'd like to try the new HTML5 Player and editor, you can now do so. On the map info page, you can choose between Flash and HTML5.
The HTML5 version is currently in beta and there may be some initial teething issues. If you run into any problems, please report them on the forum.
The HTML5 version does not work on iPad or Android tablets; for those devices, the TopoMania App is available in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store.
Not all game modes are available in the HTML5 version yet. The name typing exercise and the multiple choice exercise will be added later.
During the transition period from Flash to HTML5, you can edit maps in both editors.
More detailed information about the new HTML5 versions will follow later.
Have fun!
Update 10-11-2018
The latest HTML version is now also compatible with Internet Explorer. Because Internet Explorer has a much slower JavaScript engine than other browsers, the user experience is not as smooth as in modern browsers.