Sunday, July 21, 2013
Happy National Ice Cream Day (completely relevant)
Still working on a few projects, but since it's a national holiday, here's a peek at the next game.
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Just released: Bugs and Bacon for Android and B&B Free for iOS
Monday, April 22, 2013
Bugs and Bacon Free, available April 24!
Just a quick heads-up: Bugs and Bacon for Android and the free iOS version will be available this Wednesday, April 24. I'll post the links to Google Play and the iTunes App Store when they launch.
Also, if you have an incredibly accurate memory, April 24 will be exactly half a year since Fight on State was released, so that's something, I guess. Boy, how the time flies...
We're still hard at work on at least a couple more apps that we plan to release in the next few months, so keep checking back for news on them. (Or follow our Facebook page, as it tends to get updated more frequently than this blog.)
Also, if you have an incredibly accurate memory, April 24 will be exactly half a year since Fight on State was released, so that's something, I guess. Boy, how the time flies...
We're still hard at work on at least a couple more apps that we plan to release in the next few months, so keep checking back for news on them. (Or follow our Facebook page, as it tends to get updated more frequently than this blog.)
Saturday, March 30, 2013
Announcing Bugs and Bacon for Android (and a free iOS version)!
Last October, Cyclone Kick Studio launched not one, but two new games. Of course, the one almost everyone would remember is Fight on State. Unfortunately, FOS's success left the other game, Bugs and Bacon, in the dust.
I blame myself for this. I worked on Bugs and Bacon for about 3 months over the previous summer before starting Fight on State. Although it was nearly finished as development on FOS began, I couldn't be bothered to divert any focus away from FOS (other than, you know, for student teaching and Blue Band).
I still wanted Bugs and Bacon to be released before FOS, so I managed to put the rest of it together. Make no mistake, I did not release it until it met the level of quality I expected. The problem was that I basically did nothing to promote it at all. I'm willing to bet that, on the day Bugs and Bacon launched, I was more focused on putting the final touches on FOS.
Well, two weeks ago, I decided to make things right (hopefully) by porting the game to Android, where it would hopefully get the attention I thought deserved. From everything I read, I noticed that paid games–to be blunt–pretty much disappear amidst the free games in the Android marketplaces, so I took a different approach to this version.
The initial download of Bugs and Bacon for Android will be free. After you obtain 5 of the 10 unlockables, you will be asked to pay $0.99 for access to the other 5. While I'm still not very comfortable with using in-app purchases, this seems to be more of a benefit for the player; instead of paying $0.99 up front like on iOS, anyone can download the game and play this version for free, spending that same amount only if they are enjoying it (or just keep playing without the other unlockables).
Speaking of iOS, it wasn't too difficult to create a new version of it, which I'm calling Bugs and Bacon Free, that I just submitted for approval. It will work exactly the same way as the Android version and is not meant to replace the paid version, for those few of you who already bought that.
I made a few changes to this new version of Bugs and Bacon, such as adding two new backgrounds and 12 Game Center achievement on the iOS version, but the core gameplay is basically unchanged. Click here if you'd like to read about that.
Assuming everything goes smoothly, I'm planning to release the new version of Bugs and Bacon for both iOS and Android very soon, just waiting Apple's approval of the iOS version. I'm very much looking forward to seeing what more people think of it!
I blame myself for this. I worked on Bugs and Bacon for about 3 months over the previous summer before starting Fight on State. Although it was nearly finished as development on FOS began, I couldn't be bothered to divert any focus away from FOS (other than, you know, for student teaching and Blue Band).
I still wanted Bugs and Bacon to be released before FOS, so I managed to put the rest of it together. Make no mistake, I did not release it until it met the level of quality I expected. The problem was that I basically did nothing to promote it at all. I'm willing to bet that, on the day Bugs and Bacon launched, I was more focused on putting the final touches on FOS.
Well, two weeks ago, I decided to make things right (hopefully) by porting the game to Android, where it would hopefully get the attention I thought deserved. From everything I read, I noticed that paid games–to be blunt–pretty much disappear amidst the free games in the Android marketplaces, so I took a different approach to this version.
The initial download of Bugs and Bacon for Android will be free. After you obtain 5 of the 10 unlockables, you will be asked to pay $0.99 for access to the other 5. While I'm still not very comfortable with using in-app purchases, this seems to be more of a benefit for the player; instead of paying $0.99 up front like on iOS, anyone can download the game and play this version for free, spending that same amount only if they are enjoying it (or just keep playing without the other unlockables).
Speaking of iOS, it wasn't too difficult to create a new version of it, which I'm calling Bugs and Bacon Free, that I just submitted for approval. It will work exactly the same way as the Android version and is not meant to replace the paid version, for those few of you who already bought that.
I made a few changes to this new version of Bugs and Bacon, such as adding two new backgrounds and 12 Game Center achievement on the iOS version, but the core gameplay is basically unchanged. Click here if you'd like to read about that.
Assuming everything goes smoothly, I'm planning to release the new version of Bugs and Bacon for both iOS and Android very soon, just waiting Apple's approval of the iOS version. I'm very much looking forward to seeing what more people think of it!
Thursday, March 7, 2013
More news soon (I swear!)
I was hoping that, once I graduated from college, I'd blog more regularly about things I'm developing (and other things that randomly pass through my mind). Apparently, that hasn't been the case so far, but I promise I'll spill the beans soon on some new projects that I'm working on.
Yes, that is "projects" with an 's'. I had gotten so used to student teaching by day, marching in the Blue Band by evening, and developing games by night (as well as writing lesson plans sometime in between), that I'm still trying to run my brain into the ground. Being a substitute teacher is certainly tiring, but it doesn't require the caliber of dedication I've grown accustomed to, so I think I might be overcompensating just a little bit with this stuff.
I am well into the development of two projects. Neither are games (I know, weird) but I think you'll find both to be pretty unique and interesting in their own ways. I'm sure I'll be showing off at least one of them very soon, so keep checking once in a while.
I've also just started a third project, and this one really is a game (my first one since Fight on State). I've only been working on it for a few days, and I only have a general concept to work with so far, so that is likely to change quite a bit between now and whenever it's released. It's easily my most ambitious game yet, and I'm not sure how I'm going to do it all--but that's half the fun of game development!
And one last thing. I made a Facebook page for Cyclone Kick Studio. There aren't any posts on it yet because, you know, my nose is too far into whatever I'm programming to actually talk it about it. But I'll post some things to it soon. I swear I will.
Yes, that is "projects" with an 's'. I had gotten so used to student teaching by day, marching in the Blue Band by evening, and developing games by night (as well as writing lesson plans sometime in between), that I'm still trying to run my brain into the ground. Being a substitute teacher is certainly tiring, but it doesn't require the caliber of dedication I've grown accustomed to, so I think I might be overcompensating just a little bit with this stuff.
I am well into the development of two projects. Neither are games (I know, weird) but I think you'll find both to be pretty unique and interesting in their own ways. I'm sure I'll be showing off at least one of them very soon, so keep checking once in a while.
I've also just started a third project, and this one really is a game (my first one since Fight on State). I've only been working on it for a few days, and I only have a general concept to work with so far, so that is likely to change quite a bit between now and whenever it's released. It's easily my most ambitious game yet, and I'm not sure how I'm going to do it all--but that's half the fun of game development!
And one last thing. I made a Facebook page for Cyclone Kick Studio. There aren't any posts on it yet because, you know, my nose is too far into whatever I'm programming to actually talk it about it. But I'll post some things to it soon. I swear I will.
Sunday, January 6, 2013
10,000
We just hit a big milestone today. Thanks to everyone who has played Fight on State and shared it with others!
Monday, December 31, 2012
A look back at 2012
What a crazy year this has been! I can think of a ton of ways I've improved as a developer these past twelve months, and even more ways I could get even better, but let's focus on what happened first.
I started out the year by experimenting with a bunch of ideas, both for games as well as how to make those games. I still find Flash to be the most useful platform to build games on based on how easy ActionScript is to learn and understand compared to other programming languages. Flash's flexibility to run on many platforms also gives me a lot more confidence in using it, too, and that proved to be a lifesaver recently.
Around March, I started using the Starling framework that gives a huge performance boost for Flash on mobile devices, and after a small learning curve, I've grown to love and and continue to use it for, well, everything. I'm hoping at some point to give Unity a genuine try, too--from what I have seen so far, it seems to have similar qualities to those that make me love using Flash and Starling so much.
This year, I released two iOS games, Bugs and Bacon and Fight on State. I'm pleased with the way that both turned out (I mean, I wouldn't have released them if I wasn't 100% confident in their quality), but Fight on State is the one that really stood out.
And really, I've never been so proud of a game as I am with FOS. It has been successful both critically and in popularity, with about a 99% rating overall on the app store and over 9,000 downloads between iOS and Android devices (there's another first for me too--releasing something on Android)!
I attribute the biggest factor to this success in that I, for once, was not working alone. Many Blue Band members gave great positive and constructive feedback, which encouraged me to continue developing it--that itself being no easy task, as I was student teaching and marching in the Blue Band at the same time.
However, there was one person who had the biggest impact on the success of the game--not to mention the game's very existence. Becky Guldin won't take credit for coming up with the original idea for the game, but it's completely true. She might have thought she was just throwing out some crazy ideas when she talked to me after I showed her Bugs and Bacon, but if I learned only one thing this year, it's this: if an idea doesn't sound crazy at first, it's probably not a very interesting one.
One of my biggest problems with developing games prior to FOS was letting people know that the games exist in the first place. Becky, on the other hand, is a natural at this, and I learned a crazy amount just by watching her. Over 3,000 downloads on release day? If that doesn't tell you that there's an incredibly intelligent person behind the PR, nothing does.
So, yes, I have learned so much this year: I learned how to create games using new frameworks, I learned that I am capable of doing about ten quadrillion things at once without missing a beat (left, right, left, right), and I learned just how beneficial it can be to surround yourself with smart, supportive people.
I don't know what's in store for 2013. Since I just graduated from Penn State, I'll be a substitute teacher for a little while, but hopefully I'll find a full-time teaching job soon. In the meantime, I'll be developing away--not just games, but hopefully I can create other things that resonate with people as well. I'm already tinkering with a few ideas for non-gaming apps that I'm pretty excited about.
But games, too. Of course games. Lots of games.
Here's to a fun--and crazy--2013!
I started out the year by experimenting with a bunch of ideas, both for games as well as how to make those games. I still find Flash to be the most useful platform to build games on based on how easy ActionScript is to learn and understand compared to other programming languages. Flash's flexibility to run on many platforms also gives me a lot more confidence in using it, too, and that proved to be a lifesaver recently.
Around March, I started using the Starling framework that gives a huge performance boost for Flash on mobile devices, and after a small learning curve, I've grown to love and and continue to use it for, well, everything. I'm hoping at some point to give Unity a genuine try, too--from what I have seen so far, it seems to have similar qualities to those that make me love using Flash and Starling so much.
This year, I released two iOS games, Bugs and Bacon and Fight on State. I'm pleased with the way that both turned out (I mean, I wouldn't have released them if I wasn't 100% confident in their quality), but Fight on State is the one that really stood out.
And really, I've never been so proud of a game as I am with FOS. It has been successful both critically and in popularity, with about a 99% rating overall on the app store and over 9,000 downloads between iOS and Android devices (there's another first for me too--releasing something on Android)!
I attribute the biggest factor to this success in that I, for once, was not working alone. Many Blue Band members gave great positive and constructive feedback, which encouraged me to continue developing it--that itself being no easy task, as I was student teaching and marching in the Blue Band at the same time.
However, there was one person who had the biggest impact on the success of the game--not to mention the game's very existence. Becky Guldin won't take credit for coming up with the original idea for the game, but it's completely true. She might have thought she was just throwing out some crazy ideas when she talked to me after I showed her Bugs and Bacon, but if I learned only one thing this year, it's this: if an idea doesn't sound crazy at first, it's probably not a very interesting one.
One of my biggest problems with developing games prior to FOS was letting people know that the games exist in the first place. Becky, on the other hand, is a natural at this, and I learned a crazy amount just by watching her. Over 3,000 downloads on release day? If that doesn't tell you that there's an incredibly intelligent person behind the PR, nothing does.
So, yes, I have learned so much this year: I learned how to create games using new frameworks, I learned that I am capable of doing about ten quadrillion things at once without missing a beat (left, right, left, right), and I learned just how beneficial it can be to surround yourself with smart, supportive people.
I don't know what's in store for 2013. Since I just graduated from Penn State, I'll be a substitute teacher for a little while, but hopefully I'll find a full-time teaching job soon. In the meantime, I'll be developing away--not just games, but hopefully I can create other things that resonate with people as well. I'm already tinkering with a few ideas for non-gaming apps that I'm pretty excited about.
But games, too. Of course games. Lots of games.
Here's to a fun--and crazy--2013!
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