Cold Rice Games – Page 29 – Games you want to play

On iAds, IAP, etc…

April 8, 2013 by Coldrice Leave a Comment

Bitcrobes is slowly seeing the finish line. Music is almost done. Debugging has begun. 3/4ths of the levels are complete. All in all, we’re almost there! What I love is (after I finish moving) I can complete this game at any given time, excluding any debugging time. I am very excited. I began learning programming 10 months ago, and I feel like going from zero to a full game is a great accomplishment.

Now lets talk about money. Firstly, this game will be free. I feel like its not full featured enough to warrant a cost. However, if I did get any money from it, it could help fund the next game which I am so very excited about. I could go with ads, but I don’t want to overwhelm the player. At the same time, I feel like ads barely give the developer enough as it is. Hmm. Another option is shoe-horning in “In App Purchases” or IAP. When I first set out to make this game, I told myself I wouldn’t make it built around IAP, but now that its complete I feel a bit more comfortable offering IAP without destroying gameplay.

Any comments? I would love some feedback. I’ll have to send out a new video showing gameplay and hopefully that’ll spur some comments on what I should do. I think ads would be the best, as long as they’re not intrusive. It keeps the game free, it offers slight monetary gains, and allows the game to be “free.”

Update!

March 29, 2013 by Coldrice Leave a Comment

Quick update!

Mid move right now, so I’m mostly working on fixing bugs and the prototype of the next game (temp. Title “Interstellar”). I would say I’m 90-95% done with bitcrobes, but I won’t finish until I’m moved.

Where to next?

March 16, 2013 by Coldrice Leave a Comment

Here’s some tests of my next games graphics. I have plans for a lot of animation (grass, sky, and lighting effects) but until I choose an engine its just kinda… flat for now.

Simple tiles and jumpables

Grass and rock tiles

Space ship tiles? hmm… wonder what these are for!

So now I’m at an fork in the road. I’m finishing up bitcrobes (slowly, since I only work on it every so often) but I need to think about where I’m headed next. I have a great game idea, what I think are solid mechanics, and some neat art. I really want to put a LOT more effort into the next project in every way.

What I’m worried about is the fear that working on iOS apps is going to hold me back. Does a game with depth and geared towards longer play times fit on the mobile market? Should I switch to a different language and engine? I know nothing about unity, and c# resources seem sparse. IN addition, I don’t have the funds to buy a unity license. Releasing for desktop seems scary without a market to distribute too. I really feel like I could have a niche with this game on iOS… or make something no one really wants to play!

Level design

March 9, 2013 by Coldrice Leave a Comment

The time has finally come! I’m really excited. Level design is one of the last things I wanted to do before I go through a more intense play through and polishing (especially on the options/menus).

Its really fun now knowing that putting together the level is rather straight forward. Place the tiles, tell the game how many enemies/items to place, and then its done. Fun!

The menu options are starting to look a little different as well. I posted a little while ago about the plan, and its finally implemented. The old version had a scientist character but I think it was just too much. He didn’t really do anything or add anything to the game.

NEW UPGRADE: Cell division!

Your character can now divide into smaller versions of itself. It’s awesome! I really like this feature. They don’t survive long BUT they can get food for you which adds to your funds!

Nearing the end, planning a beginning

February 25, 2013 by Coldrice Leave a Comment

Well this past few weeks has been pretty exciting for Bitcrobes! I’ve knocked off item after item on its development, and its been nice to see the list shrink. Every now and then I have to add things to the list, but otherwise I’ve been making strides!

(part of the virus attack screen. Looks like a mess :\ but its only a background image)

Items on my “To Do” list:

Design/implement a new “lab” scene where you choose levels/upgrades/settings/etc…

Implement the “Creative Mode” feature in the lab scene.

I have some animating to do – I’d like to have new microbes that are in a level show up on the levels intro screen with a short description of what that microbe does.

I have a little bit of bug fixing to do on creative mode. Mostly minor graphical errors

I need to finish making the upgrade buttons with graphics

I need to found sound effects.

I need music

After that’s all done, I’ll design 24 levels to start with, then its off to release

In other news, I’m starting to plan my next game. Bitcrobes is meant to be a free game just to get my name out there and say officially I’ve made a game. My next game will be a lots more heft in terms of scope and design. I really want to make a game that players will like, but most importantly that I’d like to play over and over again.

Here’s a teaser for whats next after Bitcrobes