Tag Archives: dev

03.31.14
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Tappy Lander Dev Diary #1: The Name

After deciding to try something new, I have named our new game Tappy Lander!

Tappy Lander!

Tappy Lander!

I went with Tappy Lander! because it sounds fun to me and it’s descriptive of the game’s content without being boring. In the game you will tap the controls to land your rocket on the target (trying not to explode in the process.) The name is actually informative in that tapping is a better strategy than holding the buttons because of the precision of the physics-but I’ll talk about that in another post.

Other factors that went into naming the game:

  • We are targeting phones as the primary game platform. I’m very particular about little details and it bugs me when the words under the icon on my phone have a “…” appended to the text. Best case scenario, the title in its entirety is completely visible and “Tappy Lander” as well as “Tappy Lander!”  fits.
  • This game falls under the “lander” genre of games, the first of which is Lunar Lander (1979 Atari coin-op)
  • If I’m being completely honest, “Tappy” was inspired by “Flappy”. It was Flappy Bird that inspired us to try quick, simple projects and  I’m having so much fun developing this game. No apologies!

The next post will probably be about influences.

Thanks for reading and be sure to like and follow Tappy Lander on Facebook and Twitter for daily updates.

 

 

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03.27.14
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Trying Something New

Mike and I have been making kids apps as Eggroll Games since November of 2011. But this year, inspired by the success of a certain Flappy game, we both decided to make a quick, simple project.

I told Mike the day we made this decision that I had always wanted to make a lander game, so…

This is the first sketch I drew of the lander game.

Concept Sketch

This is the first sketch I drew of the lander game. It shows the control panel (which hasn’t changed much) and a rocket landing on an elevated platform with jagged, outer-space mountains in the background.

Thanks for reading and be sure to like and follow Tappy Lander on Facebook and Twitter for daily updates.

 

11.18.13
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The Right Way

confusion-1

Cheesy clip art rules.

I just read an article about the difference between wireframe, prototypes and mockups in app design. My response to the poster was this:

Although it is important to have a common language with the people you need to communicate with, there is no one right way to develop any idea into a finished product. In my opinion, articles like this can intimidate developers and prevent them from finishing a project because they are too worried about not doing something “the right way.”

Many projects never get past pre-production. Many developers never make a game because they are afraid of how their peers will judge them when they don’t seem savy enough. Many programmers never finish a project because they are intimidated by the complexities of doing things “the right way.”

I’ve met with many developers and toured game studios. The truth is, there is no right way to do anything, there is only what works for you at the time.

Popular terminology, programming languages, coding techniques and hardware platforms change but the goal never does: Reach the finish line however you can.

…and never let someone stop you because you’re not doing it “the right way.”

11.13.13
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Apple Now Gives 100 Promo Codes Per App Version (Instead of 50)

Apple Now Gives 100 Promo Codes Per App Version (Instead of 50)

I just snapped this photo about ten minutes ago. I double-checked on a second app and it’s true. Apple developers now get 100 promo codes instead of 50. This has been enacted retroactively on all our apps.

This is a good thing. We have found promotional code giveaways to stimulate our sales. Win-win.

09.06.13
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Numbers Memory Match Submitted

Numbers Memory Match, the latest app from my team at Eggroll Games, was just submitted to the App Store.

This video features a build about three generations previous to the final. It was created, as all our apps have been, with the Corona SDK. It uses the engine from our last app for menus, options and aesthetic but has completely new gameplay. My goal was to make the best memory matching gameplay on the App Store. I think we’ve accomplished that with the caveat that it is aimed at parents of children learning numbers and counting. We are planning on using this matching engine in a future title aimed at general audiences.