I got a request to show a picture of the scoreboard. So, here it is... View attachment 37602 The background fades out, and then the scoreboard appears. The numbers count up, like what you'd see in Arcading or Cut the Rope, which is what made this part tricky. The numbers would jump out of alignment when a new digit was added. I managed to keep the scoreboard down to a single actor, which helps with performance. What's also neat is that I didn't use words, so that helps with localization. There are three buttons... reload, home and next. The fireball can still move left and right while the score is displayed. Since there's going to be Game Center leaderboards, each level should represent a challenge. Getting full power, collecting all the stars and completing the level quickly are the three main elements for scoring. It's not complete. I'll have to figure out where to put the total score.
I think I found a solution to the anthropomorphic issue. Some people here want the fireball to have a more human look. I mentioned that wouldn't go along with the lore, as the fireball is supposed to be just a fireball. It's a futuristic military weapon... basically, it's a miniaturized star. Yet, I learned something from Angry Birds. The game doesn't take itself too seriously. So, why should Arch Fiery be so serious? That's when I thought of good alternative... COSTUMES! In the option menu, the player will be able to select masks that overlap the fireball. The default will be none, but players can decorate the fireball if they want. This is where the game can get silly. Obviously, this adds time to development, but I think it's a good reason to delay the game. It should only add about a day. I'll test it out later and see if it works.
Here's a quick update! I'm still working really hard on this game. I'm really enjoying it. I think the "Sizzle City" levels are lots of fun. I just played through them all. It's quite challenging, but not too frustrating. Even if you just go crazy, and try to blind jump, you can often end up OK. That's why I think this game is a winner. It looks good, but it also has great control. It's often possible to recover from a bad jump. Left, Right, Up... that's all there is to it! I think Arch Fiery has that traditional iOS game style... collect three stars... good for short bursts of play... but still good for hardcore gamers and the levels have replay value — especially with Game Center. It's taking longer than I thought it would, but I think the game is more fun as a result of the hard work. I really enjoy the levels that I created over the last few days. There are nine levels left to add... The Burnt Forest levels... and there are some final touches to add. I didn't get to play with costumes yet. I decided to focus more on the levels and I think the game is better because of that decision. I'm not sure if costumes will be added. I don't think the game needs it, but I still might check it out if I finish early. I'm trying to wrap things up this weekend and send it off to Apple.
Heh, cool! I've been working hard on this game. I'm almost done. I only have three levels left to create. (That should be done today.) After that, only some final touches remain. I really enjoy playing this game. Maybe you will too!
Oh hey, you might want to know that this game was uploaded to Apple and is currently waiting for review. I'll be working on promotional material today... video... screenshots... and maybe even a desktop background. Maybe tonight they'll be available for viewing. I've been busy fighting with the Mac version of this game. But now that those issues have been resolved, now I can focus on marketing. I'll also be contacting various review websites to see if they're interested in an adhoc version or promo codes. I'm going to try and build a launch-day surge, which is currently scheduled for October 8, 2010.
The game is still in review. I'm confused as to why the review started so quickly, but the review itself is rather slow. So meanwhile, I added a post about Arch Fiery on Photics.com... http://photics.com/arch-fiery It has screenshots and a download for a desktop background / wallpaper.
The game is still in review. A video is now available... http://photics.com/arch-fiery/2 Although, I'm not too happy with the video. The background is choppy. The blue-to-black blend is a lot smoother in the real game. Here's something else... the video is way larger than the game itself. The video is about 23 MB, while the game is about 11 MB. That's more than double... and the real game (on retina displays or full-screen Mac) has much higher resolution too! But hey, some people might want to see the game in motion before parting with 99¢. So, I put a video online.
The game has been approved! I scheduled the launch date for Saturday, October 8, 2011. I'll be sending a promo code to Touch Arcade. Maybe they'll review it.
Ha, it figures. There's something a little screwy with the promo code system in iTunes Connect. The promo code has been delayed
The problem with the promo code page was fixed. I just sent a promo code to Touch Arcade. I'm looking forward to tomorrow.
The game is online! http://photics.com/fiery I think that means this thread can be closed. Bye bye nice thread!
