Category: Developers

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Developers

AppsGeyser- Creating Mobile Apps Easily

Today we are taking a few minutes to chat with AppsGeyser. AppsGeyser is a free service where you can create a mobile app from your website content. For small business these days, it is important to keep up with the ever changing market and mobile apps are here to stay. I work with a lot of small businesses so I thought this would be of interest.

Q. What is AppsGeyser?
A. AppsGeyser is an Android app builder that allows anyone to create Android apps from any web content.

Q. How does it work?
A. AppsGeyser has a number of options. Users can enter a web address, HTML code, a document, a video stream address, or even a zip file of a full website. The system will turn it into a native Android app.

Q. Why should a small business have a mobile app?
A. Every business, no matter what size, needs a mobile app. Today’s users search app stores such as Google Play and iTunes rather than searching Google or Bing for the information they want. If you’re not where the users are, it’s clearly a problem. Additionally, since apps remain with the user, they create a closer connection between the brand and the user. There are a lot of ways to use this, from updating sales and catalogs on the app to offering special coupons to running daily contests on an app.

Q. Are there any particular types of business that should really in the mobile space?
A. The answer here is really the same as the previous answer. Everyone is connected with a mobile device these days. If you want people to remain aware of your brand or service, an app is really a necessity. Even places of worship should have apps to give members easy access to the week’s announcements. I love the fact that my local library has an app that tells me what hours it’s open and when children’s story hour is. At this point, a business is expected to have an app.

Q. Where do you see the mobile market place going in the next few years?
A. I think that we’re going to see a rise in the level of the apps we’re seeing. Right now, we’re seeing people put up apps that don’t look professional or even well thought-out. Another year or two down the line, those apps are going to disappear from app stores, and we’re only going to see apps which are well-made in the stores.

I also think that there will be some sort of correction for the platform issue. Either it will become easier to convert apps from one platform to another, or we’ll end up with browser-based apps which are OS-agnostic, which is what is happening with non-mobile computing (desktops/laptops).

Q. Where do you see the Android market and OS going in the next few years?
A. I think that the Android OS will face some stiff competition from Windows Phone, but the fanbase and the variety of devices will keep it on an even keel. I think the release of the Nexus 7 tablet is just the sort of thing that Android needs to remain popular. It’s a full-featured tablet that’s reasonably priced. As long as Android can offer all of the features people expect from other operating systems for so much less money, the ‘fandroids’ will keep coming back.

Regarding the app market, I think we’re going to see a point when virtually all apps hit Google Play before they hit Apple. I think the biggest issue that Android app builders are going to have is the issue of being found. Small business owners often don’t have that problem, since they have a unique name or they offer the app with a QR code in their established place of business. Those looking to build a business on apps, on the other hand, are going to have to work really hard to get the right keywords and descriptions in and to build a name for their brand outside of Google Play to get people interested through other avenues.

If you want to learn more about AppsGeyser, check out their website or  blog.

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Communication Developers Social

Imo Instant Messenger for Android

App Name: Imo Instant Messenger

Cost: Free

Developer: Imo.im

Market: Google Play

Description:

You are you big into instant messaging that you probably heard of IMO. IMO is an instant messaging service that allows you to check in with friends on Facebook Messenger, Google Talk, Skype, Windows Live Messenger (MSN), ICQ/AIM, Yahoo Messenger, Jabber, and Myspace, Vkontakte.ru, Hyves and the imo network.  The free app has been designed to be easy to use and with one login you can access all of your IM accounts. With this Android app, you can have group messaging, share group photos, have multi-media attachments, chat history and more.

Recently the social platform Meebo was acquired by Google and anounced they will be shutting their doors in July.  Well, Imo.im, announced a new service where former Meebo users can join their network and download and import all previous chat logs and share histories directly to the imo platform. Pretty cool. As side note:  Users must download their chats from Meebo, prior to importing them onto the imo network. The tool can be used only if former users have already downloaded their previous chat history prior to the July 11th deadline when Meebo’s services were disabled.

This got me thinking so I reached out the Imo to learn a little more about them.

 

Q. Tell us about your company?
A. Based in Palo Alto, imo is a fast-growing startup founded and funded by one of the first ten employees at Google, Georges Harik and his brother, Ralph Harik. imo is building products that help millions of people around the world connect with their friends on any IM network. imo is free on the web, as well as Android, iPhone, iPad and BlackBerry platforms.

The inspiration for imo came from the Harik brothers’ desire for a better way to keep in touch with their family overseas. The imo web platform launched in 2007 and developed its Android app in 2010. Their mobile apps now have over 4 million downloads. imo has over 700,000 unique daily users who send over 50 million messages every day.

Q. How long has imo (the app) been around?
A. The Android app was launched in 2010 and currently has a 4.5 star rating. In 2011, we also launched a beta version of the app which offers new and experimental features for testing purposes.

Q. The app is free but are there ads?
A. Currently, there are no ads on the imo app.

Q. Why should someone use Imo?
A. Imo is an all-in-one communication tool that is easy and convenient. You can sign in with your existing IM accounts to message with friends, but imo also has several other features such as voice calling, chat groups, group photo sharing, voice IMs and an easily accessible chat history feature to make the app even more useful.  imo supports 12 different networks including imo, Skype, AIM, Facebook, GTalk, Yahoo, Hyves, MSN, Steam, Vkontakte, Myspace and Jabber.

Q. Can you give us more details on how Meebo customers can move over to Imo?
A. The transition to imo is as simple as downloading the imo app. With support for 12 different IM networks and popular features such as chat groups and voice IMs, we think imo will be a great alternative for former Meebo users. To make the transition to imo easier, we added a feature to import Meebo chat history though our web client. Instructions can be found on our blog.

So if you are a Meebo user or someone that uses IM a lot, looks like Imo would be an app that could help you out.

 

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Developers

PerBlue-The Folks Behind Parallel Kingdom and Parallel Mafia

I have really been enjoying the game Parallel Mafia and Parallel Kingdom, so I decided to reach out to PerBlue and learn more about the company and the games. Check out my article over at DroidGamers.

Q. Tell us a little about your company?

A. PerBlue is a mobile and social gaming software company based in Madison, WI. We are a young and energetic team of engineers, artists, designers, and marketers founded in 2008 by students from the University of Wisconsin. Today we are a team of 36, fueled with the passion to build great products and entertain countless people. We endeavor to change the world by introducing a new genre of mobile gaming.

Q. How did you come up with the idea of doing GSP based mobile games?

A. The dream for our product, Parallel Kingdom (PK), started really simply. My co-founder Andrew Hanson and I were bored with homework one night around 4 am, so we decided to take a break and start on a totally new project. We wanted to make a game with four goals in mind: the game would be played on the phone, it had to be fun, it had to make money, and just for kicks, it would use the phone’s GPS. The iPhone had been released a few months earlier, and the Android was just announced, so we wanted to take advantage of this new technology and gaming platform.

Q. For someone new, like me, which of your games would you start with?

A. I would suggest starting with Parallel Mafia. The game launched earlier this month, and the world on the in-game map still relatively unclaimed. Parallel Mafia players are still learning the ins and outs of the game, and are busy establishing their Mafias. Overall, players are all in a similar place on the learning curve, and are willing to help new players with their questions.

Q. With PK, you can access the game via iOS, Android or the web. Can I play my account via the web if I created it on the phone and vise versa?  It tried and it did not seem to work.

A. Parallel Kingdom for Web and mobile are completely separate worlds. Players will have to create an entirely new account to play on the Web. We made the decision to split the game servers for many different reasons, but mostly to protect our existing mobile players and to prevent hacking.

Q. What future plans for Parallel Mafia are there? Are you planning to having a web interface, mentors, etc like PK?

A. Right now we are in ‘bug fix’ mode, we’re busy making the game as seamless and polished as possible. Similar to Parallel Kingdom, we’ll be doing weekly updates in Parallel Mafia, with new in-game items and tweaks in mechanics. Hopefully down the road we’ll have the bandwidth to create an in-game mentoring system, as it works really well in Parallel Kingdom and contributes to better player conversion and retention.

Q. The platinum account- what does that do/good for? Do you need one for each game?

A. Platinum is a in-game resource earnable exclusively to those who are Platinum Members. First time Platinum purchasers will receive 100 Platinum, and then 10 Platinum per day after that. Platinum can be used to create a number of equipable items, discounts, and other features. Platinum members can create various leg and arm augments that speed up gameplay activities, or provide additional bonuses. It can also be used to modify weapons and armor. Right now Platinum subscriptions do not cross titles, you will need to purchase a subscription in each game.

Q. Any other games in the pipeline?

A. We have really found our niche in deep, location-based games, so you can expect another title along these same lines from us this later year. I wish I could disclose more, but you’ll have to wait for more details.

Q. Where do you see mobile gaming going in the next few years?

A. Smartphone adoption rates among mobile subscribers in the US is expected to reach 60% in 2012. This is a huge opportunity for current and emerging game developers, I’m positive that the space is going to continue to grow and mature. While the mass market loves playing casuals games like Angry Birds and Fruit Ninja, we are focused on creating deep and immersive games that keep players entertained for months, even years!

Thanks to Justin Beck from PerBlue for taking the time to answer some questions. Am looking forward to growing my mafia! If you play and want to join me, use my referral code: hpnqpo

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Developers

Getting to Know Flowerpot Games

Today we are talking with Flowerpot Games.

Q.Tell us a little about your company?

A. Flowerpot Games is a start-up gaming company founded in 2008 by a group of friends who all enjoy making games. We all live in different parts of the world and met  through the internet. I guess you can say Flowerpot Games is a true virtual company.

Our main focus is to design, develop, produce, and promote multi platform games for entertainment and education. But more importantly, we design games we enjoy playing.

Q. What games have you guys developed?

We’ve developed several games for various platforms.  Pancakes is a fun, challenging, and highly rated stacking game for Android where you stack pancakes and pancake toppings to order. Sounds easy … but it’s not! Pancakes is a free download on the Android Market.

Mobile Montessori is a suite of educational and fun Montessori-inspired activities for children. Mobile Montessori was developed in about a month with the help of Ed ‘Fish’ Bartley’s three
children. Mobile Montessori is a free download on the Android Market.

Flower Battles is a browser-based RPG. Take the role of a vicious flower. Think carefully and choose your offense and defense to fight your way to the top. Go on adventures for loot and taunt your opponents. Flower Battles is free to play.

We also developed a Windows/OSX game through alpha. Canyon of Desolation is a 3D tower defense game with RPG elements. There is a playable alpha on the web.  Canyon of Desolation needs art and a few more levels, but the art is costly, too costly for our bootstrapped budget. We’re still looking for funding.

Q. I see the price of Pancake game is $4.99. Do do you think that price is a little steep?

$4.99 is very steep. But when you’re indie you can do silly things like that 🙂 The free download version of Pancakes found at http://bit.ly/PancakesGame can be unlocked at a much lower price.

Q. What do you have coming down the road?

A. Very soon we’ll release two more Montessori-inspired activities for the Mobile Montessori suite, Red Rods and Sound Boxes. Red Rods is a sorting activity that teaches length relationships in a sorting game. Sound Boxes teaches matching of two objects by sound.

A little later we plan to release another suite of kids games that don’t necessarily fit into the Montessori theme. Puzzle games, matching games, tracing games, etc.

We’re also in the midst of prototyping game ideas for our next “big” game. We’re not sure what it will be, maybe a side-scrolling action game, maybe a casual farming game, maybe some balloon popping fun. If you want to see what our latest game prototype looks like you can try Bomba Fiesta: Android 2.2.1  or PC/MAC/Linux with JAVA installed here

Q. What games do you guys like to play?

A. Ed (aka ‘Fish’) loves to play adventure games, RPG, and physics puzzlers.

Citrine enjoys playing RPGs, strategy cities builders, tower defense,  action / adventure, and the occasional mindless match 3 game. 🙂

Q. What is the hardest thing for a new company developing for Android market?

A. By far the most difficult thing is getting the word out about your game. There is so much noise in the marketplace that it’s really tough to let people know about your game(s).

Q. Where do you see the mobile gaming industry going in the near future?

A. Mobile gaming will be like having a game console in your hands. The wireless connection of handheld controllers and large HD monitors to multi-core CPU/GPU “phones” will be as ubiquitous as microwave ovens.

Well that is it for this interview. Hope you enjoyed it. Thanks to Flowerpot Games for taking some time out of their schedule and for some cool games.

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Developers

Catching Up With Jet Set Games

Today I have the pleasure of speaking with Rade Stojsavljevic, president and co-founder of Jet Set Games. Jet Set Games are the developers of the very fun and nicely done turn based strategy game Highborn for Android. Highborn Chapter 1 was one of the first games that I purchased. I had originally seen it on my wife’s iTouch and knew I had to have it. In addition to our interview today, I just finished a review of the 3 chapters for the Highborn series over at DroidGamers.com.  With out any ado…

Q. Tell us a little about JetSet Games?

A. Jet Set Games is a small development studio based in Las Vegas, and made up of several former Westwood Studios folks. Our focus is on mobile development and smaller, digitally distributed games.

Q. How did you come up with the logo?

A. When we founded the company and picked the name, we were going for a 1950’s modern America feel. Brett Sperry had some ideas for an art style and worked with a former Westwood graphic artist to develop the idea of a donkey in a suit which became our logo.

Q. Do you guys play any mobile games? If so which ones?

A. We play a lot of games on pretty much every platform. Personally, on mobile I’ve been playing Temple Run and have gotten back into playing tower defense games lately.

Q. Any new games coming out or in production for Android?

A. We’re working on a new title with a big publisher and will release it for iOS and Android later this year.

Q. How did you come up with the idea for Highborn?

A. Highborn came out of a desire for a strategy game on mobile that was fun and easy to play. We thought a lot about what things worked best for a mobile device and quickly ruled out a real time strategy game. A turn-based design felt very natural on a phone or tablet, and the game evolved from there.

Q. Currently there are 3 chapters, any more coming out?

A. We do not have plans for additional chapters. We’ll be coming back to Highborn with a full blown sequel.

Q. Do the chapters need to be played in order?

A. Each chapter is designed to be independent so you can play them in any order. There are some story elements that carry through from each chapter but new players will not be lost if they jump into one of the later chapters.

Q. Is there a particular reason why each chapter is a separate game vs doing in-game updates?

A. Having each chapter separate was due to a technical limitation with Amazon’s app store not allowing for in-app purchases.

Q. Currently the only way to do multiplayer is via OpenFeint, any plans to modify or expand the multiplayer options?

A. We had originally launched with multiplayer via Facebook Connect but our players hated it. We switched over to OpenFeint because it offered both iOS and Android support, achievements, and has a very large player base. We do not have plans to change the multiplayer options but are discussing ideas for the sequel.

Q. The game is currently only available on Amazon, any plans to bring it to Google Market?

A. We do not have plans to bring Highborn to the Google Market. To be financially successful on the Google Market would require some core changes to the game that we felt would be best left for a full sequel.

Q. Where do you see the mobile game industry going in the next few years?

A. The mobile market is still growing both in terms of total number of users with smartphones and the capabilities of the devices. There are two major developments that I believe will happen in the mobile space within the next two years. The first is a shift in business models. Freemium apps are here to stay but the design changes necessitated by that business model have resulted in too many games with very similar game mechanics. I think this is going to change significantly in the near future as additional business models are developed that will open up more expansive game designs.

The second thing comes from the rapidly increasing power of mobile devices, specifically graphic capabilities. We’ve been playing around with an iPad 2 streaming a game screen to a TV via AppleTV, and it’s really cool. Mobile devices are upgraded way more frequently than consoles and I don’t think it will be too long before they become a primary gaming platform. Right now you can grab a smartphone, streaming device, and Bluetooth controller to recreate the console gaming experience.

Q. Do you think Android will ever overtake iOS?

A. In terms of total number of devices there are already more Android phones than iPhones. The problem with Android is almost all of the revenue is over on the iOS side and I don’t see that changing any time soon. In this case I think Android is too much of an open platform for it’s own good. Manufacturers and mobile service providers have too much ability to change hardware specifications or not deploy the latest OS updates which makes it extremely hard for developers to make sure our games run great on every device. We just have to pick the top selling devices at the time of a game’s release and hope we chose right. It’s a lot like the PC market was in the 90s with the device driver mess, before Microsoft cleaned it up by releasing DirectX and Windows 95. It remains to be seen whether or not Google will do something similar with Android.

Wow! I really appreciate the time today Rade. I can’t of anything else to ask. I hope my readers enjoyed this interview as much as I did. It is always nice to hear from developers. Can’t wait to see your new game later this year and the Highborn sequel!

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Developers

DigitalDust Team Interview

A while back, we did a post on Zeus, a new game for Android. After playing the game, we decide to reach out to the developer DigitalDust and learn more about them. Today we are speaking with Gergely Horvath.

Q. Can you tell us a little about yourself and your company?

A. My name is Gergely Horvath from DigitalDust Team. I am an informatics engineer from Hungary, and also – mainly – a 2d/3d graphics artist, my business partner, Zoli is also a 3D artist and drummer. Donát, the programmer guy for Android is also a informatics engineer.

We founded Digitaldust about 4 years ago, a team of talented graphic artists to create some great visualizations for films, commercials, games, and web stuff. You can check out our portfolio at www.digitaldust.hu.  We started to develelop games 2 years ago, first a try to Facebook, just to get the idea of the workflow, but after that we realized that mobile game developement is perfect for us both in graphic performance and worldwide popularity of smartphones.

Q. Why or how did you come up with the idea for Zeus?

A. Our first mobile game was Zeus, created initially for iOS, then Android, and we are currently programming it to WP7.  Since we are a graphics team, we had to cooperate with programmers. Actually the spark of the idea of Zeus came in a very funny situation. We were out with my business partner-colleague-friend one night and after having some party we tried to get some gyros at a place nearby. As we were waiting for the food, the rain started to fall like crazy and also a big storm approached with lightnings and stuff. We were afraid to run from
the restaurant to the other side of the street to a party place because we pictured god above us waiting for somebody to run across just to hit him with some lightning bolt! 🙂

Q. Have any more games coming down the road?

A. We are currently making updates for Zeus, but also created the graphic content for 2 more games. One has a beta version, available on the Android Market, called Guide the Sheep. It is a cute game, where the fearless shepherd dog has to guide the lost sheep home. Of course the user controls the dog, making the path for him by his hand and barking by tapping on the screen. Also another game is under development, which reaches towards children. We are in need of programmers, so anyone who has dreams in this area please contact us.

Q. What is the hardest thing for someone when developing a game for Android?

A.  There are many things that can make a developer’s life miserable on Android. Of course it is a very big community, and hundreds of millions of people can be reached by it, but since Android aimed to fill the hole also in cheaper segments you cannot really test your app to run perfectly on every device. Since the version of the OS doesn’t necessarily specify the hardware under it, you really cannot dodge the bad ratings or comments.

Also when somebody downloads your game and it force-closes or crashes, people tend to only curse about it in the comments and not send the crash reports which could really help a developer.  Another big problem is Android being a fully multitask OS. Of course it is good from another view, but since that you’ll only have maximum 16, maybe 32 MB for your app in the memory, which can really make development hard, especially if you’re aiming towards graphics-heavy stuff.

Q . Where do you think the Android market is going in the next year or two?

A. I think Google will fully integrate everything together, making the Android an OS which can control everything in your life. Also making the OS able to be installed on TVs or other electric stuff, so you’ll be able to communicate with them via your phone.

Q. What do you like to do on your free time?

A. We usually try to live the rockstar lifestyle. 🙂 Having parties, meeting girls, doing sports. I personally do Jiu-jitsu, and also teach it. My colleague does drumming, right now he is on the Canary Islands – Gran Canaria, where he is in a Beatles tribute band. Also he had a couple of bands in the past years, varying the music style from the goat-butchering metal to rock and funky-jazz 🙂  Donát, the programmer for Android is also a musician, playing bass in rock band. So we are trying to manage the balance of our chi to get the best out of the team. And it always needs some fun beside the hard work. 🙂

Thanks Gergely for your time. I really appreciate it. Look forward to seeing more games and apps from your guys.

Categories
Developers

Checking In With Noble Master Games

Today I have the privilege to speak with Christoph of Noble Masters Games.  I recently began playing their game Age of Conquest and really am enjoying it.  I have written a review of the game over at DroidGamers.com.  While I was working on the review I had some questions, so I reached out to Christoph. After those initial questions, I thought it would be neat to learn more about the developer and games, so he agreed to do some q&a with me.  I hope you find it enjoyable.

Also we at Droid Review Central are sponsoring an Age of Conquest tournament on April 30. You can find out more details at AgeofConquest.com   Overall if you enjoy turn based strategy games,  Age of Conquest  and their new game Tropical Stormfront should be on your list.

Q. Tell us how Age of Conquest got started?

A. I played a game called “Caesar” by Heiko Hartmann back in the days on my Atari computer. I really liked that game and thought it would be a lot of fun to create an ONLINE version out of it. That’s when I created “Aevum Obscurum” (old name) in about 2000. The game was then played via Java Applet.

Q. How can people play Age of Conquest? What platforms is it on?

A. The game is available for PC, Mac, Linux, Android and iOS. All the major stores Age of Conquest is available from are listed on the download page.

Q. In Android market, there are many copies of the game, are each one separate games or do  you need to purchase one and then add on the rest?

A. Each copy in the Android Market is standalone and contains one map. It started out with just one map because I wasn’t actually planning to release more than one version. I got some requests to add other maps, so I just put in additional apps. Back in the days, there was a file size limit for Android apps, so I couldn’t just pack it all into one file.

Q. What are the multiplayer options for Age of Conquest?

For multi player options (Android version), there is a separate app called Age of Conquest ONLINE.

A. The game is turn-based, so you each turn you enter your orders for the turn. All the players can enter their orders at the same time, so the advantage compared to for example Risk is, you don’t have to wait for the other players to finish their turns.

You can play in a more “real-time” fashion with 5 minutes turns. So each player is given a time limit of 5 minutes to enter their turn. Games are usually decided after 30 turns, so about 2.5h total. An other option is to set the turn time to one day, so you enter your orders once a day. Anytime during the day is fine. It’s a more relaxed way of playing as you can play whenever it fits into your schedule. Instead of just playing one game, you can choose to play several games.

Q. What is in the future of Age of Conquest? Anymore updates etc?

A. I am planning on a version for Android which contains all the maps. Also, I am currently thinking about creating a new version making the Age of Conquest even better. Still in planning. I generally take suggestions via the official game forums for everyone interested to bring forward ideas.

Q. I see you have a new game: Tropical Stormfront. Can  you tell us a little about it?

A. I tried to make an adaption of the “Classic Empire” game, an old turn-based strategy game by Walter Bright. I wasn’t actually sure if I should make it turn-based or real-time when I started implementing it, but then the real-time version turned out to be a lot fun in the end! Some elements have been borrowed from the real-time genre, i.e. games such as Command & Conquer, to give it the final touch.

Q. Any other future games coming down the road?

A. On the top of my list is the development of a medieval real-time strategy game, with Age of Empires II as the role model. I am also itching to do a railroad manager type game for quite some time.

Q. Finally, as a developer, where do you see mobile gaming, specifically Android going in the  near future?

A. There have been a lot of great games been added to Android within the past few months. I believe the future is looking bright, especially for all the players out there.

Thanks Christoph I appreciate the time and have really enjoyed your games and I am looking forward to your new creations, which hopefully we out soon!