by Annie | Dec 22, 2011 | Game Design
That’s right, you can now launch your own dodgeballs. The latest version of Pop & Dodge is now out, just in time for plenty of heated family dodgeball matches over the holidays. The latest version includes the brand new Versus Mode, in which you can challenge your friends to head-to-head matches of penguin dodgeball. Tap to throw balls at your opponent, jump to dodge their balls. The player with the most hits at the end of 90 seconds wins. Good...
by Annie | Nov 23, 2011 | Game Design, Psychology of Games
A new version of Pop & Dodge is now available on the App Store. This version includes new powerups, new achievements, and a new tap mode. …wait a second. Tap mode? Aren’t our games supposed to be about physical activity? Exactly. In fact, that’s precisely why we put in Rookie Mode, where you can play the same game by tapping instead of jumping. The hook? The Advanced Mode (jump to play) offers more powerups, more points, and more achievements. Rookie Mode allows you to play Pop & Dodge when you’re on the bus, in the car, or anywhere else where you just can’t jump. Through tapping, you familiarize yourself with the mechanics of the game by using more standard iPhone inputs (i.e., tapping instead of jumping). We know this could be a risky move. Sure, there might be people who only play Rookie Mode and never convert to jumping. But that’s okay. We can’t force people to jump; we can only encourage them to do so through solid game mechanics and motivating rewards. Offering a tap mode allows us to reach players within their comfort zone and gently push them to change their habits, instead of starting out with something completely foreign. So now you’ve got no excuse. Whether you’re sitting, standing, or lying down, you can play Pop & Dodge anywhere, anytime. So grab the latest update...
by Annie | Nov 16, 2011 | Game Design
The new Pop & Dodge trailer is out! Check it...
by Annie | Oct 27, 2011 | Game Design
We released Pop & Dodge on the App Store about a week ago. No marketing, no launch parties, just put it out there. The result? Pretty much as expected, Pop & Dodge is nowhere to be found on any featured or top 25 lists. In the wake of the release, we’ve been doing a lot of marketing catch up work, submitting the game to different blogs and review sites. A few, including Tech Vibes, have agreed to post reviews. But how much will that help in getting our game out there? According to the lessons learned from other indie app developers, likely not much. It takes high production values, lots of content, and a wickedly good game to sustain the buzz it takes to keep people coming back to your game. And with our 3-week production cycle, we just didn’t quite make it there. However, this is just the beginning. We’ve learned a lot from MotionMaze and Pop & Dodge, about gameplay, tech requirements, and our market. We have a firmer grasp on our goals and limitations and take our lessons with us into our next...