Three young strangers were sat at my Android tablets at the Norwich Gaming Festival, playing my game, venturing through the dungeon, cheering each other on, in a fabulous cooperative experience that I had been working 8 months to get this far. Behind us, a crowd of eager onlookers wanting their turn. To the side, people signing up to my email list to be kept informed. From being alone and isolated in my endeavours, I was finally connecting with a positive public who liked what I was doing and wanted it finished so they could play it. The satisfaction and motivation was worth all the time and effort, but it nearly didn't happen!
It was a last minute decision as I only heard about it the week before from my sister, who encouraged me to show my work-in-progress game. I was somewhat hesitant because the game is not complete, but I gave it a go. The first experience was frustration and disappointment as the local Wifi system wasn't able to support my multiplayer cooperative game. As people passed by, curious of the poster and screenshots, I had to move them on. "Sorry, I 'm having technical issues. Come back later," I said, as I looked distraught at the Unity code, wondering if there was anything I could do. I could have abandoned the venture there, but I decided even solo feedback would be beneficial. In the end I just showed the solo player experience, but response was still positive and I collected a number of emails of interested parties. That evening I bought one of these mini routers which provided me with my own little network, and the following two days showed the game as the cooperative game intended.
This experience validated pretty much everything I had worked through. The coop worked, and it provided a sociable gaming experience that is so hard to come by. The interface largely worked, played by a four year old and seventy-four year old who'd only just bought a tablet. The design worked, with people complimenting the characters. People completed the demo and then came back to play again!
The last day was this time last week, and I'm still fired with enthusiasm! I've a long list of improvements to make and actions to undertake as I look to secure funding from somewhere. I just need to finish the current near-complete title, Footy, before moving on projects. But it's amazing how long "just a few more days now" can last in the world of software development, as there's so many things to do!
It was a last minute decision as I only heard about it the week before from my sister, who encouraged me to show my work-in-progress game. I was somewhat hesitant because the game is not complete, but I gave it a go. The first experience was frustration and disappointment as the local Wifi system wasn't able to support my multiplayer cooperative game. As people passed by, curious of the poster and screenshots, I had to move them on. "Sorry, I 'm having technical issues. Come back later," I said, as I looked distraught at the Unity code, wondering if there was anything I could do. I could have abandoned the venture there, but I decided even solo feedback would be beneficial. In the end I just showed the solo player experience, but response was still positive and I collected a number of emails of interested parties. That evening I bought one of these mini routers which provided me with my own little network, and the following two days showed the game as the cooperative game intended.
This experience validated pretty much everything I had worked through. The coop worked, and it provided a sociable gaming experience that is so hard to come by. The interface largely worked, played by a four year old and seventy-four year old who'd only just bought a tablet. The design worked, with people complimenting the characters. People completed the demo and then came back to play again!
The last day was this time last week, and I'm still fired with enthusiasm! I've a long list of improvements to make and actions to undertake as I look to secure funding from somewhere. I just need to finish the current near-complete title, Footy, before moving on projects. But it's amazing how long "just a few more days now" can last in the world of software development, as there's so many things to do!