InteractiviSteve's Log

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Wed, 25 Apr 2012 13:08:22 -0400

THE END

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 13:05:59 -0400

So the project is done. The proposal is handed in. Nothing much left to do except close-up shop here. So did I do what I set out to do? Kind of. Though Fives evolved and changed as we went along I think that I stayed true to my ultimate vision of making a game for football fans. A game that I would genuinely want to play. I think that’s always a good thing whether designing a game or writing a script - make sure you’d enjoy it because at least then one person will!

So what about me and games? Much of this blog’s early focus was on my relationship with video games and how that had changed as both they and I did. Before the start of this course I was at a point where I didn’t own a games console and only played games in a social setting. That hasn’t really changed. In terms of playing games on the console or PC/Mac there hasn’t been a moment where I’ve thought that there was something I absolutely had to seek out and play. Though I have to say I was very impressed with some of the free online games available (Go and play Mini Golf now!). I think I still prefer a good (e)book next to the virtual fire.

What did excite me was some of the other stuff we looked at. How companies like Distrify and Zappar are pushing technology forward and integrating it with our environment. This tech is mostly being used to sell stuff (Have to say that one of my favourite parts of Fives was coming up with a marketing strategy with this stuff in mind) but I think it’s clear that sooner or later it’s going to do much more than that and become part of our every day lives. Ultimately, anything that makes life more like Back to the Future Part 2 is OK in my book.

In conclusion, I had fun (With the exception of Pitch Day. That was dreadful. Seriously.) I can’t see this being a path I go down professionally (I’ve seen the Social Network. I know the temptation of Justin Timberlake) but I’m glad I’ve kind of touched base with where we’re at. I’m not sure how directly it’s going to influence my writing but with my desire to work in the mainstream of film and television it’d be nice if one day it did come up and I could vaguely know what I’m talking about.

Thank you for reading. I’ll still be tweeting away @steveolawrence and my main blog lives on here. I actually have less followers there than I do here so it’d be swell if you haven’t had enough of me and want to jump on over.

Thank you Mario! But our princess is in another castle!

The True Cost of Development

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 12:16:24 -0400

The True Cost of Development:

One thing we’ve barely even scratched the surface of in class is how much it would cost to develop a game/app/interactive book. The conclusion to this article seems to suggest that the cost for a decent app with a marketing budget would be… lots of Euros. I’m no good with exchange rates but I’m under the impression lots of Euros is approximately the same as lots of pounds.

I’m not going to break down Fives section by section but it’s certainly an ambitious project and would tend toward the more expensive side especially when the cost of launching the game in the already crowded football market is taken into account.

Because I’m seeking out a more casual game playing crowd it would live or die by the smoothness and simplicity of the experience out the blocks. The longer time in development would increase the costs but revenue is generated in the back end so the important thing with Fives would be getting people hooked and coming back. If the game isn’t good then this won’t happen.

Why Apple iOS and not Android is developer's favourite

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 10:25:16 -0400

Why Apple iOS and not Android is developer's favourite:

I haven’t had much room in my proposal to go into the reasons my App is for iPhone / iPad rather than Android. My primary reason is the tilt and touch screen technology that is standard with the Apple products is important to creating the instinctive gameplay I want from Fives.

This article (click the link!) goes into a whole lot more depth on why developers might choose iOS rather than Android.

I’m not going to pretend to understand the technical details but along with the fact visiting speakers have insisted on the need to choose one and the potential for audience and revenue seems to lie with Apple makes this kind of a no brainer even before I get into the gameplay mechanic of Fives.

We Are Premier League

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 06:33:00 -0400

I’ve been struggling with just how strong a connection I want to suggest with the Premier League. For my proposal I’ve toned this aspect down but I think in theory Fives could have a reasonably strong connection to the professional football pyramid. This isn’t included in the proposal but I think it’d be very cool that if you checked in using FourSquare at your team’s home ground (or even a rival’s away ground) you could then claim a stadium based on that place. I’m not exactly sure how that would be achieved in terms of the very simple visual style but I’m sure there’s a way!

The Finish Line In Sight

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 11:45:10 -0400

So only a couple more days before this blog is locked down. If I can calm my Avengers excitement down enough I’m planning on doing a recap / retrospective kind of thing before Thursday. Although with the Interactive module having such a focus on looking forward I feel maybe I shouldn’t be looking back. Does that make sense? My mind is kind of fried as I put the finishing touches to my Project Proposal. Everything I wanted to say on pitch day (even typing that sent a shiver down my spine) but didn’t have time.

At the moment I probably have too much stuff. Just need to figure out exactly what is necessary to communicate the essence of the project (After pitch day (there it goes again) I’ve really tried to focus on the gameplay and mechanic of the thing) and what maybe isn’t so important. Maybe I can lump some of the other stuff on here? I’ll see what I can come up with.

Onward!

Researching demographics has become surprisingly interesting.

Fri, 20 Apr 2012 06:51:39 -0400

Researching demographics has become surprisingly interesting.

Reuters: Demographics, local tastes fuel Arab Video Game Industry

Fri, 20 Apr 2012 06:49:35 -0400

Reuters: Demographics, local tastes fuel Arab Video Game Industry:

Fascinating article on the growing Arab Video Game Industry. EA Sports release the first Arabic version of the Fifa franchise this year.

Fan made video based on Fifa advertisements. This is the kind of...

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 10:39:50 -0400

Fan made video based on Fifa advertisements. This is the kind of humour I want my marketing campaign to have.

List of Console Football Games

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 07:59:31 -0400

List of Console Football Games:

Good old Wikipedia. Analysing the football game market… There have been lots of football games!

The Growing Size of the App Market

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 09:21:12 -0400

The Growing Size of the App Market:

There’s money in Apps but also a hell of a lot of competition (500,000 in the App Store alone). Check the link.

What makes an App popular?

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 09:06:03 -0400

What makes an App popular? :

Working on the ‘why’ aspect of my project. This link has some interesting ideas on why an App goes global with reference to Angry Birds.

Well underway with the write-up now. Here’s an example of...

Fri, 13 Apr 2012 07:32:59 -0400

Well underway with the write-up now. Here’s an example of some (basic) graphics.

The Project: Decision Time

Tue, 10 Apr 2012 06:56:59 -0400

So going back to the pitch I was left with a decision. I could stick with the format of the Facebook game and completely overhaul the game mechanic or move to a different format (thereby losing the chance to go after the neglected male market of Facebook gamers) and keep the game mechanic intact.

What I decided was that it was more important to keep the spirit of the game intact. The whole Anti-Fifa ethos of a football game that’s about the joy of playing with your mates rather than the glitz and glamour of the premier league. I think if I stayed with Facebook and tried to make it a turn based game I could conceive of a project that’s Anti-Fifa but only so much in that it wouldn’t be a football game at all. Sports games are about immediacy (if you look back to my History of Gaming that’s something I respond to) and this is something I can’t lose.

So what is Fives now? Inspired by the sophistication of some of the live multiplayer games available for the I-Pad and I-Phone I’m going to go down the route of the App. It’s still a five-a-side game with a focus on the fun and instinctual but now its touch screen.

I’ve referenced Nintendo World Cup Soccer before. That game was based on the use of the direction pad and two buttons. With Fives you control your one character’s movement via the tilt of your device. You control their actions by virtue of a single (pass) or double (shot) tap. These controls change based on if you’re in defence or attack and if your player has the ball or not.

The problems picked up on in my pitch resulted from overreaching and overestimating the technology currently available. As we get to these final stages I want to keep my focus on something that is do-able (especially in terms of live multiplayer!) but also fun and customisable. Building a community is such an important step and I’m fully committed to creating a project that can truly be controlled by the fans.

This blog has proved an invaluable tool as a kind of rough notepad but now I need to separate and define each stage.

"There are those who say maybe I should forget about football. Maybe I should forget about breathing."

Tue, 10 Apr 2012 06:31:48 -0400

“There are those who say maybe I should forget about football. Maybe I should forget about breathing.”

- Gerard Houllier

10 Best Live Multiplayer Games for iPhone

Mon, 09 Apr 2012 08:37:07 -0400

10 Best Live Multiplayer Games for iPhone:

This is what I’m talking about! Live Multiplayer action! If it’s possible to support fighting games, physics games and even simple MMORPGs I’m thinking it must be possible to support a simple football game.

Now we’re getting somewhere.

Competition: Soccer Games For The iPad

Mon, 09 Apr 2012 08:30:57 -0400

Competition: Soccer Games For The iPad:

If I decide to go down the stand alone app/game route this is what’s in store. I’m heartened by the fact that most games seem to go either the polished FIFA/PES route or to the other end of the spectrum to the completely simple but not quite football.

Pro Zombie Soccer Apocalypse looks really fun!

GAME ON: Top 5 Social Networks for Gamers

Mon, 09 Apr 2012 08:21:03 -0400

GAME ON: Top 5 Social Networks for Gamers:

Interesting article on Game based social networks. They’re largely based on statistic sharing and match organisation. Though I was especially impressed with Rupture and its way of generating new ways to play old games with the user generated achievement set-up.

After The Pitch: Crossroads

Fri, 06 Apr 2012 11:42:32 -0400

So the horror of pitch day is over. I won’t go into the specifics of what went on. I’ll just say I have a new found respect for the type of person willing to go on shows like the X-Factor. Brutal.

I actually think I got off lightly. After a few pre-pitch jitters and one sound issue that kind of threw me the actual presentation went down well. There were laughs in the right places and I hit most of my points inside the five minutes. The feedback of the judges was very positive toward the Anti-Fifa ethos, visual approach and thought behind the marketing. There was just one major problem… GAMEPLAY.

It’s just not going to work. Connecting large numbers of people over Facebook in real time is not possible. That’s not to say it won’t be possible one day but right now - not a chance.

So I need a new approach.

- Option 1: Stay with the Facebook game. Change what the game actually is. Make it turn based (eg - Farmville).

ADVANTAGES

Keeps USP of a Facebook game targeted toward the neglected 18-34 male section of the social media game market.
Easier to implement social aspect of the game.
Turn based games have already proved immensely popular.

DISADVANTAGES

It’s not the type of game I set out to make. How would a turn based 5 a side game even work.
Why wouldn’t they just play a management sim?
Turn based games have proved popular with female market. No reason just including football would make them popular with men.

Option 2 - Change the game platform. Make Fives a separate entity linked into social networks. Reduce number of players.

ADVANTAGES

Can keep game appearance and mechanics I envisioned. Including Anti-Fifa ethos.
Play on multiple platforms (Phone, I-Pad, Laptop). Access to a different market.
Immediacy of gaming experience.

DISADVANTAGES

Loses the link to Facebook. The USP and ease of incorporating social aspect.
Moves into a more crowded and competitive market.
Harder to make work.

It’s basically a case of deciding what’s more important to the project I want to make. I’m leaning toward Option 2 but I need to do more research before deciding.

Guess I’ve got work to do.

Paul Rudd Pitches Harvey Weinstein from Paul Rudd I’m...

Wed, 04 Apr 2012 11:01:54 -0400

Paul Rudd Pitches Harvey Weinstein from Paul Rudd

I’m hiring Paul Rudd to work as my Marketing guy. He thinks outside the box.