iDevGames

So after sketching out the general features, statistics, skills, creatures, and background story of the game, I put all those numbers together in a spreadsheet page. Then I had to solve a big problem—how to make the graphics of such a game? The solution was Poser, a great 3D character modeler and animator. I purchased several ready-made 3D models, and after several weeks spent on various renderings, I had the basic 48 avatars ready (20 avatars for the 4 elements plus many neutral/evil ones).

I added a role-playing element to the game, so that in addition to your “deck of cards” you also had an in-game alter ego, with an inventory of items that could affect your power and a set of basic skills that would influence the game in general.

Tools Used

I used Xcode and a very simple but powerful 2D programming API called PTK, marketed by Phelios. I had previously licensed this SDK for my earlier games with great success. PTK is a multi-platform 2D game engine with 3D capabilities built around OpenGL, that just requires a very basic knowledge of C++.

As previously mentioned, the graphics were mostly created with the help of Poser 5, for example the monsters and characters, and Photoshop was utilized for designing the user interface of the game. Music was acquired through the purchase of a royalty-free online source.

What Went Right

Since its launch the game had a good group of loyal followers. This may be partly because I decided, shortly after releasing version 1.0, to add “bonus packs” or “expansion packs” with new game features and new avatars/quests, completely free for registered users. This was both a hard move (once I had announced it, I couldn’t change my mind) but also a winning one because it greatly helped to improve customers’ loyalty and is keeping my game always “on the news” thanks to those frequent updates—usually about every 2-3 months.

What Went Wrong

As always happens in this sort of game, despite having planned everything you’ll need to perform some serious testing. When you make a simple match3 game, it is hard to have bugs after hours of playing (because game mechanic is always the same). With this kind of game, though, I had many bugs in the initial version because I didn’t take the time to test it properly, since I was too eager to release it (a mistake I will never repeat in any future games!).

Conclusion

I can say that this was both a very rewarding experience (I got so many enthusiastic email responses!) but also very stressful. The day after release I was working 10 hours a day to fix all the bugs and I also had a tight deadline to deliver the first expansion “The Bone Lord” in time for Christmas 2005. Also, keeping the game updated is not so simple, since I need to add more content like new art/sounds, and new gameplay elements. But overall I like this kind of game, so in this case the passion plays an important role.

* Genre: Fantasy / RPG
* Developer: Winter Wolves
* Url: http://www.winterwolves.com
* Team size: 1
* Released date: October 8, 2005
* Project length: 8 months for initial release, then an update about every 2-3 months
* Development hardware: PowerMac G4 1.2 GHz
* Critical applications: Xcode, Poser 5, Photoshop