Kenny's Apps is a Year Old

July 24th marks the end of Kenny's Apps first year as a business!



How much money did I make?
$2,950.42

That's way more than I made my first year at Agora Studios!
(I worked on Plan of Attack all year for free)

...and it's almost as much as my first Christmas bonus at 1st Playable!
(My first year I was Lead Designer of Freddi Fish ABC's for Nintendo DS)

Let's take a look at that revenue.
How does it break down for each app?

Frustrating Tic Tac Toe (iPhone): $1930.96
Zombie Puncher: $732.31
Frustrating Tic Tac Toe (iPad): $195.28
Number Guesser Deluxe: $41.64
Frustrating Air Hockey: $34.27
DOTNUKE: $15.96

As you can see, I make all my money from Frustrating Tic Tac Toe!

Let's take a look at revenue over time:

A year ago, I didn't even have any apps out!
Frustrating Tic Tac Toe launched at the end of August. You can then see how revenue exploded around Christmas, and any time I released a new app.

New apps appear in the New Release Queue, which (with no marketing budget) is my best way to reach new players, and refer them to my suite of older apps!

...but what's with the drop at the end?
July isn't over, so that last month is still adding up dollars for me as we speak.

That said, my revenue HAS dropped in the last month! It's because I haven't releasing anything new! Since March, I've released a few updates that have helped maintain revenue. For example, Frustrating Tic Tac Toe got iPad support (it's now a Universal Application that runs on both iPhone and iPad).

But what about this last month, not maintaining, no new updates?
THAT's because I'm working on something new :D

How many downloads did I get total?
303,587

How does this break down per app?

Frustrating Tic Tac Toe: 166,354
Zombie Puncher: 116,185
Number Guesser Deluxe: 9,277
Frustrating Air Hockey: 8,434
DOTNUKE: 3,337

It's interesting to me that my downloads numbers are still as low as they are. 166,354 isn't bad, and I've made a good amount from Frustrating Tic Tac Toe alone, but imagine how many people are unaware that this app exists? Or how many people have yet to discover Zombie Puncher?

I look forward to seeing how my download and revenue numbers climb, now that I have a larger combined app suite, and can refer players to all of those apps.

Also, it will be very interesting to see Year 2:

• iAd in my apps?
• Apple's Game Center / Leaderboards
• Justin Bieber (is he still popular?)

Thanks everyone for the support this year!
Next year: the MOON!

LIMBO

This indie game just launched today, it's amazing ($15 download on Xbox 360)



The game's controls are really simple:

• Control Stick: Move
• A: Jump
• B: Action

From the trailer, it looked to me like a dark Little Big Planet: physics based platformer with puzzles. But because of the atmosphere and pacing, it feels a lot more like Ico.

Go get it! It's fun!

Writing Game Dialogue

Sometimes, game dialogue just doesn't fit.

In Borderlands, the Soldier might say after opening a gun chest:
"Never too much loot!"

But he has said this when my inventory was full.
I couldn't pick up a single thing out of the gun chest. I had "too much loot".

This isn't game breaking, but it's interesting to me how a single line of dialogue can make or break immersion for the player.

An example of dialogue done well:

In Grand Theft Auto 4, I had taken a girl out bowling, but first had to buy new clothes. I had aviator's on that looked ridiculous. The next time I took the girl out, I ditched the glasses. She says: "I miss you in those glasses!"

Some programmer must have taken the time to check what I was wearing (or at least whether I had glasses on) the last time I saw this NPC! That's great attention to detail!

I wrote a lot of the dialogue quips for Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam, and also for Freddi Fish: ABC's Under the Sea. So dialogue quips are something I specifically look for, and enjoy when I play games.

Perhaps the most common snag if you're writing dialogue is: gender references. Assumptions about the player or about NPC's. For example, you shouldn't say: "Watch it, man!" when bumping into another skater. What if the skater is female?

Another gender example that gets on my nerves:
Rock Band has songs written and recorded by (and for) male or female vocalists. I realize, if I was playing with friends, the vocalist could be either gender. If I hear my friend singing in the room and see his character model in the game, that's fine. But when I'm playing without a vocalist, and listening to the original recording by the original vocalist - couldn't the singer's character model be the appropriate gender? It always kills the mood for me when I hear Trent Reznor's voice coming from a female character model, let alone a male character singing Alanis Morissette (or Coheed and Cambria lol).

Additional ways to add immersion:
Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam included "location" quips. Each character had a "home turf" and would shout phrases when skating there. For example: "I own these hills" could be heard by a specific character in the San Fran level. Or Tony Hawk's rival, Antonio Segul, would say: "This is where the flock learned to fly" only on Hoover Dam, where we decided he hung out.

Freddi Fish would also include some immersive quips, like: wishing the player a "Happy Birthday" on their birthday. Or when choosing an activity, you would hear a greeting based on how well or how often you played the activity, for example: "You're really good at this one!"

A little attention to detail can go a long way when writing game dialogue!

Tony Hawk from the Vault

Remember Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam Community Theater?
My friend Perry now makes iPhone Apps at Venan Entertainment. But back in the day, we ran the Tony Hawk Nintendo DS online communities together!

One of our popular events: the kids would rewrite dialogue for a game cutscene, and Perry and I would record ourselves as the voice actors.



I was digging through some old files and stumbled on this recording (the audio track) for a theater episode we never released! Enjoy!

Organize Kenny's Apps

You have the whole suite, right?
And a page dedicated to my apps?

Well take it easy, you don't have to be so dedicated anymore! With the 4.0 software update, iPhone and iPod Touch users can organize apps into folders:

• Touch and hold an app until they all start jiggling
• Drag an app onto another app
• BOOM! You have a folder!
• Think of a cool name for your folder
• Drag more apps to the folder
• Your apps are now organized!

This is a neat feature, thanks Apple!

I have a folder for "Perry's Apps" (which are awesome), and another folder for "Crap Games". I always wondered where I could put both 'The Moron Test' and 'Columns Deluxe'... there's a folder for that!

Game Development Roles

When I was a kid, I knew I wanted to make video games.
But where would I fit in best? Which role was right for me?

Core Disciplines
There are a lot of game development roles. Here are the main ones:

• Design
  You're in charge of making the game fun. You write, communicate, and coordinate well. You might write character dialog, design features, levels, challenges, or encounters. You probably have some background in art and / or programming, which allows you to coordinate with your team.
  
  
• Art
  You make the game's beautiful artwork. A designer makes a level and places objects in it; you make the level and objects look amazing.
  
  
• Programming
  You make the game work. Remember the designer's level and objects? You write code that makes it all come to life on your desired hardware within memory constraints. You might also write tools that simplify content creation for a designer.

Specializations
Larger studios might break down core roles into specialized ones:

• Level Designer
• Animator
• Tools Programmer

...of course this is a very small sampling. There are 2D and 3D artists, effects artists, AI or UI programmers, scripters (designers who do light programming), and many more specialized roles.

Additional Roles
Some other common roles in game development studios:

• Production
  You manage the whole team, keep the game on schedule, within scope and budget. You manage communication and deliverables with publishers and stakeholders (IP owners for example). You ensure that the core development team can focus on making a fun game.
  
  
• Human Resources
  You take care of the office, hiring / recruiting, remember birthdays - just like HR outside of the gaming industry!
  
  
• Quality Assurance (QA)
  Sometimes outsourced, sometimes on-site. It's a thankless job, but you make sure the game works, and write up helpful bug reports with steps to reproduce when the game doesn't work!

Publisher Roles

• Publishing
  You ultimately decide what kinds of game projects you want on store shelves (from a business standpoint), and you fund those projects. For example: the kids like Call of Duty and they like adventure games so... developers are then paid to make this game, with some creative freedom.
  
  
• Marketing
  You focus test and figure out how to present a brand and attract buyers.

Outsourced Roles

• Music
  Sound sometimes falls under the design role, and music is often licensed or outsourced. This is not always the case, of course a dedicated sound person could add a lot to a project! The reality though is that a sound guy (or gal) is not usually needed full time, during the entire development of a project the way designers, programmers, or artists are.
  
  
• Localization
  Translation of a game into other languages is a task only needed near the end of a project.
  
  
• Voice Acting
  Voice actors are often professionals hired and recorded off-site. Did you know that the same guy who voiced Marcus Fenix in Gears of War also voiced Bender from Futurama?

Unusual Roles

• Concept Artist
  Game artists often create concept art, but it's rare to be hired solely to create concept art.
  
  
• Story Writer
  Designers (with the help of the rest of the team) often write game stories and dialogue, but this is not their only role. You might also have to work in a 3D modeling program to place objects in a level, for example. It's unusual to be a dedicated writer on a game project.
  
  
• Music Composer
  Above, I mentioned that music is often outsourced. It's rare to see a dedicated musician on the team, carefully integrating music into an entire game experience (cool as that would be).
  
  
• Think Tank
  Finally, it's unusual to be paid to come up with wonderful ideas. It's more valuable to be able to present ideas well in a document. At the end of the day, I would argue that a 'skill set' trumps an idea any day, in terms of your ability to succeed in the gaming industry!

I'm sure that I've left out a lot of roles, especially the specialized roles.
(I also neglected to mention Presidents and CEO's, since I think their role is fluid and based on the individual's personality.) But if you're looking to get into game development, I hope this overview will give you an idea of where you might fit in!

Secrets, Intel, and Game Pacing

I'm too poor to buy new games for my new Xbox. So I've been playing:

• Bioshock
• Gears of War 2
• Fallout 3

All of these games have something in common:
They are all shooters with secrets and / or intel!

• Bioshock: Audio Logs
• Gears of War 2: Intel / Cog Tags
• Fallout 3: Audio Logs / Notes / Intel

What's the point of secrets and intel?

• Add replay value (finding things hidden in levels)
• Can add story / context
• Help justify a $60 price tag

Unfortunately, secrets can also RUIN game pacing!
Here are some scenarios where intel ruined Gears 2 for me:

• You're inside a giant worm creature. Dom says, "Run, Marcus!" The room is filling with blood, you're going to drown in it. (Wow that is badass by the way.) Oh but... another path back there... might be intel... DROWN!
  
  
• Same giant worm - you use your sweet chainsaw gun to cut open some giant nasty organ filled with poison gas. (Bad-ass!) You climb inside it. Dom says, "Run, Marcus!" Hang on, I gotta check all these side paths ::cough:: just in case there's ::cough cough:: DEAD!
  
  
• Same giant worm. A giant boulder from Indiana Jones is barreling toward you for whatever reason. (Badass?) Dom says, "Run, Marcus!" Run, run, run - wait, was that intel? SLAM!

Note that, in none of these specific cases did I actually find secrets or intel...
The level designer probably thought ahead: don't put cog tags in a room filling with blood, or a poison gas room, and of course not the Indiana Jones segment. That would ruin the game's pacing! And yet, I DID find cog tags inside the giant worm. As a player, why wouldn't I scour the whole level, just in case?

Desired game pacing should influence what kind of intel is placed where.
Good examples:

Resistance: Fall of Man
Hard game, progression is slow. You're often in dark corners looking for health. While you're there you find intel! The intel gives tips on how to beat upcoming enemies: what weapons to use, where the weak points are. Helpful!

Fallout 3
Very mission / story driven. You gather information to determine your path and solve problems. Audio logs are well acted, and add to the game's atmosphere, but you must pause the game (look at your Pip-Boy) to listen to them. This helps you pay attention to the information given!

Bioshock
Rich atmosphere, mostly fun / mindless game. Cool magic powers include: ice, fire, lightning. Audio logs are fun and interesting to listen to while you play, without really paying attention. You might perk up for a four digit door code, but worst case you can 'hack' most any door lock combination.

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
Lush environments, puzzles. Occasionally you find treasures! You pick them up. They look cool! If you find enough, you unlock stuff and get Trophy points. On your second play through, you can check which levels you're missing secrets from.

So what are the trends in our games that presented secrets / intel well?

Hiding Places
If you're already exploring dark corners and taking your time, well hidden secrets are fun. It's fun on a second play through to find the ones you missed, especially if you know roughly which level to look in!

My only qualm with Bioshock was that, missing two audio logs at the end of the game, I had no idea where to look. Google told me... but I would have enjoyed looking if I had some direction.

Non-Collectable Intel
Some games (like Gears 2) place intel in obvious places, on the main game path, by design, so as not to ruin game pacing. Resident Evil does this better. Want to add some optional story context? Place objects you're not meant to pick up and collect: computers, notes on a desk. Players who care will notice them. Otherwise you send perfectionist players hunting every corner of the map for collectibles on their first play through, regardless of how cleverly not-hidden you tried to place the intel.

Secrets vs Intel
Gears of War originally just had cog tags (secrets). You pick them up. They're hidden. I loved that! Gears 2 added intel (pausing the game, giving you rambling story details) probably as a nod to Resistance, which used intel well. But Resistance is a slower paced game, and the intel gave useful tips and strategies. Gears is a franchise built on disconnected (really fun) action sequences. Why slow that down by making me read stuff?

Or if you must add reading in an action game, how about some brevity? Say your point in few words, or just show me the secrets in a shiny model viewer like Uncharted!

Pausing Play
Not all intel has to pause game play. In an action game, I don't think I should ever have to pause to read or listen to anything. I can't imagine the pause would add enough to compensate for slowing the game's pacing.

But if it's important that I listen? By all means, pause my game like Fallout does! If it's not important, you can do what Bioshock does: let me hit things with a wrench and eat out of trash cans while half listening. You can actually pick up a lot just from the tones of the voices: crazy doctor, distressed woman. Half listening gave me a sense of who was living in the underwater city of Rapture with me.

Overall
There are a lot of different ways to present secrets and intel.
Think about game pacing before slapping them in your game!

I do have one specific question:
In a serious action game (like Gears of War 2), do you think secrets (cog tags with no intel) should be placed ONLY for a second play through? The intention being to add replay value without ruining pacing on the first play through?

As is, do you find yourself enjoying games like Gears of War more on the second play through, when you already have the intel / are not looking for it anymore?

Xbox Slim

I just bought one:

My old Xbox was eating discs, super loud, the hard drive was full, and it had red-ringed once! I figured it was time to replace it.

Here's what I like about it:

• Touch sensitive eject button
• Nice chime when the disc drive opens / closes
• Disc tray seems to be sturdier

What seems dumb:

• Kinect lol
• There IS a brick (power supply), it just weighs less
• Comes with composite cables (RYW)

Cables: I realize some people use HDMI, some use component (RGB) cables. But it's a little weird buying a new console, and connecting it to the nice component cables that came with my old Xbox...

Overall I like it, it's helping me to play games I own rather than burn all my money on Steam's Summer Sale haha