You may have guessed who Kenny is, but who's the other default survivor?
...if that's not brotherly dedication, I don't know what is!
September 28, 2010
My Brother Punches Zombies
Over the past year, I've been introducing survivors from Zombie Puncher...
You may have guessed who Kenny is, but who's the other default survivor?
Anton is actually my brother! He recently got married, hence the pro picture of your two default survivors, looking sharp. You can unlock Anton by... oh right he's available to punch zombies right away!
...if that's not brotherly dedication, I don't know what is!
You may have guessed who Kenny is, but who's the other default survivor?
...if that's not brotherly dedication, I don't know what is!
September 26, 2010
Power Timer iPhone
App number seven is now available (for free) on the App Store!
(And it's my first app that supports Apple iAd)
Download the Power Timer
Power Timer works with the iPod App to skip songs on a timer (0:30 to 2:00)
...and I swear this utility is for exercising, and not at all for doing Power Hours where you take a shot (or half-shot) of beer every minute (or 1:05) for an hour. That would be downright irresponsible of me to make an app like that.
A little while ago I ran a contest, a call for fake album artwork. The winners can see their art in screenshots for this app on iTunes and in the App Store!
Congratulations to Sapiens Recall (James Wiersum on guitar) and also Jesse Shotland (Enigmus)! You're famous!
Enjoy the app and drink responsibly!
(And it's my first app that supports Apple iAd)
Download the Power Timer
Power Timer works with the iPod App to skip songs on a timer (0:30 to 2:00)
- Start playing music in the iPod App
- Choose a cool playlist
- Start up the Power Timer App!
...and I swear this utility is for exercising, and not at all for doing Power Hours where you take a shot (or half-shot) of beer every minute (or 1:05) for an hour. That would be downright irresponsible of me to make an app like that.
A little while ago I ran a contest, a call for fake album artwork. The winners can see their art in screenshots for this app on iTunes and in the App Store!
Congratulations to Sapiens Recall (James Wiersum on guitar) and also Jesse Shotland (Enigmus)! You're famous!
Enjoy the app and drink responsibly!
September 23, 2010
Why You Gotta Be A Vampire 1.1 Update
As promised, Why You Gotta Be A Vampire got an update!
Perfects are now unlocked a lot earlier, and the surprise: Retina support!
If you have an iPhone 4 or one of the new iPods, the graphics look really crispy now. Check it out!
Perfects are now unlocked a lot earlier, and the surprise: Retina support!
If you have an iPhone 4 or one of the new iPods, the graphics look really crispy now. Check it out!
Perfects!
Why You Gotta Be A Vampire has an interesting feature, and I'm real proud of myself for thinking of it! The feature is called: "Perfects"
Clearing a round "perfectly" means:
1) No vampire was able to lower your patience
2) No wasted taps (every tap KO’d a vampire)
So basically you have to react quickly but also deliberately.
And no tapping like a lunatic!
Clearing a round perfectly gives you a chance to regain patience or even skip days! This design I think is neat because it balances with what would otherwise seem like a brutally difficult game.
You WILL occasionally miss vampires, and I gave you a low patience (health) bar. But with "perfects" the game feels fair, you can play well and make up for any misses. The difficulty even ramps up more quickly for pro players, because if you have full health, you'll get to skip a day / round.
Cool! Why the blog post?
To be honest, I'm not sure that people are figuring out this feature. You have to survive to Round 20 (currently) in order to unlock the feature. I thought I would give players enough time to just get used to tapping vampires, before introducing anything complicated. Ramp up the learning curve so to speak.
...but releasing an app for free, if a player gets bored in the first five minutes (possibly before Round 20), they won't ever discover this feature and they might assume: it's just whack-a-mole OR it's way too hard.
Not to mention, if you miss the tutorial prompt, never read the App Store description, and you tap like a lunatic, you will never earn a Perfect rating / never discover the feature by accident!
This whole dilemma is interesting to me:
Learning curve versus perceived depth / difficulty / game quality
My quick solution:
An update that will unlock Perfects a lot sooner (Round 5). This should appear on the App Store soon (hopefully) along with a COOL surprise feature. Stay tuned!
Clearing a round "perfectly" means:
1) No vampire was able to lower your patience
2) No wasted taps (every tap KO’d a vampire)
So basically you have to react quickly but also deliberately.
And no tapping like a lunatic!
Clearing a round perfectly gives you a chance to regain patience or even skip days! This design I think is neat because it balances with what would otherwise seem like a brutally difficult game.
You WILL occasionally miss vampires, and I gave you a low patience (health) bar. But with "perfects" the game feels fair, you can play well and make up for any misses. The difficulty even ramps up more quickly for pro players, because if you have full health, you'll get to skip a day / round.
Cool! Why the blog post?
To be honest, I'm not sure that people are figuring out this feature. You have to survive to Round 20 (currently) in order to unlock the feature. I thought I would give players enough time to just get used to tapping vampires, before introducing anything complicated. Ramp up the learning curve so to speak.
...but releasing an app for free, if a player gets bored in the first five minutes (possibly before Round 20), they won't ever discover this feature and they might assume: it's just whack-a-mole OR it's way too hard.
Not to mention, if you miss the tutorial prompt, never read the App Store description, and you tap like a lunatic, you will never earn a Perfect rating / never discover the feature by accident!
This whole dilemma is interesting to me:
Learning curve versus perceived depth / difficulty / game quality
My quick solution:
An update that will unlock Perfects a lot sooner (Round 5). This should appear on the App Store soon (hopefully) along with a COOL surprise feature. Stay tuned!
September 22, 2010
Why You Gotta Be Like That?
Why You Gotta Be A Vampire was originally like whack-a-mole, but not with vampires - the game had sassy high school kids!
It was called Why You Gotta Be Like That? Apple rejected it!
This is the first time I've ever had an issue with Apple's review process. And in retrospect, I don't have a problem with their decision (despite the hassle to scribble vampire teeth on all the kids). I think things worked out for the best. Halloween's coming up, Twilight (and Vampires Suck) are in today's pop culture... who wouldn't want to smack a vampire?
But at the time, I thought it was interesting / revealing that - not even Apple so much as in America in general, it seems that certain things are censored or taboo, while other complete insanity is fair game. In this case it's not violence that's the issue so much as "kids". Having kids as targets in a game is irresponsible. But you know what's OK? Setting a car bomb on a Mafia boss or blowing a zombie into a million bloody gibs. That's fantasy.
It's interesting to me that Apple's rating system includes a category for prolonged / sadistic violence, but does not account for: the inclusion of kids in your game. My game had no blood, no dismemberment, no weapons, you can't even tap the kids until they provoke you / give you sass. The game is full of bright colors and confetti particles including hearts, clovers, and stars (seriously)...
I don't want to lead the discussion too much, but what do you think?
Of course Apple has its own service (the App Store), and they are absolutely free to moderate that content, making rules that promote a fun and safe gaming environment for the kids.
That said...
Do you think in my case, light comic mischief is being confused with school shootings? Does it make sense that my game got approved by making it MORE violent (adding vampires?) Should Apple allow for more freedom of expression, considering how large and popular their service is?
It was called Why You Gotta Be Like That? Apple rejected it!
But at the time, I thought it was interesting / revealing that - not even Apple so much as in America in general, it seems that certain things are censored or taboo, while other complete insanity is fair game. In this case it's not violence that's the issue so much as "kids". Having kids as targets in a game is irresponsible. But you know what's OK? Setting a car bomb on a Mafia boss or blowing a zombie into a million bloody gibs. That's fantasy.
It's interesting to me that Apple's rating system includes a category for prolonged / sadistic violence, but does not account for: the inclusion of kids in your game. My game had no blood, no dismemberment, no weapons, you can't even tap the kids until they provoke you / give you sass. The game is full of bright colors and confetti particles including hearts, clovers, and stars (seriously)...
I don't want to lead the discussion too much, but what do you think?
Of course Apple has its own service (the App Store), and they are absolutely free to moderate that content, making rules that promote a fun and safe gaming environment for the kids.
That said...
Do you think in my case, light comic mischief is being confused with school shootings? Does it make sense that my game got approved by making it MORE violent (adding vampires?) Should Apple allow for more freedom of expression, considering how large and popular their service is?
September 15, 2010
Leave A Review for Why You Gotta Be A Vampire!
Why You Gotta Get A Vampire is getting a lot of downloads but few reviews!
9/13 - 166 downloads (the game launched at about 7 PM)
9/14 - 507 downloads
Total: 673 downloads
Unfortunately, people are busy enjoying the game and not reviewing it!
Only 18 people left reviews, here's the breakdown:
5 Stars - 4
4 Stars - 1
3 Stars - 0
2 Stars - 3
1 Star - 10
(Avg. about 2 Stars)
As usual, since my games are free, I attract casual players who will try it out and delete. That's fine, but since Apple only asks folks to review games when they're deleted, of course my ratings as a free app developer skew negative.
...on the plus side, I'm pleased that no one has had any real complaints! The written reviews have ALL been favorable and have included some great feedback!
To respond to Jimb0nes (do you read my blog?)
The game IS difficult haha. But there's a feature unlocked at Round 20 called "Perfects". If you clear a round perfectly (see the App Description), you'll have the opportunity to regain patience or even skip rounds. It will be difficult to survive more than a few rounds without mastering this feature!
If you're enjoying Why You Gotta Be A Vampire, leave a review! Post your score to Facebook and get the word out while it's in the New Release queue! :D
9/13 - 166 downloads (the game launched at about 7 PM)
9/14 - 507 downloads
Total: 673 downloads
Unfortunately, people are busy enjoying the game and not reviewing it!
Only 18 people left reviews, here's the breakdown:
5 Stars - 4
4 Stars - 1
3 Stars - 0
2 Stars - 3
1 Star - 10
(Avg. about 2 Stars)
As usual, since my games are free, I attract casual players who will try it out and delete. That's fine, but since Apple only asks folks to review games when they're deleted, of course my ratings as a free app developer skew negative.
...on the plus side, I'm pleased that no one has had any real complaints! The written reviews have ALL been favorable and have included some great feedback!
To respond to Jimb0nes (do you read my blog?)
The game IS difficult haha. But there's a feature unlocked at Round 20 called "Perfects". If you clear a round perfectly (see the App Description), you'll have the opportunity to regain patience or even skip rounds. It will be difficult to survive more than a few rounds without mastering this feature!
If you're enjoying Why You Gotta Be A Vampire, leave a review! Post your score to Facebook and get the word out while it's in the New Release queue! :D
September 13, 2010
Why You Gotta Be A Vampire iPhone and iPad
App number six is now available (for free) on the App Store!
(Just in time for Eric Feurstein's birthday, Happy Birthday buddy!)
Download Why You Gotta Be A Vampire?
It's like whack-a-mole but with hot sassy vampires. How long can YOU survive?
Why You Gotta Be A Vampire is available now (for free) for iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad! And by the way...
The green vampire is based on birthday boy Eric. And one of the phrases he says, both in the game and in real life is, "Horrible Night for a Curse!"
...a reference to Castlevania 2 that only he and I would get :P
(Just in time for Eric Feurstein's birthday, Happy Birthday buddy!)
Download Why You Gotta Be A Vampire?
It's like whack-a-mole but with hot sassy vampires. How long can YOU survive?
- Keep your cool
- Punch vampires
- Try to survive as many days as you can!
Why You Gotta Be A Vampire is available now (for free) for iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad! And by the way...
The green vampire is based on birthday boy Eric. And one of the phrases he says, both in the game and in real life is, "Horrible Night for a Curse!"
...a reference to Castlevania 2 that only he and I would get :P
September 11, 2010
Congrats Jesse and Sapiens Recall!
Results are in for the Album Artwork Contest!
The winners will see their album artwork in screenshots for my next app!
In addition to Jesse Shotland's Enigmus - A Walk Through Time...
We have a second winner:
Sapiens Recall (thanks to my good friend James Wiersum on guitar):
Sapiens Recall - Can I Kill This
Congratulations Jesse and Sapiens Recall!
The winners will see their album artwork in screenshots for my next app!
In addition to Jesse Shotland's Enigmus - A Walk Through Time...
We have a second winner:
Sapiens Recall - Can I Kill This
Congratulations Jesse and Sapiens Recall!
September 5, 2010
Enigmus - A Walk Through Time...
Currently winning the Album Artwork Contest is:
Jesse Shotland's:
Enigmus - A Walk Through Time...
Remember to send in your entries by Friday if you want your fake album artwork to appear in a screenshot for my next app. I'll be taking TWO screenshots with album artwork visible, so I can potentially have multiple winners!
Enigmus - A Walk Through Time...
Remember to send in your entries by Friday if you want your fake album artwork to appear in a screenshot for my next app. I'll be taking TWO screenshots with album artwork visible, so I can potentially have multiple winners!
September 2, 2010
CONTEST: Make Me Some Album Artwork
I'm currently working on an iPhone Utility (not a game) that plays songs from your music collection. The app will display album artwork, artist names, and song titles. The app will be used when exercising or drinking responsibly (lol).
I will need album artwork for my app's screenshots on the store page!
Contest Rules:
Fine Print:
I might appreciate a fake band related to any of my other apps:
I will collect entries (sent to hi@kennysapps.com) until my app is done and I'm ready to submit to the App Store! That will probably be in a week or so. Send your entries in before Friday, September 10th!
The winner(s) (if I take multiple screenshots with different artwork) will see their album art on the App Store page for my app (on iTunes)!
All Runners Up receive a free copy of Zombie Puncher!
Have fun and good luck!
I will need album artwork for my app's screenshots on the store page!
Contest Rules:
- Think of a FAKE band name and fake song name
- Make fake album artwork for your fake band! OR...
- If you're part of a REAL or defunct band...
- Make (or give me permission to use) album art for your band
Fine Print:
- Entries must be sent to hi@kennysapps.com
- Album artwork should be square-shaped, and will be scaled to 320 x 320px
- Your band / song / artwork must be yours. Don't make fake album artwork for a real band, and don't make real album artwork for a fake band you didn't invent (ex. Gorillaz or a band from Scott Pilgrim)!
- Note that my app is a utility for use when exercising or drinking responsibly (lol). If you have a real band, consider whether you want your name associated with an app that promotes drinking (or exercising).
I might appreciate a fake band related to any of my other apps:
- Kenny and the Apps - "Let's Get Frustrating"
- Mr. Deluxe - "Guess My Number"
- Zombie Apocalypse - "Infected"
I will collect entries (sent to hi@kennysapps.com) until my app is done and I'm ready to submit to the App Store! That will probably be in a week or so. Send your entries in before Friday, September 10th!
The winner(s) (if I take multiple screenshots with different artwork) will see their album art on the App Store page for my app (on iTunes)!
All Runners Up receive a free copy of Zombie Puncher!
Have fun and good luck!
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