Making Intendo games on my iPad
DARN YOU GIANT BOMB! Thanks to the podcast I picked up a non-iPad game on my iPad. What's worse (or better) is that it's a great game that makes me play it for hours and hours!
Game Dev Story is a very simple concept: Let the player run a video game company. Beyond that point it's the style and nods to reality that really get you going. At it's core it is a simple office management game. You mange your personel, direct who does what part of game development, what genre and theme of game you make and so on.
The fun details start from the word go with the different game company being usual variations on real life companies. (like Intendo) Game systems like the Sammy Paystation are just the tip of the iceburg. As you unlock new game types and themes you end up with some wacky combos that you can't help but wonder what kind of game your studio is making. One of my studio's top selling games is Harbor! A "Table" game with the genre of "Harbor." Seriously? What's a harbor game? I don't know but the people inside the game sure do like it!
Another top selling game was a "Simulation RPG" in the "Game Development CO" theme. Yes, I made Game Dev Story inside Game Dev Story. Though for the Gozer Box and not the iPad. Yep, the Gozer Box, with enough effort you can create your own gaming systems to compete with the Intendo Whoops and others! It is HARD to get a Hardware developer but it's worth it since you do not pay licencing fees to make games for your own systems and they never leave the market.
Oh, that's the last major thing I have to mention, the Market. All these game systems (including a generic "Computers") have a certain market share which effects sales. You can't sell more games then the game system you made the game for has systems out. (Or at least it doesn't seem like you can. I've not actually looked hard at the numbers. Then again we could all be Atari game developers.) So the higher popularty systems the more money you make. Of course popular games also improve the popularity of the system so maybe you can be the game company to save the Virtual Kid?
Now it's not all sweetness and light, there are a few problems I've had that really annoy me. First off, it's an iPhone game, which means I'm playing it in 2X on my iPad. Luckily the cute asthetics scale well but I am annoyed that I cannot put it in portrait mode or even use the iPad keyboard but I'll live.
Next up is actual gameplay itself. The documentation is slim to say the least, with the Wiki entry here basically telling you more than the in game manual does. On top of that there are a few random events (DAMN POWER COMPANY!) that you have no control over. I mean if I had as many power outages as this game company has maybe I could invest in some UPS systems.
Finally there doesn't seem to be a way to develop for multiple game consoles at the same time. It'd be nice to build my company up to an EA or an Activision with FANTASY 8!! being on all the big consoles, but alas maybe in the sequel?
