Pages

Saturday, January 28, 2012

Bash 'n Blocks 1.0

Bash 'n Blocks is released! - Play Now!


 

What is it?
Bash 'n Blocks (Bashing Blocks) lets you build a base using simple 3D shapes. Then, after you complete your base, you put it up against another player. Your bases fight each other by slinging blocks (parts of your own base) at each other.

I created this game with my son in the living room. He had a set of blocks and always enjoyed making towers out of them. One day I said, "Hey, you build a tower, and I'll build one, and then we'll blow them up!" It's a fun game in reality. I always thought it would be fun to make it into a simple game on my phone.

About a year later, I needed to make a quick game for learning a new programming environment (Unity). So I made the game as quickly as possible. In the future (when the cost can justify itself), I will release it for the iPhone so my son and I can play each other on our phones when we don't have time to make a big mess in reality.

This next bit is about programming. Read on if that interests you...

Programmer's Notes:
This is the first game I have completed as a hobbyist indie developer. This is also the quickest I have ever developed a complete app (fewer than 50 hours).

What made me so productive? I used Unity Basic (which is free). I am compeletly sold as a Unity user and plan to do all my future development using Unity. This is why:

I have tried countless strategies to try to make games (I am a certified Microsoft Solutions Developer for .net - C#). I invested much time in developing a Silverlight App only to see Silverlight technology will never reach the mobile market (not for iPhones anyway). If I can't get my app to iPhone users (including myself), then I'm stuck. Unity enables me to develop in my favorite language (C#) and target virtually every platform (desktops, phones, and even consoles).

If I ever see enough interest in my hobby games on the desktop, then I can buy the extra Unity licenses and after a few hours of testing submit my games/apps to the various app stores. This is the best solution to make it once and play it everywhere. This is a must for an indie developer who does not have the resources to become an expert in every possible platform. Let Unity and the Unity community help you out by figuring out how to make it work on each target device. Now I can focus on making games and apps and not waste my time trying to develop a cross platform framework.

Friday, January 6, 2012

TOLD!

We've got a schedule up and running and soon we will have a demo up. Come back soon for some real content!