For those of you who wanted to read the article I wrote and had published in my local paper. This is the full article I wrote. The one that was published was edited and shortened by the paper.
Central Michigan University student Cody Herrmann is developing is very own mobile application to be sold and distributed through multiple mobile application services.
Herrmann, 22, of Jackson, is an information technology senior at CMU. He is a networking engineer, focusing in the computer science domain.
“That has to do with the programming and setting up of software on a machine in order to do some specific function,” Herrmann explained.
The application Herrmann is creating is called Pixel, and it is a 2D arcade shooter.
“[It] kind of takes its roots from Asteroids, which is a classic arcade game where you destroy objects before they hit your character,” Herrmann said. “Pixel also incorporates the spawning and the chaotic elements of another 2D game that’s kind of like Asteroids that’s called Geometry Wars.”
Geometry Wars is a game available to play on the Xbox Live arcade, which Herrmann played when it first came out. He loved it so much he decided to incorporate some of its features into his own game.
Pixel, which Herrmann had to create for his computer game design class, is basically a game to use to fill time, much like Angry Birds. The whole point of the game is to kill time between classes, while waiting for the bus, or just something to do while bored.
“Pixel is a pick-up-and-go game and you’re ready to go within 15 seconds,” Herrmann said.
The game is also very lightweight, so anyone who has an older phone, like the iPhone 3GS, will be able to download the game without any issues.
“When designing a video game you have to keep in mind what kind of platforms you’re targeting,” Herrmann said. “A lot of people are like, ‘Oh, this is an iPad game,’ but they don’t realize how many devices that video games have to cross. Mobile application is pretty difficult because instead of just designing for, say, an iPhone 4 … you have to realize that even within a particular brand, just for Apple by itself [for example], you have so many target machines that you have to get to.”
Herrmann went on to explain that there are so many aspects to consider when making a video game. How the game will be displayed, what its pixel ratio will be, how good its texture memory is (how much can be displayed on a screen at once), and how much action does the creator want in the game? Making a video game is a complicated business.
A Kickstarter will launch shortly before the game’s release so Herrmann can earn at least $150 in order to support all the stores his game will launch in.
“Basically, anyone who donates [to the Kickstarter] gets the game for free,” Herrmann said. “It’s really nice to see people who not only want to play your game, but that they like it so much they’re willing to pay for it.”
And since Herrmann will have the certificates to make apps in the stores, he’ll be allowed to continue to put cheap or free games into the Google Play store or the iOS Apple store for the next year.
“Probably the cool thing about making video games is… It’s like drawing a picture. When someone asks you to draw a model, like if someone’s just sitting in front of you, everybody else has a different perspective but we’re all trying to solve the problem. The video game is my personal take on trying to solve the problem of trying to get you to have fun in some way,” Herrmann said. “And putting Easter eggs into video games is always cool.”
Easter eggs are hidden bonus features or inside jokes that game creators incorporate into their games. Herrmann said there just might be a little bird power-up players can pick up, alluding to his favorite game Angry Birds.
Pixel will be available to purchase for $1 through the iOS Apple store, the Android marketplace through the Google store, the Nook marketplace, the Ouya (which is a mini console that allows players to play apps on their televisions), and the Kindle Fire store in late winter or early spring.
No comments:
Post a Comment