App Store Insider: Robocalypse Interview - Can An RTS Game Succeed On The iPhone?

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I absolutely love video games. There, I said it. Most of my time these days is spent writing about all kinds of unique iPhone apps, including games, so I rarely find the time anymore to sit down for long periods of time to play my favorite titles on my Xbox 360 or my Nintendo Wii, and that's where my iPhone comes in handy. I have been able to find moments throughout the day to get a little Harbor Master in here, a little Puzzle Quest in there, and sometimes I sit down for a good amount of time and play more in-depth games like Real Racing. I believe the iPhone needs more games like Real Racing. Games that can offer deep, immersive gameplay, but can also give you that quick moment of gaming bliss, games like Vogster Entertainment's Robocalypse - Mobile Mayhem.

Robocalypse - Mobile Mayhem is an real-time strategy (RTS) game being developed for the iPhone and iPod touch that was originally created for the Nintendo DS. The game is said to feature 17 campaign missions, 10 unit types, 20 varieties of weaponry, 18 unique multiplayer maps, and intuitive touch controls. It is also going to feature a storyline, characters, and dialog created by the comedic writing duo of Jay Lender (of Spongebob Squarepants fame) and Micah Wright. Robocalypse - Mobile Mayhem sounds like it has everything going for it, so what is the big cause for concern? Being a self-proclaimed RTS veteran, the idea of controlling a feature-rich RTS game on the iPhone just scares me. RTS games require you to react quickly and with precision, something I just don't think my finger is going to be able to do. That is why most RTS games have failed on consoles, they simply require a mouse to be the most effective. The other thing that worries me about Robocalypse - Mobile Mayhem is its timing. EA is planning on releasing an iPhone game based on their massively successful RTS franchise, Command & Conquer, around the same time. The thing is, I want Robocalypse - Mobile Mayhem to be successful on the iPhone because the platform needs this kind of game to draw in some of the more "hardcore" gaming crowd while also being accessible to the casual player. So instead of just worrying about it, I decided to contact Vogster Entertainment to see what it is they planned to do to make Robocalypse - Mobile Mayhem a smashing success on the iPhone. Below is my interview with Robocalypse - Mobile Mayhem producer Alan Martin. How well did Robocalypse perform, sales wise, on the Nintendo platform? Was it what you expected? Robocalypse (DS) was Vogster Entertainment’s first release, and we’re very proud not only of the gameplay and overall quality we delivered but also for how well the press has responded to it. While I don’t have exact numbers on Robocalypse (DS), the title has only seen a limited retail release in the US and has not made its way to Europe yet. Because we felt that this was such a strong game, we really wanted to find a way to get it into more players’ hands. How/when did you come to the conclusion to bring the game to the iPhone? Around the time the 3G phones were released in the US last summer (2008), which was when Robocalypse (DS) was wrapping, we started thinking about the iPhone as a viable publishing platform. The App Store would allow us to get the game right to players (without having to find it online or in a store), and as we’d built the game around a touch screen, we thought it was a perfect match. Our goal was not only to deliver the full DS game experience, but also to maximize the features that the iPhone provided. Because of this expanded focus, we decided to re-brand the game as Robocalypse – Mobile Mayhem.

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Could you give us an idea as to how easy/difficult it has been so far bringing the game over to the iPhone? Actually, it’s been fairly easy bringing Robocalypse – Mobile Mayhem to the iPhone. The team’s real challenges lay in the improvements they wanted for this version – most of which they achieved with greater-than-expected results. In addition to being able to improve the overall quality of the graphics, the movies, and the audio, the team really wanted to tailor the user interface specifically for the iPhone. Incorporating it all onto one screen (vs. the DS’ dual screens) was a challenge, and I think the team really pulled it off! They not only redesigned the look of all the icons (to make them resemble the in-game characters and structures more), they also repositioned and added more “touch” interactivity to the main interfaces. Another challenge posed to the team was to create an interface that would work for people that wanted to hold the iPhone vertically or horizontally, as well as for left and right handed players. Their response was an interface that changes on the fly, based on the way the player is holding the device. When the player rotates the device, the game field (and the entire interface) rotates in the same direction. It’s pretty amazing! RTS games are usually difficult to control on most platforms other than PCs. What do you think makes Robocalypse - Mobile Mayhem different?

I think the biggest difference from other (non-PC) RTS games is that we designed Robocalypse – Mobile Mayhem specifically to utilize a “touch” screen in a way similar to how a mouse is used. With the DS’ stylus, we were able to get very precise control – and surprisingly we’ve been able to get the same (or better) precision on the iPhone with a fingertip! Robocalypse – Mobile Mayhem has a very simple control system that works really well for our RTS design – Hero units are directly controllable by the player’s finger, and basic units can be given orders using an Action Flag system. By tapping on their Heroes, players can then send them into battle, position them at a specific location, order them to capture flags, or tell them whom or what to attack – all by tapping on the map. Player can use Action Flags to have basic units defend an area, repair damaged structures, even to heal other troops and Heroes. It’s amazing how well this all works with just a finger! The goal was to make the controls feel as good as a PC title or better – and I really believe we’ve accomplished that. Robocalypse - Mobile Mayhem will feature online multiplayer and very few iPhone games currently do. How difficult has it been to implement so far? Do you feel it is a necessary feature for your game to be successful? With Robocalypse(DS), we already had strong multiplayer functionality built-in for local wireless play, so when we started bringing it to the iPhone, it seemed that adding online-functionality was something that could really extend the life of the title. Because of this solid foundation, it has made the online implementation fairly straightforward. While it’s certainly not necessary to the success of the game, this is one of those features that we felt would differentiate us from other RTS games and would provide a richer, more expanded Robocalypse experience for iPhone consumers. Robocalypse - Mobile Mayhem is slated to launch sometime this fall probably sometime around the launch of another RTS game for the iPhone, Command & Conquer. Why should RTS fans buy your game instead? I am a big fan of the old C&Cgames, and got to spend a little time with their iPhone version at E3. (It’s funny – a few people actually came up to me and mentioned how they thought Robocalypse – Mobile Mayhem was much closer to the old C&C games they remembered.) While I didn’t really get a sense of all C&C’s features, here are some areas where I think we’ll stand out from that and the ever-growing-crowd of RTS games… One of the things that we’ve really tried to do with the Robocalypse is create games that have deep RTS gameplay without the steep learning curve that’s usually required. It’s important for us that players not as familiar with the genre can get as much enjoyment as those who are hardcore strategy gamers. We’ve also really focused on creating an RTS-experience that is well suited for handheld, and specifically iPhone gamers. Most people only want a very short, yet exciting experience when they start an iPhone gaming session – and we’ve tried to design our missions with this in mind. As you mentioned above, Robocalypse – Mobile Mayhemwill feature extensive multiplayer maps and 2 different play modes that can be enjoyed locally or across the internet. (I have not yet heard that C&C is including multiplayer functionality.) Finally, our game has something that none of the other current RTS games on any platform has – a great sense of humor! We have a hilarious Story Mode made up of 17 missions, where the player must save the world from super-polite killer robots! How great is it to work with someone like Jay Lender of Spongebob Squarepants fame? It is really, really great! And not only do we get to work with Jay, who has written some of my favorite (Mermaid Man) episodes, but also with his writing partner, Micah Wright. Micah also has a twisted mind, having worked on a number of games as well as the series “Angry Beavers.” The guys are fun to work with and have brought tons of hilarious ideas to the table for both this game and our upcoming WiiWare title, Robocalypse – Beaver Defense. Can you give us an idea as to when you expect Robocalypse - Mobile Mayhem to be available, how much it will cost, and if there will be any updates in the future (like maps, weapons, characters, etc.)? We’re planning to release Robocalypse – Mobile Mayhem later this summer to the App Store worldwide. While we don’t have a price point set yet, we plan to be competitive with other games that similarly offer a deeper gameplay experience than most basic apps. We also won’t be priced so high that it will turn people off. We definitely have some updates planned, if people respond well to the game. What do you like most about developing for the iPhone? The least? To me, what’s really exciting about developing for the iPhone is that it is still such an unknown gaming platform, in terms of who the audience is and what they’re looking for on this device. Many of the normal “rules” of game development and publishing don’t seem to apply to the iPhone. I think ultimately it could really bring about a major change in the way we (as an industry) create and (especially) distribute games. I guess that some of those same unknowns and that unpredictability would also be on the “least like” about the platform side. It’s always better to know what you’re dealing with - but then where would the excitement be?! What are currently some of your favorite iPhone applications? At least once a week I go through the App Store and download whatever free apps catch my eye, as well as buy anything fresh that I’ve heard about recently. Flight Control, Epic Pet Wars, and Pocket God are all games that I’m currently playing. I finally caught the Peggle bug on a recent trip to Europe, and have now gotten my 12 year-old daughter addicted, as well. Other than that, I’m still marveling at all the cool new features in the new 3.0 OS! Some of my current favorite non-iPhone applications are the upcoming Unbound Saga, for the PSP, and CrimeCraft, for the PC. (Both are developed by Vogster and will be released this summer.) And, of course, the upcoming Robocalypse – Beaver Defense, for the Wii! So can Robocalypse - Mobile Mayhem deliver everything RTS fans could ask for? Like I stated earlier, it seems to have everything going for it, with a dynamic writing duo, a solid single-player campaign, tons of online multiplayer features, and "intuitive" controls, but the only way to actually judge a game is to get some hands-on time with it, and I personally can not wait.