AppTalk: Interview with Vladimir Roth, Developer of Aqua Globs
by Staff Writer
December 16, 2009
Q: Since this is your first, and only iPhone game to date what did you do before developing for the iPhone, and why did you choose to develop for the iPhone?
Before iPhone programming I was dreaming about programming games :) I wanted to do that since my childhood but never really had a chance. The reason why I jumped into developing games on the iPhone was because I felt that its the opportunity for me to finally do it, as it is so easy to become a developer on iPhone.
Q: How did you come up with the idea of Aqua Globs, and how long did it take to turn that idea into a reality?
The idea was brainstormed together with my friend. I was working on few prototypes before but did not finish anything and I felt I really need to deliver some product. So the goal was to try doing something small, but still fun and unique. It took me 5 weeks to finish the first version in my free time during evenings and weekends and it was very hard work.
Q: What do you think of the App Store economy as whole, especially in regards to small developers like yourself?
App Store is becoming a really busy place now and a real business. I started learning iPhone programming just a few weeks after Apple opened the SDK to developers so I've seen the whole "life" of the App Store. It is still really easy for a new developer to come aboard and start doing cool stuff on the phone, but it's not an easy goldmine as it may have been in the beginning. App Store is somehow unique in the way it operates and many things work completely different as usual businesses with PC or console games. I see this as an advantage and I think it's also helping small companies to do equally well as a big ones.
Q: Why did you choose to use OpenFeint over the other systems, namely Plus+?
We really liked Plus+, but it is a closed system where ngmoco chooses who can use it. We needed the system ready to deploy and not to wait months for confirmation. I also tried other systems like Scoreloop and Agon, but OpenFeint was the closest to my imagination of a complete social platform system. This was a few months ago so the situation may be different now.
Regarding OpenFeint I found it to be really easy to integrate into our game. It's basically just few lines of code to communicate with the OpenFeint server and then you set up the achievements and leaderboards directly in the developer dashboard on the OpenFeint site. It's completely free to use and the staff is really helpful.
Q: How long do you plan to continue to update Aqua Globs, and are you working on a new game?
As we are just a small starting business we cannot afford to work for free, so Aqua Globs will be updated while being profitable. So far it is doing quite well so you can be sure we will bring a couple more levels and some surprises in the coming months :) We are working on our next game already, expecting to be submitting in January. We will start showing more around christmas, like first screenshots and concept art. The only thing I think I can say now is that it will be a puzzle game ;)
Q: What is your favorite iPhone game that’s not your own?
I don't play much on iPhone, which may be a bit of surprise. I'm trying a lot of games to see how other companies are doing, but usually don't spend too much time on them. My most played game now is Blimp which is an example of a really good game for me. I just look a bit weird swinging my phone all around the place on the train during my commute to work, while trying to pass the levels :)
- Thank you for reading, and be sure to stay tuned for more AppTalk with the developers of some of the best rated games in the App Store.
