Mathemagical Development Update 8/10/2014

Man it's been a while since I last posted an update. Sorry for those people who have been waiting to hear more about the game, but there has been some difficulties over the past few months. As of right now the two game modes are complete and are ready to go, but unfortunately, even though I had plenty of time to work on the game over the summer, I've been stuck with nothing to do until I receive the art and sound assets. I've been trying to get a hold of the people who are helping me with the game, but unfortunately I have had trouble trying to reach them. Unfortunately my artist has been going through some difficult times and didn't have any time to complete the work, but I have no idea about the others.

I guess that's what happens when you're working on a project during your spare time. Even if one person is determined to follow through with an idea, it's hard to complete it when others have to quit due to other matters happening within their lives. Although I am disappointed with how the project is currently going, I have not given up on the idea. Once I get back into college, I am going to reevaluate the project and see where I can go next. I am determined to have the game finished by the end of this year, but I need to see who is still willing to help with the project and what I need to do to make sure the game is satisfactory for release. If anyone is willing to help out, feel free to message me and I will respond as soon as I can.

In summary, yes, Mathemagical is still in development, but I need more time to get things done.

Mathemagical Development Update 4/12/2014

For the past year, I've been working on the mobile math-based game called Mathemagical. This is the first game that I have ever worked on that has made it past the pre-alpha stage and I plan to continue working on it until the game is good enough to post it up on the Google Play store for everyone to enjoy. There have been numerous obstacles that I had to get past in order to get as far as I did, and recently I gained an artist to help with the game. Now, after all of that hard work, most of the coding for the game is finished, and when the artwork and music for the game is finally finished, the game will finally be finished. However, before I make any decisions, I would like to go over some ideas that I'm thinking of implementing when it comes to the final version of the game.

So far, the game has an arcade and survival mode (as stated in a previous blog) along with adding time trials for each of the game modes. We plan on using Google Play games to implement achievements and leaderboards for each of these game modes, but I want to know if there are any other ideas that we can do with magic math runes. What I've been thinking of is a type of challenge mode where the player needs to solve certain problems within a period of time (examples such as obtaining the first 10 Fibonacci numbers within 60 seconds or trying to obtain 10 values using nothing but division).

Although this is intended to be a mobile game, there might be a problem with trying to bring the game to other mobile platforms (specifically iOS). Although our engine is capable of bringing the game over to iOS, unfortunately we do not have the means to do so at this time. Worst case scenario, if the demand is there for it, we may possibly obtain the materials to make games for iOS and port it ourselves, but for the time being, the game is for Android only. However, there is another way that people might be able to play the game: how about a PC version. The game engine that we're using is capable of porting the game over to Windows, Mac, and Linux with ease. After a few alterations with some of the images for the game, we can set the game so that it is playable in a horizontal resolution. If this happens, we'll put the game up on Steam Greenlight to see if anyone is interested. I'll post more details as the time comes.

Feel free to leave any feedback on how to make the game better. We hope to have the game finished by this summer.

New Mathemagical Footage and Big News

 

Here is some new footage on the new mobile math game that we are working on, Mathemagical. As you can see, the game is still in a rough shape with barely any menu graphics and no animations. However, this is soon to change since an animator has finally joined our team.

I would like to introduce Steven Celiceo to the team. He has been working on various indie projects for the past few years and I am very impressed with his work. He will be a great asset to our team.

However, if you're still interested in helping us out with the game, feel free to contact me. We still need someone who is experienced with iOS development so if you're interested in helping us port the game to iPhones and iPads, feel free to comment or send me an email. As for the rest, feel free to give any feedback as to how we can make this game better. We hope to have this game finished by this summer so stay tuned for more information.

Magic Numbers: Help Wanted

For many people, when they think of mathematics, they tend to think of boring, tedious problems that they hated throughout their time at school. However, what if we mix the formula a bit and try to get people to look at numbers from a different perspective? Magic Numbers is a mobile game for Android that helps players think of mathematics problems from a different angle while mixing it in with a simple, yet challenging puzzle game.The player will be presented with a grid of magic runes that contain numbers and mathematical operators in which the player will need to connect together to form equations that sums up to specific values.

So far, we have the following two game modes:

Arcade Mode: In this game mode, the player will need to create numerous equations that add up to the specified number within the allotted time. Bonus points are awards to players who are able to complete the task in the least amount of time possible with the least amount of moves. As the player progresses through this game mode, the target number increases by 100 and different mathematical operators begin to appear on the screen.

Survival Mode: Like with Arcade mode, the player will need to obtain target number by creating equations from the tiles on the board. However, in this game mode, the target numbers need to be achieved within one move. More points, time, and experience will be awarded by the length of the equation and by the type of mathematical operators use within the equation. All points earned within this game mode are multiplied by the player's current level and 30 seconds are added to the timer after every time the player has leveled up (with a maximum of 60 seconds that can be stored within the timer).

Keep in mind that these screenshots come from an early build of the game and may change later on during development. Although the game has made significant progress since I started working on it last fall, there are still a few things that need to be done before it is ready to be released on the Play Store. Feel free to leave any feedback about your thoughts on the game idea and any suggestions for improvement.

However, the main reason why I am writing this post is to let people know that I currently need some assistance in finishing the project, specifically when it comes to art and music. Although my team has much of the programming covered, if you wish to help us in the technical aspect of the game, feel free to contact me and I can see if I can find a job for you.

For those interested in working on the project, here are answers to some of the questions that I expect many of you to have:

Q: What game engine/language are you using to make the game?

A: We are using LibGDX as our game engine, which is based in Java. We decided to go with this engine because not only is it open source, but it would easily allow us to port over the game to platforms such as iOS, Android, Windows, Mac, and Linux.

Q: Do you have a prototype for the game?

A: We have a working pre-alpha version ready to go with the main mechanics of the game working (although with a few bugs that need to be tweaked). Unfortunately we don't have any animations or sounds created and placed within the game so the overall interface is barebones, but we hope to implement more art assets soon once they get created.

Q: If LibGDX allows you to port over the game easily to iOS devices, then why aren't you bringing the game over to iOS?

A: Simply put, neither I or anyone else on the team has a Mac and  have no way of testing the game on iOS devices. As you may know, the Apple ecosystem is closed-source, meaning we would need to buy Apple equipment (Macs, iPod Touch, iPad, Developer License) to test it out. Since we're basically working on this game for free during our spare time, we do not have the money to afford all the equipment we need and to then try to get it working on iOS. I'm not going to say an iOS version is out of the question in the future, but as of right now, it's going to remain as an Android exclusive.

However, if you are an iOS developer with the tools required to set up and test the game on various iOS devices, then we want to talk to you. We want as many people as possible to enjoy the game, and if you're able to bring the game over to other devices, then you would be a great asset for our team.

Q: If you need an artist for the game, then why are you presenting screenshots?

A: I would like to  personally thank GlidedGuy (the creator of the Slush Invaders Flash animations) for creating all the artwork for the game at this point, and he has done an amazing job. Unfortunately, because he has too many projects to work on at the moment, he had to leave the project, leaving us without an artist.

What we're look for is an artist who preferably has experience drawing medieval, fantasy themed characters, backgrounds, and objects. It's an added bonus if you also know how to work with animation and texture atlases so we can make the game more robust and look more professional.

Q: How much will you pay us to do the work?

A: This is a question that does not have an easy seeing, as you probably guessed from the iOS question, we do not have much money to go around since we're doing this for free during our spare time. However, I am more than willing to negotiate any arrangements that fit your needs.

So if you're interested in helping us out with the project or if you have any further questions, feel free to leave a comment underneath this post or contact me directly via my email address attached to my profile. Thank you for taking this offer into consideration and I hope that I will be able to work with you and to see this game to completion.