Code Justin

Introduction
This is the first post in my mobile game development series. I would like to give everyone a brief outline of what to expect from this series and also allow you guys to make a very important discussion! First I would like to go over a few questions you might have about the series.

Cell PhoneWhat is this series about?
Well the series is going to be about my journey developing a commercial mobile game by myself. I will be posting about everything from start to finish. That means from the game concept to marketing the game and even sales. I will share all the details whether they are good or bad.

How often will you be posting?
Right now I’m hoping to post daily since I will be working on the game full time.

What kind of people should follow this series?
Really anyone because I think there will be something for everyone. Hands down anyone that likes indie games or is a game developer I think you will like the series. Programmers/developers might like the series for the technical side and everyone else might just like to read about what it takes to make an indie game and see if I fail or succeed. So it should be entertaining from a lot of different stand points.

What sort of things can I expect from the series?
One thing I’m happy to mention is that you will be able to give your opinions on the game as I’m developing it. Which means you might have the chance to change certain game play aspects by commenting on my series. I hope to make my posts entertaining and not too dry. I will try to include pictures and videos as the development moves along. Also you can expect to read a raw and honest developer log. So the series will be truthful and won’t be filled with just good things about the game.

Now I would like to go over some of my goals for the game.

* Make the game accessible to as many phones as possible.
* Make the game appeal to a fairly wide audience.
* Make the game controls simple and easy to manage.
* Make the game play simple but yet addictive.

A list of some of the major challenges I will face with developing for J2ME phones.

* Make the game run on all screen sizes well.
* Make sure game play runs smooth on low-end phones.
* Make the game compatible with as many J2ME phones as possible.
* Make the game accessible to as many people as possible.

Also a list of some of the challenges I will have with the game.

* Trying to market the game on a VERY small budget.
* Generating game sales.
* Getting quality graphics and sound for the game.
* Convincing publishers/portals to host my game.

Ok, enough of the boring introduction. I just wanted to establish a basic understanding of the series before I start it. More details will unfold as the series moves on but I didn’t want to load them all in the first post. If it just so happens your reading this post on the same day I posted it then you’re in for a treat. Today I’m letting the readers make a large discussion in the game. You get to choose the game! Below is a list of the possible game types which I’m considering developing. You can vote for the one you would like to see be developed by simply casting your vote on the poll below. Tomorrow I will announce the results and begin developing that style of game! I would appreciate it if you would also leave a comment explaining why you chose that style of game.

(There is a reason why these game types were selected which I will explain tomorrow.)

* Top-down Tank Game: Just like the title sounds, a game where you control a tank and blow up enemy tanks. The view will be top-down so it will be as if you’re looking at the game from an airplane.
* Top-down Mini Car Racer: An average top-down view racing game. The cars will look a little like RC cars and you will race around the track trying to beat other cars. The game might include modes like tournament and figure-eight racing.
* Pong Rip-Off: A game like pong. I actually haven’t seen too many mobile games like this so I figured I would throw it in the mix.
* Space Invader Rip-Off: A game like space invader.
* Top-down Airplane Shooter: Think of the game 1945. In a nutshell control a plane that never stops moving forward and you have to blow up enemy planes.
* Asteroids Rip-Off: A game like Asteroids.
* Breakout Rip-Off: A game like breakout.
* Generic Platformer: A game along the lines of super Mario.
* Real time Worms-like Bomb Game: If you ever played worms this game will be a little like it. Basically you’re a blob and your goal is to kill another blob with a selection of different bombs. Unlike worms this game is not turn-based it will be real time. More details to it but that’s the game play at a very basic level.
* Classic RPG: A RPG game that will be like old-school RPGS.

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post’s poll.

I hope you cast your vote and if you plan on following the series I highly recommend you subscribe to my blog for instant updates.

Related posts:

1. J2ME Mobile Development Series 2 – Planning
2. J2ME Mobile Development Series 3 – Concept
3. J2ME Mobile Development Series 4 – Start Coding
4. J2ME Mobile Development Series 8 – Basic Combat
5. J2ME Mobile Development Series 5 – Basic Collision Detection