I know that the indie scene on XNA is fairly new but that does not mean we need to forget how important user testing is on our games. We as developers often fall into the trap that if it feels good to us then other people will love the game. However this is a misguided form of thinking as we have intimate knowledge of the inner workings of our games. All the subtle rules and interactions that we know about most likely does not translate well in the eyes of a new user. So I just want to call out that each XNA developer should:

1. Get as many friends/family to try out the game in it's different phases/milestones. The higher the frequency the better
2. Test on the target platform. PC and Xbox have different user experiences and with WP7 coming out the need to test on mobile devices is needed too
3. Make sure the people who play your game are familiar as well as unfamiliar with the genre. The different view points from each of these groups are really important in determining if your ideas/systems are being perceived as you intended

Througout making Gum Drop, I've solicited tons upon tons of feedback from people from different groups,  male, female, hardcore gamer, casual gamer, non-gamer, etc ... They've all given me constructive feedback and insight into making the game easier to understand and fun to play. The female group in particular has always had a keen eye on making the game more approachable. My Girlfriend pointed out early that the colors I had in the game were unapproachable and hostile at times. Then a female friend of mine suggested that the shooting mechanic I had implemented in the game actually distracted the player from what was fun, which was the SMASH mechanic. Another female friend of mine pointed out I had too much text that nobody will ever read in the game. It's not saying that guys cannot notice these issues but it seems that females are more vocal about it. 

Well, other than that short blurb, progress on Gum Drop is moving along at a steady pace. I have now addded survival mode, which will pit the player against a endless swarm of enemies that the player will have to face. I've also locked down the number of levels to be 20 for the normal gameplay. There will be 20+ unique enemies that the player can fight. I've also decided to completely remove any sort of story in the text I have in the game. The game has been diluted along production but I will re-distill it to it's purest form which is "Fun" I've also decided to remove the Gum Drop collecting missions, as smashing stuff is the front and center of the game now. 

Hopefully the game will be out in Xbox Game Communities come Summer/Fall

Content is king I guess, because even if I elegantly create this framework for a game without content the game is nothing. Right now I am at the phase where I need to generate these vast amounts of game content, refine them, and make them into something people would enjoy to play. This is by far the hardest part of the game because fun is subjective. However there are baselines that people will come to expect, from your target audience and beyond. For example, difficulty is a very hard thing to pin down. How do I make it challenging without making it too cheesy? Is it a design effort to make it harder or a simpler multiply enemy health by 1.5x if it is harder.

Also since my environment and level is so dependent on the enemies, I need to make them as fun and varied as possbile. I need distinguishable behavior, silhouette and sound. Without these the enemies just become simple obstacles rather than charactered enemies you would want to play with.

But yes, I am soldiering on to GDC and possibly indie cade with my efforts. 

Special shout out to Erwin Peil for providing the kick ass music for the game.

Since the announcement at WWDC 2008, the iPhone is now suddenly on the gaming map. Having a  multi-touch screen and a accelerometer for input, the iPhone seems very suited to two of Blizzard's most popular games, Diablo and Starcraft. I picked these two games because of their popularity, ease of use, and that the iPhone's hardware is powerful enough to support these games. These are just my thoughts on how these two games can be implemented on the iPhone, as they are not news or actual ports to the game.

*all images here are just renders and are not real

Real Time Strategy - Starcraft

  Having the multi-touch screen lends well with RTS games as most of the unit commands can be executed on the screen. Selecting units is as easy as touching units on the screen, and then touching the appropriate action. Since Starcraft is runs in a 4:3 aspect ratio and the iPhone goes around 16:10 aspect ratio there would be black block around the game. This space does not need to go to waste as it can serve as extra icons that can be used in absence of the keyboard. This can also be fully configurable to have different icons represented as icons to increase available functionality. Sub-menus also allow more functional icons in view by touching a list icon that will display a translucent drop down menu right next to it.

Zooming in and out should also be implemented to help the player precision actions. This can be done by the standard pinch and reverse pinch that users are already accustomed to. Another feature important in RTS games is the group select and this can be accomplished by keeping two fingers on the screen without movement for 1.5 seconds, this will activate the selection box and then it can be resized and moved to wherever you want it to be. Releasing the finger will select the units, while de-selecting units can be accomplished by shaking the iPhone.

Action Role Playing Game - Diablo II

The simple point and click gameplay can easily be adopted to the iPhone.  The two mouse buttons can be represented as the green and red buttons on the left of the screen. The user uses the left thumb to touch the buttons while the right thumb is used to drag around the screen to select monsters or move. In order to see what is underneath the thumb, a magnifying display is shown right above the contact point, very similar to what the iPhone already implements in the native applications. The user can also use standard touches to use the potions on the bottom of the screen. Selecting the different powers just involves touching the skill icon below to expand the list of skills available. The user can toggle running and walking by shaking the iPhone.

The iPhone's interface is suited for almost all types of games imaginable. It will just need creative thinking to implement these new types of input to suit the game.