Category 5 Games

Manageable Management

Tue, 26 Jul 2011 04:30:04 +0000

This week we spent an entire day (maybe two, we’ll see how tomorrow goes) on researching project management software. For those of you who’s eyes just glazed over, I feel your pain.

The Issue:

We’ve run into a snag of sorts here at C5G. It’s happened before and it’s bound to happen again. Let’s call it the Game Developer’s version of writer’s block, mix that with a bit of apathy, and put that in a bottle labeled “I’ll do it tomorrow.” At least for us, this condition sneaks up on us when we lack a clear goal or direction with whatever we are(or aren’t) working on. For instance, we are smack dab in the middle of the biggest software project either of us has ever been a part of. Now, I can sit back and think of several hundreds of things that need to be done before this game can ship. The problem is that while I have a vague idea of what I’ll be working on tomorrow, I haven’t a clue about what the heck I’ll be working on by Thursday. We’ve been trying this new form of agile development called “I’ll figure it out when I get there.” With only two of us it works, kind of, sometimes. The problem is that when it doesn’t work, neither do we. Oh sure I’ll sit in front of my computer and do something. Maybe it’s staring at a module’s code until I see a tiny improvement I can make, or squashing a minor bug that wasn’t a pressing concern. But, the big things get left on the floor for tomorrow. Then the next day. And so on.

The Solution: (I hope)

We have decided to adopt a workflow that includes some sort of project management software to keep us accountable, and motivated. Now honestly, researching programs that will help you make better programs sort of sounds like writing a TODO list to remind you to write some TODO lists. Unfortunately, it’s also just about as much fun. It is my hope however, that adopting this methodology will force us to do a few things better. First and formost, HAVE A PLAN for God’s sake… Plan as you go doesn’t work for anyone except James Bond, and MacGuyver. Last I checked neither one of them develop software for a living. Second, it will keep us accountable and give us a clear goal to work toward. We’re pretty sure that we’re going to go with short development sprints(fancy words for milestones) using a project planner that is built around that style of development. Based on what has worked for countless other development teams, I’m pretty sure that this day of research will pay off in the end.

P.S. We’ve looked at several and have narrowed it down to 2 or 3 products. In no particular order they are Basecamp, Pivotal Tracker, and Lighthouse. There are pros and cons to each. We just have to finalize which features are most important to us.

Time flies, and Other Idioms

Wed, 29 Jun 2011 18:46:14 +0000

It’s been forever since our last update. I’m not sure anyone even comes here to read this anyway. I know I don’t! Regardless here is an update on us. We’re still kicking, and working hard on our new game (yet to be announced). We’ve made some big improvements to MemoryBlock on the Android platform and hope to roll those out on the iOS devices as well. There are some exciting things in development for a few of the software tools that we use that could boost the performance of our mobile games through the roof, and allow for previously un-heard of stuff to start happening on mobile devices. Mobile games could be 100% more cool by this time next year if the developers of these tools actually follow through. Let’s just say we will be much less tied to virtual memory requirements due to on demand texture streaming. As a self proclaimed nerd, that makes me giggle.

Alright that’s it for now. I would end this with a note about how I’ll try to update this more often, but I’d just be lying to you. And, I like you so I won’t lie to you.

Happy Gaming,

-Jamie

Android and Retina

Fri, 18 Feb 2011 19:20:49 +0000

Hey guys!

We are proud to let you know that we’ve finally gotten Memory Block onto the Android! We’ve also finished and have submitted Retina updates to our Memory Block and Memory Block Pro titles on iOS. So now you can match wits against the computer in full HD glory! It looks like the Pro version has been approved and went live on the app store yesterday, but we are still waiting for those special “In Review” and “Ready for Sale” tags from Apple for our free version. You should also note in the updates that we’ve put back in the option to have 4 OR 5 buttons while you play.

Check out C5G on Android!

iOS Retina Update

Keep it real.

New Web Site

Mon, 27 Sep 2010 20:29:02 +0000

If you’ve tried to look at our web site within the last few days you may have noticed that it has been in sad shape. We ran into a problem late Friday night in which certain software updates caused other parts of the site to die a horrible horrible death. We’ve started setting up this new site but have a way to go. We’re hoping to have this new site up and running very soon. Thanks for checking in on us!

Current Happenings

Fri, 24 Sep 2010 22:38:27 +0000

As you’ve probably seen, Simon: Classic has transformed to the now active MemoryBlock. The name change and redesign wasn’t entirely our desire but change was definitely an improvement. We’ve also now released MemoryBlock Pro which adds a new game feature: Speed Mode. If you’ve ever played the addicting game Bop-It, you should find this mode familiar. The CPU will shout out a color and you must quickly tap that button to continue. The game gets faster and faster with the beat and the challenge increases as you go. Be sure to check it out!

Big things are beginning to unfold at C5G and we are excited about our upcoming projects…

Time flys!

Fri, 26 Mar 2010 06:54:13 +0000

It has been a considerable amount of time since we’ve updated the site. Much has happened. We’ve released an entirely new game called Simon: Classic. We watched as Simon: Classic soared to the top of the free apps list to become the #1 free app on the US App Store. We’ve also begun work on a new title. We’d like to apologize for lack of updates to the site. Truth is we’re just a couple of regular guys and we would rather spend our time making new games for people to enjoy than updating a web site. With that said, it’s on my Todo list to get some fresh images and current information up on the site this upcoming week. If you’ve found us from Simon: Classic or Jungle Swing we’re so glad you are (hopefully) enjoying our games. We’ve been truly blessed by the popularity of Simon: Classic and plan to continue making the games we want to play. Thanks again – Jamie.

Major Update

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 19:46:36 +0000

Well the minor 1.01 update with has been approved and is on the app store. Our next big step is our major update, v1.2, which adds a lot of sweet content to Jungle Swing. We’re SUPER excited about it and I think you guys will be too. The update has been submitted to Apple for approval and should find its way to the app store in the next week or so.

Be sure you check it out!

Problems = fixed

Jamie — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 03:42:17 +0000

We made a small mistake when we originally bundled up Jungle Swing for sale. These two things were minor but definitely cut our potential customer base by a ton. The first was that we left the base SDK requirement at 3.1.2 which would require purchasing a 3.0 upgrade for many just in order to play our game. The second was that our game executable was in the range of 16mb (due to some unruly sound files) which prevented anyone from downloading our game through the 3G network and forced them to connect to wifi to get it. I’m very happy to announce that both of these problem were resolved over the weekend and the resulting update to Jungle Swing was submitted on Sunday night. The update should go through at any moment now. In addition to all of this Sean and I are hard at work on a MAJOR content update. We’re changing some parts of the game in a huge way. These changes will make the game way more fun, give you a reason to keep playing, and overall “booyah-enhance” the game even further. We’re not letting out any details just yet but I’ll just say that the LeaderBoards for Jungle Swing are going to explode.

-Jamie

We're Live!

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 23:40:36 +0000

Jungle Swing was released last night at midnight Eastern time and is now on the App Store! We’re ecstatic to have finally reached this point and look forward to hearing your reactions.

Oh but we’re not done yet! We’re going to continue Jungle Swing, adding new and exciting features to keep you coming back for more! Of course all updates will be free to anyone who has purchased the original.

One thing I’d like to encourage any current players to do is to hook up OpenFeint with your Facebook and/or Twitter account so you can compete against your friends in high scores and achievements! I think you’ll find it really makes a difference when the competition is fierce.

Please feel free to write us with any comments, concerns, or suggestions so that we can improve the experience of Jungle Swing, we’re gamers too so let your voices be heard!

Jungle Swing Approved!

Jamie — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 17:48:12 +0000

We received notice late last night that our first game, Jungle Swing has been approved for sale starting October 30th. We’re very excited about it’s impending release and scrambling to get a few last minute things accomplished (Like updating this blog!). We’re already working hard on an update which we think will make the game much more interesting and accessible at the same time. If you’ve played the game and/or would like to talk to us, hit up our comment page. It goes directly to our inbox. Any and all feedback is welcome.