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Production Overview

Blazin’ Aces Overview

Take control of the skies in this 2D retro-aerial dogfighting game. Step into the cockpit of an ace pilot in the golden era of aviation, and destroy the invading forces.

Available on Apple and Windows Phonewww.blazinacesgame.com

Blazin’ Aces History

• Prototype / experiment back in 2010

• My first “finished” game

• Positive feedback from reviewers

• Showcased in NAG, PC Format, as well as being shown at AMAZE 2012

• Decision to make a more “HD” version in October 2012

• Game took roughly 2 years on and off to complete

• Finished in April 2014

• Released 9 May 2014

Blazin’ Aces History – Me

• Original prototype was an experiment

• Wanted to finish a game

• Completed game resulted in me wanting a bigger challenge

• Improvement of skills

• Opportunity to develop to mobile devices

• Blazin’ Aces had “simple” mechanics, easy to scale up and adapt, familiar territory

Game inspiration

Wings of Fury (1990)

Bluetooth Biplanes (2008?)

Sopwith (1984)

Jane’s WWII Fighters (1998)

Crimson Skies (2000)

What went well1. Art Direction

Visual reference

Prototype logo artwork

Level mockups

Level mockups

Prototype screenshots

Prototype launch material

Art experiments

Move to “HD” - Logo comparison(New Pin-up illustrated by Gina Nelson)

Move to “HD” – Background Art reference

Move to “HD” – Jungle Level(In-game artwork done by Buko Studios)

Move to “HD” – Touch screen menu

Move to “HD” – Touch screen menu

Move to “HD” – Touch screen menu

Move to “HD” – Plane comparison

Move to “HD” – Screenshots

Move to “HD” – Screenshots

Move to “HD” – Screenshots

Move to “HD” – Screenshots

Launch material

What went well2. Collaboration

Wireframing process

Menu flow wireframe

Detailed game design doc

Bug list

Illustration Process(Linework by Michael Stopforth)

What went well3. Multi-platform export

Windows, HTML 5, OSx, iOS, Android, Windows Phone, Windows 8

What went wrong1. Not enough iteration

Not enough time was spent on experimenting on the “new” HD version

• Was mostly a case of implementing ideas without iterations

• Special weapons were added in the almost “complete” version of the game

• Other mechanics were implemented to try solve gameplay issues, ended up creating more issues with current mechanics (eg, pilot’s fighting on ground)

What went wrong2. Indecisions about the game

Indecisions around what should and shouldn’t be in the final game

• Various gameplay modes were initially in the design document, but changed the gameplay mechanics (eg. Blimps & Zeppelin)

• Different planes with different stats

• Different types of weaponry

• No foresight into storyline

• Basically, because my skills were increasing I kept trying to add to the game instead of sticking to the design doc.

What can we learn?1. Set up for structure & experimentation

Games are flexible

• It all depends on where you want to take it

• There is plenty of time to prototype and experiment, provided there is a good enough reason. The special weapons in the “HD” version were last minute, yet they enhanced the final product

What can we learn?2. Collaborate!

You’d surprised at the outcome

• I spent roughly 6 months longer on the “HD” version as opposed to the prototype – all in-game artwork was outsourced and completed much quicker than the time would have taken me

• Small additions and tweaks by others allow you to see your project in a fresh new light. The “flocking” nature of the AI in the game helped convey the idea that the pilots have a Wingman

• Allows you to focus on what you’re good at, without having to stress about stuff you’re not that good at

• You can still manage it, you just need to make your idea clear, and make sure you communicate clearly

What can we learn?3. At some point, you have to stop

Ending a product means finishing it

• While developing a project it’s easy to keep adding in extra stuff. However, at some point if you want to finish a game, you have to make the decision to stop working on it

• Committing to finishing a game allows you to have a final to-do list that you can stick to

• There’s plenty of stuff you’ll be sad about when you’re done. There’s million things you’ll think about when you finish that could make your game better

StatsUp to and including 12 May 2014

Online stats

• Over 25 blog and review write-ups of the game ( Over 8 in other languages )• English, Italian, Turkish, Vietnamese, Romanian, Polish• (Missed opportunity for localisation)

• 1 Newspaper article• Over 300 tweets since launch day • Over 2300 views of the trailer• Over 1000 views of the website

Windows Phone has the most purchases

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Showcase of interations of the game

Questions?

Thank you & enjoy!