Wednesday 13 June 2012

Exclusive App Developer Interview with Finmouse

To celebrate out sourcing Maestro and superlative App developer Finmouse's release of their retro inspired vintage puzzle game Jumping Electron on Google Play today we've secured a very in depth interview with the game's developers. Please do go and give their Puzzle Game a thorough try as this interview is pure gold for potential app developers and users of app outsourcing companies. Pure gamers as well as developers will benefit lots from this interview, so enjoy and be sure to contact us when your hit app is released.


Gametrender Exclusive Interview with Finmouse
Development difficulties with making Freemium Apps on Android using Unity
   Q1.Which platform do you favor Android or iOS?   Big part of our team has vast experience on Android, but we are pushing hard towards development on iOS as well. We can’t really say we favor one or the other platform. Both of them come with different rules and guidelines. On is more open the other has a set of more tied guidelines regarding UI and permissions. However we consider it challenging to develop for both Android and iOS.   


Q2. What is the biggest obstacle to being a developer using Unity? The biggest obstacles we encountered using Unity 3D game engine for developing Jumping Electron were External Plugin integrations, like In-App Purchases, Ads, Analytics.  


   Q3. What is the hardest part of being an Android Developer? The hardest part of being an Android Developer is probably the smartphone variety to develop for, different Screen Sizes and aspect ratios and some performance issues to be aware of. We got for example 40-50 frames on Samsung Galaxy S while on HTC Desire (our lowest supported device) around 17-20 FPS - still ok but a big difference. On Tegra 2 devices it is of course even better.   


Q4. Do you find that Android is more profitable with freemium apps or full price apps? Definitely freemium, especially for indie developers. And even established brands are using more and more the freemium model. It really helps you grow an initial user base, which translates into better position in charts and better cross-app promotion opportunities.  
Introducing Jumping Electron with Some Handy hints
 Q5. How long did Jumping Electron take to develop? 3.5 months for the first 2 chapters. We will follow- up with 2 more chapters after Launch - so we are looking to 5 months from beginning to end of development.  

Q6. What made you decide to go for the Vintage Electronic age look for your app? We wanted something different, but casual. A simple story and graphics, yet something that the average user might not have been exposed to until now. 


  Q7. What do you think will most make Jumping Electron appeal to gamers? It's addictive and fueled with adrenaline... Really. Also it has really nice graphics too, while steal being casual even if it is a 3D Game.  


 Q8. Any tips for Jumping Electron Players? The Storm Electron will get you the highest score :-P. That is actually our favorite. Riding with a faster speed will actually consume less energy - however the Game is more difficult than. If you get stuck just use a Level Booster - you can always come back and play the level again. If you finish a level on MEDIUM you get 500 points extra. On HARD you get 1000…   


Q9. What exciting projects do you have lined up for the future? We plan to have 2 sequels for Jumping Electron, two more ages. Details on our Facebook, Twitter and G+ channels and on www.jumpingelectron.com  
Being an App Developer in Romania and insights into outsourcing in Cluj-Napoca
 Q10. How would a prospective developer in Romania hope to break into the industry? Hard work and innovative Game Design - everything goes.  


 Q11. (From your website)  In 2009, Cluj-Napoca was enlisted in the KPMG international list of locations to watch for the next outsourcing boom : Do you agree with this, and if so how much outsourcing work comes to you from outside your country. We think the boom has already happened and is still going strong. Most software companies in Cluj-Napoca are established branches of foreign companies. There are very few independent outsourcing companies going through the crisis without external support and even fewer product development companies. We believe this is the next stage - this is the future. Outsourcing makes you complacent and creates a nice 9-5 work culture as local branches are mostly focused on technical development, without the ups and downs of developing a full standalone product. Biggest challenge is the Marketing Budgets and brand building - where we still have a lot of catch up to do.  


 Q12. What do you think is the best skill that Finmouse can offer people looking for outsourcing? Mobile Development. Android, iPhone and Unity 3D for Games. On the server side we are working with Java and MongoDB (we have another app in final development stages - all we can say is that it’s social and it is best described as an "interest cocktail".  


 Q13. Does Finmouse outsource any of their own work? We work closely with a designer and concept artist - one of them based in Bucharest. We believe it is important to get the best creative artists to work with us and develop a long-term relationship with them. They are seen as part of the team and we are lucky to be able to work with them.   
A developers opinion on the Android/iOS Battle
Q14. Do you think that new powerful handsets like the Quad core Samsung S3 will swing popularity toward Android? Would you personally recommend an Android or iPhone?   We believe that with Android 4.0 and the new Quad Core devices iPhone will have a strong competition even if on UI responsiveness iOS is still the king. For Games bigger screen sizes and Quad Cores are the future- so iPhone5 should have an XL version of some kind in order to 
match it.


We hope that you enjoyed the interview and gained some more knowledge to further your own development careers from this interview. Please show Finmouse the love buy heading over to Google Play and trying out their apps. Enjoy.

1 comment:

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