Back up your work

I'll tell you, finishing this game has been one son-of-a-gun. Little things keep cropping up and we are stuck at 99.5%. Unfortunately, if certain shortcomings violate Apple's rules you will get rejected. The problems we have now fit in that category. I spent the morning working out details including the re-write of the press-release announcing the game to the app community. While typing away, suddenly my monitor turns off. Like anyone you curse first, leading to minor panic followed by quick disaster planning. We were in the middle of a huge rain storm. I looked at the floor in my office and I was 1/2 inch deep in water. My back-up power supply was filled with water and turned off like it is supposed to. I spent the next 9 hours dealing with the flood and I was lucky. It ends up the city had a back up of the entire system.

This brings up another point, back up your work and have a back-up power supply! Here is what I do.

I use a Mac Pro tower with a 23" monitor plugged into a back-up power supply. Two internal drives, one external. I have Time Machine backing up hourly to the internal drive, Deja vu backing up daily to the external. I also have a portable drive I keep in another location in case of disaster. Back-up came into play during the last few months, I'm glad I was doing it.

Come hell or high water I am finishing this app. More storms are coming, so I better watch what I ask for.

Pimp'in ain't easy!

Being that "Beat the Boss" is back in the shop for some tweaks I am involved in the marketing aspects like keywords and description. The biggest news of the moment is Tiger Woods infidelity. He has bowed out of golf for the moment to collect his thoughts and arrange his life. What sucks for him is that he is so famous that almost every conversation in the world starts with a Tiger joke. I am contributing as I always have. Sorry Tiger.

Headaches

An interesting phenomenon shows up just every now and then. This annoying occurrence makes me think my friend Mahesh has lost his mind. At the same time, he thinks I have lost mine.

Part of the difficulty about working long distance is understanding. I have contact with India, The Netherlands, Belarus and the US. I am getting used to working with people all around the world. There are some typical challenges including time coordination and the delay that I call "international art lag".

Today's discussion has relevance to my story about having a bad guitar wire. For three years I couldn't hear my guitar through my computer because of a bad cable. This is kind of happening again.

I just tested the final versions sent to me by Mahesh, both FREE and PAID versions. They were supposed to contain minor adjustments. The PAID reflected the changes, the FREE didn't. Interesting.

In normal procedure, I go to iTunes / iPhone / Applications and delete the present version of Beat the Boss, then I sync. After sync I add what Mahesh sends me and sync again. Then I test.

I loaded a FREE and a PAID version. The PAID looks great and reflects the changes I suggested for that current version. The FREE showed no changes at all. I sent a note saying great, but not quite there. I assume this is when Mahesh starts taking aspirin.

In the past we have run into times where I have to "Restore" my iPhone when it doesn't recognize the changes sent to me. That is what I did yesterday.

It ends up I have a bad cord again in a digital kind of way. It happens intermittently so you forget about the possibility.

Howard Stern

I have established that I will go proactive in gaining recognition for Beat the Boss. Steve Ochs from HERO Entertainment contacted me about using my video "1982 Circus of the Farts" in an upcoming DVD. It meant no money to me, but the project will get some merit. Steve may get an audience with Howard Stern who will see another video series I made 4 years ago called "The CFC". One episode pits Howard against Anna Nicole Smith in the Celebrity Farting Challenge. While rendering the movie I included an ad for Beat the Boss. I want the name of the game as well as the icon to be memorable. Getting a plug from Howard Stern would be great, he's a major player.

Two headed cats

Having two cats has effected Beat the Boss during it's creation. Just when you have a great thought one of my little buddies kills something or wants a thorough petting. Today is no different. I got up in the middle of the night and stepped in a huge hair ball making a gross squishy noise. A few days ago it appeared that Yuuki had been in an altercation. His head had been in something's mouth but it didn't appear serious. This morning he jumped on the bed and it looked like he had Bell's palsy. The right side of his face was swollen to where his eye was almost shut. It looks like he has two heads. He's at the vet now, I think he'll live.

I mention this because the development of an app or any other creation is effected by outside influences. Just when you have a good thought, the phone rings or your kid needs a sandwich. It's part of life, I have learned to roll with the punches and use unplanned occurrences as a springboards. In the game, you throw cats at the Boss. I wonder where that idea came from?

This is a picture of Yuuki as a kitten before he messed up his head. He also has a crooked tail.

The vet just called, $400 for surgery... I need to sell some apps.

Fuzz boxes and plugs

Overcoming computer difficulties is part of life these days. I have always had a problem that I could never figure out…how to connect a guitar to a Mac and jam. A number of years ago I bought a Monster cable that goes from guitar to computer but could never make it work. I borrowed guitars and pulled my hair out with no sound coming out of the speakers.

Recently I got iLife. It contains an upgraded GarageBand and has built-in guitar lessons. The electric guitar has all kinds of variations with fuzz boxes and amps. The next move I made was to go to YouTube and search for videos on the subject. A number of them showed you everything, a few said go to Radio Shack.

I got a Stereo Male (3.5mm) to 1/4" female adapter. $5. I looked online and went to 3 guitar stores. At Best Buy I bought a Squire (by Fender) $119 guitar and a wall hook. It looks like a Strat. The next thing I need are headphones or my neighbors are going to kill me.

What does this have to do with making iPhone apps?…curiosity and tenacity. What was between me and computer music was a bad cord. A five dollar adapter and a cheap guitar fixed the problem. Once I put my mind to it I was able to overcome a very large frustration. When you are building apps logic is a major factor. Does what you are making make sense to the public? Can a new user click the icon and figure out how to use your creation in a few short seconds? "Beat the Boss'" is pretty straight forward, I hope people like it.

Now I can grow hair again!

Checkered Flag

The final builds are being completed. I played the final version and got through 12 levels in a little over 5 minutes. That is the sort of game I wanted to create from the very beginning, challenging without having to think too hard. Kind of like whack-a-mole or throwing darts mixed with a little office angst. My hope is that angry office workers will grab their iPhones and smack the crap out of the Boss and feel better about themselves… without getting fired.

Next will be completing the free version which is a derivative of the paid one. One of the problems with long term projects is that you have too much time to think. What looked like a good idea in January can look pretty stale in June. That can mean advertising pieces that don't reflect new elements, making decisions to alter the game or creating a website that supports the whole venture. How things turn out has a lot to do with timing.

The checkered flag is visible in the distance. It's about to get interesting.

Freebie, Upgrade, or "In App" purchase?

Beat the Boss is getting closer to finalizing, but there are so many details it may still be longer than I hoped till I hit the finish line. The timing of the game is good because the economy is bad, people will be pissed for a long time. The subject of hitting your Boss is nothing new, I am providing a 2010 delivery method. AT&T is running at 300 percent because of Smart Phone usage. The size of the app is an issue. I know for a fact that being under 10 megs will be essential for the free version. 10 megs is the limit for "over air" downloads. Previous apps I have made were too large and people gave up if they weren't at a Wi-Fi spot. My free version will have an option to remind yourself to buy the full version with an angrily written e-mail sent by the Boss. I have had thoughts of selling new levels as in "in app" purchase. From what I have read, people see a short sales spike right after you upgrade. Being my game is level dependent, I can keep adding levels indefinitely. Now my thought is, how often?

Lithotripsy

Exactly one year ago I was doubled over in pain suffering from my second bout of kidney stones. One of the reasons that this happens is because I don't drink enough water. Creative people are weird, kind of like baseball pitchers…head cases. The idea is to get into the groove and come up with some great ideas. Throw strikes. This can take hours or two days. Personally I forget to eat, much less drink. A kidney stone attack hurts in places you don't know you have. Twice this has happened in my life. Believe me, it's some major league pain. While you are creating your own app, don't forget to exercise and drink water. Man cannot live on Red Bull alone. I now know the meaning of a procedure called, "lithotripsy". I wish I didn't.

Snow Leopard

I'm working on a Mac. Snow Leopard is the latest Apple software update. There are annoying glitches that are supposedly addressed and some new functionality. I draw using Adobe Illustrator. One hassle that I have always dealt with is not seeing a preview of those Illustrator files. Now, the icons show you a mini picture of the content of the file. Small thing but huge for me. I have been using Macs for 15 years. It has never been perfect, there is always a bug. It seems as though computing has moved into an era where the main focus is to take advantage of the processor and move packets of information effectively using the Intel Highway. I am really concerned about glitches in my program. People are getting used to things working well. If your game hangs up or crashes your audience will write bad reviews and vaporize.

Babies, Puppies and Super Models

I dropped by to see my friends at web2mobiledesign in Santa Monica a few weeks ago. Michael and Nik were busy but I spent a few minutes with them. I brought up the subject of app promotion. Nik mentioned that you cannot go wrong with babies, puppies and super models. I just so happened to be a baby cartoon expert. YouTube promotion is part of my social networking plan. I have prepared 5 (1-minute) HD YouTube demo commercials. One features a baby kicking the Boss's butt. I remember watching old Rocky & Bullwinkle cartoons. Rocky would say, "You'd do THAT to a baby?" Bullwinkle would answer "You bet Rock, and I'd do it to you". Hugh DeMann actually forces the babies to work for him in the video, he deserves a beating.

Bowling Balls, Hand Grenades and Donuts

My original plan called for 12 weapons to attack Hugh DeMann. From a gaming perspective I had to figure out the game play, scoring and consequences of each action. There are 16 contact points on each level, X 12 weapons. Uh oh...I have to figure out a bunch of possibilities. What I know now is that about 4 of the 12 levels need to change. I have designed elements that are difficult to program. So the flame thrower is out, so is the welding torch. Back is the grenade and I have added bowling balls and donuts. These are tough decisions to make, insults are tied to each weapon. I photographed the donuts to use in the game. After I shot them they were eaten with 2% milk.

Visualization

When I work, I work to scale both in storyboards and demos. This way I can look at my creation from an iPhone perspective. The first problem in my game is your hand gets in the way if you use your index finger to hit with the boxing glove. I need to create a game play that gets you into it, not just press a button. I came up with flinging the gloves with your thumbs, it makes it kind of Wii like. I actually picked up the phone and faked like I was playing. After that I made a demo version in Flash. Now it is real time. Boxing gloves work, I am in the process of making other weapons work in the playing environment.

Mindset

Being that I am a cartoonist my apps reflect that mind set. I am not making standard SDK apps, I am using the screen as an interactive play device. As an example, TheFirstDog app has you throw a frisbee to Bo on the White House lawn. My next app is business related, but a game.

For now, the title of my app will be code named "Hugh DeMann". Hugh is the boss at the DeMann Corporation. He will insult you, a bell will ring (Jerry Springer style) and two boxing gloves will appear. You hit him with punches while he moves like George Bush dodging a shoe. There will be a free and a paid version. Hidden clues about the game will leak through out through social media.

I have been working on the app for close to 4 months at this point. There are a number of cool innovations.