Getting To Know Your Developers [GTKYD]: Pedro Almeida from Attack Pinball Studios
Written by Alexis M. (Rivithed)
Wednesday, 18 November 2009
Today's featured game developer interview is with Pedro Almeida, from Attack Pinball Studios. Pedro has recently completed Undead Attack! Pinball, a new iPhone and iPod touch game that brings a unique twist to the pinball genre, or to the zombie game genre depending on how you look at it. Get some insight on how it was developing the concept for iPhone and iPod touch gameplay, some of Pedro's game influences, and where Attack Pinball Studio is headed to next with their games!
Who are you and what do you do in the gaming industry?
My name is Pedro Almeida, I'm member and founder of the newly formed Attack Pinball Studio, for which I work primarily as a game designer and also as 3d artist.
What are you currently working on or have recently released?
My first project in the studio was the game Undead Attack! Pinball, released for iPhone and iPod Touch. The game is a fusion of elements of two types of games, Pinball and Tower Defense. The main goal is survive, defeating waves of Undead monsters that are trying to escape from each stage, which works as unique pinball tables. There are two different types of ball that can be launched to beat the zombies, upgrades and special items to improve the gameplay. Currently I am working on two game projects also for iPhone and iPod Touch, with launches planned for the first quarter of 2010.
What inspired you to do this blend of zombies and pinball?
Before starting the project we listed some types of games could have an interesting gameplay by using the interface at our disposal, namely the touchscreen and accelerometer. After the generation and evaluation of some ideas, we chose a Pinball mechanic to work with, which controls came in handy on the iPhone and iPod touch.
Zombies appeared after testing other pinball games, which made us realize that some of them moved away from a classic Pinball style, characterized by score markers mostly static or a setting composed of more traditional pinball structures. These games have characters that work as moving targets through the table, but in the tested examples, in very few cases these targets were acting in an active way, for or against the player. This was a point that we found interesting to work with, and the result was the decision to use a similar mechanic from Defense-style games, that were popular among webgames players, mixed with a more traditional genre like Pinball.
What was one of the biggest challenges of developing Undead Attack! Pinball?
The biggest challenge of Undead Attack! Pinball was blending the mechanics of two quite different types of games. At the beginning of the project we’re dealing more like an experiment, we tried to make this mix work in an interesting way, and after several improvements we realized that we did.
More and more ideas arose during the project, and the establishment of limits for our scope was also a major challenge, to not exceed the timeline set for the project. We then focused on gameplay, by adding elements such as the Spiky ball, controlled by accelerometer, or the defensive weapon located at the gate of each stage. Many ideas we wanted, as the addition of main and secondary objectives to each stage, are planned for an upcoming project.
What is one of your favorite things about Undead Attack! Pinball?
Situations that physics-based games can provide please me greatly, and in Undead Attack Pinball occur several interesting moments like exploding lots of Zombies in a crowded place, or perform a sequence of impacts on the circular bumpers present at the Mansion and the Temple.
How will you continue to support the game?
In late October we launched a special update for Halloween, containing special elements for the date and also adding new features such as the multiple balls system. We are constantly checking the reports submitted by Apple and analyzing the reviews of players, which we take as an important part of the product development, and when is possible we implement the more frequent and interesting suggestions.
As I said, we have many ideas to be implemented in this type of game, and possibly some of them may come in future updates for Undead Attack! Pinball.
Would you ever consider releasing Undead Attack! Pinball for another digital delivery platform, like PSP minis or DSiWare?
I would really like to work with these platforms. It’s important to diversify, but from my point of view is also important to deal with a game in a very specific way for the device to which it will be developed, to make better use of interfaces each one presents. Undead Attack! Pinball was entirely designed for iPhone and iPod Touch, and its port for DSi and especially for PSP is a little tricky, mainly because of the interface.
Switching to your personal gameplaying habits, what is your favorite game you have every played on any console and why?
I have a huge list of games I really enjoyed, but the one I enjoyed most is an unknown game I do not see people talking about, it's called The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Joking apart, it’s very difficult to choose just one. Games, in every generation, introduce new technologies and ways for interaction, and my enthusiasm with a certain type of game is not always the same, but in fact for me the best was Ocarina of Time.
What game(s) are you currently playing?
The games I'm playing at the moment are Need for Speed Shift on PC, Scribblenauts on the Nintendo DS, and many other web and iPhone / iPod Touch games.
Which games are you looking forward to playing in the next year and why?
Next year I want to finally get my hands on Gran Turismo 5. Racing games are one of my favorite genres, and in the case of Gran Turismo 5 the long wait makes it even more desirable. Another title I'm waiting for is Mario Galaxy 2, as a fan of the games produced by Nintendo, especially the ones with the touch of Shigeru Miyamoto.
What is next for you?
I intend to continue the development of the studio, focusing initially on mobile platforms from Apple, and next expanding for other mobile devices that have some way for digital distribution of games and applications. As part of the development team, I am always looking for new references and improvement of my game designer skills, to make more different and interesting games.
At the beginning of next year we will be releasing two more games for iPhone / iPod touch, which I am working hard at the moment.
Anything else you're itching to tell us about Undead Pinball Attack or your game development studio?
At Attack Pinball Studio we will always be developing products that can provide unique and unusual experiences as in Undead Attack! Pinball.
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Many thanks to Pedro Almeida and Attack Pinball Studios for making this interview possible! See more on Undead Attack! Pinball here at the official website. Undead Attack! Pinball is now available for the iPhone and iPod touch for $2.99 here at the AppStore. You can also try it for free with a demo available here.
