It’s the last day of October, and I have some good news. Waddlefield is ready for submission to the iTunes App Store. This game is the results of several months of work and I have to say I’m experiencing a very strange feeling.
The Cycle has Ended
For the past few months, I’ve sat down every day to work on Waddlefield, looking over a check list, removing finished tasks, adding new tasks, watching all the pieces coming together but fully engrossed in this concept that there were always known tasks which needed to be completed and unknown tasks which needed to be found. The strange feeling is that the checklist is empty, and I have nothing else to put on it. The game is ready. I’m excited, but I feel like I’ve gone from running a race to learning to walk again. What do I do from here?
The Next Step
For those of you following the waddle, the next few hours is my combing of the Unity forum reading what others have written about submission. What to avoid, what to double check, etc. The app will be submitted on the 1st of November and (hopefully) in the store by the November 14th (two weeks is the average processing time).
The Accomplishment
I’ve worked on my own games, multimedia projects, and web sites over the years. Many of them are pipe dreams, which I attribute to my overactive imagination allowing me to think of more ideas than what I can practically accomplish. Some of them have been finished and these have mainly been hobby projects.
Waddlefield, though, is my attempt to establish myself in the game industry as a independent developer. It’s not a hobby, but a commercial product and I’m ecstatic that I can say it’s done.
The Next Chapter
Waddlefield was intended to be developed and released in chapters. There are three separate releases extending the story levels and feature lists. On the web site, Waddlefield.com, I have a ‘road map’ which allows players to see what’s coming up. Unlike more common instances of episodally developed games, the additional chapters will be free.
Along with working on the next chapter of the game, immediate attention will be devoted to the promotion of Waddlefield. The primary means will be demonstrative videos posted on YouTube and Vimeo. They will have adorable music, and show the features and strategic analysis of various characters, so look forward to those.
Encouragement in Closing
I am feeling great, and hopefully this feeling will increase when the game is released and (hopefully) warmly received. Like I said in my opening of this post: it’s a strange feeling. The shifting gears is good, but it also heralds an unknown future. All I can hope for, is the best. Thanks to everyone who encouraged and supported me through development, and thanks to the potential waddlers who support me by checking out Waddlefield when it’s in the app store.