Android App Review Source:

How did you get into developing apps?

Phil Symonds:

I’m a software developer, and I’ve always been a keen PC and console gamer. In my spare time I’ll often code side projects that interest me and in the past this has involved games for the Nintendo DS or Java games for both desktop and mobile platforms. I was already looking into open source mobile development (OpenMoko) before Android came along, so it was an easy decision to get an Android phone when they were released. It wasn’t my original intention to make paid apps, but the popularity of Abduction! encouraged me to invest more time into making it a full game.

Android App Review Source:

What was your inspiration for developing this app?

Phil Symonds:

A while back there was a flash game called “Winter Bells” which was a simple but addictive game where you made a rabbit climb into the sky by bouncing off bells. I’m sure it’s still around if you google it. I felt a version of this would make good use of the tilt sensor in the G1 and it grew in complexity from there.

Android App Review Source:

How long did it take to develop the app?

Phil Symonds:

It took a day to get a working version which confirmed it would be a fun game to develop. I think it was a couple of weeks work to get the first version to market. Early adopters will remember that the game changed often based on early feedback, so there was a lot of work in those first couple of weeks of release. From there to the full game was another month or so of work, but I’m trying to keep adding features, so the work doesn’t really stop.

Android App Review Source:

Are there any hidden features to the app?

Phil Symonds:

The most common question I get is how to unlock the remaining characters after all the levels are completed. The two hardest to find are the white tiger and the pig. The white tiger is obtained by beating any mountain level in the adventure mode using the normal tiger. The consolation pig is unlocked when you get to the end of an adventure level but miss the last platform and fall.

Android App Review Source:

Do you have any future plans for this app?

Phil Symonds:

My plan is to add new characters quite frequently, and a set of new levels every now and then. I’ve been revisiting openGL recently with an eye to porting the game to improve performance.

Android App Review Source:

Do you plan to develop any new apps? If so when can we expect to see them in the Market?

Phil Symonds:

I’m working on a couple of projects at the moment. The first is HeliRescue (a video is available on my blog: http://abductiongame.wordpress.com), which is a forest fire fighting game. It’s in a playable state, but I want to replace placeholder graphics and I’m not sure if I’ll move it to openGL before releasing yet. The second game is a tile based puzzle game which will most likely have its first release in a couple of weeks.

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