My very first app!

There, I've done it.  I've stepped into the crazy world of creating a game for Apple's app store.  As a matter of fact, I have always wanted to created video games after playing them at a local arcade when I was younger.  I remember trying hard to finally strike with my parents into getting me a video gaming system back in 1991.  The deal was to get straight A's in one semester from school.  Two years later, I did it and they bought me the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES).  I stayed up for a couple of nights playing Super Mario World.  I remember those days like if it was yesterday.  In retrospect, I believe that was the only time in all of my educational years that I've ever gotten straight A's.  I would say video games were the cause for rise and fall of my grades.  I was promised the SNES if I got straight A's and afterwards, I was never able to focus enough to get straight A's anymore.


For some weird reason, I majored in finance and ended up walking down the usual path of working for "Corporate America".  However, the passion of video gaming still resides in me and I currently own about 5 video games systems including my original SNES.  A career change now is totally not feasible; with a baby and a house on the way, but thank God for the App Store!  Along with it....the iOS SDK!  All the tools you would ever need to build your very own video game (almost)!  And no career change needed.


This system that Apple created is wonderful, it has tools easy enough for beginners to take a shot at or powerful enough for high end developers to create some awesome games.  For me, I wanted to start off with an easy and simple game.  So now, without further interruptions, I present to you.....Fat Piggy!!  Yeah!!


The game is very simple, there are donuts falling from the sky (I know, WTF!?!) and there are piggies that "eat" these donuts.  There are four different colored donuts and similarly different colored pigs.  The donut colors are random when they appear and the trick here is to match the color of the donut to the color of the pig.  The pigs are static while the donuts keep falling on top of them.  You change the donut color by touching them on the iphone/ipod touch screen.  The piggies get grayed and spin out if the colors mismatch; but after awhile, they come back from grayed status in a different color to make it more fun.  Also, the donuts fall faster and faster as time passes.  When a bonus star appears, you can shake the iphone/ipod touch to magically change all the donut colors on the screen to match the pig colors they correspond to.  There is also the option in the setting screen to listen to your own music while playing the game.

The origin for this is actually kinda weird.  I have a colleague at work that is a health freak.  Me on the other hand, eat all kinds of fatty, but delicious crap.  When we have potluck breakfast sometimes, donuts are the usual favorite to bring in.  My colleague never fails to give me crap about eating donuts and calls me donut boy all the time.  Meanwhile, at home my wife notices that I've been gaining a few extra pounds after our wedding.  Therefore, she gives me the nickname, "Fat Pig."  We're Chinese, so the nickname is not as bad as how it sounds in English.  Anyway, to make a long story short, I combined my breakfast of choice eating habit with my Americanized Chinese nickname to create, "Fat Piggy."  The reason for "Piggy" instead of "Pig" is because "Fat Pig" is already taken according to Apple, but I can't for the life of me find anything even remotely similar in the app store.


Ok, ok, this might not be the best thing since slice bread but it is something I've spent many months and sleepless nights on and I'm happy I pulled through.  Hopefully, you will have as much fun with it as I did making it.


While I am still in the works to get this game published by Apple and is in the submission process, I will keep everyone posted when I get the "OK" (fingers crossed).


Also, I will use this blog as a area to get any feedback, advice and/or question you may have in regards to my game when it finally gets released.