Interview with Shahed from OnekSoft
With all things indie games. There stands out one developer who makes it just a bit easier to gather all your information into one place. He just doesn’t provide a Sales Data Analyzer, he also provides an XNA Starter Kit for those just starting out in XNA. I myself plan to use the tools that Shahed from OnekSoft provided the public. A man of many talents and a lover of Zombie Ninja Cats, I had time to get the info on OnekSoft and the possible future we can expect from them.
VVGtv: Hey Shahed. Thanks for taking a moment to answer some questions we had about OnekSoftLabs and OnekSoftGames.
Shahed: Hey Ryan, thanks for reaching out to me for this interview.
VVGtv: First things first, you have gained quite the popularity in the Sales Data Analyzer. What made you put together this useful tool for the XNA Community?
Shahed: It started out as a simple spreadsheet I had set up for myself. But it became quite tedious to manually generate my spreadsheets and charts every time I downloaded my sales data. So, I built the web-based interface from scratch and revised it a couple of times, based on user feedback.
I wanted to start a new R&D initiative for OnekSoft Games, so I named it OnekSoft Labs, and got a new domain name for it: http://OnekSoftLabs.com. I published the 1-click XBLIG Sales Data Analyzer, and word spread quickly around the globe. The site was further promoted in the Indie media through The Indie Mine (interview), Armless Octopus (blog posts) and Indie Gamer Chick (dev article).
VVGtv: In a short summary, how does the Sales Data Analyzer Work?
Shahed: It is written entirely in C# (just like XNA games) but runs on Microsoft’s IIS web server as an ASP.NET application.
There are 3 steps to using the Analyzer.
- Paste your sales data (either tab-delimited, or comma-separated values)
- (optional): Select one or more countries and a date range to filter by.
- Click the Analyze button to see your data and charts for the selections you made.
If you skip Step 2, the Analyzer will automatically detect the date range, and will include all countries possible.
There are 2 chart types at the moment:
- Sales by Country: stacked column chart of total sales by country
- Running Total: cumulative totals over time
VVGtv: Who can use the Sales Data Analyzer?
Shahed: Any XNA developer who has received sales data from Microsoft can start using the Sales Data Analyzer immediately. Note that there are major performance issues for top-sellers, since the Analyzer has not been optimized for big data at this time. For a full-featured optimized version, I am also working on mySDA, which is essentially the Analyzer on steroids.
See my FAQ section for details on mySDA:
One example of “big data” is FortressCraft from Projector Games, which had such massive sales that the developer was unable to use the Analyzer on my web server due to timeout issues. To generate the FortressCraft charts, the developer emailed me the sales data, which I ran through the Analyzer on my laptop for several minutes.
You can see the Featured section to compare game sales from various developers who have emailed me their sales data.
http://OnekSoftLabs.com/featured
Another good example to showcase the Analyzer is Take Arms from Discord Games. You can see a massive spike in sales following a price drop from $3 to $1.
VVGtv: Any Plans to expand the use of the Sales Data Analyzer to use other imported numbers from iOS, Android and multiple sales CSV file types?
Shahed: The short answer is “yes”.
Right now, I support both tab-delimited files and comma-separated values in the current Analyzer. After I publish at least 1 game on iOS and Android, I plan to expand the Analyzer to support other platforms as well. But, I am focusing on my XNA Basic Starter Kit, which I am improving in parallel with developing my first game based on the Kit. This game was supposed to be a tech demo to showcase my Starter Kit, but I plan on releasing it on XBLIG and also submitting to Dream.Build.Play.
VVGtv: Let’s talk about your game Angry Zombie Ninja Cats. Why are these Zombie Ninja Cats so Angry?
Shahed: Haha, they’re angry for a couple of reasons. When I started using the Platformer Starter Kit, I knew that I would have to replace all the graphics and sounds, then change the default behavior/abilities of the protagonist and the enemies. The enemies in the PSK would only walk left and right, so I added in the “angry” gene, so that they rush towards the feline hero if you get too close in their line of sight.
I also wanted to use a name that begins with the letter “A” and had considered “Awesome” and “Angry” before I settled on Angry. The word describes the basic enemy AI, and also happens to be used in a popular mobile game with Birds in it.
VVGtv: What inspired AZNC?
Shahed: When I lived in Bangladesh as a child, I built some “paper games” using ink for the backgrounds and pencils for the “sprites”. All movements and attacks were accomplished by flicking the pencil on the paper.
I made over 100+ paper games, and one of them was called “Ninja Warriors”, similar to actual video games The Revenge of Shinobi or the classic Ninja Gaiden. As a new Indie game developer in 2011, I wanted to bring my childhood game to life, and decided to use Zombies and Cats for their popularity on the Internet.
VVGtv: The games you develop look fairly simple, not too flashy. Why is this?
Shahed: My first game 2D Math Panic was something I put together in 1 evening after work. I had just finished reading “Learning XNA 4.0”, and used my lessons from the book to put together a working game. All the graphics were crudely built in PowerPoint, hence the simple look. I submitted it to see what would happen, and it ended up selling enough to make back my $100 investment into my App Hub membership.
My second game was Angry Zombie Ninja Cats, which I built on top of the Platformer Starter Kit (within 2 weeks) in my spare time. It spent more time in playtesting and review, and also went through 2 post-release updates to address initial user feedback. Once again, all the graphics were put together in PowerPoint.
I was frequently asked to hire a graphics artist for future games. However, I actually draw quite well, so I decided to publish my own drawings on my Facebook page to showcase my drawing skill:
http://tinyurl.com/OnekSoftPics
My drawings are done in different styles and with various tools: pencil, pen, tablet, Corel Draw and Toon Boom Animation Studio. Some of my drawings have also been featured on Otaku Dante’s Gaming Inferno, a popular game review blog. In fact, the “Art of the Month” for May 2012 features a drawing of mine.
http://otakudgamereviews.blogspot.com/p/art-4-sale.html
My DBP entry will feature simple graphics once again, but I have started to work on a fighting game with hand-drawn characters.
VVGtv: Any plans on starting a kickstarter?
Shahed: Not at the moment. I think that KickStarter should be used as a fundraiser by developers who have already proven themselves in the market.
With mySDA coming up soon, I want to first build a solid product that developers want to use. I can rely on their goodwill if they choose to donate, or publish an offline tool that they can pay for.
If I keep building incrementally better games, I hope to create a game that is well received by both critics and gamers alike. If that happens, I can consider hiring additional Indie developers or artists for future games. A kickstarter could then be used for 1-time costs such as paying an artist or buying new hardware/software.
I would prefer to be very open about what the money will be used for.
VVGtv: Once again Shahed, it was a pleasure to send these questions to you. I love what you are doing for the community. I hope you can continue to give us the great tools and personality.
Shahed: Thanks, my work with the Microsoft/XNA Community has also helped me in my career and my day job.
As a result, I got a lot of things lined up in 2012:
* XBLIG Sales Data Analyzer released
* XNA Basic Starter Kit published
* Media coverage by ArmlessOctopus.com
* Continued development of the Sales Data Analyzer and the Basic Starter Kit.
* Media Interview by TheIndieMine.com
* International Game Developers Association invite by XNA MVP Jim Perry.
* Tales from the Dev Side article on IndieGamerChick.com
* MS TechEd 2012 invite by my employer (all-expense paid free trip to Florida!).
* Selected at work to speak on “XNA Lessons Learned.”
* Selected at work to start R&D on Kinect for the Workplace
* MonoGame Team asked if I would release my Kit for iOS/Android
* My first entry in Dream.Build.Play
* Another dev article for IndieGamerChick.com (coming soon!)
* Interview with Master Blud of VVGTV.com! 🙂
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VVGtv’s FREDS FRIDAYS Number 7 You’re Grounded!
Well it has been quite a run for Fred for the past 7 weeks. He ended up playing too long here at VVGtv, now it seems he is grounded in his basement for a while, by whom, I have no idea. He will escape again, find out his parents are gone, and the rest of the world has turned to taco eating zombies. It will be sad to see Fred leave this site for a while. Maybe he will pick up his trail on another site as well. Fred is on a journey, he needs to get use to his surroundings, he also needs to find that damn twinky factory, because ya know, twinkies last forever, according to some zombie movie.
At this moment and time I would like you to visit the developers website located at Sticky DPad Games and also follow them on their twitter as well at @StickyDPadGames.
Also here is a list of the previous FREDS FRIDAYS:
FREDS FRIDAYS Number 1
FREDS FRIDAYS No. 2 Let’s Eat Brains (Interview)
FREDS FRIDAYS #3
FREDS FRIDAYS Number 4 Our Visual Journey Begins
FREDS FRIDAYS Numba 5 It’s Time To Eat
FREDS FRIDAYS Numero Seis (6) Un Resumen de esta semana in spanish
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[VVGtv] Freds Fridays Numero Seis (6) Un resumen de esta semana (in spanish)
Note: This entire post is in spanish and english.
Hola, soy Ryan. Ha sido una semana ¿no? StickyDpadGames parece haber ganado un poco de la exposición. A principios de esta semana StickyDPadGames pié hacia el creador de Super Meat Boy, en sólo un diseño de personajes fue esbozar. Varios minutos más tarde, el desarrollador de “Super Meat Boy” -Edmund McMillen, respondió a la promotora de la “Night of the Fred” y les dio el visto bueno para usarlo en el juego! A continuación se muestra una imagen de Zombie – Super Meat Boy.
[English]
Hi, I’m Ryan. It has been quite a week hasn’t it? StickyDpadGames seems to have gained some exposure. Earlier this week StickyDPadGames tweeted to the creator of Super Meat Boy, just a character design he sketched together. Several minutes later, the developer of Super Meat Boy -Edmund McMillen, responded to the developer of the “Night of the Fred” and gave the approval for use in the game! Below is a picture of Zombie – Super Meat Boy.
Otro anuncio se hizo a partir StickyDPadGames cuenta de Twitter diciendo que van a estar trabajando en un proyecto paralelo llamado “Dawn of the Fred”. Lo que parece ser una especie de pre-experiencia de juego con los modos de supervivencia. Nuestra mejor apuesta es que va a lanzar a finales de primavera o principios del verano. StickyDPadGames planea hacer un documental sobre “Dawn of the Fred”. A continuación se muestra la foto del arte de la caja reclamo que se utilizará para “Dawn of the Fred”.
[English]
Another announcement came from StickyDPadGames twitter account saying they are going to be working on a side project called “Dawn of the Fred”. Which seems to be some sort of pre-game experience with survival modes. Our best bet is that it is releasing in late spring or early summer.
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Block Zombies Blows the MotherLoving Pixels Out of You!
Click BoxArt to be brought to the Marketlink
Available for 80 Microsoft Points!
In a world gone wrong, one girl stands alone. Alone, but not unarmed!
Strange crystalline structures have turned the populace into mindless, zombie-like creatures.
Explore a variety of environments and upgrade your arsenal as you take on the zombies and blow them into their constituent blocky bits.
Fight the Zombies! Stop the Infection! Save the Day!
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VVGtv Exclusive: Freds Fridays!
Here at VVGtv, we do many things regarding indie games. Today, Friday the 13th marks a special day, it marks the start of “Night of the Fred”, you will follow our adventure and things we’ve found to be interesting about the game. It could be a screenshot, a music clip from the game, a weapon, development process or even a ninja? Well let’s just put it this way, each week on Friday starting today, we will share some more information about the game as each week passes us by. Get ready to help us guide Fred through an epic zombie infested world every week, so gather your guns and blunt objects, it’s time to leave the basement and grab your controller…….oh wait, most of you seclude yourself in your mothers basement while playing video games (Kidding). Just sit right there, only Fred needs to leave his basement, I mean look at his eyes!
Without further ado, I present to you the exclusive content of “Night of the Fred” an upcoming Xbox Indie Game from Sticky DPad Games You can also follow them on twitter StickDPadGames Twitter
‘Night Of The Fred’ is a Zombie Action-RPG for XBLIG. You play as Fred, a regular guy who discovers his parents are missing, as well as a world infested with zombies. But that doesn’t bother Fred, as nothing will stand in his way to find his parents.
Development wise, we’d say we are at about 20% done. We have all the gameplay mechanics sorted and everything functioning smoothly. At the moment though, the biggest challenge we face is the game world, which we are currently in the middle of. Before starting development, creating the world we always knew was going to be the most difficult part, due to the sheer size of the game. The hardest part about it, is crafting something that not only looks good, yet is believable. That by far is our toughest goal to achieve during the making of ‘Night Of The Fred’.
‘Night Of The Fred’ is expected to be released on Xbox Live Indie Games in October 2012.
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Indies at First Sight: Bub Block and There Will Be Brains
Click Each Boxart to be brought to MarketLink
Bub Block
I fought forever to find someone to play with, the game doesn’t really have an online multiplayer, instead it is replaced with local multiplayer. I had to basically beg my family to sit down and play the title as they looked at the menu screen. So I got at least 1 family member and a friend to join in on the blockish fun. The object of the game is to destroy your opponent by trapping them in an enclosed area using blocks, just moments after trapping your opponent they are demolished by blades that actually look more like washer rings you would find in your home, they could have done a little bit more with the blade work in the animations. I have to admit, I had fun for only a little bit, it died after about 40 minutes in and lost its flavor. I would honestly recommend this title to a younger audience, there is really any blood, instead it is replaced by hearts. As for my final rating on this, it gets a surprising 3 out of 5. It is a cute game and plays very well, I just couldn’t play as much as I thought I could.
There Will Be Brains
From the first time I had played the title, I do my reviews on both a Standard Definition Television and a High Definition Television. The game still has a text bug for a problem with aspect ratio on SDTVs. Don’t let this stop you from enjoying the game. The menus are pretty straight forward and the weapons are fun to play with. At first the game starts to drag really slow, then starts picking up when you aquire new weapons. Also I found it hard to judge when I am actually lined up with a zombie to kill, I keep having to nudge up or down just to hit it right, by that time, the zombies are already rapping at my gates. The game does need some polish, better text to describe what you need to do, it is far too big for the game as a whole. The soundtrack needs some work, to be honest, the soundtrack needs to be scrapped and they need to get some new music. The character needs a boost of speed and accuracy. I can honestly say, that you should at least try this title, it isn’t for everyone. Rating is a 2.5 out of 5.
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Arcade Review: Zombie Apocalypse: Never Die Alone
Xbox Live Arcade Games
800 MS Points
Developer- Konami
By: Daizoren
The original Zombie Apocalypse for Xbox Live Arcade was a smash T.V. Inspired slatughterthon of killing zombies in a single area and moving on. Much like Horde mode or firefight, you fought wave after increasingly more difficult wave of enemies, the types of enemies changing as you went along. Zombie Apocalypse: Never Die Alone attempts to recreate that original arcade feel but adds in longer levels that you progress through, rather than the traditional single area. Does it work to the title’s advantage or does this sequel fall short of it’s predecessor? (more…)
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Dead Pixels XBLIG Review
Developer – CSR Studios
Price – 80 MS Points
Genre – RPG Shooter (8-bit Zombie Sim)
Release Date – 9/15/2011
Marketplace URL – Dead Pixels
Rating – 9 out of 10
Review by: The Danger Pickle (Contributor)
So, I wake up this morning and get ready for the day. Sun is shining, birds are chirping, perfect day. Just as I am about to get my morning coffee I look up and wouldn’t you know it, ZOMBIES!!! Zombies are in my garden ruining my tulips. Well, I did what any red-blooded American would do, grabbed my trusty Chamber’s shotgun and started making zombie heads roll.
VVGtv 