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Dev-Log: Virus Strike Pt.1 (iPhone & iPod)

Posted on 11. Nov, 2010 by admin in AV-Log, Featured

Virus Strike by Vertigo Software

Behind the scenes of Virus Strike

Virus Strike struck the app store a few weeks ago and we managed to get a quick post out highlighting it.

In came in from under the radar but since then it has gathered a lot of steam and been featured on numerous reviews sites, all praising it highly.

In what may seem like a strange move, Virus Strike was released for free and without any sounds. So we contacted Neil Ferguson of Vertigo Software about this, his process, his marketing strategy and much more.

AppVaders, we are proud to show you Part 1 of a 2 part series on Virus Strike, an app hit in the making.

THE DETAILS

The words

AppVader: When did you start developing?

Neil Ferguson: I started programming on a BBC Micro at the age of 8! I’ve always been a keen programmer, in my spare time as well as at work. Full-time I
work at a software start-up in London. Virus Strike is my first iPhone
game and I’d never programmed in Objective C before this, so I learnt
a lot while developing it.

AV: How did Virus Strike first come about?

NF: I came up with the idea about a year ago. I’d been playing a
physics-based game called Linerider, as well as Flight Control. It
occurred to me that combining a line-drawing physics-engine with a
match 3-type game might be fun to play, so I had a look through every
single puzzle game in the App Store to see if anyone had done it. It
took me hours – several days, in fact – but I couldn’t find one. Only
then, when I knew I had an original idea, did I start developing
Virus Strike.

AV: How do you play Virus Strike?

NF: The concept is simple. Different-colored viruses will fall from the
top of the screen. Draw lines and tilt the screen to direct viruses of
the same colour into groups, and then use antibodies to neutralise
them. Direct the wrong antibody to the wrong-colored group and the
viruses will multiply!

I’m positioning it as a combination of Tetris, Bejeweled and Flight Control.

AV: What makes Virus Strike unique?

NF: It’s the only game that combines a line-drawing mechanic with a
colour-matching mechanic. It also manages to mix together classic
Tetris-style gaming with popular iPhone gaming features like the
touch-screen and the accelerometer.

Having said that, I think one of the game’s best features is the
realistic way the viruses and antibodies obey the laws of physics – to
the player of the game, the lines are mere drawings, but to viruses
and antibodies, the lines are physical barriers. For example:

· Draw a sloping line and the viruses will roll down the line.
· Tilt the screen and the viruses will roll down the slopes faster.
· Alternatively, draw a circle around the viruses and they
will be trapped!

We’re only getting started with Neil. Part 2 will include a look at his original draft drawings, sounds files that will be included in the game, PR strategy and what problems he faced along the way.

Part 2 will be coming at you Monday the 14th, so stay tuned!

Tags: dev, developer, Development, Game, iPhone, iPod, Vertigo Software

Reviewed by: admin

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