Here we are, back with another developer interview! This time with Lazy Boy Developments the creator of Basketball Superstar. Before we start we’d like to thank the Lazy Boy Developments Team for participating in our interview and for answering all of our geeky questions! Thanks!
/// Thanks for taking the time to talk to us about Basketball Superstar! Could you kick-start this interview by telling us a little about your studio, yourself, and what drew you into the gaming industry?
The quick answer is I’ve been a gamer for as long as I can remember and been fascinated with game design. After studying software engineering at university, got a ‘proper’ job in the financial industry but my desire to build games was always there.
With the mobile platform becoming ever more popular, the ‘bedroom developer’ was reborn and I jumped at the chance to make some games. Fortunately, after several failed attempts, I created a few football (soccer) games that earned a small but loyal audience and gave me the opportunity to make more. So, it’s just me, some computers and a lot of coffee.
/// Ok, let’s start talking about Basketball Superstar. What are the highlights of your latest release?
I think the concept is quite unique. I’ve created several ‘Superstar’ games from Football, to Tennis and now Basketball and the concept remains the same… It’s about the choices you make and the life you lead rather than skill.
It’s really a career and life simulator and asks what you’d do if you had the chance to be a promising young basketball player. Would you stay on the straight and narrow or do whatever it takes to get ahead? To me, that’s fun asking these types of questions when playing a game.
/// What was the core idea or inspiration behind Basketball Superstar? And perhaps more importantly, where do you find inspiration for your games in general?
The superstar series came to be because I’d read about a young sports star getting huge amounts of money and fame at such a young age and wonder what I would do in that situation?
Would I chase the cash or stay loyal to my team? Could I remain focused and disciplined throughout my career or would I be tempted elsewhere? These questions gave me the idea for the game. Once released, I received a lot of emails from people asking for alternative sports… and here we are.
Edamame Reviews: The concept is amazing, and does an excellent job of answering all those unanswered “what if” questions we had as kids.
/// How long was Basketball Superstar in development for? And are there any interesting and/or exciting moments or experiences you would like to share with us from that time?
I’d created Football Superstar beforehand so could re-use part of the game engine (although some had to be completely re-written) so the game took roughly 6 months to develop.
The most interesting aspect was adding an element of choice throughout the player’s career. I didn’t want obvious good or bad choices, just alternatives with different outcomes that would help shape the player as they progress. I added this to the game but it’s something that can be improved upon and that’s exciting knowing you implement something that has much more potential should the game be successful.
/// What software, developer-tools, or black-magic(?) did you use when making Basketball Superstar? Is there anything you would like to share with the developers who read Edamame Reviews?
The game is iOS only at the moment so I used Xcode and Objective c (no swift as yet) for development.
To be honest, when I started developing games there were no cross-platform dev kits but I regret not investing more time into that! Let’s be honest, we want to write the code once and that’s it. I get a lot of mails asking about Android versions of the games so I guess that’s next on my agenda.
/// Is there any secret “developer-advice” you can give our lucky players who read this interview?
Sure, develop your fitness and recovery player abilities. If you can train harder and longer then you’ll develop quicker and get to the NBA faster. Oh, and get yourself an agent… they can get you more cash!
/// What can we expect to see in Basketball Superstar or from Lazy Boy Developments in the not so distant future? What do we have to look forward to next?
My next game will be another Soccer game (Football Owner 2) and will be out mid-October but I get a lot of requests for US Football Superstar so that could be one for the future.
/// Lastly, is there anything you would like to say to our awesome team of Writers, Developers, and Supporters who keep Edamame Reviews up and running?
I honestly feel the indie scene helps breathe fresh life into the gaming market so I wish you all good fortune with your projects and never stop making those games!!
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