Welcome to our series on “How developers game”. Today we’re talking with Defpotec Studios the creator of Shadō to share a little about how developers play and make their favorite games!
Before we start we would like to thank Defpotec Studios for participating in our interview and for answering all our questions! Thanks!
/// Thank for taking the time to talk to us about Shado and your gaming setup. First things first, are you a PC person or a Mac person?
I use a PC. Mainly because it’s what I’m most familiar with. I used a Mac a bit in school but otherwise, I’ve only ever owned PCs.
/// Can we have a list of your top 3 gaming peripherals when playing and making games?
I do occasionally use a SteelSeries Stratus XL controller. I like the feel of it and it can be used for both Android and PC games.
I also have a couple of generic VR and google cardboard headsets. Otherwise not much in the way of gaming peripherals.
/// Is there anything weird or unique to the work you do about your setup that you would be willing to share with us?
I keep a Rubik’s Cube and a deck of playing cards at my desk. When I’m waiting for code to build or I need to shift focus or take a short break, I’ll occasionally solve the Rubik’s Cube.
I’m not a speedcuber by any means, but I can usually solve it in a couple of minutes. I’ll also sometimes practice various sleight of hand moves with the cards. I don’t really perform magic much anymore, I just find that in both these cases, it helps me refocus afterward.
/// Moving on to your smartphone, iOS or Android? And why?
I mostly went with Android because the barrier to entry for developers is lower.
First, you need a Mac to even develop and deploy for iOS. Then it costs an additional $100 per year to keep your app on the App Store.
To release an app on the Google Play Store, there’s only a one time fee of $25. And some other markets like the Amazon app store are even free for developers.
/// Top 3 games on your phone other than Shado!
Probably the game I end up playing most is Jurassic World Alive. Mainly because my kids always want to “see if there are any dinosaurs”.
I did recently play through Monument Valley again.
Other than those, it’s probably whatever the latest games that Ketchapp or Voodoo have out, for “research purposes”.
/// Last question, for all the newbie developers out there, what do you actually need in terms of hardware in order to start making games?
Any decent PC should work fine in most cases. It needs to be able to meet the minimum specs for whatever software you plan on using, but it also needs to meet the target specs for the game you plan on making.
So if you’re planning on making a game for high-end gaming machines, then you would obviously need a high-end gaming machine to make it on.
For making mobile games, you’ll probably want a few extra test phones on hand. You’ll need to make sure the game runs fine on lower hardware specs, so in this case, the cheaper the phone the better.
Used, low-end phones that won’t hold a charge anymore and maybe have a cracked but fully functional screen are perfect for this since they can be had for as little as $5.
/// Thanks again for participating in our interview, we look forward to talking with you again sometime soon.
Thank you for following Edamame Reviews!
Let us know your thoughts on Twitter at @Edamame_Reviews
Download on Google Play