Did you enjoy our review of The Pads Game? …if you answered “Yes” to this seemingly insignificant question, you must be reading this interview from the future because right now, in the snippet of time I happen to be writing this introduction, Badbones Productions was so fast with their interview, our review team hasn’t even had time to write up their review!?
…Badbones Productions may just be the fastest studio we’ve ever worked with…
Before we start we’d like to thank the Badbones Productions Team for participating in our interview and for answering all of our geeky questions! Thanks!
…and without further ado, our interview begins…
The Interview
/// Thanks for taking the time to talk to us about The Pads Game! Could you kick-start this interview by telling us a little about your studio, yourself, and what drew you into the gaming industry?
Hi, my name is Ciro Manna and I started in the game development world one year ago. My first job is a motorcycles customizer and mechanic but I’ve always been a gamer and a developer “for passion”. I am full of new ideas and I am always working hard because my dream is to build up a great game software house.
Actually, my little studio is my home in Naples (Italy), and the only time where I can work on my projects is in the night. Maybe one day I will work like “real” developers in the morning hours. 😉
/// Ok, let’s start talking about The Pads Game. What are the highlights of your latest release?
The Pads Game was born from inspiration taken from many games in the 50s and my own retro design ideas. In my last update, I worked to improve gameplay difficulty and code flow but there will be many more updates covering music, gameplay, etc.
Actually, I’m working on those future features…
/// What was the core idea or inspiration behind The Pads Game? And perhaps more importantly, where do you find inspiration for your games in general?
I find inspiration for my games from my child, my wife, music, and dreams. Behind the game there are many inspirations. Generally, I start from the real-life feelings, I sail along a river of unreal thoughts and ideas then I return to the real world with the core of the project (like I do with motorcycles).
/// How long was The Pads Game in development for? And are there any interesting and/or exciting moments or experiences you would like to share with us from that time?
To develop “The Pads Game” I worked every night for 3 / 4 weeks but the real idea started the month before the development. The most exciting moment was when one night, I was very tired, I fell asleep next to the mac because I couldn’t find a good way to manage some calculations about the boolean arrays and when I woke up, I had the solution in mind. The rem phase of my sleep had done the work for me.
Edamame: Wow… 😲
/// What software, developer-tools, or black-magic(?) did you use when making The Pads Game? Is there anything you would like to share with the developers who read Edamame Reviews?
I use Unity with C#. It is a very strong IDE with a good way to make your dreams comes true.
/// Is there any secret “developer-advice” you can give our lucky players who read this interview?
Yes. The Pads Game is a puzzle game but to get the highest score and to go on to the next levels you need to use a good strategy. I think a good way to do so is: Use special Pads only when you cannot go next. To close a full-color Pad, try to fill all the slots before, often the solution will not become immediately visible. When you complete a full-color pad but it is not on “The Target”, do not touch the pad, keep it for the next level.
/// What can we expect to see in The Pads Game or from Badbones Productions in the not so distant future? What do we have to look forward to next?
I am working on the music and other features like a “Shake it to fill the slots”.
/// 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?
You are doing a great job. Growing an indie software house in a market dominated by big names is complicated but not impossible. With the help of all of us, we will succeed.
Many thanks and my best regards.
Edamame: Thank you!
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