The Art of Magic Word Party Game

Posted on March 28, 2011 by Shawn
Posted in 2D Design, Art Direction, Games Tagged art, art and design, Art Direction, iphone, iphone app, iphone games, magic word, party game, shawn, shawn woods, taboo, video game art, woods, word game, word party game

The Art of Magic Word Party Game

iPhone App

Magic Word Party Game is a social iPhone game you play with friends and family.

What is Magic Word Party Game?

A party game you play with Friends and Family.
A trivia game you play by yourself.
Must have “word” and “party” in the title.

Iterative Design Process

Focus on User Centered Design – Anyone can play!
Early Designs
Sketch > Mockup > Final
Color Research
Fonts – Hiero Font Editor (bitmap fonts)
Fonts – Standard iPhone fonts for most

Rapid Prototype Development

Using Flash for proof of concept, quick animation demos, and flow.
PhoneGap for early working demos.
Decided not to use it due to performance issues we could not overcome at the time.
Cocos2D for final development.

Refined Design and Polish

Use Apple template for standard sizes and placement to stay familiar with apps and lingo.
32-bit PNG files – no sprite animations.
Animations are coded.
Learning to develop for the iPhone over time.
Exporting final assets.
Sharing folders.

Organic Main Menu

Main Menu changes depending if the app is free (supported by AdMob), logged into Facebook, Friends, or Resuming a Game.

Key Features

Connect to Facebook – Story Feeds
Post to Twitter
Email-a-Friend
Single Player Trivia
Multiplayer Party Game
Customize Game Length & Win Conditions
Multiple Game Types

Download the entire Magic Word Party Game Design – PDF Document

www.wildfiregamelabs.com

www.magicwordpartygame.com

www.twitter.com/magicwordgame

Facebook – Search for Magic Word Party Game

Social Gaming Network Connections

Posted on December 17, 2009 by Shawn Digg
Posted in Art Direction, Games, News Tagged Art Direction, art director, blog, blogging, cafe press, cafepress, connect facebook to iphone, connect with facebook, facebook, facebook connect, iphone, iphone apps, iphone development, iphone games, iphone party games, iphone word games, LinkedIn, magic word, magic word iphone, magic word party game, mini cards, moo, moo cards, moo mini cards, party games, shawn, shawn woods, social gaming network, social networking games, social networks, tap tap, tapulous, twitter, wildfire, wildfire game labs, wildfire games, woods

Social Gaming Network Connections

Social Gaming Network Connections

Finding the idea for an iPhone game is one thing. Making it all work together is another. It can be quite overwhelming and confusing. Which is exactly why I decided to take a more visual approach to connecting these social networking outlets.

It all starts with the iPhone App or Game. I believe every new app should include the basic necessities and viral hooks: Connect to Facebook to brag to your friends and compete on leaderboards, post high scores to Twitter, tell a friend through email, even bump and email if you get that far.

If you post a message on Facebook (or Facebook Pages), it should automatically feed into Twitter. AdMob (now Google) has a great system of sharing similar apps and cross promoting one another. If I am playing a game I like, I will click an ad at the bottom that appeals to me (Tap Tap by Tapulous does a great job of this). Posting on my blog should connect to Facebook, which in turn puts a note on Twitter. The company website is separate from the game website and linked together. LinkedIn takes feeds from your blog. It all works together.

Create a CafePress storefront for print-on-demand t-shirts, mugs, mouse pads, environmentally safe grocery bags, calendars, etc. Stores can be created for free or you can upgrade to the premium model with unlimited products for a small fee of $5.95/month. Linking to your store and back creating yet another link in the social networking ring. Of course, as you create movies its wise to post on all the major video sites like YouTube, and Vimeo.

And then there are your “traditional” online advertising campaigns through Press Releases, Google Adsense, and good old fashioned emailing to noteworthy bloggers, news sites, and gamers. A company called Moo has custom “mini cards” for a cheap price ($20 for a 100 pack). These are excellent quality cards with a waxy finish. They are great for in person promotions and starts an interesting conversation to break the ice. You can customize each double-sided card with your app on the front and information how to download it on the back.

If you’d like you site linked here, I’ll start a list below to make connections. Or post a comment/ping back below.

Wildfire Game Labs
Magic Word Party Game on the iPhone – Follow us on Twitter! – Facebook Page

Tag Archives: iphone