Now on the App Store… Photics: Revisions – Course Correction

Wow, what speed. For about two years, the “Course Correction” project sat on the back-burner. But in a little over two weeks since I started using GameSalad, my game is on the App store. I’m impressed with the quality of this App. This is one of my best projects ever. The game has good graphics, great sound and the presentation is professional. Apple seems to have picked up their game too. I submitted my App on Friday. By Monday my game was available for sale. For only 99¢  you can download this game to your iPhone or iPod Touch. If you don’t have an iPhone or iPod Touch, a browser version should be available in the future. This is the start of a new era for this website and I’m really excited about it!

Course Correction is an extension of my book Photics: Revisions. This part of the story happens shortly after the main character (you) learns their true identity. Here’s the game’s description…

Miles “Hank” Mulligan and Philip Otis are on a mission to save the Earth from hostile forces. While traveling back to their home planet, at near light speeds, a miscalculation was discovered. In order to regain lost time, A course correction is needed – straight through an asteroid field. The capital ship is not equipped to combat this threat. Instead, it is up to you. By piloting a small fighter, can you blast away the debris and escort your friends to safety?

Defend the capital ship from harm as it flies through an asteroid field. Use your fighter’s 360° cannon to blast away those space rocks. As you progress through your mission, you will gain useful power-ups, such as regeneration and a faster gun turret. However, your mission will be a failure if either spacecraft is destroyed.

One of the things I really like about this game is the way the asteroids explode. I put a lot of work into getting that effect just right. I even risked physical harm to record the boom sound. That explosion you hear is a recording of an actual combustion… I used REAL FIRE.

For those that take the plunge and buy a copy of my game, here are some game play suggestions – Balance out the damage between both ships. If the fighter is low on health, it’s OK to let the capital ship take some hits. With the regenerative technology, the capital ship can repair itself. You don’t have to play to perfection. You don’t have to shoot every rock… only the ones that put you in danger. Don’t trust the radar to be 100% accurate. This is an asteroid field. The more rocks there are in range, the less likely it is going to detect all of the rocks.

Also, the game was designed as a diversion. Hopefully you won’t obsess about reaching the end. It doesn’t really have one. It’s more about a relaxing way to enjoy some free time.

Here’s the level chart…

Level  1 -    0 Points
Level  2 - 1000 Points --- Regeneration
Level  3 - 2000 Points --- Faster Turret
Level  4 - 4000 Points --- Better Gun
Level  5 - 8000 Points --- Faster Shooting
Level  6 - 16000 Points -- More Thrust
Level  7 - 32000 Points -- No Regeneration
Level  8 - 64000 Points -- Regeneration Restored
Level  9 - 128000 Points - We're almost clear.
Level 10 - 256000 Points - Win

I’m glad I stayed determined and I didn’t give up on my Mac hardware / software. For a while, I was discouraged with iPhone / iPod Touch development. I still don’t know if this is going to be successful business venture, but at least I’m having a lot more fun.