Grindle Oni A is a game which has
been developed over time, through a number of separate periods that have
produced four distinct versions. Events during this time have meant these
previous versions have not gone further than fully working games to show
possible publishers, but now Grindle Oni A is being released on Android devices,
and in this first developer diary I want to share where it all started and how
it got to where it is today.
Development of the Grindle game
began way back in the early part of 2010, with the initial idea to make a simple
memory game for mobile devices involving four different coloured grins. The
initial concept screen was quickly produced the next day and a working version
of the game was done within a couple of weeks. At this point Grindle only
featured four games. The graphics were very basic, but the program was designed
to just get the idea into a physical form that could be played and developed.
Grindle Extreme - 2010
Towards the end of 2010 the
second version of the Grindle game took shape. The graphics became more refined,
starting to incorporate tribal tattoo ideas into the style. The grins developed
and a simple menu was built for the four games and the four difficulties that
they could be played at. This version was called Grindle Extreme. The graphics
started to take shape but they were still too dark and the tribal theme could
do with pushing to a greater level.
Grindle Oni - 2011
A year passed and then towards
the end of 2011 the third version of the game, Grindle Oni, was developed. This
version added another eight games to the previous four, adding many new ideas
to the Grindle mechanic. Now players had to move the Grins around the grid,
watch sequences of lights, and match pairs. The vibrancy of the graphics was
increased and the tribal theme was pushed more with the incorporation of
Japanese elements. Four Grindle characters were introduced in this version, and
the twelve games were split between them, giving the program more of a distinct
structure. Achievements and Challenges for each game were also added at this
point to expand the Grindle experience. The whole game was now taking on a
unified look and the Grindle environment was coming together, but there were
still a few more things to come.
Grindle Oni A - 2013
Again time passed with no
development, and then as 2013 dawned work began on the Android version of
Grindle, Grindle Oni A. With the decision to bring the game out on Android
tablets the game needed upgrading and all the art was redrawn for the HD
screens, this increase in screen size also meant the program code needed to be redone,
and it was fully reprogrammed for this version. During this process refinements
were made to all areas of the game. Some of the features in the previous
version of the game were not adding anything to it and were probably confusing
the experience, while other features just needed a slight alteration. The
challenges were now all split into their separate games, with ten for each one.
A star award system was also introduced to the challenges, offering a greater
reward to the player for completion, while giving them greater targets to aim
for.
Grins Over Development - 2010 - 2013
And so now we have Grindle Oni A,
developed and refined since its initial concept in 2010 to be a challenging but
enjoyable test for all players on Android devices. I hope you have enjoyed this
look back at the development of the game and how it has progressed from the
initial idea, and keep watching for more development diaries as I take a look
at how the different elements of this final version of the game took shape.
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