Lame Castle from Be-Rad Entertainment – a fortress of fun on the Xperia™ PLAY
As the wonderfully innovative Xperia™ PLAY games continue to keep coming into the Stand out from the Crowd submission site, Sony Ericsson is pleased to showcase the next standout game – Lame Castle from Be-Rad Entertainment – and fully optimized for the Xperia™ PLAY.
Now that Be-Rad’s Lame Castle has been nominated as a standout, the game earns a chance to for a spot in the Game recommender app in Sony Ericsson phones. In addition, Be-Rad Entertainment will be promoted in all of Sony Ericsson’s marketing channels, which includes visibility in our official Facebook page, endorsement in global press releases, and recognition at upcoming gaming events like Gamescom in Germany.
Be-Rad Entertainment is the brainchild of Brad “Be-Rad” Johnson, who started his own company in 2010. After having worked for 5 years as a gameplay scripter and programmer at Crystal Dynamics, Brad was ready to branch out and make mobile games on his own. Brad took some time to talk to us about the work behind his first creation, the “dash and smash” mobile game Lame Castle.
Brad Johnson, Be-Rad Entertainment
What is Lame Castle all about?
- Lame Castle is a “dash and smash” game that guides a knight on his quest to save a kingdom by destroying an evil wizard’s (lame) castle, while rescuing a princess along the way.
How do you play Lame Castle on the Xperia™ PLAY?
- Lame Castle takes advantage of the Xperia™ PLAY’s gamepad buttons and the wonderfully wide screen size. The game only requires 2 buttons, so we alternated between jump and attack for most buttons on the device. As far as the screen goes, it’s a bit wider than a lot of other phones so you can actually see further ahead of you. This gives you a bit more time to see pickups and hazards so you’ll have an advantage when going for a high score.
What tools did you use to develop and optimise your game?
- Lame Castle was made using the Unity 3D Game Engine and they did a great job of making it easy to integrate the Xperia™ PLAY gamepad controls into an existing project. The only thing I had to add to my project was a small bit of script before the game could recognize Xperia™ PLAY devices. Total development for the game has been roughly 4 months. The game was originally released in November 2010 after about 3 months of development and I’ve spent close to a month doing updates.
What was your inspiration for making Lame Castle?
- Lame Castle was my first mobile game so I wanted to do something that would grab some attention. There was a Sony PSP ad that featured a fake mobile game called Lame Castle. My friend told me about the ad so I jumped on the Lame Castle name and started prototyping a game. The finished product turned into what Lame Castle is today and it went on to get a decent amount of press due to the name of the game. What’s really cool is that the game is now on a Sony (Ericsson) device so the whole thing’s come around full circle.
Do you have any design insights that you’d like to share with other developers?
- I highly recommend using the Unity 3D Game Engine. It’s well suited for making games for the Xperia™ PLAY due to the easy setup of controls, and the Xperia™ PLAY is powerful so you can have a lot going on in your game and still have a great frame rate.
Is there anything in the works for Xperia™ PLAY users, such as updates or new games?
- I’m planning an update to Lame Castle that will add a new gameplay mode and more levels. My next game that’s about to be released is called Serious Sam: Kamikaze Attack! It’s part of the Serious Sam indie series which is 3 separate games made by 3 indie game studios who get to use the Serious Sam license. They’re all being made to help promote the soon to be released Serious Sam 3.
Thanks for talking to us, Brad!
If you’re ready to start building your own Android™ games, check out our Xperia™ PLAY developer page for the latest tips, guidelines, and tutorials from Sony Ericsson. This is a great starting point for developers keen on designing quality apps for the world’s first authentic gaming smartphone. Learn how to best take advantage of Xperia™ PLAY controls in your games, and get guidance and tips from not only the Sony Ericsson Developer team, but from other game developers.
And if you’ve got a great android game ready or in the works, share it with us on the Stand Out from the Crowd site. It’s a superb way to get your game noticed, and if your game becomes a standout, Sony Ericsson is ready to support you to the fullest – we’re talking about press releases, demos of your games at gaming conferences, recognition at company-sponsored events, and the chance for your game to be prominently featured in the Game Recommender app of the Xperia™ PLAY. Are you ready to stand out?
Now that Be-Rad’s Lame Castle has been nominated as a standout, the game earns a chance to for a spot in the Game recommender app in Sony Ericsson phones. In addition, Be-Rad Entertainment will be promoted in all of Sony Ericsson’s marketing channels, which includes visibility in our official Facebook page, endorsement in global press releases, and recognition at upcoming gaming events like Gamescom in Germany.
Be-Rad Entertainment is the brainchild of Brad “Be-Rad” Johnson, who started his own company in 2010. After having worked for 5 years as a gameplay scripter and programmer at Crystal Dynamics, Brad was ready to branch out and make mobile games on his own. Brad took some time to talk to us about the work behind his first creation, the “dash and smash” mobile game Lame Castle.
Brad Johnson, Be-Rad Entertainment
What is Lame Castle all about?
- Lame Castle is a “dash and smash” game that guides a knight on his quest to save a kingdom by destroying an evil wizard’s (lame) castle, while rescuing a princess along the way.
How do you play Lame Castle on the Xperia™ PLAY?
- Lame Castle takes advantage of the Xperia™ PLAY’s gamepad buttons and the wonderfully wide screen size. The game only requires 2 buttons, so we alternated between jump and attack for most buttons on the device. As far as the screen goes, it’s a bit wider than a lot of other phones so you can actually see further ahead of you. This gives you a bit more time to see pickups and hazards so you’ll have an advantage when going for a high score.
What tools did you use to develop and optimise your game?
- Lame Castle was made using the Unity 3D Game Engine and they did a great job of making it easy to integrate the Xperia™ PLAY gamepad controls into an existing project. The only thing I had to add to my project was a small bit of script before the game could recognize Xperia™ PLAY devices. Total development for the game has been roughly 4 months. The game was originally released in November 2010 after about 3 months of development and I’ve spent close to a month doing updates.
What was your inspiration for making Lame Castle?
- Lame Castle was my first mobile game so I wanted to do something that would grab some attention. There was a Sony PSP ad that featured a fake mobile game called Lame Castle. My friend told me about the ad so I jumped on the Lame Castle name and started prototyping a game. The finished product turned into what Lame Castle is today and it went on to get a decent amount of press due to the name of the game. What’s really cool is that the game is now on a Sony (Ericsson) device so the whole thing’s come around full circle.
Do you have any design insights that you’d like to share with other developers?
- I highly recommend using the Unity 3D Game Engine. It’s well suited for making games for the Xperia™ PLAY due to the easy setup of controls, and the Xperia™ PLAY is powerful so you can have a lot going on in your game and still have a great frame rate.
Is there anything in the works for Xperia™ PLAY users, such as updates or new games?
- I’m planning an update to Lame Castle that will add a new gameplay mode and more levels. My next game that’s about to be released is called Serious Sam: Kamikaze Attack! It’s part of the Serious Sam indie series which is 3 separate games made by 3 indie game studios who get to use the Serious Sam license. They’re all being made to help promote the soon to be released Serious Sam 3.
Thanks for talking to us, Brad!
If you’re ready to start building your own Android™ games, check out our Xperia™ PLAY developer page for the latest tips, guidelines, and tutorials from Sony Ericsson. This is a great starting point for developers keen on designing quality apps for the world’s first authentic gaming smartphone. Learn how to best take advantage of Xperia™ PLAY controls in your games, and get guidance and tips from not only the Sony Ericsson Developer team, but from other game developers.
And if you’ve got a great android game ready or in the works, share it with us on the Stand Out from the Crowd site. It’s a superb way to get your game noticed, and if your game becomes a standout, Sony Ericsson is ready to support you to the fullest – we’re talking about press releases, demos of your games at gaming conferences, recognition at company-sponsored events, and the chance for your game to be prominently featured in the Game Recommender app of the Xperia™ PLAY. Are you ready to stand out?
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