Game Insight has big plans for Sunshine Bay on Facebook [Interview]

Image via Game Insight

Earlier this year, casual game developer and publisher Game Insight launched Road 404‘s Sunshine Bay on Facebook, a tropical city-builder that challenges players with creating a lush beach resort while building its economy through the use of shipping routes to outside locations.

While the game is still in its soft-launch, it’s already found plenty of success on Facebook. According to our app tracking service AppData, the game has climbed to over 1.3 million monthly active players. That’s a huge increase over the 562,000 monthly active players the game had when we first previewed it back in September.

We had a chance to chat with Road 404 Studio Lead Max Donskikh about Sunshine Bay, and how Game Insight plans to use its experience with other similar games, like Airport City and Sky Adventures, to continue Sunshine Bay’s growth on the platform.

Inside Social Games: How long did Sunshine Bay take to develop, from concept to soft-launch?

Max Donskikh: It took exactly 6 months to develop the Facebook version. However, since we’re a cross-platform company that develops for mobile, we’ve also been working on additional versions for mobile platforms, and that has required more time.

ISG: Sunshine Bay has city building and resource management gameplay that’s similar to previously released Road 404 games. In your mind, what is it about that general gameplay formula that makes these games so successful?

MD: We think our games are successful for a number of reasons, and one of them is having a good combination of enjoyable game genres. We expanded the concept of a traditional city-building strategy game, in which players just need to oversee the growth of their own cities, with elements of transport strategy games, in which players send planes (like Airport City) or ships (Sunshine Bay) on voyages around the world.

This combination of gameplay not only makes the game experience more diverse, but it also expands the scale of everything that happens in the game for players. In most city-building games, all actions take place in one place—one city, their city. And that’s rather boring. The transportation elements in our games help expand the game experience beyond just sitting in their city, and it adds elements of adventure and travel to other parts of the globe, including arctic regions and tropical resorts. In addition, in our games, players also meet interesting characters and assemble collections of rarities that they can “charge” to unlock powerful bonuses.

So, by adding planes and ships, we not only expanded the gameplay, but also added a touch of romanticism with the travel component of our games. And who doesn’t love travelling? This helps us engage even those players who don’t like city-building games.

ISG: Was Sunshine Bay easier to develop than previous games, given Road 404’s experience with those similar titles, like Sky Adventures?

MD: Yes, it was. If you don’t go to extremes by trying to do every new game in a new genre and purposefully polish gameplay that has proven itself to be good, then on some level, it can be easier to make new games, because you have the benefit of technology, gameplay concepts, and even game balance that you’ve learned from and experienced while developing previous titles.

However, this doesn’t mean that we don’t ever intend to release something totally new! The success of our previous and current games lets us also develop more ambitious and risky projects…so stay tuned!

Image via Game Insight

ISG: How has the game development process changed now that so many gamers are playing casino and puzzle-style games? What do you do differently to make sure those gamers come back to try your games in the simulation genre?

MD: I can’t say that we’ve seen any significant changes. Yes, perhaps if we look at the whole market, casino games may have increased their share, for example. But the audience for city-builders and management/tycoon games hasn’t disappeared. To make sure we continue to find new players for our new games, we continue to market to players on mobile and on social—for example, for Sunshine Bay, we took advantage of Facebook’s numerous options to customize ad campaigns.

ISG: Were you surprised to see Sunshine Bay gaining so many active players, despite it not having been officially unveiled?

MD: We’re very happy with how the game has been doing so far.

ISG: How does Road 404 plan to capitalize on its existing fan base to bring new players to Sunshine Bay?

MD: There’s no magic involved. We cross-promote among our games, as you might expect. We’re also actively seeking new players to join as well.

ISG: What sort of content updates can players expect to see in Sunshine Bay going forward?

MD: We always try to engage our players with something new, so there will be many events based on independent ideas that the team has created, or pertaining to traditional holidays like Halloween. And every event implies new quests, new destinations, new collections and so on. Moreover, we plan to add many new features, such as enhancing the game’s social functionality by increasing the presence of friends and presents in the game.

As we’ve seen in our game Airport City, development doesn’t stop even several years after the release – we still add new content and new features, and expand the range of platforms on which we make the game available. I’m sure that Sunshine Bay will have a similar future.

Moreover, the launch of mobile versions will be a very important stage of game development – we’re going to give our players the opportunity to play on Facebook, on tablet or by phone using a single, unified profile that works across all platforms, and preserves players’ progress regardless of which platform they’re currently using.

Having cross-platform versions with full synchronization across all devices is a rather difficult task technically, but when the players realize the convenience of this kind of functionality, it will become a serious competitive edge.

ISG: Anything else you’d like to add?

MD: Road 404 is part of the big Game Insight family, and we’re proud to be a part of Game Insight’s success story. This year, Game Insight’s product lineup has become even more interesting, because the company is now diversifying its game portfolio and launching new “mid-core” and “hardcore” titles. For example, earlier this year, we (Game Insight) released the amazing sci-fi role-playing game Starborn Wanderers for iPad, launched cross-platform versions of our massively multiplayer game Dragon Eternity for iOS, Android and Facebook…and we announced Tank Domination and Running Shadow, which will be released later.

In the near future, we’ll launch the beautiful and engrossing hidden-object game Love & Dragons for iPad, new versions of the captivating city-builder Big Business Deluxe for iPhone and Amazon Appstore, and also the mobile versions of Sunshine Bay—which, as we’ve discussed, has already garnered many fans on Facebook.

Sunshine Bay is now available to play for free on Facebook. Check back soon to follow the game on AppData, our tracking service for mobile and social apps and developers.

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PS4 "release plans" for Gamescom 2013

by Magadala See, PlayStation Gang, Posted Aug 19th 2013 1:30PM

The official Sony uk.playstation site has been teasing fans, making them yearn for more information on the next-gen console so they can tune into the Gamescom event in a couple days.

Sony's page has mentioned that their fans can expect to see more news on the "release plans" of the PS4.

They will also continue to promote games for their current PS3 console and PS Vita handheld at the event.

You can see the biggest gaming event take place on Tuesday at 1 PM ET / 10 AM PT in Cologne, Germany.

To read more about Gamescom, go to PlayStation Gang> Tags: gamesCOM, Gamescom 2012, gamescom 2013, gamescom ps4, gamescom ps4 2013, Gamescom-2012, Gamescom-2013, gamescomps42013, Playstation 3, playstation 3 games, ps 3, ps 3 game list, ps 3 games, ps 3 news, ps 4 games, ps 4 gamescom, ps 4 news, ps 4 release, ps 4 release date, ps 4 release plan, ps 4 updates, ps vita, ps vita games, ps vita news, ps4, ps4 plans for gamescom, ps4plansforgamescom, SONY, Sony Playstation 3, Sony PlayStation 4, sony release plan, Sony uk.playstation

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Microsoft: 'No plans to release Halo on Steam'

In response to the recent speculation that Halo: CE, Halo 2, and Halo 3 will be playable on Steam, which stemmed from a leaked listed of games on the Steam database, Microsoft has confirmed the publisher has no plans to release any of the games on Valve's platform.

Responding to our inquiry, a Microsoft spokesperson gave us the typical, "We currently do not have plans to release any 'Halo' titles on Steam."

With that being said, it's worth noting the spokesperson didn't say PC, just Steam. It's still possible we could see the release of Halo: Combat Evolved, Halo 2, and Halo 3 on PC via Games for Windows LIVE marketplace or the Xbox LIVE Marketplace exclusively for Windows 8.

Let's remember, Halo games weren't the only ones mentioned. The list also mentioned Fez, The Witness, Quantum Conundrum 2, Gunpoint, Owlboy, Lococycle, and Dyad. And there was some validity to the list as Dyad creator Shawn McGrath revealed the PSN shooter would, in fact, be making the leap to Steam.

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Zynga plans to put FarmVille.com out to pasture soon, but why?

It's a sad day for FarmVille fans that enjoyed the absence of Facebook (almost) in their digital farming experience. Zynga has made it known to players that it will shut down FarmVille.com "very soon." The developer doesn't provide any more information than what it thinks you need to know.

Attention Farmers! Very soon, FarmVille.com will no longer be available to our players," Zynga's message that hangs above the game reads. "We encourage everyone to play on Facebook where you'll find all your favorite features including widescreen mode!"

There's a difference between "encourage" and "force", but that's beside the point. What's most interesting here is the why, and while we don't much more than you do, we can guess. Zynga is in the middle of getting its Project Z initiative in gear, which will provide Zynga with a more direct connection to its players through zTags on its own, Facebook-supported platform. If there's going to be one place to play all Zynga games away from Facebook, then why have a dedicated destination for FarmVille?

[Via FarmVille Freak]

Are you bummed that Zynga will shut down FarmVille.com? Are you excited to hear about see what becomes of Project Z? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment.

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Game while you can: Anonymous plans Jan. 28 Facebook attack

Anonymous, the worldwide group of hacker activists (a.k.a. "hacktivists"), wants Facebook's head on a platter. In light of the recent shutdown of file sharing service MegaUpload, the group plans to assault the social network with a DDoS, or distributed denial of service, attack at 12 a.m. EST on Jan. 28.

If this actually goes down, Facebook could be inaccessible for some time this Saturday. (And yes, that means no Facebook games.) DDoS attacks, in short, overload a website's servers, rendering it unusable and vulnerable to other security breaches. In fact, a video created by an Anonymous member specifically describes just how to contribute to the scheduled attack.

But why? The video below, which appears to be the work of one Anonymous member rallying fellow members and potential recruits, cites that "While SOPA and PIPA may be postponed from Congress, this does not guarantee that our internet rights will be upheld. For those unaware, there is still ACTA or the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement."

Still, Anonymous does not explain what Facebook has to do with this, and that's especially strange considering Facebook publicly opposes both the Stop Online Piracy Act and the Protect IP Act. Anonymous has declared war on Facebook several times, none of which were ever made good (or bad?) on.

While Anonymous is generally a unorganized group, it recently rallied to temporarily shut down CBS.com on Sunday morning. The Department of Justice, the Recording Industry Association of America, Universal Music Group, the Motion Picture Association of America and the U.S. Copyright Office all fell victim to Anonymous' attacks last week. So, get in that Facebook game time while you still can this Friday, and make other plans for Saturday.

[Via All Facebook]

Do you think Anonymous will make good on its declaration this time? What will you do if Facebook gets shut down this Saturday? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment.

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How Facebook Could Help More Users ‘Make Plans’

A new mock-up from Facebook and other recent changes suggest the social network could be making another push to make Events seem less formal.

Facebook has long wanted to make its Events product a tool for users to organize casual get-togethers not just parties or big events. Still, users are unlikely to use the feature for more spontaneous plans unless Facebook introduces a way to create events from mobile that can compete with the efficiency of group text messaging.

In the mock-up Facebook provided to illustrate Sponsored Stories in the News Feed, we noticed a design and name change for Events. Instead of “Create an Event” being on the right hand side of the home page squashed between Ticker and ads, there is a “Make Plans” option in the publisher at the top of the page. Last month Facebook made two other semantic changes within Events — using “Join” instead of “RSVP” and “Going” instead of “Attending.” This less formal language could lead more people to use Facebook Events for everyday plans.

Whenever Facebook has made changes to Events, designers have emphasized the product’s potential for spur of the moment gatherings. The first time event creation was added to the publisher, an official blog post suggested it was a way “to plan a more spontaneous get-together.” When Facebook added an Events box to the home page, the blog post mentioned “casual get-togethers,” “an impromptu day trip” and “last-minute plans.”

The website no longer features a way to create events from the publisher or directly from the home page. Users are also unable to create events from the iPhone or Android apps. The mobile touch site includes the capability, but the design is not optimal since the many of the buttons are too small.

To really get users making plans with Facebook Events, the company would have to develop an even easier flow and bring it to the native apps. Events could be an appropriate addition to the standalone Messenger app, which has made one-to-one and group messaging faster than in the main Facebook app. Some mobile apps, like Holler and Hurricane Party, aim to give people ways to create events on the fly, but without integrating Facebook’s social graph, they are of little use.

Facebook wants to position itself as a platform providing the tools for users to share social data that can be accessed by any developer to create new applications, but the company doesn’t shy away from encroaching on someone else’s territory. Developers operate in fear that the social network may eventually release a competing product, crushing smaller competition with its massive userbase. Checkin services, photo sharing apps and group messaging platforms have all faced this challenge, and it is unclear whether Facebook will wait for the pain points of organizing impromptu events to be solved by a third-party developer using the Events API or integrate this into the Facebook product itself.

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New Trailer, PAX East Plans For Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet

Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet, the very slick-looking XBLA game from cartoonist Michel Gagné and Fuelcell Games, will make an appearance at PAX East this weekend at Xbox Live's booth (#850), and so we have a new trailer to enjoy while we look forward to that.

Fuelcell plans to release 10 minutes of gameplay footage for ITSP in the next few days, but there's already a lot here to take in -- the ship with its useful mechanical arm, fetching, silhouetted environments brimming with moving hazards, and a giant boss trying to suck you into its terrifying maw.

The developer says its approaching completion of ITSP and has revamped the game's official site -- look forward to art and videos appearing on the site periodically as ITSP's release approaches.

Posted by Eric Caoili on March 10, 2011 10:00 AM | Permalink

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Notch Reveals Plans For After Minecraft

In a story appearing later today on Rock, Paper, Shotgun, Minecraft‘s creator, Markus ‘Notch’ Persson reveals that rather than developing Minecraft 2, he has three ideas for development once Minecraft is complete. With the blocky phenomenon intended to be finished by the end of 2011, and Scrolls being developed by others at Mojang, Persson’s mind is already pondering the possibilities for what might come next. And with an unfailing need to say every secret he has out loud, he tells us how he wants to make a “nerdy” space trading simulator, a real-world town simulation game, and a fantasy version of Football Manager. No, really. Find out more in a truncated extract from our exclusive Day In The Life Of Mojang feature, below.

“I have many games in mind,” says Persson. Does he know which will come next? “It keeps going back and forth. I’m really annoyed with how there are no space trading simulators at the moment. And the ones there have been always kind of miss the point. They’re fun, but even Elite 2 which was a great game, wasn’t really what I wanted. I really want to make that, but that’s going to be lots of work, and be extremely nerdy, and probably won’t sell very well. But hopefully I can convince other people here that they want to do it.”

Well, there’s our headline then: “Mojang’s next game is a space trading simulator.” But he’s not done.

“And then I have this weird town simulation thing, which is basically a single character Sims. You’re just one character in the town, just living. It wouldn’t be a super-realistic city simulator. It would be my take on what real life is.”

The headline I’m writing in my head starts to get a bit more convoluted. “Notch’s next game is either a space trading sim, or a real-world calm city, experiencer.” But it gets more complicated. I ask him if there’s any more ideas.

“Er… yeah. I shouldn’t probably say this because people might steal it, but what the hell. It’s like a football manager, but it’s for fantasy heroes. If you have a troll and a goblin in the same team, the troll might eat the goblin. Stuff like that.”

You can read the rest of the exclusive feature, including the many more details about these planned games, along with many more secrets from Mojang, later today on this very site.

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