We are super happy to be able to interview Elias and Tedy from ET Bros. Authors of a game you may recall from your childhood! Do you have a good memory, hint, hint. On top of a great concept, they have brought a game to production using our new Cocos Creator game development tool.
0. Tell me a bit about yourself and team.
We are a team of two guys that are just getting into mobile gaming. My name is Elias Fares and my indie partner is Tedy Tadi. We’ve had experience building a mobile app before where we almost turned it into a startup after receiving funding for the app idea. After our initial venture, we decided to have a go at mobile gaming. We are long-time childhood friends who grew up together and want to build something fun together.
1. Tell us where you came up with the idea for this game. What were your inspirations?
Since we are new to mobile game development we thought we would start with something simple and basic. We wanted to do something that was familiar with us so that we could focus on learning the ins and outs of building a game using Cocos Creator rather than focusing on designing the game features. We were inspired to make this classic game because it seems like a popular game and a good place for us to start.
2. What version of cocos2d-x did you use?
When we first started using the Cocos game engine we used cocos2d-x v3.7. We followed the Parkour game tutorial to learn the capabilities of Cocos and how to use its JavaScript framework. We learnt many basic things that we did not know about like how to create a sprite, adding physics, writing up game logic and animation. Then Cocos Creator came out and we jumped into it right away.
3. How did you decide to use cocos2d-x instead of Unity, Unreal Engine or SDL?
We wanted to build simple 2D games, nothing too fancy or complicated. We did a lot of research before choosing a game engine. A big decision maker was looking for a JavaScript. Unity and Unreal Engine are great but they seemed like an overkill for simple 2d games. Cocos2d-x was just right because it fit my skill sets and the engine did everything we wanted. From what we found online, reviews said many great things about Cocos2d-x like the fact that it is open-source and has the best performance for mobile games.
4. What features did the engine offer you that made development easy? What do you wish the engine did better?
The engine allowed me to develop in pure JavaScript. And it provided other tools too such as Cocos Studio which we used to create spritesheets and now we use Cocos Creator as our main game development tool. The Sonar System Videos are also another great thing that helped us get started with Cocos2d-x. I think the engine is great. Sometimes the documentation lacks behind but the Cocos community is outstanding! It is so active that anytime I am stuck I can always post a question in the forum and receive a response within a day.
5. What tools did you use besides the engine?
None really.
6. What 3rd party libraries did you need to use?
We don’t really use any 3rd party libraries other than the ones provided by Cocos.
7. Did you create the art yourself? What tools?
Yes, we use Photoshop to design everything from game assets to putting together the entire mockup before we start developing. We design the background, the buttons, the player sprite and put it all together until we’re happy with it then we start coding it up.
8. Did you create the music yourself? What tools?
No, we haven’t created any sounds ourselves. We usually find ones that you can download for free online.
9. Will you continue to make games in the future?
Yes, definitely! Since Cocos Creator is so easy to use, I don’t see why not. With the ease of use of Cocos Creator I don’t see why wouldn’t. Creator does make it easy for developers to collaborate with designers on the team so working together is fun and seamless.
10. Do you use SDKBOX? If so, what plugins are you currently using?
Not yet but we plan on using it. We are looking to us the Flurry Analytics plug in along with Social Sharing, Leaderboard and other ad plugins.
11. Lastly, any advice for those also making games on how to get to a release point?
You have to start somewhere regardless of what experience level you have. Tedy and I did not know anything about how to develop a game when we first started. The Cocos’ Programmer Guide was a stepping stone for us into this industry. It is also good to get involved in the community and the forums. People like to help so don’t be afraid to ask questions and know that wherever you get stuck, there is certainly someone out there who has had the same problem as you and found a solution for it.
Simon Says is available of the App Store and the Play Store. Check it out today.
