[Development] Toad Jam (Windows Phone & Windows 8)

[rover2341]

About
Toad Jam is multiplayer puzzle game for windows phone and windows 8. Its built in Silverlight. Made by rover2341 (Mark Dickinson), Luke Dickinson, and Andy Dickinson.

Why Build Toad Jam?
Imagine Cup - Microsoft's biggest student programing contest ever year (International). Several category's. We choice the game category.

We decided on a puzzle game because we felt a simple casual game with a few advanced features would give us in edge. Also If we could keep it simple we could give it a lot of polish.

Features

•Classic Mode
•Puzzle Mode
•Puzzle Editor (Create Your own Puzzle's, and share them online)
•Online Mode (Live Multiplayer that's Cross platform between Windows 8, And Windows Phone)
•Achievement's
•Interactive game pieces.
•Music And Sound Effects
•How To Play Tutorial


Videos

30 Sec Add Video

10 Min Overview Video

Windows 8 Version is Pending in store....

 

[Kanadaj]

As the programmer behind ThinkInvisible for Windows Phone (yes I know it's not bug-free, but the other members of the team said they don't care, especially since it's free), here are my thoughts:
-You should improve the graphics. The first thing a mobile gamer looks at is usually the screenshots. They will ignore games that doesn't look appealing enough.
-Don't have your hopes high with Windows 8 - people won't play casual games on their PC, maybe on their tablet, but not on their laptop or desktop.
-Add more interesting things, like rainbow coloured frogs that substitute any frog, or bonuses in multiplayer like if you can get 3x3 frogs in one move, you can tap any other player's image of screen to disable their movements. These things add some depth to the casual gameplay, and remove some of it's monotonicity. Not to mention that in multiplayer games, players should be able to interact with each other, else you could just play in single player and see who wins first.

 

[rover2341]

As the programmer behind ThinkInvisible for Windows Phone (yes I know it's not bug-free, but the other members of the team said they don't care, especially since it's free), here are my thoughts

Cool, Ill have to check that out.

-You should improve the graphics. The first thing a mobile gamer looks at is usually the screenshots. They will ignore games that doesn't look appealing enough.

This was surprising to me, as we had many different styles and thought what we had was pretty good.

We made it to top 10 (US), with imagine cup. But The biggest thing they said was lack of better visuals, They didn't like it either. They suggested, either out sourcing, or doing alot more survey type data with additional art.

But I recognize I am not much of artist.

-Don't have your hopes high with Windows 8 - people won't play casual games on their PC, maybe on their tablet, but not on their laptop or desktop.

I hear ya, but I have in older bro who does pretty good with windows 8 and hes speed card game. But still more on phone.

-Add more interesting things, like rainbow coloured frogs that substitute any frog, or bonuses in multiplayer like if you can get 3x3 frogs in one move, you can tap any other player's image of screen to disable their movements. These things add some depth to the casual gameplay, and remove some of it's monotonicity. Not to mention that in multiplayer games, players should be able to interact with each other, else you could just play in single player and see who wins first.

Thanks for the suggestions on visuals.

We had it were you got a power up and then you could apply it to another person, but when we tested it out with random people, they seemed to have a hard time with that. so we had it randomly attack someone with you get a big enough combo.


What ever came out it?

Toad Jam gets a Average of 4 replays per user. (Thats pretty decent)
Toad Jam is a game people don't download much but when they do they play it several times.
Overall with out additional work, or restyling of the program I have mostly considered it a failure as is. But I learned alot.


Future

For now its just out there, but pretty much on ice.
I have been too busy with roller coaster as that has picked back up. Even though it only gets a avg of 2 plays per player, it has huge st appeal. so it gets downloaded alot. on avg people play it much less per session. But overall But I am working on adding a huge feature update. to address that. Even though its free, with adds its making 200-500 a month, so i cant ignore it.

Toad Jam likely wont receive any more treatment in till next summer.

 

[Theoden of KoMe]

where is windos 8 version ?

 

[rover2341]

http://apps.microsoft.com/windows/en-us/app/toad-jam/37496b6d-59d1-4d9a-9244-af9290d98bca

If you try win8 version. try the puzzle builder

The game has some minor issues with just game play in geneal. But its mostly minor visual issues.
The windows 8 Version, builder, is pretty cool, but its just not flushed out enough, to share online well.

and. all the menus even though a good amount of time was spent on them. really arnt quite good enoufe.

But most importantly people who looked it didn't have enough interest to try it. The 10 thousand that did played many times.