Category Archives: Custom Games

Game Development Services

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Fierce Fun provides a complete range of game and app development services. Our professional team have experience in designing bespoke games for clients in a variety of sectors including game publishing, education and virtual reality. Our multi-stage design process allows us to produce complex games for both core and casual players. We use proven cross platform technology such as the Unity game engine, Adobe Animate and HTML5 JavaScript game software. If you are looking for an experienced, reliable and cost effective game development company, please contact us for further information.

AgriKids Virtual Reality App

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Fierce Fun was contracted by AgriKids to create a virtual reality app as part of their digital product range. AgriKids was founded with the vision to create a concept that would engage, educate and empower children to become farm safety ambassadors. Through this ethos, the company has developed a collection of innovative products for children to create dialogue and positive awareness in homes and classrooms on farm safety awareness and practice.

As a highly innovative farm safety promoter, AgriKids were looking to explore the potential of virtual reality apps to educate children about real farm safety issues. The design brief was that the app should allow users to freely move around a virtual farm. The app would teach users what the different safety signs mean and where they belong. The virtual farm would need the follow areas:

  • Chemical store
  • Slurry pit
  • Bull Pen
  • Electrical point
  • Farm entrance
  • River / Water area

The VR app was developed for the Oculus Right was tested at several agricultural events. It proved very popular with young children and their parents!

App Screenshots here:

World Cup Rugby Rampage

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PLAY IT NOW!

 

World Cup Rugby Rampage is a new mobile and Web game currently under development by Fierce Fun. Being rugby fans and know that the team needs all the support it can get, we decided to develop a game in honour of the Irish team. Ok, so you can pick other teams as well as the Irish team but it really is a tribute to them. In the game, you play as a rampaging No. 7 and your job is to constantly break the gain line.... just keep going forward. The odds will be against you with crazy numbers of opposing players. How do you beat them? Rampage Mode. When you are rampaging, you are invincible and unstoppable. However it only lasts a short while.

One single solitary Irish player versus 500 English defenders. Who will win????

You decide. World Cup Rugby Rampage will be released in 2 weeks.......or we are in trouble

Spread the word

 

 

Games for Marketers

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Fierce Fun is presenting a talk at the National Sales and Marketing Summit which is being held on 30th May in RDS, Dublin. This conference focuses on the fundamental changes occurring between how buyers and sellers interact at both a consumer and business level. The Sales & Marketing Summit is collocated with Grow Your Business Online and Tech Connect Live.

The talk is entitled "Games for Marketers" and discusses how games can be used as effective marketing tools. The slide presentation can be downloaded here

Virtual Reality Gaming. Has it Arrived?

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Virtual Reality was new to the market in 2016. But now has it come of age in 2017?

Virtual Reality, VR, AR, Headset, Tech, Games, Gaming,

At GDC in 2016, one, Patrick Walker peeped into the future to predict what is now occurring, see link below. He indicated the huge investment in VR of over a billion dollars in 2015/16 and this got a lot of game developers interested. But is it possible to prise the market away from the big boys? Probably not? Just look at the 2017 best selling VR games with games from Rockstar, Epic, Impulse Gear and Capcom all with big titles and new iterations of popular franchises in VR.

2016 VR hype shifts to reality thanks in no small measure to PSVR. It’s got good immersion and is now accessible widely and buy to entry is cheaper than rivals. PSVR has at the moment first to market advantage and will be an entry point for early adopters of VR.
All the big players want in and interesting to see the situation today as a gold rush. Suffice to say you need deep pockets to enter this market. Walker provides insightful market analysis on the non-VR gamers and their expectancy on the price of entry with just about 50% unwilling to pay over $350 for the kit. So unit price must drop to attract a critical mass.

Price is everything

He points to the price problem of upgrading your hardware to handle the VR. Understandably if PSVR can do this without it using a unique console it makes sense. So it transpires the players need deep pockets as well. What’s new?
He outlines the product providers with marketing stats research reviewing their ability to compete and how they are seen. These stats are from the time of his talk but are still very pertinent today.

Let’s look at a few VR providers.  HTC Vive (Steam VR) – Thought of as expensive with average content availability. Oculus Rift Considered expensive with not too many games. PSVR is cheaper with a good bank of content. Viewing the VR game charts of today ( Feb 2017) the game content for all platforms has increased considerably as developers are trying for first to market advantage, with whichever system prevails. So there is more choice on all systems.

In Nov 2016 the Walker said the market was saturated but predicted more of the same with new entrants waiting for VR to become financially viable for their brand. Again it’s a balancing act between console or PC with consoles being preferable. A disadvantage for non-console VR is that the system requirements for VR are expensive because VR requires high refresh rates pushed to two displays, it’s going to be fairly demanding.

Below are the recommended system requirements for the Oculus Rift, which are likely fairly similar to what you’ll need to support Steam VR. — NVIDIA GTX 970 / AMD 290 equivalent or greater— Intel i5-4590 equivalent or greater— 8GB+ RAM— Compatible HDMI 1.3 video output— 2x USB 3.0 ports— Windows 7 SP1 or newer.

What the players think

Reviewing VR games by existing or potential customers seem to highlight that gamers value user review as opposed to price, unlike mobile games. Logical really as the entry point into VR is so high that gamers expect to pay a premium price for a premium experience.
Other stats that were interesting is the correlation between VR user score and minutes playing which is not indicative of popularity, unlike other platforms, maybe because of the sea sick syndrome? However, retention is a good indicator and it is marked by players returning again and again. So varied metrics for VR games should be used to assess their popularity.

Walker gave some predictions regarding new entrants to the race, some of which has come to pass. He is also predicting Facebook and Apple entering the market and the technology advancing rapidly. He also sees Microsoft having an interest specifically in Augmented Reality or AR, seeing it as the preferable experience in the future.       But judging by todays parameters, he thinks mobile and social VR seem to provide the biggest potential for future growth. Walker provided a good overview of the market which is still in flux as we speak but consolidating by the day. As a marketer of games, I found it very informative and advise you to watch the virtual space.

VR talk VR focus Nov 2016 Watch it here
Patrick Walker EEDARTrack / Format Games & Entertainment Overview
http://www.gdcvault.com/play/1023900/Data-and-Insights-in-the

Big Data and Gaming

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Big data gaming

As the gaming industry continues to grow, it is no wonder that commentators see Big Data analytics as the perfect development tool in this progression. The phenomenal growth of gaming worldwide with an estimated two billion gamers creates a convenient data flow, which if managed correctly can drive user engagement to an even more intuitive experience. Looking at gaming in the USA it is incredible to think that it is bigger than the movie industry, which annually has a figure of $8 billion spent on ticketsales. Compare this with $20 billion in revenue for the gaming industry in the US and you begin to see the possibilities for Big Data in this scenario. The possibilities are immense, Big Data can be used to drive advertising in games and radically increase the player involvement and interaction with the game itself.

Tailored Marketing and the Game

Game players online and offline are constantly leaving behind masses of data which if collected and managed correctly can lead to a more personal experience for the participant. Much like a personalised shopping experience on the likes of Amazon, where you are offered, what may appeal to you, as indicated by your previous shopping pattern, gaming can now provide this individual choice. It is possible using Big Data analytics to develop a marketing strategy built around the individual player or players. This will allow the Game Developers improve segmentation, optimisation and targeting of the different types of players they attract.

The gamer because of their data stream footprint, leave clues to what type of things appeal to them. All the Big Data now has to do, is create an appealing and bespoke collection of options for that player based on the information gathered. A marketing analytics framework can be built upon data received about players and used as an inducement for potential advertisers. Data is streaming from the moment we interact and play with a game, whether that be on social media, PSP, Xbox or on your Smartphone with a mobile App. Data gives the who, what, where, when, and how we play, and with whom. This allows game makers to selectively approach the players with a variety of offerings which may appeal to that individual. The advertising potential is obvious, but other enhanced options for playing may also be offered, maybe linked to the geographical location of the player or players.

User Experience

The competitive among us may require little motivation but with the use of Big Data it is possible to provide real time feedback for all types of gaming scenarios allowing player improve, if they so desire. This could be a logical step for quiz or trivia type games which value improvement as a key factor of the game. A game which encourages you to get the Highest score or be an online champion needs real time data and Big Data could enhance this capability.
Imagine the potential for trivia and quiz games if the player was continually challenged to learn and display evidence of learning as they played. This is bordering on the space of educational free apps which are designed for such tasks. But most quiz fans will recognise the need to learn and increase their knowledge for the next quiz online whether it be in music trivia, sports trivia or just fun trivia questions the pursuit of excellence in knowledge terms is absolute. We all want to enter the trivia quizmaster Hall of Fame.

Big Data and Developers

Obviously more Data crunching gives you more of a work load but with the right analytics onboard this need not be the case. It is possible to use open source licensing models which is an accepted data management activity. Apache Hadoop is an open-source data-processing platform and has been used by such names as Yahoo and Facebook. There are a raft of options available using the cloud or not. All the big players are there including IBM, Microsoft and Google.

The ability for game developers to receive feedback from the players can be immensely useful pointing to bugs in the software or highlighting if the architecture of the game itself is capable of being improved upon. Monitoring and performing analysis on millions of gamers playing your game can provide invaluable insights into which parts of your game are popular and which parts are not. Using Big Data analysis will allow individually styled enhanced versions of a game that appeals to a certain group of players or maybe even an individual.

There is also the predictive possibilities of using Big Data, such as when a game is launched and at peak time of play when the service can either slow down or crash as has happened in the past. This can be anticipated and the capacity can be increased to allow for these peak times, which in turn will improve the gaming experience for all types of players on all types of devices, social, Xbox, PSP, mobile smartphones.
The game now is for developers to keep up with the opportunities open to them using this wealth of information. Big Data creates new opportunities for developers to increase revenue with improved market segmentation and improving player experience, which in turn adds to the bottom line.

Contact us for more details on how we are using Big Data in gaming.

Advergaming, Branded Games and Marketing Games

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Games Irish Digital Marketing

Advergaming, branded games, marketing games as part of the marketing mix are increasingly making their presence known world wide. This kind of marketing connects with the consumer in a fun but casual way, on all types of devices, but primarily on mobile devices. It seeks to provide positive experiences for the players or players, this in turn reflects on the specific brand or product connected to the game. Consumers are introduced to the brand or product in a positive and exciting way using this medium. They will learn about the brand and have a pleasant recollection of the experience via the games.

The usual array of internet marketing options like banners, pop ups, have their place; however they can be easily blocked by savvy consumers. Advergaming provides an effective and more interactive method way to engage with consumers. People increasingly use the mobile phone as their primary touch point with the internet. We feel its inevitable that marketing through these devices will become crucial to the successful placement of products or brands. Gaming has expanded its reach to beyond the traditional male audience. It is now a popular entertainment activity with the general public, with games now played equally by male and female players. Increasingly your customers as casual users can connect to play games on their mobile devices or phones.

Advergaming is not considered intrusive and can lead to positive social and viral marketing of your product. One great innovation in the online gaming area is the use of web gaming and HTML5. This allows cross platform game activity, working on all devices. You can play anywhere and even use devices interchangeably. Imagine starting the game on the train to work and finishing it on your PC in work (at lunchtime of course).

At Fierce Fun we provide full advergaming, branded and marketing gaming solutions. We can create a complete branded games solution for your business. Because the process includes building a storyboard visual,  you are fully involved in designing your own game. Also our developers and animators create a digital emulation using critical data on potential user flow. This will ensure you get a highly effective marketing solution, in addition to a great game. This approach can transform your brand and move your products to a new audience. So if you want to take advantage of the marketing potential of online gaming in the Irish, UK or European markets, please contact us.

ADVERGAMING

http://www.warc.com/News/Default.aspx?ID=34948

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advertising_in_video_games

 

 

 

 

 

AgriKids Mobile Game

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AgriKids needed a mobile game developed to highlight farm safety for young children. The mobile game is designed to complement their full range of safety products including books and clothing. For full coverage of potential mobile users, the game had to work on Android and Apple phones and tablets. The beautiful graphics were supplied by AgriKids, with Fierce Fun providing game design and programming services. Fierce Fun is also providing mobile marketing services and advice. The first Android version is available on Google Play. It was launched to coincide with the National Ploughing Championships.

Get the app here on Google Play

For excellent farm safety information and products, visit AgriKids

Mobile game Agrikids farm safe

Mobile game Agrikids farm safe Mobile game Agrikids farm safe Mobile game AgriKids farm safe Mobile game AgriKids farm safe Mobile game AgriKids farm safe

Lugs Mc Rugger

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rugby ireland

Lugs Mc Rugger

Take a Rugby World Cup rampage with the Irish Teams, Lugs Mc Rugger, Ireland’s own scrum, tackle touchdown boy. A Veteran of the The Triple Crown and the Six Nations, the half mad, Irish hooker with an anger management problem and an attitude to match will drop kick you into a fast paced game of ultimate Rugger skill.

He takes no prisoners as he slaps jumps and stomps his way to victory breaking through the ranks of Australia, England, France, South Africa, and New Zealand with his unique scrumdown ruck appeal. Line out now and try to manage Lugs Mc Rugger on his world cup campaign as he makes that conversion and brings Ireland the Rugby Union World Cup.

But be careful, Lugs Mc Rugger is not a man to be taken lightly, he wants to annihilate the Aussies as he flambes the French. He intends to make the English an endangered species and can’t wait to lock horns with a Springbok. But all of this becomes rather tame when he see a Kiwi pack down his lane.

Its enough to make your cruciate ligament get up and surrender, but fear not if you are one of the lads (Irish lads or Lasses that is) you have picked the right team, join the the Lugs Mc Rugger Irish Rugby Rampage Squad now.

Lugs will feature in our new mobile game: Rugby Rampage

Rugby games: Rubgy Rampage