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From Concept to Launch: Stand Out with a Customized App

By Chris Jones Gaming contributor Micah Norris

In today’s digital-first world, creating an app for your business isn’t just an advantage; it’s a necessity. Embarking on this journey requires a clear vision, a deep understanding of your audience, and a strategic approach to stand out. This Chris Jones Gaming guide will navigate you through the essential steps to turn your app idea into a powerful business tool.

Identifying Goals and Who You’re Building For

Firstly, understand the core objectives behind your app. Are you looking to enhance customer service, provide a new service, or improve operational efficiency? Pinning down the exact purpose will guide your development process. Equally important is knowing your audience. A detailed user persona will inform your design, features, and marketing strategies, making your app resonate with its intended users.

Leveraging a Computer Science Foundation

Acquiring a firm grasp of the fundamental principles of application development is vital, particularly when taking charge of a project. Enrolling in a program to get your computer science degree online facilitates learning alongside your professional commitments. It provides an extensive understanding of data structures, programming languages, algorithms, and more.

These components are indispensable in the app development journey. Opting for the online route to attain your computer science degree empowers you with the essential expertise required for adept project leadership and proficient development.

Work with a Mentor

Working with a mentor when launching the first app for your business can provide invaluable insights and guidance, ensuring that common pitfalls are avoided and best practices are followed. A mentor brings a wealth of experience and can help refine your app’s concept, design, and functionality, making it more appealing to your target audience. They can also offer advice on marketing and user engagement, critical components for the success of your app.

Moreover, a mentor can introduce you to a network of potential investors, partners, and other resources that can be crucial in the early stages of your app’s launch. Their feedback can be instrumental in iterating and improving your app based on real user experiences, thereby enhancing its chances for success in a competitive market. Engaging with a mentor is not just about leveraging their knowledge but also about fostering a relationship that can support the growth and scalability of your business in the long term.

Navigating the Competitive Landscape

Dive into market and competitor analysis to carve out your niche. This exploration reveals what’s already available and where your app can shine. Identifying unmet needs within your target market or offering a superior solution to existing problems can set your app apart from the competition.

Budgeting and Resource Planning

Every app’s journey from concept to launch is dictated by its budget and resources. Deciding whether to hire a dedicated team, outsource, or use a DIY app builder will significantly impact your project’s cost and timeline. A realistic budget aligns with your business goals, ensuring the project stays on track financially and operationally.

Ensuring a Seamless Launch with Rigorous Testing

Before unveiling your app to the world, thorough testing is imperative. This phase uncovers any technical issues, ensuring your app works flawlessly across different devices and operating systems. A bug-free, user-friendly app is more likely to garner positive reviews and retain users.

Crafting a Compelling Marketing Strategy

A well-thought-out marketing plan is essential for your app’s success. Utilizing social media, email campaigns, and influencer collaborations can elevate your app’s visibility. Tailor your marketing efforts to speak directly to your target audience, highlighting the unique benefits your app offers.

The Power of Analytics

Incorporating analytics tools from the start allows you to gather valuable data on user behavior and engagement. These metrics, such as session duration and feature usage, guide ongoing improvements by highlighting what works well and what doesn’t. By continuously refining features based on this data, you enhance user experience and drive business growth through informed decision-making.

Prioritizing the User Experience

The heart of your app’s success lies in its usability, which is paramount in retaining users and encouraging new downloads. Focusing on intuitive design ensures that users can navigate your app with ease, while fast load times prevent frustration and abandonment. Engaging content keeps users interested and returning for more, turning satisfied users into loyal customers who advocate for your app through word of mouth and social shares.

Wrapping Up

Creating an app for your business is a transformative journey that requires careful planning, dedication, and a user-centric approach. You can develop an app that meets and exceeds expectations by focusing on your goals, understanding your audience, and leveraging the right resources.

Remember, the goal is to launch an app and create a valuable tool that enhances your business and delights your users. Embrace the challenge, and let your app be the key to unlocking new opportunities for growth and engagement.

Chris Jones Gaming SciFi

We are going to make a game

I feel the beginning of a month is a good time to announce something like this.

We are going to make a game.

Chris Jones Gaming is going to make a game.

What kind of Game?

Science Fiction – or SciFi.

We got the look..

I have a short story that will be published soon – I’ve been saying that for a while – but it is happening.

It will for sure be a PC Game, and we’ll discuss Console versions.

Update Sept 19, 2022 – The Short Story has been released on Amazon – Click this!!!

Heading up The Ultimate Universe Mod starting in 2007 was a fantastic experience, and I believe it to be the time right to create something brand new.

There’ll be more on this as it progresses.

Excited for the Future!

A Blockchain Wargame – Faraland

Faraland has exquisitely digital collectibles created with blockchain technology. Each collectible is matchless, genuine and varies in rarity. The Faraland Universe has many different races – such as human, orc, angel, demon, dragonborn, elf and fairy which are waiting for you to discover and collect.

Faraland is also a multiplayer RPG NFT GAME that lets the user engage in the combat arena and profit from battles.

Kinda Kool, Huh?

Faraland

Check out this video voiced by Dee Alvis.

How to Create Factions: Part 1

Starting with…

The World ready!

The easiest way to determine factions would be to simply split them by location, or world history.

Then, the conflict could revolve around gaining or maintaining territory, and that could include groups being pushed out of their original territories and then trying to take them back.

You can also split it by the each of the area’s history, using previous conflicts to shape the factions, i.e. political ones.

The Characters ready!

Build your factions around your characters’ core beliefs.

What do your characters care about? What is their worldview? What about the opposite?

With a focus on the characters, the creation of the factions can become integral to your OC’s story. Will they need to grow out of the faction? Will the faction grow and change as the character does? Will they leave one for another as their story moves forward?

And conversely: what does being in that faction say about the character? What does a monster being in a Hunter’s faction, for example, say about the monster? Are they guilty? Do they doubt their identity, or are they a wolf in Sheep’s clothing waiting to strike?

by Abby Zarakovich

How to Create Factions: Part 2

Video Games have long graduated from simple fights between good and evil. Games are now tied with intricacies and multiple sides, each believing that they are the ones that are correct.

The question now becomes “How do I put that into my game?”. As with my other articles, there are multiple ways to go about this!

It is best to begin at the beginning!

I want to start with the factions…

The Question to ask here is “Why are there factions in the first place?”

Usally a group splits over an arguement; as creator, you decide what kind of disagreement causes the breakup.

What do people believe in enough that their goals and ideals split? Is it something simpler, like a land disagreement or a family squabble? Are the factions gunning for power, splitting politically? Are the factions after a superweapon, an their reasons for wanting it are causing the divide?

In this way, the creation of the factions and therefor, their very existence drives the story.

Emphasis

By creating them first, it puts more emphasis on them, rather than other aspects. This works in your favor if you want to use your story to explore methodologies or philosophies, and what causes people’s differences.

Having factions be at the center of your story allows for discussions with lines drawn in the sand, and it’s up to you (or your players) to decide if they stay, move, or fade entirely.

Effect

A good way to gauge how much your factions affect the story you’re creating is this:

What happens if something about the faction changes?

If destroying the faction of choice does nothing, then it has no impact on the story. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing: If it impacts the World or the characters, it can stay! Asking this question can help gauge how much you want to focus on that faction. If it’s deemed insignificant, than you can skim over it, or maybe change your story if you’re really attached to the idea of it.

What does the faction add to your story?

As mentioned above, if the addition of this faction bolsters other parts of your story, it should stay in. Depending on how much it affects the rest, you can draw the players/readers attention to it by having the story be more closely tied to the factions.

Filament

Filament (released back in April of 2020) is a sci-fi Puzzle game with a story thread running throughout.

In Filament, you explore the ship and its crew while solving delightfully colorful puzzles.

The game is known for its notorious difficulty, but even as those that review it flounder, they insist that the story and aesthetics make the game worth it.

Filament looks gentle on the eyes, the brightly colored (and titular) filament and the poles are high-contrast, and don’t get lost in the background.

from the Steam page

Chess variations II: Alternate rules and situations

Hostage Chess:

Any piece taken by you becomes your piece. You can then drop onto your side of the board in any free location, at any point in time.

Difficulty: Just above average chess; 5.5/10. The difficulty is now in placement and knowing gthe consequences of losing a piece.

Fun: 10/10!!! Rub salt in your enemies wounds by using what they lost. Adds an additional boost to eating and really reinforces the consequences of losing pieces.

Edits to be made: Have an extra set of pieces set aside for use.

Dark/Fog of War Chess:

Your opponent’s moves and pieces are not visible. Pawns, who’s movement may be blocked by a piece will be informed that a move forward is an illegal move- on this point some variety is seen on informing players, as some versions have an umpire who can decide on whether they announce what piece has moved or where it may be moved to.

Difficulty: Extreme: this style of game play requires knowledge of common moves and tactics. It works best for people who know how to play, and play well. 10/10.

Fun: If you like puzzle games and riddles, and deductive reasoning, this is the variation for you. If you love battleship, this is perfect.

Edits to be made: For an in-person game, this version would require 3 boards (you, opponent, 3rd party) and an umpire (to decide legality of moves).

Omega Chess:

Two pieces are added: The Wizard moves 1,3 or 3,1. It’s placed in the corners of the board, starting just off it. The Champion can either jump 2 diagonally, or move up to 2 horizontally or vertically, reminiscent of Chaturanga.

Difficulty: With a larger board and two new pieces, I feel the difficulty will be found in learning and adapting to the new pieces over anything else. 6/10.

Fun: Yeehaw WIZARDS!!!!!!! The names of the new pieces and the added gameplay gives this version a 7.5/10.

Edits to be made: 10×10 board, 4 additional pieces per side (2 wizards, 2 champions)

Cannibal Chess:

Difficulty: Definitely on the higher end: Remembering all the pieces that were eaten, and by whom, and doing so for your opponent as well is hard. A good way to train one’s memory!

Fun: Perfect opportunity for obnoxious munching noises during gameplay. 10/10.

Edits to be made: None to the board or pieces themselves. I would recommend marking the figures with some sort of symbol and then writing out which ate what on a sheet of paper.

by Abby Zarakovich

Vivid Knight

This Upcoming game on Steam has all the cuteness of a mobile game paired with the dungeon crawl adventures found in early MMOs.

Vivid Knight fits its name and reunites the modern gatcha with it’s fantasy-based ancestor (the MUD).

It’s character designs (varied and colorful as the name implies) works well with the graphics that accompany the randomly-generated dungeons that are the base of the game.

Mixing and matching the crystals that represent characters let you fight mobs and move through the dungeon, moving your party and the story along.

Vivid Knight’s building on the respected genre of dungeon crawler may revive the fun that nerds in ages past have enjoyed for themselves, and bring the 8-bit style of game into a new era.

Overall Aesthetic: The gems and art style are cute, with good color choices!

Gameplay: As someone who like randomized dungeons, this is one that drew my eye: I like how some rooms are optional, and if you don’t want to do something, a whole bunch of room types have option to not engage.

from the game’s Steam page

Jury Box

For a relatively simple game, Jury box (published in 1936 by Parker Brothers) has earned itself a spot in game history.

It’s a game for any number of players, and is relatively simple. You (and your fellow players) act as jury to the cases provided in the box. There is photo evidence, an illustrated case file, and what the “correct” answer.

In play, after the case is read by a selected player, the players write their verdict and idea of what happened: points are awarded to those with the correct verdict, and to those whose solution behind what happened comes closest. The person with the most points after all the cases are complete wins.

Jury Box is the precursor to modern variations of LARP and murder mystery games.

The action of pretending to be a person, and the whodunnit nature of the game is what lead to the evolution of games like Clue and such.

Chess: Variations on a theme

Sometimes, research turns into something else entirely.

Yesterday, as I was researching more historical board games for a few other artcles, I came upon a website that sold a few dozen physical variations on chess. It not only caugfht my eye, but also sent me on a fun wikipedia dive.

Today, I’ll be rating different chess variations by aesthetic, readability, and how much they made me want to play that particular variation.

3-person chess (Hexagonal)

Aesthetic: 10/10 a blast to boggle at. The squares merging in the center is incredibly pleasing.

Readability: 10/10: clearly readable!!! Lovely.

Want to Play: 10/10 YES. Wish I knew more people IRL who liked chess to play this version of the game!

3-person chess (circular)

Aesthetic: 10/10 a joy to look at, makes a fun centerpiece, will fit on a circular table and not look ridiculous.

Readability: 4/10 Makes my eyes hurt: The board tries to be more readable by adding diagonal lines through the squares, but I feel that makes the board even more confusing to try to decipher in a game. It looks cool, sure, but doesn’t do well for play. the colors for the pieces are standard, I suppose, but better choices could have been made.

Want to Play: 5/10 Due to the board, it’s not high up on my play list, regardless of how cool it will look on a coffee or café table.

Stacked Chess

Aesthetic: Not so much for me: a 6/10. The boards and pieces are very standard, and while the connecting spire adds a bit of flair, it doesn’t do much for the look. The pieces look cheap.

Readability: The individual boards are perfectly readable, 10/10, this is what standardization is good for.

Want to Play: ehhhhh *wiggle hand in a so-so manner* 4/10. If I wanted to do something like this, there’s quite a few digital versions which do a better job with the concept of multiple boards, one of which is “5D chess with multiverse time travel“.

Peace Chess (Paco Sako)

Aesthetic: Cute!!! I honestly love the way the piece designs were modified for the new gameplay. 10/10

Readability: 10/10: standard board, and the pieces retain enough of their silhouette to remain distinctive.

Want to Play: 6.5/10. The concept of “peace chess”, in which the kings try to reach each other by jumping through other pieces is enough to warrant a try, but I’m not entirely sure about the replayability. Since you can’t take pieces off the board, I feel that there’s not many moves to h=be had after a few plays.

Jester Chess

Aesthetic: Overall, really standard: other than the titular piece and extra spaces, nothing else is added, visually. 5/10: it works, I guess.

Readability: Looks Just like your average chess board but with more squares: it’s a 10×10 black and white board. The pieces are the same as your average ones, with the exception of the added, titular piece: the Jester. 10/10. Unique piece design, recognizable board.

Want to Play: Definitely intriguing! The added piece (whose rule for movement is literally “whatever piece your opponent just moved”) would add interest to your usual game, with extreme annoying sibling energy attached. Prefect for people who want to aggravate their family, 8.5/10.