Coming Soon: Hoopster 3D Basketball Game!

[Matt_RKLS]

http://www.redknightgames.com/images/Hoopster_logo.jpg

Hello all,

I am new to the forums, and wanted to announce an upcoming game that my company is developing for the iPhone/iPod Touch.

Hoopster features a realistically rendered 3D basketball court, real shooting physics and two action-packed modes of play full of special effects for the iPhone and iPod Touch.

1) Quick Shots

This fun, addictive and action filled game challenges players to shoot from random locations in 3 different zones while collecting power-ups and racking up the points.

2) Shoot Around

Before you hit the showers, take a spin around our practice court to perfect that half-court shot and gain the advantage over your friends, family and the world on our high score leader boards.

Here is a Beta sample of game play for Hoopster. You can get a sense of the swipe/drag shot power component, the accelerometer tilt for alignment and the drag control for movement in Shoot Around.

I will post a "hands on device" video a little later.

Thanks,
Matt

HuC1a8hsi-4



Features Include:

o Detailed 3D basketball arena with real physics, realistic sounds and incredible effects

o “Quick Shots” game with countdown clock and power-up bonuses for maximum score

o “Shoot Around” gym to perfect the power and alignment of your shots

o Intuitive accelerometer and touch controls for shooting and moving around the court

o Hot and cold streak particle effects and fun feedback messages

o Tracking and reporting of several stats including swishes, bank shots and even airballs!

o Rookie, Intermediate, and Pro difficulty settings

o Top 10 leader board for all three difficulty levels

o Options for music and sound effects volume as well as screen dimming

Other options and more exciting games planned for release in future versions. Thanks for your support, and please let us know if this game looks interesting (couple of beta pics attached) and any suggestions you may have.

Thanks,
Matt

[OrangePanda]

Graphics look pretty good!
Is this kinda like all-star eventish, like the shooting contest?

[nuggetsman28]

whats the development status?

[yourofl10]

wow looks great and the best basketball app out there!


Ohh BTW on bb subject. I play basketball for a homeschool team! Lol

[nuggetsman28]

oh welcome to ta you are going to love it here!

[salsamd]

How do you see your game distinguished from LKA Basketball Mania (http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=302852704&mt=8) or Arcade Hoops (http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=295207047&mt=8)? Both of these are just shooting games as well.

Also, any plans to transform this into a full player based game? Streetball (http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=304475191&mt=8) is the only game currently with this offering, but Handheld Games is working on one.

http://forums.toucharcade.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=1489&d=1236120111

[Matt_RKLS]

Thanks OrangePanda... There is a mode that is most familiar to "Pop-a-Shot" arcade style where the camera moves from spot to spot and you have to hit as many shots as you can in 1:30. You go on Hot and Cold streaks and get power-ups that stop the clock, give double points, etc. This mode is targeted at the casual gamer who has a few minutes and wants a fun (and at times funny) game experience.

The shoot around is more about accuracy (no time pressure) and about 15 stats are collected from the obvious (shooting %... points, to things like bank shots, airball and bricks. Each mode has messaging and audio support and special effects. Hit 8 in a row and you enter "Bacon Time!" Sizzlin'

We plan on adding additional basketball games (traditional and not-so traditional) in the future.

[Matt_RKLS]

whats the development status?


We are currently in Beta... shooting for a release candidate at the end of this week so we can submit to Apple next week.

MJ

[nuggetsman28]

We are currently in Beta... shooting for a release candidate at the end of this week so we can submit to Apple next week.

MJ

i would submit fast some apps take over 2 weeks to be approved!:eek:

[Matt_RKLS]

i would submit fast some apps take over 2 weeks to be approved!:eek:

True... we are up against the age old conflict of market opportunity and polish :). We will hope for the best!

[OrangePanda]

Thanks OrangePanda... There is a mode that is most familiar to "Pop-a-Shot" arcade style where the camera moves from spot to spot and you have to hit as many shots as you can in 1:30. You go on Hot and Cold streaks and get power-ups that stop the clock, give double points, etc. This mode is targeted at the casual gamer who has a few minutes and wants a fun (and at times funny) game experience.

The shoot around is more about accuracy (no time pressure) and about 15 stats are collected from the obvious (shooting %... points, to things like bank shots, airball and bricks. Each mode has messaging and audio support and special effects. Hit 8 in a row and you enter "Bacon Time!" Sizzlin'

We plan on adding additional basketball games (traditional and not-so traditional) in the future.

Possible more sound effects:
Ballin'
For the 3!!
Ohhhhhhhh!
You are on fire!
Your shot is like butter, it's silky smooth.

[GreenLightJerky]

sweet!

[Ventura]

looks great and the best basketball app out there!

Not exactly a lot of competition though for that spot. It's my general understanding that all the basketball games out there suck really badly, am I right or am I right?

There's an untapped market for a good basketball shooter IMO, and it would be the controls that would make or break such an app.

[supg328911]

this looks awsome:D

[Matt_RKLS]

How do you see your game distinguished from LKA Basketball Mania (http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=302852704&mt=8) or Arcade Hoops (http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=295207047&mt=8)? Both of these are just shooting games as well.

Also, any plans to transform this into a full player based game? Streetball (http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=304475191&mt=8) is the only game currently with this offering, but Handheld Games is working on one.

http://forums.toucharcade.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=1489&d=1236120111


Arcade Hoops offers players one basic perspective and mechanic of gameplay. Our environment is a 3D arena that has movement controls that you can move to any point (half court) and shoot by aligning with the accelerometer and then choosing your power with the pull back meter. The physics are great and shots fly off the backboard, rim and floor (and player) in a very realistic manner. In our Quick Shots game, the app will randomly select points on the floor to shoot from so its not the same repetitive experience every time.

The feel of this game is where we are putting a good deal of effort. We welcome feedback from the community and have plans for other games and working in Ad Hoc multiplayer on some of them.

[Matt_RKLS]

Possible more sound effects:
Ballin'
For the 3!!
Ohhhhhhhh!
You are on fire!
Your shot is like butter, it's silky smooth.

LOL Panda... I think we already have 3 of those in there!

[salsamd]

Arcade Hoops offers players one basic perspective and mechanic of gameplay. Our environment is a 3D arena that has movement controls that you can move to any point (half court) and shoot by aligning with the accelerometer and then choosing your power with the pull back meter. The physics are great and shots fly off the backboard, rim and floor (and player) in a very realistic manner. In our Quick Shots game, the app will randomly select points on the floor to shoot from so its not the same repetitive experience every time.

The feel of this game is where we are putting a good deal of effort. We welcome feedback from the community and have plans for other games and working in Ad Hoc multiplayer on some of them.


I would love this to do well, but it seems similar to, but more polished than LKA Basketball (http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=302852704&mt=8) (see below). The real market is for a solid full featured B-ball game.

XwLm5OkQIrQ

[OrangePanda]

What can I say, great minds think alike.
lol.
Any price plans?

[Matt_RKLS]

From what I can tell, there are enough differences in our mechanic to differentiate significanly from this game. We should have a demo video ready in a couple days to post.

This style of game is the most logical for us to dip our toes into the App development arena for iPhone. I agree that a full featured Bball game would rock, but I don't know enough about the market consumers yet to determine the future of this... but I agree with the statement that a good basketball game that meets the needs of both enthusiasts and casual games alike is needed in this space.

[salsamd]

See also the new 3 Point Hoops basketball (http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=306597349&mt=8) by Skyworks

[Matt_RKLS]

HuC1a8hsi-4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HuC1a8hsi-4

Here is a Beta sample of game play for Hoopster. You can get a sense of the swipe/drag shot power component, the accelerometer tilt for alignment and the drag control for movement in Shoot Around.

I will post a "hands on device" video a little later.

Thanks,
Matt

[HandheldGames]

This looks like a polished release of the LKA BAsketball.

Hmmmm. Interesting.

[salsamd]

This looks like a polished release of the LKA BAsketball.

Hmmmm. Interesting.

Already mentioned. See my post #17. (http://forums.toucharcade.com/showpost.php?p=114663&postcount=17)

See also the new 3 Point Hoops basketball (http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=306597349&mt=8) by Skyworks

[salsamd]

http://images.appshopper.com/icons/306/929986.png[App Store Link, $1.99 (http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=306929986&mt=8)]

EZ Shot is a game similar to NBA Live and constructs a virtual basketball game.

There are five players in the game with different ability. You can choose anyone you like.

How To Play
Tap on the SETTING button, you can set the difficulty and turn on/off the background music.

Tap on the button to enter the court.

In the court, you can change the role by clicking the current player. Tap on the left/right arrow on the top bar to change your angle. Then, start your shot.

Tap on the Begin button in the right bottom corner to trigger your action.

There will be a red line to guide your direction. When it is in the appropriate position, tap on OK to confirm your target. The horizontal line first, and then the vertical one.

After the vertical position is fixed, the ball will be thrown out. You have 8 balls per round.

The scoreboard will display your current score.

http://a1.phobos.apple.com/us/r30/Purple/ba/12/e2/mzl.fzzsbrxw.480x480-75.jpg http://a1.phobos.apple.com/us/r30/Purple/b2/12/68/mzl.ckssderh.480x480-75.jpg

[Matt_RKLS]

We have posted a micro-site for the game at:

http://www.redknightgames.com

We will be adding more content in the coming week. Thanks again for the support.

Matt

[salsamd]

http://images.appshopper.com/icons/307/273344.png [App Store Link, $1.99 (http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=307273344&mt=8)]

http://a1.phobos.apple.com/us/r30/Purple/5f/c0/44/mzl.domvkmxh.480x480-75.jpg

[Matt_RKLS]

Hoopster has now been submitted to Apple for approval. Thanks for all the support, I will post a link to the app store when the game is live!

Matt

[steviet]

while it looks very nice, I'm afraid the gameplay doesn't seem like it will do it for me - sorry!

IMO it seems unnatural to pull back to shoot (makes it feel like pinball or something ). surely a swipe forward is more in keeping with realism

just my opinion

[salsamd]

My take was: pull back to generate shot power, swipe up to shoot.

[Spiral75]

This looks really good. Graphics look great! It seems similar to some of the others but the graphics look amazing! Any clue what the price will be?

[steviet]

My take was: pull back to generate shot power, swipe up to shoot.


it seemed to me that in the video he was pulling back then releasing his finger, it's hard to tell tho

[Matt_RKLS]

Red Knight is proud to announce that Hoopster is now live on the App store!

http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=308841834&mt=8

Thanks for your support of the game and we look forward to adding even more great features in the near future. Hope your success in the game is better than our March Madness brackets. :)

Matt

[Matt_RKLS]

@ Spiral75:

Our launch price for the game is $2.99

[Matt_RKLS]

@ steviet,

We prototyped several control mechanisms and eventually felt (for this type of arcade fast action) that the pull back method felt the most natural for determining shot power. We played some other games that incorporated swipe and felt like the measure was too arbitrary and would not lend itself to more novice players who want to "see" their distance vs. power. We will be listening to user feedback and looking at other possible mechanics in future releases that will improve the user experience in the game. Thanks for your feedback!

BTW... the mechanism is touch and drag down for power, then release to shoot. After awhile it becomes a "feel" thing and you don't really even look at the mechanism.

Matt