Update 1 and Future Update Plans

The first update to Super QuickHook was submitted last Monday, June 21st. It should be hitting the App Store any time now. The update includes 4 new levels, new hats, new secrets, tweaks, bugfixes, and more.

OpenFeint Saves are in this Update. You'll be able to back up your save in case of data loss, and also use it to transfer your progress between devices. We plan on adding a couple more OpenFeint features in the future.

We removed the developer score requirements to unlock levels. To unlock the next level, all you need to do is beat the previous level. The only major exception is the first nightmare level, which now requires a score of 2000 in Avalanche Mode to beat. This is a much better way to make sure that people are ready for the extra difficulty. The requirement to get 2000 in Avalanche to unlock Burn Alley was a bug, and was completely not intended.

This first big update is just a sign of things to come. As soon as this update hits the App Store, we'll be able to quickly submit our second update. This will add more content to the game. In the third update, we plan on adding a new chase-style mode called Eruption mode.

After the third update, our frantic update pace will slow down a bit. We'll be using the extra time to work on a massive fourth update. This update will be a surprise until it's almost out. I can say that it will add an entirely new gameplay style to the game, one that can enjoyed by players of all skill levels.

Super QuickHook out Thursday, Fan Reward Thoughts

Super QuickHook will finally be ready for sale this Thursday, June 17th. Get it early for a discount ($1.99 instead of $2.99), and exclusive hats! After the early buyer's sale, we won't be having another sale.

We plan to do the "One Sale, on Release, No Further Sales" thing for each game, from now on. Not a big policy change, since Hook Champ only got two sales, ever, and both were near its release date. We think that the constant sales that are popular on the App Store really just end up punishing people that, say, pay full price when getting your game early. We want to reward our fans with a consistent Early Buy Discount, instead.

The "exclusive hats" thing is a fun experiment. If it goes smoothly, we'll probably do something like it again in the future. Not necessarily exclusive hats each game.

Also, above: another gnome wallpaper for your iPhone.

Gnomey iPhone Wallpaper

Super QuickHook didn't make the approval process for this week, so it will most likely come out June 18th. In the meantime, please enjoy this gnome-related iPhone wallpaper. We'll announce on Twitter as soon as the game is approved by Apple.

Edit: I changed the wallpaper. The first one didn't have a bear in it. It's a good thing this was fixed.

Super QuickHook Trailer Evolution

The above is the final trailer for Super QuickHook, the sequel to Hook Champ. It was submitted Tuesday morning, and we're just waiting for it to be approved for the App Store. In just the last couple of months, the game has come a long, long way. There's no better way to illustrate this than showing the very first trailer we made for the game



The above trailer is the game two months ago. At this point, the game was going to be Avalanche Mode only. At most, there would have been 4 racing levels you could unlock, and then the tutorial. Avalanche Mode had about 10 more sections than it does now, and included the magma type slices.

After the first footage trailer was sent to TouchArcade, we got a lot of feedback for it. People wondered what happened to the levels, like Hook Champ had. Someone pointed out the suspension of disbelief required to run from an avalanche while inside of a volcano. There was a lot of criticism on the art. For the most part, the comments were harsh. We listened to almost every single one of them.

These comments directly influenced the evolution of the game. It lead to SQH going from a "pick up and play" style game, to a game that focused on many levels, with progression. We removed the volcanic sections from Avalanche Mode, while adding more ice and grassy sections to compensate. We did another pass on the art, especially the background art. Then we released another trailer, which we also mined for the harshest criticism. Then another.

I notice that many games, iPhone games especially, go to great lengths to not show their game too long in trailers. This seems to be the case for both preview trailers and release trailers. We showed our earliest footage, at length, right to the public. The end result is a very polished game, whose trailer does not need to be obscured.