Android Release!

Puzzle Orbs has finally launched publicly on the Google Play store!  Game Design has been a big eye opener for this "small" project of mine.

I went in thinking I would make a very simple, quick, puzzle game, to ensure that I had enough time to add all of the UI, sound effects, and small polish needed to flesh out the scope.  I quickly realized that adding a few simple different puzzle mechanics immediately added tons of meaningful content, and I'm glad I did not pre-plan a ton of new mechanics off the bat.  The amount of content I would have needed to create to support all of the new content would have put the release of this out many many MANY months.

Of course, now that the whole project is complete (and not a complete coding mess yet), adding new mechanics and new levels is actually quite easy, and feels very rewarding as all the work from here on out will be adding CONTENT for the users to play.

I think the lesson learned with Game Design is that make sure you get that MVP (Minimum Viable Product) out the door, with almost all of the features and some small polish complete, and add the content in later.  Games take a long time to make, and are very complicated beasts.  Don't underestimate the time it takes to bring a "basic" game design idea to life!