Ground Effect creator talks iPhone development... on Windows?
Ekranoplan racer put together across multiple platforms
Although it's easy to see why Apple is only interested in supporting its own PC format, there's also strong political reasoning behind the fact that iPhone games can only be developed on a Mac.
But Glenn Corpes, developer of the forthcoming iPhone racing game Ground Effect, has been chatting with PocketGamer.biz about how he went about putting his debut title together - and the strong role that the Windows environment provided.
"The hardest part of switching to Mac was several months of hitting the wrong keys while editing code," Corpes explains. "This was exacerbated by the fact that I also have a Windows version of the game... [that has proven] invaluable. It has the game's level editor built in, which means my kids have been able to design levels, and the other programmer who helped out was able to work on the game without even owning a Mac."
Ground Effect is one of the first racing games to feature the little-known hovercraft/aeroplane hybrid vehicle known as a ground effect craft, or ekranoplan.
"Many years ago, I worked on a racing game at Bullfrog called Hi-Octane," Corpes says. "It was fun, but a lot of us enjoyed it more before the power-ups and guns went in. Previously, it had been a pure racing experience. Ever since then I've wanted to do a racing game focusing on the feel of controlling a vehicle skimming above an open landscape."
Having previously worked at Bullfrog on some of the best known computer games to date, and for EA, Glenn Corpes has a wealth of industry experience that he's now bringing to the iPhone after falling in love with Apple's device.
Check out the full interview over on PocketGamer.biz, and take another look at the Ground Effect pre-release video below.
