Exclusive Interview With The Developers Of Knight Defense HD
Knight Defense HD offers you gaming like you’ve never seen before. You get action, strategy, glow graphics and lots of explosions altogether in one game. This is a bold, dynamic, addictive app and it is going to challenge your skills to the max.
We are currently reviewing this app and will be publishing that shortly, but first we wanted to find out a little bit more about the history and development of this app. Read our exclusive interview with the developers below.
If you’d like to download this app, it retails for $0.99/£0.69, and you can do so here.
The Beginning
Please explain how your app was originally though of and what were your thoughts behind the marketplace, specifically?
Knight Defense was conceived as a mélange of tower defense, chess, and… laser explosion glow graphics. At the time, I simply thought the idea was cool and I ran with it. I aimed to re-imagine the tower defense genre, infuse some new life into it, and perhaps come out the other side with something new and unexpected.
The Design
Explain the design, how you came up with the colors and themes.
The app was designed around glow graphics, with a blue/yellow theme for the menus. Somehow space glow chess seemed to fit nicely into the picture, and so the background was kindly provided by NASA’s Hubble space telescope. The piece colors were chosen to match each piece, so purple for the king, green for the bishop etc. One person has emailed me saying that the app is like playing chess while high on psychedelic drugs, so I hope Steve Jobs would have approved of it 😉
Target Market
Who do you see as the main target market for this app in terms of age, genre and expenditure?
I see the app as mainly targeting the 15+ age group – people who are after a game that will challenge and reward their strategic thinking skills. The app is currently on sale so there is very little expenditure involved 🙂
Production
How long did it take from the original planning to the production process of this app?
From conception to launch took about 8 months working nights and weekends. After launch much time was spent on improvements and updates, including a total sound overhaul by my friend and professional audio engineer Justin Cosgrove.
Sales
How do you predict sales to be, is there a good solid market for this style of app?
Knight Defense offers a unique experience in mobile gaming, and in that sense is treading into uncharted territory, but it is based off solid foundations, namely tower defense and chess.
Obstacles
What has been the hardest obstacle you have had to overcome regarding this app development?
I coded the animation engine from scratch, and in hindsight it would probably have been easier to use a premade graphics engine, but hey, I learned a lot in the process.
Third Parties
Would you consider developing apps for third parties?
Sure, I love making quality apps and working together with good people is enjoyable.
App Store
What have you learnt from the App Store?
That the importance of marketing is incredible. I thought that decent programming and design was enough to create a successful app, but without marketing it just doesn’t happen.
Apple
Have Apple supported you well with your App development?
I haven’t had a lot of interaction with Apple honestly. It would be nice to get the App Store editor’s attention though 🙂
The Future
What next, are you developing another app, would you go for the same genre again, if not which?
I have a number of apps in the pipeline, but the next one is a physics-based puzzle/action platformer, in which you play the role of a downtrodden boy turned hero who must save all the imprisoned children in the world, and possibly even win the heart of the cute girl who was kind to him… stay tuned for a release later this year!
Android
Have you considered developing apps on other platforms such as Android? If so, what has the experience been like?
I’m using the cocos2d graphics engine, which is compatible with android, but I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it.
Our Support/Advice
What do you think about TheAppWhisperer.com? Have we helped you? Would you recommend us? Have we been supportive?
I think you’re a great bunch of people and I would heartily recommend you 🙂
Joanne Carter
Joanne Carter is a British photography journalist, editor, curator, and the founder of *TheAppWhisperer.com*, one of the world’s leading platforms dedicated to mobile photography and art. Since its launch in 2009, TheAppWhisperer has become an international hub for artists of all levels to discover, learn, exhibit, and engage with contemporary photographic practice.Built on principles of inclusivity, accessibility, and artistic excellence, Joanne has spent almost two decades championing mobile photography as a serious artistic medium. Through interviews, critical essays, exhibitions, competitions, and education, she has helped shape and document the evolution of mobile art on a global scale.Her work has taken her internationally, lecturing on photography and mobile art at institutions and events including the Museum of Art in Seoul, South Korea, alongside appearances in the UK and Europe. She has served as a juror for international photography and mobile art awards across Portugal, Canada, the United States, South Korea, Italy, and the UK.Joanne is also the founder of *TheAppWhispererPrintSales.com*, one of the first online galleries dedicated exclusively to collectible mobile art, connecting artists with collectors across Europe, the United States, and Asia.Before founding TheAppWhisperer, Joanne worked extensively in print journalism and photographic publishing, including roles at a paparazzi photo agency and as deputy editor of a leading photography magazine. Her freelance journalism, criticism, and commentary have been published widely in both the UK and the US, with bylines in *The Times*, *The Sunday Times*, *The Guardian*, *Popular Photography*, *NikonPro*, *DPReview*, *Which?*, *Vogue Italia*, *LensCulture*, the *BBC*, and more recently, the *Financial Times*, where her published letters on photography continue to contribute to wider conversations around the medium.Alongside her editorial and curatorial work, Joanne’s own photographic practice has been exhibited internationally across the UK, Europe, South Korea, and the United States. Her work increasingly explores themes of grief, loss, death, memory, and the body.Her current research interests centre on grief, death, and poverty, with forthcoming postgraduate study leading towards doctoral research in these areas.Joanne is currently developing new long-form writing and photographic projects and is available for commissions, editorial projects, speaking engagements, and collaborations.Contact: joannetheappwhisperer@gmail.com)
