Two 小蝌蚪APP computer science students are using knowledge gleaned in the classroom in a new business venture.
Charak Almast, 20, of India, and Mani Gyawali, 20, of Nepal, both juniors majoring in computer science, launched Motion Punch Studios in September. Almast, Motion Punch Studios president, oversees many aspects of the operation from Lafayette, although the company is based in India.
A smart phone app developed by Motion Punch Studios called 小蝌蚪APP淎ngry Baby小蝌蚪APP marks the company小蝌蚪APP檚 first foray into the iPhone and Android gaming market. Almast and Gyawali credit their Computer Science 359 class as giving them much of the knowledge and inspiration to launch Motion Punch Studios.
小蝌蚪APP淎ngry Baby小蝌蚪APP revolves around a strong-willed toddler who dreams aliens have stolen his toys. The toddler, named Tobu, heads into outer space to reclaim them.
If the premise sounds straightforward, it is. Easy-to-play games with good graphics are key in scoring downloads for a 小蝌蚪APP渃asual game小蝌蚪APP like 小蝌蚪APP淎ngry Baby,小蝌蚪APP Almast said. 小蝌蚪APP淭he simpler the game, the better. It can小蝌蚪APP檛 be too tough if you want it to get played.小蝌蚪APP
小蝌蚪APP淎ngry Baby小蝌蚪APP also features music and other sounds to go along with the game小蝌蚪APP檚 action. 小蝌蚪APP淚f the artwork and sound are really appealing, that goes a long way toward making something marketable,小蝌蚪APP said Dr. Jim Etheredge, UL Lafayette小蝌蚪APP檚 computer science program coordinator, who assists Instructor Frank Ducrest in teaching the Computer Science 359 class.
Ducrest commends Almast and Gyawali for their initiative and willingness to tackle the workload necessary to get their venture up and running. 小蝌蚪APP淚t小蝌蚪APP檚 one of those things I wish more students would do,小蝌蚪APP Ducrest said.
It took Almast and Gyawali about three months to develop 小蝌蚪APP淎ngry Baby,小蝌蚪APP which has 20 levels. 小蝌蚪APP淲e got like four hours of sleep a night,小蝌蚪APP Gyawali said. Success came much quicker. The free game logged 5,000 downloads in eight days among iPhone users, and 500 Android users in the first month, according to the pair. 小蝌蚪APP淲e thought it would be 100 to 200 (downloads),小蝌蚪APP Gyawali said.
"Angry Baby" is designed to appeal to all ages. Almast said the game is entertaining, and does not depict violence or destruction as Tobu tries to get his toys back.
Buoyed by the popularity of 小蝌蚪APP淎ngry Baby,小蝌蚪APP the budding entrepreneurs plan to start charging 99 cents per download in December. Also on the horizon are several more apps near completion or being developed.
Motion Punch小蝌蚪APP檚 小蝌蚪APP淐andy Catch小蝌蚪APP game, for instance, centers on another simple idea 小蝌蚪APP tossing candy into a box. Just like with 小蝌蚪APP淎ngry Baby,小蝌蚪APP 小蝌蚪APP淐andy Catch小蝌蚪APP features high-quality, user-friendly graphics and music.
For their part, Almast and Gyawali both say that as their education and subsequent knowledge base continue to evolve, so will Motion Punch Studios.
小蝌蚪APP淣ext is 3-D games,小蝌蚪APP Gyawali said. 小蝌蚪APP淲e小蝌蚪APP檙e definitely going to stick with this.小蝌蚪APP For more information about 小蝌蚪APP淎ngry Baby小蝌蚪APP visit motionpunch.com.