Spotlight on local devs: David Frampton of Majic Jungle Software

David Frampton of Majic Jungle Software

Continuing our spotlight series I have been talking to David Frampton of Majic Jungle Software and creator of iPhone Apps Chopper, DuckDuckDuck and coming soon Chopper 2

So David, tell us little about yourself and how you came to code Chopper, DuckDuckDuck and more recently Chopper2. What were the drivers behind developing them?

“Chopper was one of the first games I created (for the Mac) back in 2003 when I first learnt to program. At the time I was a self employed artist, but after the release of Chopper for the Mac I picked up a job programming and have been in the industry ever since. I decided to work on Chopper for the iPhone soon after the iPhone SDK was announced. It seemed like a great opportunity so I went for it.

Chopper Desert Mission

After the success of iPhone Chopper I was looking for other projects to play with before starting on Chopper 2, so I completed DuckDuckDuck during that time. However I had always planned on doing a sequel to Chopper, and that’s where the past few months of my life have been focused. I’m not sure yet when Chopper 2 will be ready, but I’m hoping within the next few months, at least before the end of the year.”

Here’s a sneak peak of Chopper2 in development: Chopper 2 Flickr Stream

Chopper2 City Skyline

So where abouts in the country are you based?

“I’m based in Wellington. My time is split about 50/50 between working from home and going into an office which I share with some other developers working on similar things.”

Is Majic Jungle Software a full-time gig for you, or is this a hobby – what other pies do you have fingers in?

“While working on Chopper for the iPhone I was also working full time contracting. I had worked for the MetService on TV weather graphics, and then on the OurSpace interactive exhibit at Te Papa. However I had been saving to go full time on Majic Jungle for over a year. As it happens the iPhone came along just at the right time, so I was switching to full time indie development right as the App Store launched. I have been working pretty much solely on Majic Jungle Software since.”

What made you decide to launch an app for the iPhone in the first place and how did you go about it? Did you start writing by yourself or did you get a third party involved?

“I think a combination of factors made me start working on Chopper for the iPhone. There was a fair bit of encouragement from people who had played Chopper on the Mac and wanted to play it on the iPhone. I was pretty excited by the platform too. I had done a bit of work with accelerometers and touch screens before, and being able to write a game for such a device with the programming language and APIs that I was already most familiar with was hard to resist. I also had high hopes for the success of the early games on the platform, but tried not to think too much about that!

I haven’t really worked with any third parties for Majic Jungle. I keep thinking that this may change at some point, and did get some graphics work done for an ill-fated project at one point. I think that working on my own, having complete control over the creative process as well as the huge variation in work involved is just too appealing. Who knows though. Maybe one day I’ll change my mind and aspire to creating a gigantic game making factory.

It’s just me at the moment. I’m not averse to working with others at all, but as I said I enjoy the variation of types of work in development. From coding to sound recording to getting out taking photos, to photoshop/Cinema4D work to writing press releases and making promo movies – it’s a pretty cool job. I’m not at all interested in replacing that with managing people!”

How successful has the app been in terms of uptake and has it in turn had a positive impact on the rest of your business?

“Chopper has been wildly successful with over 300,000 copies sold. So it will continue to pay for full time development for a while yet. DuckDuckDuck on the other hand hasn’t really sold enough copies to pay for the work I put into it.”

DuckDuckDuck

What is the long-term strategy for Majic Jungle Software and the iPhone – do you see it as a long term viable business platform going forward? Have you made your millions yet?

“iPhone development is definitely hit and miss, and it’s a lot harder to get noticed now than it was a year ago. I have a few unfinished Mac software projects I’d like to get back to at some point, and plan to do a version of Chopper 2 for the Mac soon after the iPhone version too. It totally depends on how Chopper 2 goes, and I’m keeping my options open beyond that.

I had some issues with motivation shortly after the first version’s success. I found it really difficult to move forward when I knew that in all likelihood my greatest success was behind me. However I’ve got past that, and am just focusing on the job at hand, doing the best I can. My long term strategy is probably just to keep working on the most enjoyable thing available to work on!”

Lastely, I am sure you do, but do you use an iPhone personally? How do you use it in your personal life, do you enjoy gaming etc or is it purely for business? What are your favourite apps (other than your own)?

“I love my iPhone. Before the iPhone my cell phone used to get charged up once a month to check for messages. Now I’ve got it on me everywhere I go. I don’t tend to use a lot of third party apps, although I use Tweetie all the time and have enjoyed playing with Pano and I use WeatherNZ and a few other reference type apps. I do play a lot of games though. Flight Control is terribly addictive, and in general I download a lot of games, see how they work and then don’t touch them again. Have to keep up with the competition.”

I’d like to thank David for talking the time to talk to us. He has also provided us with some copies of Chopper and DuckDuckDuck to giveaway, so keep an eye on the site over the next few days. Hit the links up below to visit the Majic Jungle Software Website or the iTunes Store.