Hey Fishdom fans! We've got some news for you — Fishdom is now available on Facebook. It means that from now on you can share the fun of Fishdom with your friends.
Today I sat down with Evgeny Makhov, the project's manager, to get a scoop on Fishdom for Facebook. Read on to learn what makes social Fishdom so special.
How will the Facebook version of the game be different
from the regular version?
Well, it’s the social part that is the main difference, though funny it may sound :). The installments of the downloadable franchise included two major parts: the aquarium simulation part and the game play (match-3 or hidden object). The game for the social platforms will have just one major aspect - aquarium simulation. We also have plans to include a number of fun mini-games, but they will basically be a complementary addition to the overall game play experience.
Besides, the social version of Fishdom will feature a totally new approach to the fish tank. The fish will be treated more like pets, than mere decoration. At some point, our finned friends will have not only a name, but also a family, habits and peculiar behavior.
It may sound like the games have nothing in common, but it is not true. Working on the social adaptation of Fishdom we wanted to keep the fun and relaxing environment with amusing water creatures, bright colors and gorgeous graphics that the flagship title is loved for.
Did you encounter any problems while bringing the game to Facebook?
As we kicked off the work on the social game, we ran into the problems of bringing a downloadable game to the social market. Fishdom for the social platforms is based on vector graphics, while the original game was created using the raster graphics. So most of the time we were trying to breach the gap between these two methods. In general, it has been a very fun and challenging experience so far.
Why did you decide to bring the game to Facebook?
Establishing the Fishdom brand presence on Facebook is a major step for us. And we are very excited to bring the centerpiece of our game's library to the social platforms. Social gaming has crept up on us in a big way :). And it would have been an unforgivable mistake to disregard the opportunity to deliver the unique experience your game has to offer to the widest possible audience. Besides, the definition of “casual” games has significantly expanded to embrace social games as well. Games developers can’t ignore or deny it.
Will there be microtransactions in the game? What about virtual currency?
We will use the microtransactions model that is currently implemented by Zynga and Playfish. Players will be able to purchase unique and exclusive content, such as decoration items, underwater creatures, and aquarium environments.
How do you plan to compete with established Facebook games like Happy Aquarium and FishVille?
Our main point of difference will be the quality of graphics never seen before in any Facebook project. Besides, Happy Aquarium and FishVille are more like fish farms and we want to stay away from this. Our fish will be more like pets. And creating this personal attachment of players to their finned friends is very important to us.
What will the three hottest must-have virtual Fishdom items be when the game launches?
The items that you should definitely check out are the sea turtle, the sea horse and a number of Fishdom aborigines. A Playrix baby dragon is one of my personal faves :).
