An Interview With Mike Smith
Recently we interviewed Mike Smith, the producer of one of Nokia's Next-Gen launch titles namely Creatures Of The Deep. We've tried to include as many of our reader's questions as possible!
Could you please tell us how you got into the games industry and how long you've been working with Nokia?
Over 17 years in the industry, with 2 years at Nokia. Started with Distinctive Software in 89, and later was purchased by Electronic Arts and became EA Canada.
I got into the industry as an Artist working on a few games on the C64 and very rapidly working my way to Art Director on several EA SPORTS titles, including NBA LIVE and NHL Hockey.
Tell us a little about COTD and what audience you are looking to capture by making a fishing game, which isn't something done very often.
Fishing is the largest participant sport in the world (even bigger then soccer) so appealing to this mass market seemed to make sense. This idea has been floating around in mind head for the better part of 17 years (since I started in the game industry), and it always seemed like the kind of game that if done right, would potentially have a broad consumer appeal. With the emergence of the N-Gage platform, it offered the perfect opportunity to explore this concept, and with a twist of fantasy and light hearted fun, the game has come to life.
Is *C.O.T.D* a Snap Mobile game or will it be released in 07 for the Nokia's next-gen platform?
Next-Gen N-Gage platform not SNAP.
Is COTD programmed in Java? *some of our readers thought so*
NO.
The graphics in COTD are unlike any we have ever seen on mobiles before, did you use an existing engine or does COTD feature an entirely new one?
The graphics engine is loosely based upon an existing engine that the developer, Infinite Dreams, had already developed.
What platform will COTD be released on?
Next-Generation N-Gage.
Is the game N-Gage Arena enabled if so, what online features does it offer?
YES. We have planned a number of great Arena features for this game. We'll have single player and team based tournaments, both Arena and gamer created. We'll have some multiplayer minigames, community chat, downloadable levels and features, ring tones, wall papers and more. My favorite Arena feature is "Catch and Release". This feature will allow you to catch things from an Arena based lake, where you can tag the creature or object with your personalized info or message and then release it back onto Arena for someone else to catch. The next person that catches that thing will not only be able to see all the previous messages, but also have the ability to add their own message and release it again for someone else to catch.
You mentioned a virtual aquarium where we would be able to see the fish we have caught, could you tell us a little more about this.
The Live-Well Aquarium is where you store all the things you've caught and kept. At anytime you can go to this live well and view all those things existing in this virtual aquarium and share them with friends. It also will act as you screensaver so when your smartphone goes into standby mode, you'll have a beautiful, personalized aquarium. The Live well will also be utilized for storing all of your fish during tournament, for your daily weigh-in.
What can you tell us about what phones will be able to play COTD?
The platform is still being developed so the actual list of devices has not yet been announced.
What phones do you like out of the current N-Series you like best and why?
I don't have a particular favorite, but I like several for different reasons.
The N91 for its hard drive space and music playing ability, plus it's a slick looking phone.
N70 because it's a real nice all-around phone. All its features are just very comfortable.
N93 because of its 3d acceleration.
Why did Nokia choose to do a fishing game as one of their next-gen launch titles?
I'm hoping that they choose this concept over others because of my ability to sell a compelling idea, but I think the real reason is the fact the game concept fit the direction we (Nokia) was trying to achieve on this new platform. The "Fishing Game" stigma was definitely raised and I believe was addressed with great support from our marketing team, production team and developer.
Do you any idea of a release date for the game yet?
The release date will most likely coincide with the launch of the N-Gage platform in the first half of 2007.
Have you tried Nokia's next-gen version of the N-Gage Arena?
No, not yet. The finishing touches are just being done now, so I am hoping to see something really soon. Our Arena team is a bunch of super-stars so I expect to be very impressed.
Can you tell us anything at all about the Next-Gen platform? Is Nokia referring to the Arena Application that will be downloadable or to new phones? *worth a try*
I am not the correct person to speak to this issue. I would like to defer this question to those folks in Nokia that are in a better position to speak about this.
Finally, do you have anything else you would like to say to our readers?
The future of gaming is mobile and I think that Nokia will continue to lead the pack in this direction. This company has big plans for this type of entertainment and is positioned to be a leader in this industry for a long time













