The Developer Interview
Time to talk shop with our very own Ian Masters and Alan Thomson. With a wealth of industry experience between them, FLICK SOLITAIRE is their first collaboration. Recently receiving a special developer feature story from Apple along with hundreds of 5-star app store reviews plus millions of games already enjoyed by players - it is clear that this addictive and supercharged mobile game is here for the long haul. Let’s talk about how it all started…
Katie: Happy Birthday FLICK SOLITAIRE - 1 YEAR OLD and one year on!
Katie: Has it been a blast or a bumpy ride?
Ian: Total blast! I’m overwhelmed by how the game and community has developed over the last year.
Alan: I think it’s been mostly smooth... (famous last words).
Katie: What is it you exactly do at FLICK? (I’m sure this would push our interview into a novel so how about the main areas you look after!)
Alan: I’m a programmer. I handle most of the ‘make the game do things’ stuff - though Ian helps out with that too.
Ian: A bit of everything really, but the best part is working with the amazing diverse artists we commission to create beautiful new decks of cards.
Katie: How did you both meet?
Alan: I was studying at the university Ian was teaching at, and one of my lecturers put my name forward when Ian was looking for a programmer for a new project.
Ian: That was about 10 years ago!
Katie: Why mobile games?
Ian: Mobile games can reach an audience that no other platform can. Your phone is always near you and is uniquely connected to your world in a deeply personal way. Making games for that fascinates me.
Katie: Is there any snobbery around developing a console/PC game versus a mobile game?
Ian: There certainly used to be in game dev circles, and particularly in the games press for many years. These days it’s vastly reduced - probably because globally mobile now accounts for more than half of the global games market of $176bn, more than PC and console combined. Sadly, the snobbery hasn’t disappeared, it’s just now focussed on the blockchain and NFT gaming space 😫.
Alan: From other developers and the general public, I don’t think so. From the “PC/console master race” types I’m sure there are.
Katie: Were you fans of card games before FLICK?
Alan: Definitely. My personal favourite is a game called Big 2, which isn’t as well known here but is popular in East Asia.
Ian: Why has Alan never told me about Big 2?! Maybe he did and I thought it was a movie. I’ve always loved solitaire and to my constant surprise almost every game designer I speak to loves that we’re re-imagining it for a new generation of players.
Alan: I have definitely mentioned this before...
Ian: Don’t think so.
Katie: There are LOTS of card games available to download so what makes FLICK the best?
Alan: I think we’ve definitely made something that feels more ‘real’ than many other card games, it’s much more tactile than most and bridges the gap between screens and physical cards.
Ian: After 21 years of making games professionally I never thought I’d get obsessed by solitaire like I have but it’s been incredibly fun to design a fresh new version from scratch. There were so many solitaire tropes that we discarded and we were worried that people would miss them. E.g. timers, scoring but only 1 person has asked for them so far. Ultimately, the best thing is that it has been designed for “touch” which bizarrely seems to make it unique.
Katie: FLICK recently launched a new daily bonus system - how hard is it to get player rewards right?
Alan: It’s a balancing act - on the one hand we want players to have a way to get items as they need them, but at the same time we don’t want to remove all the challenge by letting players simply collect all items right away or get the solutions to levels before you’ve had a chance to really test yourself.
Ian: When we launched the game a year ago we had 2 ‘vanilla’ decks by me 👨🏻🎨 plus 4 more from artist friends. Now we have 21 decks from a diverse range of artists, we thought “ok, we need to start giving more stuff away - let’s be really generous and hopefully players will enjoy the deck collection even more!” It seems to be working.
Katie: The FLICK in-game certainly makes the game play fun and realistic. How and why did you come up with the flicking movement used to move cards in-game?
Ian: Microsoft Solitaire launched in 1990 to teach Windows 3.1 users how to use a mouse. i.e. How to drag and drop. It worked brilliantly. For experienced solitaire players though, dragging literally becomes “a drag” as it’s very inefficient - it’s a lot of physical movement for every move. As such, tap-to-move was introduced and it became the norm for many players. As a game designer and player I never liked tap-to-move as it’s so easily exploitable. You can literally just tap the deck, then the card, then the deck, then the card and make fast progress without even thinking. We invented the flick because it seemed like a nice balance between the two: it’s almost as fast as a tap but with the intent of the drag. It was a lot of work to get it to feel natural and satisfying but it has paid off in spades - and no, I’m not apologising for the pun.
Katie: With a regular influx of new features and decks launching will FLICK ever be perfect for you both?
Ian: Never!
Alan: Based on the ever increasing size of my ‘to do’ list, I think I can say “probably not” is a pretty safe answer.
Katie: What feature do you love about FLICK the most?
Ian: So we tried REALLY hard not to call the game Flick Solitaire. At one time it was Paper Solitaire, then We ❤ Solitaire and eventually we accepted that it’s such a core part of the game we decided to stop fighting the FLICK. So… it’s the FLICK!
Alan: The artwork! I probably should have said something that I can take credit for, but I think it’s pretty clear that the artwork is fantastic.
Katie: You have been in the gaming industry for 20+ years, what has changed the most?
Ian: Thankfully the diversity. When I started at Codemasters in 1998 the company was about 200-250 people and I would estimate: 98% straight white cis-male. Thankfully, things have changed drastically but we still have work to do.
Katie: With Unreal Engine 5 available for developers to trial, what tech would you LOVE to see one day that would make your world a lot easier?
Ian: A universal login and friends system. Facebook used to own this space but it’s now incredibly fragmented.
Alan: An AI that can preemptively fix all bugs for me would be nice.
Katie: With plenty of lovely reviews from players (we like to call FLICKERS) what motivates you most to keep producing the finest version of solitaire?
Ian: Well we’re on a mission to make Flick Solitaire the number one solitaire game ever. That means 1 billion plus downloads so we’re really just getting warmed up!
Katie: With 20 different decks designed by diverse independent artists in ONE YEAR - you must have a favourite deck? (Okay that’s far too cruel - how could you choose!) So can you tell us what deck theme you would love to see in FLICK?
Ian: Weirdly, you just made me think about ballroom dancing. That could be glitzy and fun! Ultimately, any deck that provides representation and visibility to an underrepresented community is a win for me. We have many amazing and different themes planned 😎.
Alan: I’d like to see one based on various mythologies (Greek, Egyptian, Norse gods etc) {Katie: Yes, please!}
Katie: What are your tips for any artists who would love to design a deck?
Ian: Remember that whilst our cards are often super detailed, they have to pop when drawn very small on a screen that fits in your pocket. That is hard!
Alan: And remember that the suits + numbers need to be easy to read - not everyone has great eyesight.
Katie: Our FLICK artists are from all over the world bringing such diversity to the in-game artwork. Have you ever had any strange suggestions for a deck theme from players?
Ian: Animal Skeletons. I have a friend who posts pictures of them and gets his friends to try and identify the animal from the bones! (Katie: Again, yes please!)
Alan: ...I don’t think I can top that.
Katie: What about game development got you hooked?
Ian: I have a distinct memory of watching the credits roll on Phantasy Star for the Sega Master System. That was when I was 11 years old and I had a realisation that “people got paid to make this incredible game”. I decided there and then to be a game dev.
Alan: I think it was probably when programming “clicked” in my mind. I’d had one term using a fairly simple language and it wasn’t sinking in. After a break for the summer, we came back and jumped into C++ and somehow it all made sense - even though it was a much more complex language.
Katie: What is your advice for getting into game development?
Alan: Just start making something, anything at all. It doesn’t need to be good (and at the start it probably won’t be). Find a tool that lets you create a game/animation/music/levels/whatever - and make something to refine and show off those skills. Eventually you’ll make something that looks promising, and you’ll have something that can demonstrate your skills.
Katie: FLICK SOLITAIRE includes the classic card games Elevens and Pyramid - why these particular games? How many more game modes would you like to see in-game?
Ian: Our friend and collaborator Geoffrey Bean suggested Elevens and it stuck. It's a weird one as it’s such a basic game that’s lacking in challenge and yet it’s great for relaxing!
We plan to continue adding more and putting our own unique twist on each… forever.
Alan: We wanted to add extra game modes that were variants of solitaire, but were not too similar to classic solitaire (aka patience). These games are different enough that the game has some variety while we work on other game modes.
Katie: Could you tell us a little bit about the development process when a new deck is launched?
Ian: That sounds boring 😛. Iteration and hard work. We wish there was a magic answer.
Katie: What are you most excited about for the future of FLICK?
Ian: The journey of growing Flick Solitaire into the biggest solitaire game ever.
Katie: What is the most challenging part of creating a video game?
Ian: Every part! It’s incredibly difficult and brutal in so many ways but rewarding in equal measure. To be successful you need amazing game design, art, engineering, marketing and business skills - as such the industry attracts incredibly talented people. It’s a humbling industry to work in.
Alan: Agreed, there’s so many moving parts that need to be balanced. One of the biggest challenges for me is adding new features while ensuring that existing ones aren’t affected.
Katie: Does it stop with FLICK? How many games have you got left in you to create?
Ian: Like in any creative field, most people working in it have hundreds if not thousands of ideas. I will never run out but at the same time it’s a luxury to take time to develop a game like solitaire with patience 😣.
Katie: As all the FLICK team work remotely do you ever miss office vibes? Can you really create a game without being ‘in the office?’ (Obviously we have!)
Ian: We never planned to have an office before the pandemic and that hasn’t changed - somehow it’s more accepted now though. I have not worked from an office since 2008.
Alan: Same here (since 2011 anyway). I’m not sure how my cats would cope without a human being around all day now.
Katie: Creating a video game isn’t a 9-5pm career. Does the world ever stop once you’ve launched?
Ian: Well we considered asking our players not to play at weekends but on balance decided against it 🤓. Seriously, it’s all part of the fun of making a game people play as a hobby.
Katie: Lots of players would love to see FLICK decks as real playing cards. Are there plans for game merchandise one day?
Ian: Definitely. Stay tuned.
Katie: What does FLICK success look like?
Ian: A community of diverse, talented artists all making continued revenues from the game. We’re a long way from that but we’ll get there.
Alan: And happy players too!
Katie: Do you have a message for the players?
Ian: Thanks for supporting us by playing the game, leaving lovely reviews AND bug reports, for chatting to us on social media and for sharing Flick with your friends & family - as so many have done. There’s much more to come, including new game modes and many more fantastic decks from artists we love.
Time for the QUICK FLICK ROUND!
Ian
Playstation or Xbox? - Previously PlayStation, now Xbox. Damn you Game Pass.
The Office UK or The Office USA? - USA
Countryside or city? - City most of the time.
Tapas or Indian? - Tapas. Spanish is the most underrated food in the world.
Fried or scrambled? - In a cake please.
Beer garden or wine bar? - Wine garden?
Beach shorts or speedos? - Shorts for goodness sake!
Skiing or sunbathing? - Neither.
Cats or dogs? - Dogs, dogs, dogs, dogs.
Game mode - HARD or NORMAL? - “I'm Too Young to Die”
Alan
Playstation or Xbox? - Generally Playstation, but I can’t get hold of either right now!
The Office UK or The Office USA? - I like them both in different ways.
Countryside or city? - This ones easy, countryside.
Tapas or Indian? - Indian.
Fried or scrambled? - Not a big fan of eggs, I only really use them for making ice cream.
Beer garden or wine bar? - Beer garden.
Beach shorts or speedos? - I’m offended that ‘mankini’ isn’t an option...
Skiing or sunbathing? - I hate the snow, so skiing is out. Though I’m not a fan of cooking out in the sun either.
Cats or dogs? - Definitely cats.
Game mode - HARD or NORMAL? - I usually stick to normal, I don’t have time to sink into hard mode any more.
Our wonderful developers Ian and Alan are always happy to answer questions about the industry and our FLICK - get in touch: social@flick.games