Andrew

A little about him…

How did you end up working at Self Aware?

After college I had a friend offer to get me a job as a QA tester at EA on the Sims and I’ve always been a huge gamer so I jumped at the chance, after doing about six months as a tester I moved to an engineering position and met Seppo, where we shared an office for a awhile. After about seven years and a bunch of games and expansion packs I left my old job and started working here at Self Aware on Fleck making everything from backend server improvements to in game items.

What’s your favorite part of your job?

Learning new things, I’ve been at Self Aware for just over six months and I’ve learned something new almost every day.

Any interesting talents you have?

I’ve been using a DVORAK keyboard layout, as opposed to QWERTY, for over ten years now (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dvorak_Simplified_Keyboard ). It started as “hey that sounds neat” idea college and I haven’t looked back. It’s always funny seeing the confused looks co-workers make when they try to type something using my computer only to have a bunch of gibberish show up.

Gameplay changes

- You can now move decorations and pets back into your stock! Just select the item and choose “Move to Stock”. This can be done at any time, costs the same amount of stamina as planting, and replaces the “return” action, which was limited to 1 minute after planting.

- Horseshoes have been adjusted to give more epics and fewer water plants and rares. Huzzah!

- You can now check on each plant’s watering schedule! Hit the (i) button in any plant’s action menu, and the help window will display the last time it was watered,    and the next time it will become thirsty. If you think you’re seeing plants get thirsty more often than they should, this should be the first thing you check.

- Calling for help is now only available to players level 5 and higher.

- The quest tracker UI has been updated with some snazzy new decorations.

- The new scavenger hunt is available. Seriously!

Bug Fixes and Minor Changes

- “Move House” no longer visible in the backyard, and “Expand backyard” no longer visible in the real world.

- More restrictions on which popups are allowed to stack on top of each other (quest complete, level-up, combat summary).- The travel pop up now further clarifies where you can and cannot travel.

- More updates and revisions to the tutorial.

- Numerous backend fixes, updates and improvements (not visible changes, but we are hard at work making Fleck better!)

Crystal

A little about her…

What is your background?

Im a Med Student turned digital artist after realizing that playing Metroid Prime all night wasn’t sufficient preparation for an oncology exam. First industry job was for Factor 5 in 2008, where I met many of the amazing individuals I work with today. In between Factor 5′s meltdown and Self Aware Game’s glorious rising were a series of contract jobs that pushed me in the direction of User Interface, 2D exclusive work, and team lead. All of which make up what I do now as Art Director for Self Aware.

What are your interests outside of work?

Entomology, comics, pinball, soccer, cooking, music shows, science fiction, science non-fiction, and WINNING!!

How does all of this apply to what you are doing now at Self Aware?

As an art director, management and leadership skills are essential to running a team and producing a good product. Most artists don’t come with that kind of experience since they’ve only known art school. My background in the biological sciences means I know how to work with a team and articulate myself well; essential skills when working in the lab, creating and defending research papers and grants. 

Also, I always love a bit of competition, be it playing soccer or attempting a new illustration style. It means I’ll never settle for the same old… if I’m not being challenged then I’m probably bored. This need for constantly learning and improving is essential for success in the games industry and tech world at large.

Would you like a breakfast sandwich?

Yes. Put an egg on it. 

Daniel

A little about him… (x2!)

Funny Version :

Daniel is a professional bear fighter and game artist. Previously, he trained as an edu-tainment artist and teddy bear clothing designer after schooling in the deep south of Georgia in Animation. At Self Aware, he has been involved in several historical events, including The Baobob Scare of 2012, The Great Sand Puddles and The Post It Note Doodling that continues to this day. He brings a +4 strength/4 stam suspenders/bowtie combo and a -20 against throws for candy and baby animals. His adventures are documented on dwoodling.blogspot.com.

Serious Version:

Before Self Aware, I interned as an edutainment artist and teddy bear clothing designer. I graduated in June last year from the Savannah College of Art and Design where I majored in animation. I moved from Georgia to California right after graduation and have been lucky enough to stick around. Before that, I grew up in Texas and Southern California and always had a passion for cartoons, doodling and art. I’m a huge fan of 1950′s illustration and animation and I’m hugely influenced by artists like Ward Kimball, Mary Blair, Ed Benedict and Tom Oreb. At Self Aware, I do the different Card Ace Casino gifts, rare plants and holiday items for Fleck and the daily coffee doodles. In my free time you can find me gaming, gardening succulent terrariums, and doing hip-hop/electro dance. My adventures in life and art are documented on dwoodling.blogspot.com.

Colin

A little about him:

Can you tell us a little about you and how Self Aware came to be?

I have been a professional mad scientist for most of my adult life. I went to MIT with Seppo and we dreamed about creating a video game company together… but the time wasn’t right. After finishing school I created several exciting and/or successful companies including Kovio, Squid Labs, Instructables, Makani Power, and Potenco.  In 2009, Seppo and I decided that “Now Was The Time” to create an awesome video game company that took advantage of all the hidden powers in mobile devices, so we founded Self Aware Games and it has been a wild and glorious ride ever since.

Outside of Self Aware, what are your interests?

I like Kugelbahn, the EPL, and molecular gastronomy, amongst many other things.

Gameplay & Tuning Changes:

Shotgun base range increased, and skill point effect tuned down slightly to match the previous maximum range. New players have it easier; established players should feel no change.

Watering now earns 4 XP (and your friends’ love and appreciation).

Visual & Content Updates:

We continue our tour of Thursday Things this week with the Big Fish Fountain! Picture the soothing sounds of a babbling brook as you gaze upon its glorious gills.

Mother’s Day mailbox added. Leave a nice note for Mom!

Cinco de Mayo seasonal stuff removed from the market, hope you had fun smashing piñatas!

Updated shotgun hit FX. Check out Super Mag Shells!

The quest task tracker got a visual update. More functionality is scheduled for the tracker in the future.

New scavenger hunt coming soon (for real this time, honest)!

Feature Updates:

We’ve added a new combat readiness interface. It’s quick and easy to change your weapon when you’re getting ready for battle, and you can easily see how many people will be included in the combat, including their health and currently equipped weapon. More is planned for this interface, like a quick way to buy food and battle supplies.

Existing users won’t be affected by this change, but we’ve completely redone the Fleck tutorial to start every new character in their own backyard. This means new players get their free plants in their backyard instead of in the real world – so you’ll be seeing fewer “rogue” public plants around.

In addition, hitting your Home button now brings you directly to your backyard. If you have a house in the real world, hitting the button again will take you to your house.

As always, feedback and bug reports on this week’s update are appreciated!  

Email us at support@selfawaregames.com! Thanks and have fun!

Max

A little about him:

Whats the story behind Max?

Born in Eastern Pennsylvania, I attended a college in Western Washington, where I majored in Computer Science, before moving to the Bay Area to pursue a career in the video games industry with Self Aware.

How do you spend your time at Self Aware?

I spend most of my day working on the iPhone and iPad versions of Card Ace: Casino, where I help to maintain and add features to the game.

Kaitlin

A little about her:

How did you get so…. artsy?

One of my favorite pastimes as a child was drawing cats. Eventually, I decided art was something I wanted to pursue as a career, so I moved the short distance from my native Monterey up to San Francisco where I would study illustration at The Academy of Art University. It wasn’t too long after that I would start work as an artist at Self Aware Games.

What makes you smile?

When I’m not working or constructing trite autobiographies, I enjoy podcasts, animated films, nature, and drawing cats.

Another installment of our Behind the Developers introductions. Todays developer, our Master of Users…. :drumroll: 

                                                                Ross

A little about him: 

What did you do before Self Aware and what do you bring from those experiences?

In another life, I owned and operated a mobile bike repair company, worked as a personal chef, trained in Italy as an opera singer, and clerked at a general store with a million-item inventory and no computers. I’ve grilled sausages professionally, and once got paid to see the Samuel L. Jackson remake of “Shaft.” To Self Aware, I bring exactly the kind of focused approach you’d expect given my background. With any luck, this makes me singularly well qualified to understand the question, “Just what are our users DOING?” I am also partial to omelets.

What do you do in your free time? What makes you tick?

While I’m not totally sure what this “free time” of which you speak is, I keep busy with a number of things: I play games on the PC, Xbox, and tabletop platforms; I’m a serious amateur bar tender; I’m pretty good at cooking, but very good at eating — both experiences I’ve been known to write about; I’m awfully fond of solo backpacking; and sometimes, on special occasions, I sleep.