In 2013 I joined forces with my brother Simon Moles (opens new window) (systems developer at Rockstar North (opens new window)) to build video games specifically for tablet devices. We worked in the Unity game engine, enabling us to target all major platforms.

We had just witnessed the dawn of ubiquitous touch-based tablet computing and believed we could exploit this fresh interaction medium to reimagine some of our favourite game genres.

Our guiding principle was touch-centricity. Mobile games of the time often borrowed existing interaction models, such as on-screen joysticks or pointers. We wanted to play to the strengths of touch. Our pioneering effort was Nova (below), our last game in development was Spaced and we occasionally .

But it was with tools that the studio had a breakout success. The insights gained building games enabled us to identify valuable workflow improvements in coding and debugging. SRDebugger (opens new window) is still available in the Unity Asset Store.

Nova

A tactical action RTS which specifically leverages the interaction opportunities offered by touch screens.

The player commands an elite squad of starship captains who must defend the freedom of the galaxy. Battle against ambitious new factions seeking dominance. As the player progresses, they collect new starships, characters, weaponry and equipment. Each possess advantages and abilities, which can be combined into effective strategies for defeating any opponent.

Spaced

We shifted our focus from narrative driven gameplay to a procedurally generated sandbox.

Spaced challenges the player to keep a physically simulated spaceship functioning in the face of routine (and not-so-routine) missions. We wanted to create a game which was fun and compelling, but without classic gameplay elements like linear progression or rewards. Instead, enjoyment and replay value are derived from how the player approaches challenging situations like a hull breach or power core overload.