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Bobble Surfer FREE GIVEAWAY - plus meet the guys behind the game

If you treasure your precious iPhone as much as I do (nearly as much as my quiver… nearly), then you may have run across some of the handful of surfing oriented applications available in the iTunes App Store for purchase.  The diamond among them is clearly Bobble Surfer, a clever surfing game that utilizes the iPhone’s accelerometer to make for a really entertaining surf diversion while you’re not surfing.

Now the brains behind the game, Ashley “Ash” Charlish, Ben Cheney and Wade Perry have been kind enough to tell us a bit about themselves and have decided to offer up some FREE giveaways of their clever creation to some lucky DailyStoke readers.  Read on to learn about the guys behind Bobble Surfer, and comment on any article on the site (but remember to mention the free game). Cool comments will be offered a code for a FREE DOWNLOAD.  The only rules are that you must be U.S. based (the free codes won’t work on foreign accounts) and be the proud owner of an iPhone or iPod Touch (we will verify this with you via e-mail).  We’ll give the FREE DOWNLOAD codes away until we run out.  Make haste with the clever comments!

Who are the minds behind Lemur Software and how did you come together?

Wade: Well there’s me that takes care of all the geeky stuff (coding, working out the physics) and Ash who takes care of all the artwork and graphic design stuff. We also got another mate Ben to put together the music for the game. Ash and I have known each other since little kids - our dad’s grew up surfing together, so we go way back. When I needed to recruit an artist I thought of Ash straight away, and after a few beers one afternoon we had a pretty clear idea of what we wanted Bobble Surfer to be.

Where are you guys based and where are you from originally?

Wade: We’re based on the Mid Coast just South of Adelaide, Australia. We’ve both grown up along the same stretch of coastline, but its a great place to live and I don’t think either of us plan on leaving anytime soon. We only live a few streets away from each other which makes it easy to work together.

What inspired you guys to build a surfing game?

Wade: My dad actually started making a surfing game when I was a little kid, but with a job, kids (and surfing) filling up his time he never finished it. I always loved the idea, but buttons never seemed like the right way to control a board. When I found out you could lean iPhones to steer things a surfing game was the first thing I thought of.

Ash: Wade had approached me just before I was about to go to Bali for a surf holiday with my dad and brother. The majority of the concept art was done next to a swimming pool in front of Kuta Reef.

What real world surf breaks are the inspiration behind the various surf spots in the game?

Wade: The only break that ended up resembling the real thing at all was Triggs (a local reef break). As I improved the game to let us add waves of different sizes and directions we’d just name them after guys that had helped us out with the game. One bloke that helped me track down a bug early on was based in Costa Rica, and he suggested Witch’s Rock. By that stage it was too late to change the background image so we’re left with a Witch’s Rock that looked nothing like the real thing… we really should fix that Ash!

What are your favorite things about Bobble Surfer?

Wade: I like the fact that playing the game is a skill you have to learn. Its not easy to start with, but then surfing isn’t meant to be! Its really satisfying when you get the hang of it though, so I think we got the feel of the game right where we wanted!

Ash: Personally for me its mainly using the shortboard, snapping a cutback into a barrel, getting deep in the pit and actually getting back out again without a broken board… I mean wipeout. Also when I’m bored just being able to carve some lines. Its also great when there’s no surf.

Have you created similar games for any other platforms?

Wade: Not yet! I just can’t get excited about surfing with a PlayStation controller or a keyboard though. I’m not sure if anyone’s tackled it yet, but I think the Wii could make a pretty good platform for a surfing game (with the movement sensors in the remote). The thing with surfing games though is that anyone who’s into surfing would much rather actually, you know, go for a surf! We figured an iPhone version was worth a shot though since it would give surfers their fix while they’re meant to be doing something else…

Any other major game or software releases/updates we ought to keep an eye out for?

Wade: There are a few main things we’re working on adding to the game at the moment. First is Barrel-Cam, which will let the camera follow the little guy into the barrel for a close up. The second is letting you upload your best waves to Bobble Surfer.com so that you can share replays with your mates. The next step after that is to set up a ‘Surf Comp’ mode that will let you play through heats online, watching each others waves and giving scores to decide the winner. We’d really like to see that happen!

We’ve also got another game in the pipeline that’s getting pretty close to release. We don’t want to say much about it yet, but there’s more water involved…

How far from the water are you guys and where and how often do you guys surf?

Ash: Well I live two streets away from some of the best beaches on the mid and I live about 4-5 minutes away from a series of great little local reef breaks. Fortunately, I’m lucky enough to surf when ever there’s swell. I tend to miss a lot of days of study. I do most of my share of the work for Bobble Surfer at night or when I’m meant to be studying.

Wade: Last year I bought a place a few hundred metres from the beach, but house renovations and my real job meant I didn’t spend much time in the surf. When my soon-to-be-wife and I get our place up to scratch I’ll be free to spend a lot more time in the water! Or so she tells me…

Shortboards or longboards?

Ash: I ride a 9ft Cutloose Mal. Its funny, in real life I love riding longboards, carving long sweeping turns and shuffling up to the nose (my cross step is fair unko), yet in Bobble Surfer I just can’t stop riding the shortboard. I’m thinking about picking up a fish soon, at the local breaks we get a great little 2ft inside break happening at full tide. It starts to wall up half way in before potentially snapping your board on the beach but its pretty rad.

Wade: I’ve only ever ridden shortboards, but I’m gonna have to pinch one of Ash’s mals sometime and give it a go. He never shuts up about it…

Who are your favorite surfers (pros, local stars, heroes, etc.)?

Ash: I love watching Mick Fanning and of course Slater, but for me its got to be Laird Hamilton. To be honest most of my favourite surfers are some of the locals on the mid. Being a longboarder I surf with a lot of the old school guys that have been hitting the beaches since they were 8-10. Most of them are in their 40-50’s now (and 60+) and are just classic longboarders.
I was always the black sheep in my family being the only son not to take up surfing from birth. Three years ago my mate convinced me to go out in a stormy, I grabbed one of my dads boards and entered the washing machine and I haven’t looked back.

Wade: I’m gonna agree with Ash on this one and say any of the big wave guys. Its just awesome to watch. I don’t care who you are or what you can do; you’ve got to be impressed by those guys!

Have any advice for surfers who are aspiring software developers?

Wade: I remember my dad telling me something like: “Be prepared to see the most perfect surf you’ve ever seen, then drive straight past it on your way to work…”. He’s right I guess, but if you make sure you’re good enough at what you do you’ll always get another job.

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