Fighting Trainer - Interview with the developer of a fantastic app

Did you have any prior development or coding experience?

We have been making games (serious and entertainment) and apps for since 2012.

What was the most challenging aspect of developing mobile app?

The biggest challenge with this app was (and still is) the motion capturing of the moves. We used a motion capture studio in our town of Leeuwarden several times. Where we recorded the moves performed by Erwin van der Helm and his associate. The capturing of about 25 moves takes about a day, but then the "fun" starts of cleaning and processing these moves. This process can take several months.

_{Critical Bit}

Critical Bit was founded in the summer of 2012. We are an independent game & app developer based in Leeuwarden, the Netherlands. We started this because of our passion for games. Critical Bit games are accessible and easy to learn while still offering the depth and novelty to keep players engaged. We believe that gaming can play a serious role in training and education. Games have the power to engage people in ways that traditional media haven’t achieved yet. Games can be used to train management and decision making skills, explain abstract concepts and models, simulate controlling a boat or plane, let the player experience medieval life from a historical perspective. Whether it is a training program or an educational game; Games can make learning fun! We develop for iOS (iPhone and iPad), Android (phone and tablet), PC and web. Our projects also make use of VR (Virtual Reality) using for instance the Oculus Rift and AR (Augmented Reality). We also, occasionally, make boardgames.

Name a few of your favorite apps and reason you love them.

In our 3 man company we use Slack a lot. And try to always set up a dedicated Slack for each client we work with. And since we are a hands-on company, it is indispensable to have access to this app even when we are away from our keyboard. This and the Google Play Console app, so we can keep an eye on anything happening with our apps (mainly Fighting Trainer).

How long have you been working on this app?

This app, Fighting Trainer, has been in the making since 2015 when we first released it on the store.

What need of the user did you have in mind when developing this app?

We created the app because our client, Erwin van der Helm, believed it could benefit his students of martial arts to have an app that they could use to reference and study the moves both during class, but mostly, at home as well. At the time there weren't any apps that provided what he was looking for. Or they simply weren't very good. So he approached us to create the app. Mainly for him and his students.

In what way do you think your app is better than similar apps on the market? Please describe in detail what innovation you think you bring and what you are proud of in your app.

Our app uses motion captured animation to show the moves in the best way possible; accurate, viewable from every angle and in slow-motion or at regular speed. Other apps often use drawings, simple 2d animations, video or even just a lot of text describing what to do. All of this has many downsides. Which we believe have been overcome by using motion captured animations and providing controls to view them any way you like.

What are your future plans and expected features of the coming new versions of this app?

We are working on adding training programs, which will provide the users with a way to train more easily. Which is stepping away from the initial design intended to be used next to training at a gym. Which we still encourage wholeheartedly. But have also heard many many stories of our users whom have used the app to self-teach. Especially during these times of COVID19, but also for many people who simply do not have a gym close by or the means to pay for lessons. We intend to add more and more features for these users.

Assuming new users of your app are reading this page. What do you want to ask them to do (contact you about X, Share the app, etc.)?

Our app is free. Please try the app and take a look if you like it. If you like our app please leave a review. This helps us a lot. And if you don't like it. Please contact us directly with your feedback. We hear and reply to all complaints/suggestions/feedback/... Of course, when you do like the app, sharing the app on social media would be awesome! :-)