About the Creator, Per Wahlstedt
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The following is an interview with Disc Golf Valley creator Per Wahlstedt, done by UDisc author Alex Williamson (Full article here):
UDisc: What do you do for your normal day job?
Wahlstedt: My real job is that I work for a software company in Lund in southern Sweden. But I never really studied anything all that IT-related. I studied information science and English. I just sort of jumped into IT because there was a lot of work in that area.
UDisc: Then how did you learn how to make a mobile game?
Wahlstedt: My current girlfriend is a programmer, and I've always been interested in programming even though I don't really do it in my job. I'd always heard the best way to learn programming was to build a game because it's fun. So I started building Disc Golf Valley with the Unity game engine. It's a huge framework for building games that requires some programming experience, but it makes the process way easier. It's great for beginner programmers.
UDisc: And how much of your life do you now spend on Disc Golf Valley?
Wahlstedt: It's been going on for two or three years now. The first year was me just learning the initial programming and Unity, but now the amount of time I spend on the game varies quite a bit. It's a hobby project, so I do it when I feel like it. It also depends a lot on the weather. If it's nice out, I'll probably be out throwing discs.
UDisc: That brings me to one of my other questions. What's your background in playing disc golf in the real world?
Wahlstedt: I started seriously about three years ago. I'd tried it further back than that, but just going out here and there with a friend. But then we [my girlfriend and I] started going out more regularly. Jomez and Central Coast videos actually really inspired us. We watch every tournament that comes out. It also helps that we have some fantastic, competition-quality courses here.
UDisc: And are any of the game's holes based on your local courses?
Wahlstedt: They are indeed! It's not like I went out there actually measuring or using satellite photography, but some of the holes are definitely based on ones around Lund.
UDisc: What do you think helps Disc Golf Valley stand out from other disc golf games out there?
Wahlstedt: Other games seem to focus a lot on the simulation aspect. How you play is very methodical. I'm trying to capture the feeling of disc golf instead of making everything 100% realistic. Still, as a disc golfer, it is important to me that it captures some real aspects, like the logistics of flight and the mechanics. Also, one of my favorite parts of the game is how simple the controls are. You get all the aspects of a disc golf throw—the reach-back, hyzer, anhyzer, and aiming—from a very simple input. I've seen five-year-olds managing it pretty well.
