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Show HN: I built an iOS remake of that old windows game SkiFree

thewaterbear.com

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Re: Show HN: I built an iOS remake of that old windows game SkiFree

#51

Post by cocoflunchy »

dpcan wrote: post #27

Me too (sort-of). On Android. 2 years ago. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.selticeapp... My stats: I only have a little over 21K downloads, and the non-ad version has only made a few bucks. Ad revenue equates to a couple movie tickets every so often I guess. Wrote it in Monkey-X for cross-platform functionality, but only ever put it on Android for some reason. I've done no marketing. Never been feat…

I released my game on the app store a few weeks ago [1] (which incidentally kinda plays like both of your games), and I'm only around 300 downloads... But I'm sure more will come! I'm not really hoping to be featured though, it's too random from what I've seen.

[1] https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/lina-a-game-about-lines/id89... - A big update is coming soon too!

Re: Show HN: I built an iOS remake of that old windows game SkiFree

#54

Post by dave_chenell »

greggarious wrote: post #53
wcfields wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not the snowman, but there is an In-App purchase for "The Bear"

Is he similar to the monster in Ski Free in function?

The IAP for the bear, lets you ski as the bear https://twitter.com/davechenell/status/545580869696888833, Chasing monsters coming soon http://thewaterbear.com/obstacle-avoidance-a-i/

Re: Show HN: I built an iOS remake of that old windows game SkiFree

#55

Post by pnathan »

dpcan wrote: post #41
pnathan wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think a big difference is your game isn't as graphically polished - the OP has a buddy they work with and evidently knows more about graphics.. Also, last I looked at the numbers, iOS users pay more money than Android one. (sigh) I'll check your game out next time I'm looking for an android game!

Thanks, I hope you get a chance to check it out. But I have to ask, and I know art is subjective, but why do you find his art style better? I see cubes and triangles. It's probably pointless, but I feel like, if I can see what everyone else sees, maybe my art can get better. Or maybe that's impossible.

Thanks for not taking this personally. I wish I could quantify verbally what makes his art distinctively better. Part of it is that he's tapped into the zeitgeist of iOS styling - the flat look, the muted colors with a heavy dash of grey, the minimalism. That styling has heavily influenced current app design across the board.

Looking at yours on the Play Store, some things stand out to my untrained eye:

- Drop shadows on the title.

- The trees don't look clean (and I have no idea how to dig into that).

- The end scene fonts don't look sharp - they look kind of comic sans.

- The configuration is accessed via buttons, instead of the standard Android styling of the "..." button.

- The icon's person graphics are both too detailed and not detailed enough - they are in an uncanny valley of "eh".

- There's no cohesion of colors: there are multiple shades of green; multiple colors of buttons; multiple shades of blue. Multiple shades is fine, but for UI elements, they are like different colored trim on a house for the same things - window sills.

If you have a friend who is into graphic design, have them write you a critique.

It also turns me off, hard, when apps have exclamation points in the title or the "Free" word. It signifies cheapness for some reason.

Re: Show HN: I built an iOS remake of that old windows game SkiFree

#56

Post by lnanek2 »

adnanh wrote: post #10

Nice! Needs abominable snow monster though... :-)

I put a snow monster in my Android version :) https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.fizzl.ski&...

Although I wrote it 5 years ago, no clue if it works on modern phones...

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