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Show HN: Math Attack – My side project of 3 years

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Re: Show HN: Math Attack – My side project of 3 years

#61

Post by Sanctor »

Chive wrote: post #57
Sanctor wrote: post #2

Hey everyone! I've been working on this game for about 3 years in my spare time. It's a simple puzzle game utilizing arithmetic operators. I made it using Unity3D. All the visual assets are made from scratch and the sound effects come from various free sound effect sites. Although the idea is simple I've put a lot of effort into it to make it look polished. For example there is a day/night cycle which serves no other…

Just downloaded and played it, very cool! One comment: the font is sometimes hard to read, especially the 8s on the balloon (at first) (at least for me, Nexus 6P) http://i.imgur.com/oz11sy3.png

Thanks for the feedback! I'll think of some way to improve it. Maybe another font.

Re: Show HN: Math Attack – My side project of 3 years

#63

Post by Sanctor »

dyarosla wrote: post #59
Sanctor wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Awesome feedback! Something like "Let's create the equation!"

Better suggestion. Dont use words. It's a math game. You should be able to showcase what to do with ONLY visuals. Darken out the game on the first missile. Highlight the missile with a focus circle. Then point to one specific equation in the bottom (actually create it for the player). Show that 1 + 5 = 6. Something simple. Then have the missile explode, lighten out the tutorial intro, and let the player continue. Or…

That is a brilliant suggestion. I was thinking of localization. Maybe I can replace more words, like play and settings buttons with play and cog icons.

And yes, I tried to select the education category from google play developer console, but it wouldn't let me because of the ads. I will most certainly release a paid ad-free version. People can try the free one and then make the purchase for their kids.

Re: Show HN: Math Attack – My side project of 3 years

#65

Post by Sanctor »

randlet wrote: post #60
karmajunkie wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, I second that... I'll pay for a good math game for my kid—I don't let him play ad-based games though.

Thirded. This game is a little advanced for my 4 y.o. but I would MUCH rather pay a couple dollars to have ad free games. Most of the free educational kids games are crappy to use for a 4 y.o. because they pop up ads over the game. Inevitably she clicks on them by accident and then ends up in the Play store and confused about what happened or how to get back to her game.

I understand. Most developers don't care once they've got their ad impression.

Although I don't assume people would outright buy the game without trying first. Especially from a first time developer. So the free version is a necessity for me.

Re: Show HN: Math Attack – My side project of 3 years

#66

Post by Sanctor »

rb808 wrote: post #64

This is great. The main suggestion is to have finer grained difficulty settings - mainly so that younger children can use it. IE first graders can only add small numbers. Take a look at Sushi Monster.

I'll check it out. Difficulty setting is a great idea. I was also thinking about adding a practice section where you can select the operations you want as well as the types of numbers.

Re: Show HN: Math Attack – My side project of 3 years

#68

Post by soneca »

Sanctor wrote: post #54
Humdeee wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've learned this the hard way with interstitial and banner ads throughout releasing a dozen or so apps. You really need a rather large user base to make them even a bit worthwhile to a developer. Scratching out pennies will have a huge downside if it lowers the experience of the app to your whole userbase. It's an art form not to make the user feel like a product. Everyone thinks they know how but really so, so few…

Thanks for sharing your experience. It's very valuable to me. I'm very much a stranger to this world, and I don't have anyone to ask for advice. I don't like putting ads in the game. If nothing, it breaks the retro atmosphere I'm going for. But I also have the dream of doing game development for a living and have to make money somehow. I'll try the paid method. I guess I couldn't imagine people willing to pay for som…

"If nothing, it breaks the retro atmosphere I'm going for"

I commented before about finding the ads annoying. But really, this is the crux of it. It completely breaks the experience, as I am playing a pixelized retro game and a modern looking clean ad appears on the screen.

Tangentially, why don't you consider also publishing the same game, but with a different art style. An art style that might be more relatable for kids these days (no idea which, just suggesting you research that).

Re: Show HN: Math Attack – My side project of 3 years

#69

Post by Declanomous »

Sanctor wrote: post #23
Majestic121 wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Your game looks very nice, but I'm not a big fan of ads. Is there a way to pay a premium for an ad free version?

I can maybe add a "Remove Ads" IAP. This is such a niche game I didn't think anyone would be willing to pay for it. Also if you sell the game or offer IAPs you have to get into some sort of merchant agreement with Google, I don't quite know how that works. But I'll work on it. Thanks for the feedback!

I'm going to add on to the calls for a "Remove Ads" IAP. I don't typically buy games, but I will pay to remove ads in a game I like. I don't mind ads while I'm testing a game, but I hate how they break up the flow of the game, and they use a lot of data as well. I uninstall the game within a week or so if I can't get rid of the ads.

I haven't downloaded the game yet, so I can't really say if your ads would bother me, but I hate ads so much that I'd gladly pay to get rid of them.

Re: Show HN: Math Attack – My side project of 3 years

#70

Post by Sanctor »

Declanomous wrote: post #69
Sanctor wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I can maybe add a "Remove Ads" IAP. This is such a niche game I didn't think anyone would be willing to pay for it. Also if you sell the game or offer IAPs you have to get into some sort of merchant agreement with Google, I don't quite know how that works. But I'll work on it. Thanks for the feedback!

I'm going to add on to the calls for a "Remove Ads" IAP. I don't typically buy games, but I will pay to remove ads in a game I like. I don't mind ads while I'm testing a game, but I hate how they break up the flow of the game, and they use a lot of data as well. I uninstall the game within a week or so if I can't get rid of the ads. I haven't downloaded the game yet, so I can't really say if your ads would bother me,…

The clearest message I got from this comments section is that there should be a way to remove ads. This will be my first priority.
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