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How (not) to sell your iOS app

stoicjesterstudios.com

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Re: How (not) to sell your iOS app

#61

Post by biot »

thestoicjester wrote: post #48
alanfalcon wrote: post #43

The game lacks the fit and polish that sells iOS games. Yeah, much easier said than done (this coming from an aspiring iOS game developer). The advice to change the icon is spot on. I'd also advise changing your screenshots (which would probably also involve changes to the game graphics): all that grayscale is very depressing, and the monospaced serif font for "Gyroscope Controlled" is very bland and ugly. You want s…

It's horrible to think back and remember that I went out of my way to go for a "gritty" look, way back before I was even considering thinking about the marketing angle. There's one lesson well learned. I'm definitely going to take this advice to heart. Thanks!

A gritty look that is purposeful and well done would enhance a game that is already good. However, if the basic game mechanics aren't fun then you're just "polishing a turd" (see page 2 of that Gamasutra article I linked to elsewhere).

Re: How (not) to sell your iOS app

#62

Post by platz »

biot wrote: post #60
Revisor wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I would say it's missing a purpose, rather than a story. Otherwise I agree. I can't speak for other gamers, but my time gets more scarce as I grow older. And games without purpose were the first to go.

Yes, 100% agree with you and that's a much better way of stating it.

I'm not sure 'purpose' is the right word here. Truly what is the purpose of a game? I don't think there's a trivial answer to the question, and I think 'story' is more fair. People care about stories. Stories generate meaning.

Re: How (not) to sell your iOS app

#63

Post by wankerrific »

nobody_nowhere wrote: post #13

Newsflash: "if you build it they will come" is bullshit. It's dawned on your that you're not getting your message out. Now what? 1. Buy ads. It costs about $0.00001 to show an ad banner on mobile. $0.01 to buy on a click basis. $10k to get into the app store top 25. Do the math. Minimums apply. 2. PR: meet/call or otherwise contact the people who can get your message out and convince them how cool your game is. Or pa…

I would add to the above comment that it helps to use the KISS principle for marketing - (No not Keep It Simple Stupid).

I'm talking about KISS the band!

You basically need to tell yourself that you made the Best F--ing Game in the World and use that to fuel you past all the disappointments in the marketing - cuz it IS hard work and there is no magic bullet.

Also, you should be using this game to build up an "installed base" for your next game. Get fans on facebook. Build up a mailing list. Have a way to message existing users. etc.

One last thing, since I'm on my soapbox, is that I think this whole $0.99/unit business model is somewhat unsustainable and really works to the advantage of the big publishers and against indies. It really is in the best interests of the publishers to keep the accepted price point at $0.99 because only they have the economies of scale and connections to move enough units to make a hit - or if it isn't a hit to just move on to the next title.

Re: How (not) to sell your iOS app

#64

Post by seanMeverett »

Chin up man, I've been studying behavioral decision making as it relates to marketing "nudging" for years and am still learning everyday. The only thing I've found that consistently works with any meaningful probability is being different. Just like this post. Yet another iOS game doesn't though I do feel the gyroscope is the most underutilized piece of hardware with the most potential for ios devs...

Re: How (not) to sell your iOS app

#65

Post by huhtenberg »

alanfalcon wrote: post #43

The game lacks the fit and polish that sells iOS games. Yeah, much easier said than done (this coming from an aspiring iOS game developer). The advice to change the icon is spot on. I'd also advise changing your screenshots (which would probably also involve changes to the game graphics): all that grayscale is very depressing, and the monospaced serif font for "Gyroscope Controlled" is very bland and ugly. You want s…

Polish is exactly it.

SlideToPlay's shot [1] at the very top of their review is probably the point where everyone stopped reading the review and left. In the AppStore you are up against "Cut the rope" kind of polish, and that's a plank set very high. First impression really matters and the game fails to make it, hence all the problems.

[1] http://img.slidetoplay.com/screenshots/bullseye-factory_4.jp...

Re: How (not) to sell your iOS app

#67

Post by joshwa »

From watching the video, your game actually seems like it has a pretty fun core mechanic.

Go play Fruit Ninja, and then go hire the best artist you can afford. (and put fruit ninja in your keywords!)

Re: How (not) to sell your iOS app

#68

Post by Revisor »

platz wrote: post #62
biot wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, 100% agree with you and that's a much better way of stating it.

I'm not sure 'purpose' is the right word here. Truly what is the purpose of a game? I don't think there's a trivial answer to the question, and I think 'story' is more fair. People care about stories. Stories generate meaning.

I can't speak for anyone else but for me purpose, if I distill the meaning, means that I walk away from the game richer.

Eg

I have experienced an interesting emotion due to a story and the characters. Or I have realized a principle thanks to an interesting strategy (happened to me lately with Defense Grid - I realized I shouldn't build the longest path possible but maximize the times an enemy walks around a defense tower; this translates directly into books I'm reading now about featuritis and user experience - minimize the number of features, maximize their usefulness).

I'm not a native speaker so maybe there's a better word for it that eludes me.

Edit: Story is definitely one (maybe the most important) cornerstone of purpose!

Re: How (not) to sell your iOS app

#69

Post by ymir »

thestoicjester wrote: post #20
rkalla wrote: post #8

Here's what DID work for you -- summing up all those failures into a well written, entertaining and light-hearted article that is genuinely helpful to anyone else in the iOS game. Oh yea, and the front page of HN this time around. It sounded like you got your hands wet in a lot of different things. That doesn't necessarily mean you are going to retire on this game, but think how many people are aware of you now and w…

I appreciate all of this. The purpose here was to take a quote-unquote negative experience and spin it into something hopefully helpful for other devs, and myself (hello, hn front page). The plan has definitely been in the back of my head for a while to release a free ad-supported version. I just wanted to get this postmortem-type thing out the door first, and it's been difficult to force myself to sit down and take…

I would be very interested in some sort of summary how this HN post increased your sales.

Seriously: we (Blade Polska s.c.) have been through this also. We did everything according to common marketing wisdom about Tap4Two (even the landing page! [1] and real-life video [2]) -- it concluded in 10-20 sales each day. Mostly on the German Store.

We're planning runnig a facebook campaign targeted for Germans, spending all the revenue game has made so far. We will share the outcome for sure.

Your game looks like a lots lots of work with 3d engine, very impressive. What framework did you use?

[1] http://www.tap4two.com [2] http://tumblr.com/x1a1pmizw9

Re: How (not) to sell your iOS app

#70

Post by cageface »

randomdata wrote: post #56
cageface wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's certainly a lot more fun, but if your goal is revenue, particularly as a solo developer, you're going to have to do very well on your own to match what you can easily make as a consultant/employee.

I don't think it has to be either/or. I took about a month off to write my iOS app. While it never made me rich, it still provides a nice income stream that continues today. Now I have my regular job revenue and app sales revenue.

Of course, writing a few apps on the side is also probably the best way to build a portfolio to show new potential clients.
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