Why We Are No Longer Developing for the iPad • Hacker News Board

Re: Why We Are No Longer Developing for the iPad

#41

Post by dyarosla » Thu, Apr 16, 2015, 10:11 PM UTC

kbenson wrote: post #20

dyarosla wrote: post #16

I admire the developer, but the whole post feels like a cop-out blaming Apple. Too much competition? Let's give up. Engine broke from some change, don't want to try fixing it? Let's give up. Ads cost too much? Not, 'let's stop advertising on iOS', instead, Let's give up. I can understand as much as the next iOS developer that changes that require large workarounds due to software/hardware updates that aren't backward…

It makes sense to get out when it's not profitable. In this case, it's a small segment of their sales. They said so directly in their explanation. If there were no sales on iOS, would that be giving up, or just accepting it's not a profitable segment for your business? > Why do developers feel entitled to hardware devices that will always work with legacy code? First, I'm not sure where you are getting that sentiment…

I think I got the sentiment from 2. and 3. Both seemed like the developer was blaming Apple's changes and the forced efforts they set on the developer for stopping iOS production. In reality however, the real problems surrounding the app not being financially viable don't seem to be hinged on Apple's changes here.

Hardware was just another instance from my own experience where Apple makes it a tinge more difficult with new device sizes/specs and so-on every year or so. This wasn't the case in this article, but it's something that Apple developers face, but come to think of it I guess this doesn't really apply solely to Apple.

Re: Why We Are No Longer Developing for the iPad

#42

Post by eridius » Thu, Apr 16, 2015, 10:11 PM UTC

kbenson wrote: post #27

eridius wrote: post #12

> Competition on the App Store has risen to a frenzied level. This is a curious argument to make. The platform is too popular ? Would it have made any sense at all if anyone made the same claim about, say, Windows game development? I suspect what this really means is "there are more games than ever, and the iOS App Store is becoming increasingly difficult to rely on as a discovery mechanism, thus requiring advertisin…

Whether the marketplace is profitable to a developer at their level is not always directly correlated to how popular that marketplace is. If the the App store is so competitive as to require a lot of up-front money to see a worthwhile return on investment, but other markets do not have that same problem, it may may sense to focus on those other markets.

How do you define "competitive" if you're not defining it in a way that correlates with "popular"?

Re: Why We Are No Longer Developing for the iPad

#43

Post by quietplatypus » Thu, Apr 16, 2015, 10:13 PM UTC

takasc2 wrote: post #10

I follow Ipad gaming quite closely because it is perfect for my commutes. I would consider myself as close to a hardcore ipad gamer as it is possible to get - I read specialist sites like pockettactics and spend well over a hundred dollars a year on ipad games. I had never heard of this company or its games before. The ipad is a marketing platform in the best and worst way I can mean that. Looking at this company the…

Do you think there is still the chance for a well-made, expensive up front iPad game (we are talking like $10 to even $30) to make it based on word of mouth from hardcore gamers and Gamespot/IGN/etc. ? I know that the ecosystem itself optimizes f2p, but still.

Re: Why We Are No Longer Developing for the iPad

#44

Post by chx » Thu, Apr 16, 2015, 10:13 PM UTC

justinpaulson wrote: post #40

> My brain no longer has the time and energy to deal with Apple forcing me to relearn how to program every few years. Is this just kind of how developing software works on every platform?

Did someone invent a whole new language for their platform and solely for that platform like Swift?

Re: Why We Are No Longer Developing for the iPad

#45

Post by ThomPete » Thu, Apr 16, 2015, 10:16 PM UTC

eridius wrote: post #12

> Competition on the App Store has risen to a frenzied level. This is a curious argument to make. The platform is too popular ? Would it have made any sense at all if anyone made the same claim about, say, Windows game development? I suspect what this really means is "there are more games than ever, and the iOS App Store is becoming increasingly difficult to rely on as a discovery mechanism, thus requiring advertisin…

The problem isn't that it's popular. The problem is that it's not designed to it's current popularity.

5000apps added every day yet no way for developers to build meaningful relationships with their customers or creating trials make it a very irrational platform to be on.

Its nothing like how Google deals with popularity and quality. It's a huge problem Apple will have to solve. On the mac app store they completely given up.

Re: Why We Are No Longer Developing for the iPad

#46

Post by quietplatypus » Thu, Apr 16, 2015, 10:17 PM UTC

justinpaulson wrote: post #40

> My brain no longer has the time and energy to deal with Apple forcing me to relearn how to program every few years. Is this just kind of how developing software works on every platform?

Well, compared to Windows, which up until Windows 7 let you run a bunch of very old games (and even then you could still get some of them to work in compatibility mode), I'd say no.

And that's a software platform that has to run on a bunch of different hardware.

Also, your Xbox 360 games will all still work on your Xbox 360, as long as you have the hardware around. AFAIK all the Xbox 360 software updates never broke any Xbox 360 game.

Re: Why We Are No Longer Developing for the iPad

#47

Post by kordless » Thu, Apr 16, 2015, 10:17 PM UTC

justinpaulson wrote: post #40

> My brain no longer has the time and energy to deal with Apple forcing me to relearn how to program every few years. Is this just kind of how developing software works on every platform?

No. Overall complexity is going through the roof across the compute markets. Microservices, game engines cryptocurrency. Better hold on to something.

Re: Why We Are No Longer Developing for the iPad

#48

Post by takasc2 » Thu, Apr 16, 2015, 10:17 PM UTC

Fr0styMatt8 wrote: post #34

takasc2 wrote: post #10

I follow Ipad gaming quite closely because it is perfect for my commutes. I would consider myself as close to a hardcore ipad gamer as it is possible to get - I read specialist sites like pockettactics and spend well over a hundred dollars a year on ipad games. I had never heard of this company or its games before. The ipad is a marketing platform in the best and worst way I can mean that. Looking at this company the…

Spiderweb games are very highly regarded RPGs that came from the PC. I definitely know TouchArcade has covered their games a few times over the years.

I looked up the company on pocket tactics, the site I menioned after I posted this. Infact they have had numerous mentions there as well, but no real detailed coverage, no real follow up. I don't think iPad games journalists are failing to cover companies like this - I think these kinds of companies are so anti-marketing in the presentation and design of their games that they fail to stand out or get noticed even by people like me who might have been looking for this kind of experience.

A contrasting company would be someone like inkle's 80 days - that's was an odd iPad game that was hard to sell just on screenshots, but it was marketed brilliantly and had a vision throughout the product that was reflected in taht and the buzz around it was and is huge because of that

Re: Why We Are No Longer Developing for the iPad

#49

Post by [deleted] » Thu, Apr 16, 2015, 10:18 PM UTC

eridius wrote: post #12

> Competition on the App Store has risen to a frenzied level. This is a curious argument to make. The platform is too popular ? Would it have made any sense at all if anyone made the same claim about, say, Windows game development? I suspect what this really means is "there are more games than ever, and the iOS App Store is becoming increasingly difficult to rely on as a discovery mechanism, thus requiring advertisin…

[deleted]

Re: Why We Are No Longer Developing for the iPad

#50

Post by douche » Thu, Apr 16, 2015, 10:18 PM UTC

There was a story on here a month or two ago interviewing the founder of the company. This is basically a one-man shop, and from the few games I have played in their offerings, they look like a little more work to put together than Flappy Bird.

If it's too much of a hassle for the return he's getting on it, then it makes perfect sense to refocus efforts.