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scott <sco### [at] scott com> wrote:
> It looks very slick, is it a totally new game concept or is there another
> version somewhere for the PC I can try out? (I don't have an iPhone)
The puzzle concept itself is not original, but using different shapes for
the puzzles (other than just plain squares) is probably a somewhat unique
variant (or at least we couldn't find such an idea implemented before).
> How much work did it take for the coding? What was the hardest part?
You would be surprised how much coding such a thing requires. Of course
a completely basic and ascetic pre-alpha proto (which has nothing else than
the board view and its basic playing functionality) can be programmed in one
day, but the whole game we released requires quite a lot more. Just as an
example, the puzzle icons in the puzzle selection view (that view with all
the "scrolls" with the shapes of the puzzles as black dots) are generated
programmatically from the puzzle data (saves disk space and it's very flexible
because when new puzzles are added or existing removed from the puzzle data,
the contents of the puzzle selection view are automatically updated at
runtime, so there's no need to create any icons for each puzzle). A separate
puzzle designer and solver (I made it for Windows) was also necessary, which
also required its own amount of work.
I'm not sure what would have been the hardest part. I suppose that since
this was the first time I do anything for the iPhone, the most laborious
part was learning Objective-C++ and Cocoa Touch.
--
- Warp
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gregjohn <pte### [at] yahoo com> wrote:
> .... meaning you had a team of musicians and graphic artists supporting you?
Well, I'm working at a game company, so I suppose you could say that.
Although I'd say that I'm part of a team.
> I'd heard that Apple had some draconian terms for refunds that imposed an unfair
> penalty on the coder if an app were returned. Instead of +$0.99 or +$0.00 in
> profits, you only got a $0.20 penalty. Do you foresee this impacting your
> revenue flow?
It's not "my" revenue flow. I don't own that game, I just programmed it.
The company I work for owns it. I just get paid for my work.
AFAIK that commotion about the draconian rule is quite exaggerated.
> Why didn't you release a free, "LITE" app and then entice folks for an upgrade?
> (I'm not saying you should have, just wondering what you think of that business
> plan.)
It's not up to me, but it's perfectly possible for a lite version to be
released in the future.
--
- Warp
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Warp wrote:
> It's not "my" revenue flow. I don't own that game, I just programmed it.
> The company I work for owns it. I just get paid for my work.
Presumably this means if the game is an utter failure, you still get
paid. And if the game is ludicrously successful, you don't get paid any
extra... ;-)
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Warp wrote:
> I'm not sure it's completely appropriate to advertise a commercial game
> here, but at least it's one of those really cheap iPhone games:
>
> http://www.hopido.com/
>
> What's so special about this game in question? Well, it's completely
> programmed by yours truly... :P
>
> (Just the program code, of course. I'm not even nearly such a good
> graphics artist or musician.)
>
Nice, but why iPhone exclusive? You're selling a $1 game exclusively to
those who pay $200 for decent hardware and $70 a month for poor service.
I never understood that model.
Anyway, I'd like to try it just to give you a boost, but I'm unable to
afford electronics from Apple at the moment. Too much other debt to pay
off :(
...Chambers
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Chambers <Ben### [at] gmail com> wrote:
> Nice, but why iPhone exclusive?
Because implementing the game for another platform is, more or less,
implementing two different, separate programs. And because that kind of
game doesn't sell eg. on the PC, but it does sell on the iPhone.
You could make eg. a Flash version of such a game, but nobody buys such
a thing.
--
- Warp
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Warp wrote:
> game doesn't sell eg. on the PC, but it does sell on the iPhone.
Popcaps ported Bejeweled to the XBox360. I wonder how much that sort of
arcade came can earn.
--
Darren New, San Diego CA, USA (PST)
I ordered stamps from Zazzle that read "Place Stamp Here".
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Darren New <dne### [at] san rr com> wrote:
> Warp wrote:
> > game doesn't sell eg. on the PC, but it does sell on the iPhone.
> Popcaps ported Bejeweled to the XBox360. I wonder how much that sort of
> arcade came can earn.
A game like bejeweled is in a bit different category of casual games,
and requires quite a lot more work.
I'm not saying that Hopido wouldn't sell if implemented for the Xbox360.
But it would be, effectively, writing a completely new program almost from
scratch (the puzzle data can be shared among the two projects, but that's
about it).
--
- Warp
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Warp wrote:
> Darren New <dne### [at] san rr com> wrote:
>> Warp wrote:
>>> game doesn't sell eg. on the PC, but it does sell on the iPhone.
>
>> Popcaps ported Bejeweled to the XBox360. I wonder how much that sort of
>> arcade came can earn.
>
> A game like bejeweled is in a bit different category of casual games,
> and requires quite a lot more work.
>
> I'm not saying that Hopido wouldn't sell if implemented for the Xbox360.
> But it would be, effectively, writing a completely new program almost from
> scratch (the puzzle data can be shared among the two projects, but that's
> about it).
>
Sure. I just wondered how much an arcade game like that pulls, compared to
(say) bioshock or GTA or something. If it's 1/100th the work for 1/50th the
income... Stuff like Bioshock, you can probably reuse a huge amount of the
infrastructure when porting it - most of the AI, most of the models and
artwork and voice acting and sound effects and level design... But then you
have to create all that to start with.
Why do you say bejeweled is a different category of casual games? It seems
like it would need even *less* work, as there doesn't seem to be a whole lot
of thinking going into the puzzles (at least on standard bejeweled). Maybe
the random results aren't as random as one would think? This higher levels
seem "harder", but that could be my imagination or something.
--
Darren New, San Diego CA, USA (PST)
I ordered stamps from Zazzle that read "Place Stamp Here".
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Chambers wrote:
> Nice, but why iPhone exclusive? You're selling a $1 game exclusively to
> those who pay $200 for decent hardware and $70 a month for poor service.
> I never understood that model.
>
> Anyway, I'd like to try it just to give you a boost, but I'm unable to
> afford electronics from Apple at the moment. Too much other debt to pay
> off :(
I have an iPod touch but no payment method that Apple will take.
And my dad has an iPhone but refuses to give Apple his credit card number.
He'll start buying apps the day they support Paypal.
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gregjohn wrote:
> I'd heard that Apple had some draconian terms for refunds that imposed an
> unfair
> penalty on the coder if an app were returned. Instead of +$0.99 or +$0.00
> in profits, you only got a $0.20 penalty. Do you foresee this impacting
> your revenue flow?
What? Apps have refunds?
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