SlickZeroHouston, TexasMember, Sous ChefPosts: 2,870
Haven't y'all been reading the forums? People can't make good games with GameSalad that make any money because **insert random roadmap feature here** isn't implemented yet.
SlickZero said: Haven't y'all been reading the forums? People can't make good games with GameSalad that make any money because **insert random roadmap feature here** isn't implemented yet.
Do you think FarmVille or CityVille would be as successful without networking? Do you think GameSalad would have such a bad reputation with review sites if it loaded faster?
Mago please do the math for me! but did you have 360,000 downloads in ten months.? Were those mostly of the free ones?? I mean you have only one free app..sn't it so. So did you have only 18000 paid downloads @ 0.99$. I don't know but ehm...please!. I m sorry I dont want to dig into anybody's accounts but I always thought hitting the number one spot brings you better $figures, than that....
"Most coders are buggers who think in numbers so they should be kicked out of the creative process which they tend to dominate because they think they are coders they are hence always right!"...... I heard this in a brain storming session but then forgot but whenever I hear opinions regarding tool selection I m reminded of that comment.....Is that true???
SlickZeroHouston, TexasMember, Sous ChefPosts: 2,870
Photics said: Do you think FarmVille or CityVille would be as successful without networking? Do you think GameSalad would have such a bad reputation with review sites if it loaded faster?
GS gets bad reviews from game sites because the games suck. Has nothing to do with GameSalad.
Do you think GameSalad would have such a bad reputation with review sites if it loaded faster?
Yes, because it is very easy to make a crap game in GS. That's the reputation issue really. 9 times out of 10 you see the GS logo and you know you are going to be underwhelmed.
On a related point to the post my Mathical games have been pulling in around 200 paid downloads a day for the last week between the ipad,iphone and mac. With an average sell of approx $1.60. Which is a good week.
Agreed, we desperately need a pay to publish model to replace the free one, or they can pay $500 a year for unlimited publishing. This will weed out all the templates that get published too...
$199 for unlimited without pro features, and $500 for Pro would be a good model, but I don't think GS will ever eliminate the free model b/c they want as many eyes on the tool as possible for marketing purposes... it's a double edged sword.
If they ever decided to take away the free model, it would create a dent in the amount of shovel-ware published, but we would still see crap games, as $99 or $199 is still a low fee for the basic model of GS...
It's not? The tool has no factor in the end result? Then why are we all here? I should just go outside and build an app out of rocks and dirt.
This is a reoccurring defense here — it's the developer not the tool — and it's more like fanboyism than reality. Sure, the developer has to know how to use the tool... but that's not the only problem here.
...it's generally safe to assume that if someone was serious about developing an iPhone game, they'd go the extra steps and use one of the many existing game engines that allow further customization than a basic game creation studio without being locked into all the weird things GameSalad has pulled over the years.
There's an outsider... stating that it's the developer AND THE TOOL!. The reality is that there's a GameSalad career path. Once you start getting good at game development, it makes sense to move onto more powerful — but more difficult — SDKs. If this wasn't true... if the tool didn't matter... then why is visiting the Corona forum like a High School reunion for GameSalad?
Yes... a lot of money can be made with GameSalad. A lot more could be made if the software improved performance and added more features.
Is it the developer when GameSalad has memory issues? There's only so much performance that can be saved by deselecting physics options.
Improvements to the software are not just good for GameSalad developers, that's good for GameSalad the company. If GameSalad doesn't get going... it's going to get crushed. To act like improvements to GameSalad software means nothing — that it's the developer's fault — is simply ignoring reality.
This is a reoccurring defense here — it's the developer not the tool — and it's more like fanboyism than reality. Sure, the developer has to know how to use the tool... but that's not the only problem here.
Sure the sdk has it's issues. But to say that GS has a bad reputation because of the tool is not true.
Great games can be made with it. It's just too easy to make bad ones.
I don't want to make this a personal thing, but with every single feature that has come along I can remember you saying before that it is what you need to make successful games with GS (iAds, gamecenter, etc..), have they helped?
Yes, the tool is important and the skill of the user. But equally important are ideas and creativity.
@Photics: I agree to an extent. I think GS needs to improve ram and memory in order to make our games perform better, but shovel-ware is seen with all SDK's.
Personally, I've seen some real gems made with GS over the past 2 months, than I have seen with other tools comparable to GS... just look at Toucharcade, and all the features they've done!
Last week, 3 GS games were featured under N&N.
It's not a cut and dry answer, and I think there is room for improvement, but GS has come such a long way from over 2 years ago, and I think it will continue to improve, and we'll see a lot more gems coming out of this tool.
StusApps said: Sure the sdk has it's issues. But to say that GS has a bad reputation because of the tool is not true.
If you use a custom splash screen, the majority of players probably don't know and don't care about GameSalad. This is true. Yet, it's clear that GameSalad does have a bad reputation. There are lots of bad blogs in the world, but no one blames WordPress. That's because the software is amazing and it's extendable. With GameSalad, your apps are locked to the development speed of the GameSalad Creator.
StusApps said: Great games can be made with it. It's just too easy to make bad ones.
I don't want to make this a personal thing, but with every single feature that has come along I can remember you saying before that it is what you need to make successful games with GS (iAds, gamecenter, etc..), have they helped?
I'm actually surprised that iAds became so useless. I'm starting to wonder if Apple is simply going to abandon it. On Android, I did OK with AdMob and Microsoft. I'm surprised that GameSalad doesn't expand the advertisement options. Additionally... why doesn't OpenURL have an expression field? If I can add the AdMob code to my own apps, why can't GameSalad? It doesn't make sense to me.
Has Game Center helped my apps? I think it's made my games a lot more fun. It also adds an extra spot for my apps to be listed. However, the feature is not complete. Without achievements, it's not as impressive. Game Center also has a lot more power that GameSalad should be pioneering... like voice chat and networking.
My GameSalad games could be better. Yet, considering how hard I've worked on my GameSalad games, I expected better results than my Android apps. I think the main reason for this is that the iTunes App Store demands perfection. Players want a lot for 99¢ app. Every feature that I can't include limits the potential of the app.
firemaplegames said: As an independent developer, it definitely requires a lot of dedication and a love for creating games and making people happy. The money has to be last on the list or it usually won't work. You will quickly burn out and become discouraged.
I agree with Firemaple wholeheartedly, except I think even strong, dedicated developers can get burnt out too... I can throw out names of a handful of games made with GS that never topped the 100 or 200 charts, but are marvelous pieces of work...
butterbean said: Personally, I've seen some real gems made with GS over the past 2 months, than I have seen with other tools comparable to GS... just look at Toucharcade, and all the features they've done!
I have looked at other game development communities. I think that the games in general are getting a lot better. I'm seeing lots of talent out there. GameSalad games are improving... as they're breaking through the Touch Arcade wall.
I had lots of other stuff to write, but I don't want to pick on GameSalad. If I'm hard on GameSalad it's because I can see what this software can really do... not just for Gaming... but for the world.
So instead of ranting, I'm just going eat lunch. HA! Version 1.0 of GameSalad should launch eventually. That's the revealing moment for GameSalad.
Comments
Do you think GameSalad would have such a bad reputation with review sites if it loaded faster?
Better tools can make better games.
On a related point to the post my Mathical games have been pulling in around 200 paid downloads a day for the last week between the ipad,iphone and mac. With an average sell of approx $1.60. Which is a good week.
Lump Apps and My Assets
That is why I paid $500 to get my own splash. It is what it is, I refuse to be guilty by association with games like that lol.
$50 to publish each AppID, it's the way forward ;-)
no need for pro and standard then. everyone gets all behaviours.
You can still make unlimited builds of the app on that appID, so updates and adhocs won't cost you more.
haha, just found a very similar thread in the suggestions forum that got closed down for dissent.
If they ever decided to take away the free model, it would create a dent in the amount of shovel-ware published, but we would still see crap games, as $99 or $199 is still a low fee for the basic model of GS...
This is a reoccurring defense here — it's the developer not the tool — and it's more like fanboyism than reality. Sure, the developer has to know how to use the tool... but that's not the only problem here.
I can link to stuff too...
http://forums.toucharcade.com/showpost.php?p=1749960&postcount=103 Here's another beauty...
http://forums.toucharcade.com/showpost.php?p=1749531&postcount=68
There's an outsider... stating that it's the developer AND THE TOOL!. The reality is that there's a GameSalad career path. Once you start getting good at game development, it makes sense to move onto more powerful — but more difficult — SDKs. If this wasn't true... if the tool didn't matter... then why is visiting the Corona forum like a High School reunion for GameSalad?
Yes... a lot of money can be made with GameSalad.
A lot more could be made if the software improved performance and added more features.
Is it the developer when GameSalad has memory issues? There's only so much performance that can be saved by deselecting physics options.
Improvements to the software are not just good for GameSalad developers, that's good for GameSalad the company. If GameSalad doesn't get going... it's going to get crushed. To act like improvements to GameSalad software means nothing — that it's the developer's fault — is simply ignoring reality.
Great games can be made with it. It's just too easy to make bad ones.
I don't want to make this a personal thing, but with every single feature that has come along I can remember you saying before that it is what you need to make successful games with GS (iAds, gamecenter, etc..), have they helped?
Yes, the tool is important and the skill of the user. But equally important are ideas and creativity.
Personally, I've seen some real gems made with GS over the past 2 months, than I have seen with other tools comparable to GS... just look at Toucharcade, and all the features they've done!
Last week, 3 GS games were featured under N&N.
It's not a cut and dry answer, and I think there is room for improvement, but GS has come such a long way from over 2 years ago, and I think it will continue to improve, and we'll see a lot more gems coming out of this tool.
Has Game Center helped my apps? I think it's made my games a lot more fun. It also adds an extra spot for my apps to be listed. However, the feature is not complete. Without achievements, it's not as impressive. Game Center also has a lot more power that GameSalad should be pioneering... like voice chat and networking.
My GameSalad games could be better. Yet, considering how hard I've worked on my GameSalad games, I expected better results than my Android apps. I think the main reason for this is that the iTunes App Store demands perfection. Players want a lot for 99¢ app. Every feature that I can't include limits the potential of the app.
I had lots of other stuff to write, but I don't want to pick on GameSalad. If I'm hard on GameSalad it's because I can see what this software can really do... not just for Gaming... but for the world.
So instead of ranting, I'm just going eat lunch. HA! Version 1.0 of GameSalad should launch eventually. That's the revealing moment for GameSalad.