yea, australia get's the games mid day the day before because it's already the next day over there. your game should be showing up in the app store around 11/11:30pm EST today.
uptimistik said: CRITICAL FLAW When u select the On screen controls, the accelerometer controls are still active. You may want to address that.
Yeah, known issue... discovered yesterday. I already have a fix for it. I'm going to wait about a day, see if anything else gets spotted, then send out an update. It is an issue, but type 2 controls are still usable if the iOS device is held straight.
I'm really happy so far. The game got listed perfectly! I feel like Doc Brown in Back To The Future... "IT'S WORKS... HA HA HA... IT WORKS!"
So yeah, the game is online. There are no reviews yet, but I'm starting to see some Game Center scores. No one's played Sizzle City yet, which I think is the better set of levels.
No other feedback was reported, so I sent an update off to Apple. Version 1.1 fixes the problem with conflicting controls. Until then, there's a workaround — hold the screen straight if you're using on-screen controls. This could be considered a critical bug, so maybe Apple will expedite the review. I also improved an issue with Auto-rotation. The scene background is now set to black, instead of blue, so flipping the screen has a smoother look to it.
Arch Fiery is still near the top of the New Releases list. Although, I think Arcade and Action are two tough categories. The game is not performing well. It's not really featured anywhere special. But surprisingly, The Unofficial GameSalad Textbook has returned to the "What's Hot" category.
Photics your game has a good concept, but needs polish! That bug... Is just so critical. Not that I think you do not have the skill to make a game in three weeks, but you should have worked on this game for at least two months to polish. Add a complex store/shop, use the .98 update to your advantage and improve loading times, add achievments, and more!
NextGen said: Photics your game has a good concept, but needs polish! That bug... Is just so critical. Not that I think you do not have the skill to make a game in three weeks, but you should have worked on this game for at least two months to polish. Add a complex store/shop, use the .98 update to your advantage and improve loading times, add achievments, and more!
I don't think that bug is that major. What happened to "Swipey" in Hard Lines... I think that's a much bigger issue. If the iOS device is held level, Arch Fiery is quite playable with on-screen controls... and an update has already been submitted.
I don't see how the 0.9.8 adds any benefit to the game. I'm not seeing a major increase in performance or loading times. To be sure, I'll go check on my iPod Touch (Second Generation). Regardless, version 1.1 of Arch Fiery was built with GameSalad 0.9.8.
Achievements are not yet part of GameSalad. When it's included, I can add it to Arch Fiery.
...and lets think realistically about two months of polish. Right now, I don't know of anyone (besides me) that's played through the whole game yet. No one is even close to beating my score. I wasted months building lots of areas for BOT... places that most people didn't even see. There's no way I'd put another two months of extraneous content in the game. If lots of people play it... like it... and say they want more... then it makes more sense to update the game.
70% of the players didn't even complete a level in Sizzle City. (...and level 2-1 of Sizzle City is unlocked.)
Quite frankly, I think the party is over. P-O-M's Spin The Nut is so polished, Archimedes could have used it in his death ray. That's a dramatization, but the point is clear. There are too many iOS games... free games! I don't see how I could successfully compete against that. This might be my last iOS game made with GameSalad.
Photics, are you thinking about giving up game development or just GameSalad? It would be a shame if you give up, it's always interesting to read your threads and you have great knowledge about GS. Also may I ask what your favourite games are?
I understand what you mean, but how can you expect all your player to hold the device still? Also, there's no way to keep it perfectly still unless holding it on something. You can't expect all people to do that.
About 0.98, it doesn't auto make your load times faster... You need to take the time to figure out which actors need to be preloaded.
I wasn't talking about GameCenter achievments. In fact, if they had GC achievments it would take less then 5 minutes to implement. Create your own achievment system!
TheGamer said: Photics, are you thinking about giving up game development or just GameSalad?
I'm planning to relaunch an arcade at Photics.com. People seem to want free games, so mine should be at my own site. GameSalad may play a part in that... as there's HTML 5 publishing... but that feature would have to improve dramatically. $499 a year, just to fight through Apple's slow review process (an additional $99 a year) and see disappointing reviews... I think I can do better than that.
My GameSalad Pro subscription is up in November.
TheGamer said: Also may I ask what your favourite games are?
There are a lot of games that I really like... including Arch Fiery.
• Pac Man Championship Edition DX • Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD remix • Mega Man 2 • iOS Games — Hard Lines, Cut the Rope, Fruit Ninja • Halo • New Super Mario Bros Wii
That's not a complete list, but that's a general idea. It's mostly updated retro games.
NextGen said: About 0.98, it doesn't auto make your load times faster... You need to take the time to figure out which actors need to be preloaded.
I could do that before the 0.9.8 update. A trick like that worked for BOT, but it's not really ideal here. I'm happy with the loading times for Arch Fiery. It's pretty good actually... especially when the levels are played in order.
NextGen said: I wasn't talking about GameCenter achievments. In fact, if they had GC achievments it would take less then 5 minutes to implement. Create your own achievment system!
I'm not going to create my own achievement system when one is supposedly coming later this month... or next month... after that, the feature might be too late. Quite frankly, I'm tired of waiting. Game Center is over a year old. For something called GameSalad, it's pretty sad that this feature hasn't been completed already.
I'm supposed to compete with a multi-billion dollar company, giving away games for free?!
tenrdrmerMember, Sous Chef, Senior Sous-ChefPosts: 9,934
uptimistik said: So are we ignoring the success of Spooky Hoofs and Tiny Balls and Feed the Duck and Air Supply and Roping Rob? I think the solution can be summed up by the intro words of EA's sports titles. "EA Sports. It's in the game."
+1 I dont think the party is over. The bar is just really high for a huge risk. Clones no longer make the money they did cause there are 50 version of every clone and half of those are free. Your game has been done so many times with different skins and honestly the theme does not at all draw me in. So if you are gonna make a game that falls into a current over done genre or clone gameplay it better be extremely unique in some way. and not to mention have the most impressive artwork known to man.
...so's Hard Lines ...Pigs in Trees ...Bruce Lee Dragon Warrior ...Bejeweled 2 ...Diner Dash
(all games that went free)
It reminds me of an old World War II movie. One of the Nazi commanders is holding a Boston Creme pie and he says it's the reason they'll lose the war. SUPPLY... the allies had incredibly strong supply lines that they could send over fresh cake. It's the same thing here. The supply of apps are increasing and so many of them are going free.
Does that mean I'm giving up on game development? No. It does mean I'm planning to change strategies.
tenrdrmerMember, Sous Chef, Senior Sous-ChefPosts: 9,934
Photics said: Wow. You don't see the contradiction in your statement?
No, it will differentiate the people in it for the fast cash and the people who whole heartedly care about making a solid unique quality game.
Just because it is no longer easy does not mean it cannot be done.
tenrdrmer said: No, it will differentiate the people in it for the fast cash and the people who whole heartedly care about making a solid unique quality game.
Just because it is no longer easy does not mean it cannot be done.
The "Median Per-Game Revenue by Number of Games Released" chart shows $15,833 on the high end. If that's what the average game makes... and six months goes into making a game... you could make more money delivering pizzas.
tenrdrmerMember, Sous Chef, Senior Sous-ChefPosts: 9,934
The "Median Per-Game Revenue by Number of Games Released" chart shows $15,833 on the high end. If that's what the average game makes... and six months goes into making a game... you could make more money delivering pizzas.
Ha but not necessarily love your job. the app store is overloaded with crap because most everyone misses that article when researching App creation and instead just assume anyone will spend $0.99 on anything so this should make me a good chunk of money pretty fast.
tenrdrmer said: Ha but not necessarily love your job. the app store is overloaded with crap because most everyone misses that article when researching App creation and instead just assume anyone will spend $0.99 on anything so this should make me a good chunk of money pretty fast.
Actually, um... there's a lot of apps that I consider to be inferior to mine that have probably made a lot of money. Right now, Arch Fiery is being outranked by Angry Zombie Birds... a game with 113 one-star ratings.
I'm passionate about making and playing games. Yet, where's the fun in a game that people aren't playing? On average, my games at Photics.com were far more popular — and more successful — than my games in the iTunes App Store.
Photics said: Actually, um... there's a lot of apps that I consider to be inferior to mine that have probably made a lot of money. Right now, Arch Fiery is being outranked by Angry Zombie Birds... a game with 113 one-star ratings.
Great games will be missed, bad games will be successful, reviews aren't that important if people buy into the concept ... timing can be key. Its all about capturing peoples attention and i hate that games like Angry Zombie Birds does well when soo many good games go a miss ... The harsh reality of the app store! Yes its easy to give up as its not a sure fire money spinner but the reality is ... I love doing it. I would be hoping i could of made a little more from it but i enjoy it too much to quit due to lack of income, thats a bonus, but who knows, maybe 1 game will be a mild success and everything suddenly looks rosy ... thats part of the beauty ... you just never know! I haven't played Arch Fiery yet as my internet was down all weekend but i will pick up a copy later. That control bug does sound pretty major to be fair mate and I'm surprised 'you' let it through! Glad to hear the update has been submitted though.
Cool, you like all kinds of games then, just like me. If I may I may give you one piece of advice. After reading your threads, you seem to put yourself last in the game creation process. It means that you seem to consider, your audience, genre, and GS before you consider what you actually want to play.
I believe that if you put yourself first, and then consider everything else, you might have more success. Now I still have to prove it myself, but I think that's the way to go.
beefy_clyro said: Yes its easy to give up as its not a sure fire money spinner but the reality is ... I love doing it.
I'm not giving up. I'm changing the plan.
beefy_clyro said: I haven't played Arch Fiery yet as my internet was down all weekend but i will pick up a copy later. That control bug does sound pretty major to be fair mate and I'm surprised 'you' let it through! Glad to hear the update has been submitted though.
I don't think it's that major of an issue... as the game is quite playable. Someone finally managed to get kinda close to my score.
But yeah, I updated the game. That's another reason I'm changing the plan. I don't feel like waiting days to resolve issues that can be fixed in minutes.
TheGamer said: I believe that if you put yourself first, and then consider everything else, you might have more success. Now I still have to prove it myself, but I think that's the way to go.
With Arch Fiery, I tried to do both. I enjoy the game a lot. What is it at the core? It's a platformer... so it's like a retro-remix. It's kinda like Super Mario Bros meets Angry Birds. I tried to make a game that would be fun for others, but I like playing the game too.
The way I'm thinking, it's really difficult to know what other people will like in general, even more so amongst a casual audience compared to the hardcore. So in my development I only consider myself for the core mechanics, and a game idea that I'm a 100% happy with.
Once that's done, I'm going to start scaling it back for a more casual audience, so the easy access part is there, but also a deeper mechanic in the background so that it will keep people coming back for more once they start getting better.
Anyway, it's good to hear that you won't give up though, good luck with your next project.
I think the on screen controls are much better than the accelerometer (from what I read you're updating to fix the bug with controls)
Gameplay is fun, but can be tedious at times... maybe the update will make it less tedious...
I like the mixture of physics puzzles, like climbing up, or knocking down towers to get to the stars... and the burnt forest is my favorite of the 2 levels...
I personally like the ambience of the game, the music, and the overall mood of the game.
The issue with this game is that the graphics don't have deck appeal. Not sure if I had seen this game on the new release list (not knowing it was yours) if I would have purchased it based on visuals alone...
Maybe for your next game, go for a completely different art style... think Muffin Knight, or any of the Chillingo titles... (Like their newest one, roll in the hole)
I think your headed in the right direction with the casual market, and this game suits that genre, but definitely reconsider the graphics you use if you want to target a broad audience.
Having said that , I personally liked the quiet ambience of the game.
butterbean said: I think the on screen controls are much better than the accelerometer (from what I read you're updating to fix the bug with controls)
The update is live. Heh, Apple was a bit cranky about the expedited review, but the update got through.
butterbean said: Gameplay is fun, but can be tedious at times... maybe the update will make it less tedious...
It can be tough to get the ball exactly where you want, but where exactly was the game tedious? I think there are parts that require practice. But once you know how to do the jumps, it's quite easy... except for 2-5... that level is mean. I probably shouldn't have put that one bomb on the ledge
butterbean said: I like the mixture of physics puzzles, like climbing up, or knocking down towers to get to the stars... and the burnt forest is my favorite of the 2 levels...
Wow, I'm surprised that you like The Burnt Forest more... but that's good. It shows that the game has some variety. Heh, and your score clearly reflects which set of levels you enjoyed more.
That's interesting, something that I might have to add to The Unofficial GameSalad Textbook. From what I know of Zynga, it seems that they like to track player behavior... like at which part of the game players are having trouble with, or where they stop playing. And while GameSalad doesn't have user tracking... and that's a little bit creepy to me... you can sorta accomplish that with Game Center.
Something is wrong with Arch Fiery, considering that so few players played Sizzle City.
butterbean said: I personally like the ambience of the game, the music, and the overall mood of the game.
Yeah, that's strange how that turned out... there's a little bit of suspense, with the music and with some tricky jumps. But overall, the game is quite relaxing.
butterbean said: The issue with this game is that the graphics don't have deck appeal. Not sure if I had seen this game on the new release list (not knowing it was yours) if I would have purchased it based on visuals alone...
Wow, that's tough one, because I thought that the screenshots were pretty good. The idea was to show off the beauty of the game, while also being a tutorial... considering that many players don't bother to read the instructions.
butterbean said: Maybe for your next game, go for a completely different art style... think Muffin Knight, or any of the Chillingo titles... (Like their newest one, roll in the hole)
I think your headed in the right direction with the casual market, and this game suits that genre, but definitely reconsider the graphics you use if you want to target a broad audience.
Having said that , I personally liked the quiet ambience of the game.
Yeah, most popular iOS games have a crisp, vivid and cartoon-like look to it. Well, I was targeting the game for a Halloween launch. That was the ultimate strategy for the game. Most games have a lifespan of about a few weeks on the iTunes App Store, so I tried to match the season. Perhaps later this week, the game will appear on the Halloween listing.
October 11, 2011 — Progress Report
If at first you don't succeed...
I released the iOS version of this game because it's easy with GameSalad. Yet, I think the best version of this game is on the Mac. It's already been approved. The launch date is tomorrow... October 12, 2011. It's almost exactly the same as the iOS version, but the arrow keys make the game much easier to control. I think the game is more enjoyable with a bigger screen and physical buttons.
The main difference of the Mac version is that there's no need to toggle controls. So, I had to do something with the extra space on the pause menu. So, I added a cheat code.
That could be a quick and easy addition for your games. With the Keyboard Input behavior, a really easy cheat code system can be created. It's like a secret password (or pass-phrase) to unlock the cheat.
Comments
Send and Receive Data using your own Server Tutorial! | Vote for A Long Way Home on Steam Greenlight! | Ten Years Left
I'm really happy so far. The game got listed perfectly! I feel like Doc Brown in Back To The Future... "IT'S WORKS... HA HA HA... IT WORKS!"
So yeah, the game is online. There are no reviews yet, but I'm starting to see some Game Center scores. No one's played Sizzle City yet, which I think is the better set of levels.
Here's the link again... http://photics.com/fiery
Update
No other feedback was reported, so I sent an update off to Apple. Version 1.1 fixes the problem with conflicting controls. Until then, there's a workaround — hold the screen straight if you're using on-screen controls. This could be considered a critical bug, so maybe Apple will expedite the review. I also improved an issue with Auto-rotation. The scene background is now set to black, instead of blue, so flipping the screen has a smoother look to it.
Arch Fiery is still near the top of the New Releases list. Although, I think Arcade and Action are two tough categories. The game is not performing well. It's not really featured anywhere special. But surprisingly, The Unofficial GameSalad Textbook has returned to the "What's Hot" category.
you should use a service like prmac to send out mass press release, link to a youtube video of it in action, and screenshots hosted on your website.
Send and Receive Data using your own Server Tutorial! | Vote for A Long Way Home on Steam Greenlight! | Ten Years Left
Matt
----------------------------------
http://matthewredler.com
I don't see how the 0.9.8 adds any benefit to the game. I'm not seeing a major increase in performance or loading times. To be sure, I'll go check on my iPod Touch (Second Generation). Regardless, version 1.1 of Arch Fiery was built with GameSalad 0.9.8.
Achievements are not yet part of GameSalad. When it's included, I can add it to Arch Fiery.
...and lets think realistically about two months of polish. Right now, I don't know of anyone (besides me) that's played through the whole game yet. No one is even close to beating my score. I wasted months building lots of areas for BOT... places that most people didn't even see. There's no way I'd put another two months of extraneous content in the game. If lots of people play it... like it... and say they want more... then it makes more sense to update the game.
70% of the players didn't even complete a level in Sizzle City.
(...and level 2-1 of Sizzle City is unlocked.)
Quite frankly, I think the party is over. P-O-M's Spin The Nut is so polished, Archimedes could have used it in his death ray. That's a dramatization, but the point is clear. There are too many iOS games... free games! I don't see how I could successfully compete against that. This might be my last iOS game made with GameSalad.
I understand what you mean, but how can you expect all your player to hold the device still? Also, there's no way to keep it perfectly still unless holding it on something. You can't expect all people to do that.
About 0.98, it doesn't auto make your load times faster... You need to take the time to figure out which actors need to be preloaded.
I wasn't talking about GameCenter achievments. In fact, if they had GC achievments it would take less then 5 minutes to implement. Create your own achievment system!
My GameSalad Pro subscription is up in November. There are a lot of games that I really like... including Arch Fiery.
• Pac Man Championship Edition DX
• Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD remix
• Mega Man 2
• iOS Games — Hard Lines, Cut the Rope, Fruit Ninja
• Halo
• New Super Mario Bros Wii
That's not a complete list, but that's a general idea. It's mostly updated retro games. I could do that before the 0.9.8 update. A trick like that worked for BOT, but it's not really ideal here. I'm happy with the loading times for Arch Fiery. It's pretty good actually... especially when the levels are played in order. I'm not going to create my own achievement system when one is supposedly coming later this month... or next month... after that, the feature might be too late. Quite frankly, I'm tired of waiting. Game Center is over a year old. For something called GameSalad, it's pretty sad that this feature hasn't been completed already.
Shadows Peak is an atmospheric psychological horror that explores the dark side of a player.
http://appshopper.com/games/tiger-woods-pga-tour®-12
I'm supposed to compete with a multi-billion dollar company, giving away games for free?!
I dont think the party is over. The bar is just really high for a huge risk. Clones no longer make the money they did cause there are 50 version of every clone and half of those are free. Your game has been done so many times with different skins and honestly the theme does not at all draw me in. So if you are gonna make a game that falls into a current over done genre or clone gameplay it better be extremely unique in some way. and not to mention have the most impressive artwork known to man.
...so's Hard Lines
...Pigs in Trees
...Bruce Lee Dragon Warrior
...Bejeweled 2
...Diner Dash
(all games that went free)
It reminds me of an old World War II movie. One of the Nazi commanders is holding a Boston Creme pie and he says it's the reason they'll lose the war. SUPPLY... the allies had incredibly strong supply lines that they could send over fresh cake. It's the same thing here. The supply of apps are increasing and so many of them are going free.
Does that mean I'm giving up on game development? No. It does mean I'm planning to change strategies.
Just because it is no longer easy does not mean it cannot be done.
http://www.streamingcolour.com/blog/2011/09/28/results-ios-game-revenue-survey/
The "Median Per-Game Revenue by Number of Games Released" chart shows $15,833 on the high end. If that's what the average game makes... and six months goes into making a game... you could make more money delivering pizzas.
I'm passionate about making and playing games. Yet, where's the fun in a game that people aren't playing? On average, my games at Photics.com were far more popular — and more successful — than my games in the iTunes App Store.
Yes its easy to give up as its not a sure fire money spinner but the reality is ... I love doing it. I would be hoping i could of made a little more from it but i enjoy it too much to quit due to lack of income, thats a bonus, but who knows, maybe 1 game will be a mild success and everything suddenly looks rosy ... thats part of the beauty ... you just never know!
I haven't played Arch Fiery yet as my internet was down all weekend but i will pick up a copy later. That control bug does sound pretty major to be fair mate and I'm surprised 'you' let it through! Glad to hear the update has been submitted though.
I believe that if you put yourself first, and then consider everything else, you might have more success. Now I still have to prove it myself, but I think that's the way to go.
Someone finally managed to get kinda close to my score.
But yeah, I updated the game. That's another reason I'm changing the plan. I don't feel like waiting days to resolve issues that can be fixed in minutes. With Arch Fiery, I tried to do both. I enjoy the game a lot. What is it at the core? It's a platformer... so it's like a retro-remix. It's kinda like Super Mario Bros meets Angry Birds. I tried to make a game that would be fun for others, but I like playing the game too.
Once that's done, I'm going to start scaling it back for a more casual audience, so the easy access part is there, but also a deeper mechanic in the background so that it will keep people coming back for more once they start getting better.
Anyway, it's good to hear that you won't give up though, good luck with your next project.
My 2 cents:
I think the on screen controls are much better than the accelerometer (from what I read you're updating to fix the bug with controls)
Gameplay is fun, but can be tedious at times... maybe the update will make it less tedious...
I like the mixture of physics puzzles, like climbing up, or knocking down towers to get to the stars... and the burnt forest is my favorite of the 2 levels...
I personally like the ambience of the game, the music, and the overall mood of the game.
The issue with this game is that the graphics don't have deck appeal. Not sure if I had seen this game on the new release list (not knowing it was yours) if I would have purchased it based on visuals alone...
Maybe for your next game, go for a completely different art style... think Muffin Knight, or any of the Chillingo titles... (Like their newest one, roll in the hole)
I think your headed in the right direction with the casual market, and this game suits that genre, but definitely reconsider the graphics you use if you want to target a broad audience.
Having said that , I personally liked the quiet ambience of the game.
Heh, Apple was a bit cranky about the expedited review, but the update got through. It can be tough to get the ball exactly where you want, but where exactly was the game tedious? I think there are parts that require practice. But once you know how to do the jumps, it's quite easy... except for 2-5... that level is mean. I probably shouldn't have put that one bomb on the ledge
That's interesting, something that I might have to add to The Unofficial GameSalad Textbook. From what I know of Zynga, it seems that they like to track player behavior... like at which part of the game players are having trouble with, or where they stop playing. And while GameSalad doesn't have user tracking... and that's a little bit creepy to me... you can sorta accomplish that with Game Center.
Something is wrong with Arch Fiery, considering that so few players played Sizzle City. Yeah, that's strange how that turned out... there's a little bit of suspense, with the music and with some tricky jumps. But overall, the game is quite relaxing. Wow, that's tough one, because I thought that the screenshots were pretty good. The idea was to show off the beauty of the game, while also being a tutorial... considering that many players don't bother to read the instructions. Yeah, most popular iOS games have a crisp, vivid and cartoon-like look to it. Well, I was targeting the game for a Halloween launch. That was the ultimate strategy for the game. Most games have a lifespan of about a few weeks on the iTunes App Store, so I tried to match the season. Perhaps later this week, the game will appear on the Halloween listing.
October 11, 2011 — Progress Report
If at first you don't succeed...
I released the iOS version of this game because it's easy with GameSalad. Yet, I think the best version of this game is on the Mac. It's already been approved. The launch date is tomorrow... October 12, 2011. It's almost exactly the same as the iOS version, but the arrow keys make the game much easier to control. I think the game is more enjoyable with a bigger screen and physical buttons.
The main difference of the Mac version is that there's no need to toggle controls. So, I had to do something with the extra space on the pause menu. So, I added a cheat code.
That could be a quick and easy addition for your games. With the Keyboard Input behavior, a really easy cheat code system can be created. It's like a secret password (or pass-phrase) to unlock the cheat.
http://appadvice.com/appnn/2011/10/quickadvice-archfiery
The app was reviewed. It's a nice read.
Also, we're in the second-half of October. I tested out my little Halloween surprise. It works!
http://www.the-app-shack.com/2011/10/arch-fiery-099-photics.html
I think it's interesting that two minor issues ended up being a large part of the review. HA!
http://www.appletell.com/technologytell/article/iphone-appidemic-arch-fiery/