TIPS: How to avoid bad Ratings and listen to your users.

Hopscotch

Users are hard to come by these days. A healthy app store rating is vital to converting interested gamers who make it to your download page.

Here are my tips to increase your chances in acquiring and maintaining a high rating:

Don't use a static Rate button

We know users are quick to complain, but hesitant to praise. Offering a static rate button, always ready and waiting on the game over scene, is likely to attract the momentarily frustrated or disappointing user, tempting them to leave a spur of the moment bad review.

Give them time

Don't bombard users with a “Rate me” pop-up in the first session of game-play. They may still be finding their feet, and most likely have not seen the best parts of your game.

Wait a day or two, if the user has made it this far, they are more likely to leave a favorable review or at least constructive criticism.

Time it right, catch them at a high

You know your game. Use that to your advantage. Politely ask for a Rating after the user has achieved something special in your game. Use his/her high, they are more likely to give a good review.

Don't interrupt

Don't ask for a review in the morning or during lunch. Chances are the user is trying to sneak in a bit of playtime in between other pressures. They will most likely not leave a well thought out review at this time. Wait for evening.

A/B Test the requests

Study the reviews and feedback, but don't feel obliged to accommodate every demand. Stay true to your vision. A/B Test the changes you do make. See if they resonate with the wider audience.

Update often

If you update your app often, add new features and act on requests, your users will love you and play your game longer.

Use a Feedback system to catch unhappy users.

Sending every user straight to the Rating page is not optimal. Those few bad reviews are going to push your rating down.

The bad way:

Better to lead your unhappy users to a Feedback scene, allowing them to air their views to you, rather than the world.

This keeps the bad ratings out of the app stores, and straight into your hands, to act upon.

The good way:

The above can easily be achieved with the super GameSalad networking functions and a back-end service.

Either cook your own with the help of @jonmulcahy 's excellent tutorial

http://forums.gamesalad.com/discussion/63636/sending-and-receiving-data-using-your-own-sql-server-php-file-and-testproject-included/p1

or use the free and ready made solution from APPFormative in the signature below.

Please share your experiences and ideas on this subject!

Regards,
Hopscotch

jonmulcahy

Great stuff! I never really thought of that 'good' way to prompt for reviews. That is a great method

MentalDonkeyGames

Very good tips, and a cool new fearure for Appformative. Thanks!

gingagaming

Interesting read @Hopscotch i think you hit the nail on the head as the saying goes!

Dues

Good read @Hopscotch

sebmat86

So much great info here!

SLOCM3Z

@Hopscotch said:
Users are hard to come by these days. A healthy app store rating is vital to converting interested gamers who make it to your download page.

Here are my tips to increase your chances in acquiring and maintaining a high rating:

Don't use a static Rate button

We know users are quick to complain, but hesitant to praise. Offering a static rate button, always ready and waiting on the game over scene, is likely to attract the momentarily frustrated or disappointing user, tempting them to leave a spur of the moment bad review.

Give them time

Don't bombard users with a “Rate me” pop-up in the first session of game-play. They may still be finding their feet, and most likely have not seen the best parts of your game.

Wait a day or two, if the user has made it this far, they are more likely to leave a favorable review or at least constructive criticism.

Time it right, catch them at a high

You know your game. Use that to your advantage. Politely ask for a Rating after the user has achieved something special in your game. Use his/her high, they are more likely to give a good review.

Don't interrupt

Don't ask for a review in the morning or during lunch. Chances are the user is trying to sneak in a bit of playtime in between other pressures. They will most likely not leave a well thought out review at this time. Wait for evening.

A/B Test the requests

Study the reviews and feedback, but don't feel obliged to accommodate every demand. Stay true to your vision. A/B Test the changes you do make. See if they resonate with the wider audience.

Update often

If you update your app often, add new features and act on requests, your users will love you and play your game longer.

Use a Feedback system to catch unhappy users.

Sending every user straight to the Rating page is not optimal. Those few bad reviews are going to push your rating down.

The bad way:

Better to lead your unhappy users to a Feedback scene, allowing them to air their views to you, rather than the world.

This keeps the bad ratings out of the app stores, and straight into your hands, to act upon.

The good way:

The above can easily be achieved with the super GameSalad networking functions and a back-end service.

Either cook your own with the help of @jonmulcahy 's excellent tutorial

http://forums.gamesalad.com/discussion/63636/sending-and-receiving-data-using-your-own-sql-server-php-file-and-testproject-included/p1

or use the free and ready made solution from APPFormative in the signature below.

Please share your experiences and ideas on this subject!

Regards,
Hopscotch

I want to agree, awesome, like, and insightful! Thanks for the info man!

rvantilborg

great tips!

i created a 'Game Center achievement' if people rate my game… (or atleast press the 'rate us button' heheheh)

rvantilborg

i have seen people link directly to the rating page instead of their app page… how can i obtain these 'deeper' links?

Hopscotch

@rvantilborg said:
i have seen people link directly to the rating page instead of their app page… how can i obtain these 'deeper' links?

Find your app id in iTunes Connect and then use the following link:

http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewContentsUserReviews?type=Purple+Software&mt=8&id=xxxxxxxxx

Replace the xxxxxxxx with your app id.

rvantilborg

@uptimistik @Hopscotch many thanx!

BigDave

@Hopscotch

not sure if the direct link to the rating section still works.
testing the link above with my app id doesn't seem to work.

BigDave

@uptimistik thanks that works!

Hopscotch

@BigDave, let us know if you get it to work.

My link is actually identical to that of @uptimistik, only the parameters are in a different order.