@Tim, the keywords were "tony" and "hawk" and I definitely can understand the issue with them. Those words were in there because a lot of people mentioned that the tricks reminded them of playing the Tony Hawk Pro Skater games. We pretty much put those words in to take up space but they were meant to refer to the game and not the person. I suppose "skater" would have worked just as good but I am used to referring to those games as "Tony Hawk" games.

Thanks for the input Matt. I definitely wanted to work some sort of upgrades into the game because I am a huge fan of those myself. We couldn't work out the best way to add them in tough, without pushing the release date way back, so we decided to leave it for an update. And, yes, Trevor's art is really awesome and it's great to work with him.

Holy crap I just realized your art is by TVM, the guy that made FlyGuy, no wonder it's so awesome! :)

I think if you took your (awesome) art style and gameplay in Bear on a Wire, but made it a game more like Shopping Cart Hero(with lots of upgrades and all that), you'd have a huge hit on your hands.

Thanks for sharing some of your hard earned insight. I'm curious though in the nature of the key words that tripped you up? I recall seeing the trailers for BOAW a while back and wouldn't imagine that applicable key words would cause you such grief (although I haven't played it).

I realize this post is getting old now but I want to attempt to provide some more information that may be useful to people working on new games.

Several of you have asked about how sales have gone for Bear on a Wire. To put it short, they haven't been great but we definitely made a couple mistakes which hurt our sales. In my opinion, the market is very hit or miss. You pretty much get one shot to blow up when your app releases or you sink into the abyss. This point was a little different in the beginning and during the initial release of Bear on a Wire though, because each update pushed the app back into the "New" section, giving it another shot at success.

When we initially released Bear on a Wire, we saw respectable numbers but nothing great. A couple weeks after the paid version we released a free version (Bear on a Wire - Free Ride) which just barley missed the top 100. It bumped the paid version up a little but not as much as we had hoped - one of our mistakes was that the original free version may have been too feature limited, not giving people enough of a feel for the game to want to buy it.

After correcting the mistake of having a too limited free version, our plan was to submit an update for the free and paid version at the same time, we figured that having them both in the New section of the store at them same time would give us our best shot at cracking the top 100 and then hopefully moving up from there.

Unfortunately, that plan did not work. The update to the free version, which was most important in my opinion, got declined due to inappropriate keywords. I immediately changed them and resubmitted. Two weeks later, it got declined again. This time it's due to being a "feature limited version." I had thought that was the point of a free version and didn't realize at the time that they were rejecting apps for that reason. So, I fixed the screen they had an issue with and resubmitted. Another two weeks passed and it got declined again. This time it was because somehow I had activated keywords for a UK English version and it still had the words they had an issue with in the first decline. By this time I was just very frustrated with the whole approval process and to top it off, during those last two weeks is when they made the change that no longer allowed updates to appear in the New section.

My experience with this first game was a little disappointing in that I never got to test some of the sales strategies I would have liked too and as a result I have the feeling that there was unexplored potential for success. However, it was definitely worth doing and I would do it again if in the same position.

I also would still like to add more features to the game or build a new one based off of Bear on a Wire that addresses the problems that people have pointed out. For example, the main problem with the game in my opinion is that it is too hard at first and not approachable for people who are not familiar with fast-paced action games. Some people have suggested slowing down the overall pace of the game or, like thesmileman above, adding some kind of slow motion feature. I think this is a great idea and I am going to start thinking about how best to add it in, I think the game still has some life left in it.

Also, for anyone who has not tried Bear on a Wire, the free version (Bear on a Wire - Free Ride) has been updated with more levels and tricks since my last post and I would still love to hear any feedback on how to make it better!

I think XyrisKenn suggestion with the slow motion is a great idea but I think you might be able to extend it to make it even better. When I play the full game I have lots of fun but I can't do as many stunts as I want because I crash a lot when doing them and I just keep driving rather than do any stunts. If you extended the slow motion idea to make it a button that recharges after "x" amount of time and then the user can press it to nail a landing that would be really cool. It also would be really neat to allow a rocket booster if you do something special so you can do really high jumps. I think the slow motion idea would really make the game easier and much more enjoyable for long term play because the landing can be pretty hard. I love the game and the graphics!

This is terrific! I downloaded the free version and it's fun. if you don't mind an opinion, I would suggest maybe adding eyeblinks to the bear so it looks alive when biking, and perhaps slowing down the crash so I can see the bear's expression while wiping out :)

Great original premise, I liked the intro with the ringmaster and the bear tears.

+1 for Codemattic, please share your app sales, will give us a good idea of what to expect. Thanks!

looking at apptism.com, its rank is ~1400. I'm not sure if that is good, I would guess that isn't very good... but I have no idea what that # is based on.

+1 for Codemattic. I would also like to know how this one is doing. No need for exact $ figures unless you feel like sharing. Just a "It is doing very well." "not what I hoped", etc would work for me. I agree that the game is fun and well done for the iphone audience. I really hope it is doing well!

You can view app ranks on apptism.com for free when you view an app. Not sure how they get the data but at least its all relative. Looks like the game is doing fairly well.

+1 for Codemattic.
Please tell us you're doing good, otherwise lots of us developers will switch to emo mode.

How are sales? It seems like you did everything right. Fun game. Bright cartoony graphics with funny music. You got some good press. Please give us some good news. Did Apple feature BoaW at all?

Quick update, a new version of Bear on a Wire was accepted today. It includes OpenFeint with global high scores and achievements as well as several performance improvements.

An update has also been submitted for the free version which unlocks all but three tricks and adds another level.

Thanks for the positive comments!

Congrats on this great funny game!

very funny game. congratulations.

@natanavra that is definitely a convincing statistic for putting out a lite version. Where did you find it? I am always looking for new data and stats about the App Store and developers' experiences with it.

Also, wanted to make a quick note that the full version of Bear on a Wire is on sale for $0.99 (the price was changed two days ago but it still says $2.99 when searching - another quirk of the App Store I suppose). I am close to submitting an update with OpenFeint which will add global scores and achievements.

iTunes: Bear on a Wire

@dreamsocket it's been proved more than once, Lites are helpful and give a pretty good boost to sales. iPhone statistics: "95% purchases are made through Lites."
Although lites eventually add junk to the store (in a way...)

Something to think about...
~ Natanavra.

The free version, Bear on a Wire - Free Ride, has been accepted to the app store. If you weren't able to check out the full version, give this one a spin. I will be happy to hear any opinions/suggestions.

Admittedly, this version is a fairly small and I may update it sometime to add a couple more levels or tricks but, being my first game, I am unsure of how much to include. Also, I have been hearing comments about it being better to not have a free version at all. I can't see the validity in that though. In my opinion, the more people that see the game the better, even if the majority don't buy the paid version.

iTunes: Bear on a Wire - Free Ride

@Codemattic thanks for pointing out that article, I am happy with the trailer and glad they liked it.

I think the conversation about big games from the large publishers vs $.99 indie games is interesting. Personally I have bought several of the large games from EA and Gameloft and haven't played them since the day I got them. They just seem very clunky, like straight ports with poorly implemented controls. I think there is a lot of potential when control schemes mature and we start seeing the major publishers develop games specifically for the iPhone that are tailored to short play times.

@friken glad you like the game!

In staying on the thread topic, very cool game! I think this one may have legs on the app store. Good work dreamsocket.

@Codemattic, yep, mee too. I've bought a lot of the big titles because I'm curious about them but I don't play them. From numerous others I've talked to it seems that most buy those as impulse buys on name recognition, but play the more super-casual games like you mentioned. If I want the big production value games I have a PC or game console to play them on. If you look at handheld systems like the DS, you will see a similar pattern. Handheld/portable gamers tend to go from the more casual games. The iPhone seems even more so toward small/casual from the DS market. The fact that games like Sally's spa and cooking mama can hit the top 10 (even #1) really opened my eyes to the audience as well. There are a LOT of very casual female games in the iphone market. Enough to launch a female targeted game to #1.

Ive bought a lot of those bigger games. Theyre pretty great. I never play them. I play them once or twice to see what they are about - and I mean to get back to them - but I never do. Its all Wheelie Joe and Dragon Kill and DoodleJump and Rope-N-Fly. Some of the big ports (Im looking at you, id) dont make sense bc the controls that worked well on a PC havent translated well to the touch interface.

I've been putting a lot of thought to the whole 0.99cent pricing as well as indie developer vs big publisher. There has been a lot of land grabbing by EA/Gameloft as just those two big publishers hold 1/4 of the top 100 spots. There is something that is a really good sign though. There are still tons of good clever indie games hitting the top of the charts. When I look at the big publisher games vs indie, I see a large difference in the scope of the games which I think is actually helping the indie. The device is a phone primarily (and ipod a music player). There are tons if not the majority of people that want that simple 5-10minute distraction at an airport, waiting at a doctor office etc. Games like civilizations, doom etc are great games, but they are much deeper experiences than what a lot of people are looking for. I think (really hope) there will always be room for the clever uber-casual games like rope-n-fly, flight control, etc. Now if the big publishers start making uber-casual games... hmmm still seems like we can compete as the scope of the art/projects are small enough a guy or three can do it...

just my 2cents

Hey - pretty good mention on offworld:

http://www.offworld.com/2009/09/ursine-incline-the-stunt-jumpi.html

@vutronic
I built the level editor in Flex so it is probably similar to the one you came up with. It could definitely use a lot more work though. I spent too much time working around bugs in it while I was making the levels. It was towards the end of development on the game though so I was just trying to churn out levels as fast as possible. I will definitely go back over it and make sure it is solid for the next round of levels.

Thanks for the info. Very helpful! I wish I can go up to 20,000 horizontally for the game I'm working on but I'm using a lot of large background textures so that's not an option. I can only go as far as 5000 pixels. Did you build a custom editor for making the level maps? I have a custom Flash editor that's perfect for building the wires like you have in your game.

@vutronic
Glad you like the game =)

We found the scooter sound clip at http://www.productiontrax.com all the rest of the sound effects and background music were made by the artist, Trevor (http://tvmstudio.com).

I store the data for the power lines in an array (m_currTerrainData below) where each value represents a y-height value. There are 400 points per level and each point is 50 pixels apart in the x direction so each level is 20,000 pixels wide.

I will post the code I use to drawn the lines but be warned, it is one of the first things I wrote and needs revisiting. Basically I figure out what segment is near and then only draw the portion of the lines that is visible.

cpVect p = parent.position; // parent = main game layer
int seg = -p.x / kSegLen; // get the segment we are near, kSegLen = 50

GLfloat drawVerts1[kSegmentsPerFrame]; // top line
GLfloat drawVerts2[kSegmentsPerFrame]; // middle
GLfloat drawVerts3[kSegmentsPerFrame]; // bottom

int x = 0;
int i = 0;
float y;
int j = seg;
for (i = 0; i < kSegmentsPerFrame; i+=2)
{
    x = kSegLen * j;
    y = m_currTerrainData[j];

    drawVerts1[i] =  x;
    drawVerts1[i+1] = y;

    drawVerts2[i] =  x;
    drawVerts2[i+1] = y - kVerticalSpacing;

    drawVerts3[i] =  x;
    drawVerts3[i+1] = y - kVerticalSpacing * 2;

    j++;
}

glBlendFunc(GL_SRC_ALPHA, GL_ONE_MINUS_SRC_ALPHA);
glEnable(GL_LINE_SMOOTH);
glHint(GL_LINE_SMOOTH_HINT, GL_NICEST);

glColor4f(0.4, 0.4, 0.4, 1.0); // gray
glLineWidth(2); // only works in simulator

glVertexPointer(2, GL_FLOAT, 0, drawVerts1);
glEnableClientState(GL_VERTEX_ARRAY);

glDrawArrays(GL_LINE_STRIP, 0, i/2);
glVertexPointer(2, GL_FLOAT, 0, drawVerts2);
glDrawArrays(GL_LINE_STRIP, 0, i/2);
glVertexPointer(2, GL_FLOAT, 0, drawVerts3);
glDrawArrays(GL_LINE_STRIP, 0, i/2);

glDisableClientState(GL_VERTEX_ARRAY);

glDisable(GL_POINT_SMOOTH);
glDisable(GL_LINE_SMOOTH);
glBlendFunc(CC_BLEND_SRC, CC_BLEND_DST);

Dream Socket,

I bought and played it. Still trying to beat level 2:) I wish the bike can go faster...I'm having a tough time going up hill.

Very nice and polished game. I don't feel regret paying 2.99 for the game. Where did you get your sound effects from? Do you draw the wires dynamically in the game? What's the width of each level?

+1 to ob1. I completely agree. Its really the only way people like us can compete with big budget studios. Because those big budget studios also have big costs that go along with them which eliminates their ability to meet $0.99 pricing.

In regards to the game: I love it! The art really draws me in and it looks very fun!

Personally I don't know if 0.99 is a curse or a blessing.

It might eventually drive out the big publishers and keep us indies in business.