cocos2d for iPhone

A fast, easy to use, free, and community supported 2D game engine

1. 

   DonomaGames
   Member

   The info on Quattro's pitch is pretty interesting. Thanks for sharing that. 11 out of top 40 uses them and who knows how many used admob or another ad network. Only a few top ranked apps happen by chance anymore is my guess.

   I still think ads are an expensive and impractical way for most of us to even attempt.

   If it comes down to it, I agree investing in better graphics will still pay off the most. It's so easy to offshore work now that getting decent graphics is a lot less costly than people think. It's been mentioned many times before: icon and screenshots are what people see first. If they don't like the way it looks, they won't even bother clicking. It's been true since day 1 of the app store. We got Mini Touch Golf's splash/cover art designed for $50 in 2008. Then just shrank it down to make the icon.

   Nowadays, I spend more on graphics but I got Sniper Strike's new icon redesigned for $50. I first went with a cheap route and just shrank my cover art down to size, but I think that cost me quite a bit by having an unattractive icon. Impossible for me to prove, but I think I didn't take full advantage of my opportunity when it was on New & Noteworthy.

   Posted 4 months ago #
2. 

   Techy
   Member

   @abitofcode lol.

   Posted 4 months ago #
3. 

   Techy
   Member

   I think being a graphics designer will get you more money than being an iphone developer

   Posted 4 months ago #
4. 

   tbone28
   Member

   This is a very interesting thread. I have to say that I have bought a couple of apps because of this thread. Super Turbo Action Pig being one of them (fun game and graphics are entertaining).

   I thought I would share my story and I would be interested in feedback as well. Last year I put together a plan to buy a Mac and develop a game for the iPhone. June 22nd I purchased a Mac Book Pro. Because of cocos2d I was able to get the game in the store by August. I did everything, the development, the art, the music and the promotion. It was tough and looking back I learned a lot.

   The game I created is called Star Catch. The first couple weeks were ok only giving me 2-3 downloads a day but then it grew to 9 a day. I was excited until Apple changed iTunes and my downloads dropped to 0-1 day. I tried setting my game for free but that ruined my reviews. I have over 8,000 people who have played my game. By November I stopped updating and focused on spending time with my family over the holidays.

   I have only made $130 since August. That is spread out over the world so I have not seen any payment yet. I am updating my game right now with cocos2d 0.99 and having a blast. I really like making games. My biggest problem is doing it all. A lot of people have given me feedback that I need to work on my graphics. I am actually a good artist but not a very good illustrator.

   Thanks to everyone for sharing their stories. I think I am going to go back and re-read them.

   Posted 4 months ago #
5. 

   Obiwahn
   Member

   Just hope and make solid games. IMHO you need a big portion of luck.

   I tried ads, had good reviews, etc. on the internet nothing helped. Just Apple features. They can boost sales a lot and create the famous "charts momentum".

   I polish my apps a lot. Most are reviewed with 4.5 stars avg.

   My history:
   1. Made a polished, fun game: Defend Your Phone. Sold like crap.
   2. Made a polished, fun game: Black Matter. Sold like crap.
   3. Made a polished, educational app: Imagine the Scale. Was featured (solid sales for 10 days) then sold like crap.
   4. Made a polished, fun game: Doodle Wars: Ship vs. Stick. Featured by Apple. Currently ranked 35 in the Top 100 (very solid sales). Hope I won't fall down the rankings so fast this time.

   IMHO you have to give the luck a chance. So my main advice is:
   Optimize your production processes (e.g. reuse code/engine) to have a high game output.

   And never forget the famous saying among game designers: “Your first ten games will suck — so get them out of the way fast.”

   Posted 4 months ago #
6. 

   mhussa
   Member

   Based on what I've been seeing lately I think the "doodle" effect is still going on.

   Its a bit like the gameloft "we-have-the-resources-so-lets-release-our-own-version-of-the-most-popular-genres" strategy but on a much smaller/affordable scale.

   The demand is there in the appstore economy for doodle types of games, and they really like them. Not sure about the exact age group but probably mostly young'uns. Hardcore gamers may be getting tired of them but they don't have to buy them, they just moan about them.

   Doodle games can be knocked up more cost effectively and quickly by indies. So if you want to make a fast(ish) buck, a doodle game might be worth a punt.

   Posted 4 months ago #
7. 

   DonomaGames
   Member

   @Obiwahn

   Congratulations on your success!

   Another Doodle game just hit #1 free app overall in the US app store. Doodle Fly Made by a cocos2d dev too.

   The App Store just has an insatiable thirst for Doodle games right now!

   Posted 4 months ago #
8. 

   Wayne
   Member

   @Obiwahn ....... I'm still laughing .... but I shouldn't be , I have 7 more apps to go ! Congrats on Doodle Wars !

   Posted 4 months ago #
9. 

   Codemattic
   Moderator

   @Obiwahn, "Currently ranked 35 in the Top 100 (very solid sales)." - what are the daily sales needed to be at 35. This is 35/100 in Apps, Games, or in a sub-category?

   Posted 4 months ago #
10. 

    davecom
    Member

    Does anyone have advice for success with an app for a niche market? Obviously I'm going to try to market my app (a chess app - but not a chess playing app and not a game - I do not want to elaborate at this time) as much as possible in chess related media, but I was hoping someone may have experience dealing with a niche market. It seems most Cocos 2D apps are competing with every other game on the market or every other game of a very broad genre, but I'm looking to really target my consumers within the app store. Thanks!

    Posted 4 months ago #
11. 

    Obiwahn
    Member

    Does anyone have stats or knows an article on the success of in app purchases? E.g. how many people are buying bonus material for 0.99$?

    @Codemattic: It's 2300 sales per day. Doodle Wars: Ship vs. Stick was ranked 35 in all apps (now 45, it is going down really fast).

    Posted 4 months ago #
12. 

    MikeSz
    Member

    @ Obiwahn - for Tiki Totems the ratio of people who got the free game and paid for the first in-app pack (.99) was 2-3%

    @ Codemattic - dont have results from yesterday yet, but Tiki Totems Premium climbed to top 30 games spot at some moment (top 52 Paid overall), based on 1841 sales in US (for saturday). rest of the world brought another 1800 sales. the game didnt fall all that much (top 30 games -> top 35 games now) but as I said - no data yet. also the game was in top 90 grossing games in US

    Posted 4 months ago #
13. 

    abitofcode
    Member

    There's a decent article here http://smellslikedonkey.com/wordpress/?page_id=274 on piracy that should be read before you submit anything up to the store. It won't help you stop the pirates but it does help you avoid losing your cool.

    Posted 4 months ago #
14. 

    Dan
    Member

    Well, I'll share my story as well. When I released DaVinci's Secret Machines I have to admit it was a bit rushed, and unfortunately did not have the time or resources needed to test on more than 4-5 devices. This led to the game shipping with some unfortunate bugs.

    That said, it was featured in the New & Noteworthy section of the UK/Germany/Australia region, about 2-3 days after launch, which gave it a nice boost. The following week, it was featured in the Staff's Favorites section in the US/Mexico regions. That of course, gave it a nice kick in the pants as well, but never really pushed it up the All/Top Apps charts, just their specific sections (Simulation & Puzzle). I paid a few thousand for PR work, and not really sure how much that helped, as I feel that the PR company basically put some intern to work on my account while anyone with experience was working on the big name accounts.

    After the feature was over, the sales plummeted, and they've been rather stagnant since. In the meantime, the game was fixed up and its in fine running form, though it could use an expansion.

    Regarding turning the game free, we did that during the before-xmas days. I basically turned the whole portfolio free, and ended up getting about 10,000 DL's a day for DV during the 3 days of the experiment. Did nothing to the sales afterwards, so it was a fail.

    I second the motion that things should be built with code reuse in mind. I build everything that way, and right now I have things I can re-skin and change up a bit and have a whole new game.

    Posted 4 months ago #

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