New Company

[Lukearcade22]

Ok, i have decided to create a company

but i have a few questions that need answering:

1) Do i need iphone SDK?

2) If you release a game in the app store, how much profit do you earn?

3) Is there a limit too how many games you submit?

4) How do you get a .com website?

thanks guys

i am thinking of our company name at the moment

so far the chances are it could be called, Galaxia Games

thanks,
-lukearcade22

[wastedyuthe]

1) Yes. You can download the SDK on it's own for free, but if you want to release games/apps in the app store, you need to join the iPhone Developer Program, which you have to pay $99 annually for.
2) That depends on what you want to charge of course, but Apple takes 30%.
3) No, not as far as I am aware.
4) That's something I haven't looked into. I will be using my own blog site, which was free to set up with Wordpress. I will also be using my secondary Googlemail (UK name for Gmail) email address for support.

[Lukearcade22]

you need to pay $99 to release games???

oh dear lord :(

[wastedyuthe]

Yep- here's (http://developer.apple.com/iPhone/program/) the link to the Apple developer program page.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.

[Lukearcade22]

so that is £60 in UK

i can find my way around that one ;)

btw, can you create the whole game, make sure it works perfectly, then pay £60 to release it?

[wastedyuthe]

Yeah- I'm in the UK too, and that is exactly what I am doing. If you look on that page I gave the link to, you will see the FREE iPhone SDK on the bottom left, waiting for you to download. It includes Xcode (where you will program your game), Interface Builder (where you design the screen layouts etc), and an iPhone Simulator, which will play your app/game on your Mac (you also need Leopard for the SDK btw). You can get all this for free before buying into the developer program.
I am in the process of learning Objective C AND writing my first game at the same time. However, I haven't bought into the developer program yet, and will wait for my game to be more complete before I do.

[Lukearcade22]

you need a Mac?

Do you really need a Mac?

And what is Leopard?

[wastedyuthe]

Oh, blimey! You haven't got a Mac?

See this (http://forums.toucharcade.com/showthread.php?t=4931) thread.

Leopard is Apples latest operating system for Mac PC's.

[Lukearcade22]

I need a Mac then...

This is going to be harder then i thought

I just don't have enough money to buy a Mac

is there any way to create an app without using a Mac?

[wastedyuthe]

Not as far as I know- sorry. The iPhone SDK only works on a Mac.

[Lukearcade22]

I am so doomed, i am only 14

or maybe...

maybe there is a way to get Mac on the PC...just maybe

i am gonna research

[Mew2468]

I am so doomed, i am only 14

or maybe...

maybe there is a way to get Mac on the PC...just maybe

i am gonna research

Not that I know of...you could just get familiar with the language (Objective-C mainly) on your PC while you wait to get a mac.

[yourofl10]

1) Do i need iphone SDK?-Yes

2) If you release a game in the app store, how much profit do you earn?-Apple gets 30% share and you get 70% of the share

3) Is there a limit too how many games you submit? No

4) How do you get a .com website?
Godaddy.com
Freewebs.com
And search Google for more

[indyraider4]

You are 14 and don't know anything about the dev program, and very little about coding. I dont want to be mean, but right now, anything you put out will probably just be the crapware which is flooding the app store. I would say lay off until you get older, and know better coding.

[Mindfield]

Age is irrelevant. I've seen some incredible coders around that age. Mind you they had an aptitude for it early in life, but still.

If you want to determine if you're well suited for programming, you need to take stock of yourself and consider some of the general criteria common to coders:

- Are you a logical, analytical thinker? Do you tend to try and think things through using logic and reason?

- Are you a problem solver? Are you always looking for the best solutions to given situations?

- Are you creative? Do you find that you can often come up with creative solutions to difficult problems? If you're planning on doing the one man show thing, can you create graphics? Sound? Come up with clever ideas for apps and not just me-too clones of other people's stuff?

- Are you driven by challenges? When presented with a problem, does it intrigue you? Do you feel compelled to solve it?

- Do you have patience? Can you spend hours on end working on a single aspect of your project without getting too bored of it? (Boredom working on the gruntwork aspects of an application is normal, but if you haven't the patience to see it through to the end then it's not right for you.)

- Do you take pride in your own creations? Can you spend many, many hours on something and then feel proud and satisfied and totally worth the hard work when it is done and you can finally take a step back and appreciate what you have wrought?

- Are you a perfectionist? Is "Good enough" an unacceptable goal?

- Can you learn well? Do you find that you absorb and retain new information readily? Do you have an interest in learning new things?

- Can you handle criticism? Do you see criticism as a personal attack against you or an opportunity to improve yourself and your creations?

You really have to think about these questions and whether or not any of them apply to you. You don't have to say "yes" to every single one of these to be a programmer, but the more you can agree with, the more well suited you would be for the task. Programming is not for the faint of heart or people who might like to do it on a lark. Depending on how well you learn new things, it could take only a few short months to really pick up on it, but it will take years to truly master.

[wastedyuthe]

Good post, Mindfield. Some good advice there.

[supg328911]

im 15 and i want to try to make apps, but i really wouldn't want to release into the app store because they would most likely be crap, so i wanna try to experiment with objects c for a couple of years before i actually try anything fancy...like photo shop, I've been working at that since i was 13 and if i actually spend some time on a photo i can make it look really nice...and yes i know every 14 year old kid that has an iphone wants to make their own games... but i just want to experiment with it for a little side hobby....i dont really plan on releasing anything.....

[wastedyuthe]

Well then downloading the free SDK without signing up for the development program would be the ideal option for you then, SupG, if you are able (ie have a Mac).

[1337brian]

Yea it has to be a newer mac as well, I went through a few hoops to borrow my buddies mac, and came to find out it had just a generation (6 months mac time) earlier intel chip. I've come to the conclusion buying a new MBP is my best option right now, hey if I'm starting a company then it's deductible!

[No Hero]

Age is irrelevant. I've seen some incredible coders around that age. Mind you they had an aptitude for it early in life, but still.

If you want to determine if you're well suited for programming, you need to take stock of yourself and consider some of the general criteria common to coders:

- Are you a logical, analytical thinker? Do you tend to try and think things through using logic and reason? Always

- Are you a problem solver? Are you always looking for the best solutions to given situations? Always

- Are you creative? Do you find that you can often come up with creative solutions to difficult problems? If you're planning on doing the one man show thing, can you create graphics? Sound? Come up with clever ideas for apps and not just me-too clones of other people's stuff?
Dam have original ideas some already
- Are you driven by challenges? When presented with a problem, does it intrigue you? Do you feel compelled to solve it?
Yes I am
- Do you have patience? Can you spend hours on end working on a single aspect of your project without getting too bored of it? (Boredom working on the gruntwork aspects of an application is normal, but if you haven't the patience to see it through to the end then it's not right for you.)
Don't know why, but whenever I do something that takes time I am 100000% involved in it and never bored. (Like school projects)
- Do you take pride in your own creations? Can you spend many, many hours on something and then feel proud and satisfied and totally worth the hard work when it is done and you can finally take a step back and appreciate what you have wrought?
No
- Are you a perfectionist? Is "Good enough" an unacceptable goal?
Yes, always think my projects will fail while they do good
- Can you learn well? Do you find that you absorb and retain new information readily? Do you have an interest in learning new things?
Yea
- Can you handle criticism? Do you see criticism as a personal attack against you or an opportunity to improve yourself and your creations?
Use it to improve myself
You really have to think about these questions and whether or not any of them apply to you. You don't have to say "yes" to every single one of these to be a programmer, but the more you can agree with, the more well suited you would be for the task. Programming is not for the faint of heart or people who might like to do it on a lark. Depending on how well you learn new things, it could take only a few short months to really pick up on it, but it will take years to truly master.

Woah I am 100% suited to be a developer than :D

[Mindfield]

Good post, Mindfield. Some good advice there.
Thanks. Been down that road, about to do it again, and I'm both excited and intimidated, even though I know it's well within my capabilities. Those points are just from my own experience and the way I am.

im 15 and i want to try to make apps, but i really wouldn't want to release into the app store because they would most likely be crap, so i wanna try to experiment with objects c for a couple of years before i actually try anything fancy...like photo shop, I've been working at that since i was 13 and if i actually spend some time on a photo i can make it look really nice...and yes i know every 14 year old kid that has an iphone wants to make their own games... but i just want to experiment with it for a little side hobby....i dont really plan on releasing anything.....

You will. First of all you're already light years ahead of many developers on the App Store who can't seem to stop themselves from releasing crap. Experiment to your heart's content -- always experiment, play around, try new things, go hog wild. Test your limits. Test the machine's limits. Break them. (The limits I mean, not the machine.) Tear your hair out hunting down bugs. Curse and swear at the screen when you can't find one of them. Spend hours running traces, testing exceptions and compiling countless times only to discover on the fifteenth pass that the float you're trying to achieve precision with was declared as an int.

You'll know when you're ready, and when you are -- presuming you haven't burned out or gotten bored of it -- you'll write something, and you'll release it. Nervously, yet excitedly. And you'll be crestfallen at each negative review and elated at each positive. You'll learn, you'll see your mistakes, and you won't make them a second time. Because if you got this far, there will be a second time. And a third. Because if you enjoy it, it'll get into your blood.

But until then mess around. Have fun. Explore. See what you can come up with. Some of the coolest stuff came from unfocused experimentation.

Yea it has to be a newer mac as well, I went through a few hoops to borrow my buddies mac, and came to find out it had just a generation (6 months mac time) earlier intel chip. I've come to the conclusion buying a new MBP is my best option right now, hey if I'm starting a company then it's deductible!

I'm curious. I have a MacBook that's about two or three years old. Intel Core Duo and all that. What about the SDK makes it require a newer processor? Is mine safe?

Woah I am 100% suited to be a developer than :D

Except for the whole not taking pride in your work thing. I'll presume you meant to answer "yes" to that.

But hey, if you scored that highly then yes, you may well be ideally suited to programming. :)

[WellSpentYouth]

You are 14 and don't know anything about the dev program, and very little about coding. I dont want to be mean, but right now, anything you put out will probably just be the crapware which is flooding the app store. I would say lay off until you get older, and know better coding.

Oh d@ng, he is only 14! Well, I am 11 and I making my 4th application. Don't worry, this is my dad's touch arcade account that I use. Age does not matter.


Age is irrelevant. I've seen some incredible coders around that age. Mind you they had an aptitude for it early in life, but still.

If you want to determine if you're well suited for programming, you need to take stock of yourself and consider some of the general criteria common to coders:

- Are you a logical, analytical thinker? Do you tend to try and think things through using logic and reason?

- Are you a problem solver? Are you always looking for the best solutions to given situations?

- Are you creative? Do you find that you can often come up with creative solutions to difficult problems? If you're planning on doing the one man show thing, can you create graphics? Sound? Come up with clever ideas for apps and not just me-too clones of other people's stuff?

- Are you driven by challenges? When presented with a problem, does it intrigue you? Do you feel compelled to solve it?

- Do you have patience? Can you spend hours on end working on a single aspect of your project without getting too bored of it? (Boredom working on the gruntwork aspects of an application is normal, but if you haven't the patience to see it through to the end then it's not right for you.)

- Do you take pride in your own creations? Can you spend many, many hours on something and then feel proud and satisfied and totally worth the hard work when it is done and you can finally take a step back and appreciate what you have wrought?

- Are you a perfectionist? Is "Good enough" an unacceptable goal?

- Can you learn well? Do you find that you absorb and retain new information readily? Do you have an interest in learning new things?

- Can you handle criticism? Do you see criticism as a personal attack against you or an opportunity to improve yourself and your creations?

You really have to think about these questions and whether or not any of them apply to you. You don't have to say "yes" to every single one of these to be a programmer, but the more you can agree with, the more well suited you would be for the task. Programming is not for the faint of heart or people who might like to do it on a lark. Depending on how well you learn new things, it could take only a few short months to really pick up on it, but it will take years to truly master.


(applause) Very good post! Actually, I meet most of the criteria. Thank you for the encouragement!

[mehware]

Don't think you can make a company until your an Adult, your still a miner. You need to have bank, tax, ssn/tin, for apple to process and approve you as a developer.

I think they have the $99 fee to say, hey if your serious about developing its a minor cost.

[No Hero]

Except for the whole not taking pride in your work thing. I'll presume you meant to answer "yes" to that.

But hey, if you scored that highly then yes, you may well be ideally suited to programming. :)

I was being sarcastic there :)

edit: on the plus my dad is amazing at these computer languages, so I'm like set. (Although I am learning C right now, actually)

[Exit287]

you need to pay $99 to release games???

oh dear lord :(

that 99$ is far better than paying for your distribution, publication, hosting ....etc on your own.

[wastedyuthe]

that 99$ is far better than paying for your distribution, publication, hosting ....etc on your own.

Good point.

[Exit287]

...and as a buddy of mine just pointed out to me, you get xcode for free, the sdk for free, and free community support. Unlike the $500+ for visual studio $80+ a month for msdn membership and no marketing or distribution help as i stated before.