Hello everyone~ I have been reading to this board for quite a long time. Actually I am now working as a junior iphone game programmer in a company. I read the post here everyday and the experiences shared by indie developers ignited my enthusiasm in developing my own game and start my own career. I started to develop my own game in my leisure time. The game is called Uggy, it is a simple game in which player had to tilt the device to control a tiny creature to travel downwards. There are items to help the creature go deeper. And now it comes to the time of considering the details about the submission stage. I am thinking what should be included in the description of the game. And seems there are not much threads talking about drafting the description of the game. Can anyone tell me what should be carefully aware when drafting the description? Greatly appreciate for your experience sharing! Thanks a lot!
Make sure you describe how to play the game, even if it's simple gameplay - sometimes it is hard to tell from screenshots. Make a video and post it on YouTube - mention this (and post the link) in your description. Make sure your screenshots are upright (i.e. rotated if this is a landscape game.) If you are using any online scoring system, be sure to mention it. Online scoring adds a lot to a game. Since the new App Store only displays a line or two at first, make sure you say something relevant in there for the people that don't click on [more] and just look at the screenshots. Screenshot #1 should be gameplay, not the title, menu, highscore, etc. Make sure there are no typos or non-displayable characters. Take full advantage of the nice folks here at Touch Arcade - there is even a developers only forum, you should get into that so you can pick the brains of other developers. Caveat Emptor: I am not a dev or anything, just someone who plays a lot of games, my advice may not be the best...
If it hasn't already been said, Apple does not like it when you put a currency in worldwide App descriptions. If you have a sale, just say "50% off!", not "Marked down to $1.99!".
Just be as clear and concise as possible, people want to know exactly what it is as quickly as possible. As the other posters said, a youtube video is essential! Also - if English isn't your first language, run it by someone before you put it up. A lot of apps are plagued by weird or just incomprehensible descriptions.
That's mean I might be rejected if I put a currency in the descriptions? Thanks WellSpentYouth, I will be careful when handling this issue
Yes in fact I came from Hong Kong and English is not my first language I'm not sure if my English is clear enough Do you think that I should find someone to help me do the translation?
It can never hurt to have a native speaker look over what you're trying to say. I've been able to understand you fine, but there are a few places where you've worded things somewhat awkwardly. They make sense - but they're not something you'd want published, exactly.
I'm sure someone on here would be willing to help. If you ever need someone to take a quick look, just send me a PM. As Manojalpa said, it's fine, just some weird syntax.
Also make sure it is catchy, informative and original. I think the most important thing is to give the reader a sense of what the game is about and how you play it.
Oh there are one more thing confusing me. Can I change the description and keywords at anytime after the submission, even if my app is being reviewed? And how long will it takes for the amendment to appear on appstore?
I have heard people say that they get warning emails from Apple asking them to change it, but it is possible that Apple would reject the App because of the description. I would just leaver currencies out of the description to avoid the problem altogether
At the very least you should get a native English speaker to look over what you've written and clean up the grammar. Post it here and I'm sure we'll be willing to give it a once over.
I had finished the draft of the itune description. Please help to correct my weird syntax. The name of the game is called Uggy Below is the detail of description: Here comes another additive game! With simple control style and unlimited combinations of platforms, you will completely fall in love with the game. ==================== GAMEPLAY ==================== - Control the tiny little creature(Uggy) to travel as deep as you can! - Just tilt your device to move horizontally and tap anywhere on the screen to use item. - Dont miss your step and fall into the sky! - Watch out those spiky platforms and dont be jammed between platform and roof, it is painful! - Every time you step on a platform you will restore some HP, and this is the only way to keep yourself healthy! ==================== FEATURE ==================== - BOOST JET, BALLOON and SHIELD to help you travel deeper! - NORMY, BLOOMY, SPIKY, SHAMY are platforms with different characteristics to help / block your travel! - Global and Local Leaderbord through OpenFeint - Submit score to Facebook and Twitter with OpenFeint - 19 unique achievements can be unlocked! - 5 different difficulties are included! - Current progress will be saved automatically when you get phone call or pressed home button. - Play your own music while playing the game ==================== UPCOMING UPDATES(Already in development) ==================== - Blue tooth multiplay mode - New Items - New Platforms
Here comes another addictive game! With simple controls and unlimited platform combinations, you will completely fall in love with the game. ==================== GAMEPLAY ==================== - Control the tiny creature (Uggy) and travel as deep as you can! - Just tilt your device to move horizontally and tap anywhere on the screen to use an item. - Dont miss a step and fall into the sky! - Watch out for those spiky platforms and dont get jammed between the platform and the roof; it's painful! - Every time you step on a platform you will restore some HP. This is the only way to keep yourself healthy! ==================== FEATURES ==================== - BOOST JET, BALLOON and SHIELD to help you travel deeper! - NORMY, BLOOMY, SPIKY, SHAMY are platforms with different characteristics to help / block your travel! - Global and Local Leaderboard through OpenFeint - Submit score to Facebook and Twitter with OpenFeint - 19 unique achievements can be unlocked! - 5 different difficulties are included! - Current progress will be saved automatically when you get a phone call or press the home button. - Play your own music while playing the game. ==================== UPDATES IN DEVELOPMENT ==================== - Blue tooth multiplayer mode - New Items - New Platforms
