Download using WiFi or not ?

Discussion in 'General Game Discussion and Questions' started by Rubicon, Apr 3, 2011.

?

Wifi is fine for larger games?

  1. Yes, I use it as much as possible.

    77.5%
  2. Yes, but only if needed. Prefer to download anywhere.

    20.0%
  3. Nope, can't or won't use it.

    2.5%
  1. Rubicon

    Rubicon Well-Known Member

    Feb 22, 2011
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    Lead Programmer, Chief Bottlewasher
    Isle of Wight, UK
    Are you happy to use WiFi only for downloading larger games?

    A lot of my customers are rightly asking why there's no multiplayer in Great Little War Game, and the short answer is that the extra maps required would bust us over the 20Mb download limit, which scares me a bit.

    I'm sure a lot of developers would benefit from this poll, and that's ulimately good for everyone, so please vote.
     
  2. hbernritter

    hbernritter Well-Known Member

    Jul 15, 2010
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    Inventory/Marketing Manager
    Toledo, OH
    I personally own an iPod Touch 4G so wifi is a requirement not a choice. But on my android I actually leave the wifi off and have never had a problem getting anything off of it. For me I don't care how I get the app as long as I can get the app. I think if you break the 20 mb threshold it is what it is. You have yourself a Great Little War Game you made and people will want it whether its 20 mb or 100 mb. Sure you'll get a whiner or two who will whine while at work but will stop once they get home or to a hotspot.
     
  3. C.Hannum

    C.Hannum Well-Known Member

    Feb 13, 2011
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    New York State
    As someone who considers himself an "actual gamer" for whatever that's worth, I'll give you the opposite take: being under 20MB scared me a bit because when I see a game of this scope that small in size I know the dev did make shortcut after shortcut to appeal to that odd breed of twit: so attention deficit afflicted that they will only buy a game they can grab on the bus on their iPhone.

    Do NOT consider 20MB an upper limit if it in any way affects quality.

    Yes, I'm sure going over 20MB costs you some small number of sales in the short term as this odd breed of twit also seems to have aversions to downloading at their computer, but in the long term you'll be better off choosing quality over trying to appeal to a demographic of customers that has something wrong with their head.

    Consider that a large percentage (probably more than half) of your customers couldn't download over cellular wireless if their life depended on it anyhow as they have a touch or a wifi iPad, almost everyone will have wifi at home if they care about direct *anything* to these devices as the worst wifi is still faster than the best 3G, even closer to almost everyone will have a computer hooked up to broadband as they had to get iTunes somewhere and they don't pass out CDs of it anymore, and unless they're trapped in a cave will, at the worst, have the option of downloading it at one of the bazillion wifi hotspots out there (I've done 200MB game updates over public wifi at starbucks on vacation away from my house, this is not a big deal, you buy yourself a $2 coffee, sit down and catch up on web forums while your games update in the background - heck, I bought your game while I was on vacation over public wifi :D).
     
  4. Qordobo

    Qordobo Well-Known Member

    Jun 11, 2010
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    I don't care for multiplayer at all and I'm bored multiplayer fanatics require it everywhere. Check games with zero single player and that doesn't use a mmo approach, I doubt they are that many sells for such games, even games like Quake and Unreal Tournament took a high care to release a deep enough single player mode.
     
  5. phazer89

    phazer89 Well-Known Member

    The kind of apps that I might download using 3G are usually the spontaneous reference kind, like if I need to find out places of interest or bus timings etc. I say might because I have them on my iPhone anyway, but you get the point. If it's a game I'll mostly be downloading it through Wi-Fi anyway, if I'm on the move I'll just play whatever games I have instead of downloading new ones. If a friend recommends me a new game or something I'll just remember to download it at home. I suppose it might be harder for those without Wi-Fi at home, but they could just sync it through iTunes since most people would need to charge their phones anyway. XD

    But yeah, there's also Wi-Fi access in public areas and schools so that's not a big problem. If you're working you could download whatever you want during lunch breaks. The only problem with big downloads is that my iPhone is running out of space, but that's another story. :p
     
  6. MidianGTX

    MidianGTX Well-Known Member

    Jun 16, 2009
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    iPod Touch here, so... yup. 100% WiFi.

    It seems to me that Great Little War Game is more of a "gamers game" than casual, so the people looking to play it probably don't have an issue with using iTunes to download it.
     
  7. gekkota

    gekkota Well-Known Member

    Jul 17, 2008
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    I always download apps via wifi. I don't think i've ever downloaded anything using my ipad's 3G.
     
  8. ChrisL

    ChrisL Well-Known Member

    Dec 12, 2009
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    Montreal
    I always download apps on my computer :p
     
  9. GodSon

    GodSon Well-Known Member

    Mar 12, 2009
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    I use WiFi 9.75 out of 10 times to download right onto my device(very rarely using the WiFi on my PC to download in iTunes as an alternate) because my connection is pretty fast. I honestly prefer downloading straight from the device.
     
  10. MidianGTX

    MidianGTX Well-Known Member

    Jun 16, 2009
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    I tend to download to iTunes mostly. Both are connected to the same router but the iPod connection is slower than my Macbook.
     
  11. HLW

    HLW Well-Known Member

    Sep 2, 2010
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    I almost always use wifi to download things, I have 3G and mobile data turned off on my iPhone most of the time as there is usually a wifi connection available.
     
  12. backtothis

    backtothis im in ur base killin ur d00dz
    Staff Member Patreon Silver Patreon Gold Patreon Bronze

    Jul 13, 2009
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    college student (junior)
    Houston/Austin, TX
    I always use iTunes for bigger games. Most people have access to the internet on their pc/mac. For smaller games under 50mb, I'll just download it onto my device no matter where I am. I mean really..they have wifi at McDonalds, school, Starbucks..you name it.
     
  13. crex

    crex Doctor of Game of the Week-ology

    Oct 18, 2010
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    Everywhere and Nowhere
    I usually download everything from iTunes. So....
     
  14. OpticCrash

    OpticCrash Well-Known Member

    Apr 3, 2011
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    These days.. You can find wifi in plenty of places.
    I use my iPad 2 for gaming too, so wifi for me.
     
  15. phattestfatty

    phattestfatty Well-Known Member

    Mar 9, 2010
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    Soo to sum up... Goin over 20mb will not affect anything. It is safe to give us multiplayer. :)
     
  16. Coldar

    Coldar Well-Known Member

    Dec 26, 2008
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    Upstate NY/USA
    I'm for downloading on my pc but only since buying my newer device. Maybe a smaller game or a lite using wifi at times is all I ever do now. For bigger size games a definite pc d/l.
     
  17. Dazarath

    Dazarath Well-Known Member

    Mar 21, 2010
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    I use iTunes myself, so I'm of the opposite mentality. When I see a developer stressing about barely keeping under the 20mb limit, I always wonder what they're stripping from the game.
     
  18. MidianGTX

    MidianGTX Well-Known Member

    Jun 16, 2009
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    And with retina support and universal builds becoming more of a priority for people, you've hardly got any game left to squash into such a small amount of space.
     

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