I've got a game that I've been working on off and on for a while. As a Quick marketing plug I think the name will be Jewel Quest Adventure. It's simple but I think it's pretty fun so I want other people to be able to play it. Of course there's a ton more I could add but I mean I'd rather not work on this game forever! With your projects how do you guys know when to say "it's done!"?
The company that makes "Jewel Quest Mysteries" might not appreciate your choice of name. You might have heard of them. They are a little boutique company called Electronic Arts.
Oh lord, don't mess with the little boutique company. Well as NickFalk said (or Leonardo) it is really hard to know when the game is finished. Is I know my company's game is finished with the alpha version when we have all the features for the game in place and tweaked accordingly. And first time players really start to enjoy the game. Avoid the feature creep at all costs.
hmm, interesting, Well, you are now at a stage where you have lots of thinking to do. Are you making a game for a hobby or because you wanna try and make some cash? If it's a hobby thing, then you might as well tool around with it until you get tired of it and enough's enough, at which point you wrap it up and call it a day and release. On the other hand, if you want to have a chance to make some money with it, all other hurdles notwithstanding... you now need to start testing the crap out of your game. When you say "how do I know when my game is done" says to me that you've not sought out much feedback. That's the clearest way to know if your game is fun, if it's easily understood by your intended audience, 'cause if there is something missing you will get feedback on it real fast! How to do this? It's pretty easy, your iPhone is your devkit, so it's in your pocket at all times. Go to a bar, go to a coffee shop, if you see someone texting away on their iPhone than you are staring at a potential customer. Kindly ask them if they wouldn't mind giving you a moment of their time, people generally light up when someone asks them to test a new game that's not out yet "oh cool!" Then pass it to them and try to zip your lip to see if they can figure out how to play it with minimal instruction from you. This is how it will be like when the game releases for real, and you obviously won't be there to coach people who've downloaded your game. I say to approach strangers, which might sound a little awkward at first, but it's important to do this rather than people whom you know, as they will be biased (anything you show them will seem cool 'cause you made it - a stranger won't know you and therefore has less qualms about your feelings, not that they'll be rude but it will be much easier to gauge if they are satisfied or disinterested) failing this, next best thing is to beta test as best you can, or at least put up some YouTube vids and prod people for responses.. hope that helps!
yeah that's a good idea. I probably shouldn't tell them that I made the game just covertly see what they think. I haven't had much feedback at all I should probably start on this forum so I'll try to get some videos posted shortly. and oh yeah I've heard of that electronic arts company They wouldn't mess with lil me would they? My game isn't THAT good. I've got a backup name in mind just in case
I would definitely change the name. No question, at least in my mind. The advice given already on when to consider a game done is good. I will simply add that time is money and the longer you work on a game the lower your profit margin will be. It's tough/impossible to predict how much money a game will make. Save some smaller or unnecessary features for a future update, if the game sells enough to warrant it. Find a balance between time invested and the money you expect to make. Again, near impossible to predict, so polish it up and get it out there. Hitting that "upload app" buttin in itunes connect is one mighty big decision, I know. Good luck!
here's a preview of Jewel Quest Adventure I think it's still a few months away from release. I'm having fun playing it myself but it's not so much a proper game yet. Just jumping and collecting gems. So not sure how other people would respond to that. I'd like to collab with the community and get ideas on what should be added to the gameplay.
hey thanks man I'm trying to keep it simple so dont expect Edge. The idea is based on some older games that I played long before Edge. If users like it and want more than I'll figure I could release some of the user requests as an update. I'm not sure if that's the best way to go about releasing games though I'm sort of running out of ideas. Maybe a beta test would help.
It looks rad! Call it "Edgeman's Edgeventures in Edgeland" and get tons of press when Langdell tries to sue you. Make sure you have another app available that everyone will buy out of supportive sympathy while this one gets tied up legalities.. - The Master Marketer
The game looks really good ! I like the tiles, and platforms, and im just curious as to how the character will move. Im guessing the concept is to get all the gems, but do you need to cross a finish line after aquiring all of them, or does it stop when you get all of them, or is it a cross the finish line, and the more gems you got the better? Also if you need tips/feedback/ideas, pm me
ITapthat, player moves by tilting and also you can drag the playfield to get extra distance when you jump. I'm probably a little bit away from having some videos ready. I'll keep you posted. Definitely interested in your feedback or any gameplay idea. LordVader will keep you posted too as soon as Im ready to do beta testing. Give me a week or so I need to iron a few more things out.
Wow it's funny how these things go but I ended up totally changing the concept of the game. No more edgeman Unfortunately now I need a new name too. I'll post some new pics soon.
