Need Some Answers from devs (if you have time)

Discussion in 'Public Game Developers Forum' started by oldskooler81, Apr 1, 2010.

  1. oldskooler81

    oldskooler81 Well-Known Member

    May 16, 2009
    586
    0
    0
    Michigan
    Hello to all the Devs that read this,

    I have done some thinking that took me about a month. I finally came to a conclusions to start making an app for the Apple App Store. I have got my basic idea of the game down on paper, the art and design down on paper, and possibly the name. Now I did some research on what I need to get started making it. All I get are half-brain articles that don't tell me what I want or link me to a book for 30 dollars.

    So my few questions for the Devs that are willing to listen are as followed
    How much time do I need to dedicate to making and app?
    How much money do I need to put in?
    What software or materials do I need?
    Is it hard to code apps or can I learn easily?

    So please for answer a few or all.
     
  2. Random_Guy

    Random_Guy Well-Known Member

    Apr 6, 2009
    8,419
    0
    0
    Australia, mate!
    Post this in the developer's section of the forums.
     
  3. Bochu

    Bochu Well-Known Member

    Aug 7, 2009
    106
    0
    0
    I'm just a student learning programming and this question strikes me as odd. If you have programming experience, this seems an obviously relative question that would require listing what experience you already have. So I seem to lean towards that you probably don't have programming experience which still makes it very relative.

    How does one answer a question like this?
     
  4. Fruho

    Fruho Well-Known Member

    Jan 11, 2010
    1,502
    0
    0
    Gameloft Employee
    Under Your Bed
    time wise, depends on the quality of app. gyou wanna make a good app? expect to spend most of your time on it. happy with some half decent? it'll still require a chunk of time, but not as much

    money--designing softwares go from free-$600 . if you are serious about this, spend a 100 bucks and get some nice designing software to help you build your app

    software-google it

    again depends on size of app, but it takes a steep learning curve. nothing u cant learn off the net though

    good luck with your app
     
  5. Foursaken_Media

    Foursaken_Media Well-Known Member
    Patreon Indie

    All of those questions just depend. There is no "time limit" to set on making a good game. A really simple concept might easily be able to be balanced and polished in a few weeks. A complex game by yourself could take a year.

    As for money you need the 100 bucks for the apple dev license, obviously a mac computer, and any software to develop the game assets.

    For software, again, it depends what you are doing. 2d? 3d? etc... most avenues you can find software for free though, but they will take time to learn. Of course you could hire someone to do the graphics for you, but that'll cost more cheese of course :p

    And finally, once again, the difficulty of coding an app depends on the complexity. You could program pong easily. A complex 3d game? not so much.

    If you honestly want more help I would suggest asking specific questions in the dev forum.
     
  6. Flickitty

    Flickitty Well-Known Member

    Oct 14, 2009
    761
    1
    0
    iPhone Dev
    These questions are far too broad. No wonder you couldn't find any information. Go ahead and type in any one of these questions into Google and see what you'll find- a lot of nothing.

    Narrow your questions down.

    A word of advice- no, you do not have your ideas down on paper. You have laundry list of features. Once you actually begin developing and understand the nuances of development for this specific platform, your ideas will change drastically.

    Getting your ideas down on paper are good for a specific subset of people that have an idea how the IDE, framework, libs, platform and hardware work. They have a general knowledge of the capabilities and their own skillsets and limitations. Save the 'ideas on paper' for the time when you can comfortably say that you have a firm grasp on the above concepts. For now, just deal with trying to understand the basics.
     
  7. Random_Guy

    Random_Guy Well-Known Member

    Apr 6, 2009
    8,419
    0
    0
    Australia, mate!
    Well it really depends on your priorities. If you're planning on making an app as a hobby or a side job, then it can take as long as you need to. If it is your main job, then definitely spend a lot of time on it. About 3-6 months would be enough.

    It depends on what skills you already have. If you know how to put together an app by yourself, then it won't cost you a lot. But if you don't know how to, then it would cost you quite a bit for services.

    http://developer.apple.com/programs/iphone/

    You obviously need the Apple SDK program.

    It takes time to learn the coding system, so I can recommend you hiring someone to do this for you, unless you have the time to learn everything.
     
  8. MrBlue

    MrBlue Well-Known Member

    Sep 3, 2008
    320
    1
    0
    iPhone Developer
    My design docs normally run from 20-50 pages including full mockups of every possible screen that I think can of. The more time you spent upfront hammering out every detail, the less pain you'll suffer at later parts in the project. The details change as the project progress, but it's still better to put in work upfront.

    IMO, if you have no programming experience, the best way is really to go the entrepreneurial route. Write up your design doc, create a powerful and convincing presentation, and pitch it to family and friends. Get them to invest small amounts of money in your idea and use that money to hire someone to do the work for you. And keep in mind that you'll likely lose every penny on your first project. :)

    (Based on the questions you asked, it looks like you have little or no programming experience.)
     
  9. oldskooler81

    oldskooler81 Well-Known Member

    May 16, 2009
    586
    0
    0
    Michigan
    I'm sorry those questions were not specific. I also should of included some details about how much I know. I know some coding, but those codes were for simple things that were for my enjoyment.
    so thank you guys for answer some of my not so specific question the best you could.
    you help me make a choise that I need a lot of things to get started.

    so maybe in a few years you will see an app from me but for now I won't so like I said thank you for the help and slaping me to reality that it's not that easy to make an app.
     

Share This Page