Dear Developers - A Plea from your fans..

It's not that complicated and I purchase games that support this instantly.

I stopped reading there. You aren't a developer, I would appreciate it if you didn't tell me what part of my job is or isn't complicated. Can you even BEGIN to tell me where you would start the process of providing different logins? Go ahead, guess.

While I think your intentions are good, I think you went about it very poorly. Sales are not dependent on whether a game does or does not support multiple logins. We have much larger problems to deal with, and if multiple logins happen to be a feature, well great.

So, since you told me what my job should entail, I'll tell you what yours should entail. You should have a SEPARATE DEVICE WHEN DOING A REVIEW. How is it even possible that you would not have a separate device for work? You let your family play on your work equipment? I don't even let family touch my work computer, much less my iPhone.

 

well i think he saying that from the pov of a customer not a reviewer. Sure it could b very complicated, but its also a very good point.

 

I'm sure he has some very valid points, and I am sure I agree with most of them. I tend to take issue with reviewers that act like game development is an easy process, even with the simplest of features.

 

1) The benefits of adding profiles for apps is minimal. You are asking developers to prolong their development time for a feature that almost nobody would use. I don't know a single person that uses somebody else's iPhone enough to warrant multiple profiles.

iPad games, on the other hand, I could see profiles being necessary.

2) Very well. I think most developers do try to add flexibility in their control schemes. However, most also try to nail down a single control scheme until its perfect, not allow for many convoluted schemes.

3) If people will pay for 7.99 upscaled apps, then they will be priced that way. However the iPad just came out. In a couple of months when there is more iPad specific content and the iPad store matures, you won't be seeing overpriced versions that are simply upscaled ports. They'll have new features, new game modes, etc. to try making the heftier price tag worth it.

4) Sadly, the rush out and add features later method is a product of the way the app store operates. Developers can reduce production time, and if the game gets noticed (which is the hardest part) then add the updates. The serious developers, however, won't do this anyway.

 

I don't see the point in getting mad at a user (potential customer) for stating his opinion. I appreciate hearing this type of thing. Some people take things too personally I suppose.

I'm not including profiles in my game because, as the OP mentioned, the iPhone is a personal device that most people don't share much. At least that is the main reason.

Adding profiles isn't that difficult in most situations I've come across. It is extra work but is relatively easy compared to many other taks in game development. Depends on the game though.

I agree that controls are going to be an issue with the iPad.

As a dev, I'm basically ignoring the iPad for now and just shooting for the smaller devices. That may change.

 

Opinions are fine, but hiding under a guise of 'reviewer' and pretending to know anything about game development is a joke. Suggestions are warranted and even needed, but oftentimes the problems are NOT resolved in a straightforward manner. Sometimes, the problem is not even what we think the problem is.

If we continue to read the OPs post, it is riddled with errors and misleading concepts. Instead of making 'customized dual stick layouts', how about abolishing that wonky scheme altogether? It is the single worst layout of any game mechanic I have ever seen.

New ideas are not accepted, so instead we see pathetic attempts in games like Earthworm Jim with the most horrendous and ugly onscreen controls ever. The problem isn't that the layout isn't customizable, the problem is that the control scheme sucks altogether.

There are a few platformers that have well-thought controls. But those games never get reviewed, nor do they garnish the attention they deserve. So developers are left in a circle jerk where they create onscreen controls that just perpetuate the problem without solving anything.

I would have allowed the OP a little more leeway if they had left out the whole 'reviewer' bit. But someone who has reviewed 300 apps in 18 months (almost 1 app every 2 days) is most likely getting paid to review.

 

I'm sure Dorfdad will correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe he has his own site (**********). Can't think why he spends so much time on TA but I don't doubt that he's reviewed enough games to have formed valid opinions, whether anyone agrees with them or not.

Fortunately, I don't have the headache of actually coding games but I do know that coming up with simple theoretical solutions is way easier than actually implementing them. Not to say that developers ought not to listen to feedback with a view to making improvements but I understand why some get frustrated by 'helpful' suggestions. (I would have been on the receiving end of a flying iPhone by now, if they weren't so expensive to replace).

 

While it's not uncommon for multiple people in a household to each own their own ipod/iphone, the ipad is going to be a shared device, and so I agree that support for separate profiles is a compelling feature. That being said, unless users are willing to password protect profiles, I think it's likely that their kids will trample all over stats/saved games.

Given the ipad's form factor, as other folk have stated, I think virtual joysticks are going to be even more passe. It's certainly possible to make touchscreen action games that don't use or need them, and I don't intend to use virtual joysticks in any future apps, ipod or ipad.

The jury is still out on whether to go with universal or separate ipad ports of existing ipod games. While a consumer that already has the ipod version is obviously going to be happy to get an ipad enhanced version for free, unless the developer is planning to make the extra resolution an in-app purchase, the established user base isn't going to earn the developer a single penny or even an upward push on rank.

And it's not like it's even a pure win for the consumer: adding tons of high resolution ipad graphics assets is going to bloat the download size of apps for people that could care less about ipad and just want to grab the ipod/iphone version.

I think it's totally reasonable to resell an HD version of a 99 cent app for another 99 cents. Many ipod games are ugly or barely playable on the ipad, and already I have some users sending me requests for ipad-friendly updates. But it's not like developers can push a magic button to spit out an HD version of a game. Given the time and expense needed to upgrade an app, and the fact that many (most?) ipod apps never even covered costs during their run, I'd be shocked if we saw the trend of HD versions of ipod games continue.

I think the bottom line that will drive developer behavior is the approach that gets more visibility. If an app is already ranked in the iphone appstore, it seems like a safe bet to put out a universal update. Those apps already have decent visibility, and being ipad-ready gives a nice competitive edge.

One final comment: anyone that suggests that developers should "do it right" and only make huge, super polished games loaded with tons of content is a bit daft. Most indie developers are lucky to break even on their projects. It's easy to speculate that if only they sunk more money/time into developing the title, that their apps would do better. The flip side is that spending more money in production introduces much bigger risks. A new or novel idea has a limited shelf life - it's almost inevitable that someone else will eventually try something similar, and so it's not surprising to see people push things out even if they're not 100% baked.

 

If the iPad does turn out to be frequently used as a shared device, then the support for individual user profiles would best be provided by the OS.

 

I'm with Flickitty on this one. Unless this gentleman has successfully implemented multiple profiles in an app, his opinion here is as valid as my opinions on horseback riding -- that is to say, not at all. There's a world of difference between saying that a feature would be appreciated, and saying that it's easy to implement.

 

So true!

 

Understandable. I guess my underlying point is that this thread has received over 500 views by potential customers. The term "PR" comes to mind. Just explaining my own previous response to the OP.

 

I hate to have a dissenting opinion against other devs here, but I think the original poster is completely right. Multiple profiles are really not that hard to implement if you plan them from the start. They don't even have to have a password or anything like that. It's true that sales don't depend on multiple logins, but obviously some people find them very useful. I actually think multiple profiles are particularly handy in certain types of games to let a user show off your game to one of their friends. They can just create a new account, and then let their friend start from the beginning. Even if it's super basic "Game A, B, or C", that's WAY better than having one singular saved state.

As for the joysticks thing, notice how he worded it: "Secondly every game that uses virtual joysticks MUST include the ability for me to move them". He's not saying that they're the best thing in the world, but he's saying IF you use them, at least do it right. I've found the same thing with my iPad, it's really annoying when the devs have chosen what seems like a hard-to-reach location for the joystick. I think customizing the position of it(or at least providing a few options), is a really cool idea.

-Matt

 

Please note: he doesn't speak for me and other intelligent people.

 

per person profile for casual games - No

customisable on-screen controls for ipad - Yes

 

I think Minigore HD does this the best for me. Where you place your thumbs becomes the center of the virtual joystick. Need to move it? Just pick up your thumb and put it down somewhere else.

 

I don't see a need for multiple profiles. I'm the only one who uses my iPhone, much more for gaming.

Multiple profiles would take much longer to implement and I doubt many users would use this feature.

 

Well, some games, it doesn't matter if you have multiple profiles or not. But, some games, especially RPG type games, I believe need multiple profiles.

 

I don't think anybody here was saying that those weren't potentially useful suggestions... It was exactly how they were worded that's a little aggravating. For the most part, the developers that are active on the boards are indies, working by themselves or in small teams. Many of them are investing not only their time, but their own money into the games they put out. These aren't heartless businessmen who sit around crunching numbers and leaving out useful features so that they can save a few bucks. I think they deserve to be spoken to respectfully.

Telling them which parts of their jobs are "easy," and which parts of their job are a "MUST" is disrespectful. Saying that certain features would be appreciated would have done a much better job of getting the message across.