Hi, I am really confused as to use 2.2.1 or go ahead and use 3.0 for developing a game. My game does require open GL and would be nice to get more Frame rate in 3.0 (in app purchases is something that does not matter ) but I also think that cutting out on sales for providing a 3.0 specific game would hurt me. Does anyone have some numbers and some reasons for advocating the either versions?????? Really confused. Also what is the difference between 3.0 and 3.1???? Cheers Trex
You're really not gonna get that much better performance with 3.0, on the other hand, you could be isolating yourself from half of your audience... I'd definitely stick with 2.2.1 unless you have a REALLY good reason to do otherwise. Also, a user's not gonna update to 3.0 to play your game... They'll just skip it and buy something else. PS: Since when does a slight increase in performance ever affect sales anyway?
hmm yep slight performance would not increase any major sales and isolation would be bad for the game, just need some sort of convincing. So according to figures released by apple by Sep 2009 21 Million iPhones sold and 20 Million iPod Touches. So according to you around 20 million folks are still running 2.2.1? Is this confirmed by some research? Apart from that the performance is there some data to back difference between 3.0 and 2.2.1, I mean you say slight improvement where I come from I have heard open GL support has been increased for 3.0 is that not true? Cheers
You can use 3.x features without cutting off 2.x devices. You just need to check if they are available, and use weak links where necessary. You can find plenty of documentation in the Apple developer forums and samples.
Exactly. In many cases you don't have to choose between the two. You can have compatibility with 2.2.1 and the benefits of 3.0+ as long as your game doesn't absolutely require those new features for basic functionality. Most developers don't know about this though. I only discovered it a month or so ago.
If you use 3.1, particularly for games, you can use CADisplayLink which results in much smoother frame rates... I think that is a big deal if you are writing frame rate intensive games...
Sure...like I said...as long as your game doesn't REQUIRE any 3.x functionality, then the weak links are an option.
My game doesn't need 3.0 except for multi player part as I'm using GameKit which requires 3.0. Is it ok to advertise game as 2.2.1, but mention that your device should have 3.0 if want to use multi player?
thanks for the lead I would sure appreciate if any developer would post some link where I can get more info of using these weak links in 2.2.1 and using features of 3.0
CADisplayLink is GREAT, but it's definitely not gonna sell more copies of your game As for where I got my "half your audience" line, it's partly because iPod touch users are more likely to download and play games, AND iPod touch users are more likely to only have 2.2.1 For using 3.* features in a 2.2.1 build, check out these links: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/1041051/can-i-use-iphone-3-0-symbols-when-building-for-2-2-1 http://stackoverflow.com/questions/986589/how-do-you-optionally-use-iphone-os-3-0-features-in-a-2-0-compatible-app http://21gingerman.wordpress.com/2009/07/02/how-to-use-iphone-3-0-features-and-still-run-on-2-2/ http://www.clarkcox.com/blog/2009/06/23/sdks-and-deployment-targets/ A lot of them have to do with MFMailComposeViewController, but it's all the same idea.
http://stackoverflow.com/questions/986589/how-do-you-optionally-use-iphone-os-3-0-features-in-a-2-0-compatible-app google
I'm not sure if any of the recommended stackoverflow.com links reference this, but I found this article very useful. http://gamesfromwithin.com/targeting-2-x-with-3-0-features-trouble-ahead Here are the OS version stats for my game Sheeple. Sheeple is a puzzle game, so your millage may vary, but these are my stats currently (since September 2009). OS Total (%) ----- ----------- 3.1.2 71.69782871 3.1 7.373341375 3.0 7.132086852 2.2.1 6.81544029 3.0.1 3.121230398 3.1.1 3.121230398 2.2 0.738841978 My conclusion is that it's not worth the time. Also, keep in mind how you could possibly use in-app purchases, which require OS 3.x. To me the business decision is based on if you require any 3.x only features like in-app purchases. Otherwise, it's very easy to setup and manage.
