Having just completed my first game, and about to launch, here are my thoughts on the process of being a newbie game developer: http://cannoncat.tumblr.com/post/19779704883/the-moment-of-truth Never give up
I'm more or less in the same boat that you are, David... And let me say that your game looks great! I'll definitely be picking up a copy when it's out.
Good read. Totally agree with that. I have done a few games, and working on a new one just now. It's about 80% done, so I am close but still need to do a lot more work. It takes a lot out of you but you love doing it still. I only wish the market wasn't so 99-cent heavy. Good luck with your game.
The night (or day depending on where you are) of launch is just the worst. Everyone's on edge, everyone is worrying. Will their be bugs, will Apple reject it? Etc etc. The best thing you can do is grab a 6 pack of beers before pressing the button and watch something funny to relax and focus. Great looking game David, the very best of luch!
And when the game comes out even if it doesn't break into the top charts despite all your best marketing efforts it'll all be worth it when you read your first genuine 5-star review from someone who really loves your game. Particularly if that person happens to pay $46,000 for that game. (full marks if you spotted The Simpsons reference there - from a very apt episode where Lisa creates her own doll and talks of how hard it is for the little guy to go up against big business. "But she's got a new hat!" could easily translate to "But now it's set in space!" ;-) )
I don't think that game launch is very important. In fact I would rather sneak a game onto the market quietly so that any problems can be fixed before too many people download it. At Kwalee we launched our first game, Gobang Social, in New Zealand only, where we could make our mistakes and progressively improve it without toxifying the brand. One school of thought has apps as services rather than products. So they are like an accountant or lawyer who need to market constantly, not just when they first open their office. The best thing about finally making Gobang Social available to the whole world was being able to talk about it.
In the App Store, release day is one of your biggest opportunities (if not the biggest) to get noticed, especially for your average indie dev. I completely disagree with the first paragraph. I realize the OP is just looking for opinions, and I agree that a social app would probably need wide spread testing even after launch. But for your average game or app, you should be prepared for launch day with a complete and fully tested product. Although it is possible to make a late surge, launch day in the app store is critical, in my opinion.
