New iDev :)

[Altrez]

Hello All,

I just wanted to say hi and introduce myself. I have decided to take the steps needed to start coding for the iPhone / iPod Touch. I purchased my first Apple Computer 3 day's ago a MacBook and have downloaded and installed the iPhone SDK, yesterday I successfully compiled my first app with Xcode!!

One of my goals is to have my first game on the App store by July. However one of my biggist fear's as a new developer is that the App store at the rate it is growing will have around 100k apps by then.

So the question I pose to you fine folks is simply this. Do I make the investment of around 2 grand and buy a 3d engine to cut my dev time in half? Or should I just hope that not every conceivable game has been released by the time I have built a good solid fun app?

Peace!

-Altrez

[gillygize]

I just used XCode and it seemed to work for me. If you want to do something that you already know is 3D, maybe an engine will be worthwhile. But if you haven't designed your game yet, I would try to come up with something that doesn't need that kind of specialized software.

I would say that, yes, the App store is growing. But I would ignore the numbers. The thing that you should think about is your game. Is it creative? Is it different?

There are already a lots of games that have guns which fire or tower defense or puzzles with blocks. It will take something special to top what has been done in those fields already, I think. Unless you have already have a clear game idea in mind, I would say that the best thing you can do is spend a lot of time working on a creative idea, something with distinct gameplay or something that no one else has done. Creativity is what will make something stand out in the app store.

[Altrez]

gillygize,

Thank you for the advice. Can you recommend any good 2d game tutorials for the device? I have ton's of downloaded source code that I have compiled and changed, however I have not found a really good game tutorial as of yet.

Thanks!

-Altrez

[jonaswills]

Originally Posted by Altrez

gillygize,

Thank you for the advice. Can you recommend any good 2d game tutorials for the device? I have ton's of downloaded source code that I have compiled and changed, however I have not found a really good game tutorial as of yet.

Thanks!

-Altrez

You can find a bunch of resources here: http://www.gamedev.net/reference/start_here/

Good luck!

[tunawrap]

Use Unity 3D for a good 3d engine, it is fantastic! Just look at the examples on its website. I believe there is an app in the store made with it with amazing graphics called Ball X http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=300211669&mt=8

[snow_mani]

@ Altrez - I couldn't program to save my life. So I can't offer advice. I just wanted to say hello and welcome!

[Altrez]

@jonaswills

Thank you for the link!! I will check it out today

@tunawrap

I have been thinking about buying u3d the full version. I have been programing for the PC for years but like I said this is my first Mac ever! And so far I really love my mac I do not want to spend all of my time learning OBJ-C when I could be focusing on game Dev with some type of engine.

I do have a strong networking background so I plan on using a few servers from my company and making my game have a full online multiplayer experience.

@snow_mani

Hello!! Thank you for the warm welcome here

I really look forward to starting on this long path of game dev. And also having a chance to contribute on this wonderful forum and of course getting to know everyone!

Have a great day!

-Altrez

[gillygize]

If you developed for the PC, I'll bet you have no problem with Objective C. I was a web developer (three year ago!) who studied C++ and Java and all it took me was a long weekend to get familiar enough with the SDK to start my game.

So anyone, for an experienced programmer, July is totally doable as a goal. For comparison, I started the first week of November and had my game in the iTunes Store by the middle of December.

[Altrez]

@gillygize,

The only issues I have had so far is learning how the mac works lol. I have never owned one before. I love the way it feels though, allot like linux when you find the shell OBJ-C is not that hard to pick up my only issues is figuring out what does what and that only comes with more and more coding.

As for other news I have submitted my enrollment to Apple paid the $99 and started working on my game.

-Altrez

[fairlady]

Maybe you've got additional funds to spend, but keep in mind that you may have more costs as you continue development of your game. Here are a few biggies:

1. Graphics and design resources - if you want to make a polished game, you'll need someone with good design skills and the appropriate software
2. Music and sound effects - you may need to purchase some royalty-free collections
3. Advertising - since the app store is flooded with games and only a few get selected to be featured, you'll need to find other ways to market your game, and these can be expensive!

fairlady
http://www.fairladymedia.com
http://www.whackemall.com