Not that I have any expertise, but it seems that iOS and Android games are marketed very differently than any other type of entertainment, likely due to the possibility of minimal return on them. Personally I would contact review sites as another person in the thread mentioned (over-allocating promo codes for those reviews), allocate another chunk of codes to contests/promotions (guess the size of the release in MB/best reponse to why you want to try the game/funniest response to why The Secret Castle will change your life/etc), try to find budget funding to purchase banner ads, and I would definitely release it off cycle. While you can definitely build some PR having it in site's Wednesay night release posts, you always run the risk of someone releasing the proverbial 800 lb gorilla at the same time. I wholeheartedly respect your desire to concentrate on the product/DLC, but I really think you have to spend some time making a great product a successful one as well.
We're finally wrapping up all the features and are likely going to use Test Flight to test and deploy betas if possible. Is anyone here interested? Check out the video and please ask questions up front because we'll likely need people who have tested unfinished games before and I'd feel bad pulling people in who didn't know what they were getting into. Also, we're looking at publishers. I know this isn't the dev forum but has anyone here had any good/bad experiences they feel comfortable sharing.
Things are coming along well and if the next build shapes up we will be pretty clear for a January release. I'm looking for suggestions on a few things if anyone wants to chime in on opinion. -Does anyone here currently use cloud saves? I'm really interested in putting that in our game but I really wonder how many people can or do play the same game on multiple devices. -Does anyone care about achievements? Without a meaningful meta system like XBL it seems like only high scores matter which really don't work for our game. -Would you rather buy a game separately or have a universal app? I've been thinking about simplifying things and just making a cheap universal version only for the game. Not sure if eliminating choice is good though and ultimately unless we get a publisher we won't be able to launch with all 3 versions. Thanks in advance to anyone with opinions on this stuff.
We should have a preview build ready by the end of the month (hopefully). I'm going to post a video of the game intro so we can get some feedback on story and our games art style. Anyway, here's a high rez image of level 1, which aside from a couple of lighting tweaks is almost complete. Looking forward to getting this in everyone's hands!
For sure lots of iPhone user is eager to have that game. The picture could really catch the attention of the gamers.
I think universal is the way to go you'll hit all consumers at once, I hate having two different versions with no real differences besides price haven't used cloud saves yet and you're right about the achievements it only applies to certain types of games
Well, we finally have a two level preview ready on Test Flight if anyone here is interested in trying it out. If your interested here's the link to sign up and request a build: http://bit.ly/zChvFO In other interesting news we're adding more info into the inventory system because we really want this to be accessible on the iPhone. Since it's essentially being built from the ground up for phones and tablets we wanted to make sure it wasn't a nightmare to play a hidden object game on a phone screen. Anyway, I'll post a video of the game intro soon (since we have an extensive 3D cutscene system) and get some feedback on that if possible.
I sent out the preview despite it not being quite as polished as I wanted. At this stage I'm more interested if the controls see intuitive enough for this type of game. If anyone missed it and would like to give feedback on the BASICS of the game you can request to be added here: http://bit.ly/zChvFO We'll likely do one more round before shipping because we are very close to content complete and there are so many features not even in this test build that the sooner we finish that the sooner it can be out. Thanks and I hope you testers are enjoying it.
We haven't forgotten Expect to see a few previews in the next few days and a new trailer pretty soon as we get closer to launch.
This is looking really terrific! The 3D effect looks really convincing and brings a really unique new element to the hidden object game genre. The art is nice and I really like the character designs. I wish you folks all the success you deserve! If I may make one crit, I would suggest that on the screens where Jonas is full-screen and addressing the user (like he tells the user "Thanks for playing my game," or when he's commenting on objects that you've found in a room) that you simply shift his eyes to be looking at the player. Ever have a conversation with someone who won't look you in the eye and keeps looking away? It's very disconcerting. But looking at someone while you're talking to them helps you connect to them and establish rapport and trust. Same thing here: I think Jonas would feel a lot more engaging if you just had him looking towards the user when addressing them. The looking to the right works fine for the dialogue at the bottom of the screen because he's leading your eye to the text and because he's talking to someone else, not you (although it was also a little weird to have his mom appear in the spot where he was: I expected her to appear on the far right so it would look like they were having a conversation.) Anyhow, just a small suggestion for what it's worth. Good luck with the game and let us know what it's out! (or if you still need beta testers )
I posted this in the adventure games thread but seeing as this coming to the phone too figured you guys might want to see the launch trailer. Check it out and let me know what you think. I'll be happy to answer any questions about it. Subscribe to the TouchArcade YouTube channel
