there's your problem - "4 posts" I guess I can't reiterate it enough, you need to maintain more of an active presence if you want to draw some attention to your work. There's simply way too much overflow of software (decent quality, at that) for the layman to take notice of everything that trickles out.. and it's even harder for reviewers, especially the higher up in rank they are. Make a thread, get some people talking about your app, post some pics, maybe even make a low-grade youTube video, sponsor some kind of competition. Promotion is at least as important (if not more so) than the quality of your actual product, business-wise. If you are a hobbyist and the sales figures are not an issue to you, then this is of course moot..
Hey, I've seen your app on other forums too and it literally just clicked with me what your app does. I think you desperately need a video to explain the wow factor. Maybe even feature it front and center on your description. Otherwise at first glance it may look like just a puzzle game with photos. I'm no expert. Actually I'm a struggling newbie myself, but I think you have to do a lot of legwork yourself: your own facebook fanpage, twitter account, blog, press release. At least that's what I'm trying out. I'll be able to let you know what works (or didn't work) once the app is out.
I'm working on that video today - I think its what needs to be done. I thought it wouldn't get lost under the cp*pload of slider apps but it seems it has. Having to jailbreak (cough!) as there isn't an Apple tool to capture effectively from the screen. I was hoping to maybe get a fast review from a video reviewer but I feel action needs to be taken. it is a really good app, different and I'd say deserves a decent position. I just need to work to get it!
Got a small review on www.**************** - they placed me in their 10 to watch list for this week alongside cut the rope and sonic 4. They didn't seem to have crud on the list. They are a good size website so I'm hoping for a small bump. Now where's my mention in new and noteworthy....?
just out of curiosity. did you ever had the idea that your game was just not good enough, not interesting enough, to generic? i can see alot of reasons why someone would have no interest to try out 180, even with a big campaign behind it.
I agree with everything you said but this. The YouTube video we did was pretty professional, except for the voice over. And I had several comments that the person/reviewer wouldn't even look at the game if they had to mute it like they did on our teaser trailer. If you're going to do it, do it right.
Definitely a good video will help. I wouldn't say ours is professional at all since we took a stab at making it in house, but this is where all the extra classes I took came in handy for our game trailer. Making it appear polished and showcasing the game's main unique game play and art will go a long way in gaining interests.
I need to know this too but I think step one is to make your game stand out. This is a lot harder to do if your working in a crowded genre like tower defense.
I meant "make a low-grade video" better than no-grade at all! The higher quality you can do, the better your presentation is considered. I completely understand. Without gumming up this post, I will say that "sometimes things don't go as you wish they did" and you have to work with what you have. Our game missed several important marks on the development side of things, but at the end of the day I was happy to see it actually getting released. The one thing which I treasure the most, the uniqueness of it's gameplay, the fact that we made something that was genuinely new and fun and different (not just a ripoff of someone else's work) and that the rest of the package is supportive of that, is what I stand by as justification for getting it out there. We've got plenty of praise for the game on that merit, unfortunately that's not enough to be successful with the business side.
just checked out 180 I haven't played it yet tho. A couple thoughts: The comments on the screenshots seem over the top. "will leave you on the edge of your seat"? I think you would be better off with just raw screenshots. Since it's easy enough for people to figure out it's a puzzle game. Plus full hi- rez screens will put the graphics in a good light. More eye candy = better. It looks like the type of game you'd play in an arcade kiosk which isnt bad you just need to find the right channel for that. Not that I'm an expert, but check out the screenshots of my game Rollatron (dont play it yet though because it's not finished). Screenshots are really clean. I think yours would look even better like that since you have hi-rez 2D artwork.
going to move this discussion over here to the 180 thread since I don't wanna derail this one too much, I answered your comments over there
Got a video out - I'd appreciate feedback from everyone http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9_Wq5gSbM8 Egaal - I think your pre promotion has been great - there's a lot of hype definitely at least among the developers community (and some significant reviewers) for your game. Its what I'd recommend all games developers do. I came from a background of utility apps and didn't understand that. I wish I had been able to do that (I wasn't 100% Apple would approve Scrambleface as there are potential privacy issues and some other potential concerns) so I didn't look into pre release promotion.
This is true, but for a little extra effort or investment the 'low-grade' can be improved to decent or better, and I was making a case for taking the next step
little different.. my game launch and promotion is hilarious.. I was not even aware of what prMac and press release is all about. I send review request to few sites. no response so far. I never thought of marketing is so much important. initial response after game launch was good but now I think I seriously do something on marketing. but now what else can I do
Look, I'm not a dev. But here are my thoughts Put the link to your game in your sig Come out with a content update Do price drops Have contests Ask some of the smaller websites to review for you Get some forum buzz going(Important because arn is more likely to notice it) Team up with another dev to make a crossover Change your games description and title to be the most attractive You go to remember, pocket god wasn't even mentioned on TA for well over six months after it came out
little different.. Thanks for the feedback. I am preparing for a lite version. will few day free helps in getting game noticed to people.
At the risk of blasphemy, marketing efforts outside the AppStore itself are overrated. A catchy icon and nice screenshots, combined with AppStore visibility under new releases will do wonders for a launch. Obviously, a well timed sale, getting a feature by apple, a celeb endorsement, or being touched by the hand of Eli can't hurt either, but the eyeballs you get with a TA thread comes no where near the visibility you can get within the AppStore itself. If a game's presentation in the AppStore can't drive a sizeable number of downloads when it launches, it is unlikely that a banner ad or fan-review will do anything to move your numbers.
no blaphemy there, you've summed it up quite nicely.. __________________ twitter - HeadcaseGames.com Our hit puzzler 180 on sale 0.99 - Contest FreeAppTracker.com free daily apps, rankings, & contests!
yes I will make it free for a while to see people feedback to decide if it is worth an effort. yes but there are cases also that an app picks up sale after a while or so. but yes then product should be good enough.
Hmm, maybe I'm biased, but I reckon promoting your game outside the App Store is vital to its success. People visit sites such as this for one reason - to find out about new games with a view to purchasing them. Furthermore, amassing positive reviews from fans and review sites can in turn help you to attract new customers via your "presentation in the App Store" ...e.g. by quoting them in your app description, on your site etc. As for paid advertising, bear in mind most every smash-hit game (Angry Birds et al) has utilized banner ad campaigns as a means of building up name/visual recognition of the product in question and increasing awareness amongst potential customers...
