Hello guys, I have decided to make it free for one day just to run this contest and collect your feedback. Please try it and review it. I need your feedback to make this application better. Please dont hesitate and post your comments or suggestions here. If it really sucks just tell me that but in details, what you like what you don't like, comments, suggestions I will rate your suggestions and choose the winner on Wednesday. The person who send me more new interesting ideas and comments about this app will get a $10 US iTunes card. Good luck and Merry Christmas!!! Make sure it says FREE before you download it. It takes time to replicate price change over all application stores... Talking Santa Santa. **** High Definition Retina Display 3D Santa ****Santa Clause has arrived at the App Store, bringing along his… $4.99 Buy Now Watch Media Details**** High Definition Retina Display 3D Santa ****Santa Clause has arrived at the App Store, bringing along his jolly spirit! SANTA is a brand new application based around an exciting, interactive Santa Clause character who can dance and talk! He’s funny, friendly, and lives in the North Pole!Key Features: ☺ SANTA can be your friend! He’s quite friendly, of course!☺ SANTA can cheer you up if you’re in a bad mood! Just let your feelings out and let him know how you feel. He’s sure to get you into the holiday spirit!☺ SANTA can react on your touches! Poke his stomach, ribs, pinch his legs or arms, or whack his face and see how he reacts! ☺ SANTA can dance! Click the button at the bottom of the screen and watch him perform many different, funny, and groovy dance routines!☺ SANTA can talk back to you in a funny voice!☺ SANTA can greet you with a friendly “hi” or “hello”!☺ SANTA can do random actions and say different phrases when he gets bored!iPod touch users – Santa can’t hear you if you don’t have a microphone in your earphones! iPhone first generation users and iPhone 3G users – the animations and recording may work slower. Recommended use on iPhone 3Gs and 4G! Information Seller: Genre:Adventure, Kids Release:Dec 09, 2010 Updated:Nov 30, -0001 Version: Size:0.0 TouchArcade Rating:Unrated User Rating:Unrated Your Rating:unrated Compatibility:HD Universal Thanks Bungie.net Well-Known Member Oct 4, 2009 104 0 0 Washington #2 Bungie.net, Dec 21, 2010 Contest Sent you a private message Gamemania Well-Known Member Dec 21, 2010 91 0 0 #3 Gamemania, Dec 21, 2010 There are many 'Talking Santa' out there already and I don't think this one stands out much... File size is incredibly large, although doesn't matter much He is very boring if you ask me. His voice is quite depressing and tiring The voice he copies back isn't that funny as the description says, but rather dull Also, his gestures aren't very appealing. There could have been background music when he dances, a bit of sound effect when he knocks the screen, etc. And he probably couldn't cheer me up if I were in a bad mood Nice graphics though Bungie.net Well-Known Member Oct 4, 2009 104 0 0 Washington #4 Bungie.net, Dec 21, 2010 Contest ideas 10$ contest ideas I downloaded the app and gave it a review The only problem that I saw was when you touch the legs they go into the Santa so I think you should have them be pushed back, to look like he's almost tripping More things you could add: -Santa holding a list and you could type names on it and write naughty or nice -Have a elf walk by the screen and creat a present in seconds -slay fly in background -have a raindeer standing behind Santa and you can choose which raindeer it is -a spinning Christmas tree in the background -Santa holding a snowglobe -Santa playing a iPod touch or iPad Hope to win the contest stubbornmoose Well-Known Member Dec 2, 2009 203 0 0 #5 stubbornmoose, Dec 21, 2010 Thanks Gamemania great review. I am definitely going to add a background music and sound effect at least. So what will cheer you up if you in bad mood? stubbornmoose Well-Known Member Dec 2, 2009 203 0 0 #6 stubbornmoose, Dec 21, 2010 Thanks Bungie, great ideas. If I add all those things do you think it will became 5 stars app? stubbornmoose Well-Known Member Dec 2, 2009 203 0 0 #7 stubbornmoose, Dec 21, 2010 Only 2 participants so far with a 50/50 chance C'mon guys. I've received an iTunes card already and ready to give it away!!! iamryanhello Well-Known Member Nov 12, 2009 450 0 0 #8 iamryanhello, Dec 21, 2010 Here is a few things I think could really bring life to this app.. 1. Santa sounds like he's kind of drunk...just saying lol you might want to get different audio for the voice or see a different way of making his voice. 2. The fluidness could use some tweaking. For instance when you knock him back after hitting him in the stomach he comes forward almost like he's levitating so in some instances it just needs more motion involved. 3. I think it would bring spice to the game if you just added a simple "shake" feature that could either make it snow, make santa shake, or cause some sort of reindeer scene. 4. Added features like some sort of mini-game dealing with presents or throwing stuff at santa would add something. 5. To really complete this app it would need some sort of voice-recording capabilities to mimic the user. That is one of the "it" things thats going on right now in apps. Basically so it distorts your voice and mimics back through santa. Anyways definitely with some more effort and added goodies it could be a funny little app. Thanks Bitsandpixeltester Well-Known Member Dec 3, 2010 245 0 0 #9 Bitsandpixeltester, Dec 21, 2010 Last edited: Dec 21, 2010 review for Talking Santa My Review on Talking Santa. (this is long so I hope that is okay) There is a solid niche on itunes for apps that do not present gameplay but are more visceral experiences and not "cut the rope, fling the bird, slice and dice etc." There are people who bring out applications that fall under this category but contain nothing more substantial then what you would expect. Talking Santa, while broken in some areas does have potential for a group of people that I am going to pinpoint in this review. Before we take a look at what does not work, let us take a closer view of what does work. From the very opening title screen we are greeted by a cheerful St. Nick with an background depicting reindeer and what most people would typically associate with the holidays (a chimney, stars and of course Santa himself.) From the shading detail of the reindeer, one can grasp that this project is not done by someone who is talentless in 3D modeling but instead is someone who is honing their craft through production of these applications. I think that it is definitely an eye catching opening page that gives some direction to what market the game is aimed for. Now we enter the application nd are greeted by jolly St. Nick himself. Featuring a long flowing beard and bright red suit, we find the Santa we know best. The app makes it clear for what it aims for and that word could be delight. You are not getting a expertly detailed 3D generated icon such as you would on an xbox 360 or ps3 but what you do get is a wide array of actions. Santa is in the middle of the layers in the game with a light flowing snow facing the front. The snow is much more varied then one would expect in which the snow is not a generated .gif that can be counted to repeat. Santa is perfect size ratio to background and he fits in the general layout. Behind Santa is a background of trees and a tipped over sleigh. This backdrop is what I would consider design wise the strongest facet of your application. I realize that creating an object from scratch is very difficult but I think you pulled off the background quite well. The motions of Santa and his actions definitely would delight the main target of this application which I will go further into at the end of this review With every application and game there are positives but there are also negatives but in this case I think it would be better to title them as areas that need further improvement or work. First of all, in the beginning screen we see some distinct shading on the reindeer's but when we see St. Nick his belt and his suit feature little to no shading. I was disappointing that your shading did not carry over to this jolly fellows attire. Santa's voice borders sometimes as a Santa and sometimes as a normal voice that does not have the oomph that it deserves to have. You have the HO HO HO down but the other lines while cute at times, does not highlight a voice that people would immediately associate with Santa Claus. Like it or not we have been preconditioned to have an idea of what Clause should sound like and I feel that in some ways that mark was missed in this application. The one that really stuck out to me was a single phrase that Santa says which is "guess." there was no response and no call back to it. I can assume it could mean a variety of purposes but I believe it is one voice part that needs addressing. As a design lover I was also taken back by the tree due to a one discrepancy that jumped out to me. At the very bottom of the tree is a candy cain that is floating without any hold or tree branch. If you were to take that away, I would definitely not have my eyes drawn to that immediately. I also would recommend with the other candy canes, reversing one of them so they do not look like a stamp on the parts of the tree. These simple changes can easily be made and I think would benefit your application overall. I would also point out that Santa's hands seem a bit forced in other directions. The fingers seem to not look cohesive and it definitely distracted me when I went in depth through the application. What can be added to this application I will give in bullet form for easier digestion compared to the text. 1. Music, you have a beautiful snow falling foreground and a jolly St Nick but what would really amp up the power of the visual application would be music. I believe there is music that is under Creative Commons that could be used in this instant 2. Add animation to the background. You have a beautiful animated snowy front but the tree would look even more appealing if there was lights emenating from it or if the star glowed at the top every once in awhile. Spicing up the game using random additions will let your applicaation have a longer shelf life. 3. An idea could be to make it so one could change santa's attire (add sunglasses, a different hat, a different color suit) be silly and don't let anything confine you to how it should be 4. Work on the animation fluidity, there are moments where the boot movement seems frigid and stiff and I think that could easily be improved if you guys wanted to put your minds to it. 5. Possible other characters: Ms Clause, an Elf, Frosty. You have a wide variety of characters to pull from and your imagination could run wild with it. 6. Presents Presents Presents. The one thing the tree could improve with are some brightly wrapped presents underneath the tree. These definitely are big ideas but one has to take chances. 7. Different Backgrounds could work too, nothing super detailed because that would take a long time but perhaps Santa's Workshop, the North Pole and other locales one would associate with Christmas. 8. Snow Globe potential. Now that iphones, ipod touches and ipads react to movement one can easily recreate a snowglobe environment by having a shake cause directional snowfall. 9. Advent Santa. To go with what I said above about changeable attire, you could pull a idea from advent calendars and make the "gifts" under the tree unlock a new piece of clothing or accessory each day as the Christmas holiday grows ever closer. Since Christmas is almost here, you could put some of these ideas to work before next Christmas and bring out a new production of a new improved Talking Santa. As I said in an above paragraph, I am going to explain in a summary exactly who this is modeled for. I can sit by and compare it to other applications or even other visual demonstrations one can pull up online but I believe that is unfair to who it really aims for. As someone who works with kids for a living it is clear that this app is designed for such an audience. You look at a book such as Go Dog Go and it is easy for youth to look at it and say "Wow that is stupid or Wow that needs work" but the truth is for kids...it works. For kids this application would work. For kids this application would entertain even in a pixar/dreamworks age. Are there areas that need work...absolutely but as a whole as someone who knows psychology and how children perceive entertainment this app would definitely cause smiles and laughter and repeated uses. I can look at this as a continued step in the right direction for you and your team. I looked at your other apps and I definitely see a small progression each app but I really encourage you to push forward and take chances, make mistakes and try to force yourself to go even further with your work. I realize this review spans quite a long space of page but if I know anything about creating a piece of art and showing it to the world. The one thing we artists truly desire is the truth. We desire an indepth look at what we did right and what we can change and improve. I may not believe in Santa anymore but I know that children would enjoy your app, Talking Santa. stubbornmoose Well-Known Member Dec 2, 2009 203 0 0 #10 stubbornmoose, Dec 22, 2010 Nice review Bitsandpixeltester. We have only 3 participants so far, there is no point to make it longer I guess. I will close this contest today. Last call guys! You have 1 hour. sk47z Well-Known Member Oct 20, 2010 264 0 0 #11 sk47z, Dec 22, 2010 tried to download it but keep on having error. not my day i guess Kunning Well-Known Member Aug 30, 2009 3,248 1 0 #12 Kunning, Dec 22, 2010 (Warning: I have a ton to say about the app, so sorry if it's a bit long, and I hope you find it an informative, helpful read!) I'm going to stray a little away from the most predictable thing for me to do, and I'm not going to do a review. Instead I'm going to analyze strengths and weaknesses of Talking Santa, compare it to other apps that have succeeded (Talking Carl), and what say what Talking Santa is missing in addition to giving a few of my own suggestions. I hope what I do via comparison and suggestion helps the app succeed and rise up in the charts! Talking Santa looks like quite the app, and has a lot of potential for success. Take Talking Carl, for example, a simple app that managed to keep its place in the Top 25 for at least a month consecutively. But why is Talking Carl up there and not Talking Santa? Here are a few reasons... 1. The sound effects and voice overs for the game don't sound too good. What I mean by this is that the person that did the voice overs didn't put enough emotion into it - what Santa is trying to convey in the app is unconvincing. Therefore, I'd suggest having a professional do it, or just get that same person in the holiday spirit... it shouldn't be hard. After all, it is the season of giving! Just imagine how happy little children would be to have a Santa app that really feels like he's talking to them! You should also put more phrases and random sayings into the app - and don't make them just normal or cliche holiday phrases either, surprise us! Make him say "I'm hungry for a sandwich, can you make me one?" or some other kind of random saying that isn't related to Christmas at all, but would make some people laugh themselves to tears. Remember, an app that makes someone happy is one that they'll probably recommend to their friends and keep on their device. More people introduced to app = more sales = more exposure = more people = more sales = more exposure... see where I'm getting at? 2. Talking Carl had extremely cute sound effects and graphics. He would repeat things you said in the weirdest voice, and had reactions to your actions such as poking, prodding, tickling, etc. Talking Santa, on the other hand, has great graphics, but they may be somewhat too realistic. Talking Carl had a ton of appeal to people of all ages mainly just because he was silly, and kids and adults alike could just interact with him randomly to brighten up their day. In addition, Talking Carl had simplistic and minimalistic graphics that enhance a "doodle" or "cartoon" aspect. Talking Santa, on the other hand, had semi-realistic graphics that don't exactly appeal to kids - remember, for children of young ages simple = better. Likewise, Talking Santa's graphics may not appeal to teens or adults either because what they are looking for is something that is cute, funny, and random. They have too much of the monotonous and realistic every single day at their school or job. To sum up my this suggestion/analysis, a more cartoon style kind of graphics would be more appealing to the masses on the App Store rather than the current look. 3. It's not very clear on what you can and can't do in the app. Talking Carl was simplistic, so it was easy to find out the limits of what you could do. However, Talking Santa has so much more in it in regards to graphical capabilities, environment, animations. All this complexity gives the app room to have a ton of different features in it that currently are not. I've only figured out how to do three things - tap Santa's belly for him to get mad, tap his left leg (from my perspective) to make him hop, and his left hand to make him mad too. First and foremost, why can't I tap the right foot or the right hand? Secondly, here are some suggestions for additional actions: tap his face to make his nose red (which would be an interesting quirk), tap his hat to make it fall off, tap the tree once to make it light up, tap again to turn off the lights, tap the tree three times consecutively to make it fall over, tap the tree when it has fallen over to make it come back up again, tap Santa's other hand to have him high five you, tap his other foot to make him break out in dance and song, etc. etc. There are just so many possibilities! I trust that you'd be able to be creative enough to add a lot more than what I just suggested. 4. Though the current animations suffice, some of them are a bit stiff. In addition, after you push him or after he finishes a random animation, Santa glides on his feet for a short distance back to his original standing spot rather than walking back. These aren't very big problems, but these small details will make Talking Santa seem a lot more polished and beautiful. In addition, more animations and more actions (like I mentioned before) would give this app a lot more entertainment and replay value. 5. Summary: In a way, Talking Santa is much greater than Talking Carl in the potential that it has, but right now it's not as polished or appealing. It's greater than the hit app Talking Carl in the graphics and potential department, but the way things are implemented currently isn't the best possible appearance for your app. There are so many possibilities and things that you can play with in this app to make it succeed! Before I finish, here are some of the most important things to remember for an entertainment app like this one: Keep things fresh - keep your audience guessing and have them not be able to expect what is happening next. Don't make the app too predictable. If you run out of things to do or things to add, make sure that the app is either funny and entertaining enough for people to recommend and come back to, or that there's something in it that other apps of its kind don't have. Lastly, humor or just flat out randomness keeps people interested. Whatever entertainment app you design in the future, make it funny and unpredictable, and original and unique. Then there's no way that it won't succeed. A good app markets for itself. I hope you feel that the advice that I've given is helpful! I've really tried to analyze your app from every perspective possible. I wish you success with Talking Santa and all your future apps, and I wish you a merry Christmas! stubbornmoose Well-Known Member Dec 2, 2009 203 0 0 #13 stubbornmoose, Dec 22, 2010 Well, it is time to announce the winner. It was not an easy decision You guys have great ideas!!! I will implement all of them in my game. By the way if someone wants to help me with voices etc, just let me know. I have several iTunes cards left Congratulations Bitsandpixeltester you are the winner!!! And thank you all participants!!! Kunning Well-Known Member Aug 30, 2009 3,248 1 0 #14 Kunning, Dec 22, 2010 Congrats Bitsandpixeltester! Bitsandpixeltester Well-Known Member Dec 3, 2010 245 0 0 #15 Bitsandpixeltester, Dec 22, 2010 Last edited: Dec 22, 2010 Aww Yay Thank you guys! And thank you stubbornmoose! Bitsandpixeltester Well-Known Member Dec 3, 2010 245 0 0 #16 Bitsandpixeltester, Dec 22, 2010 Just got my giftcard and redeemed it so thank you thank you thank you stubbornmoose for following up with me. Now I can finally get World of Goo! (You must log in or sign up to post here.) Show Ignored Content Share This Page Tweet Your name or email address: Password: Forgot your password? Stay logged in
There are many 'Talking Santa' out there already and I don't think this one stands out much... File size is incredibly large, although doesn't matter much He is very boring if you ask me. His voice is quite depressing and tiring The voice he copies back isn't that funny as the description says, but rather dull Also, his gestures aren't very appealing. There could have been background music when he dances, a bit of sound effect when he knocks the screen, etc. And he probably couldn't cheer me up if I were in a bad mood Nice graphics though
Contest ideas 10$ contest ideas I downloaded the app and gave it a review The only problem that I saw was when you touch the legs they go into the Santa so I think you should have them be pushed back, to look like he's almost tripping More things you could add: -Santa holding a list and you could type names on it and write naughty or nice -Have a elf walk by the screen and creat a present in seconds -slay fly in background -have a raindeer standing behind Santa and you can choose which raindeer it is -a spinning Christmas tree in the background -Santa holding a snowglobe -Santa playing a iPod touch or iPad Hope to win the contest
Thanks Gamemania great review. I am definitely going to add a background music and sound effect at least. So what will cheer you up if you in bad mood?
Only 2 participants so far with a 50/50 chance C'mon guys. I've received an iTunes card already and ready to give it away!!!
Here is a few things I think could really bring life to this app.. 1. Santa sounds like he's kind of drunk...just saying lol you might want to get different audio for the voice or see a different way of making his voice. 2. The fluidness could use some tweaking. For instance when you knock him back after hitting him in the stomach he comes forward almost like he's levitating so in some instances it just needs more motion involved. 3. I think it would bring spice to the game if you just added a simple "shake" feature that could either make it snow, make santa shake, or cause some sort of reindeer scene. 4. Added features like some sort of mini-game dealing with presents or throwing stuff at santa would add something. 5. To really complete this app it would need some sort of voice-recording capabilities to mimic the user. That is one of the "it" things thats going on right now in apps. Basically so it distorts your voice and mimics back through santa. Anyways definitely with some more effort and added goodies it could be a funny little app. Thanks
review for Talking Santa My Review on Talking Santa. (this is long so I hope that is okay) There is a solid niche on itunes for apps that do not present gameplay but are more visceral experiences and not "cut the rope, fling the bird, slice and dice etc." There are people who bring out applications that fall under this category but contain nothing more substantial then what you would expect. Talking Santa, while broken in some areas does have potential for a group of people that I am going to pinpoint in this review. Before we take a look at what does not work, let us take a closer view of what does work. From the very opening title screen we are greeted by a cheerful St. Nick with an background depicting reindeer and what most people would typically associate with the holidays (a chimney, stars and of course Santa himself.) From the shading detail of the reindeer, one can grasp that this project is not done by someone who is talentless in 3D modeling but instead is someone who is honing their craft through production of these applications. I think that it is definitely an eye catching opening page that gives some direction to what market the game is aimed for. Now we enter the application nd are greeted by jolly St. Nick himself. Featuring a long flowing beard and bright red suit, we find the Santa we know best. The app makes it clear for what it aims for and that word could be delight. You are not getting a expertly detailed 3D generated icon such as you would on an xbox 360 or ps3 but what you do get is a wide array of actions. Santa is in the middle of the layers in the game with a light flowing snow facing the front. The snow is much more varied then one would expect in which the snow is not a generated .gif that can be counted to repeat. Santa is perfect size ratio to background and he fits in the general layout. Behind Santa is a background of trees and a tipped over sleigh. This backdrop is what I would consider design wise the strongest facet of your application. I realize that creating an object from scratch is very difficult but I think you pulled off the background quite well. The motions of Santa and his actions definitely would delight the main target of this application which I will go further into at the end of this review With every application and game there are positives but there are also negatives but in this case I think it would be better to title them as areas that need further improvement or work. First of all, in the beginning screen we see some distinct shading on the reindeer's but when we see St. Nick his belt and his suit feature little to no shading. I was disappointing that your shading did not carry over to this jolly fellows attire. Santa's voice borders sometimes as a Santa and sometimes as a normal voice that does not have the oomph that it deserves to have. You have the HO HO HO down but the other lines while cute at times, does not highlight a voice that people would immediately associate with Santa Claus. Like it or not we have been preconditioned to have an idea of what Clause should sound like and I feel that in some ways that mark was missed in this application. The one that really stuck out to me was a single phrase that Santa says which is "guess." there was no response and no call back to it. I can assume it could mean a variety of purposes but I believe it is one voice part that needs addressing. As a design lover I was also taken back by the tree due to a one discrepancy that jumped out to me. At the very bottom of the tree is a candy cain that is floating without any hold or tree branch. If you were to take that away, I would definitely not have my eyes drawn to that immediately. I also would recommend with the other candy canes, reversing one of them so they do not look like a stamp on the parts of the tree. These simple changes can easily be made and I think would benefit your application overall. I would also point out that Santa's hands seem a bit forced in other directions. The fingers seem to not look cohesive and it definitely distracted me when I went in depth through the application. What can be added to this application I will give in bullet form for easier digestion compared to the text. 1. Music, you have a beautiful snow falling foreground and a jolly St Nick but what would really amp up the power of the visual application would be music. I believe there is music that is under Creative Commons that could be used in this instant 2. Add animation to the background. You have a beautiful animated snowy front but the tree would look even more appealing if there was lights emenating from it or if the star glowed at the top every once in awhile. Spicing up the game using random additions will let your applicaation have a longer shelf life. 3. An idea could be to make it so one could change santa's attire (add sunglasses, a different hat, a different color suit) be silly and don't let anything confine you to how it should be 4. Work on the animation fluidity, there are moments where the boot movement seems frigid and stiff and I think that could easily be improved if you guys wanted to put your minds to it. 5. Possible other characters: Ms Clause, an Elf, Frosty. You have a wide variety of characters to pull from and your imagination could run wild with it. 6. Presents Presents Presents. The one thing the tree could improve with are some brightly wrapped presents underneath the tree. These definitely are big ideas but one has to take chances. 7. Different Backgrounds could work too, nothing super detailed because that would take a long time but perhaps Santa's Workshop, the North Pole and other locales one would associate with Christmas. 8. Snow Globe potential. Now that iphones, ipod touches and ipads react to movement one can easily recreate a snowglobe environment by having a shake cause directional snowfall. 9. Advent Santa. To go with what I said above about changeable attire, you could pull a idea from advent calendars and make the "gifts" under the tree unlock a new piece of clothing or accessory each day as the Christmas holiday grows ever closer. Since Christmas is almost here, you could put some of these ideas to work before next Christmas and bring out a new production of a new improved Talking Santa. As I said in an above paragraph, I am going to explain in a summary exactly who this is modeled for. I can sit by and compare it to other applications or even other visual demonstrations one can pull up online but I believe that is unfair to who it really aims for. As someone who works with kids for a living it is clear that this app is designed for such an audience. You look at a book such as Go Dog Go and it is easy for youth to look at it and say "Wow that is stupid or Wow that needs work" but the truth is for kids...it works. For kids this application would work. For kids this application would entertain even in a pixar/dreamworks age. Are there areas that need work...absolutely but as a whole as someone who knows psychology and how children perceive entertainment this app would definitely cause smiles and laughter and repeated uses. I can look at this as a continued step in the right direction for you and your team. I looked at your other apps and I definitely see a small progression each app but I really encourage you to push forward and take chances, make mistakes and try to force yourself to go even further with your work. I realize this review spans quite a long space of page but if I know anything about creating a piece of art and showing it to the world. The one thing we artists truly desire is the truth. We desire an indepth look at what we did right and what we can change and improve. I may not believe in Santa anymore but I know that children would enjoy your app, Talking Santa.
Nice review Bitsandpixeltester. We have only 3 participants so far, there is no point to make it longer I guess. I will close this contest today. Last call guys! You have 1 hour.
(Warning: I have a ton to say about the app, so sorry if it's a bit long, and I hope you find it an informative, helpful read!) I'm going to stray a little away from the most predictable thing for me to do, and I'm not going to do a review. Instead I'm going to analyze strengths and weaknesses of Talking Santa, compare it to other apps that have succeeded (Talking Carl), and what say what Talking Santa is missing in addition to giving a few of my own suggestions. I hope what I do via comparison and suggestion helps the app succeed and rise up in the charts! Talking Santa looks like quite the app, and has a lot of potential for success. Take Talking Carl, for example, a simple app that managed to keep its place in the Top 25 for at least a month consecutively. But why is Talking Carl up there and not Talking Santa? Here are a few reasons... 1. The sound effects and voice overs for the game don't sound too good. What I mean by this is that the person that did the voice overs didn't put enough emotion into it - what Santa is trying to convey in the app is unconvincing. Therefore, I'd suggest having a professional do it, or just get that same person in the holiday spirit... it shouldn't be hard. After all, it is the season of giving! Just imagine how happy little children would be to have a Santa app that really feels like he's talking to them! You should also put more phrases and random sayings into the app - and don't make them just normal or cliche holiday phrases either, surprise us! Make him say "I'm hungry for a sandwich, can you make me one?" or some other kind of random saying that isn't related to Christmas at all, but would make some people laugh themselves to tears. Remember, an app that makes someone happy is one that they'll probably recommend to their friends and keep on their device. More people introduced to app = more sales = more exposure = more people = more sales = more exposure... see where I'm getting at? 2. Talking Carl had extremely cute sound effects and graphics. He would repeat things you said in the weirdest voice, and had reactions to your actions such as poking, prodding, tickling, etc. Talking Santa, on the other hand, has great graphics, but they may be somewhat too realistic. Talking Carl had a ton of appeal to people of all ages mainly just because he was silly, and kids and adults alike could just interact with him randomly to brighten up their day. In addition, Talking Carl had simplistic and minimalistic graphics that enhance a "doodle" or "cartoon" aspect. Talking Santa, on the other hand, had semi-realistic graphics that don't exactly appeal to kids - remember, for children of young ages simple = better. Likewise, Talking Santa's graphics may not appeal to teens or adults either because what they are looking for is something that is cute, funny, and random. They have too much of the monotonous and realistic every single day at their school or job. To sum up my this suggestion/analysis, a more cartoon style kind of graphics would be more appealing to the masses on the App Store rather than the current look. 3. It's not very clear on what you can and can't do in the app. Talking Carl was simplistic, so it was easy to find out the limits of what you could do. However, Talking Santa has so much more in it in regards to graphical capabilities, environment, animations. All this complexity gives the app room to have a ton of different features in it that currently are not. I've only figured out how to do three things - tap Santa's belly for him to get mad, tap his left leg (from my perspective) to make him hop, and his left hand to make him mad too. First and foremost, why can't I tap the right foot or the right hand? Secondly, here are some suggestions for additional actions: tap his face to make his nose red (which would be an interesting quirk), tap his hat to make it fall off, tap the tree once to make it light up, tap again to turn off the lights, tap the tree three times consecutively to make it fall over, tap the tree when it has fallen over to make it come back up again, tap Santa's other hand to have him high five you, tap his other foot to make him break out in dance and song, etc. etc. There are just so many possibilities! I trust that you'd be able to be creative enough to add a lot more than what I just suggested. 4. Though the current animations suffice, some of them are a bit stiff. In addition, after you push him or after he finishes a random animation, Santa glides on his feet for a short distance back to his original standing spot rather than walking back. These aren't very big problems, but these small details will make Talking Santa seem a lot more polished and beautiful. In addition, more animations and more actions (like I mentioned before) would give this app a lot more entertainment and replay value. 5. Summary: In a way, Talking Santa is much greater than Talking Carl in the potential that it has, but right now it's not as polished or appealing. It's greater than the hit app Talking Carl in the graphics and potential department, but the way things are implemented currently isn't the best possible appearance for your app. There are so many possibilities and things that you can play with in this app to make it succeed! Before I finish, here are some of the most important things to remember for an entertainment app like this one: Keep things fresh - keep your audience guessing and have them not be able to expect what is happening next. Don't make the app too predictable. If you run out of things to do or things to add, make sure that the app is either funny and entertaining enough for people to recommend and come back to, or that there's something in it that other apps of its kind don't have. Lastly, humor or just flat out randomness keeps people interested. Whatever entertainment app you design in the future, make it funny and unpredictable, and original and unique. Then there's no way that it won't succeed. A good app markets for itself. I hope you feel that the advice that I've given is helpful! I've really tried to analyze your app from every perspective possible. I wish you success with Talking Santa and all your future apps, and I wish you a merry Christmas!
Well, it is time to announce the winner. It was not an easy decision You guys have great ideas!!! I will implement all of them in my game. By the way if someone wants to help me with voices etc, just let me know. I have several iTunes cards left Congratulations Bitsandpixeltester you are the winner!!! And thank you all participants!!!
Just got my giftcard and redeemed it so thank you thank you thank you stubbornmoose for following up with me. Now I can finally get World of Goo!
