Before launching iCombat I wrote a post discussing the question of what to do with App store piracy. The options basically boil down to either: A) doing nothing, B) using RipDev or a comparable solution to make the app more difficult to crack, or C) implementing an info.plist check that allows the developer to see which users are using a cracked version and then altering the app for those pirate users (see Beejive IM’s response as one of the more decisive moves you can take with this approach). See description of how to do this here.
As a first time developer I wanted to protect my effort but did not want to pay an upfront fee to Ripdev without having made a dime so I opted to go for the more benign yet not totally passive option. I chose to detect when they cracked the application and then have a pop-up screen say something inoffensive along with a button routing them away from game play after 5 levels. The button redirected the pirate to a hidden page I created on my site called “You Jacked My App” where the text read:
“Hi if you have been directed to this page it’s because we see that you have a pirated copy. While we are glad you are interested please understand that we want to continue making it better, but to do that we need people to each pay for their copy. If you want to continue using please purchase today.”
The idea was to get the user to empathize with my cause and maybe convert a tiny fraction of those users into sales. While it was a cheesy move and probably a bad idea I figured it couldn’t hurt to try (maybe I should have just rickroll’d them all!). For a great example of a better executed version of this strategy see developer Ben Chatelain’s pop-up here which mentions needing the sales to help feed his 1 year old! I just found this but had I seen it pre-iCombat 1.0 I would probably have implemented something similarly guilt evoking.
See below some stats to give you an idea of the scope of the problem for iCombat as well as some conclusions I have drawn from the experience: Read more…
After 8 days waiting to be approved by Apple, iCombat is accepted and “Ready for Sale.” I was pretty patient during the wait but by today I was starting to get worried. I shot off a few e-mails to Apple, posted my scenario to a couple of websites and waited, and late this evening I found out that we were approved. When I spoke to the team they thought it was an April Fool’s joke, which thankfully it wasn’t because we are now in the App store. You can check out our description and buy it in the iTunes store here.
While I have been vague about what iCombat would be until now, I wanted to give you some background as to why we chose to do a classic arcade style tank game. I grew up in the mid 80’s playing a beat up Atari 2600 – it was behind the times even then (let alone now!) but the good side of having the outdated console was that I could buy old Atari games at used book stores for under a dollar. I didn’t have the money, or need, back then to buy a newer console and it didn’t matter because the Atari had some of the best game play design of any console I have ever played. Simple rules, easy to use controls, a fast learning curve, all of these things helped make it much easier than picking up today’s games (except maybe the Wii).
The game that captured my attention most was Combat, a 27 game in one combo pack that included the Tank game. There were many variations of play, one of which was Tank pong – here you fired missiles (squares) at the other tank (a rectangle) and they could bounce off of walls and hit the enemy. For me the bouncing missiles and fierce 2 player versus mode hooked me, and so when the iPhone launched we saw the opportunity to bring a similar type of game play to the younger generation of gamers. The idea was to stick to simple game logic but utilize the powerful features of the iPhone to create something great. Truthfully, we just created it also because we wanted to play it – and we tried to stay true to the game play fundamentals that made the original games so addictive. And while there are half a dozen tank style games in the App store, we hadn’t found one that scratched our itch for this classic arcade style play.
We hope, after playing, you will start to share our enthusiasm for tank games and that you will become a fan of iCombat. We also want to make iCombat better in future updates, so please send us your feedback at icombatgame@gmail.com or post something here. We are planning to offer prizes of some sort (maybe t-shirts or something) to anyone whose idea is implemented in future updates so send us your best suggestions for future changes such as new weapons, levels, enemies, etc. If your idea is good and others support it in the comments we will do our best to make it happen. I will be posting some ideas of my own in the coming days so don’t be shy to shoot them down if you think they are weak!
Being a first time game developer, I am finding that the final stages of game development, namely bug fixing and adding final polish (game menus, transitions, etc) take much longer than I could have anticipated. It is only now that I am beginning to appreciate some of the complexities behind product development and launch. From a technical point of view, it is difficult to know on the front end just how much time will be necessary to debug properly but also from a psychological point of view I am beginning to understand just how hard it is to finish well. At some point, when you have done the most interesting part of app development (where progress on a day to day basis is much faster and noticeable) you are stuck sanding down the rough edges and a sort of development fatigue sets in. With so little to show in terms of progress, i.e. spending days changing menu layouts or touching up fonts, the developers and the entire team get eager to just push it out the door already and see what happens. This is where we, and I assume most developers, debate the merits of fine tuning their app versus just launching it in the market, where it can start to make money and give some immediate feedback. Read more…
It occurred to me as I sat here going through dozens of game sound effects and game graphics that I don’t have the foggiest idea what I am doing. Sure I have played plenty of games and have a clear vision of what this app should look like but beyond that, I have not read one book or one article about good game design. I did stumble across The Hummingbird Manifesto but this is little more than a cheeky bit of pretty intuitive advice. As my game development gets further along though I find that I have made dozens if not hundreds of decisions and all I am going off of is my past game play experience.
Atari Pong Screenshot
I am fairly confident I have limited just how much I can screw this up by keeping the game simple and without too much of a plot as this seems to add another layer of design complexity. This is why I chose to do a game based off of some of the original gaming platforms: these focused on the quality of in game play rather than depth and variety of sound or visual effects (of course there was no choice back then).
After just building what we have, and you guys will get to be the judges of how well we have done soon, I can say I really respect professional game designers. To have the vision to not only create a fully developed plot but then to fold in the complexity of quality sound and graphics really is a huge effort. Especially when you are inventing a new theme or world from scratch. No wonder game budgets are becoming so enormous like Spore’s estimated $35 million and there are tons of Bachelor’s degree programs for game development and design like this one. Read more…
I have gotten the first couple of updates from the team and am now testing the application on my iPhone. It is really cool to have it up and running so I can begin to see the project taking shape. It feels like progress is slow until I get the new updates and then it looks like only a matter of weeks. A few bugs with the movement and firing but all in all a great start!
Even with this basic buggy simplified version I find myself wanting to pick it up and play it. Either I am obsessed with the idea or it does have some interesting game play already. I have started to fiddle with the tank, turret and missile speeds amongst other variables and am hoping that upon testing I will just know the ideal setting for optimal game play once I see it.
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Although I had already done quite a bit of work with the guys, it did take us a few days to finalize the contract with all of the milestones and specs completely hashed out. It was making me anxious because I just wanted to get cranking on the project, but I knew it was worth it to predefine as much as possible so both sides expectations would be met. Thankfully the team shared my desire to clearly layout the terms of our contract and begin working in the meantime so there wasn’t any issue there. All in all I am happy with the terms and feel confident in the team’s ability to execute on my vision. I finally feel that the project is underway and can’t wait to start seeing progress soon. The first milestone is a week away so pretty excited to see the application begin to take shape.
If you want some tips on the contract details and other legal stuff see the Taking Care of the Legal Stuff entry.
I started by posting a local (Philadelphia) advertisement to Craigslist and also by going to oDesk and posting an advertisement looking for an iPhone developer. My ad on Craigslist was straightforward and I offered both a salary while in development but also a portion of the returns. I got some good feedback and received inquiries from individuals, local iPhone development companies but also many international development firms. Initially I was interested in finding something more like a partner with technical skills to work with and share the return. This quickly proved to not be an option.
I still don’t think it is a bad deal to offer a developer: 1) an application idea, 2) a salary, 3) a flexible schedule, and 4) a portion of the returns. I wasn’t able to find anyone experienced, however, with enough interest and skill to really dive in to the project. While I am sure this is a symptom of the high demand for iPhone developers and my lack of being able to find / convince anyone locally (I only posted on Craigslist so wasn’t exactly scouring the city), it was still surprising how few serious inquiries I received. Let me just add, as someone who is learning the iPhone SDK, I was amazed at how little most developers who reached out to me knew about developing with the iPhone SDK.
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