Project: Salvage —— It's a comic book made with GameSalad!
Photics
Member Posts: 4,172
Here's the short version of this post...
BOT #1 is online! It's a free comic made with GameSalad.
—————
Here's the long version of this post...
"Project: Salvage" is essentially a marketing project. In trying to increase the popularity of BOT, I realized that traditional marketing probably wouldn't work.
Press Releases — The media doesn't care about my app. It's a catch-22. Journalist want to cover hot stories. But if BOT was already that popular, I wouldn't need to send out a press release. Some sites even charge money for distributing press releases. I haven't seen too many developers singing the praises about such an investment. Oh sure, if this was a multi-million-dollar project, a couple of hundred bucks is nothing. But here, that's simply not in the budget.
Advertisements — Again, this is the same story. It costs money to advertise. That's not in the budget. With a 99¢ app, there isn't much room left for marketing. There's an old saying, "You need to spend money to make money." I realize the importance of advertising, but I haven't seen developers singing the praises of banner ads. Instead, it just seems like throwing more money down the hole.
Review Websites — They generally don't care about some random GameSalad game. Sending out Promo Codes is like sending out press releases. That doesn't mean I didn't try. I sent out lots of promo codes, but I haven't seen a single review for BOT on a review website.
Mailing List — I've already tried this. It's actually very effective. Yet, I'm very respectful to those on my mailing list. These are people that joined my site or requested to be on the mailing list. I don't buy lists to randomly spam people.
I think the most effective marketing for an app actually comes from Apple. Standing outside the Staten Island Ferry Terminal, handing out flyers to commuters, isn't going to make sense. Unless I was making an app specifically for that crowd, the majority of those people won't care. So how do I increase awareness of BOT when it's already buried on the app store?
WITH A COMIC! — BOT #1 is online!
What's that?! You can make a comic with GameSalad?! Actually, this is nothing new. I spotted an older thread about the matter... http://gamesalad.com/forums/topic.php?id=485 ...but the idea didn't seem to catch on.
Now there's lots of discussion... http://gamesalad.com/forums/topic.php?id=15896 ...about what was the right and wrong about the game design. The reality is that launching an app is uncertain. Even with focus groups and testing, it's not certain how people will react. I created BOT without any words, so that players all over the world could enjoy the game. Apparently, people actually might actually like to read the game's story. That's what this graphic novel is about. It presents the game's story. It also gives clues to the quests.
If you've played BOT and asked... "What's up with the soccer ball?!" ...this comic answers that question!
Will this idea work? I don't know, but I'm testing it out. I had a lot of fun creating this comic. And this morning, I read it. I felt happy. It's a good project. If it's popular, I can continue the story.
Also, some of you GameSalad developers out there might be wondering... how did you do that? How did you get the camera to zoom like that? How did you make a comic with GameSalad? If you've read The Unofficial GameSalad Textbook, it's not too hard to figure out. But if you want an easy path, I am considering the creation of a comic book template. Does anyone want to buy a comic book template?
I'm wondering when the GameSalad Marketplace is going to open up. This could be something good for the store.
And finally... since this is a marketing experiment... the story won't continue if the interest isn't there. So if you like the story, you might want to say so on the iTunes App Store. If the feeback is good, I'll probably continue the story.
Here's the download link again...
http://photics.com/bot-1
BOT #1 is online! It's a free comic made with GameSalad.
—————
Here's the long version of this post...
"Project: Salvage" is essentially a marketing project. In trying to increase the popularity of BOT, I realized that traditional marketing probably wouldn't work.
Press Releases — The media doesn't care about my app. It's a catch-22. Journalist want to cover hot stories. But if BOT was already that popular, I wouldn't need to send out a press release. Some sites even charge money for distributing press releases. I haven't seen too many developers singing the praises about such an investment. Oh sure, if this was a multi-million-dollar project, a couple of hundred bucks is nothing. But here, that's simply not in the budget.
Advertisements — Again, this is the same story. It costs money to advertise. That's not in the budget. With a 99¢ app, there isn't much room left for marketing. There's an old saying, "You need to spend money to make money." I realize the importance of advertising, but I haven't seen developers singing the praises of banner ads. Instead, it just seems like throwing more money down the hole.
Review Websites — They generally don't care about some random GameSalad game. Sending out Promo Codes is like sending out press releases. That doesn't mean I didn't try. I sent out lots of promo codes, but I haven't seen a single review for BOT on a review website.
Mailing List — I've already tried this. It's actually very effective. Yet, I'm very respectful to those on my mailing list. These are people that joined my site or requested to be on the mailing list. I don't buy lists to randomly spam people.
I think the most effective marketing for an app actually comes from Apple. Standing outside the Staten Island Ferry Terminal, handing out flyers to commuters, isn't going to make sense. Unless I was making an app specifically for that crowd, the majority of those people won't care. So how do I increase awareness of BOT when it's already buried on the app store?
WITH A COMIC! — BOT #1 is online!
What's that?! You can make a comic with GameSalad?! Actually, this is nothing new. I spotted an older thread about the matter... http://gamesalad.com/forums/topic.php?id=485 ...but the idea didn't seem to catch on.
Now there's lots of discussion... http://gamesalad.com/forums/topic.php?id=15896 ...about what was the right and wrong about the game design. The reality is that launching an app is uncertain. Even with focus groups and testing, it's not certain how people will react. I created BOT without any words, so that players all over the world could enjoy the game. Apparently, people actually might actually like to read the game's story. That's what this graphic novel is about. It presents the game's story. It also gives clues to the quests.
If you've played BOT and asked... "What's up with the soccer ball?!" ...this comic answers that question!
Will this idea work? I don't know, but I'm testing it out. I had a lot of fun creating this comic. And this morning, I read it. I felt happy. It's a good project. If it's popular, I can continue the story.
Also, some of you GameSalad developers out there might be wondering... how did you do that? How did you get the camera to zoom like that? How did you make a comic with GameSalad? If you've read The Unofficial GameSalad Textbook, it's not too hard to figure out. But if you want an easy path, I am considering the creation of a comic book template. Does anyone want to buy a comic book template?
I'm wondering when the GameSalad Marketplace is going to open up. This could be something good for the store.
And finally... since this is a marketing experiment... the story won't continue if the interest isn't there. So if you like the story, you might want to say so on the iTunes App Store. If the feeback is good, I'll probably continue the story.
Here's the download link again...
http://photics.com/bot-1
Comments
...but it's listed in the free section of the App store. How's that trickery?
FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!
I can see why people might be apprehensive on the Android Market, but this is the iTunes App Store. The app was reviewed by Apple. So unless you pay for bandwidth, where's the issue?
FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!
But it seems an inconsistent mash of graphic styles in the characters. I guess that is explainable as they are all renders of Daz 3D models, the Aiko one doesn't really fit in with the others, completely different art style. But the scantily dressed lady characters may get a few downloads for you if illustrated characters float your boat.
I'd ask the question as stated above as to why there are no links to your paid app? You said it was intentional, but why? You state this is a marketing strategy, but seems a bit bizarre that it includes no marketing.
Why is the XKCD comic popular when it's just a bunch of stick figures? Who cares?! I read it, I laughed at a few jokes and I moved on.
I don't think the app is perfect, but I do think that it's pretty good. It's not meant to be masturbation material. Yet, it is a comic and I'm not going to shy away from adding sexy characters or including mature themes. It's supposed to be entertaining. I think it is. If lots of other people feel the same, then the series can continue.
It is what it is... a good start. Here's some comparison of early comics...
http://xkcd.com/1/
http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/1998/11/18/
http://gucomics.com/comic/?cdate=20000710
http://www.pvponline.com/1998/05/04/
So, I think BOT #1 is comparable to the start of other free comics.
Amazing work!
You gave your explanation of your Project along with an explanation of your experiment. How can you not expect people to give there opinion on places you may have missed the mark. We have been right in the past. ie. You didn't have outside developer beta testers, test bot. upon release of bot people where not happy with several major things That most likely cause you to miss a lot of sales.
If your gonna put your thoughts out there you damn well better be ready for people to tell you your wrong and you certainly need to get over you pride enough to look at what they say objectively and try to use their comment to your advantage.
No one here has said Geez your just and idiot for thinking this will work. They have offered advice. and all you have returned for that advice is the impression of Geez your an idiot for offering advice that I didn't already think of and get over it anyway its a free app. Just because its free doesn't guarantee a download or justify half assing things.
And yes nearly everyone now pays for their bandwidth. Unlimited data is no more for the most part. Even people like me who got grandfathered in with unlimited data are going to lose it in the near future from what I have heard.
So heres some advice. Lose the ego for a bit and just here what people have to say. and quit treating them like idiots for saying anything. I honestly almost did not even reply to this thread because I knew that is how you would respond so why should I bother?
One thought it was perfect without downloading it and another was insulting in their critique. I think there's a difference between those that are giving constructive feedback and those that hover around, waiting to poke holes at my work. I listen to feedback, but I also gauge the source of that feedback.
I like the way the comic scrolls, it's very intuitive, and unique, as oppose to just flipping pages.
I think you did a great job on this!
My suggestion would be to have a link to your paid app.
It's an absolutely necessary component to marketing your paid app, and people won't take the extra step to search your other games. I think it's a glaring flaw that you didn't put a link in there.
Update it and add a link, and you have a great comic and marketing opportunity!
And sorry to deflate your ego but I don't hover the forum waiting to reply to your posts.
After reading the first edition, were you interested in the story continuing?
But I think you really need to add a button to your app. Something like, take control of bot and fight the monsters yourselves in the official app!
Butterbean is right, _very_ few people are going to search for the app, especially since you don't mention it in the app itself, and I know you learned how few people read the app description when bot launched.
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Jon's suggestion is perfect for adding a link!
No one here has said anything unreasonable or insulting. I think the way it moves around is very cool and while its good to have cartoony art mixed with real looking people the art is good too.
But just like Bot you kept everything such a secret the whole time and got no feedback before hand, which will hurt you I believe. Because the feed back now is. This is a great Idea but you left out a very import piece of the puzzle. A link to the app its meant to boost sales from. Its the one thing every single one of us has said.
I would certainly keep downloading future versions to read as long as they are free. But if it where me, and I did not already have BOT, I am not likely to go search for BOT. I bet a lot of people just see it as a comic and not realize theres a game to go with. Why do I think that? Because I know that I do not read the entire description of free things. If it looks half decent I'll download it and pitch it if I didn't enjoy it. Not take the time to read a full description and make sure I fully understand what i'm getting before spending money.
The feedback in this thread is pretty good actually, but it's different than the feedback I get elsewhere. Maybe it's that this community is more interested in the technical or looks at apps with a different perspective.
If we're really going to critique the app, why not discuss what really matters? It's a comic book, but there are no comments about the characters. I don't mean the 3D model origins... but the characters themselves... was there a sense of emotion? If you watch movie critiques, it's often about the acting. If it's a critique of a book, it's often about the story.
And yet, a critique is often opinion. Here, it seems that the comic book navigation was preferred. While on the iTunes app store, one of the reviews posts the opposite — but the reviewer really liked the graphics. If one community says the navigation is good, while another says that it isn't, it shows how subjective it can be.
It's a free app that's meant to be entertaining. I'm actually surprised that the comments aren't more like, "How'd you do that?!" or "Ha, Miles is funny!" It's a comic book made with GameSalad (quite a rarity) and the main theme of this thread is... "Where's your link to BOT?"
There's a lot of great information for new GameSalad developers — like new possibilities for apps — I'm surprised there isn't more focus on that.
With HTML 5 exporting — and apps like this — GameSalad could do so much more than just games.
Technically-speaking, the comic presentation is well-done. The scrolling is smooth and the finger-swiping navigation is intuitive and works. Having read lots of digital comics on the free Comixology app, it would probably help to add more controls for navigation (like a page timeline that allows you to go directly to a specific page). If the user wanted to re-read the comic, they would have to swipe back through every panel/page.
Artistically-speaking, the story and dialogue were kind of bland. I did not feel any emotional attachment to any of the characters. Other than Bot, they all seemed pretty dumb and I wouldn't care if they found their helmet/soccer ball or not. The art was not very dynamic when compared to what is usually seen in comics and the characters were wooden in their poses. I think it would have worked better if the girl was younger and went looking for her soccer ball because she didn't know any better about the dangers outside. That would create more of an attachment to the character for the audience than some dumb, scantily-clad blonde looking for a soccer ball in a war zone.
Marketing-wise, like many have said, if the point of the comic is to promote Bot, I don't see why you wouldn't include a link to the Bot game from the comic (or at the very least, include a small ad at the end of the comic promoting the game). It seems like a wasted opportunity, especially when you went to the trouble of including a link to rate the Bot comic. Also, I'm not sure why you would want the comic to have content causing a higher age rating than the game. It'd be like the trailer for a movie containing all kinds of cursing and naked bodies that aren't in the movie itself. It creates an expectation for the game that isn't met. It may also turn off some players from playing your game (those looking for mature content based on the comic and those avoiding a game with mature content because they think the comic is representative of the content in the game).
I think the free digital comic is a great promotional/marketing idea. However, I think the execution of the idea from an artistic and marketing standpoint could use some improvement.
- Jeff
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If so well done photics well done.
You make a niche game but get angry when it doesn't sell much.
You try to promote the game and sell more copies (?) by making a comic but don't even include a link to the app.
Stop contradicting yourself, lose a lot of the ego, take some constructive criticism for once, and maybe then you'll have a successful game.
Snarf (Thundercats), Orko (He-Man), John Connor (Terminator 2)... but not Jar-Jar... that was just too annoying. You know, if this was made into the movie... and a casting director made a suggestion like that... I might be like, "Cool!" It depends if there was a strong young actor to play the part. But here, it's character development. The characters aren't supposed to start out as paragons of humanity. That's the part of character development.
I also can't see why you rated this game as 17+, I could see 13+, but there is nothing adult about the app.
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For gawd's sake, put a link in there to your paid app, there is no logical, sound reason as to why you wouldn't, other than to torture yourself, which you do seem like a bit of a tortured artist imo.
Marketing 101: Put a link to BOT in there, please, pretty please?
I think you over-analyze things a bit too much, and miss the obvious solution at times.
- Jeff
http://photics.com/bot-1-now-available-on-itunes The reason why the app was pushed over to the edge is because of the "Mature/Suggestive Themes" option. The app has Mature/Suggestive Themes, but I wasn't sure if it was Frequent/Intense or Infrequent/Mild. To me personally, I think it's infrequent/mild... but I didn't realize that Apple would have an issue with the app icon either. While rating the app, I decided to be cautious, because Frequent/Intense Mature/Suggestive Themes gives a warning about Saudi Arabia / United Arab Emirates. I didn't think it was a serious issue until I saw those red letters. It's not about a money grab, it's about respect for different cultures.
This project was quite educational. Here's what I learned...
• The App Store is like the Disney Store. Apple will be protective of it, this is not anti-fanboy hype.
• 17+ apps seem to perform badly. Sex doesn't sell here.
• iAds don't really work. I knew this already, but I was checking up on it.
Overall though, I had fun with this project. I'm still not sure if I'm going to do another, but the reviews seem to have improved later in the day. There are some people out there that are really impressed with my work. Maybe if I keep with this project, a strong following will form.
Cool idea, hope it helps sales and leads more people to the app.
To continue the thread of helpful criticism, I found two spelling errors:
'premiere' is spelled incorrectly in your first screenshot.
'existence' is spelled incorrectly in the second panel of the comic itself.