Does my game seem like it will get accepted to the app store?
alexanderdoubleu
Member, PRO Posts: 43
so for some reason my sound effects other than the music are not working in the arcade, but you can get the idea of my game by playing it on the arcade, it is currently in review at apple so if anybody has any input it would be greatly appreciated, there are 3 worlds and 30 levels. So does it seem "good enough" for the app store as long as there are no bugs or anything like that. p.s this is my first game http://arcade.gamesalad.com/g/117464
Comments
The sounds are working for me in Firefox.
Best of luck!
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Congrats on your first game! It's much better than my first one!
I played about three or four levels. It will be accepted just fine I think!
Here's some observations:
1. Tutorial - In the tutorial stages it's not clear what 'destroy them in order' means - there's an arrow to show which ball to start with, but then it disappears.
I assumed that it was a bug as another arrow did not appear after the first one. If this is intentional, I'd keep the arrow on-screen so player's can see which ball is next. It's not immediately obvious otherwise, and I got past it 'by accident'.
2. Goal - Make it clear that you need to get the Earth into the black hole to beat the level. I was a bit biased against doing that (I started a game a few years ago where a black hole = death to the Earth so I avoided it!).
3. Menus - It's sometimes good practice to make your scene bigger than the iPhone screen and move the camera origin to different places. This way you can include many menu items on one scene.
On faster devices it won't be too noticeable (I hope) but on the html5 demo the wait times are a bit long when moving between menus.
4. Graphics - Your graphics are about a million times better than on my first game. In fact, when I showed my brother my very first game he just said 'Have you even SEEN what iPhone games look like?'
It hurt at the time but he was/is absolutely right. Unfortunately, graphics are one of the first things people look for in games. No matter how innovative it is, graphics matter.
Having said that, the graphics in your game are serviceable. They do the job, but don't really stick our or delight. It's all a bit dark as well. Have a look at other space based games on the app store to get an idea of how to improve the graphics/see what to aim for.
5. Powerups - everyone likes powerups. Honest. Trust me on this!
You may have some already and I just haven't got far enough to see them. However, let's assume you don't have any.
Can you think of anything that will add to the gameplay? Change the gameplay up a little?
That's what powerups do. Your base idea is good, but powerups can add another layer of depth/challenge/strategy/fun. Think of it as if you're playing Monopoly. Going round the board collecting properties is the 'base' game.
Other stuff like 'community chest' and 'chance' cards are elements that change the base game and add something new to the base game.
My most important point in the end is to always put yourself in the shoes of someone who's bought your game. Make sure they have all the information they need to play the game. And surprise them! Challenge them! Give them a rabbit hole to go down while playing your game!
Overall, for a first game, you've done well. The things you learn from this will certainly help you in the future.
Good luck!
QS =D
Dr. Sam Beckett never returned home...
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Quantum_Sheep
Web: https://quantumsheep.itch.io
I wouldn't worry - if it works on your phone, you'll be fine.
QS =D
Dr. Sam Beckett never returned home...
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Quantum_Sheep
Web: https://quantumsheep.itch.io
I didn't listen to it at the time, but I wish I would have.
Here is how my conversation went:
Me - "I finished my first game"
Them - "That's Great! How long did it take?"
Me- "About a month..."
Them- "You should work on it another month... Don't rush to be done, Take your time. After putting another month into it, with a different perspective, it will be a much better game. When I finished my first game, I told people it was my first game and that was my excuse for it being crappy and my subtle way of asking them to not be too hard on me."
Me-"..."
He never even looked at that version of the game.
And I was offended when he said it to me...
I now know what he means... and I wish would have listened to him.
Think of it like a First Impression... you only have one chance to make it good.
That was my long winded way of saying I agree with @quantumsheep
I cant see anything glaring that would stop it from passing certification, but is being able to pass certification the Holy Grail here?
or is making a great game the goal?
These are just suggestions of what I would do, if it were my game.
I would do a couple of different things, Timed Mode and "Chaos" mode or something like that. Could also add scoring to the main game.
Both are the same game as before, but with more.
For scoring, Think about the point, get the Earth into the black abyss, ok...
Maybe with a game like this, we should start off with a score, and decrease it. Instead of earning it as you go.
So, I'll pick 10,000 Points...
Each time a destroy a green block, I lose 100 points.
Now, You can Medals or Stars or whatever to help the player see there progress and encourage them to replay levels to improve their score.
Bronze > 5000, Silver > 6500 and Gold > 8000 or something like that.
Now Timed Mode, same thing accept for each second that passes, you lose 10 points...
or give them a timer, like 30 seconds. For every second left on the clock when finish, add +100 points...
Chaos Mode:
Make an actor, Have it spawn more Green Orbs and Asteroids as the player trys to complete the level. QS mentioned power-ups... You could have the player acquire bombs at random when they pop green planets, and let them use the bombs to blow up asteroids, or add more time or whatever you decide good "power-ups" would be.
You could also make a power-up that would use the accelerometer, and when active for 5 seconds, allow the player to tilt their device and... I don't know, but you could probably do something really cool with this.
Good luck with your game, I hope it goes well for you
Edited: Grammar is Hard.