Warning to serious devs seeking a publisher
UtopianGames
Member Posts: 5,692
We gave Bumps to a well known publisher and there feedback was a mix of great and not so great.
In Bumps we let the player restart the level if they fail to collect keys and award them medals for how many times they tried. We did this by resetting the scene along with resetting approx 20 variables.
Anyway the feedback was reset should be instant...no loading at all ala Angry Birds (they hate to see that little spinning wheel!) so that rules out the reset scene function and now i'm back in the game working on a way to reset with out resetting scene (not that easy because we have X Ys for a lot of stuff like locks, keys, Bumps etc etc etc).
Frame rate and long loading times.....they complaint of poor frame rate (on my old 3G the same as they tested it runs at least 40 fps)...long load times between levels....i clocked it at under 1 second on my 2nd gen ipod touch and a little longer on the 3G.
So if your making a game and seeking a publisher they want smooth transitions with no loading and high frame rate.
I'm back to the drawing board for some aspects of Bumps and will let you know what they say when i send them a new build.
Hope this helps.
Darren.
In Bumps we let the player restart the level if they fail to collect keys and award them medals for how many times they tried. We did this by resetting the scene along with resetting approx 20 variables.
Anyway the feedback was reset should be instant...no loading at all ala Angry Birds (they hate to see that little spinning wheel!) so that rules out the reset scene function and now i'm back in the game working on a way to reset with out resetting scene (not that easy because we have X Ys for a lot of stuff like locks, keys, Bumps etc etc etc).
Frame rate and long loading times.....they complaint of poor frame rate (on my old 3G the same as they tested it runs at least 40 fps)...long load times between levels....i clocked it at under 1 second on my 2nd gen ipod touch and a little longer on the 3G.
So if your making a game and seeking a publisher they want smooth transitions with no loading and high frame rate.
I'm back to the drawing board for some aspects of Bumps and will let you know what they say when i send them a new build.
Hope this helps.
Darren.
Comments
I think it's more a case of semantics really.
You can self-publish. That's the beauty of the app store/digital distribution in general.
'Publishers' on iPhone are actually marketeers - there's no real 'publishing' going on.
I say, do it yourself and show the big boys you don't need 'em!
QS
Dr. Sam Beckett never returned home...
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Quantum_Sheep
Web: https://quantumsheep.itch.io
Hey chillingo, what do you think of my game? We think its good, but theres still many problems that need to be fixed.
Hey chillingo, what do you think of my game? Its awesome! Ready to go!
Walk away
Darren.
Plus, for some strange reason, I'm planning to share my game's secrets in my book. (I think it's because I'm having more fun with the book project.) Everyone will be able to make a game like Bumps. The only thing that's going to separate the games is artwork. Bumps has that look that I think will do well. In that respect, the artwork is better. There's more polish in that game. Yet, it seems to have come at the cost of some performance.
Yes, I am confident in my game. I did some really sick tricks with GameSalad to get better performance. I learned a lot from Commove.
Bumps screams publisher. I think with the right connections, it could do well. 50% is pretty good, if it gets you to the top of the app store. It seems that there is doubt about going it alone. There should be. It's hard to stick out in the crowd. So, if there's an opportunity and a concern about marketing, why not go for it?
A few levels are seen in the video, a lot has change since i made this video but will give you a good idea of the main game mechanic.
Look forward to your book.
Darren.
...but again, is 50% really that bad? Maybe make your publisher earn their money. Maybe offer a counter offer. If they get you to the top five, and you're making great money, then they get 50%. If they don't, then they should only get like 25%.
What are your concerns about marketing? I started off in this thread with a completely opposite opinion. I think people can make it on their own... especially with quality games like Bumps. (It even starts with the letter "B" so you're off to a good start. HA HA!)
I reread the thread, the publisher comments seem more of a critique of GameSalad, not Bumps. Increased frame rates and quicker loading times... very tricky.... especially with those graphics.
During the development of my game, I decided to focus more on the Textbook. I think that was a good decision too. I haven't given up on my game yet though. I have plans for a revival. I'm waiting on Gendai Games... maybe they'll drop the price of pro or maybe the next update will fully justify the cost of pro.
Yeah I heard the textbook was very well done. Not to mention as GameSalad gets bigger sales should go with it. Not that I have any plans to make a textbook or anything, but how much money have you made if you mind me asking. (Anyway, you've got the market covered and we don't need any more fragmentation, not even to mention I'm a terrible writer).
No pressure, if you want to tell me you can email me here: mygsusername(at)yahoo.com
...or maybe you could go back and read the thread. Someone specifically asked about my game.
post all u want about ur book i felt as if i didnt need it but im a quick learner and had already learned most of what was in the book but what i did learn im using now and it makes life easier
and would recommended it to everyone new to GS cause it cuts down on the learning curve even though it not a big curve some ppl have trouble so post and promote ur book it ok with me besides this is the best place to promote this
ps ur book was money well spent and i still refer back to it from time to time for something i remembered seeing
It's a tough market