

A #1 iPhone game-app dev says: Don't expect to make a living from the AppStore - credo
http://www.macworld.com/article/139389/2009/03/iphone_gamedevelopment.html

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pm
I've noticed a recent trend in iPhone game development articles that implore,
"Here be dragons, don't waste your time". Curious, I continue to read and find
almost all games were developed by a _single developer inside of a month_.
That's barely enough time to generate and playtest a central game mechanic,
let alone develop and polish an entire casual game.

Spend some time on game design quality!

~~~
jerf
I've played that game at least two other times, one of which was on my old
Palm III. He didn't have to test a mechanic, he just took one.

I'm not trying to make a moral judgment, just adding some info you may not
have. The game is not original.

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pm
Indeed, the bulk of iPhone games seem to be unashamed clones. Should it be any
wonder your clone isn't doing well?

If you're going to steal a mechanic (most mechanics aren't entirely original
anyhow), take the time to spin it into a new context.

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reitzensteinm
Some more than others!

<http://www.rocksolidarcade.com/games/stuntpilot/>
<http://www.squiddlegames.com/stuntpilot/>

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pm
That's a fairly brazen ripoff, though changing the plane to a Sopwith Camel is
enough to escape any legal troubles. It's just a pity this is what developers
resort to when they lack ideas.

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greendestiny
Neither of these games is original. I remember playing a game almost identical
over 15 years ago.

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reitzensteinm
There's a pretty big difference between being inspired by games in the past
(see below), and systematically copying one specific game piece by piece -
name included.

I'd like to note that I actually hadn't played any game like Stunt Pilot when
I wrote it, although I've since played Pilot Wings. Stunt Pilot was designed
to be a playable version of air racing.

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greendestiny
Yes there is, I like your game and I think copying that blatant is
reprehensible.

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jcromartie
Come on, this game was dead simple to build (and he could probably build it
again in half the time with the experience gained) and made $10K a day for a
period. I would call that a tremendous success.

~~~
tlrobinson
Yes, but he also got lucky.

 _"...but too much is left up to chance for a one-man development shop to earn
a steady living."_

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scscsc
i.e. I'm so poor, do not compete with me.

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Dilpil
Turns out free doesn't work, and neither does dirt cheap. I am amazed that
people will go into an area like video games, where you are free to make a
truly unique, non commoditized product, and compete on margin.

~~~
hrabago
I think people underestimate what it takes to make a good game that people
will be willing to pay for. Take Flight Control. It's a very enjoyable,
addictive game. However, if you take this same game and its mechanics, slap a
different set of graphics that's not as polished, take away the highlight when
you land or link a plane to its landing strip, change the sound effects, use
simple randomization for where planes come from and their rate of appearance,
and it's not going to be as big a hit.

The iPhone hardware and its built in apps set a certain level of expectation
of polish. Graphics that would work on other environments won't cut it on this
device, especially when there are a lot more options.

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bayareaguy
This game looks like a knock-off of the Rush Hour[1] puzzle which, according
to wikipedia, is based on an earlier wooden puzzle from the 70's [2].

1- <http://www.puzzles.com/products/rushhour.htm>

2- <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rush_Hour_(board_game)>

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cpr
Yawn. These stories are depressingly similar.

"I had a hit! I coulda been a contendah!" ;-)

I think the whole world now knows that, if you build something good & it goes
viral, you can make a lot of money for a while. Then, with the app store
churn, if you don't get and stay in the top 10-25 app charts, and don't do
serious promotion, your app is almost guaranteed to fade away.

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antirez
1 month of work. 10,000 - 15,000 download for day in the good days, 70% of
earning, zero other costs, and it is not worth it?!?

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pz
i think the point is that he's been lucky and that its very unpredictable. so
its worth it as a hobby, but not as a career

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bemmu
Maybe it would be possible to develop a viral app (spreading over FB/Twitter)
for the iPhone and let it spread with a bit more steadiness than relying on
being in the top list.

~~~
pxlpshr
Virality is soo misunderstood. Your more likely to build an iPhone app that
gets into one of the top lists than to have one go viral.

