No screenshots yet. The words were, "So, it's looking like a late April / early May launch." We're in mid-May right now, so the plan changed. The game was pushed back a bit for some improvements. If the game launched in early May, it would be without Game Center Leaderboards. I think that would have been a bad move. Game Center can improve the success of an iOS app. Dramatic improvements were made too. I mentioned that the game would take longer. The general consensus on this forum was that it's better if the game wasn't rushed. Things are starting to wrap up though. I should be uploading it to Apple soon... like 1-2 weeks. If Touch Arcade doesn't contact me by May 25, 2011 for a preview, I'll start looking for other places to release screenshots and a promo video of this game.
You only quoted part of what I asked and you answered something that I did not ask. In post 17 you mention that a promotional video would be out in late April/Early May. I was just asking where I could find that. I also asked if there were some screen shots. The idea behind the game sounds great, I am not concerned when the game comes out, only that it is good.
what if you used something like testflight? I don't know how that works, but IDK if you still have to build them. I think you just load them up and people have testflight accounts. You just have to approve them as testers and it will send them a beta. Then, when you upload new versions, it sends them the new version. It's easier for the user too. EDIT: If you pull out some screens and a vid, then toucharcade is much more likely to do a preview, since they can get a look at the game, before deciding if it is worth the time.
Post 17 says, "A promotional video should be out late April / early May." It means, not definite. I was planning for an April/May launch. Now it's looking like May/June. The new plan is to finish up before the end of the month. Once the game is done I can start posting promotional material. I always wondered why the big MMORPGs were never released on-time. Now I have a better understanding on what can go wrong. They could ask for pictures before agreeing to do an article. I think that's fair. What I don't think is right is simply ignoring developers. When people send messages to my site, I usually reply... unless it's like spam or something like that. Some people ask for promo codes. Some people want me to review their game. (I have some iOS reviews at Photics.com.) Some people have questions about my textbook. I think it's nice to respond to them. As for testing, there's only one reason why I'd consider a beta test... first generation iOS hardware. There are some issues with older hardware, and I'm working to resolve those problems. I just went back and changed the machine gun and I have to fix the fire gun next. The bullets weren't registering.
well I sure don't have a 1st gen. I was just putting that out there in case you wanted to do a beta without having to spend days making the ad-hocs. BTW, if you can imagine how many emails they get a day, from asking to get reviews to asking for previews to asking for some kind of front page mention, as well as spam/ suggestions for the site/ etc. and writing articles, I would understand that they don't always reply. Of course, it would be awesome if they did, but it might not even be possible..... But honestly, if they don't do a preview, then posting screens here would be awesome.
Well, I don't think it would be that much more work. I could just add a bunch of UDID numbers to my iTunes Connect account, then the one Ad-Hoc version could work on multiple devices. I'd post the app up on my website, behind a password protected directory, and email all the beta testers. There's a limited number of testers that can be added to an account though. There's still the big issue of trust... it's just a matter of right-click... oh look at all the pretty pictures.
I get that you don't want some dodgy tester (like me coff coff didn't say that) blowing the contract and posting screenshots. If you want the guys at Touch Arcade to do a preview then try an PM the Hodapp hey it might work no promises
Heh, I've already thought about pestering Hodapp directly. I figured if they didn't already notice this awesome thread, with all the cool people posting exciting replies, then I didn't see much point to bothering Hodapp directly. I might change my mind though.
I'm beginning to wonder how a game no one knows anything about is still managing to excite people. No offence Photics (I hope the game is great), but I'm so bored of talking about it! I wanna explore already, or at least know if the game I've been cautiously keeping an eye on is actually as good as I think it could be.
No offense here. I'm not surprised you're tired of talking about the game, as I'm tired of working on the game. Heh, I'd like to go outside and play! I can't yet though. The game is not yet ready. It's close. I think it's a good game. I was getting worried for a bit too. There were some issues on older iOS hardware, but I think I fixed it. It was breaking my concentration.
Agreed. I mean the concept sounds awesome and I hope it turns out great. That being said there is a big chance for disappointment if the final product doesn't match what people have envisioned. For that reason alone, I would Think some screen shots would be a good idea.
Screenshots and a promotional video should be released before the game is available. So, it's not like I'm trying to trick anyone. If you don't want to wait, maybe contact the editors of this website and tell them that you want to see the screenshots sooner! I gave Touch Arcade until May 25, 2011 to respond. I can't release screenshots before that.
Hi! Thanks for replying. The problem with just posting screenshots here is that it's not exclusive. Any developer can just post screenshots of their game here. It's not the same exposure as a front page article. If I post screenshots here, then I cannot approach other iPhone review websites with an exclusive story. In the past, I have posted screenshots here. It's quickly forgotten. I've worked really hard on BOT. So, I think the presentation should be special. There's still a chance for an exclusive Touch Arcade preview. If you're interested in an exclusive preview content, like screenshots, promo video or even an Ad-Hoc, then let me know by tomorrow. If not, I'll be considering other websites for this opportunity. ...and for those following the progress, it's almost done. It's just some more enemies and quests. I really like the quest I created today. One of the NPCs is a female soccer player. She's bored with being trapped inside the base. So, she wants a soccer ball to play with. That's a standard Fed-Ex quest in MMORPG, but how TANK manages to get the soccer ball is brilliant. I think so anyway. It looks like there is something of a mini-game in BOT after all. An important thing to remember about BOT is that there's only one word in the entire game... and that's the title. (Well, two words if you count "Photics © 2011"). That solve two problems. Localization - Without words, this game can be played all over the world! Impatience - I notice that many RPG players don't actually stop to read the lore. They just click... click... click... loot... loot... loot. So, with BOT, the approach to quest design has been more visual. There's a little icon that appears over the NPC. The trick to solving the quest is to figure out what the icon means. I think that's fun. It lets players explore this game, learn about the story, but without a bunch of boring text. I also added the first Boss to the game! That's when I started thinking about end-game stuff. Why will people keep playing BOT once they have all the weapons, defensive items and upgrades? Why would they keep playing once all 35 areas have been explored? I'm planning to add a Survivor mode to the final area, where players can try to beat their top score. I think that could add a lot of excitement to the game. The reason is that players have to decide... do you keep pushing the score or do you retreat? The score doesn't count if you don't make it back to the base and save your game. I think BOT has a good amount of content and replay value for a 99¢ game.
I'm surprised. You already posted twice about a game you don't want to review. Wouldn't it be quicker to just check it out? You seem curious, as are many of the visitors to this website. I can understand that you don't respect GameSalad, but there are some very successful games made with it. One of the aims with BOT is to fight the stigma. ...and if you're busy tomorrow, that's fine. The game is not going to be launched for a few weeks. (It's looking like the second week of June.)
Or you could just send the screenshots to someone else, since TA isn't interested? Can't force them to write up on something they're not interested in writing. I feel like the "Instead of wasting your time saying no, you should just look at it because everyone else wants to see it" is a really bad marketing tactic. If it concerns you that a lot of us are curious about your project, you should show some screenshots. If you're not that concerned, you shouldn't say something like that, as it makes it sound like you're bribing us into trying to get your game featured or something. "Here's the candy bar, fat kid, but first you have to go run ten miles for me." Just my two cents. Sorry if that sounds harsh, wasn't intended, just the best way I could think to put it.
