anybody want to make an iphone game and make a million dollars?

[Josh_Singh]

Cause I'm down if anybody else is.

[MikeF]

Sounds good, has to be about cracking chav's in the balls or something

[Ghostscape]

ok

[ZacD]

Just find the most popular flash game online that doesn't iphone rip off already and rip it off.

[Surfa]

I got your back like a but crack. Well as long as I don't have to program in objective-c.

[Rhinokey]

i own an iphone (no service for it so all its good for is games now) so that qualifies me for a chunk of these millions

[D4V1DC]

werd!

I've been dieing to find someone to do this with, DIEING!
:) sorry for my enthusiasm.

[oXYnary]

Nah. Lets make it for the google phone so we wont have to deal with the Apple Store restrictions.

[Taylor Hood]

@MikeFWait, how does a guy from Ontario knows what a Chav is?

[Spark]

This is something that I have been thinking about as well. Just need to find the programmers, but I am down if you need someone.

Spark

[Xenobond]

I tried codecount & syntaxcount, but looks like there isn't anything like Polycount for programmers. :(

[Joshua Stubbles]

No Android love? Waaaaa :'(

[rooster]

can I be the ideas guy, only want 50% million

here's a free sample:
THe price is FIGHT
its a quiz game where half way through mutants attack and turn the audience into zombies and then the player takes control of the contestants like an RTS, and you have to get them to the helicopter but on the way the coolest one called jayce gets killed who was your buddy and then it becomes a flight sim where you fly to safety and shoot the zombies and mutants from the helicopter

the price is FIGHT: nice to see you, to see you FIGHT!

there's plenty where that came from

PS, have you tried gamedev forums for codemonkies?

[Surfa]

I have two problems with coding for the iphone I don't know objective-c that well and I don't own a mac so I can't run the emulator and sdk shit.

[MightyPea]

I'm in, especially if Roo's the idea-guy. I've always wanted to team up with some polygamists. Also: Polycounters. Those guys too.

edit: for coders, look no further than the excellent tigsource.com forums. Lots of talented indie-guys there, many of who know how to dev for iPhone.

[MikeF]

oh we've got em here too LoM, they just have a different name, same bag of dicks lifestyle.

[doc rob]

You might want to check your enthusiasm. The gold rush is over. If you want to make a million bucks it's about as hard these days as any other platform out there. That means it's not impossible, but it will take a lot of effort from a organized team. You'll need marketing, etc.

Now. . .if you want to make $100, maybe even $1000, then you guys should have no problem.

[StJoris]

Living the dream right here!
Been slaving away for acouple months, $1M here I come.

[Taylor Hood]

oh we've got em here too LoM, they just have a different name, same bag of dicks lifestyle.
Oh really? Bloody hell I thot the chavs of America where Jocks. God damn I hate chavs so much.. XD (Yeah, sorry for the off topic here)

[b1ll]

im down for the million bucks. Actually I had some great ideas. but they might be TOO GOOD

[Ninjas]

I worked on a couple of these $1 mil games. Didn't see much of it though since I did contract work.

Flash is coming to the iPhone soon, so I hope you guys can code fast.

[Entity]

I own a mac and an iphone, where do I sign up? :)

[Gav]

Josh, I may be in for this, depending all on how you answer this question:

What is the boob to pixel ratio for this game?

[Ghostscape]

Josh, I may be in for this, depending all on how you answer this question:

What is the boob to pixel ratio for this game?

2.3 boobs per pixel or it won't sell

[snemmy]

You may want to hurry before Adobe opens the flood gates:
http://labs.adobe.com/technologies/flashcs5/appsfor_iphone/

[ElysiumGX]

Someone (a programmer) asked me this same question over a year ago. I shrugged it off. He released a game without me. It's been out for months. Not sure he's broken the $100 mark yet. Needless to say, the floodgates were opened a long time ago. Without any sort of quality standard for these types of indie game opportunities, all you can hope for is to see your crap lost in an enormous sea of other crap.

The money is in Xbox Live Indie games. Look at all the junk there. Any effort at all could put you in top position to bring in some small profit. And you don't have to be an iPhone snob bound to AT$T to play them. Plus DirectX, shaders, 3D, the good stuff...etc.

[eld]

the gold rush is over, move along, nothing to see here!



ps. where can I get a cheap mac?

[HonkyPunch]

Suppose you also have to answer Trivia questions to upgrade your zombie slaying weapons? Example;
You answer a question properly, and your chainsaw becomes a flaming whirlwind of intestine splitting wrath (As in it's flaming) or something.

[Emil Mujanovic]

You may want to hurry before Adobe opens the flood gates:
http://labs.adobe.com/technologies/flashcs5/appsfor_iphone/
This is awesome!
I've been waiting for Apple to green-light Flash Player for the iPhone, but I guess the Adobe guys got sick of waiting.
This will make game development for the iPhone more available to non-Mac users like myself and I'm far more confident with ActionScript than I am with having to learn a new coding language.

Thanks for the link, snemmy.

[Lamont]

Sounds good, has to be about cracking chav's in the balls or somethingYES!! More games like this!!!

[Lamont]

This is awesome!
I've been waiting for Apple to green-light Flash Player for the iPhone, but I guess the Adobe guys got sick of waiting.
This will make game development for the iPhone more available to non-Mac users like myself and I'm far more confident with ActionScript than I am with having to learn a new coding language.

Thanks for the link, snemmy.I think you will still need a Mac to deploy to the iPhone/Pod. Or make a Hackentosh...

[Snowfly]

Yeah the FAQ pretty confirms you'll still need a Mac to publish Flash apps to iPhone. At least it compiles a little closer to the hardware than the travesty that was Flash Lite.

Oh well now we have a nice mature editing environment and a scripting language everyone knows. If you thought the first gold rush was bad... :p

[JacqueChoi]

Dead?? Soo... we goin back to facebook apps?


And I'm totally down for an iPhone game.



But my ideas are better than all of B1ll's best ideas, and those might be way too good and awesome for an iphone to handle.

:D

[Lamont]

I just want to make a game full of boobs.

[JasonLavoie]

I don't own an iphone, but I've wanted one for years. And I have a lot of great ideas, but I can't tell you here.

Please give me your e-mail and a donation of $5 so we can support development costs.

Thank you, I look forward to working with you soon!

[kwakkie]

Hai, I heav a great idae for an ep1c rpg with fighting combo elements9ftw!) and it wil be a guaranteed hit on the iphoons! jus need to find a programmers end designars and well make tuns!

[JasonLavoie]

Is it an mmo? if so I am down!

[Dado Almeida]

"... if anybody in this thread have real interested in take that ideas and start to work on. "

Count me in. Ok? : )"

[eld]

Somewhere in the internets, some elitistic game design and programming forum looks at this thread and laughs.

the bitcount forums.

[Cybroxide]

Oh I would make an iphone game with josh in a heartbeat. Alas, I fear I do not have the required hardware to do so. :(

[bounchfx]

make it two million and I might be interested.

[Gav]

I just want to make a game full of boobs.

This. Yes.

[oXYnary]

The money is in Xbox Live Indie games. Look at all the junk there. Any effort at all could put you in top position to bring in some small profit. And you don't have to be an iPhone snob bound to AT to play them. Plus DirectX, shaders, 3D, the good stuff...etc.

Nope. Not there either.

See this.

http://www.reactor3d.com/

Xbox live, iphone and any service where you are stuck going on through one and only one method of getting your items to your customers, and the "store" gets to choose what is and isn't acceptable while sucking up your profit margins.. sucks.

[Justin Meisse]

Howabout someone make a legit Blueprint Racer for xbox live XNA that isn't just a texture swap on the racing tutorial?

[Quokimbo]

I am late to reply, but I would help...

[rawkstar]

lets make an iphone game and make enough money to go out and have some beers.

[Richard Kain]

Sorry dude, but I'm already working on my own. I'm not looking to make a million initially, but I'm hopeing to be paying my own salary before the end of next year. Already got the initial prototype up and running. Just need to polish up the functionality and start putting the actual content in.

I'm currently working on the Zero Punctuation game design contest. But as soon as that's over its right back to the iPhone App. I'm looking to release the first version of my first app before Christmas.

[Richard Kain]

Xbox live, iphone and any service where you are stuck going on through one and only one method of getting your items to your customers, and the "store" gets to choose what is and isn't acceptable while sucking up your profit margins.. sucks.


Yes, but it is a matter of how much it sucks. If you look at it from that perspective, the traditional retail chain is pure crap. (publisher takes most of your profit, distribution takes a cut, retail takes a cut, extra cost per unit for packaging)

On iTunes App Store, Apple takes a 30% cut of your sales. That's a decent chunk, but it is also consistent. Microsoft has clauses where they take a bigger cut if you sell more, and have increased their take so that it is no longer competitive with what Apple is offering. If you sell millions of copies of your app, Apple will still just take 30%. And since Apple is the ONLY middle man in this equation, the remaining 70% is all yours.

70% is a much better take than most major commercial developers get. I guarantee most independent studios who go through the retail distribution system don't get to keep 70% of each sale. Having just one method and outlet for distribution has its advantages, as well as its drawbacks.

[Snowfly]

I bring you a sobering link:
http://www.newsweek.com/id/216788/page/2

[killingpeople]

I want an iPhone app that uses real world statistical data to create and overlay "hot chick density clouds" over google maps in real time. Storm chasers!

[TWilson]

I think the Apple app store is great. It has it's difficulties and frustrations for sure. But what a great opportunity to take your fate into your own hands. Or just make something and offer it to what ...45 million people around the world? That's fucking rad.

We made our game in about a month of full time work each. On the side.

It's not over yet and there are other great places to share your indy games that are easy to get into. Android is 20/80 I believe. Better than Apple.

Do it ...on the side.

[Richard Kain]

I bring you a sobering link:
http://www.newsweek.com/id/216788/page/2

That is indeed very informative. But I'm still going to carry forward with development. Largely because I haven't quit my day job, and am just doing it on the side. And partially because I'm not stupid enough to sink six figures into something that may or may not tank. I'm developing my app on a borrowed Intel Mac laptop, using open-source graphics tools, an open-source graphics engine, and haven't even purchased a testing rig yet.

My financial investment at the moment is zero, and will likely never go over $400. (the cost to buy an iPod touch for testing, and the cost of releasing free and for-pay versions of the app)

At the same time, I am more than willing to start looking into Google's android platform as well.

[notman]

My financial investment at the moment is zero, and will likely never go over $400. (the cost to buy an iPod touch for testing, and the cost of releasing free and for-pay versions of the app)


Same here. I just got one when they lowered the prices, and now I'm working on developing apps. I'm still in the 'learning' stage. My biggest concern is what that article points out, the Apple rejection board ;) I hope that putting a lot of time into an app will pay off rather than getting rejected though.

[Lamont]

My biggest concern is what that article points out, the Apple rejection board ;) I hope that putting a lot of time into an app will pay off rather than getting rejected though.Well, looks like I will have to launch "Senior Boob on The Isle of Cleavage" on another platform :(.
Same here. I just got one when they lowered the prices, and now I'm working on developing apps. I'm still in the 'learning' stage.I've got all the equipment and still fiddling with the software. I feel like my brain is going to explode with all these different scripting languages and the Flash one is probably my saving grace. But I do have Cocos2D and SIO2. I kept my cost down with just the mini and the iPod, also, resisting the temptation to buy Torque for iPhone or Unity/Shiva.

[rooster]

My financial investment at the moment is zero, and will likely never go over $400. (the cost to buy an iPod touch for testing, and the cost of releasing free and for-pay versions of the app)


you might like to think so, but time is money. don't forget

[John Warner]

I'm up for making millions of dollars, but i dont think that the app store is the place to do it!

[Lamont]

you might like to think so, but time is money. don't forgetBut he's not paying himself, did not take out a loan to cover expenses because he quit his job, or incurring additional expenses other than more electricity used :P. Nor is he taking time off work. When he's done with the project, the out of pocket expenses will still be $400 or so.

I saw an indie blog where the guy calculated his living expenses and food and other things as a cost in his development. When in fact if he's already working a job, then that shit was already being paid for long before he decided to make a game. Just because he decided to spend 6pm to 1am making a game and not wanking to girls puking on each other doesn't change anything.

Every waking moment doesn't equal getting paid. Which makes people believe time = money. When time is much more valuable than money could ever be :D. We can always find/get more money, but we can never get/acquire more time. He's spending is unallocated time wisely.


I think I said that right :).

[Richard Kain]

you might like to think so, but time is money. don't forget

Oh believe me, I will never forget. You spend almost every free hour staring at a screen and figuring out code...you couldn't forget if you wanted to.

But that time would have probably been spent less productively if I wasn't working on an iPhone App. The app is a bit of a risk in terms of time investment. But I've blown more time on far less deserving, productive, or rewarding tasks. At least with this I'm learning something, and expanding my marketable skill set.

Besides, having my own catalogue of published apps on the iPhone would probably look rather appealing the next time I go in for a job interview. The level of industriousness necessary to bring such a project to completion would go over well with most potential employers.

[eld]

well, the suits would orgasm if you said you did iFart and would want to know your flatular secrets, but the rest of the devteam wouldn't react so much to an iphone app, there are so many easy means to get one out there, even if you can't code.

but the results can at many times be equal to a coder using poser3d in their projects :)

[Lamont]

You guys make my boob pinching/slapping/shaking/pulling game yet? This boner ain't gonna stay up forever.

[katzeimsack]

You guys make my boob pinching/slapping/shaking/pulling game yet? This boner ain't gonna stay up forever.
interesting.. that coudl really make some money.. espacially in japan

[D4V1DC]

Rate it M for mature and we are good to go!

I am sure any coders would be happy to make some extra money though I doubt they will need it since they are pretty highly paid right now, right? something like 6 figures.

hmm me thinks me is in the wrong line of work then!

[oXYnary]

Yes, but it is a matter of how much it sucks. If you look at it from that perspective, the traditional retail chain is pure crap. (publisher takes most of your profit, distribution takes a cut, retail takes a cut, extra cost per unit for packaging)

On iTunes App Store, Apple takes a 30% cut of your sales. That's a decent chunk, but it is also consistent. Microsoft has clauses where they take a bigger cut if you sell more, and have increased their take so that it is no longer competitive with what Apple is offering. If you sell millions of copies of your app, Apple will still just take 30%. And since Apple is the ONLY middle man in this equation, the remaining 70% is all yours.

70% is a much better take than most major commercial developers get. I guarantee most independent studios who go through the retail distribution system don't get to keep 70% of each sale. Having just one method and outlet for distribution has its advantages, as well as its drawbacks.

Ok, but lets compare this to, oh say, publishing for the google phone or blackberry...

Why people are soo hip on this platform where you are being restricted to what can be published by a middle man who takes part of your earnings anyways... I fail to understand.

[JordanW]

Ok, but lets compare this to, oh say, publishing for the google phone or blackberry...

Why people are soo hip on this platform where you are being restricted to what can be published by a middle man who takes part of your earnings anyways... I fail to understand.

It's just like developing for any platform aside PC, try developing for XBLA or PSN and you'll encounter the same thing if not more. It comes with the territory.

[oXYnary]

How is developing for the Google Phone not like the PC? Its open source and you arent required to go through only one store to get apps. From what I understand, neither for the Blackberry (the apps, not the open-source). I can be wrong on this second part however.

So other than the cost of hardware and software, which is relevant to all. I fail to understand how you can draw the conclusion that these other phone types are the same as any other publishing scheme for a platform where you are required to only have your program through certain outlets versus one of your own choosing?

[Richard Kain]

Does the Google phone have a fixed hardware specification? What is the userbase? Are there any systems in place to prevent piracy? Do all google phones and Blackberries have touch screens, or is there a broader variety in control types?

Choice itself comes at a price. The apple app store is appealing to smaller developers because it means there is less for them to worry about. The go through one retail outlet, and don't have to worry about having their software pirated or how to handle credit card information, etc... It's not the ideal solution. But the ideal solution would involve the developer creating their own digital distribution system. And when you're a small team, that isn't really an option. The fixed nature of the hardware platform makes development easier. The fixed nature of the distribution platform means your potential customers always know where to find your product. If there were multiple outlets, you would have to distribute your software on all of them to reach the broadest market.

[JordanW]

How is developing for the Google Phone not like the PC? Its open source and you arent required to go through only one store to get apps. From what I understand, neither for the Blackberry (the apps, not the open-source). I can be wrong on this second part however.

So other than the cost of hardware and software, which is relevant to all. I fail to understand how you can draw the conclusion that these other phone types are the same as any other publishing scheme for a platform where you are required to only have your program through certain outlets versus one of your own choosing?

I guess the comparison to android phones and BB's isn't very good because yeah you don't have as much restriction but not nearly as many people are going to play/view/buy your product. That's why I went with the PSN Xboxlive comparison to iphone. They all have a decent user base that will actually get you exposure but they all come with restrictions.

[Pseudo]

The android platform is open, but there is no market to support it.

Someone on Toucharcade posted their sale results an app at #1 on the google app store, and they had 50 downloads a day, compared to Apple's 30,000 downloads for an app in the #1 spot.

[oXYnary]

Does the Google phone have a fixed hardware specification? What is the userbase? Are there any systems in place to prevent piracy? Do all google phones and Blackberries have touch screens, or is there a broader variety in control types?

Choice itself comes at a price. The apple app store is appealing to smaller developers because it means there is less for them to worry about. The go through one retail outlet, and don't have to worry about having their software pirated or how to handle credit card information, etc... It's not the ideal solution. But the ideal solution would involve the developer creating their own digital distribution system. And when you're a small team, that isn't really an option. The fixed nature of the hardware platform makes development easier. The fixed nature of the distribution platform means your potential customers always know where to find your product. If there were multiple outlets, you would have to distribute your software on all of them to reach the broadest market.

Everything you need to know is here.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Android_%28operating_system%29

(See features)

And honestly? The iphone is one provider only. Soo are you all saying that you want AT&T? Or are they more blacklist people with unlocked iphones? Or like Rhinokey with just a really expensive handheld. In which case, how can you then even tell if your product will work on theirs since they wont have the latest firmware which yours may need.

Yea, I guess this thread has evolved into something else. ;o)

Also, we are a small team and we have digital distribution (albeit PC stuff), the point is a small team can do such. Your argument is the same given for platforms over PC for game development. Yet, most indies are with PC development versus Consoles. Because your same point can be used against you with the cost involved for the licensing and to be placed in the consoles specific marketplace.

So what Im saying in short, your absolutely right. At the same time, so am I. Its what your goals are for your product. I just believe a indie developer would be more inclined for something where they don't loose soo much control and revenue in the process, with first having to restrict their development beyond ESRB? ratings to what that phone company allows*. You in a way support a monopoly (specific to that platform) where everything is funneled through what the platform developer will only allow.

*See NIN program being rejected in example

http://blogs.laweekly.com/westcoastsound/news/nine-inch-nails-iphone-app-rej/

had rejected the updated NIN iPhone app because it contained "objectionable content," specifically lyrics on the album The Downward Spiral.

So now Trents screwed because there is no other way to get his program to his consumer base on that platform. I always will be against closed sytems.

[oXYnary]

I guess the comparison to android phones and BB's isn't very good because yeah you don't have as much restriction but not nearly as many people are going to play/view/buy your product. That's why I went with the PSN Xboxlive comparison to iphone. They all have a decent user base that will actually get you exposure but they all come with restrictions.

This might help. In other words the iphone is hot because we assume its hot. Look at its percentage numbers.

According to Modoff, RIM and Apple are taking 35 percent of the industry's operating profits despite only accounting for three percent of all handsets sold worldwide in 2008.

http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/news/2009/07/market-share-tiny-profit-share-huge-for-iphone-blackberry.ars

3%! Thats less than say Linux, yet the iphone is all hot to trot with developers supposedly.


Further. Market analysts.


The Google Android mobile operating system currently runs on less than 2 percent of the world's smartphones, but research firm Gartner predicts the platform will grow to 14 percent of the global smartphone market in 2012--beating Apple's iPhone, Windows Mobile and RIM's BlackBerry platforms.

http://asia.cnet.com/reviews/mobilephones/0,39050603,62058512,00.htm

[Ride]

http://rlv.zcache.com/dawn_of_the_obamatrons_mouse_pad_mousepad-p144011957123270203td22_210.jpg

[Richard Kain]

Thank you for those figures, oXYnary. They are certainly telling, and I will definitely give the Android platform some closer inspection. If I can eventually release software for both platforms, that would be an even better solution.

I don't want to go into too much detail, but the app I'm working on is not a game. Also, the nature of the content I'm planning on including makes rejection over censorship highly unlikely. I'm actually pretty stoked about the marketability of what I'm creating, and I think it has a lot of potential for further expansion and iteration. I'm not looking to make millions on a one-hit wonder game. I have a fairly involved plan at work, one that could eventually be expanded to other platforms.

Part of the reason I'm focusing on the iPhone at the moment is BECAUSE its the hot thing. If you are looking to drum up some attention for what you're working on, the iPhone is the platfrom of choice. Movers and shakers tend to favor it, and that means it is easier to get your work in front of them. I agree that it is a bad idea to tie yourself down to a closed platform. But since Apple doesn't insist that you sign over your IP, you are not shackled to their system either.

Also, I don't own an iPhone, nor do I intend to acquire one. I am not a big phone guy, and the extra features of the iPhone are not worth the additional monthly costs. I will be acquiring an iPod touch to test out my app.

[notman]

Well, and on that same point, you also have the consumer base of iPod users, so it's not JUST phones. The point is to have as many customers accessible to your product.