|
|
||||||
As many of you are aware, we've been working on native versions of our
games for quite some time now and I'm happy to say that we're just
about ready to release our first native game. There are of course many
questions so I'll try to address them all here as best as I can.
What does "native game" mean?
Currently, all of our games run within the web browser, which is a pretty weak environment to run games. Finally Apple has given us the ability to create downloadable games that run "native" on the iPhone instead of in a web browser. This means we can do things like support dragging and dropping, use the full screen, and play sounds. It also means greatly improved performance and a much more stable execution environment (no more crashes/lockups!)
How do we get native games on our iPhones?
There will be a few ways to get them:
How much will the games cost?
It looks like most games on the App Store will be selling for $9.99 each, but we're going to start our games off at $5.99 and evaluate things. Depending on how that goes, we might raise the price to $9.99 to be at the same price as everyone else. This will be a one-time charge, not a subscription.
What if I don't want to pay, will I still be able to play for free? Unfortunately, we need to start making some money from these games and the ads on the web site don't even cover the cost of hosting. That said, we're trying very hard to keep free versions of our games available to our players so assuming Apple doesn't stop us from doing it, we plan on releasing versions of our games that are free to the users but include ads. The ad-supported versions will likely come out roughly a week after the paid versions and other than the ads will be identical to the paid versions.
What games are you coming out with and when?
The first game will be Cookie Bonus Solitaire and at this point it's been submitted to Apple and we're hoping it will be available when the App Store launches on July 11th. The next game will be Video Poker and we're expecting to have that out in the first week of August, with more games coming out as quickly as we can make them.
What is going to happen to the web versions of the games
Having the web versions and the native versions operating at the same time is a logistical nightmare on our end, so we'll be phasing out the web versions over time. The current plan is that when the native version of a game becomes available for purchase on the App Store we will:
What kind of new features can we expect in the native versions?
The native version of each of the games will at a minimum have the following:
We've spent a great deal of time getting a ton of new features added to the community aspects of the games and we're really excited about them. Some of the new features have already made it to the web site, and more will be showing up this week as we get ready for Cookie Bonus Solitaire to go live. Here are some of the things you haven't seen yet:
Hopefully that gives you a good idea of what we have coming. As always, if you have questions or comments feel free to drop us a line!
What does "native game" mean?
Currently, all of our games run within the web browser, which is a pretty weak environment to run games. Finally Apple has given us the ability to create downloadable games that run "native" on the iPhone instead of in a web browser. This means we can do things like support dragging and dropping, use the full screen, and play sounds. It also means greatly improved performance and a much more stable execution environment (no more crashes/lockups!)
How do we get native games on our iPhones?
There will be a few ways to get them:
- Download the game in iTunes on your Mac/PC and then sync it to your iPhone.
- Download the game in iTunes on your iPhone directly.
- Download the game in the new App Store on your iPhone directly.
How much will the games cost?
It looks like most games on the App Store will be selling for $9.99 each, but we're going to start our games off at $5.99 and evaluate things. Depending on how that goes, we might raise the price to $9.99 to be at the same price as everyone else. This will be a one-time charge, not a subscription.
What if I don't want to pay, will I still be able to play for free? Unfortunately, we need to start making some money from these games and the ads on the web site don't even cover the cost of hosting. That said, we're trying very hard to keep free versions of our games available to our players so assuming Apple doesn't stop us from doing it, we plan on releasing versions of our games that are free to the users but include ads. The ad-supported versions will likely come out roughly a week after the paid versions and other than the ads will be identical to the paid versions.
What games are you coming out with and when?
The first game will be Cookie Bonus Solitaire and at this point it's been submitted to Apple and we're hoping it will be available when the App Store launches on July 11th. The next game will be Video Poker and we're expecting to have that out in the first week of August, with more games coming out as quickly as we can make them.
What is going to happen to the web versions of the games
Having the web versions and the native versions operating at the same time is a logistical nightmare on our end, so we'll be phasing out the web versions over time. The current plan is that when the native version of a game becomes available for purchase on the App Store we will:
- Convert the current game stats to native game stats and award badges based on those stats (more on badges later)
- Disable saving of scores in the web version
What kind of new features can we expect in the native versions?
The native version of each of the games will at a minimum have the following:
- Improved Graphics - We'll be using the full screen of the device which lets us pick up more real estate for better graphics and to make elements bigger so they're easier to tap on.
- Sound Effects - The games will include some nice sound effects that really help make the game more fun. These of course can be turned off for those of you sneaking in a few games at work :)
- Ability to play "offline" - Since we no longer run in the browser you'll be able to play the game when you're not connected to the Internet. Games played in this mode won't contribute to the community scores and stats.
- Better Menus and Help - There will be complete menu systems, integrated help, and other features that are typical of downloadable games.
- Vastly Expanded Community Feaures - More below
We've spent a great deal of time getting a ton of new features added to the community aspects of the games and we're really excited about them. Some of the new features have already made it to the web site, and more will be showing up this week as we get ready for Cookie Bonus Solitaire to go live. Here are some of the things you haven't seen yet:
- Multiple Chat Rooms for each game. - When you join a game, there will be several chat rooms to choose from. We'll use your Friend List to show you how many friends you have in each room before you join.
- User Ratings - You can rate individual players from their profile. The rating will be combined with the number of people who have marked a person as a friend to form a Buddy Score.
- Icons - We'll have 30+ icons that people can choose from. These icons will show up next to a users name in the chat list inside the games, as well as in their profile. Currently the icons are images of sports, animals, and food but we'll have more coming in the future.
- Badges - When you're playing games and get certain special things (Royal Flush in Video Poker or a ton of points on a deck in Solitaire for example) you'll be awarded a badge. You can earn dozens of badges, but only 5 badges can be made visible on your profile and in the chat list.
- Detailed Personal Info - You'll be able to add information to your profile about your email address, MySpace/Facebook page, etc that you can make visible to others. For each piece of information you can specify if it will be hidden, visible only to people on your friends list, or visible to everyone. By default, everything is hidden.
Hopefully that gives you a good idea of what we have coming. As always, if you have questions or comments feel free to drop us a line!
