iPhone Game Development - Chris Craft [43]
As we mentioned earlier in this chapter, puzzle apps need to be addictive. We have chosen to lock levels to require and entice players to continue on to the next level until they complete the game. We also noticed that slider apps can be pretty tough. Puzzle apps are generally better if they start easy and increase in difficulty. To help make the game easier to start with, AmuckSlider does not require players to get all the tiles in the right location in the beginning levels. Also, we start with a 3 x 3 grid and increase to a 5 x 5 grid as players gain skills and increase their difficulty.
Obviously, we hope AmuckSlider will be a runaway success simply by putting it on the App Store. However, we will be sorely disappointed if we just depend on that for marketing. If we make the mark and build an app that is addictive, then word of mouth will be our best sales tool. Just as the App Store has made applications easy to buy, you should focus on making your apps easy to sell. What do we mean by this? Remember the little e-mail bragging we added on the info page? This type of feature makes it easy to tell a friend about the game and at the same time challenge them to beat your score. Facebook is another great way to brag about your app.
Cross-Reference
See Chapter 6 for more on how you can display your game achievements as a Facebook status.
Summary
Puzzle apps are a great place to get started programming for the iPhone. They can be very simple and easy to build, yet still be some of the most addictive games you will find. A great puzzle app can keep your players interested much longer than any other type of game. For this reason your application will have a much longer shelf life than other games you spent more time developing.
In this chapter you reviewed some existing popular puzzle games such as Tetris and Trism. You learned how to add elements of strategy to your game by limiting time, number of turns, and space. You reviewed how animations could be used to make the game more compelling and interesting. You used Multi-Touch to see how to give your game a more realistic feel and how to make it truly become a game designed for the iPhone.
We hope this chapter has helped you get your feet wet and that you're beginning to feel comfortable developing for the iPhone. If you're like us, once you whet your appetite for this platform, you develop a hunger that will keep you motivated. Now take what you have learned and build something fun and exciting! Tell us about your creation at http://appsamuckcom.We love to hear from our readers!
Chapter 4: Building Novelty Apps
In This Chapter
Programming: iFlame
Programming: iDrum
Programming: Bonfire
Analyzing business aspects
The shortest distance between any two points is always a straight line. The shortest distance between you and making your first 99 cents on the App Store is always by making a novelty application. Most iPhone novelty apps tend to be one-trick ponies. For example, you can find applications to allow your iPhone to feature any of the following: strobe light effects, a desk clock, a virtual drink, and much more. And of course, there are the many infamous iPhone farting applications.
We think everyone should try their hand at creating an iPhone novelty application of their own. Even if the application already exists, there is a lot of value in creating an application for yourself. Take a moment to come up with a list of potential iPhone novelty applications of your own. Then compare this list to ours and see if you come up with any more ideas. Great ideas eventually grow up to become great applications.
Here is a list of some of our iPhone novelty application ideas to help get you started thinking of your own:
Snow Fall. Imagine a snow globe on your iPhone. You could let users create