iPhone Game Development - Chris Craft [91]
Another great feature of using the Facebook Connect API is that you might qualify for seed funding from the fbFund, a fund focused on continuing to create incentives for the development of social and engaging experiences with Facebook Connect. Seed funding is when an established company provides funding for another company's idea at a very early stage. The fund started with 10 million dollars in capital, which is given out in investments ranging from $25,000 to $100,000.
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You can learn more about the fbFund at http://developers.facebook.com/fbFund.php, or go to www.facebook.com/fbFund and become a fan.
Here is a list of the selection criteria from the fbFund home page:
Originality of concept. Have you created something new and original?
Market. Will this application appeal to the masses or just your close friends?
Social/useful. Can this application bring people together? And will users both enjoy it and find it useful?
Expressive. Does this application allow people to better express themselves?
Intuitive. Is the application easy to use and user friendly?
Potential. Will the application make money, and if so, how much and how soon?
Team. Why should people believe that you will succeed?
Facebook Connect represents a win-win situation for both the iPhone application developer and the user. The developer wins because Facebook Connect–enabled applications become a part of the user's social ecosystem. It is the user who will promote her application experience to her friends, request her friends to play against her on her device, and choose to invite your application further into her digital life and her friends' online lives on Facebook.
The user wins because he can bring his friends with him into any Facebook Connect–enabled application. Some games allow you to play against the computer, some games allow you to play against a nearby friend, and some games even allow you to play against others online. But with Facebook Connect, you have the opportunity to play against your friends, wherever they may be, and the results can be posted to the player's profiles for the world to see.
Because Facebook Connect gives your iPhone application access to the full Facebook Platform API, you can look to other traditional Facebook applications for ideas on how you can create the next great iPhone app. Since Facebook applications can have leader boards, chat rooms, and much more, this is a great opportunity to make something truly unique to the App Store.
The decision to use Facebook Connect is almost a marketing strategy in and of itself. Marketing is one of the most compelling reasons why you should use Facebook Connect. Facebook Connect effectively comes with its own built-in viral marketing system that includes over 200 million active users. Your application users are your best salespeople; Facebook Connect makes it easy for them to close the deal.
An idea that has become really powerful in building community in many modern games is creating an achievement system. The idea is to reward the user for accomplishing some game achievement with a badge or status. For example, say you have created a Facebook Connect–enabled iPhone game called Zombie Warrior. If the player makes it through a level without taking on any damage, you offer him an “Untouchable” badge that he can proudly post to his Facebook profile page. Or the player could win a “Zombie Slayer” badge if he makes it through the town and destroys all the zombies in his path.
Be sure to think outside the box when it comes to Facebook. Don't limit yourself to using Facebook Connect for the iPhone. For example, if you create a great iPhone application, consider whether it could be a great Facebook application as well. If so, how about letting Facebook users play against iPhone users? You could even create a special scoreboard to see who the best is.
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