Young Developer Looking for Advice

[Tryangles]

Hi everyone!

My partner and I are two indie developers who are 19 years old who just created the app Tryangles. It is a free to download game which is very simple to pick up and play and has addictive gameplay. We are having a difficult time driving a significant amount of downloads and are considering trying to fund a big advertising campaign in the hopes of breaking into the top charts. Would you guys recommend doing something like this or would it ultimately be a big risk for a small chance at any return?

Also if you would be willing to download and give our game a try and give us some feedback on the gameplay itself, we would really appreciate that! Also a rating/review on the app store never hurts either!

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/tryangles/id949215514?mt=8

Thank you!

 

[TouchMint.com]

I don't think a big marketing push is the best idea. Instead maybe spend that money/time on design and polish. Your screens are a little lacking and you have no preview video. If you want to be at the top of the charts actually look at the top of the charts and featured apps. Their presentation is amazing. No offense but it looks like you spent 5 mins on your icon screens and description. This is what people see when they decide if they want to download your game. Give that some work and things should get better. Keep in mind there are like 700000 games on the App Store what makes yours better than the others?

 

[AbeFrohman]

There are many sites devoted to app promotion tips. Have you gone through any/some/all of those?

Congrats to you and your partner for developing an app and launching it successfully. Now how to get it out there...

First - take a long look at the app store itself. How many other ball dodge/falling something avoiding games are there? Many. What makes this game better/more fun/more challenging? If it's no different than 15 others, why would a person choose yours over another if they were looking for this type of game?

Your description could use some polish. The game description isn't exactly captivating. Similarly, the screenshots don't help much. I get it - it's a simplistic screen and has a minimalistic vibe, but the screenshots don't give much sense of the dynamics or "fun factor" of your game. A video of gameplay may help, but if you're going to do one, make it a good one. Now, with video previews, that's the key ingredient in download decision for many people.

Your reviews in the App Store? I'm glad you got many 5-star ones .... but it's painfully obvious they are all from your friends.

You're offering a free app. What's the end game? To make money off of it? With ads? In-app purchases? How much do you expect this app to generate once you monetize it?

With that number in mind.... what kind of budget do you think you have for your "big advertising campaign"? It sounds as though you developed this yourself, so the cost was only your time and efforts, but how much are you willing to spend to try and get this game off the ground? How successful does the revenue stream have to be to pay off just the ad campaign, let alone turn a profit?

Maybe you can just try a word-of mouth campaign to get the game out there in the wild. Post to review sites, participate in blogs, social media, etc. Cost = $0 and you'll gain invaluable experience. Then take that and make your second game the new "it" game to have.

Best of luck.

 

[drydenTourn]

I can definitely agree with the above. Your support site is also empty, which might discourage people to try your game. There are a lot of games on the market, so customers are picky. That doesn't mean that the game can't get downloads though.

I remember this when I set out to publish my first game. It was after it was published that I realised the development was just the beginning. I would assume you are both programmers (mostly because graphic divas never would settle for making one-color triangles ).
What I lacked was someone who knows marketing.
I hope this doesn't discourage you.
There are sites (like chartboost) that can help you. Also look into the ways you get revenue (adMob), and check other companies (appannie). If you have a steady stream of income from advertisements, you can use that to develop new apps, and maybe spend more on marketing. Baby steps.