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I originally posted this on deviantART earlier today but have received no responses. 1800PocketPC recommended that I also try here. I didn't even think there may be designers lurking in the developer ranks...!
[EDIT: Apparently I'm not allowed to add a link to back-reference the deviantART link because I'm a newbie.]
I'm a software developer from the UK with absolutely no graphical ability. None. Every time I come here and see the awesome visuals that you guys produce I am literally blown away. The sheer range and quality of graphics are mind-blowing.
I'm primarily a web developer but in my past I've been involved with creating Flash-based games along with designers, but my eye's recently been caught by the Windows Phone 7 system that Microsoft are producing and the XNA architecture that you can use to develop games for it.
If you don't know, basically MS are throwing a tonne of money at their new phone operating system (coming out in a couple of months) and will have an application ecosystem similar to Apple's. My plan is to get a few (simple) 2D retro-style games up on their app store to try and capitalise on this surge of new people.
I am more than capable of developing the architecture for the game. I have experience in developing tile-based gaming engines and have already produced one example of a top-down "fighter" game using XNA and some dodgy graphics as a proof-of-concept. My plan is to take this and some other games I have ideas for, develop them in conjunction with a designer (or two) and put them on the marketplace.
I'm looking for someone interested in creating some retro-style game graphics/sprites to help me achieve the goal of selling these games and making us both - hopefully - some money. I'm hoping that someone out there there's someone, possibly a student, who'd like help. Even if the games don't get off the ground (and/or don't make any money), I will provide Windows-executables of the game that the artist might be able to use for course credit, CV, or something similar.
Please note that this is not a paid job. Not up-front, at least. However it is something that I hope will take off and we can arrange a profit-share for. I'm willing to accept the costs of getting onto the approved-developer-list (so that we can submit applications).
Is anyone interested?
Craig.
check out this;
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=776429
So, yes there are people interested .. here! right here!
cboy
I have some cogs turning in my head about a variant of audiosurf, except its more of a puzzle, with your favorite tunes. I really think it will take off if its done right, I just need the know-how to develop it myself
Cheers guys
Have emailed you both. Anyone else interested?
I think this is a great idea and my plan is to work with a number of designers on a number of different games/applications/projects over the coming few months, so as many as possible!
Craig.
I'm interested. I have experience in Photoshop (7 years) and am a beginner in character design and fine arts as well. Shoot me an email and I'll show you some of my work.
glad to see you finaly got the ball rolling on this
Saijo George
Editor 1800PocketPC.com
Cheers Saijo - yes, thankfully things seem to be starting to move forward!
Thanks for all your help. I'll let you know when we have something public if you'd like.
Regards,
Craig.
Would love to see it , when you are done with it. just shoot me a mail [email protected] or on twitter @1800PocketPC
Hi,
is your offer still actual? I would be interested in such project.
Worked as a graphic designer for few years. Also have experience with modeling in 3D, hand drawing etc.
Originaly from Czech, currently livingin UK.
Let me know if you still looking for somebody
Cheers
Bobby
Sadly this project is no more. We were a dev team of 3 people who had about 3 months into Appaloosa. However, the slow build of the WP7 platform and some reported low sales numbers in the App Marketplace made it hard to justify the additional time needed to bring this title to market.
Was very hard to let go of so much work and creative energy.
Here is a walk thru of an alpha build. It definately shows what that phone is capable of pushing (forum is perventing the url, sorry first post).
img816.imageshack.us/img816/3521/32430348.mp4
You're kidding, right?
The WP7 platform has had a faster uptake than both iOS and Android when they were first launched. As for marketplace sales, I don't know what numbers you have seen, but games is what generally sells well, especially ones with great graphics as they are not only used as a game but also as a "look at what my phone can do" kinda thing amongst the owners friends.
From the video, and with no background information available, it doesn't look like a game for me, but if it was performing well and priced correctly I would still probably pick it up.
Anyway, that's my $0.02.
Hi there
lard666 said:
However, the slow build of the WP7 platform and some reported low sales numbers in the App Marketplace[...]
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I don't know exactly what numbers you are referring to, but I guess you mean LG's statement. Isn't LG maybe just part of the picture? There are Samsung and HTC that are currently the main sellers of WP7. (for the shares, look here: http://wmpoweruser.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/wp7oem.png)
Although I can't exactly be sure why LG is doing that bad (it might have to do something with the phone they offer...) - that's up for speculation.
I'd like to add that T-Mobile Germany just stated that they are ahead of their plans regarding WP7 sales (source: http://thenextweb.com/microsoft/201...-windows-phone-7-sales-are-ahead-of-schedule/ along with several other sites)
Personally, I don't get the impression that WP7 is doing badly.
lard666 said:
Was very hard to let go of so much work and creative energy.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Judging from what is shown in the trailer, I'd say it's a great thing you did so far.
And I'd like to buy a version as soon as it is out (I know that I am just one person - but there might be others who think the same)
lard666 said:
Here is a walk thru of an alpha build. It definately shows what that phone is capable of pushing (forum is perventing the url, sorry first post).
img816.imageshack.us/img816/3521/32430348.mp4
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Like stated above, it looks fantastic up 'till now.
I'd like you to continue your work and take this project all the way to the Marketplace.
Wow! That looks absolutely amazing.
Maybe this is a stupid suggestion but if you get it to be an xbox live game (they seem to do well) then it has every chance of being a success. Not sure how much Microsoft will take but worth consdering.
Good job!
I'm with you guys. I don't even know what this game is about but from the alpha build the 3D graphics look slick as hell. If you look at a game like Zombies!!! MS took it under its wing, gave it XBox Live integration and now it'll get a sh!tload of sales because of that. And that seems to be what they're donig with high performance games so it's worth pursuing...
If you write for Android you won't make money. No one buys anything on that platform. if you write for iOS no one will see your game in the sea of apps. WP7 still has potential.
Moving this to SW development since this is an ongoing project. Once its in the "its an app" stage I will move it back to the release section.
~~Tito~~
With regard to the kind words about the looks of the project, thank you.
The environment for level one (which was shown in the video in it's incomplete form) was 210K polygons.
Appaloosa is an old school western pistol pack'n arcade style shooter. It's based in a fantastic, toony, world centered loosely around America's late 1800's Old West. It's a rail shooter with shorter action-areas that can be completed in a single mobile time wasting session. So think western popup shooter crossed with Time Crisis; and add tumble-weed bonus rounds ala Galaga. It also had direct Face Book integration for quick posting of achievements. The game was to be priced at $.99 for each level (we were toying with the idea of releasing one level at a time, episodic style) or $2.99 for the complete game.
About WP7 being viable (currently, say this year 2011) to develop apps for... I don't see the indicators or hard data that proves so. And I'm not saying this with a confrontational tone, I just haven't seen any. I keep hearing lazy statistics (which are easily manipulated like, "fastest sales", "highest rate of apps", "most devs to date", etc.) and praise ("performing better then expected")... but the hard numbers are being held for some reason. I would bet no one had recovered their time investment for WP7 development yet, let along make a living from it.
Regardless, the numbers of phones sold is something to be mindful of, but more important is how the paid apps are selling. And the short answer is they aren't.
Games sell more then any other app and 'LIVE' games sell the most. We knew we would be dead in the water without 'LIVE' support, but when we spoke to a MSFT rep in Belgium we got the answer, "oh LIVE... yes yes, that is tricky. Probably can't get you LIVE status; that is reserved for the big guys. Let me know when your game is done, and I will see what I can do to push it up the list."
We were also in contact with a dev studio who's game has always been in the top 10 and has "LIVE" certification. Their game has sold in the tens of thousands; which doesn't even cover dev costs. Maybe the costs will be recovered over the next year. But that 'maybe' was a risk I couldn't take; not with a self-funded (sweat equity) game.
We weren't looking to make big bucks. Just wanted to be able to exercise our craft and make a living. Everyone on the team was willing to live on 1/3 a typical studio salary in exchange for creative freedom and a chance to gain from their own sweat equity. We all brought senior experience to the table (I've worked on Tomb Raider, Half-Life, Tribes, Tony Hawk, and others). Sadly, the numbers aren't there. Punch in some basic math numbers on keeping 3 people alive for a 9 month dev cycle; plus additional time for sales and payment, and it's just not an equation that balances yet. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately) I'm bound by the realities of the real world, so at the New Year we had to evaluate the project progress and platform landscape.
If anyone has direct access to a MSFT rep, I would be happy to chat with them about bringing the game to market; Or point them to this post.
I guess the point of this post is that the phone is capable of pushing some great graphics and supporting original, mobile specific, titles of very high quality. But if a tiny 3 person team can't justify a 9 months development risk... then I see a chicken-n-egg scenario formed.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=902681
the person that posted this works for Microsoft... send him a message.
@lard666 One thing you have not accounted for in your numbers are Xbox sales. I am assuming this is written in XNA which means you can release it on the Xbox with it's 30 million users and $1 billion revenue last year almost at the flick of a switch.
I'm not saying this means you would definitely recoup your costs, but I know quite a few people who have high-selling titles on XBL, so it is possible.
I'd also like to point out that regional MS reps are nowhere near as helpful as their US counterparts. We had more luck contacting US people directly than we did liaising with the Swedish reps. I cannot say for certain that this is the same everywhere, but I have had similar experience in two other European countries in the past.
I'll forward this to Brandon Watson right now.
Guess you didn't hear about the Nokia deal. Too bad you quit.
lard666 said:
With regard to the kind words about the looks of the project, thank you.
The environment for level one (which was shown in the video in it's incomplete form) was 210K polygons.
Appaloosa is an old school western pistol pack'n arcade style shooter. It's based in a fantastic, toony, world centered loosely around America's late 1800's Old West. It's a rail shooter with shorter action-areas that can be completed in a single mobile time wasting session. So think western popup shooter crossed with Time Crisis; and add tumble-weed bonus rounds ala Galaga. It also had direct Face Book integration for quick posting of achievements. The game was to be priced at $.99 for each level (we were toying with the idea of releasing one level at a time, episodic style) or $2.99 for the complete game.
About WP7 being viable (currently, say this year 2011) to develop apps for... I don't see the indicators or hard data that proves so. And I'm not saying this with a confrontational tone, I just haven't seen any. I keep hearing lazy statistics (which are easily manipulated like, "fastest sales", "highest rate of apps", "most devs to date", etc.) and praise ("performing better then expected")... but the hard numbers are being held for some reason. I would bet no one had recovered their time investment for WP7 development yet, let along make a living from it.
Regardless, the numbers of phones sold is something to be mindful of, but more important is how the paid apps are selling. And the short answer is they aren't.
Games sell more then any other app and 'LIVE' games sell the most. We knew we would be dead in the water without 'LIVE' support, but when we spoke to a MSFT rep in Belgium we got the answer, "oh LIVE... yes yes, that is tricky. Probably can't get you LIVE status; that is reserved for the big guys. Let me know when your game is done, and I will see what I can do to push it up the list."
We were also in contact with a dev studio who's game has always been in the top 10 and has "LIVE" certification. Their game has sold in the tens of thousands; which doesn't even cover dev costs. Maybe the costs will be recovered over the next year. But that 'maybe' was a risk I couldn't take; not with a self-funded (sweat equity) game.
We weren't looking to make big bucks. Just wanted to be able to exercise our craft and make a living. Everyone on the team was willing to live on 1/3 a typical studio salary in exchange for creative freedom and a chance to gain from their own sweat equity. We all brought senior experience to the table (I've worked on Tomb Raider, Half-Life, Tribes, Tony Hawk, and others). Sadly, the numbers aren't there. Punch in some basic math numbers on keeping 3 people alive for a 9 month dev cycle; plus additional time for sales and payment, and it's just not an equation that balances yet. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately) I'm bound by the realities of the real world, so at the New Year we had to evaluate the project progress and platform landscape.
If anyone has direct access to a MSFT rep, I would be happy to chat with them about bringing the game to market; Or point them to this post.
I guess the point of this post is that the phone is capable of pushing some great graphics and supporting original, mobile specific, titles of very high quality. But if a tiny 3 person team can't justify a 9 months development risk... then I see a chicken-n-egg scenario formed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I mean I understand that it's to be released on both the Xbox and WP7 at the same time but really? That's it? I am thoroughly disappointed this time. Xbox has dug through mounds of **** just to make a name for itself and what has Windows Phone 7 shown in that department? I mean there's ilomilo and then theres iphone clones. It's so sad to see a first rate OS by a corporate giant turned into a third rate gaming platforms because they'd rather spend a huge budget on advertising what the phone can currently do rather than making that Xbox live tile appeal to a plethora of users who had hope in their hearts when they saw Xbox live integration and watched it be shat on with garbage like... well... half the stuff on the Xbox live WP7 marketplace. It's cool that you're getting the most popular iphone clone and a game I played on my beat up sega dreamcast a decade ago but really, where's the innovation?
I think it might be time to change your siggy...
I don't have an xbox, so I don't care so much about the integration, but I'm finding way more games I like on my phone right now than on android or winmo.
Currently working on twin blades, AC, I dig it, and The Harvest. Also play majong(sp) tiles and a couple rounds of spades as well.
nrfitchett4 said:
I think it might be time to change your siggy...
I don't have an xbox, so I don't care so much about the integration, but I'm finding way more games I like on my phone right now than on android or winmo.
Currently working on twin blades, AC, I dig it, and The Harvest. Also play majong(sp) tiles and a couple rounds of spades as well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ah, R.I.P. Twin Blades. It was a great game unfortunately I've since swapped memory cards coincidentally on the day it vanished from the market and alas I am left without one of the defining games on the platform. I Dig It I havent really visited in some time due to the inability to save (not sure if that's still present), The Harvest has somewhat annoying controls, a virtual joystick makes more sense than a point and click diablo-esque phone game in my opinion, and AC has been on multiple other platforms as well as the other two games though perhaps not the exact same program. The astounding part though is regardless of the faults it's still the best. It's just that they've given us an amazing game or two (The Harvest really is amazing the controls just aren't for me) and then since have lacked innovation greatly. Where I thought they were going to try and stand alone it now looks like they're trying to be a "me too" platform. I did recieve an email from someone regarding a mobile version of Torchlight though and though they couldn't confirm or deny they did tell me it was an option they were exploring. That would be amazing as that game only takes like what? 140 megs on the xbox? Dull it down a bit and it could be a game changer for WP7.
z33dev33l said:
Ah, R.I.P. Twin Blades. It was a great game unfortunately I've since swapped memory cards coincidentally on the day it vanished from the market and alas I am left without one of the defining games on the platform. I Dig It I havent really visited in some time due to the inability to save (not sure if that's still present), The Harvest has somewhat annoying controls, a virtual joystick makes more sense than a point and click diablo-esque phone game in my opinion, and AC has been on multiple other platforms as well as the other two games though perhaps not the exact same program. The astounding part though is regardless of the faults it's still the best. It's just that they've given us an amazing game or two (The Harvest really is amazing the controls just aren't for me) and then since have lacked innovation greatly. Where I thought they were going to try and stand alone it now looks like they're trying to be a "me too" platform. I did recieve an email from someone regarding a mobile version of Torchlight though and though they couldn't confirm or deny they did tell me it was an option they were exploring. That would be amazing as that game only takes like what? 140 megs on the xbox? Dull it down a bit and it could be a game changer for WP7.
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Click to collapse
I know there are several big titles slated for first week in april. I agree they could do more, and I think they will. MS, if nothing else, is willing to throw money at devs.
So what's next on your list of complaint...
nrfitchett4 said:
I know there are several big titles slated for first week in april. I agree they could do more, and I think they will. MS, if nothing else, is willing to throw money at devs.
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yeah and though I'm ok with that theyre throwing money at devs to release iPhone ports. Originality is Microsoft ticket and they've got more capable devs on their rolodex than any other mobile os. They should utilize those resources...
Crimson Lotus said:
So what's next on your list of compliant...
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always such informative and insightful posts. They add a lot to the conversation.
I'm starting to agree with you about all the new releases. Puzzle games have their place (especially on a mobile phone platform), but without more action titles, it makes it seem like XBox live is not really a serious reason for someone to get a WP7 as Microsoft would like people to think.
That said, I have actually really, really enjoyed the XBox Live games. I used WinMo and Android for a long time before WP7 and never really got into gaming on either platform but for some reason, I just started playing games on WP7 a lot. I don't have an XBox so the integration with XBox is not something I really care about. I like the achievements. It gives me something to play for.
The April releases will keep me satisfied for a while, but in my opinion, they need a lot more releases like those in April, not just every now and then.
edit: oh yeah, an afterthought... maybe chill out on the tower defense games. 1 is enough on the entire platform. It seems like every other game on the Marketplace is a freakin tower defense game. Not a big fan.
I guess you guys haven't seen the poker commercial on xbox live then? Its quite stupid.
You can play the game on both your console and phone.
Spoiler alert; its not the way you think it is. Integration my ass.
Crimson Lotus said:
So what's next on your list of compliant...
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Well I'm not sure, but I believe he's FCC compliant. And he probably adheres to compliance codes for device usage?
sure haven't said:
Well I'm not sure, but I believe he's FCC compliant. And he probably adheres to compliance codes for device usage?
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LOL!!!
Give people a break. Typos are just typos and oftentimes, people use translators and such.
SPORTS GAMES! WTF!
Is there a single sports game on this platform? XBox may not have many either....but some sports games (i.e. one button swing type games) are made for mobile.
WP7 is lacking sports games something fierce.
thesecondsfade said:
LOL!!!
Give people a break. Typos are just typos and oftentimes, people use translators and such.
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lol yeah I'm just being a bugger. Heaven knows I've made my share of typos.
I'm sorry for those spelling errors...
thesecondsfade said:
I'm starting to agree with you about all the new releases. Puzzle games have their place (especially on a mobile phone platform), but without more action titles, it makes it seem like XBox live is not really a serious reason for someone to get a WP7 as Microsoft would like people to think.
That said, I have actually really, really enjoyed the XBox Live games. I used WinMo and Android for a long time before WP7 and never really got into gaming on either platform but for some reason, I just started playing games on WP7 a lot. I don't have an XBox so the integration with XBox is not something I really care about. I like the achievements. It gives me something to play for.
The April releases will keep me satisfied for a while, but in my opinion, they need a lot more releases like those in April, not just every now and then.
edit: oh yeah, an afterthought... maybe chill out on the tower defense games. 1 is enough on the entire platform. It seems like every other game on the Marketplace is a freakin tower defense game. Not a big fan.
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Click to collapse
I agree about the tower defense games, but the star wars one is actually quite fun...
We could definitely use some more games, but we are still getting them faster than android!!!
How do y'all like WP7? I'm still on WinMo because Garmin Mobile XT is awesome, particularly where there is no cellular coverage. Also, I do not own a laptop and do a lot of long emails on my phone when I'm not at home with my 70lb desktop and I'm irritated that I can't get a WP7 device with the exact same keyboard as my Rhodium and at least the latest Qualcomm 45nm goodness in it complete with Adreno 205, much less the upcoming dual Cortex A8 with independent clock speed and CPU voltage and Adreno 220. Why in the Sam Hill did M$ decide that only 65nm OG Snapdragon SoC's were going to go into WP7 devices?
I read a few reviews of the Euro-spec 7 Pro and it seems that HTC used a crappy LCD but not as crappy as the HD7's, and they somehow messed up the chassis of the Rhodium and the keyboard. I like that I can get giant batteries for these things and that unibody sh*t jus doesn't float my boat. I guess I'm just pissed that WP7 is locked to 65nm Snapdragon and irritated with HTC for messing with the landscape qwerty slider chassis and keyboard that they perfected with the Rhodium.
sure haven't said:
lol yeah I'm just being a bugger. Heaven knows I've made my share of typos.
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I konw. Your comment was funny though.
DeathmonkeyGTX said:
How do y'all like WP7? I'm still on WinMo because Garmin Mobile XT is awesome, particularly where there is no cellular coverage. Also, I do not own a laptop and do a lot of long emails on my phone when I'm not at home with my 70lb desktop and I'm irritated that I can't get a WP7 device with the exact same keyboard as my Rhodium and at least the latest Qualcomm 45nm goodness in it complete with Adreno 205, much less the upcoming dual Cortex A8 with independent clock speed and CPU voltage and Adreno 220. Why in the Sam Hill did M$ decide that only 65nm OG Snapdragon SoC's were going to go into WP7 devices?
I read a few reviews of the Euro-spec 7 Pro and it seems that HTC used a crappy LCD but not as crappy as the HD7's, and they somehow messed up the chassis of the Rhodium and the keyboard. I like that I can get giant batteries for these things and that unibody sh*t jus doesn't float my boat. I guess I'm just pissed that WP7 is locked to 65nm Snapdragon and irritated with HTC for messing with the landscape qwerty slider chassis and keyboard that they perfected with the Rhodium.
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Click to collapse
huh. most reviewers have said the 7 pro keyboard is the best keyboard since the tp2. Those tp2's won't last forever.
I would just like to point out the amazing jobs developers are doing in the lead up to Mango. Over the last 2 weeks we've had many official apps people want on a platform and hopefully this will last up to and beyond the Mango release. Also hats off to Microsoft as I'm sure they have something to do with it (close release dates can't just be a coincidence). A few examples of official apps from various markets released only in the last 2 weeks:
- IM+
- NBC Nightly
- MTV News
- Evernote
- FoodSpotting
- VH1 To Go
- Steven Colbert's The Word
- StubHub
- Best Buy
- AmazonFresh
- L'Equipe
- i>tele
- Larousse Francais
- Tele 7 Programme TV
- Telerama
- Dictionary.com
- Allrecipes
- XE Currency
- Photofunia
- KiK Messenger
- Weight Watchers
- National Park Maps
- Qype
- Plants vs Zombies
- Angry Birds
Now if only Mango would come very very soon we'd be a happy bunch .
Peew971 said:
I would just like to point out the amazing jobs developers are doing in the lead up to Mango. Over the last 2 weeks we've had many official apps people want on a platform and hopefully this will last up to and beyond the Mango release. Also hats off to Microsoft as I'm sure they have something to do with it (close release dates can't just be a coincidence).
.
.
.
Now if only Mango would come very very soon we'd be a happy bunch .
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Yeah, WP7 is really moving on now. Some of the apps you mentioned are not available over here in Germany, but the ones I happened to have tested are really nice. Especially because of the ease of use that the metro ui offers. I'm really looking forward to what kind of apps mango will spawn.
Yeah they all seem well made and not just lazy ports from iOS/android. I missed a few too like Gowalla for instance.
Sent from my Samsung Omnia 7 using XDA Windows Phone 7 App
Yep, the app offering is getting quite better (if we aren't concerning too much about increasing spam).
Feels like all the traction needed for the 'real' launch of wp7 will be there only with the Mango/Nokia binome, though
andycted said:
Yep, the app offering is getting quite better (if we aren't concerning too much about increasing spam).
Feels like all the traction needed for the 'real' launch of wp7 will be there only with the Mango/Nokia binome, though
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There are a few good apps that do a better job filtering out crap apps than the official marketplace. WP7applist and Marketplace search are two that I have used.
yes it's good
ryude said:
There are a few good apps that do a better job filtering out crap apps than the official marketplace. WP7applist and Marketplace search are two that I have used.
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Click to collapse
Yep, I know, but the point of building a marketplace _late_ and from the ground up, was -I though- avoiding the errors made by those who arrived first. At this point I'm still uncertain if they managed it, when I see 20 cloned apps floating in the new section now and then, apps that track one single guy achievements in a single game (20x times) and such things. But that's another argument.
I use Top Apps 2, which sorts apps/games based on reviews and not download count and has a nice set of filters.
andycted said:
Yep, I know, but the point of building a marketplace _late_ and from the ground up, was -I though- avoiding the errors made by those who arrived first. At this point I'm still uncertain if they managed it, when I see 20 cloned apps floating in the new section now and then, apps that track one single guy achievements in a single game (20x times) and such things. But that's another argument.
I use Top Apps 2, which sorts apps/games based on reviews and not download count and has a nice set of filters.
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Click to collapse
Very true, and if you really think about it, we only have about 1,000 apps that are worth using. The rest is crap.
ryude said:
Very true, and if you really think about it, we only have about 1,000 apps that are worth using. The rest is crap.
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Click to collapse
I'm not totally against marketplace opening. But it's clear Microsoft has absolutely no policy on app content or rather non-content.
Having an RSS app for every RSS feed out there makes zero sense, but they're not concerned by that.
Peew971 said:
Yeah they all seem well made and not just lazy ports from iOS/android.
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Click to collapse
I wouldn't mind if they ported all the apps over, then started fixing them.
Even more official apps today like American Airlines or E! Can't list them all but WP7 is on a roll at the moment.
Sent from my Samsung Omnia 7 using XDA Windows Phone 7 App
All it took was the Nokia announcement I guess...
Still going on today with some new official apps (mostly European). I'm hoping for a non-US Amazon and Audible soon .
Some official apps released today: Fox News, Marmiton, DC Comics, Voyages-SNCF, Sky Italy TV Guide.
VEVO was also released today!
wow im loving the pace of the way things are moving with wp7
the dc comics app is gorgeous.
man im loving this pace...its been app after app after app.
Foursquare is back by the way, totally revamped.
Sent from my Samsung Omnia 7 using XDA Windows Phone 7 App
There is a trend on wp7 which is quite different than android. it's both good and bad in my opinion.
Games which are not xbox-live, even good ones, aren't really promoted on the platform. The same goes for apps that aren't 'official'.
This isn't bad per-se, meaning big companies with good resources can provide very polished good apps, like the ones you mentioned.
On the other hand, independent developer are left with their own means, with the menace of ever increasing spam and invisibility.
The 'featured' section is confined to 'official' apps like the ones you mentioned and the games section official promotion/visibility is monopoly of xbox.
While this can produce a few good standard apps, I think Microsoft could work better with the plumbing necessary for indie devs. Right now they basically have no interest in putting some boundaries between a good indie app/game and a crap/cloned/spammy one. They just mention that the 'marketplace will decide for itself'. Seems a bit too little.
Yeah I know this isn't all that weird, but seeing stuff like doodle jump on xbox live and free clones that got to the platform months earlier, that are free and actually better than the original... I feel something is missing.
Personally, seeing the problems linked with the 'free' and 'new' sections of the marketplace, it seems to me that they had the potential for the ultimate best mobile marketplace ever, and they've blown it away following previous models and standards.
All this to say that it's excellent to see all these official apps coming out (whilte the title of the thread is wrong, since it's not 'devs' that are stepping up, rather it's companies that bought in), there are a few missed opportunities to have a mix of what is good on android and ios together.
Don't misunderstand me, I know wp7 is far closer to ios than android, at least for marketplace structure. And I would still take this marketplace over others.
I just think people upstairs care too much about numbers
[disclaimer] yep, I do develop indie stuff, like the game you can find on the signature, so my point of view is partial. At the same time I feel like spam, app quality and visibility is a big issue with the current marketplace structure, because it's still at 1/10 at other marketplaces size but already affected by similar problems (cloned apps, spam apps, non-content apps). I didn't expect it on a new system like wp7, but evidently it's normal.
streak continues..The New York Times official app dropped today, not too much of a biggie but its slick and for wp7 now
andycted said:
There is a trend on wp7 which is quite different than android. it's both good and bad in my opinion.
Games which are not xbox-live, even good ones, aren't really promoted on the platform. The same goes for apps that aren't 'official'.
This isn't bad per-se, meaning big companies with good resources can provide very polished good apps, like the ones you mentioned.
On the other hand, independent developer are left with their own means, with the menace of ever increasing spam and invisibility.
The 'featured' section is confined to 'official' apps like the ones you mentioned and the games section official promotion/visibility is monopoly of xbox.
While this can produce a few good standard apps, I think Microsoft could work better with the plumbing necessary for indie devs. Right now they basically have no interest in putting some boundaries between a good indie app/game and a crap/cloned/spammy one. They just mention that the 'marketplace will decide for itself'. Seems a bit too little.
Yeah I know this isn't all that weird, but seeing stuff like doodle jump on xbox live and free clones that got to the platform months earlier, that are free and actually better than the original... I feel something is missing.
Personally, seeing the problems linked with the 'free' and 'new' sections of the marketplace, it seems to me that they had the potential for the ultimate best mobile marketplace ever, and they've blown it away following previous models and standards.
All this to say that it's excellent to see all these official apps coming out (whilte the title of the thread is wrong, since it's not 'devs' that are stepping up, rather it's companies that bought in), there are a few missed opportunities to have a mix of what is good on android and ios together.
Don't misunderstand me, I know wp7 is far closer to ios than android, at least for marketplace structure. And I would still take this marketplace over others.
I just think people upstairs care too much about numbers
[disclaimer] yep, I do develop indie stuff, like the game you can find on the signature, so my point of view is partial. At the same time I feel like spam, app quality and visibility is a big issue with the current marketplace structure, because it's still at 1/10 at other marketplaces size but already affected by similar problems (cloned apps, spam apps, non-content apps). I didn't expect it on a new system like wp7, but evidently it's normal.
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You do have a valid point on how Microsoft handle apps visibility, it's a bit of a shame but I can understand that as a new platform they need to promote the known apps and games to prove that the OS is viable. Hopefully this will change soon enough and maybe the web marketplace will improve things.
As for indie devs, I think the issue too many have is that they don't try hard enough to offer something compelling and truly exciting. I generalise a lot mind you, there are lots of talented developers making WP7 apps. However when I see something like 4th & Mayor, an app so good they made foursquare remove then redesign their official app, I'm wondering why more developers aren't producing this kind of work (not to mention the 4th&M developer shares his work with whoever wants it). We also need more original content, not just clones. I mean, Chickens n' Vixens is nice and all but we knew from day one Angry Birds was coming and that it would obviously get all the attention from Microsoft and most consumers. The amount of work that went into that could have been put in something much more original, it's a bit like a waste of talent.
Then again I'm not a developer so I shouldn't criticise but from where I stand, if an app is excellent it will be recognised and featured as such.
dapoharoun said:
streak continues..The New York Times official app dropped today, not too much of a biggie but its slick and for wp7 now
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've seen others actually like PEGI, Alitalia, Accuweather, France 24, 2 new WeightWatchers apps and more I can't remember.
ok, as of now most of the artwork is not implemented aside from a few areas so screenshots would be in essence pointless as they'd show a detailed 2d avatar running at a bunch of very basic squares and walking through walls where ill be putting doors but I'm working on an RPG similar in graphics to final fantasy 5 (though a lot of the npcs are the same as I'm no artist and I'm certainly not a team of developers.) the game is called "icari- the descent" and will be my first game for wp7. The story centralizes around a girl named fayth in her quest to escape the city of the icari who are a group of winged humes that are essentially elitist douchebag dictators." during her quest she befriends 2 other characters I i don't want to reveal much of the plot there is a rebel icari involved so you do get to play as them too.
like I said, the graphics are pretty weak by modern standards as I'm no artist but one thing that sets this RPG apart from the rest is that it implements a lot of things that weren't available then. Here's a few examples.
-late in the first chapter there is a dungeon where you are struck with paralysis, you have to tilt the level to slide your character through the dungeon avoiding holes and fighting monsters using only magic or guns if that's what you choose for one of your characters to utilize.
-early on, you can't even get out of the first dungeon without reading a sign that informs you that shaking your phone will help clear a boulder that blocks your path.
-at some points you will have to look around for something, using the tilt sensor on the phone you can look in all directions during these points (at my terrible graphics but eh, i do what I can)
And there's others but again, I don't want to give it all away. I'm planning on releasing a fully loaded ad supported version, the only things the paid version at 1.99 will get you is full access to some secret dungeons with some epic gear and secret bosses. I will be releasing it in 3 separate parts but you only have to buy it once if you so choose. I've been working on this since the wp7 dev environment was made readily available and I i have left to do to finish chapter one is finish my drag and drop equip menu (which has proven tougher than I expected) and implement some of the graphics, most of which are done though again, I'm no pro artist. I like to think i did fairly well though. anyway, sorry i don't have more to share but i promise ill update as soon as i get this puzzle pieced together.
Sounds cool. However, it may be more on-topic in the more "normal" WP7 development forums, like http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=851. This one is almost entirely devoted to homebrew and phone hacks.
Yeah, I know. I tapped the wrong link and already requested a move. Thanks.