Games Prediction: B4A going free will really boost number of devs using B4A for games

andymc · Jan 27, 2020

Who agrees on this?
To me, either using LibGDX or XUI2D, B4A is perfect for simple (or even complex) 2D games on Android, saving the steep learning curve for unity or unreal and allowing you to write small install size games and reach a large audience.

I only use LibGDX with B4A and have 9 games on the store with another 6 in progress. This ranges from Space invaders to Tetris. I'd love to get a list of other making games with B4A and a list of the best games made using B4A so far.

LucaMs · Jan 27, 2020

(Andy, tu sei fissato con i giochi! - Andy, you are obsessed with games! There are not only games!)
?

andymc · Jan 30, 2020

I guess no one else agrees :-(

sorex · Jan 30, 2020

Time will tell, but not everyone's focus is on games you can see that in the "share your creation" threads.

So the more games show up there and on the website* the better I guess.
(* the showcase page is still poor and doesn't do justice for all the great apps/games released by B4X)

LucaMs · Jan 30, 2020

There are already too many games and not only for Android (pc-web? Consoles?).

"You" need a very original idea, a very well made realization and... very well publicized, otherwise you will get a dozen downlads and not even this little personal satisfaction.

We should spend more time to think up, dreaming, than writing code.

f0raster0 · Jan 30, 2020

agree!

LucaMs said:
We should spend more time to think up, dreaming, than writing code.

and marketing, and talking to people, looking what they are doing..

sorex · Jan 30, 2020

I think that @Jack Cole , @Computersmith64 & @andymc are already good examples that it is possible to be successfull.

Maybe there are others aswell who don't come out for it.

Some people prefer simplicity that's why those kettchapp apps do so well.

LucaMs · Jan 30, 2020

sorex said:
kettchapp app

???

sorex · Jan 30, 2020

Ketchapp -Games for iOS and Android

Partner with Ketchapp the best hypercasual publisher and be part of our success-story! - Submit your games

www.ketchappgames.com

andymc · Jan 30, 2020

LucaMs said:
"You" need a very original idea, a very well made realization and... very well publicized, otherwise you will get a dozen downloads and not even this little personal satisfaction.

We should spend more time to think up, dreaming, than writing code.

I'm not sure it needs to be original. I copied space invaders and have done very well. Computermsith64 copied Yahtzee and also done very well. Original ideas can sometimes be much harder to do well with as no one is looking for them. But if you copy a well known game then you may have a better chance. You could then use the income from your popular game to advertise your original game.

LucaMs · Jan 30, 2020

andymc said:
I'm not sure it needs to be original. I copied space invaders and have done very well. Computermsith64 copied Yahtzee and also done very well. Original ideas can sometimes be much harder to do well with as no one is looking for them. But if you copy a well known game then you may have a better chance. You could then use the income from your popular game to advertise your original game.

In fact, Zynga Poker didn't invent poker.
But also Pokemon Go...!

Herbert32 · Feb 3, 2020

andymc said:
I'm not sure it needs to be original. I copied space invaders and have done very well. Computermsith64 copied Yahtzee and also done very well. Original ideas can sometimes be much harder to do well with as no one is looking for them. But if you copy a well known game then you may have a better chance. You could then use the income from your popular game to advertise your original game.

hmmm - and I'm not sure whether you will have made money in total after discussing with the rights-holder regarding what you have to pay them... especially if you publish that you 'copied' their work.

Sorry - I don't develop games. - But in my opinion there is more moneyworth 'work' in developing the game-idea for a successful game in detailed steps and doing the marketing-part than writing code for it.

andymc · Feb 3, 2020

Herbert32 said:
hmmm - and I'm not sure whether you will have made money in total after discussing with the rights-holder regarding what you have to pay them...

Game ideas are not copyrightable. So you can copy what ever you want and not pay anyone anything. My game is very close to the original space Invaders but not close enough for them to sue me. And since my version is free but they charge for theirs, then I've had a lot more downloads. I'm over 600000 downloads now.
You'll find that looking at the top grossing games in the charts, most are derivative of other game and there's not much originality, just like pop music.

sorex · Feb 3, 2020

andymc said:
Game ideas are not copyrightable.

I'm not sure to which level this counts. There are a lot of known cases where there were lawsuits because identical games where sold.
And with identical I mean far from close to the original gfxwise.
Search for K.C. Munchkin as example.

here some of the trial stuff but I don't know if the outcome is in it.

Atari, Inc. v. North American Philips Consumer Electronics Corp., 672 F.2d 607 (7th Cir. 1982)

Atari, Inc. v. North American Philips Consumer Electronics Corp., 672 F.2d 607 (7th Cir. 1982) case opinion from the US Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit

law.justia.com

You can't even draw a green pipe or you'll risk that Nintendo takes down your game.
Isn't this counting as "we had the first idea to use that" ?

andymc · Feb 3, 2020

true, but as long as you don't copy the original graphics too closely then you're okay. I did try to release a version of space invaders that used some of the arcades graphics but google banned it, but they are okay with my current versions.

I plan to move onto pacman, nibbler, break out and centepede next. But i'll need to think of how I can change them to stop them being too close. I know I could write original games, but I want to get a lot of downloads so I can make a living from this, then I'll be more original once I have the income from the copies to back me up. But right now I don't have time to work on original content as I'm too busy at my day job, so if copying other games gets me out my day job, then I can do the right thing and write something original. I have this great idea about a plumber who jumps on turtles so he can rescue a princess that's been kidnapped by the king of the turtles, it's crazy idea and I know I'll never get a publisher to go for it so I'll go it alone, failing that I've another idea about a ten year old boy who takes on heavily armed soldiers with a wooden sword and shield to save a princess from a wizard, with nothing but a small fairy to help him, again, can't see a publisher helping me out but will see what I can do on my own

LucaMs · Feb 3, 2020

andymc said:
I plan to move onto pacman, nibbler, break out and centepede next. But i'll need to think of how I can change them to stop them being too close. I know I could write original games, but I want to get a lot of downloads so I can make a living from this

https://play.google.com/store/search?q=pacman&c=apps&hl=en

Count 'em; and how many downloads (without uninstallations!!!) they have obtained and how many app developers can live just by producing app games (and maybe even only for Android, excluding iOS).

LucaMs · Feb 3, 2020

LucaMs said:
https://play.google.com/store/search?q=pacman&c=apps&hl=en

Count 'em; and how many downloads (without uninstallations!!!) they have obtained and how many app developers can live just by producing app games (and maybe even only for Android, excluding iOS).

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bandainamcoent.google.pacpop
5,000,000+ downloads
but... developed by a single programmer?

***Siamo spiacenti di informarvi che il servizio di questa applicazione terminerà dal 25/03/2020. Gli acquisti In-app verranno disattivati il 25/02/2020.***

*Quando il servizio sarà terminato, non saranno più applicabili le garanzie del funzionamento.
*Le date e gli orari potranno essere modificati senza preavviso.

*** We are sorry to inform you that the service of this application will end on 3/25/2020. In-app purchases will be deactivated on 02/25/2020. ***

* When the service is terminated, the functional guarantees will no longer apply.
* Dates and times can be changed without notice.

?

@andymc and his space invaders

sorex · Feb 3, 2020

The difference there is that Namco has the rights from the start in the early 80s.

It's probably be a registered trademark aswell so you can't name your app pac man and nobody searches for dot man so the chances that you show up are small
(unless you refer to it in the description)

In the old days if you wanted to port an arcade game to a home system you had to get your licensing from the arcade company (namco, taito, sega etc)
but I don't know how much that costed and how much cut they requested on sales.

sorex · Feb 3, 2020

LucaMs said:
but... developed by a single programmer?

Does that matter, Luca?

There are enough one man gang games out there that do well.
It's all about luck or heavy marketing (which doesn't guarantee you keep your users).

f0raster0 · Feb 6, 2020

andymc said:
Prediction: B4A going free will really boost numbers of devs using B4Afor games

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Games Prediction: B4A going free will really boost number of devs using B4A for games

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