So what went wrong?

@Lazer Kat - Good advice and feedback!

 

Unfortunately your game did not show up on Appzap, I just checked through the past 4 days and nope, not there.

I know there is a limit of how long a game has to be paid for, before going free, to show up on those lists, and unfortunately you must not have held it long enough.

I'm pretty sure it's a full 24hrs, but they may have increased it to 3 days.

Hopefully someone else on the forums knows?

 

While this technic may serve to increase visibility, I have to tell you about the down side. It also serves to alienate your paying customers. Take a look at the thread for "Space Chicks" for an example.

I was singing the games praise, and playing it all day. I bought it the minute it released, i gifted it to a friend, and i paid for the coin doubler. I was their ideal customer - actually buying the game two separate times, spending money on In-App Purchases, and just as importantly I was publicly talking about how much I loved it on-line to help others buy it.

They went FREE one day after I'd spent money and my time on the game.

I felt betrayed. I haven't played the game sense, and I've now publicly expressed my discontent with their marketing.

That move basically took me from their ideal paying customer to some guy bashing it on the forums. This wasn't just me. There's others in the thread who did the same.

Now, your game is in the hot new games category at TA - not at the top, but it was there - that's how I found it.
This exact scenario is going to happen with you. Some people on this forum will inevitably pay for your game. They may love it. Then it will go free a day, an hour, what, a minute later? What do you think they will do? They'll go to your threads and complain.

Just a warning against this marketing tactic.
If you're going to do it, i wouldn't do it in such an extreme 24 on/24 off way.

Take this for what its worth, but i usually get paid to give this sort of advice. It is my job!
My $.02.

 

I also want to tell you guys how important rating the game is.
I started and run one of the most popular iOS Musician community in the world.

I just had a ratings boost test, based on the rumor that apple's new chart position algorithm takes ratings into consideration - not just sales.

I had a campaign asking all of the community to go rate an app "audioshare".
When we started his app was number 72 in the US Music category.
The next day it was number 34. It peaked around 22, and hasn't went back down past the 40-50s, last I checked.

His appannie numbers are very telling. The app was higher than it had ever been at its full $2.99 price. The only time it had ever done so well is when it went to $0.99. It did all of this because of one thing - 5-Star ratings.

My point is - you need to publicly ask your customers to rate your app, and also put a (non annoying/assumptive*) prompt to rate it inside the app.
* you can not ask your users to rate an app 5-Stars, by Apples policy. My friends app's update was denied by Apple because it asked to "rate the app 5-Stars if you like it". He had to change the verbiage to a simple "rate it if you like it".

 

Another 2 cents to add to the bag

Here are my impressions regarding the game:

• 1. I agree with what Lazer Kat has to say about ratings and review. Not only do they boost ranking but they also reassure a player that other people have TOFTT and they came out alive and satisfied after playing your game.
  
• 2. The name is also important. Short and catchy would be cool. But it also ideal if the words in the title are popular or very popular search terms on the AppStore. The best case scenario is when you discover keywords that have high search but low competition.
  
• 3. The screenshots to be honest do not attract me. I am sure that the game has more boom, pow, explosions, weapons and particle effects. Do not hold back. Show the best you've got because they are too your selling point. The first screenshot in particular has the spaceships firing but you don't get that till you pay close attention to it.
  
• 4. If the game does not bring anything new to the table, especially a well beaten path, you will not convince users to get your game. Why would they download a game similar to other 2-3 already installed on their iTimeWaster. It does not have to be a great unique mechanic. It can be a different take or story.
  
• 5.Before setting the app to 0.99 and then setting it to free, make sure you have the ratings in place and make sure the game is at your best. Then leave it paid for 1 week at least. Why that long? The only answer I can honestly give you is "because app discovery services usually mention this period.
  
• 6. The characters do not really match the rest of the art, but that did not really bother me
  
• 7. You do not have a clear tutorial explaining what kills you, what doesn't. The tutorial in social and mobile games usually help with the one week conversion. Usually with a lot of games the tutorial and first level/levels are almost impossible to fail.
  
• 8. Love the scratch. Love. The. Scratch. Did I mention that I love the scratch. Love it you hear? )
  
• 9. The sound does not go well with the game. I am sad that earth is destroyed and the music gives me a sort of "Cowboy Bebop with a beer out to shoot some space pirates" vibe.
  
• 10. Some of the game items do not go well as a whole theme. The crystals do not look...umh... spacey.
  
• 11. The movement is sluggish... for such a game I expected a faster pace. Also the tap to shoot... no
  
• 12. The Store. I would have expected it to be thrown in my face after each death. Check out how CSR does it. They put up a sexy female or a mechanic and they say: "Hey, you probably would have won if you had a better car." After I die, take me to the shop, let me upgrade so I don't die.
  
• 13. I stopped playing because I died too fast and because my weapons are really weak compared to what I have to shoot down.

I hope you won't throw curses. Just honest feedback. Hope these results will not bring you down. Looking forward to seeing your next game. Maybe even start a thread and ask for feedback early on.

P.S. I actually did play some more for the scratch )

 

I used to like reading reviews for games but now i simply ignore most of them. Look at all the competitions here for people to download their app, rate it and then get the chance to win $1 or something in a competition. Tons of people do that just to win some money its disgraceful.

Its a shame as it 'should' be so useful reading peoples reviews on games on the main app store but they're so full of fake reviews etc, disappointing

 

This game is actually really fun! Lots of polish. My only complaint would be the lack of auto-fire. (Unless that is in the upgrades somewhere, then my mistake). Other than that, it's a really fun shmup endless runner.

 

About fake reviews and no longer reading them

I still read them sometimes, but yes, I ignore pretty much everything that is under 10 words. However, people do see the star rating. And that still counts a lot.

 

Honestly, I think your best bet would be to release an update (or it as a different game) that incorporated LOTS MORE of the scratch offs. This is the most popular/most fun feature of the game, by far.
Make it to where you can buy them in the store. Have various ones with various prices. Have different scratch-offs with different mini-games just like real-life lotto scratchers.
Break up the runner gamplay as levels, and then give the user a chance to win/pay for a scratch off after each little mini-level
Create scratch-off IAP packs.

You have to find a way to stand-out. This would be a great way.

This would be how I would take this game anyway.

 

Insta-scratch... I mean scratcha-buy... I mean insta-buy )

 

This looks good downloading it right now at work.

 

This game is really well made, surprised it got such low download numbers, which categories did you list it under? The other issue might be the space theme and lack of a character. It seems that games with a cute or crazy character do get more downloads, I have nothing to back this up, but have read it in a few places.

 

Not bad results with the going free part - Keep us informed of how the name and keyword change affects the download count

 

Cool.
Ill tell a few ppl to grab a code.