There's an as-yet un-written rule on the TouchArcade site which I personally would like cleared up, as it's something I've been "guilty" of in the past (if indeed it is rule-breaking), and I may very well be guilty of it again in the future... and that is, what are the rules regarding people advertising their services here, BUT services that are indeed specifically related to games? Allow me to elaborate on this, slowly but surely... From this rule: we know that if a dev has created a new game, then they're allowed to advertise it, even though there is another rule which states: The reason that devs are allowed to "advertise" (another word for "announce" in these circumstances) their games is a valid one, because although it is indeed advertising that generates revenue for the developer from the sales they make, it is also "game news" and it does also benefit other users / visitors on the TouchArcade site, the people who are the game-playing community, because we are informed of games we might like to play. So yes, that's all very well so far, and it makes perfect sense. But now if I can work my way on to the point of all this, what about if we take that exact same principle outlined above, but take it back a few steps... What if I am NOT a game-developer — as in I do not actually have either a game live and published and ready to sell on the App-Store, nor the coding-skills to actually even go ahead and build one — but what if I do have what I believe to be a great idea for a game? And not only an idea, but the whole gameplay mechanism theory sorted out from start to finish, and I've also, as a graphic designer, got layouts and graphics and the whole UI sorted out? I've got everything sorted and it's ready to start building. So in theory, I do have a game to promote, depending on how loosely you translate "have a game". In this scenario, what I'd need to do is find a developer to help me out with this, in that we'd share the work in getting the game built, and then share the proceeds from selling it. So under those circumstances, what I would do, if there were no guidelines or rules to follow, is simply come on to the forums here, say what I've got to say, and ask for any interested developers to get hold of me. But hang on, that's advertising, right? But is it "permitted advertising", based on the theory that it is game-related, and the end-product will benefit the TouchArcade audience as a whole? Ultimately, that initial "design-advertising post" will eventually lead (hopefully!) to a "games-announcement post", ie: one that IS permitted. So it's not blatantly "selfish" advertising in the sense that I've got a bunch of 2nd-hand iPods to sell, or even something as bizarre as slingshots, like the spammer on this very post mentioned earlier! I can't remember where exactly, but I'm sure I saw a post somewhere on these forums quite some time ago where Arn very gently reprimanded someone for doing pretty much what I've described above, and I'd just like the rules or guidelines on this cleared up. Maybe if people think that it's too intrusive for inclusion on the current forum sections, but do feel that there is a place for it somewhere on the TouchArcade site, then how about a totally new section in the forums for game-designers? I just think it's "unfair" (perhaps that's too strong a word) that there is a section here for game-developers but not for game-designers. What do other people here think? Would you like a separate game-designers section? Would you hate to see the site "spoilt" by including one? Or do you have no preference either way? I'd be curious to hear other people's opinions about this... Thanks for reading.
I think you shouldn't post your game idea here, anyone could steal it. You'd better contact developers that you think should be able to create the game (take a look at what they already created) and then contact them through Private Message. Then you can give a short summary of what the game is all about and if someone is interested (and you think he/she is capable of creating the game), you can work things out further.
I certainly wouldn't just post the whole complete idea all detailed out for anyone to see, because, as you quite rightly point out, there would be some ruthless individuals who would think nothing of stealing it and making it their own. What I would do, if permitted, is post my call-for-developers "advert" with a basic outline, maybe one sample screen to show that I am serious and not wasting people's time, and then ask any interested people to get hold of me. From there, I would flesh out the details. Although your suggestion for me to track down the developers, and for me to get hold of them rather than the other way around, is a good one, if I were to rely on that exclusively, I see two potential issues: 1: By only getting hold of published App-Store developers, I would be missing out on the chunk of developers who are not yet on the App-Store, and perhaps these people are seasoned Mac OS X app coders or suchlike. Or maybe they've played around with the iPhone SDK and find it very easy, but don't have an idea to create a game themselves to publish. 2: If someone already has a decent-enough game on the App-Store, then chances are that they're already quite well-established and quite happy to continue working on their own, keeping their future work and success to themselves, rather than share it with a newcomer. I know that situation is not necessarily absolute, but it is a likelihood, and that, combined with my 1st point, is why I would still like the option, if allowed, to put a call out for developers who want to work with a designer.
