First update

I submitted an update tonight for quadropong. It's mainly a graphics update, since I shipped with the placeholder graphics that I never got around to changing. I'm pretty happy with the look of the game now, check it out here. I really like the texture on the background, almost looks like carpet, and it really gives the game some depth. Now it looks like the paddles are floating on top of something, rather than in the void.
I also fixed (I hope) a bug where Game Center wouldn't authenticate a player if they left the game and came back without a restart (multitasking can be annoying sometimes). I think this bug may have cost some lost scores, which isn't fun when you finally get a good game going. We'll see if it crops up again, but I think I have it nailed.
I still want to add some more 'fun' to this game before moving on. I have three ideas for powerups, clickable buttons that pop up and float around that you can click on to help you score more points, but I want to figure out a way to add them without being too distracting. One is going to slow the ball down for a period of time, another will make the paddles bigger, and the third puts a wall up around the whole board, so you can't lose for a few seconds. I'm still brainstorming how to get these on the screen without being distracting, how to click them without losing control, and how they will effect the game when they go away.

I love Blogger but...

I feel like I'm cheating! Blogger makes this whole process too easy I feel. Last night I felt like the layout of the site was getting too cluttered, and the dark theme didn't really set the right tone, so I set about changing things around. It literally took 10 minutes to change the theme, remove the sidebar ads and get rid of the clutter. I feel like I have a brand new site with almost no work. Good for me I guess, because I don't have to relearn web-design to get something functional up and running.

Feed me!!

If you would like to subscribe to my blog's feed, so you can get updated whenever I post new stuff, you can do so with this link: http://feeds.feedburner.com/Suaveappscom. I use Google reader for all my RSS subscriptions, and I highly recommend it, but you can use any service you want to, it should work just the same. I will be blogging more in the future, so stay tuned.

late night thoughts

So far I've made $8.72 just from the ads alone on this site. That is almost enough to pay for the domain name for a whole year! I really don't know how to get more traffic to the site, but I figure that as long as I keep writing interesting things, people will want to read them, right?

I was inspired today by a post from idevblogaday.com. The post was titles "On being self taught", and really spoke to me and where I am in my development career right now. I would definitely check it out if you have some time, and would like to see what it's like being out in the wild and being self employed. I hope to be there someday, and it's great to read about developers looking back to a time that I can relate to now.

I made a list of goals today, but they are stuck in dropbox somewhere and I can't be bothered to get to the file. I am in the middle of transferring data over to my new Macbook Air, which I picked up today. I have been eyeing these machines for a while, and decided today that I was going to get one for myself and give my Macbook Pro to Shannon, my fiancé, so she has a computer to use at school. Win win :)

My first week in the App Store

Spoiler: not very exciting.

As you know I decided to release quadropong! at $0.99 just to test the waters and see if it would actually sell. Maybe this was a little premature, comparing it to the competition at this price level, but I was curious. And truthfully, I want this to be a financially successful activity as well as a fun one. At the very least, I want to make back the $99/year that it costs be in the developer program. If I make that, at least I won't be at a loss. I don't think that will be happening with this game. In the first week, I had 23 sales in the US, of which I get $0.70 each (so $16). I also had one sale in China, which gets me 0.65 CHF, whatever the heck that comes out to. I had a lot more downloads though because I was spreading out my 50 promo codes to sites like reddit and toucharcade, hoping to stir an interest in the game. 39 promo codes were used in 10 different countries, including Singapore, New Zealand all over Europe.

This is really cool. Regardless of sales, people all over this planet are playing a game that I made. I can't really explain this feeling. I'm proud, and worried about this little thing that I sent out into the world. It inspires me to make more things and see how they fare.

I've got a Facebook page for SuaveApps!

http://www.facebook.com/SuaveApps
will you "Like" my page? I'm not sure how much I will use this, but any exposure is good, right?

And one note on ads...

...I get it. Ads suck. I've had AdBlock on my browser for years, and have enjoyed a cleaner internet. Ads suck...for users. But they are pretty important for the person or team on the other end. I decided to turn them back on this blog for a chance to possible make a small amount of money. Seriously, all I need to $10 a year for this blog, since the hosting is free. All I have to pay for is the domain name. So, ads are back on, you have the option to block them if you choose (which I totally understand and support), but if you can help out with a click or two, I would GREATLY appreciate it.

My first game is UNLEASHED!

So I've already posted this on Facebook, Twitter, reddit, etc, and my lovely fiancé has blast texted everyone we know, but here's the official blog post about quadropong! Here is the link to the iTunes App Store where you can find my first game for only a buck! I've worked really hard on this game for the last 8 months, and while it's not completely finished (it never is...) I can proudly say this game is ready for a 1.0 release.

I found out that the app was approved on my bike ride to Trader Joe's, my regular job, and I almost did a backflip when I saw the push notification show up on my screen! I was so excited. I then proceded to tell everyone at work who has an iOS device that they should download it immediately. I got a ton of support from them too. It's an amazing feeling to see other people excited about something I've made. I haven't ever had the chance to show off any of my previous programming exercises; they've always been tools or toys for me to use. This is the first chance I've had to really show off to the world. It's a little scary, because it's been less than one day and I'm already getting some negative feedback (outweighed by TONS of positive feedback, mind you), showing me small things I overlooked or didn't test enough. I guess that is to be expected though.

I was planning on relaxing today, my day off, but I think I'd better do some more work on this app. :)

"In Review"

Someone at Apple is playing with my little pong game and deciding if I'm suitable to sell it in the App Store. I'm in a bit of shock over this whole situation, and keep seeing it as the beginning to something big. Life altering. Self sustainable. Hopefully :)

Come on Apple, REVIEW MY APP!

I'm getting anxious. I want to be a developer full time, but I can't see the payoff just yet. I know I'm just starting this adventure, but the real world responsibilities of rent and bills require me to have a real fucking job. Boo...

I submitted a build to Apple that, in my eyes, isn't perfect. But really, are our creations ever perfect? Done? No, I think there is always something that we want to change or add. But I needed to get something out there. Get a little exposure and experience with selling something I created. I decided to release quadropong without ads at the low low price of $0.99 because 1) I can't seem to get iAds working, and 2) ...I need to see some sales. Maybe this is selfish, but I figure I have invested a little over $100 (not counting my time) in this adventure and I would like to see some return. I'm curious to see how this simple game can fare against the giants out there right now. Can one person actually make some headway with his first app? Please?

Side note, things like comments, @mentions and ad clicks really motivate me. So go ahead, send me some love. :)

Almost ready!

I dreamed of having the most amazing, fully featured pong app ever created done in a year. I just started the eighth month of this experiment, and I can now see that my dreams have changed a little. I'm totally stoked to have at least SOMETHING to release soon, even if it isn't as great as I had wanted. The core game is done (with small tweaks to be made). The overall app is almost there, I just want to figure out GameCenter and iAd integration. But at the moment, I am really proud of what I've done so far, and I'm anxious to see how something so simple can fare in the App Store. I'm prepared for abysmal sales, but that won't discourage me from continuing this adventure. I have wanted to be a software engineer for a long time. I dream of the day I can work from home, at my own time, and have success that comes from my own two hands. Let's hope this works out.

Break is over.

I haven't touched any code in what feels like a month. I don't really know why, I just lost some steam and haven't had any motivation. Until today. I realized that I want to make something happen for me, have something with my name on it out there, and get this app finished. I have cut back some of the big plans for quadropong for the time being just so I can finish and have something complete to put out there. I have no doubt that I will be able to make my goal of getting this app in the AppStore by the end of the year. And after that's done, I already have ideas for my next project. Stay tuned.

TestFlight

In case you don't know about it, TestFlight is a great way to get beta builds out to testers. It's a little bit of work to set up, but the ease of managing builds, distributing them to testers, and getting feedback from them is amazing. I just started using it yesterday and I already love it.

More Graphics!

I am really enjoying making these graphics for this game, I think it's a little easier than the actual coding. Unfortunately I am at the point where I need to get back into the code and start implementing more features. Here's my latest video (it's a little blurry, even in full screen, but I can't do much about that):

I finally figured out how to capture just the iOS Simulator screen instead of the entire desktop. Smart, eh? I used a plugin found here that works great. I also found a jailbreak tweak called Display Recorder that can capture video on an actual device, but I JUST restored my iPhone to stock, and don't feel like re-jailbreaking (yet).

Icon.png

Been messing around today with VectorDesigner, trying to figure out all its quirks and make a decent icon. Here's what I have so far:

Not bad, eh? I'm sure I'll change it a few more times before I launch, but I think this looks pretty cool, and very "Apple" for now. It was a nice break today to work on graphics instead of code, but honestly most of my time was trying different vector programs out. I think I went through five different "free trials" before deciding to stick with VectorDesigner (http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/vectordesigner/id402376701?mt=12). It had all the features I need for now, and didn't have the poor reviews that all the others seemed to have. It's no Illustrator, but it will do for now.

Graphics update (kinda)

I found a cheap vector graphics program called DrawIt that I've been testing out (still in the 30 day trial). I was always struggling to draw something like sprites in Pixelmator (which I love), and needed something else. I did some searching and found that vector based editors are better for creating shapes and designs, while raster based editors are better for touching up photos, creating textures/layers, and creating more traditional 'art', like digital paintings. So, here are the results of a few hours of playing with DrawIt:

I also tried to draw a cat face:

Not sure how that one will come to fruition, but we will see. 

Address change

I changed the address for this blog because it's not about bonsai anymore. Update your bookmarks!

Things are progressing!

Another week, another video!

Feels like I made a ton of progress yesterday and today, but watching that video I realize I still have a LONG way to go before I'm ready to actually launch an app. I have the basic framework down for the game, but I have a lot of ideas that will actually make this somewhat attractive in the iOS market. Obviously graphics and music are going to change, I made these in about five minutes (ok more like 30, I'm REALLY bad at graphics...) just as placeholders.

My idea/plan for this game is to release it completely free. Ad free and no up front cost. I know this sounds crazy, because obviously people will pay good money for this high quality and necessary game, riiight? :) I'm looking at this game as a learning experience for me, and release it for free will greatly increase my exposure, my audience, and my feedback. The more people that play with this code, the better I think. I have some ideas for monetizing after release, possibly with additional themes or different gameplay modes. I'm not sure about how to implement this smartly, plus it's way to early to be thinking about this stuff, but I am. I like to have an end goal to work towards, but tend to forget about all the steps it will take to get there. All in due time, I guess.

I'd also like to take this chance to say THANK YOU for reading this blog. It's fun to watch the stats grow each month as I post more, and get a few more readers to the site with each post. Knowing that someone out there is watching my progress, asking questions IRL, and commenting (...) is a huge motivation for me. Stay tuned, more to come as always!

Quick rec...

Here's another site that breaks down Obj-C in an easy to understand manner:
http://designthencode.com/scratch/
Helpful if you are starting and feel overwhelmed, or need a refresher. I'm currently freshening up on subclasses.

Four paddles are go!

So in case it isn't obvious, or you didn't check out the link to ticalc.org I posted earlier, quadropong is a simple, single player pong game where the player tried to keep the ball from hitting any edge of the screen. There are four paddles, one for each side, and the player controls all of them. To make it less annoying, two paddles can be controlled at once. Check the video:

I don't have the ball in there yet, and the graphics are sadly very basic, but the framework is there. Obviously I'm using cocos2d to speed up the process of building this app, and it has been an amazing help. There are tons of tutorials and resources available for beginners and experts alike. Two notable websites that have helped me in the last few days are Ray Wenderlich's blog (http://www.raywenderlich.com/) and Mohammad Azam's article (http://www.devproconnections.com/article/mobile-development/create-iphone-game-cocos2d-framework-136107). Both sites are a great starting point for cocos2d.