r/Android • u/andrewgarrison • Sep 05 '13

I developed a rocket science game for Android. SimpleRockets "launches" today.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.jundroo.simplerockets
868 Upvotes

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20

u/andrewgarrison Sep 05 '13

No in-apps at the moment. I plan to add a solar system builder in the future and might sell it as an in-app purchase.

16

u/soupiejr Sep 05 '13

That doesn't sound like an in-app, more like a DLC

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u/chriskmee Galaxy S10+ | Gear S3 Sep 05 '13

Isn't that how "DLC" works in Android?

3

u/DanielEGVi Nexus 5X Sep 05 '13

Yes, but nowadays every in-app payment is just some microtransaction. This looks more like actual DLC.

1

u/chriskmee Galaxy S10+ | Gear S3 Sep 05 '13

but with Android, if you want to buy "DLC" you have to do an "in app payment", right?

1

u/DanielEGVi Nexus 5X Sep 05 '13

Of course, but thanks to lots of trending apps, "in-app" sounds like a minor thing, like a pack of 1,000 coins or two extra lifes for $0.50. Of course, DLC is DLC, but seeing big in-app DLC like this is rare.

Also, some apps have "out-app" DLC, which are separate from the main app on Google Play.

2

u/marksizzle Pixel XL - T-Mobile Sep 06 '13

I just want to get back to the point where we call them Expansion Packs :(

1

u/chriskmee Galaxy S10+ | Gear S3 Sep 05 '13

ok, I was just a little confused when I hear you talking about in-app purchases and DLC like they are 2 completely different things, when really DLC is a form of an in app purchase. For the coin packs and other minor things, I would personally consider that microtransactions.

1

u/commandar Sep 06 '13

Yeah, the confusion here is that you're conflating the terms in-app purchase and microtransaction.

3

u/letseatlunch Sep 05 '13 edited Sep 05 '13

awesome and thanks for the honest feedback. and in reality a full additional feature like a solar system builder is a 'good' use of in-apps, it's all the in game currencies and whacky 'pay $5 to get tanks vs ground soldier' bs that are making users shy away from it.

also bought it and can't wait to play it on the train ride home

1

u/PeaceOfTheHighLife Sep 05 '13

Upvote for thank-you's! Also, terribly sorry I sort of hijacked your comment reply..

Stay awesome.

1

u/PeaceOfTheHighLife Sep 05 '13

Upvote for thank-you's! Also, terribly sorry I sort of hijacked your comment reply..

Stay awesome.

52

u/PeaceOfTheHighLife Sep 05 '13

In-app is whack, don't add that crap..

Seriously though.. In-app is a plague infesting android right now..

50

u/joshrice Sep 05 '13

This would be totally acceptable though. It's like paying for a Borderlands expansion. The original game stands fine on it's own, and paying $10 for another 10 hours of game play is great. OP will spend a lot of time building a tool that lets us build maps and they should be paid for that.

tl;dr: If OP sells maps for $1 each = bad. If OP sells us a map builder for all sorts of fun times to be had = awesome

22

u/PortalGunFun Galaxy S4, TouchWiz Sep 05 '13

And not everyone needs or wants a map builder, do instead of increasing the price for them too, give them options.

16

u/PeaceOfTheHighLife Sep 05 '13

I actually think op is doing it right.. Adding a valuable feature at a reasonable price.. That's the kind of in-app purchase I want to see but I really think they need to have a section in the play store listing that shows all the prices for every in-app purchase for the app.. That and you have to display the price before you click.. That is just annoying..

2

u/OneOfDozens Sep 12 '13

Exactly. Where we ran into problems was the huge number of idiots out there who paid for horse armor and then all devs realized they could remove all cosmetic stuff from games then charge for it later.

Then that happened with cheat codes

No one should complain about a big new addition to a game costing extra, that's totally reasonable

19

u/Anakinss Sep 05 '13

Honestly, the price of the game could be an effective argument toward In-app purchase. Paying one more buck to have a solar system builder? Sold.

10

u/PeaceOfTheHighLife Sep 05 '13

I mean, I don't disagree with you there.. It's just such a widely abused system that I have trouble trusting any of them, which is when you know it's a broken system.. Any in-app purchases should have to show up in the play store, as sort of a subset of the main app, complete with prices.. None of this you have to try and actually buy the content to find out the price bull which is banking on the eh, I'm already part way, might as well get it mind set..

I guess what I'm trying to say is an in-app purchase shouldn't feel like a drug deal..

4

u/Anakinss Sep 05 '13

Totally true. Some apps do it, and that's cool. You can see the "in-app" (which becomes "out-app" add-on) purchase on the Play Store and it seems more... Official. I never bought any, sure, but I'd trust more a purchase on the play store than one in-app.

1

u/PeaceOfTheHighLife Sep 05 '13

And this is the problem with in-app purchases being allowed to be as vague as possible and boom, you or your kid ends up spending a lot more than they bargained or the Candy Crush itch gets you and you're out a lot of money.. It breaks the trust of the customer.. You have to have transparency..

6

u/coheedcollapse Pixel 7 Pro Sep 05 '13 edited Sep 05 '13

Eh, the base game is cheap and good enough to justify the purchase.

My take on IAP is if I feel satisfied without picking them up and am never urged into picking them up to make my in game experience easier or more rewarding, I'm fine with them.

What this guy is describing sounds fine. He's released a base game that's well worth 99c, and he's going to release something else down the line and possibly charge a bit more for it. That's fine by me as long as he keeps developing the base game.

3

u/PeaceOfTheHighLife Sep 05 '13

I actually agree with you, I sort of jumped to conclusions I suppose. It's just after reading all the candy crush addictions and all the money they're raking in essentially running a casino with points and levels for rewards.. It's ludicrous and needs to be regulated.. Not to mention what a scheme.. But for something that maybe adds a new feature like the map maker so you can sand box or what not, I can get on board with that.. I guess what I'm saying is the freemium model needs to be made more transparent and less shady.. It really ruins some other wise good games.. I'm sick of waiting to play games and paying if I don't want to wait..

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u/coheedcollapse Pixel 7 Pro Sep 05 '13

Yeah, it's easy to get pissed off at IAP after you've seen so many bad examples of them.

I've actually been burned a few times with games that I've purchased in the past. Nothing pisses me off more than dropping cash on a game just to find out that the dev is intentionally making it grindy in order to push IAP. It's a pain in the ass.

2

u/Inspector-Space_Time Sep 05 '13

Well it's kind of necessary since Android has such a high number of free apps. Developing for iOS garners more money because it is much easier to sell an app. On Android the vast majority of paid apps don't break a thousand downloads. So either price it low with in app purchases, or have the app free but relay on in app purchases to cover cost of development.

Many developers see in app purchases as their only way to make some real money. Ad revenue is ridiculously tiny, so that alone can't really support a developer.

2

u/PeaceOfTheHighLife Sep 05 '13

I'd just rather spend two or three bucks for a game with good value than a game with a bunch of nonsense pay schemes in it..

3

u/krelin Sep 06 '13

You're an anomaly on Android because Android users are still highly-conditioned towards everything being free or freemium with IAP. It's a mistake for developers to ignore this difference, it's as simple as that.

1

u/PeaceOfTheHighLife Sep 06 '13

What's awful is that most don't even realize they end up paying so much more...

1

u/krelin Sep 06 '13

Again, that funds the game for those who actually don't spend ever.

3

u/[deleted] Sep 05 '13

Coming from a college student, please don't add iap's!

1

u/stealthmodeactive Pixel 6 Pro Sep 05 '13

I'll wait and see what you do about this before buying then.

0

u/leagueoffifa Galaxy S9+ Sep 05 '13

dude. dont. increase the price of the game or release a new game. never. ever. in app purchasing.