martyrius wrote:
First, there's (basically) only one iOS platform
So if you devs create a game on iOS, it will work on different ... models, right ? I mean - over the years, Apple has been creating new devices, improving old ones. One game will work on device from 2008 as on something from 2013 ? And if not, it would be simple to update for various devices ?
Yes, apple has striven to keep the platform from fragmenting. The developers don't need to deploy for all of the devices, of course, but if your interface is resolution-agnostic, one binary will work on all of the devices supported by the iOS version you compile for. In theory, at least =)
martyrius wrote:
That may be the reason why (in 2010-2012 at least), so much games were produced for iOS, while not so many for Android.
What's the trend here then, is 2013 gonna see a change in this attitude ? iOS is probably still going to dominate, but is his position lessening or is it staying the same ?
I doubt any massive change will occur in the near future.
martyrius wrote:
I have to admit I only used Google Play store, haven't had any dealings with other ones ... never had to, because all the stuff I need is there. The app I haven't found there was TVtropes app (it was on Amazon Store for free), which I stopped using anyway.
Okay. Due to the fragmentation, you could see android as several distinct platforms (that just happen to run almost, or completely, same binary). One of these pseudoplatforms is the Kindle Fire:
..which primarily has access to amazon store. I don't even know if they CAN access any other stores. You can google for rants regarding the amazon app store from developers' point of view. But let's just say it's a bad deal.
martyrius wrote:
Isn't it more like Google Play is the main market (situation similar to late 90s and early 00s with InternetExplorer - it was preinstalled on +/- every computer, so people tended to use what they had, cause it was easier) app, simply because it offers services good enough, it is on every android consumer oriented device (I hope I'm correct).
Yes, it's the default, but manufacturers can do what they want.
martyrius wrote:
There are many Android versions, but let's face it, only those with 2.2 Froyo and later matters, which cuts it (according to this
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Android_version_history
) in half. And maybe there's not much of a difference between 4.0 ICS and 4.0.3 ICS ... there will be a difference between ICS and HoneyComb I think.
Depending on the features you need, it's entirely possible to make an android app that works on every single android device from 1.0 onwards. But technology being what it is, you can never be sure. The more features you want to use, the higher you rise the bar, and at the same time, the more devices you rule out, reducing your potential target market..
It's the same thing on all platforms, of course. You can still make new apps for iphone 3gs even though apple has basically ceased to support it. On the other hand, dropping support for 3gs won't greatly affect your target market (first, the percentage of 3gs' on the market compared to newer devices is rather small, and second, if you're still on 3gs, how likely are you to spend money on apps anyway?).
Or let's say you're making an OpenGL application on windows. Want to support wide range of computers? Forget shaders. Want to use geometry shaders? Your target market just shrunk a lot.
The problem is just a lot less severe on iOS.
martyrius wrote:
And a lot of the technical hurdles getting stuff on iOS apply to an android version
Um, this is a good thing or bad ? I mean - if you have to overcome some technical limitations/obstacles on iOS, wouldn't the same process (or similar) apply to Android version as well, so you wouldn't have to start from square one again ?
It was just a comment since you said android gets a port of a port. You tackle the same issues for either of the platforms.
martyrius wrote:
I won't even touch the piracy aspect.
...
The point is, you can pirate games on iOS. I haven't tried, but I think it should be possible (as much as I can read from articles found on the internet)
Sure, but that in most cases requires doing things most iOS users wouldn't dream of doing, while piracy on android seems much more commonplace. I don't know why this is, but it's a fact.
martyrius wrote:
You used phrase "won't even touch", I would use it for "how Apple devices are so expensive in contrast to cheap (sometimes made from less quality materials/Android is on the rise, in similar manner as Firefox slowly defeated InternetExplorer ... or perhaps in similar manner as Google Chrome which quickly defeated Firefox. I could have ended as Apple user as well, if only they haven't been so expensive. And that's not just me, more people will think like me (I think)
I don't know. From a philosophical and personal preference stand point, I'd like to see apple crash and burn along with their walled gardens - well, maybe I wouldn't go quite that far, but I really hate the way they're limiting things, and it worries me, especially since now it seems microsoft wants to move in the same direction. Maybe it'll be year of linux on desktop before long..
martyrius wrote:
I will end these thoughts and opinions with one simple assumption - many games these days are released on PC/iOS/ANDR ... or even on portable devices market, many, so so many developers do iOS and Android versions. I mean - you wouldn't be the first to do that, right ? There are already people doing this and making profit of it.
From a pure business perspective, everything comes down to a few simple equations.
You have limited resources, time being the most precious one. How do you apply the resources for the biggest return of investment?
Time and money are often equaled, but they are only interchangeable to a degree.
Maybe it would make sense for AH to hire 20 new programmers - throw money at the problem, so to speak - but it's not quite that simple. First, from pure business point of view, getting those people up to speed would take AH's current, sole programmer all of his time for the next year or more. Also, justifying those people would require massive sales from the ports they'd work on (including their salary, the salary of the people who teach him, equipment, etc).
Second, finding those people is very, very hard. The class of people they want are generally tied elsewhere. They doubtlessly want to work with people they like to hang around with, reducing the potential pool further. And the whole recruitment process, yet again, burns time that could be spent on other things.
Note, since it may not be clear: I don't work for Almost Human. None of the moderators do.
