Disqus - Latest Comments for JeremyAlessi

Re: Flash on iPhone: My Experience

Jeremy Alessi — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 01:25:42 -0000

"the iPhone is something like a tenth of the machine your desktop PC is. So if you want to do incredible 3d graphics and hand-optimize your assembly, maybe you should look into using XCode and Objective C, and build your content and code explicitly for the iPhone."

Or you could just use Unity ;) No BS, I've got a project running an 8,000 poly boned character (duck) with ragdoll physics running nicely on iPod Touch 2G and above. Granted iPhone 3G and below hardware runs a bit slow but it's still very playable. The iPhone hardware is excellent, especially for game studios with a content creation bottleneck which wouldn't allow for any more detailed games even with powerful desktop hardware.

http://www.slidetoplay.com/...

Otherwise, great article on early Flash iPhone development. I checked Trading Stuff out and thought it was pretty neat, especially for an 8 day project. I'm looking forward to seeing The Incredible Machine and Grunts:Skirmish on the platform.

Re: The World Is Changing… How Will You Fit In?

Jeremy Alessi — Tue, 26 May 2009 14:42:11 -0000

A great 5 minute version of "The Singularity is Near". As much as I love computation it doesn't fill me with warm fuzzies thinking about what we're creating.

Re: Flashbang Guys Getting It Right

Jeremy Alessi — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 21:04:05 -0000

I read that book cover to cover multiple times in 2002/2003, it was fantastic.

Re: PushButton Engine Open Beta Launched

Jeremy Alessi — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 13:13:42 -0000

Hey congratulations on this! The component shop seems like it'll really help developers generate some turn around cash while they polish up their games.

Re: Risk Assesment: Don’t Put All Your Games In One Market

Jeremy Alessi — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 14:34:17 -0000

That PBE page looks intriguing. I like the buy & sell components page. If this is made simple enough it could be a great way to monetize a developer's time even if they don't make a hit game.

One thing I want to hear more about is the business plan for these broad games. If you start with a free flash game will Mochi Ads ( $0.35 CPM) be your only form of revenue initially? How long do you think people should spend developing that freebie. What numbers justify a heavy client and how much should that cost. Do you recommend creating the iPhone client and free client simultaneously and does the strategy revolve around a light client on the PC and iPhone for example or would the iPhone be considered a heavy client?

Obviously, people can do whatever they want. I want to know your take on the situation personally though. If you had a $500 - $1,000 game budget (assume you already have the tools) how would you execute a PBE project? How could you make that back in the first day or first week?

Re: Risk Assesment: Don’t Put All Your Games In One Market

Jeremy Alessi — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 14:41:55 -0000

Ouch, I just read Owen's article. With $32,000 to spend it seems like he had the resources to take the broad approach.

My take on his circumstance is that he spent too much time and money on the project, the game is too expensive, and the game is puzzle game (with little wiggle room for other categories) which means that he's competing in the most high competition space on the App Store. He should have developed this game in a single month and tested the waters at $0.99. More than likely he would not have found success though due to the steep odds associated with a match-3 puzzler (whether it contains micro innovations or not, it looks like a straight up match-3). This sort of game is what you should use as a first project just to get your feet wet. Owen went head first into the deep end.

As a side note, I definitely feel for him though. As such I talked to Arnold Kim at TouchArcade and he's thinking of giving the lite version some coverage.

Re: Hey Whiners, the iPhone Market Owes You Nothing

Jeremy Alessi — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 18:52:12 -0000

Dave, I'm glad you had fun with SkylineBlade. It was actually developed with Unity. I ended up picking Unity over ShiVa after prototyping Debris with each tool's trial version. Both are good tools with similar functionality. Unity though is a few steps ahead on just about every level. In addition I needed a good physics engine and I found Nvidia PhysX to be better than ODE which is non-deterministic. At the end of the day Unity is the closest thing to Photoshop for games that I've witnessed, it's a really amazing product.

BTW, I put up a pretty lengthy App Store Strategy article on my blog, check it out if you're getting into the iPhone business:

http://www.TheStillOfTheNig...

Re: Hey Whiners, the iPhone Market Owes You Nothing

Jeremy Alessi — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 12:54:17 -0000

Yeah that's right, it wasn't even originally from Wii Ware. So I guess that's another point in the "reaching the players first" column.

Re: Hey Whiners, the iPhone Market Owes You Nothing

Jeremy Alessi — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 11:23:53 -0000

The only game I've really heard much about from the Wii Ware side of things is World of Goo. I think it's a really good point though that people get an elitist attitude when they do catch a break with a completely closed system like Nintendo's. In essence you have to get a little bit of special treatment somewhere to catch a break like that. If you're on the Internet or even something like the App Store you're pretty much at the whim of the market so you have to really earn your spot with the masses, not just hit it off with a few people.

Re: Hey Whiners, the iPhone Market Owes You Nothing

Jeremy Alessi — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 00:49:50 -0000

I think there's something to be said for balance. The App Store is really very freeform. I don't see how it could be more freeform unless it was on the open Internet.

The benefits of the App Store far out way the old Developer/Publisher model. Apple doesn't care whatsoever what your game is about so long as it isn't pornography and it isn't something which infringes upon their business model. There have been many highly successful games which would not have met the quality standards presented by Garage Games back in the day and yet they are many times more successful financially than for instance Aerial Antics which I had worked on for a year before it got the go-ahead to be published.

On the other end of the spectrum it takes a lot of time and energy to generate traffic on the Internet. People may complain about the App Store but as Jeff said the Internet consists of millions of competing products, not just 25,000. By comparison the App Store is a beautiful thing. Apple provides millions of eyeballs for only $99 a year and a 30% cut of your sales. You cannot possibly generate the sort of traffic you receive on the App Store for that kind of money. An App in the App Store might be akin to a needle in a haystack but a website on the Internet is like a water molecule in the ocean.

I have not felt restricted by the App Store creatively and at the same time I've never felt like it was impossible to get noticed. People may not have liked certain Apps but it's apparent that they at least witnessed them.

I guess I think these guys from Nnooo are crazy for wanting a more restricted App Store but at the same time I can't condone an indie heading for completely open waters with a web based business either. The App Store strikes a perfect balance in my eyes. There are a few restrictions but there's plenty of freedom to be creative.

Re: Hey Whiners, the iPhone Market Owes You Nothing

Jeremy Alessi — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 17:22:32 -0000

Great topic! I've just delivered my 3rd game to the App Store and I was just thinking about how I had to switch from development to marketing strategy. In general it's actually not that hard to get on just one of the best selling lists. There are several.

The general idea is to find a lower competition category that your game can fit into. For example I initially launched my latest game SkylineBlade in the Action and Simulation categories. Sales have been good but after 2 days the title has begun its decline from the top of the New Release list. While my sales were good, they weren't quite good enough to make the top 100 in either of those categories (missed it by about 30 positions).

By watching other titles and using the same keywords that they use for search I can see a list which is ordered according to popularity on iTunes. Then I can cross reference that and see where these other titles are positioned in other categories. Long story short I've moved my latest title over to Adventure and Racing which are perfectly applicable and where my title will appear in the top 50 or possibly even the top 20 best sellers.

There is a definite strategy to selling on the App Store. Of course you also have to make contact with the players themselves through websites like TouchArcade. It was through their forums that I began building up an initial base so that the title had some recognition at launch.

You also need that player base to help you take advantage of the update system. By getting real time feedback from players you can streamline functionality and add new content that they want to see. This all ensures that the next update of your title (which brings it back to the top of the new list) is even more fun for newcomers than the last update.

As for the closed system, I think people trust iTunes more than some random company on the Internet. People give them their credit or bank information because it's Apple. The only thing they need to do is type their iTunes password to buy something rather than having to pull out the credit card for each purchase. Creating the technology to do this for my own website isn't difficult, in fact I've had the technology for the last 2 years or so but earning the brand recognition and trust would take longer. For the small developer that wants to make games but is still living month to month the App Store is quite possibly the only solution.

Re: Putting Your Game On OS-X and Linux is Not Enough

Jeremy Alessi — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 13:16:31 -0000

In my experience Mac users are 10X as receptive to games as PC users. This is what I was saying about picking the hottest platform first.

Re: Putting Your Game On OS-X and Linux is Not Enough

Jeremy Alessi — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 13:14:49 -0000

By all means add it back then ;)

Re: Putting Your Game On OS-X and Linux is Not Enough

Jeremy Alessi — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 05:00:39 -0000

You're always putting your faith in some system no matter what you develop for. It just depends on how that system reacts for you that determines if it's a viable business. Lately I've seen more indies go full time than ever before because Apple's system works. It's the perfect blend of PC (open market) and console (standardized hardware) development. How long it'll last is another question entirely of course.

Re: Putting Your Game On OS-X and Linux is Not Enough

Jeremy Alessi — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 15:27:51 -0000

The tools have made it so much easier to go cross platform these says that eventually we really won't think of our hardware as the platform. In fact they'll all be "windows" with a view of the net.

To play devil's advocate though, what if you hate PC, Mac, and Linux development? If we're controlling our own destiny why not just work on the platform you love? I'm having a blast with the iPhone and have all but forgotten about "ball and chain" systems.

The other day I was talking with an old student of mine from the career shadowing program I volunteered for. He's a sophomore at Digipen now and it's so cool to see how far he's gone since I met him during his 8th grade year of middle school. Anyway, I told him how I was developing for the iPhone and he sort of shrugged it off and asked me if I was still going to develop for the PC anymore. I told him eventually I would but deep down I don't feel a need.

I hate worrying about multiple display drivers, varied resolutions, sound drivers, non-standard input. These are all barriers to a designers original vision. PC game development is like the fast food of game development. You have to allow the player to make many decisions like whether or not they want extra pickles or to hold the onions.

On the flip side take a Nintendo game. There are no options, no varied control schemes, no display tweaks. They serve the game up just as it was meant to be played on locked down hardware. In my opinion that's the best way to play and develop.

If you go to a nice restaurant you don't change the dish the chef has prepared for you. You go for the experience of something new. I think games are experiences for you to wrap your head around not for the designer to cook "your way right away".

My favorite games are created this way and god willing this is the way I'd like to develop games as well. Some games can port from one piece of hardware to another without losing something or in some cases they can actually gain something. That doesn't always apply.

In your case starting with Flash is great because it is the lowest common denominator. If you have the resources to start there and work out I think that's great. For anyone with a smaller team (3 or less) I think focusing on a core platform they really enjoy is key.

Re: Interaction and Sierra Magazine Archive

Jeremy Alessi — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 03:55:30 -0000

I stopped reading Wired about year or two ago ...

I think it's rather ironic that the name, which was meant to covey the "cutting edge" is also expired. I always think to myself, they should change the name to "Wireless" ;P

Re: Game Pricing, Look Out Below

Jeremy Alessi — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 15:27:10 -0000

All technology starts out sparse, expensive, and unreliable. It eventually becomes common place, cheap, and polished. Because video games are based in technology they will follow this pattern.

Therefore, I agree with your assessment. However, there will always be room for straight up paid games as long as we have money and a free market.

Re: One Way To Divide Your Company Equity At Start Up

Jeremy Alessi — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 21:25:30 -0000

Yes! This is essential stuff, I'd love to see more. In addition if you write a book I'll buy 5 copies and make people read it like I did with Game Over ;)

Re: Motivation

Jeremy Alessi — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 13:54:19 -0000

I just realized that I watched this guy on Conan O'Brien last year. The hot dogs with boxed merlot thing was classic.

Re: Motivation

Jeremy Alessi — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 17:16:35 -0000

OK, that was good for anyone who still hasn't uncaged their mind. I like the way Jeff presented it better back in the early days of Garage Games though ;)

More or less there's a switch in everyone's mind and only they can flip it. In 2003 I decided to be self-employed and I flipped my switch. Since then I've worked my fingers to the bone installing, sanding, and finishing hardwood floors by day and I've busted blood vessels in my eyes staring at my monitor by night. Slowly but surely I've shifted from having to do floors to only needing to develop games.

Long story short, I highly recommend finding what you love and then doing whatever it takes to get there. Everyone's got a winning hand somewhere, you just have to be willing to play the painful cards sometimes.

Re: Motivation

Jeremy Alessi — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 16:56:29 -0000

Yep, works now!

Re: Motivation

Jeremy Alessi — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 15:18:35 -0000

Doh! It's no longer available :(

Re: How Much Work Does It Take To Become A Great Game Developer?

Jeremy Alessi — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 23:47:27 -0000

What I'm saying is that you either have it or you don't for a certain period of time. If you don't keep working hard at what you love then you won't be prepared if the opportunity presents itself. The only caveat is that you must be willing to accept the fact that within your entire lifespan your mind might not ever be in sync with the world at large. Of course if you stop working or preparing then your mind is guaranteed to fail when the opportunity comes along.

In short, I agree with you but I love a good conversation.

Re: How Much Work Does It Take To Become A Great Game Developer?

Jeremy Alessi — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 18:40:28 -0000

What I was inferring is that Shigeru Miyamoto created a few good games and then subsequently updated those games with the hardware changes over the last 30 years. However, if you look at some of the newer IP's (the basis of all games as I see it) he's created they are not scoring as well as games that he didn't even produce (like Zelda Wind Waker or Super Mario Sunshine) but are simply part of the IP's he created way back when. Specifically, Pikmin and Wii Music are sub-par for Miyamoto.

As it relates back to the actual article, I wouldn't necessarily agree that you get more likely to find financial success with experience. I think people have a certain pattern going on inside their brain and if they get lucky enough for that pattern to resonate at a certain point in time then so be it. Miyamoto had great patterns for the last 3 decades. Ethan Nicholas had a great pattern for our current time. I only hope to get lucky enough for my pattern to be desired sometime before I die.

While I agree that you can get technically better at what you do it can only enhance your thought process. If you're thought process is not desirable to people then no amount of practice will help you. The only thing that can help you then is the alignment of exterior forces or the opportunity.

As designers we are constructed of 3 parts. The first part is that innate ability we all have to construct what we consider to be fun situations in our own minds, the imagination. The second part is what we do to augment our imaginations, this is the technical know-how. Without this component we are merely crying babies trying to get an idea across with no means to communicate clearly what our intentions are. The third part of course is the opportunity. In life there are those rare occasions when everything goes just right like perhaps the first time you met your significant other. It's these moments that bring it all together. Your god-given body chemistry, life experiences, and then opportunity combine to form something wonderful. This is how a great game is made. Some people meet their soul mate when they're in high school and some are still single at 40. This is analogous to making games. Some people will do it on their first time out and some will have to plug away through many failures before they find success. Finally, as depressing as it may sound some people will toil away and never find true success although hopefully they will find related success through a tangent of some sort.

Re: How Much Work Does It Take To Become A Great Game Developer?

Jeremy Alessi — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 00:24:59 -0000

This is a very interesting topic. I could talk at length about this but I think it's safe to say that luck does play a large part in making games. That is to say when preparation meets opportunity you can succeed. Ethan Nicholas worked for Sun Microsystems so he had the programming skills necessary to develop a game. He was prepared and then the iPhone's unique publishing model presented the proper opportunity.

At the end of the day making games is a lot like surfing. Once you know the basics it's all about getting in the water at the right time. Anyone can catch a great wave. It stinks when you've been stalling in the sun all day only to see someone paddle out and instantly catch a great ride but that's the way it goes.

Even when you look at the greats you don't see successive hit after hit. Alexey Pajotnov is one of my favorite case studies. He created what is arguably the greatest game ever in Tetris. Yet the only other game he ever made worth playing was Hexic, which let's face it isn't nearly the game that Tetris was relative to their respective contemporaries. That's the cool thing about game development though. It only takes one or two really good games to be considered successful. I don't think most developers envision themselves creating hit after hit. Rather, I think most hope to create a 1-hit-wonder like Worms and then live off that single IP for the rest of their lives. Even Shigeru Miyamoto (arguably the best designer) has really only created a fistful of great IP's.