Hey all,
We went to the Yetizen "Android-i-fied" circumstance and scholarly a ton most antiquity games on Android, but if you happened to miss it, then we did a quick indite up of what we learned. We place it beneath because we hoped that it would support you guys :)
Now, on to the event!
Charles naturalist kicked soured the talk with some choice words:
ANDROID IS HARD!
Charles naturalist was not unsure most his experiences antiquity on the Android papers with his mettlesome studio, Bionic Panda Games. There was little sugar-coating of the sextet field challenges that Android developers face, especially when compared to iOS. He did hit great suggestions for tackling apiece one, which we desired to transfer on to you. His sextet tips are below:
1. Fragmentation
Problem: Unlike the iPhone, there are some types of Android devices, which leads to OS fragmentation, varied screen size and resolutions, and types of hardware. This means that the individual undergo crapper vastly dissent from individual to user. Also, developers crapper cover themselves in impact trying to attain their mettlesome compatible with everything.
Solution: physicist suggests that you effort your mettlesome on multiple devices to attain trusty the individual undergo crapper conformable crossways a seafaring of devices. He said that he bought old, “well loved†Android phones from resellers to chintzily effort his mettlesome on apiece identify of hardware. As for OS, if you requirement to draw a line in the sand and not state older OS versions to wage a conformable experience, then do so. According to Ngmoco:), which crosspiece after in the evening, 94% of Android gamers are on 2.1 or above, so you won’t miss some customers by selection discover the troublesome 1.6 and 1.7 versions.
2. Development & Testing
Problem: Because it is so cushy to start newborn applications and versions on Android - you are essentially meet digit button absent from actuation newborn versions - developers crapper sometimes intend causing happy. This crapper overtake users and kibosh them from updating your game.
Solution: Android users typically don’t update their apps as often as iOS users, so physicist recommended a peak punctuation of digit week between app updates, excepting imperative fault fixes of course. And as we mentioned before, you should effort your mettlesome on apiece field identify of phone and supported OS edition before an update goes live. This crapper prevent unforseen hiccups and support you avoid those imperative fault fixes.
3. Metrics
Problem: Developers are typically flying totally blind when it comes to the way that users are interacting with their app, especially on Android.
Solution: Look into integrating with an analytics papers that fits your budget. Google Analytics is free, but crapper be a trickier integration as it isn’t built for mobile. If you are hunting for an easier and more mobile-friendly solution, there are mobile mettlesome analytics platforms that may be worth the cost such as Flurry and Localytics.
4. Platform Wars
Problem: 23% of every smartphone customers are on iOS devices, and customary beatific states that iOS users are more likely to clear for apps and complete in-app purchases than their Android counterparts.
Solution: To reiterate physicist Hudson, “it is meliorate to build a great mettlesome on digit papers instead of a inferior mettlesome on two platforms.†Each papers has different capabilities, so focus your resources in antiquity an awesome mettlesome on digit papers before you vexation most iOS. Bionic Panda is an Android exclusive mettlesome studio, so physicist understandably practices what he preaches.
5. Distribution & Discovery
Problem: Discoverability on Android depends inferior on collection ranking compared to iOS, and effort Featured on the Android Market is meet as arduous as it is on the Apple App Store. Also, Android does not hit a allied ethnic interpret like Facebook or Apple’s Game Center, so it is hornlike to angle on viral mechanics to acquire users.
Solution: There tends to be higher see state on Android (as physicist pointed out, “it is Google productâ€), so attain trusty your app statement is accurate and hits every of the important keywords that users would use to see for a mettlesome like yours. Also, he could not pronounce enough the grandness of having a well-designed app picture that draws users in. This picture and your app denomination are often every the individual sees before making his selection to download, so use that expanse wisely! Also, luckily for Android developers, Android ease allows incentivized installs, so jump on the ad networks such as Tapjoy and Admob to support getting your cum assemble of users. Assuming you’ve made a compelling app, erst you intend the cum assemble of users you should be soured and running.
6. Monetization
Problem: It is customary beatific that iOS games typically create more revenue when compared to Android games. Part of the news behind this is that in-app purchases on iOS is such easier than the severely fragmented Android payments.
Solution: Count on an eventual compounding of payment methods on Android, and Google Payments is a beatific choice because they module always be around. The key with substantiation is to wage compelling reasons for users to acquire in, and then they module encounter ways to do so, disregarding of the difficulty.
