Game Progress Update #90

Hello world, and welcome to the ninetieth Dev with Dave Game Progress Update.

It’s not the largest update I’m afraid. There was a big End-of-August deadline which I could not put off, so I haven’t had any spare time to myself. (This is a great shame, as we set the hot-tub up last weekend, and haven’t really had chance to use it yet)

I did however manage to get everything done with a day or two to spare, so fingers crossed 🤞, I will spend the weekend relaxing in the sunshine. Although I should probably mow the lawn at least first, lol.

I have tried to get as much done as I could this time round, so let me tell you what I managed.

In App Purchase bug

After spending way longer than I would have liked trying to resolve this issue, I think that it’s actually an issue with the way AGK Studio has implemented the resetting of In App Purchases.

I added the issue to the AGK Studio GitHub page, and now I just have to wait until it gets fixed.

Compiled and uploaded a new test build

For those of you on the test team, I have compiled and uploaded a new test build.

This build replaces the previous version which wouldn’t even open. The compilation issue has not been resolved, but we have found a workaround for now.

There are a list of known bugs on the Trello board, click on the link to see.

For those of you not on the test team but who want to be, then just send me a message. I’ll get you set up with early access to the game.

Marketing and Promotion

As is often the way at this stage of preparing for release, most of the work has been aimed at marketing and promotion.

I have been creating a document which details what I have been doing to market the game pre-launch, as well as what I plan to do after the launch as well. It is proving to be a handy check list in allowing me to check everything is ready.

Following on from the email sequences, and the Flappy-vaders website, the next important step in our “funnel” is the store page itself.

I had left creating much of the store details until later in the development process, as I needed to have a better idea of what the finished game would look like before grabbing screen shots to use. I also need to do some keyword research in preparation of writing the store page copy.

I also had a look at Canva, after I was recommended it, although it didn’t really seem hugely suitable for what I wanted.

It seemed more suitable for social media posts relating to portrait apps. I will bear it in mind, and perhaps revisit it for another project.

And that’s all for now

That’s all for now guys. I’ll be back in two weeks with another update. I’ll try and share the Marketing strategy document with you in the next update (if it’s done in time).

In the mean time, I need to go as I still have to do post production on this blog, and create social media posts to share.

Until next time 👋

Game Progress Update #89

Hello world! And welcome to the eighty ninth Dev with Dave Game progress update!

I was planning on sitting outside today to write this weeks game update, but I lent my MacBook to my son the other day and it was completely flat when I went outside with it. So instead, I’m sat inside, surrounded by fans (The spinning kind, not the screaming and adoring type), trying to keep cool.

I’ve not had as much time at the computer working on the game as I’d have liked, but I took the opportunity to review how the game is going, and my marketing efforts for it.

Fixing the IAP issue

As I said in the last update, although the compilation issue isn’t resolved, we have worked out a workaround.

The issue with the IAP in Flappy-vaders involves the purchase not resetting. I have followed the documentation regarding resetting a consumable purchase, and it has not worked.

I have attempted moving the reset command, and adding delays and extra sync commands, but sadly to no avail.

The last thing I had to try was to add a repeat loop containing the purchase reset. I did this, uploaded the build to the store, and it still didn’t work. 🙁

I am still working closely with the Developers of AGK regarding the compilation issue, so I will mention this in the next email and add it to the AGK GitHub bug list.

Email sequences

I was hoping to do some more work on the emails for the email sequences. I made a start, adding to and tweaking the content of a couple of the emails.

The first sequence is pretty much complete now, but the second sequence still needs a little work.

I was called away however when I was trying to do this. We noticed that the kittens had been going to toilet behind all the furniture. So I had to immediately pull all the furniture out and mop the floors to within an inch of there lives.

The office is much cleaner now, and does not smell like a cat litter tray. I didn’t however, get the email sequences done

Planning and Strategizing

As I said earlier, I did review the game, and the marketing plan. I was hoping to include it in this blog post, but it was rather larger than I thought. I am thinking I might post it as a standalone blog post.

That’s all for this week.

Well, That’s another two weeks over and done with. I’m really not overly impressed with how slowly preparing for the games release is going. I have several areas (bug fixes, running ads, etc.) which have ground to a halt for reasons beyond my control.

Hopefully next week will be a better week.

So until then 🙂

Game Progress Update #88

Hello World! And Welcome to the eighty eighth Dev with Dave Game Progress Update!

Like the previous update, this update is split into two main halves. Fixing the IAP issue and getting compilation to work again; and also ensuring everything is ready to launch the website and start sending out the email sequences.

It’s been a ridiculously hot week again this week again, and I have spent as much time outside as I can. It has been unbearable at my desk even with the fan going.

This has caused it’s own problems, as the MacBook is still quite new and I haven’t managed to configure everything yet.

However, let me tell you about what I have managed to get done.

Compiling updates

Although the issue with compiling updates has not been resolved. We have at least discovered what was causing the issue. It’s the json configuration file for the Firebase analytics. If I remove these details from the compilation dialogue, then the game compiles and runs fine.

I am still working closely with the guys at TGC to resolve the issue, as obviously, just removing the analytics is not a particularly brilliant solution.

However it does now mean I can compile and test updates, and hopefully get the IAP problem fixed.

Fixing the IAP problem

There is a problem with purchasing coin packs in Flappy-vaders. When you buy a coin pack, it works the first time, which is nice. This is actually as far as the initial testing went, so it went undetected for a while.

The second time that you buy the same coin pack, then it throws up an error saying that you already own the coin pack. It then works properly the third time you purchase the coin pack.

I am not sure if this bug relates to the way I have handled changes to the way Google handles consumable purchases, or if it’s a bug with the In App Purchase commands in AGK Studio.

I have so far tried a couple of things to help resolve the problem, but being unable to compile and upload a test build has put a delay on rectifying this problem.

Although I have made another attempt to solve this, I have not had chance to upload it to the store for testing as yet.

Hopefully I have cracked it though, and shall endeavour to get a fixed build published to the store ready for testing.

Email sequences

I actually couldn’t access the Bravo website today as I couldn’t remember the login details! I’m sat outside working on the MacBook instead of my usual desktop PC. This is super annoying as I usually use OneNote to keep a track of stuff like this.

Although I did look at what I have managed so far with the email sequences, I didn’t really expand on what was already there.

I have a rough idea of what each email will say. So far, two of the emails are more or less complete. The others become less detailed as the list progresses.

Instead I focussed a little more on which type of ads I would be running to promote the website.

Website

Another important promotional tool is the website. It converts visitors directed to the site by ads to subscribers.

It doesn’t look like the site has a privacy policy currently. Make sure all the other links and stuff work.

I used a free privacy policy generator from PrivacyPolicies.com which took me a while to find. But after a few false starts, I managed to get this done in a few hours.

I tweaked a few other details on the website also.

That’s all for this week

That’s all I have time for this update. I’m trying desperately to get everything wrapped up so I can go outside and enjoy the sunshine 🌞

I will be back as always in a fortnight with the next update. Hopefully with news of the update, and something positive to show with the promotional planning.

So until next time..

See you all then.

Game Progress Update #87

Hello world! And welcome to the eighty seventh Dev with Dave game progress update!

Thank you everyone for the birthday wishes. I had a brilliant time with the best people, and perhaps more to drink than I should have done, lol. I also had a lovely time away from the computer for a week. (with the exception of doing my dailies in Fortnite every day 😅).

The weather has once again changed, after tricking us into thinking that the summer was over after the last couple of grey weeks with mid temps and occasional showers.

This week has mostly been spent complaining that I am too hot! 😂 And the app on my phone thinks it will peak today at 30°C.

So, without further ado, let me tell you what I have been up to.

IAP Bug problem

As I’m sure you are aware, I have been working closely with the guys at The Game Creators trying to resolve an issue I have when compiling Android and iPhone apps with AGK Studio.

This week I was notified that there was another DevTest build of the Editor to try. As I have several projects on hold because of this (Including Flappy-vaders) I thought I could devote a few hours to testing to see if anything had changed for the better.

This is the biggest issue I have had while trying to resolve the IAP bug when repeatedly buying coin packs.

Sadly, the updates didn’t fix the problems I was having. Although compiling, uploading and testing new builds did take up a considerable amount of the time I had spare.

Social media leveraging

I must admit I have taken my eye off the ball with this over the last few weeks.

The biggest struggle I have had with this is that unlike a lot of the other social media posts I do for work, I cannot schedule these posts on groups.

Despite printing out a schedule for posting, and creating content in advance, I have utterly failed to stick with it.

As I think this is a significant area of marketing for indie devs with low budgets, I am going to revisit my plan and see if there is any way I can improve on it given it’s (or my) original failings.

I suspect trying to clear 15 to 30 minutes every other day for interacting as myself in the selected groups. And also ensuring that not only photos for sharing are available from my phone as well as my PCs (I usually do most non-work related social media stuff from my mobile)

I think if I use OneNote to store rough drafts of any posts I want to make, so I can just copy and paste when I am ready to share them. I should possible also schedule time to make these posts in my calendar.

AI Content Generation

I have carried on from the last post by planning and creating promotional videos, using AI this time.

Not necessarily for production, but certainly for inspiration. Creating these rough videos using AI was certainly quick and easy, I’ll give it that.

I’ve experimented with a few different platforms. Making use of the free options while I determine if these tools can fulfil my requirements.

All of the tools I tried so far used text inputs to generate the video, so it was never going to be Flappy-vaders specific. I was also unimpressed with some of the stock videos chosen for the videos.

For the prompt, I used the same couple of lines of text for all videos. “I would like to create a trailer for a forthcoming retro styled endless scroller game coming soon to mobile”

Below are my two favourite videos which were generated.

This was the one created with Invideo (https://invideo.io/make/ai-video-generator-web).

This is the other one I made using Veed.io (https://veed.io) instead.

The one thing that did grab me about both these videos was the voice over. Firstly both sounded quite professional (compared to my voice, lol) and I quite liked some of the phrases used.

That’s all for now

That’s all I have time for this week. I’m being dragged clothes shopping shortly, so I am having to get this wrapped up in good time.

We also had some new arrivals since the last update. Bagheera, one of our newer cats, has given birth to half a dozen new little balls of fluff.

There are six of them all together, and they are all cute and doing well. They are around 2 weeks old in the photo.

I will be back in 2 weeks with another exciting(ish) Dev with Dave update.

Until then, good bye 👋

Game Progress Update #86

Hello world! And welcome to the eighty sixth Dev with Dave Game Progress Update.

I’ve had a very different couple of weeks this time round. Following on from the last update, I did have some fun this time round creating assets to use in promotion.

It’s been really hot the last couple of days. You can tell by the air that summer is finally here. I would have spent the week sat outside with the laptop, but I’ve not put the roof back on the Gazebo yet. (It tore whilst being cleaned and needs repair, I’ve got a patch for it but I’ve not had time)

I’m sadly no closer to finding a solution to my publishing dilemma. I have been working with the developers working on AGK Studio over at The Game Creators to find a solution, and hopefully won’t have too long to wait before I have a fix. Until I do however, I am unable to finalise a date to release the game. This is quite a large spanner in the works to be honest, and the quicker it’s resolved, the better.

Anyway, let me tell you about what I have got done this time round.

Recording footage

I first decided to record some over the shoulder style footage of me playing Flappy-vaders on my phone.

I have a camera tripod and a mount to attach a phone to it. So I thought I was fairly well prepared to do what I wanted.

However, it seems my office isn’t ideal for recording video footage. Firstly there is the constant whirring of the fans in my PC. There is also the gurgling of the cat drinking fountain, and the occasional song from Gary the budgie.

A good going over with the vacuum probably wouldn’t have hurt either! 😅

On top of all these problems, I also had issues with knocking the tripod with my feet when it was too close. It would perhaps also be worthwhile to disable the automatic picture settings on the recording device.

Still, considering this was the first time I had tried anything like this, I am fairly happy.

Mockups

The next thing I did was record some game play footage from the PC using OBS. This is intended to be used by itself, or perhaps combined with mock-ups from PlaceIt.

I also intend to record footage from other areas of the game. Such as the scratch cards, the UI, and the trophies list.

As well as video, I have been capturing stills to use for promotion and social media posts.

This footage is all intended to be used for adverts or social media posts.

On reflection, I would have liked to plan out a few screen shots in the same way I did for the footage for the promo trailer. Instead I just took screen grabs at random whilst playing the game.

Bugs!!

I’ve spent so much time playing flappy-vaders this week, that I have found 2 new bugs. I owe the first of these discoveries to PlaceIt not knowing what size images some of their mock-ups need!

According to the website, I needed an image which was 3040 x 1040, where as I actually needed one 3040 x 1456 (or so, I still needed to adjust it slightly in the cropping stage, but it was a much better fit than was suggested by the Mock-up editor.

However, while running the game in the ridiculously wide screen view, I noticed that the score display does not appear to be anchored to the top left corner of the screen.

The second bug relates to the missiles and there laser guided path. I noticed that when a missile is destroyed by the smart bomb pickup, the sprite representing it’s laser path is not destroyed. Neither when the missile is, nor when the rest of the missile paths are destroyed.

I expect the best way to deal with this is to destroy the laser sprite at the same time as the missile itself. This would give a better indication to the player that the missile has been destroyed by the smart bomb.

Both have been reported on the Trello board and will be fixed at some point before release.

That’s all for now

I’m afraid that’s all I’ve had time for this update. The next update which would usually have been on the 5th of July will be late. It’s my birthday on the 4th of July, and I’m taking a well deserved couple of weeks off. (No excuses for not fixing the gazebo and working outside in the shade it provides)

The next Flappy-vaders game progress update won’t be on your feeds until the 19th July 2024.

By which time I should be back, well rested and eager to get on, and of course a year older than I am as I write this, lol.

See you next time

Game Progress Update #85

Hello World! And welcome to the eighty fifth Dev with Dave game progress update.

It doesn’t feel like it’s been a productive week. It was one of the children’s birthday, which was nice, but kept me away from the keyboard.

I also feel like I have been hyper-fixated on getting the email sequence written. I’ve spent practically all of my time this fortnight working on that.

I was hoping to get the bug in the IAP coin pack purchasing fixed, but I am still waiting for an update to the software I use to create the game to fix the current issue with uploading the next build.

Anyway let me tell you about what I have done since the last update.

Email Sequence

As I said above, I have been somewhat fixated on this. Possibly because I had been having difficulty finding the right words for them.

Thinking that it might make things easier if I could see what the emails look like, I opened up a new Brevo account specifically for this. They have a drag and drop visual editor for you to use. So you can see what the email looks like a lot better than you can in Word which I was previously using.

I decided on using a free account for now, but I can upgrade it nearer release if I find my email list becomes too large for the free daily amount of emails it can send. The monthly charge is something like £6 (About $7.60 US) so it’s not a huge amount.

Unfortunately, as I don’t know when the game will be released, I am unable to set the second sequence. This is the one which starts sending mails a few weeks before the release date.

Social Media Leveraging

I’d actually been a bit lapse with this the last few weeks. Despite having a posting schedule, I had neglected posting much and had barely even been interacting.

I’m sure I have said before that I struggle with this aspect of the promotion, as I cannot schedule SM posts in other peoples groups. This means I need to make any posts manually, which I am less than brilliant at remembering to do.

To combat this, I first made sure that both the photos I had taken, and the notes I had made were accessible from my phone. For this I used Microsoft OneDrive for file sharing, and OneNote for note taking. I use both these bits of software regularly and I cannot rate them highly enough.

I have also realised that I could well do with spending some time just creating assets of the game. Things for sharing on social media, like game play footage, or screen shots. I do not feel I have created any where near enough of these just yet.

At least one of the groups I am using for this aspect of promotion uses #ScreenShotSaturday. So it would make sense to capitalise on this also.

Delays

As I said earlier in the post, the project is currently being held back by several factors.

The first, and probably most frustrating, is that I am waiting for the software I used to create the game to be updated. I have access to a test build of the software, as the current build is using an out of date Billing library. However the test build has an issue with the compilation process which means that my game does not work.

Because of this I am unable to upload the next build for testing. So I don’t know if I have fixed the IAP issue or not.

This is also affecting any plans I had for advertising. Although I have not yet managed to get all the copy ready, a lot of the promotion needs to know what date the game is released in order to maximise the effectiveness of the advertising.

That’s all for now

And that is all I have time for this time round. I have a feeling the next couple of weeks will be fun as I will try and create some new graphical and video assets for social media, as well as hopefully finishing off the copy for the email sequences.

I might be lucky and be able to upload and test the next build, assuming that the issue with AGK Studio are fixed in time.

Game Progress Update #84

Hello world! And welcome to the eighty fourth Dev with Dave Game Progress update!

I must admit to being a little tired of doing marketing stuff, planning emails (which I really need to get done), and creating even more social media content than usual.

So on top of everything else which needed doing, I wanted to get the bug with the currency purchasing fixed.

I also had some personal stuff going on this weekend, which kept me away from the computers and made this post a couple of days late, sadly.

But, lets not dwell on that, let me tell you about all the stuff I did manage to get done this update 🙂

Promotion

Email sequence

The main focus again this update has been planning and executing promotional stuff. Predominantly the email sequence for when people sign up to the website after being directed there by adverts.

I think I have decided to use Breva (Previously Send In Blue) to send the emails with. I already use their service to send transactional emails from various websites.

I have also decided that it would be better to use two sequences. One which is initiated when the player signs up to the list. The other which starts a week or two before the game is released.

Social Media Leveraging

I’ve also been maintaining a presence on a small selection of FB groups which I am planning on leveraging to gain some free organic awareness of my game.

This has so far just been mostly liking and commenting on other peoples posts. I am planning a few posts which will keep within the niche of the group. I had planned on starting these posts sooner than this. As I said previously, a large part of me not doing so has to do with the fact that I cannot schedule a post to a group.

I will manage to sort this out though. I will probably end up writing all the posts and copy on OneNote (Which I can easily access from my phone) and then set up alarms on my phone’s calendar to tell me which post to share and into which group.

Bug fixing

I was hoping to spend Thursday afternoon working on fixing the bugs, but the forces which govern my life decided otherwise. Instead I managed to squeeze in a few hours of doing so on Friday afternoon (When I was supposed to be writing this blog!)

Because of changes made by Google to the way purchasing consumables works, I now need to reset the purchase every time it is successfully purchased. That is not happening now. Currently it lets you buy the pack (success), then the next attempted purchase fails, and it’s not until the 2nd attempt at this that it works.

//********************************************************************************
//	void = BuyCoinPack(ui ref as tUI, player ref as tPlayer, coinPackID as integer)
//********************************************************************************
//	This function will handle all the buying coins with IAP stuff.  I will need to
//	sort out the IAP on the Google Play page before I can do too much more with
//	this aspect of the game.
//********************************************************************************

Function BuyCoinPack(player ref as tPlayer, coinPackAmounts ref as integer[], iapCoinPackID as integer)
	
	//	Local
	Local iapStatus as integer
	Local finished as integer
	Local token as string
	
	//	Do the IAP stuff to buy coin pack
	`	If IAP fails then just exit the function

	//	Starts the buying process
	InAppPurchaseActivate(iapCoinPackID)
	
	Repeat

		iapStatus = GetInAppPurchaseAvailable2(iapCoinPackID)
	
		Select iapStatus
	
			//	Cancelled?  The IAP was cancelled by the user
			Case 0:
				//	Break out of loop
				finished = true
			Endcase
	
			//	IAP Queued
			Case 1:
				Print("IAP in progress..")
			Endcase
	
			//	IAP In progress
			Case 2:
				Print("IAP in progress..")
			Endcase
	
			//	IAP Pending
			Case 3:
				Print("IAP in progress..")
			Endcase
	
			//	IAP Completed
			Case 4:
				//	Award the IAP

				//	Add the relevant amount of coins to the player total
				Inc player.coinTotal, coinPackAmounts[iapCoinPackID - 1]
				
				//	Break out of loop
				finished = true
				
				//	Resets the purchase
				token = GetInAppPurchaseToken(iapCoinPackID)
				
				`InAppPurchaseResetPurchase(token)
				
			Endcase
	
		EndSelect
		
		sync()
	
	Until finished = true

	//	Moved to lower down the code,  This allows for an extra sync.  If this doesn't work, then I will put this in a repeat/until look
	`	which checks for the status of the iapCoinPackID
	InAppPurchaseResetPurchase(token)

EndFunction

As the eagle eyed of you have probably noticed, I have moved the InAppPurchaseReset() command to after the sync() and out of the Repeat/Until loop.

If this does not work, then I will add another Repeat/Until loop which exits when the InAppPurchaseReset value has successfully been changed.

Sadly, I was unable to upload a new test build to the Google Play Store.

New Build Issues

I thought things were going quite well earlier. It wasn’t until I uploaded a new build of Flappy-vaders to the Google Play Store, and received the following error..

I am unsure if this is a recent change that Google has made, or if it’s an oversite with the current build of AGK Studio (It was updated recently).

>Edit<. I have been in contact with the AGK Studio developers and it’s an oversight with the last update of AGK Studio, it will be fixed in the next update. But until then, I cannot update the Flappy-vaders test version available to the play testers.

That’s all for now

It’s now Sunday afternoon, and I am sat inside with the laptop, finishing off this post. I’m hoping that the next update will go smoother than this one has.

I will be back in two weeks with the next progress update.

Until then.

Game Progress Update #83

Hello world, and welcome to the eighty third Dev with Dave game progress update.

It’s been a glorious few weeks here in the UK, which means that I’ve been able to go out at the weekends and make a start on sorting out the garden. It’s looking a little over grown after the rain, then glorious sunshine.

It also means it’s time to get a few new plants…

I’m not a huge fan of dragging round shops, especially when I could have been working on my game and getting ready to promote it, but what can you do?

We’ve also started buying things ready to redecorate the kitchen & watching tutorials on YouTube about laying vinyl flooring. The redecorating is long overdue if I’m being honest, but this has also kept (and will keep) me away from the PC.

Despite these extra drains on my time, I have managed to get some work done on the game.

Preparing the emails

Because I have been planning the email sequence in Word, I have been able to work on it on my phone. This has allowed me to squeeze in a couple of extra hours at least which would otherwise have been wasted.

I’ve changed my mind about the details I published last week about the email sequence.

Instead of the previous list, I have decided to use a more story based approach. Explaining things like my love of gaming from a young age, etc.

I’ve narrowed the choice of providers down to two, Brevo (previously SendInBlue) or Mail Chimp. I already use Brevo for the transactional emails for a few other websites I administer.

Both offer email marketing, as well as transactional emails, and support. Brevo doesn’t offer A/B testing on the lower tier packages, where as Mail Chimp does.

I will no doubt make a choice once I have confirmed to content of the emails, and am ready to start getting signups on the website.

Social Media Leveraging

I have continued to build a presence on the groups chosen for this. I am regularly interacting with posts, and liking and commenting on them.

I am very glad that this is only a small scale test of social media leveraging. I don’t feel I would have time to dedicate to a larger scale operation.

Despite having taken photos and planning several posts, I haven’t had chance to post them yet. A big part of this is because I am unable to schedule posts in other peoples groups through Facebook. I should ensure that the assets and copy are available from my phone so I can post with more ease.

Study

I have also been spending a great deal of time reading and watching tutorials to try and hone my advertising and copywriting skills.

As I have said numerous times throughout this project, I am a programmer usually. I am more than a little out of my comfort zone doing jobs like marketing.

I do have some experience, but it is certainly not my area of expertise.

And that’s all for this week

I’m definitely starting to feel a little out of my depth having spent the last 4 weeks now working on nothing but marketing. I need to get back behind the keyboard and start coding again.

It doesn’t help that other work things have been leaning towards administration and web development rather than coding as well.

But that’s just how it goes sometimes.

I will be back as always next fortnight. With, if nothing else, photo’s of my freshly decorated kitchen! 😂

Until next time.