Is the game 'Floating Duck' going to be a total failure?

[fink_network]

Floating Duck is an arcade game where you must dodge different enemies in order to stay alive. I think the game is interesting because its gameplay gives to the player plenty of freedom.

The question here is, does it deserve to be unknown to the world (not challenging? not graphically pretty?) or its low popularity is due to the lack of promotion?

Thanks

 

[SpookDroid]

Even if a game is good, if no one knows about it's going to be hard to be noticed. So yeah, promotion is key. Social media, blogs, tech reviewers, etc.

That being said, it's a game... for mobile... I didn't download it (and won't) but at first glance what I see is a very generic app icon, which on itself tends to drive you away from the app (I know, don't judge a book by its cover... tough luck, it's what attracts people!). Second, there are no reviews. 5 Star ratings with no real comments. Third, no video of gameplay and all screenshots look the same. Lastly, the description sounds like one more in the bunch of either endless runners or 'Flappy Bird' clones. If you want to set it apart from that bunch, then the app needs a BIG differentiator. Graphics is usually a good way to go, but even with simple ones you can create amazing things.

 

[fink_network]

Thanks for your answer.

I dont have much experience in android development and as you said, promotion is key but they are so many advice about this subject that I dont really know where to start (landing page, facebook page, facebook ads, adMob, trying to get the app reviewed, ...).
In your opinion, what is a good starting point? There is currently no landing page for Floating Duck, do you think it is necessary or the google play page is enough?

 

[SpookDroid]

The Google Play listing should be enough, just make sure that it has enough information and a variety of either video or screenshots to show what the game can do.

After that, it's all a matter of getting it 'out there'. Start tweeting about it, post in blogs (like this one there's a section for app promotion, just follow the guidelines), post it on Facebook and have your friends repost it. Instagram it. Snapchat it. Add a 'share' option within the game so that if someone likes it they can post a link or a screenshot to social media; that's bound to boost your presence.

Also, make sure you have the right keywords in your Google Play listing so that certain keywords will show it in the search results.

 

[fink_network]

Thanks very much for your answer, I have released a new version of Floating Duck with a FB sharing button, lets see how it goes. I will also add a landing page, maybe if I have some time, I could write about my experience of writing a game from scratch (without using any actual game framework).

 

[SpookDroid]

Nice! Baby steps go a long way in the end Even if there isn't much in the page but a few screenshots, some description of the game and 'studio' behind it and a contact method, gives users that feeling of 'oh, so this is a legit game then!' instead of having no way to verify if the game comes from a reputable source or a way for them to provide feedback or ask for support should anything go wrong.

I really hope you do get some traction with your game and that it encourages you to keep on programming for Android. Good content is never a bad thing to have!

 

[MaximGorbunov]

need add screenshots

 

[fink_network]

Hi,

I added some new screenshots but the game is fairly simple, the player is or playing or on the start / gameover screen, so hard to add more and more screenshots about the same thing. I also added a leaderboard using the google play services, I guess this will give to player a score comparaison reference. I am still wondering if adding achievements could potentially be a good idea for this game. What do you guys think?

Regards

 

[SpookDroid]

I personally find Achievements not to be useful because I'm not that competitive haha but some people do love having those little badges and knowing that they've completed all the game's challenges and have something to show for it, so it's not a bad idea.

A video of gameplay would also help a lot to lure gamers in if screenshots don't do the game justice.