Sorry your browser is not supported!

Hello All,

With my first app, Proverbs Challenge, I am only making some pocket change through ads, but I do have a feeling of pride for completing it and getting it published on Amazon.

Recently though, I have been inspired by xGEKKOx's success in the app market and here is why:

Posted: 4th Oct 2011 01:57



Posted: 28th Feb 2014 00:55


That is some CRAZY production!! I also remember another statement by him that said he was pulling in about $7k PER DAY!!
(or the Italian currency equivalent)

I do believe he has another person or two helping him, but none the less, I am very inspired by him and his team to finish and publish my apps, in a timely manner.

Maybe he doesn't have a full time job or a family, but I am motivated to put up my best efforts to even make a fraction of that consistently.

Thank you for this awesome tool TGC and thank you xGEKKOx for the inspiration!!

Has anyone else made any significant income from their apps?

Code On!!
JHA

I only made free apps myself, but you have to keep in mind that Gekko has that success & sales because he invests a lot of $ in adverts!

xGEKKOx, any chance of telling us your routine from start to finish?

I realize there is advertising involved, but that should be the case to get your app out there.

The question is, where to advertise and how much to spend, if anything?

Hi JHA, and hi to other new boys on this forum.
Well, i'm honored by your interest and to be an inspiration for you!!

What i said on the first game i released: "Yes is hard, but believe in yourself and go on!!!", is true!

The story is this...

I done other jobs in my life in the past:
- Opened and closed after 4 years a PC Hardware Shop in my town (closed because of the too high tax in Italy)
- Was a reseller of linux dedicated servers and opened the bigger community in Europe of Trackmania (the race game). While this period i developed a server side for the game, that was able to send advertise to the users as banners and videos. At the same time i developed a system in PHP that convert the game to an RPG free to play game with some visive effect like rain and snow.
Since the 2007 to 2010 my system called TPS -> The Power System :

All you see in this video, over the game, is my TPS (menu, city, slots, car parts, leaderboards)

First version (very rude):


About last (the one with windows desktop emulation):


The weather plugins:


So i started to rent my system to other servers host, and i earned well.
When Nadeo passed to Ubisoft, i was in disagree with them and i closed all.
Nadeo gone bankrupt, so i did a great choice.

The best memories of this times, are the Guinness World Records, attributed to Nadeo, but were mine, 129 Players online on a server, and the year after, 255 players online on the server.

Now...

When i released Street Karate Fighter i was a bit incredulous about mobile market.
But the day after i released it, i saw i done 56 download and i earned about 64$, so i told to myself...
"Wow if i done 64$ in a day with 1 game, what i can do with 100 games?"

As the time gone by, i undesrtand some things:
- In the beginning release more game you can
- When you have about 15/20 games try to understand which ones sell more
- Replicate the best seller games 5 times (so if you have 2/20, try to make 10 similar games)
- Spend 1 month for 1 game
- If you have the possibility to earn the same money for 2 months, use 2 months instead 1 (as i said before) to release a better game
- Enter in the mind of the users that wanna pay IN APPS, and understand which kind of in app they want
- Understand that ADVERTISE is the things that speed up your sell

The advertise system is a world apart!!
I explain...
If you wanna promote one of your app, you need to take a budget and invest.
Let's imagine you wanna invest 100$ on your best app (we call it SMILE for example)

- SMILE do 10 download / day, is better you don't invest.
- SMILE do more than 500 download / day, is better you invest
- SMILE must support advertise into itself so you will earn by your AD at the same time (% is lower, on 100 your return is 30, but is better than nothing)
- SMILE must surpass the other apps CPM. So if Angry Bird BID 1.00$/1000 Impressions you must invest 1.05$/1000 Impressions.

So you can understand that the AD system is a BID system. So if i want SMILE go up in US eheheh, you need to invest really much. But, buddy, if you go up in US, you are rich!!!! Ahahah!!

Well, yes, i'm really fast in coding, and i'm alone since 2 years with graphic design. I'm buying something on the web (for example DeviantArt similar sites) or if i don't find what i need i do by myself, but i hate to paint!!!!

This must be your only job, or you will never release nothing!!
So if you are scared to leave your current job, you don't understand the power of Mobile APP, but you make me happy!!!
Less developer, more money for me!! Ahahahah!!

I code since 1987, when i was only 10 years old. Started on Commodore 64, but piracy stopped me to release anything since i was 18.

After all those years, i returned to do what i do better, CODE
I love my job, i work when i want expecially in the night when the other sleep, i'm alone at my home, the next year i will marry my girlfriend, and i love to find people in the street that ask me if i'm GEKKO ahaahau.
Is really funny!!!

What you can do to do much app as you can and faster:
- SERVER SIDE (the most important: statistic, sell, in app, users, id, visits.... ALL)
- Sprite Manager
- File Manager
- Audio Manager
- Animation Manager
- Tile Manager
- Facebook + Game Center + In App with AntiHack
- Controller Manager

All of this code must be generic to be used everywhere, EVERYWHERE!!!!
If you do a file, that you can import in each project, you will do less lines of code each game and you will be a rocket!!

Well, if you have other question, don't hesitate to ask, i'm very happy to help.

P.S: I can say only this, i earn from iAD about 150$/Day (some day 140, some day 160), and i invest the same to promote my best seller apps.

Thank you for sharing.

Yes, good stuff xGEKKOx.

Thanks xGEKKOx!

I too started when I was about 9 or 10 in 1978. I didn't know anyone that could program, so I had to teach myself. I wish I had taught myself C++ or some other more powerful language, but I didn't. I learned mostly on the C64 as well as the Amiga, before moving to a Windows based PC.



Yea, I'm a bit scared to leave my job that pays me around $90k per year. They also pay for my gas, my cell phone and about 95% of my health care, plus a 3% match on my 401k. With a Wife and 4 kids, I can't just walk away from that.

That being said, I have always wanted to make Games and Utilities for the greater public and now I can with AppGameKit, so I am committing to start now. Better late than never!!

Thank you for your story! I have been further inspired and may take you up on your offer if I have questions.

Thanks again!!
JHA

Well, well, your job is a great job. In Italy nobody earn 90K / year so don't leave it eheheh!!
In Italy the most lucky "common" man earn 20K year, this is why i have no fear to do all by myself.

You can start slowly, releasing 1 app each 3 months or slower.

Good luck buddy, if you need help we are here!

Gekko, I know you were working on publishing to Android too. Were you ever able to do that? If so do you use AdMob that comes with the AppGameKit projects or have you made modifications. We don't want to use AdMob and want to replace with something different, but T1 is locked down. Do you have any suggestions or can you refer us to any java programmers that might be able to help us out?

Thanks!

Well, sincerely i abandoned Android testing and i'm searching an Android developer to hire.
I can't loose too many time testing, sorry i can't help you.

I'm also hiring for a Windows Mobile developer.

Why you don't want to use AdMob?

We really want to try out other platforms. And AGK's implementation of AdMob with Tier 1 is not good. Ads take way too long to show. Also we would like full page interstitials. I know AdMob provides this but tier 1 cannot do it.

No worries that you can't help. I was hoping you've gotten experienced in java or found a good developer.
If you find a good android developer please send them my way if you can. Thanks!

Guys

What do you need an Android developer for? If you are using AppGameKit and once over the hurdle of compile/deploy cycle you can code away until your hearts content!

Do you need android specific stuff as If not most stuff can be done in c++ or object Pascal! Just wondered?

AGK for Android doesn't work!!
This is why i'm hiring an Android coder.

I think that more AppGameKit apps have been published for Android than any other OS. It has worked fine for a lot of people including Tier 1 and Tier 2 development tracks. Have you tried testing the most basic "Hello World" app and see if you have the same issues? I'm thinking the problem is something on your end with other code rather than AppGameKit specifically.

i have to agree with xCept, AGKv1 T2 works fine with Android on Windows using the standard templates that come with AGK. Just follow the step by step installation guide and everything will work fine.

AGK for Android works fine for the rest of us. Maybe GEKKO is trying too hard to bring his own variations to the party?

Maybe i'm not clear, the PRINT FPS example works for me on NETBEANS.
It work also on eclipse, but only on the first lauch. Every time i need tu rebuild i need to restart eclipse.

If i test it 20 times, it crash at startup 15 times.
If i add the AppGameKit HTTP functions it crash 50% times on the calling. So for me it doesn't work.
AGK V1 T2 for Android doesn't work.

In fact, in Tier 2 iOS i use OBJ C for all the Extra and server connections.
This is why AppGameKit is losing the right way.

I don't wanna be the games god, or the one who release much more, but who can give help to TGC to survive is me, cause i earn more.

Now, if TGC team doesn't mind, is obvious i switch to another engine and invest the money i done using AppGameKit for another developers team.

Gekko,

So if you follow the Android setup instructions for AppGameKit v1, step by step, without skipping anything, and using ECLIPSE, it does not work?

It always worked fine for me (I don't use AppGameKit for new projects anymore, so i deleted the whole AppGameKit setup last year), I never had any problem. But I followed the instructions step by step and did not deviate by using netbeans or other versions etc

However when I tried to include the FMOD libs, it could not work in anyway. The FMOD team tried to help, but never managed to get FMOD to work with AppGameKit under Android!

FMOD for me worked well in iOS, but i use BASSMOD now.
It worked also on Android, but games crash in random way using SDK 4.2

fmod works fine with agk ios & windows

but i never managed to get it to work with android

if you manage to setup the android template and have bassmod working let us know!