Well, i'm 36 since May and i started at 10 years old on C64, this is why i love 2D and the old style games.
All the times i seen in TV films like "Weird Science" or "War Games" i never thought "Wow i wanna play it", but i always thought "Wow if they done a game like this, i can do it too", and i done.
But developing for C64 and PC when i was a child, didn't make (for my father, i was too young) much money, because the piracy.
When i was 16, i released some School Programs, a program like 123 Lotus, a Soccer Manager...
This is the reason i port all the game i remember. Well, i know all games from 1985/1986 till i was 20 years old.
After, i had a different kind of life, girls (many), disco, stupidity, university, abandoned university (in Italy, IT is useless, as you never learn to code).....
Anyway...
Now i have to thanks Apple for the job they created for me in Italy (even if i will go away from here, and soon, to move in England or in Australia).
Well yes, i earn a lot now. Now we arrived to 180000 download. 100000 are the free with iAds.
Everyday we have about 3000 new downloads, is not very much but i found a method to get them regularly, so i can have a little stability to start a BIG GAME. This is my objective.
My secret is to do only 2D, and to do other easy apps while my graphic designers do their work.
We have a icon template, screenshot template and a site.
I also do some graphic by myself, i take care personally of the site, and of the marketing on the various forums. So you can understand i work much hours a day without pause for much months.
In 2013 i never stopped since january. Now i will pass July and August counting money ahahah...
Well, be optimist and all will go ok.
Some of my games are in the top 100 of some nations. Some other in the first 10.
But i miss China and Japan, and for this reason our next game (RPG) will be done in a manga 2D style.
Another suggestion i can give: is better you don't think too much on what to do.
Some times i earn much more from apps that i never thought they could earn.
Also i try to listen to all peoples in the streets when they talk, to take an idea to create an app.
Another suggestion is to update games when the download go down, and to pass to iAD and make them free when do nothing at all.
Recently i also done the connection to Apple from my server to check the In App Purchase, because the 90% of transaction are all false for the russian hack.
If you need the code i can give it, you just need a server (linux possibly), php and some patience.
All i can say is, believe in what you do.
I bought Poser 12 for my 3D designer, and he is learning how to use it.
You will see some new screenshot for the "Barbarian" clone that we called "There Can be Only One".
As you see, i read something somewhere, or i seen a sprite somewhere, and i decide to do it in less time than other can do.
Well i'm talking too much!! ahaaha
Don't wanna bother you!
But AppGameKit is perfect for 2D. For me is the best. (If Paul divide the LIBS is the maximum
)
Edit : I forgot the most important suggestion, to run fast.
When you complete the first game, don't change totally the genre. Try to do another game that can use the 50% of functions you already done, and do other 50% new.
So the next game, will use the 75% of both, and so on...
You will arrive at a point that you already will have all the code to do new apps using the same code you already written.
Long life to Steve!
