Quote: "So, a possible solution although radical and not guaranteed..."
Count me out for any attempt to manipulate or under mind the Google Search Results Formula.
Not only is it unethical, but it is a violation of their rules that can result in being banned from their store.
Personally, I would rather be at the bottom of the list than not on it at all.
I do not see this as a permanent solution anyway, as the formula could (and likely will) change frequently to counter such attempts.
I think the focus of relying on their search facility is maybe not the best approach anyway.
Yes, the search engines are important, but more so on their regular search engine than the one in the store.
The store's search engine (In My Opinion) isn't worth a dam with a hole in it.
If I am searching a game title, then I expect title matches to appear first, and not some game with a different name with a higher rating.
I am looking for that game title you dippwits, not games like it with a better rating.
The only reason I use that retarded search engine is to laugh at how low they place the games that should appear at the top.
Not putting the exact title matches first in the list is just idiotic. (to put it in a nice way)
Yeah, it is best for their bottom line since the app paid them to be there, but it frustrates SOME of your users. (some might be most if they did a survey)
Here is my suggestion... Public awareness through things like press releases, and referrals.
Getting a direct link to the app from a friend would be more promising to me than search engine results IMO.
The friend has already played it, so it is not pot luck on what it will be like any of the unknown apps high on the search lists.
I don't have to worry about finding the right one in a list of a hundred using similar names, because my friend provided the link (which we make easy for the friend to do).
That is why I think getting the Facebook stuff running right again is important, but Facebook doesn't play nice with their updates.
Users can still go to Facebook though, and post about it if they really like it.
If FACEBOOK integration is not cutting it, then maybe a website for Social Gaming, not social networking in general, could be a success.
It is hard to let people vote the best apps up because it is easy to manipulate such systems, so a game rating panel of judges might work better.
The public may grow to like this more than relying on manipulated systems too, once they see the results are better.
Offering incentives for referrals may work, but then you lose the legitimacy of the referral as they are doing it to get the reward and not because the game is good.
So, the friends might not try referrals from friends who have sent them a crap link before.
There is no easy or best way to approach this, which leaves us to examine what has worked for the top selling apps.
If they depended on expensive advertising campaign or bribes to get their apps as 'editor's choice', then count me out again because I am too poor to pay attention.
Bottom Line is... if the game is kick butt, then people will tell their friends without a reward to do so, and you will get the word out.
Our easiest chance for success is to convince Paul that keeping up to date with Facebook integration is our best way (and probably the only effective way) to advertise our indie games on a bubble gum budget.
I think a good co-op multiplayer game would do the trick, as they would tell their friends about it just to play together.
Once one of us (or a team) makes an exceptional game title that does get a buttload of users, then the world will know we are here.
Until then, I am afraid we all may be stuck on the lower rungs of the search result ladders.
Quote: "A person who has downloaded many apps provides more weight to a kept download than someone who has only downloaded a few, since google consider his views more relevant than the other person, i.e. he knows a good app when he sees one."
Juney, you know the most about that Google formula, so thanks for sharing.
I notice the FLAG - Thumbs UP - Thumbs DOWN buttons next to ratings too.
I am sure the people with lots of spam flags probably do not count at all when leaving their rating.
The thumbs being the weights for the ratings value or maybe the weight of the user's ratings as well.
So, in time the ones with the most downloads would be weighted heaviest because of the weights and not necessarily because of the number of downloads.
Quote: "So let's help each other"
Eureka!
But, unfortunately that has not been the case so far.
With the Gallery broken (maybe abandoned?) a lot of apps have faded away in the pages of forum posts
I just scrolled through a few pages of the Showcase and found locked [Released] threads on page 3 of 14!
Some had a decent number of downloads at Google, but they have very few ratings.
We do need to form an 'indie developers union' where members can support each other, but they need to be committed. (to the cause, not in an institution)
(okay, maybe both in some cases)
The number of games released so far with AppGameKit is impressive, but you have to read the whole showcase forum to find them.
A group effort for
public awareness would benefit all who participate.
On a side note about helping each other...
Are any of you guys on the
list of indie game developers at Wikipedia???
I am for the time being, but you may notice I have no page for my business name or my game title.
Why you ask (okay so you didn't ask, but I want to tell you anyway), because Wiki considers creating an article about your own company or product as self promotion or advertising, which they do not allow.
They consider this a conflict of interest, and find it difficult for the owner/creator to create the article without making it sound biased or like an ad.
So, we really do need to scratch each others backs if we want to succeed as indies, because flying solo doesn't cut it anymore.
While being an indie offers artistic freedoms, it has some baggage as well.
Coding things my way since 1981 -- Currently using AppGameKit V2 Tier 1
