The weird thing about Ad Supported games is that it makes sequels less enticing and may actually hurt your game more than it helps it. The reason I say this is that each game you make is more like a sustained service similar to MMO’s like World of Warcraft. The more people play it over and over again the more money you make.

Take into consideration that if I made a sequel to Impossible Shoota, called Impossible Shoota 2. Not only will I be competing for ad views from the old game, but now I have to make Impossible Shoota 2 climb up the download charts and wait a few weeks before it starts generating revenue. On top of that I have to let old and new users know that there is this new app that is better than what they currently have. And when the game does pick up it will probably cannibalize the players from the game before it as they will probably prefer the newer one.

If I made an update to Impossible Shoota instead then I have a few things going for me. First of all, it is already a established brand and is floating somewhere in the top 50 games. I have a installed user base of around 100k units which get automatically notified that there is a application update. Doing a major update especially if you made changes based on user feedback tends to make the installed user base more active and ready to play the game (play sessions always increase right after updates for my games). Also the fact that you get to a version number higher than 1.0 means to any user that the game they will be playing is more mature and more likely to provide them with fun, atleast I know I am susceptible to that. It also connects with players more because they feel like they have grown with the game especially if they were the first ones to download the game. Think about how attached players are to WoW because they started with Day 0 characters and watched them grow into what they are now.

Although this argument is not perfect there is a big chance that your players will not like the changes you make. Also defects in the game will be seen by more eyes and affect more people on a game update versus paid ones. New games get onto the “New” list and get a big download boost while in that list. Reviewers tend to only review new games and not updates to games, unless you really know the reviewer and your update is big enough. You usually don’t send press releases for updates.

In closing, if your game is very popular then updating the game might be better, but if your game is floundering then making a sequel might work better. However I think making a new game that can reach new audiences is the better solution as it will increase your player following

The general rule to making successful Ad Based WP7 Games is to make them really addicting and give the player a reason to come back and play your game. You will start making money when you have reached a good balance between the number of users and how sticky your game is. This might take a few days to a few months to achieve, but if you have a solid and highly addicting game then you have a winner.

1. Update often, and update with exciting new features! The good thing about WP7 is that a software update increments the Marketplace Live Tile, treat this like a advertisement. Actually treat your updates like advertisements, it showcases why the user should come back and play your game again. Although be careful if you are just updating your game too often as it might actually annoy the player especially if you don’t communicate what you changed
2. Use Twitter (follow me @mechaghost). I connect with so many developers and players using twitter. But I also get a pulse on the community, learning what works and what does not work. Being in the WP7 marketplace is like driving 60mph where you can only see 10 feet ahead of you, so the more information you know about the community means you can see farther ahead of you. Don’t be left behind by being the person who did not know
3. Read all the reviews and not just the one from your home region. I use this awesome app on WP7 called AppTracker . This lets me read reviews from all over the world on my device, it can also translate for you if they wrote in their native language that you do not understand. Reading reviews will give you a good idea what people want from your game, don’t underestimate this. Also the more responsive you are to your users the more likely they will remember you and spread your name by word of mouth.
4. Advertise! This is something I started doing a few days ago, but it has already impacted my games in a meaningful way. Advertising on different WP7 sites gives their readers a better opportunity to try out your game. Anyone who has something to sell will always tell you that you won’t have business unless you advertise
5. Spend your money on the right things. Many developers are allergic to spending money to make their game successful. Spend the money to acquire the correct artwork, sounds, and other software. There are many games out there that have awesome gameplay but looks like crap. Guess what? Players like seeing nice things before they try it, don’t kill your awesome product by not spending the money to make it the best it can be.
6. I tend to gravitate towards games that can be played over and over again because they tend to be very sticky with people. Especially non hardcore games like word games, puzzles, etc … I’m not saying that other games are not as effective, but more people are likely to play something that is already familiar and not intimidating with them. Also upkeep is cheaper when you don’t have to crank out levels on a regular interval to keep your players playing your game. But this puts all the burden on your game mechanics, so be sure to have a solid game mechanic
7. I program the way that benefits me the best. I’m not the biggest fan of strict coding guidelines especially if it gets in the way of making a good game. I’m also not that into super generic coding where it can be whatever you want, unless its the most basic of utility libraries. In my experience having something super generic has been a pain in the ass to maintain and leads to code bloat. Also remember in game programming we are not coding towards any industry standard save for a few things. Each game has wildly different needs as well, so don’t get lost in getting too crazy with code reuse. Do what is needed for your game, do it good, and don’t waste your time. There is a caveat to this though, I tend to have tons of duplicated code across different game projects, but that works for me, it probably wont work as well in a multi person project.
8. Share what you learn to the community! I have shared many of my statistics and techniques. This has given me more “street cred” which is important among us developers. Also this has lead me to more and more opportunities. Don’t be afraid to tell the world what you are doing, most people are interested in what you are doing wrong and right.
9. When I am finished with a game. I take the time to step back, take a break for about a day or two, then look at the game again. This gives me enough time to pull my head out of the mud and see what the game is as a whole. Is it polished enough, did I test it enough, what more can be done, etc … You are not very subjective about something you have worked on for a long time, especially when you are tired. The quality of my games have improved so much because I always took the time to take a break.
10. Last but not least, believe in your abilities as a game developer. It’s not healthy second guessing your ability as a developer, especially when you see award winning games made by this one person when they were in college. Yay great for them, but that does not mean you are any less than they are. I’ve never won a game award for anything that I have made yet I am very proud and happy with my work and that is more than enough for me. I think about believing in myself as the root of my game development, if I make it flourish then I will be able to get more nutrients from the ground as well as keeping the rest of the plant stable.

This post is really is not about the techniques you need to master in order to be the best game developer, but rather a mind set. Remember the game community is a fast moving body of water that can devour you unless you rise up to the challenge and ride it like a surfer would.

Cheers!