Guys:
Sorry for the long-time silence. I finally am in the clear to post something about what I've been working on!! Also sorry that this post is similar to stuff I'm posting elsewhere. You know I'm a regular here and will check in to answer questions, provide updates, etc.
Anyway: I have been working with 2 other long-time game devs on a brand new football game that is going to launch this month. We think it's super-fun, and it's just so different and refreshing from everything else we've seen out there on console, web, or mobile.
Our game is called "Your Turn Football", and it's a free-to-play game for Android, Tablets, and iOS. We run on virtually all smart phones and tablets.
As for the game: It's super easy to pick up and play, yet actually surprisingly deep and believable. We get compared all the time to "Tecmo Bowl", the old handheld "Mattel Electronics Football", and "Electric Football". But the comparisons aren't really fair -- we're actually easier to play than any of those games, arguably more fun, and WAY more football-realistic!! Seriously!! :-)
We are a small start-up with pretty much no money and no marketing budget. We are trying to get a grassroots effort going to build a userbase, keep our company alive, and eventually be able to deliver a whole line of super-fun sports games.
Our first preview was just posted at: www.sportsgamerblog.com (http://www.sportsgamerblog.com). You can also see some screens and info on the game on our site: www.yourturnfootball.com (http://www.yourturnfootball.com).
If you guys can spread the word, please do -- if you post on other sports web sites, game sites, etc., please post info about this to get people aware of the game!! If you tweet or use Facebook, let people know.
If you have other ideas on how to help us spread the word, please let me know.
We are currently available on Android in some non-US countries, but expect to be available on all platforms in all territories including US before the end of the month.
Hope all is well with the rest of you, and hope this starts to bring you guys out of your gaming rut!!
Mike
Congrats!!! I'm looking forward to trying it out when it's released.
Your Turn Football is out in non-US territories: Canada and UK among others. If any of you live there, please download it and give it a try.
It's free for iOS, Android, and tablets.
Would love to hear any feedback people have...
We should be out on all platforms in the US very soon.
It looks very interesting. I will try it when it drops in the US
Any update on when it'll be available in the US?
We had hoped it would be available in the US by now.
We have Apple and Google approval, and our game is live in other territories, but we are having one technical issue on our side that we need to resolve before we go live in the US.
I am hoping it's fixed this week so we can be live shortly, but there's a chance we will need to re-submit (which would mean another week delay).
I will keep you posted; hopefully it'll be live very soon.
It's finally available and it works great on my new Galaxy tablet.
Quote from: Jason on June 24, 2013 @ 09:08:50 PM
It's finally available and it works great on my new Galaxy tablet.
I love the gameplay...especially the passing. Great job!!! I hope you can add a way to play against the CPU though.
Thanks! I was just getting around to posting now...
The game is finally available in the US and elsewhere for iPhone, iPad, Android, and Tablets.
iPhone and iPad: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/your-turn-football/id598041839?mt=8
Android and Tablets: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.pick6studios.football
If you guys like it, please spread the word.
We also would love to hear what everybody thinks -- just post here. We will try to address issues in future updates.
Thanks!!
As for play-vs.-CPU: We may do that in future, it would be fairly straightforward, however we currently want only vs.-real-people play in an effort to spread the game more quickly among friends.
If you guys want to play me, just give me a yell. We need to be Facebook friends first...and I actually need a new phone first too! But very soon... :-)
Mike, let me know when you have a new phone and I'll send you a game request through the Facebook Connect feature.
I guess I just need to get used to playing a random. Instead of just playing the game in one shot, I've been going back and forth with someone since last night. I run my offensive plays and then wait on him to run his, even if it's a few hours later. It's sorta like "Words with Friends"...you play when you can and then just wait for your turn again.
The best things you can do are either:
- Get a lot of friends to play, and play directly with them
or
- Get a lot of games going simultaneously. Inevitably, someone will take their turn right away and you can get a great back-and-forth game going if you have time.
Have fun!
Can iPhone users play against Droid users?
Quote from: Jason on June 25, 2013 @ 07:47:03 PM
Can iPhone users play against Droid users?
My question too since I just got an iPhone, but I do have a droid tablet. Also is facebook required to play at all because I don't and won't do that.
Facebook is definitely not required.
But to play you, to specifically pick you to play, it is?
iOS users can play Android users. Any device should be able to match with any other.
You do not have to log into Facebook to play.
You DO currently have to log into Facebook to match with someone specific. However I believe you can both log into Facebook within the app, create the game between you, then immediately log out of Facebook within the app, and the game will still be there. Once it's there, I think it's there forever and you can continue to play without being logged into Facebook.
Further, we only use Facebook for matching with friends -- the game does not post to Facebook on your behalf, take any of your info, prompt you to post, etc. So staying logged in isn't as big a deal as it is in some other games.
Give it a try, my guess is that you'll like it at first and then be pleasantly surprised as to how much is actually in there as you play more. :-)
Mike,
I deleted my facebook account and I won't go back. Just a suggestion, but maybe a matchmaking alternative in future versions...perhaps a google account? I realize people like me are now in a small minority with facebook being the juggernaut that it is, but I really despise it.
You're actually not in the small minority. I have heard similar thoughts from multiple people.
I'm currently working with another start-up on a fantasy-sports-lite/pick-em game -- it's in Beta at scorestreak.com if you want to check it out. Anyway, we learned that something like 40% of users will not log in via Facebook to a game right now. As a result, we allow e-mail log-in and an in-game friending.
For "Your Turn Football" we partnered with a tech company who made our core Engine and some of the social features. Some of their stuff works really well, but unfortunately some doesn't. One part that doesn't is the user-account system, and the ability to play with friends. It is in dire need of e-mail and/or phone number registration, and the ability to match up against specific friends beyond just FB friends. If we had cycles to fix that, it'd probably be the first thing we work on. Unfortunately we do not at the current time. If the game gets a lot of downloads, we may be able to improve things like that.
That said, I still think you'd probably enjoy the core game and should try it, even if you have to play with randoms. ;-)
I finally have my new handset. Are any of you still playing and logged in via Facebook ?
Let me know and we can become Facebook friends and play a few games...
Also: We hope to soon be pushing a feature where you can challenge friends via UserID. It's a stop-gap solution until we can eventually get a better account system in where you can play via e-mail, phone, or Facebook, but at least it's better than nothing.
I just downloaded the update for YTF which includes invites by gamer-ID. My gamer-ID is JasonSGN if anyone is looking for a game.
Finally downloaded it on the iphone and played the tutorial. I like the passing and the speed of the game. I'll be looking for some games with you guys.
Quote from: Ted on July 15, 2013 @ 08:41:01 PM
Finally downloaded it on the iphone
You've turned to the dark side!!!
I have. I really don't like Apple, but damn it's a slick gadget.
Guys -- The update with Play vs. User ID is out for Android, and will be out pretty soon for iOS.
The User ID is unfortunately NOT your team name. It is a long ID number that you can find in the Settings Menu. You can also send it to your contacts via text so they can copy and paste it in by selecting Start a New Game/User ID/Send ID.
This is not our ideal solution, just a quick band-aid to let you play people without Facebook.
If anyone wants to play against me, my ID # to enter is: a334851213a24c04adb5ebf903582775
My team name is MikeSap.
Looking forward to playing a few games...so far my team record is 5-5...
:-)
Mine is: de83a12bc96541fc9fc79ab99dfe4251
Team name is JasonSGN.
Sorry Jason -- your ID should be 32 characters, and the one you posted is 33. Try again or just challenge me.
(I told you it was a pain...)
Mike, I updated my ID above. I tried starting a game with you and it keeps telling me I'm not entering a valid user ID for you. I copy and pasted right from the your post on my tablet to the game, so I couldn't have typed anything wrong. Can you double-check your ID too? Thanks.
Ted, I just got an automated text from you requesting to play a game, but it came in my phone and I have the game installed on my tablet. Post your user ID and I'll try sending you a request from my tablet.
Jason,
I sent that request using my Contacts list in the menu option in the game. Can you do the same? I'm trying to find my user ID, but I don't see a settings button in the game. Then again maybe I should play it on my Droid tablet.
He can't get his ID on an iOS version yet. Apple has to approve that update first. He could do it if he played on his Android.
Thanks for updating your ID Jason, I just started a game with you!! :-)
Sorry if my ID was wrong before. It is:
a334851213a24c04adb5ebf903582275
Mike, did you do any of the programming for the game, and if so, what programming language did you use?
I did pretty much all of the programming.
We originally were on iPhone using the Cocos2D engine, so that was all written in Objective C.
Then we partnered with a company called GameClosure who have a cross-platform hybrid HTML5/native engine. We ported the game as it was to Javascript, then wrote the rest of the game in Javascript.
Are you thinking about writing an app ? If so, I would say Objective C with Cocos2D for iPhone is a great place to start -- unless you really care about Android or cross-platform...
Mike, this game is very good. Simple, addictive, I wait impatiently for my turn. Do you guys plan to try any other sports?
Thanks Ted!!
We would love to do ALL the sports, which was our original plan. We already have full designs for a number of sports, and 95%-complete designs for most of the others. Unfortunately, we need money to continue to improve Football significantly and/or go on to one or more other sports.
So we are actively pursuing partnerships that could help make good things happen. However while we consider ourselves great game devs, we are not-at-all great games-business guys. Further, game publishers are hard to predict, and game company investment is down right now (with EA, Zynga, and others doing way worse than they used to), so it really it is hard to say if things are going to work out or not.
So keep your fingers crossed, and help spread the game to as many people as possible. Any grassroots efforts that helped get us lots more publicity and downloads would be fantastic.
If I may ask, are you seeing any revenue from the coins or bucks? Do people buy those?
I've always been interested in writing an app for either Droid or the iPhone. I started out as a programmer but haven't done any serious programming in probably 20 years. C/C++ and Visual Basic are the last things I've used.
Ted: We are seeing decent revenue-per-user numbers. Our main issue currently is we don't have nearly enough people downloading the app.
Jason: If you try to do an app, I'd advise Objective C using the Cocos2D engine. Easy to get started, and you can use "pure C" if you're so inclined.
Mike, have you thought about adding the ability to call an audible? There are plenty of times on important third downs when I'd love to change the play selected.
Yes, Audibles and Timeouts are definitely on our "To Do" list.
Right now we're trying to see if we can get a partnership with someone to help fund us to make major improvements to the game. Unfortunately until that happens, items from the "To Do" list will trickle in slowly (at best).
If you guys have more suggestions, send 'em along...
Our new update is now out on both iOS and Android. The main improvement is the ability to challenge someone via their User ID.
Admittedly this is a band-aid solution to allow people to play against friends without using Facebook, and not as easy or durable as we would have hoped. But it does work.
Meanwhile, if any of you want to play, change your team name to something I'll recognize and then challenge me via my ID:
a334851213a24c04adb5ebf903582275
I sent one to Jason using my contact list and my id. Mike I'll send one to your ID. Look for Hammerzeit
Just saw the game. I'm working, but will try to play my turns now and then.
Guys, I'm in Florida until Monday which is why I haven't accepted your challenge yet Ted.
Have fun in Florida! Hope it's a vacation...
It was a mini-vacation. My friend bought a new condo in Champion's Gate, so I went down with him for 3 days to check it out. We spent most of the time at the parks though...Friday at Magic Kingdom, Saturday at Epcot and Sunday at Hollywood Studios, Epcot and Magic Kingdom. Needless to say, I'm pretty beat today.
I ended up buying an annual pass because I'm going back down with the entire family after Thanksgiving and then probably again in June. This was the first time I've ever been away from my wife and kids for more than 1 night. It's amazing how fast you can move through the parks without kids...but it's also not as fun.
That's awesome!
As you may already know, I got married at WDW in 2002. The week leading up to my wedding was amazing, including tons of time at Disney with lots of friends and family...and a pre-wedding golf tourney actually at Champions Gate!! My wife and I took third place out of six groups. :-)
We were also given annual passes for our wedding, which was awesome. We spent probably another 10 or 12 days at WDW the next year using them.
Unfortunately now with two kids in school, we don't go down to Florida nearly as often. We hope to maybe go sometime in 2014.
Mike, is there an issue with YTF? Every time I try opening it I get an error saying that I must be connected to the Internet to play, which I am.
I get that occasionally. I shut down the program and restart it and all seems to work after that.
I never got that before and even tried rebooting my tablet last night. As of this morning it's working fine again.
Our Tech Partner's servers go down occasionally, which is usually why that error appears. If you're seeing that consistently again, let me know and I can look into it.