Google I/O: Everything You Need to Know About New Launches & Changes in Google Tech

Application developers from around the world flocked to San Francisco for the annual Google I/O developers conference, which took place June 25 to June 26, 2014, and we at OpenXcell are excited about all the new product launches and updates.

The Google I/O event is a great opportunity for developers to get together to network and learn about new capabilities in software and technology. At OpenXcell, we are particularly interested in how the changes announced at Google I/O will impact app development. Google I/O was a major event with many ideas and new developments. Here are the highlights.

Google Releases Android “L”

Courtesy: Google

Google’s Android operating system powers so many mobile devices that new developments in the OS are bound to attract the attention of developers. Since Google doesn’t yet have a name for the latest version, they are referring to it as Android “L.”

The main update is a new user interface (dubbed “material design” by Google) and a new design that enables developers to create apps capable of working on screens of any size. We won’t have to generate separate code for various types of tablets and smartphones anymore.

Android’s new update now works with 64-bit ARM processors, which gives us more addressable memory space to work with. Anyone who has been frustrated with a cellphone powering just when you need it the most will appreciate the new battery support, Project Volta, which helps developers make apps that use less power.

What’s more, Google has added in excess of 5,000 brand new APIs for developers to use in creating new apps.

First "EVER" Game App Reskin Competition

Hi everyone,

It's Elodie, from Chupamobile, some of you may have already dealt with me in the past. I am really pleased to announce we have joined the App Reskinning Tournament and the Chupamobile team and I are looking forward in seeing your Reskinned apps submitted on the App Store.

As a sponsor, Chupamobile is offering $1,000 credits for the winners. The competition is hard but we know that Yohann, founder of AppFresh – and his team – has given you a lot of tips to win.

Chupamobile the leading Marketplace where everybody can buy professional Apps and Games ready to be customized and distributed on the App Stores, is the paradise for reskinning. With 1000+ products on our catalogue, including the most successful apps on the Stores – such as Flappy Bird, 100 Balls, and Blek – Chupamobile guarantee’s you a whole range of high quality app source code.

Good luck – the Chupa team and I wish you the best success!

Elodie from the ChupaMobile<dot>com team

appsfresh(dot)com/TOURNAMENT

What Does It Take To Make a Killer, Winning Game App

I just listened to a lecture about how to make a winning game app that will make a lot of money.  They say there is a formula that needs to be followed when preparing and submitting your games.

The speaker spoke about killer game theme's, great design, fun gameplay, monetization and a "killer" team.  There were suggestion made that can be followed by any mobile app game developer.

And, here they are:

1-  Good Theme :  The theme is the fell of the game.  Who you have targeted and why.  How do you collect ideas on good game themes.  You must stick to the chosen path ( don't recreate the wheel, just make it better or different).  When you're talking and thinking about demographics try to reach a broad range of ages for both male a female gamers.  You should look at places like Toys R Us in their character theme section on the web to get theme ideas.

2- Design : This is the look of the game.  How will you attract your customers.  I learned the first thing mobile game players look at is the icon then the screen shots and from there they make their decision ( icon --  screenshots ).  One of the "Go To" places to build a team is Odesk.  You can submit your request for jobs and designers and programmers submit their bids along with their samples.

3- Game Play : Make sure your game is fun to play.  If you don't think your game is fun, no one else will.  And, you will need good reviews after buyers play your game.

4-  Monetization : The secret to monetization is to go from a paid app to a free app.  You can offer your followers promo codes to download your paid app for a limited time.  Then you switch the app to free and adjust your ads in the game.  Offer your buyers the opportunity to pay for power ups or to get an extra life.  Maybe, if they like your Facebook page offer them a free life.  You can also use monetization sources such as linkshare along with, chart boost, Revmob and iAds.

5- Killer Team : The first thing to do when creating a killer team is to know that you want all "A" players and no "C" players.  "A" players deliver what you ask and when you need things completed.  When looking for team players on places like ODESK, make sure they comprehend what you want and their examples specifically deliver that very exact thing.  I went on a search for designers and developers on a freelance site ( I'm not going to mention which site ).  The designers for example did not show me their examples in the platform i wanted to build. Although, they stated they had experience working on that platform.  They sent me examples of taxi apps and restaurant apps which I thought was very strange because I wanted to develop a game app.  So, go with your first instinct.  Know what you want when searching for a designer or programmer by first understanding how to search for games that you want to develop and the look your seeking.

Using Gamesalad to create games

Gamesalad

There’s no faster or easier way to develop games than with GameSalad Creator. Its visual, drag & drop interface and complex behavior library provide almost limitless freedom to game designers. Bring your work to life in hours and days instead of weeks and months. It’s all capable with GameSalad Creator!

Test Your Games

Testing is paramount for making a good game into a great game. Utilize GameSalad’s In-App Previewer to test your game logic and behavior sets. We’ve done everything we can to make our In-App Previewer mimic mobile device performance, but there’s no substitute for testing a game on your actual target device.

Publish Your Games

GameSalad’s web publishing system allow for fast and easy cross-platform game publishing to all supported targets, including iPhone, iPad, Android, Kindle, Nook, Windows 8 and Mac desktop. You can also publish your games instantly to GameSalad Arcade - powered by HTML5 technologies - and make them accessible to more than a billion people!

Creating your Mobile Games Development Business

UNITY
From 2D puzzle games to complex 3D action titles, Unity continues to be a favourite among developers for its accessibility, dependability and cross-platform capabilities. For mobile, Unity’s integrated development environment allows developers to port between all major mobile platforms, and soon Tizen and PlayStation Mobile. Games can also be ported to the web (via Unity Web Player), PC, Mac, Linux and all major consoles, including PS Vita with relative ease, giving you greater potential to reach the widest audience possible.

The fundamental Unity tools are available for free and you can currently use those free tools to publishing games to iOS, Android, BlackBerry 10 and Windows Store for no cost, collection fee or royalties.

However, once you or your company starts to bring in revenues over $100k a year, Unity asks that you upgrade your licences to Unity Pro. The professional version includes extra features designed to add extra value for high-end production, including more advanced lighting, code and editing options. And Unity’s own asset store also means further time and cost-savings can be made.

Unity Technologies CEO David Helgason says: “Unity’s power, efficiency, elegance of design and massive cross-platform capabilities make it the best option for developers looking to create games for any range of mobile devices. With ancillary bonuses such as the Asset Store and recently announce Unity Cloud and sharing services, Unity is by far the most complete package in the market.”

Used in: Bad Piggies, Deus Ex: The Fall, Leviathan Warships, Temple Run 2, The Room
Unity 4 is free, Unity Pro (plus optional iOS, Android, BlackBerry add-ons) priced from £965 approx' ($750).
www.unity3d.com



PROJECT ANARCHY
Havok, the outfit best known for its physics tool, made a splash back in March with the announcement of Project Anarchy, its first specially made package for mobile game developers. This end-to-end mobile games engine allows you to ship games for free on iOS, Android and Tizen.

Incorporating Havok’s Vision Engine, Physics, Animation Studio and AI products, Project Anarchy is packed with features such as an efficient asset management system, LUA scripting and debugging and a full library of sample materials, tutorials and videos to help make development faster and more efficient. The mature feature set should give those familiar with the software much comfort.

Havok head of developer relations Ross O’Dwyer says: “Project Anarchy is really about offering power and versatility to mobile developers. In addition to powerful triple-A game tech that ships with the engine, it provides devs with direct C++ access so they can customise the engine as much as they need. And best of all, this all comes with absolutely no revenue restrictions.”

Used in: (Product recently launched)
Project Anarchy is free, Project Anarchy Pro pricing is available upon contact.
www.projectanarchy.com