Chapaev: Checkers Battle on Google Play

AlexRu · June 2012

My first mobile game is available on Google Play:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.vetrov.chapay

It's free with admob.

See Help (?) to understand how to play.

ar2rsawseen · June 2012

Thanks for adding the 30th game made with Gideros

Cool game by the way

gorkem · June 2012

Congrats with your first game

<:-P

alexzheng · June 2012

Congrats

deniz · June 2012

Very cool. Congratulations!

AlexRu · June 2012

Thanks!
First game like first car or first love

Today I feel really happy

Thanks Gideros team and community for this.

Thanks for adding the 30th game made with Gideros

Thanks for post it in your website

30 is lucky number

Teranth · June 2012

Downloaded and installed on my Droid X, works very well

cool game.

fxone · August 2012

over 50,000 downloads on Google Play... Probably this is the best score in Gideros Mobile SDK history to get such big audience on only one game! Congratulations! =D>

Nascode · August 2012

wow! 50.000+ downloads, congratulations!
It is also good to know that no reviews said it doesnt work in some android devices. Majority is 5 starts

AlexRu · October 2012

Thanks!

Some time I was busy, but now I want to post some results here.

This game is very popular in ex-USSR countries (Russia, Ukraine etc) because we played it then we were kids.

After publish game in Google Play I didn't make any ad's compaign. Just post here, got some reposts by Gideros users and one post in the most popular russian mobile forum (4pda.ru).

4pda.ru gave good start traffic and game hit the 'top new free' in Russian Google Play and top-40 of category (the best position was 37). Top gave good traffic too. At that time it was about 2k downloads per day. But after 30 days of publication in Market game left 'top new free'. It lost 'top new' traffic and began to decline in the top of category. Now it in 369 position in category.

I think now game have only search traffic. It was good idea to include word Checkers in game name. Words from apllication name give best search traffic. Now game is at 4th position in search results by word "шашки" (checkers in russian). Another good idea is to translate apllication name and description in all languages by google autotranslate. Now 10% of downloads is Brazil (8th position in search results by Damas). And game is in 1th position in search results by word "Chapaev".

Two weeks ago, I tried the campaign in admob. It is not paid off. Then I chose targeting around the world, the result was not at all. Then I chose targeting around ex-USSR, the result was a little better. I think campaign have good effect at start days of publication to attract more traffic and become stronger in the main top free.

I didn't post any reviews at related sites in start days of publication. It was my mistake also. I think I might get a better result.

By the way, keep people in game or make it so that they start it again and again are also a very important.

I hope my experience will help someone from community.

paul_k_clark · October 2012

@AlexRu have you tried updating the app with some minor changes and resubmitting. I understand this puts it back on the new app list and can get you some new exposure.

AlexRu · October 2012

@paul_k_clark, I've read that earlier on Google Play was section New. There get all new and updated applications. But now, this section is no more. There are only a Top new and gaining popularity.

I think now Google have very big number of developers and Google removed New section to get money from developers by Admob. If developer want that his app will in first pages of Google Play, he need to use Admob to get start traffic to hit in gaining popularity or Top new.

I did some updates before and after release of Top new free, gaining popularity. I did not get some result in Top positions.

Now SamsungApps have section New. All new apps hit there and get start traffic. I don't know about updates. Samsung do it to involve new developers and new apps in their market. Now I have more downloads per day from SamsungApps (about 400) then Google Play (about 250). Now Chapaev is in 37 position of Top free (Russian) in SamsungApps. Best result was 15 position.

Nevertheless, I think updates has the very positive effect that users start game again after update to see what is new. It give new ad impressions and clicks.

But I could be wrong, because it's my first experience and first conclusions

Edit 11:53 - translate errors of top names))

deniz · October 2012

I am very glad to hear that. Congrats man. I thing best 15 is great!

paul_k_clark · October 2012

Ok I hadn't realised that things had changed. Good effort getting to 15th on your first app. Hopefully word of mouth will push you back up later

AlexRu · January 2013

After accumulating some money from admob, I ordered new design. I also increased the number of levels up to 100 +. Now the actual game version 2.01.

unlying · January 2013

Greeating with your earnings!
New design looks good. But may be font isn't really well. I mean "ХОДЯТ" doesn't look really good.

OZApps · January 2013

congrats on making it good in terms of earnings, but with the game that Chapaev is, a rounded corners board... it takes away from the game. I n my opinion the original looked much better, but then that's my opinion.

evs · January 2013

Hello,

Congratulations! @AlexRu

I have to agree with @OZApps though!

I think the first one looks more refined (with the exception of the red arrow)

Maybe you could have an option to switch skins?

cheers

evs

thanhquan1512 · January 2013

Congratz for your first game and great earning !

In my opinion, the new design is more beautiful but it's not fit with a chess game. Your old wood and dark texture look more comfortable than the new red panel.

hgvyas123 · January 2013

CongoRatz

whooo 50000+ downloads

OZApps · January 2013

@thanhquan, Chapaev is played on a chessboard with carrom pieces like carrom, you flick the coins and try to push the opponents pieces off the board. So it is less of chess and more of carrom. I did not know of this game, it is a Russian favourite and also quite popular in Eastern Europe (I think). I got to play this game from a version made by Kynitex games ( www.kynitex.com/Games.aspx?game_id=4 ) ( https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/chapayev-pro/id452936361?mt=8 ) this is free and was a lot of fun. Sorry for the cross promotion @Alex I tried a couple of Chapaev games and this is what I liked as the best implementation.

GameMinion · January 2013

Cool game, I love the pattern on the bottom of the screen, I think thats a nice touch.
Like what was mentioned above, would be nice to allow different board options.

plamen · January 2013

Greeating with your earnings!
New design looks good. But may be font isn't really well. I mean "ХОДЯТ" doesn't look really good.

Actually the problem is not related to font. There are lot of ugly letters in Cyrillic no mater what font you are using. It is not just "Д" and "Я" but "Ю", "Ъ", "Ч" and some others. The two guys that invented the alphabet sucked at typography... I am fighting this problem almost 20 years. The best solution is to combine acceptable font with good looking synonym of necessary word.

AlexRu · January 2013

Thanks friends!

@unlying, I also did not like "ХОДЯТ" in old version or new one. I tried to change the fonts, but there was not result . Thanks @plamen, now I understand what the problem is. There is one font in the game and at Options screen it looks good. I'll try to think a synonym.

I will also try to do something with skins/boards. My apk is about 11,5Mb. It's universal for all resolutions. I worry about apk size)

Before upgrading the graphics I had a little test.

I have modified an image with search results for the words "checkers" and "chapaev" in Google Play , put there my old icon, variants of my new icons and icons of existing checkers/chapaevs games that were more liked for me.

I did the same with screenshots. Placed on one image my old screenshot, new screenshots, two screenshots of checkers games from Google Play and one from Apple App Store.

So I had two combined images. These images I sent to my family and friends. They did not know which of the games on images is mine. More of them did not know that I'm game developer)) They are men and women from 13 to 60 years old. I asked them to answer some questions. Such as: which of the icons and images you've been paying your attention at first, which one is more like, why, etc.

After processing the test results, I decided to use exactly this graphics))

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