What is a good approach for developing a game in Android and iOS simultaneously?

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Hello,

Together with a couple of other guys we've slowly started our development of a game which will be made in Unity. One of our current concerns is that due to a great deal with another company, we'd like to develop our game both for Android and iOS.

I have a great deal of experience with object-oriented programming and game programming, either in C# or obj-c. But so far we've only developed in Cocos2D exclusively for the iOS platform, so when it comes to development for multiple mobile platforms it's an entirely new area, but also one of the reasons we chose Unity.

What we're currently trying to figure out is what would be the best approach when developing a game for multiple platforms? Would you start off just creating the game for, say, iOS, and then afterwards start to add Android specific code? So you would effectively make an iOS version first, then take that existing unity code and port it to Android code (whichever parts of the API's and so forth that would need changing or optimization).

Or would it be better to create parts of the game step by step, but continuously making sure they work for both platforms? So you would develop the game with both platforms in mind right from the get-go.

Thank you for your time :)

Answer 1

Best Answer

Answer by Fattie · Jun 03, 2012 at 02:45 PM

"Forget about the Android part?" :-) Sorry, couldn't resist.

More seriously ... at this stage you have not fooled around with Unity yet right?

Youw ill be pleased to hear that the whole entire overall point of Unity, the raison d'etre, is that...

"You can develop instantly to many platforms...!"

You know?

That's the whole reason Unity exists, you'll be pleased to hear! While developing an iOS game, I often just click the button "Build this as a mac app, for fun!" and it does that. You know?

So, it's entirely good news for you. Enjoy!

(As a commercial matter, I do have to wonder why you'd bother releasing for Android? There is zero money in it. So you need to impress potential clients, or ?? I hate to see people waste time!!)

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Owen-Reynolds · Jun 03, 2012 at 03:54 PM 0

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Microsoft originally released Word and Excel for the Mac, even through there wasn't much money in it (they hadn't bought PowerPoint yet.) They knew they couldn't compete with Lotus123, WordPerfect, etc... and wanted a smaller market where they had a chance to be a leader, and get some experience.

But, zero? Android tablets seem pretty popular.

Fattie · Jun 05, 2012 at 06:55 AM 1

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Hi Owen ... I guess, the usual comment in the scene is you get no sales to speak of from "android".

To repeat the "typical comment" of game companies, indies, it's only worth porting really big hits, games that are already big hits, to android.

In the broad general opinion, android users "don't buy anything" - they live for free stuff. their favourite prices are cheap, or free. iFone users ("suckers" if you want to look at it that way) have money, are used to paying high prices, want to buy stuff, and accept that you pay money for things.

decisively, basically every single iPhone user is already hooked up via the payment system, ready to buy things. an inherent part of the iFone is that everyone is hooked up ready to buy and pay for apps with their credit card. in contrast "android" is just a free give away, and a handful of android users are wired up ready to pay.

the two markets are like chalk and cheese, for that reason.

i've simply never known anyone - not one person or company - to make any money from android, but i personally know any number of people (20, 30?) to make plenty of money from iFone. similarly, i can think specifically of as many as four parties who have said "well fuck we better try making money form android even though everyone says it is a total useless bust for making money" and indeed, after trying, it it has been a total useless bust like everyone says.

regarding your example. I don't really know if that applies here. assuming your aim is to make money to eat: the extremely short story is "android makes no money for indies." it's that simple and I've never heard contradictory opinion directly and personally. and that seems to be the universal experience. if you want to "gain experience" or whatever, do so where you can make money :)

note that the android market (which is a "nobody makes any money" market) is already huge, enormous, as big as it can be. there's no analogy whatsoever to "getting in early" or anything like that. you're "getting in very late" to a market "that is free based and makes no money" :) android is a fully developed, largely free, market. iFone is a fully developed, pay-to-play, market.

(you can believe with all your heart that if there was a way to make money from android, I for one would be doing that!)

i have an acquaintance who is absolutely in to the "open" "free" etc scene. he despises Apple and iFone as a money making system, and continually lauds android as free, open, etc etc. However - obviously - he only makes ifone apps, as you can't make any money from android :-) he always says "in my spare time I develop for android because its free! open! etc."

Answer 2

Answer by MorphVGX · Jan 12, 2017 at 09:57 PM

I would say you go for the Android version first. It is easier and cheaper to do. Then you know if you game is good, and polished, with potential for success. After that you can port to iOS, pay for the licenses, etc.

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What is a good approach for developing a game in Android and iOS simultaneously?

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"You can develop instantly to many platforms...!"

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