In 2 minds and need help!

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Torniquet
Posts: 869
Joined: Sun Aug 02, 2009 6:18 am

In 2 minds and need help!

Post by Torniquet »

Good afternoon everybody!

I come to you today with a bit of a dilema... well not a dilema as such, more of that I am really considering dropping my biggest and main focused project.

My site tapt-in.net was launched about a year ago and was a major flop from the get go. I was in a rush and there were alot of loose ends not tied up and what would appear to be a lack of interest. and for this I only have myself to blame.

At the begining of feb, I decided I was going to try and reinvent the site with things I learnt in the first month (and there after) of being employed as a web developer. They use a custom CMS system which has been refined into being a very good system.

Having got permission to use the CMS structure and functionality, I was allowed to use it as a guide to re building my own site. Game on!

So far I have spent 4 months rebuilding the site, and it is coming along nicely, problem is however, I do web development as a full time job and I am loving it. Coming home and doing it all over again is becoming more and more tedious.

So I am now at the point where I am thinking, am I setting myself up for another fall here working on the same project, or will something really come of this next time round?

So I come to this ever loyal community and as you. Am I wasting my time, or should I at least get it to a functioning site (remove some of the more advanced plans I had for it) and give it 1 last punt?

More to the point, would any one here try to make proper use of the site?

Here is what the site is/was being built for http://taptin.dev.2dservers.net/about.html

There are several places which offer pretty much the same thing in a round about way, i.e Facebook and Steam. Facebook leans more towards the same thing I am doing though, but as far as I can make out, is a bitch to get around.

Peace and love to you all x
New Site Coming Soon! Stay tuned :D
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Jackolantern
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Re: In 2 minds and need help!

Post by Jackolantern »

Honestly, I would have to say that many devs would probably be somewhat resistant to using an API that puts their game into a network. Perhaps were Facebook succeeds with almost the same formula is more about having a pool of potential players, but keeping the games themselves separate so players are not being poached from existing games.

In the end, I would probably suggest to not put a ton more effort into something if you say it didn't work really at all.

Instead, I was toying around with an idea, but will not be able to devote the time into it to see it to completion. While I believe there is a site or two like this already, HTML5 games have very little ability to be monetized in the current environment compared to Flash. There are hundreds of sites people can upload their Flash games to and make checks from advertising, or they can sell them to sites for exclusive use. However, HTML5 games are years behind on this, and outside of a couple of small sites, there is little option to make money from them. People routinely come into the ImpactJS forums asking to buy completed HTML5 games for their site, so that shows little official avenues for these types of deals in the HTML5 sphere.

I think there is an opportunity to create an HTML5 game hosting service combined with an option to sell HTML5 games (devs hoping to sell their games would probably be better off posting videos due to the ability of people to repost them once uploaded). You could just create an API using HTML5 video and images to route ad videos and banners, respectively, into the opening of the games (or, if that is an issue due to ads being in Flash format only, you could make the ads play first, and once completed, the page forwards to the game, or they play on the side of the game canvas). Then you just split the ad money 50/50, with a certain threshold before you Paypal them the money so you aren't always sending 20 or 35 cents, etc. Since you won't be paying anyone until you get paid, and only paying them based on how much you get paid, there is really no financial risk on your end (provided you make a good TOS to protect yourself).

That is probably the direction I would take it if I had any web design skills and could make a good, commercial-looking site, since it obviously has to look at least good enough to trust. Even if a site like Newgrounds starts taking HTML5 games, it is hard to get noticed on there, and basically relies on the dev's word of mouth since the top games are dominated by large studios. I think an HTML5-only site could also advertise based on being HTML5, with pitches such as "no plugins", "mobile-friendly", etc. :)
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SpiritWebb
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Joined: Sun Jul 12, 2009 11:25 pm

Re: In 2 minds and need help!

Post by SpiritWebb »

I would agree with Jack.

I myself am redoing mine...I know just what your going through!
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Torniquet
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Re: In 2 minds and need help!

Post by Torniquet »

its a bitch int it spirit lol. I thoroughly enjoy building websites, and have learnt a whole ton whilst redoing mine. But after a days work doing other peoples websites, coming home and working on something I have done before just doesnt satisfy me :(

I like your thinking Jack. I will have to consider that idea. I would like to use the system I have build for something. Certainly have to speak to one of my bosses regarding the tracking of ads!
New Site Coming Soon! Stay tuned :D
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Callan S.
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Re: In 2 minds and need help!

Post by Callan S. »

Yeah, well I'll say this as someone who seems grate against the capital system, but really it sounds like work has stolen your effort. Work gets all of you, then you go home with nothing of your own. Are they really paying you enough to get all of you? If you were paid enough, you could hire coders to do some of this stuff for you. If they don't pay you enough to do that, then they aren't paying you enough to get all of you at work.

Quit dedicating to work so much - put aside an hour or so at work where you put in half effort, mentally putting aside the other half for home/your own projects. These days there are no permanent jobs anymore where companies look after you for the rest of your life - you dedicate yourself to them and yet they could give you the flick next week. They aren't dedicated to you.

So I say to save some of yourself, instead of giving it all to work.
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Torniquet
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Re: In 2 minds and need help!

Post by Torniquet »

Callan S. wrote:Yeah, well I'll say this as someone who seems grate against the capital system, but really it sounds like work has stolen your effort. Work gets all of you, then you go home with nothing of your own. Are they really paying you enough to get all of you? If you were paid enough, you could hire coders to do some of this stuff for you. If they don't pay you enough to do that, then they aren't paying you enough to get all of you at work.

Quit dedicating to work so much - put aside an hour or so at work where you put in half effort, mentally putting aside the other half for home/your own projects. These days there are no permanent jobs anymore where companies look after you for the rest of your life - you dedicate yourself to them and yet they could give you the flick next week. They aren't dedicated to you.

So I say to save some of yourself, instead of giving it all to work.
If it was any of my previous jobs, I would whole heartedly agree with you. Like I said however, I really enjoy my job. I work for an 8 man company which is expanding at a good rate (2 more men joining up, 1 tomorrow 1 in a weeks time). I joined little over 6 months ago and have already made my mark on the company, and am a valued member. Which isnt bad for my first web developer job.

In this day and age, with jobs being scarce and someone always willing to do the job cheaper, there are only so many risks 1 can take. At present time and for the forseeable future, my job brings in me money. The website could be a major fail again which would not bring me in money. I might not be paid my worth yet, but this is the time where I prove to others what I know I am worth. But this company does take care of us.

It's not about the work taking my time, its a case of not being able to work on websites for 20 hours of the day (the time I am usually awake during the week). I started the concept of the site 2 years ago. After much playing about and exploring options, I built it and it failed. Since its initial release I have wanted to try new things (mainly Unity) Jacking this project in will only mean being able to focus on something else whilst not having wasted 3 years of self tutoring in web development because I get to use what I know and enjoy at work.
New Site Coming Soon! Stay tuned :D
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