More progress, more headaches, less time…sounds like indie game development!  After jumping to a new MacOS and XCode compiler last week, I was getting errors during compilation, so I moved back to an older version of XCode (4.2 I think) through some consternation and hammering.  Turns out that was unnecessary, as the build errors were the result of some missing link libraries that Unity isn’t pulling in automatically, for some reason.  A few manual clicks later, and it was working again.  Unfortunately, I have to do those manual clicks every time I compile now.  Oh well.

It’s getting close to another one of those “decision times”…the iOS version has been running pretty well, and seems to have all the extras working (like Gamecenter achievements).  The Android version’s extras are not working very well.  So I’m at a small crossroads:  do I get the iOS version ready for release and get it out there, or do I continue taking time to make Android work, and release both versions at the same time.  I had been hoping to do a multi-platform release, but some things are just inexplicably not working on Android at the moment.  I’ve heard over and over from other developers that you should release on iOS first, and if it sells or you have time, go do the Android version.  I do plan to put our game on Android (the main game is working now, after all), but I’m wondering if I should just go ahead and get iOS out there, and send Android out at a later time when everything is working properly.

It’s hard to tell which way to go, but conventional wisdom says to get it out on Apple hardware sooner.  Plus, I’m in the middle of my 7th month developing the game, which (surprise!) is about 1/3rd longer than I thought it would take.  Indie developers who also have full-time jobs always stress that when you make games in your spare time, you need to realize it will take a lot longer to get it done.  I’ve known that for a while, but it’s still different when you are in the middle of it, and as I’ve mentioned before I’m rather impatient.

This post sounds a bit more down than I intended it.  In actuality, things have still been moving forward, we’ve completed some more rounds of testing, and added some polish and embellishments along the way.  It’s shaping up pretty well, and it’s turning into a product I can be proud of, especially considering that it’s my first game.  This is only the beginning.