ionAXXIA - classic top down design-your-own-ship space shooter. [Steam, Android, XBox, Win 10]
- Thread starter Shifty Geezer
- Start date
Finally received word "Nova Wars" was trademarked in March. Need to change name. Which is extra frustrating because the Alpha was going to go public this week. Now I need to waste time finding a new name and creating logos and junk. And every name is taken!
I spent a bit of time on searches this morning and found a few not taken. Something like XRYZZION (Ze-ri-zee-on) has zero search results, but there are lots of random XYZ words already in use. Lots of Twitter handles and Facebook IDs and countless indie titles. And of course it's meaningless and unpronounceable and impossible to spell for searches! Another option is to hijack a popular hashtag leading searches to my game. #follow == Frontier Of Lawlessness : Legends Of War.
Well after working my socks off to get it released into Android public beta today, a technical issue stops that happening. 
I'm using Google Play Services to add leaderboards. I've used them before just fine. For some reason the code I used in another game doesn't work this time and the connection is rejected. In trying to debug, spending all day on the problem, I've created a new app connecting with different credentials and it works, but using that same app to connect with novaWARS fails. My plan is to remove the app from Google and start again, but there's no way to do that. I've contacted Google and need to wait for a solution.
Thing is, I can't even release without leaderboards and patch them in later as I can't be sure services will ever work. I've had no end of trouble integrating Facebook, Twitter and leaderboards, and they stubbornly refuse to play ball, but I have to be sure they can be integrated.
Anyway, it's done and working. Plays really well and there's a lot more game to it now. Will look at Steam page to follow with PC, then Live Creator's Program that'll get it onto XBox.
And incidentally, the new name is ionAXXIA.
I'm using Google Play Services to add leaderboards. I've used them before just fine. For some reason the code I used in another game doesn't work this time and the connection is rejected. In trying to debug, spending all day on the problem, I've created a new app connecting with different credentials and it works, but using that same app to connect with novaWARS fails. My plan is to remove the app from Google and start again, but there's no way to do that. I've contacted Google and need to wait for a solution.
Thing is, I can't even release without leaderboards and patch them in later as I can't be sure services will ever work. I've had no end of trouble integrating Facebook, Twitter and leaderboards, and they stubbornly refuse to play ball, but I have to be sure they can be integrated.
Anyway, it's done and working. Plays really well and there's a lot more game to it now. Will look at Steam page to follow with PC, then Live Creator's Program that'll get it onto XBox.
And incidentally, the new name is ionAXXIA.
Relevant?
https://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/Lou...Suzy_Cube_Mobile_Controls_That_Feel_Great.php
Tommy McClain
https://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/Lou...Suzy_Cube_Mobile_Controls_That_Feel_Great.php
Tommy McClain
Similar challenges. I was planning to write my own article on the approach, but ideally I was wanting public feedback showing it works. I've tried a few top rated, editor pick Android games with 'proper' controls and they've been abysmal!
Although somewhat sadly, the touch controls have proven so effective while testing that they're plenty good enough, and I can improve them too (second touch anywhere for special instead of needing button). So all that work in making a virtual controller on touch screens may end up for naught.
I've tried a few top rated, editor pick Android games with 'proper' controls and they've been abysmal!Although somewhat sadly, the touch controls have proven so effective while testing that they're plenty good enough, and I can improve them too (second touch anywhere for special instead of needing button). So all that work in making a virtual controller on touch screens may end up for naught.
How did you find that? I'm publishing a new game as well soon and while there are others with similar titles, I *think* the words on the title are quite "generic" to not be a problem, but still curious how I can find out.
Doesn't really matter if the words are generic if a brand exists around them. The name 'Star Wars' is incredibly generic! When I searched for Nova Wars, I checked all the app stores, and then entered my name into iTunes Connect which complains if someone else already has it, and they hadn't. But at the same time this Korean company had registered a trademark in Korea for "Nova Wars", which you wouldn't know unless you went searching international trademarks. They then applied for an extension to other locations, which I was informed of by email as part of this dispute. The Korean application was in March, and the extension to other locations was in July, after they'd found I had already bagged it.
To be completely safe you have to spend money to secure the trademark. Otherwise roll with it and if you have the brand active for enough time before someone else trademarks it, you can usurp them.
To be completely safe you have to spend money to secure the trademark. Otherwise roll with it and if you have the brand active for enough time before someone else trademarks it, you can usurp them.
Thanks. So it seems it was more like a case of someone getting to you about the trademark rather than you searching. Well, there is a game with the same name on iOS but its a very low profile one (garbage really) and on Android there is another one with similar name, but not exactly. I will still have to change the name a little bit on iOS though since they do not allow identical names AFAIK.
Yeah, they contacted me because they went to use the name Nova Wars on iOS and found someone had nabbed it. They then logged a trademark infringement with Apple who contacted me about the dispute, where the company finally mentioned they had secured the trademark in Korea. That's the risk here - you could legitimately use a name while someone else legitimately owns it and can pull the rug out from under you.
If you have to change the name on iOS, you should change it on Android and everywhere else to the same so all your advertising is consistent. You can't just append 'iOS' onto a name either. eg Can't have 'Nova Wars' and 'Nova Wars iOS' - Apple will reject that.
If you have to change the name on iOS, you should change it on Android and everywhere else to the same so all your advertising is consistent. You can't just append 'iOS' onto a name either. eg Can't have 'Nova Wars' and 'Nova Wars iOS' - Apple will reject that.
I know. My idea is to append a tag line to it like "App name - tag line"
The installed package only has the App name as its name though, not the tag line.I have done it for other apps to distinguish them from my competitors.
Anyone with an official trademark on the App name would be able to get you blocked, as the tag line would be inferred as a sequel or related product. eg. "Star Wars - Battle Among the Stars" would get blocked as using the "Star Wars" name. As the game is low profile you'd likely not have a problem.
Yes, I'm not expecting a problem. It had less than 100 downloads so far and it honestly looks horrible. On Android, there is one with a similar name which is more popular, but still I doubt there is a trademark on it since there are others that include the same words.
Release is being frustratingly delayed.
Because of the "nova wars" name dispute, I changed my name. However, the services Google Play system of Android seems corrupted and I can't upload high scores. It's a weird, convoluted system where you have three interconnected components, your app on the store, its Google Play game services, and the associated Google Cloud project. I requested ionAXXIA were deleted so I could start again, and Google were very nice and did this removing the app from the store, but didn't remove the ionAXXIA Play Game service. And you can't - there's no delete option. Now when I submit high scores, it doesn't work, seeing the old data apparently. Currently stands at Google saying it's a fault of my integration, and me replying saying I can get high scores working fine in other projects and it's just ionAXXIA that needs fixing.
So literally can't release, and there's nothing I can do about it. There's no option to delete projects and start again. Each app uses a unique identifying code such as com.beyond3d.awesomeapp. My code for ionAXXIA is associated with the busted Google Play service, but I can't pick a different ID because I've uploaded a package to testing and now I have to use that package name, and there's no option to delete the package.
Testing is thus a bit crap. If you find a problem, you can't really do anything about it, other than change you product name as someone else found they had to do.
More waiting and seeing and wondering if I'll ever release the thing...
Because of the "nova wars" name dispute, I changed my name. However, the services Google Play system of Android seems corrupted and I can't upload high scores. It's a weird, convoluted system where you have three interconnected components, your app on the store, its Google Play game services, and the associated Google Cloud project. I requested ionAXXIA were deleted so I could start again, and Google were very nice and did this removing the app from the store, but didn't remove the ionAXXIA Play Game service. And you can't - there's no delete option. Now when I submit high scores, it doesn't work, seeing the old data apparently. Currently stands at Google saying it's a fault of my integration, and me replying saying I can get high scores working fine in other projects and it's just ionAXXIA that needs fixing.
So literally can't release, and there's nothing I can do about it. There's no option to delete projects and start again. Each app uses a unique identifying code such as com.beyond3d.awesomeapp. My code for ionAXXIA is associated with the busted Google Play service, but I can't pick a different ID because I've uploaded a package to testing and now I have to use that package name, and there's no option to delete the package.
Testing is thus a bit crap. If you find a problem, you can't really do anything about it, other than change you product name as someone else found they had to do.
More waiting and seeing and wondering if I'll ever release the thing...
It'll be publicly available on Android as soon as I can. I'll definitely release on Creator's Collection when I get enough game into it. I don't know how 'Early Access' content ought can be on XBox. Technically there's no limit as it's self publishing, but there's an issue of impressions and presentability. I also need to implement 100% controller input - currently all menus are touch/mouse driven.
Yes, the whole thing sucks. This helped me with my Android app:Release is being frustratingly delayed.
Because of the "nova wars" name dispute, I changed my name. However, the services Google Play system of Android seems corrupted and I can't upload high scores. It's a weird, convoluted system where you have three interconnected components, your app on the store, its Google Play game services, and the associated Google Cloud project. I requested ionAXXIA were deleted so I could start again, and Google were very nice and did this removing the app from the store, but didn't remove the ionAXXIA Play Game service. And you can't - there's no delete option. Now when I submit high scores, it doesn't work, seeing the old data apparently. Currently stands at Google saying it's a fault of my integration, and me replying saying I can get high scores working fine in other projects and it's just ionAXXIA that needs fixing.
So literally can't release, and there's nothing I can do about it. There's no option to delete projects and start again. Each app uses a unique identifying code such as com.beyond3d.awesomeapp. My code for ionAXXIA is associated with the busted Google Play service, but I can't pick a different ID because I've uploaded a package to testing and now I have to use that package name, and there's no option to delete the package.
Testing is thus a bit crap. If you find a problem, you can't really do anything about it, other than change you product name as someone else found they had to do.
More waiting and seeing and wondering if I'll ever release the thing...
https://blog.stylingandroid.com/package-name-vs-application-id/
