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HTML5是应用赢利的最佳选择吗?

发布时间:2013-12-02 15:37:20 Tags:,,,,

作者:Massimiliano Silenzi

是开发手机浏览器HTML5应用还是手机本地应用,在开发者们当中一直存在争议,但答案取决于你拿这个问题问谁。事实上,整个行业都保持悬而未决的态度;Gartner公司(游戏邦注:美国的一家咨询公司)最近对478名欧美开发者做了一份调查,发现开发者把41%的时间用于开发本地应用,24%用于手机网页应用,22%用于混合型应用。

也许我自己也属于悬而未决的一类人,但当我思考这个问题时,我关注的焦点立即变成必须保持应用赢利、简化开发和改善用户体验之间的平衡。

HTML5-logo(from-gomonews.com)

HTML5-logo(from-gomonews.com)

丰富的用户体验

当然,多消费者的角度看,赢利和开发根本不重要;他们只关注游戏的视觉吸引力和是否容易玩。然而,这些方面可以反过来影响应用的进一步赢利,所以必须慎重考虑。

本地应用具有更高的图像渲染效果和更好的同步性,因此与HTML5相比,可以给玩家带来更好的体验。用户还可以使用他们的手机的硬件如摄像机和GPS(尽管混合型应用可以克服这个问题)和响应搜索按钮和音量控制。

HTML5在某些更复杂的游戏中可能给玩家带来更好的体验,但对于通常用智能手机玩的游戏——如《愤怒的小鸟》、《Candy Crush Saga》、《The Grain of Truth》和《iBasket》等,它们热门但很简单。这类赚钱的游戏不需要像本地应用那么高的复杂度,所以HTML5对它们来说更适合。我们还必须记住,HTML5的复杂度和用户体验的丰富性正在显著提高,它的潜力不可限量。

性能

说到手机游戏所需的技术,浏览器平台已经很成熟了,性能问题越来越不成问题,但连接性仍然是HTML5的一大硬伤。

本地应用的运行不依赖网络连接,意味着它们不受3G、4G或WiFi连接的影响。而HTML5以浏览器为基础,意味着它虽然有利于客户端的加载和不占内存,但如果网络连接不上,玩家就不能进入下一关(代价可能更大)。

然而,必须记住,无论是本地还是HTML5,社交功能都需要网络连接。如果你想与好友聊天或组建团队,你仍然需要连接网络。网络连接是二者的区别所在,而社交功能使之变得越来越模糊。

开发

本地应用可能更容易开发,使用诸如Java、Objective C和C++等编程语言就行了;bug也更容易修复。然而,故名思义,本地应用依赖它所运行的平台(比如Android或者iOS),所以开发者必须对每一种设备发布一个或甚至多个版本。

但对于HTML5,越来越多开发者熟悉了网页技术,这是一种更普遍的技能。另外,因为应用是在网页上运行的,只需要开发一次,经过一些优化就可以在多种网络平台上运行了。

更新应用也可以直接通过浏览器进行,意味着用户不需要进入应用商店来更新应用—-而为了看到最新版本,用户必须频繁地进入应用商店来更新本地应用。

保持平衡——如何赢利?

在过去5年,手机应用为欧洲的经济贡献了100亿以上的收益。对于游戏开发者,利润是相当重要的。对于大部分简单且容易玩的流行游戏,无论是HTML5还是本地应用,那种程度的用户体验都是很容易达到的。因此,决定使用哪个平台归根到底取决于开发想让游戏如何赢利。

对于本地应用,商业框架和赢利工具通常与原设备制造商支持的系统紧密相关。苹果就是一个例子,虽然它保证应用高度案例,但它拿走了30%的代理费。本地应用的支付选项可能很少,意味着你必须使用应用商店所支持的支付系统(Android Market的新版GooglePlay也是如此),尽管应用商店的数量越来越多,其支持的支付渠道也越来越多,比如电信账单支付。如果支付过程顺畅的话(游戏邦注:比如“一键支付”),选项有限也没关系,但消费者喜欢灵活省时的方法,输入信用卡号或登录帐号可能会让消费者放弃支付。

网页应用意味着开发者可以免费使用任何他们喜欢的在线支付方式,包括信用卡、Paypal等大部分方便的支付方式。能够自动识别玩家手机号而不需要注册,一键点击从手机费中扣费或从以前付过款的信用卡中扣费,这才是更快速更简单的支付过程。另外,因为用户不需要信用卡或甚至银行帐号,这就打开了一个更广阔、正在快速发展的市场——拉美市场和青少年市场。

以上就是让我越来越倾向于选择HTML5的原因。虽然还有很多东西要考虑,但说到应用选择,通过快速而简单的支付方式如电信帐单支付对应用的赢利能力具有重大决定作用。(本文为游戏邦/gamerboom.com编译,拒绝任何不保留版权的转载,如需转载请联系:游戏邦

Is HTML5 your best bet for monetisation?

By Massimiliano Silenzi

Deciding on whether to build your mobile application on HTML5 (web based on a mobile browser) or on a native app (one which is built specifically for Android or iOS for example) is an ongoing debate, and the answer really depends on who you talk to. In fact, the industry as a whole remains largely undecided; a recent Gartner report based on 478 developers in North America and Europe found developers were spending 41% of the their time on native app development, 24% on the mobile web, and 22% on hybrid apps.

Perhaps I myself even fall into this undecided category, but when I put my gaming hat on, the debate immediately shifts towards the importance of striking a balance between the ability to monetise that app, alongside the ease of development and the user experience

A rich user experience

Of course from a consumer point of view, monetisation and development are simply not important; they are focused on the visual appeal of the game and how easy it is to play. However, these aspects can in turn enable further spending within an app and so are vital to consider.

Native applications support higher graphic rendering and better synchronisation, and that’s going to give gamers a better experience compared to HTML5. Users can also access their phone’s hardware such as the camera and GPS (although a hybrid app could overcome this) and react to search buttons and volume controls.

When it comes to HTML5, it’s true it may be beaten on user experience on some more sophisticated games, but when you look at the games typically being played on smartphones – Angry Birds, Candy Crush Saga, The Grain of Truth and iBasket for example – they are popular but they are simple. The games that are pulling in the profits don’t necessarily need the levels of sophistication you could get from native apps so HTML5 also stands up strong here. We also need to bear in mind that the level of sophistication and richness of the HTML5 user experience is greatly improving and it’ll be interesting to see what the outlook is for the technology in the future.

Performance

As browser platforms have matured and merged in regards to the technologies required for mobile games, performance issues have become less of a problem, but connection can still be an issue for HTML5.

Native apps do not rely on a web connection to operate, meaning they’re not affected by access to 3G, 4G or WiFi. HTML5 is based on a browser, meaning that while it is good at loading and keeping memory on the client side, if the connection is lost then the player may not go on to the next level (and potentially spend more).

However, it needs to be remembered that both native and HTML5 need a connection when it comes to social. If you want to chat with your friends or create an army, you still need that connection, and this is where the difference between the two yet again becomes increasingly blurred.

Development

Native apps can be easier to develop, using programming languages such as Java, Objective C and C++. Bugs are also easier to fix. However, as the name suggests, each application is native to its operating system (Android, iOS for example), so the developer must release one or even multiple versions for every device.

However, when it comes to HTML5, there are many more developers who are accustomed to building on web technologies, so you immediately have a much wider skills base. Additionally, as the application runs through the web, it can be developed once and then, with some optimisation, can be rolled out across multiple web platforms.

Updates to the apps can also be made directly to its users via the browser, meaning that they do not need to go into the web store to update the application; something which is necessary for native apps quite frequently if users are to see the latest updates and enhancements.

Striking the right balance – where does monetisation come into play?

Mobile apps contributed to more than $10bn in revenues to the EU economy over the last five years and for games developers, profits are important. With the most popular games being simple and easy to play, the level of user experience can be readily met by both HTML5 and native apps. Therefore, the final decision on which platform to use really comes down to how the developer wants that game to be monetised.

With native apps, the business frameworks and monetisation tools are often tied to the system supported by the OEM. Apple is a case in point and while it ensures that the application is highly secure, it does take a 30% commission. Native apps may also give little payment choice, meaning you may have to utilise the payment systems supported by the store (as is the case of with GooglePlay, the new version of the Android Market), although there’s a growing number of app stores available and alternative channels that are increasingly supporting in-app payments including carrier billing. This limited choice is fine if it’s a smooth payment such as a simple ‘one click’, but consumers like flexibility and time consuming methods such as having to enter card details or signing in to their account may deter customers from making that payment.

An app published on the web however means that the developer is free to use any online payment method they wish, including credit card, Paypal or the most powerful payment method for HTML5 games, carrier billing. Being able to automatically recognise the player’s mobile number without any registration needed and charge the purchase to their mobile bill or deduct it from their pre-paid credit in just one click makes for a much quicker and easier payment process. Furthermore as the user doesn’t need a credit card or even a bank account, this opens the doors to much wider and faster growing markets such as Latin America as well as the younger market segment.

And this is what starts to sway HTML5 more in my favour. While there are many points above to consider when it comes to application choice, monetisation through fast and simple payment methods such as carrier billing will play a big role in determining the profits made from an application.(source:gamesbrief)


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