作者：Keith Andrew

iOS 6操作系统的App Store改版的消息原先收获了不少开发者的正面反馈，但有一名开发者最近却指出，从独立开发者角度来看，App Store此次改版害处甚大。

Lightwood Games工作室创始人及首席执行官Chris Newman最近通过其公司博客列出了App Store改版的不妥之处，并首先提出取最新发布应用在排行榜模块的位置就是一个错误决策。

曝光问题

Newman开篇就指出，“对于一家小型开发商来说，这真是一个噩耗。”

“虽然新应用只会短暂出现于‘最新发布’版块，但这一渠道却极具曝光价值。这是我们小型工作室在无需盲目砸下大量营销费用的前提下，获取用户关注，创建最初用户基础，并衡量大众对产品反应的一个机会。”

App Store(from lightwood)

现在“最新发布”应用虽然会出现在游戏类型的模块之下，但Newman认为将这一版块从排行榜模块中移除的做法，只会巩固那些已经位居榜单前列的应用的地位。

new noteworthy(from pocketgamer)

“那么新应用现在还怎么突围呢？App Store现在已经没有这类新产品的曝光渠道，除非用户直接链接到你的应用，或者通过应用名称进行准确搜索。”

检索算法

App Store此次其他令人遗憾的变动还包括搜索结果的最新侧边滑动版式，Newman认为这真是个“令人痛苦”的导航过程，它不利于采用横屏模式的应用，这意味着其搜索结果可能无法呈现一些应用的完整名称。

他表示“通过文字搜索会出现大量使用相同名称的游戏，如果你要找我们的游戏，你知道名称，但不知道是哪个图标，那就只能碰运气了。”

search(from lightwood)

另外他还指出，App Store这次改版后的搜索算法也出现了问题。

他列举称，如果输入“文字谜题”或开发商名称，只会出现要求用户搜索额外字段的最初页面，而非直接呈现搜索结果。

这种情况只会让用户兜圈子，他们不知道只需划一下屏幕就可以看到自己要找的应用。

链接导向

最后，Newman还指出开发商在自己的网站将用户导向App Store页面的设置现在也失效了，并称这是一个“灾难性”的变动。

“我们并不指望苹果替我们做宣传，但我们真的需要一个受到关注的机会。我认为App Store最新改版已经完全撤销了这些机会。”

“我们原本计划在下个月发布一款万圣节主题游戏，现在我得认真考虑要不要取消这个项目，并将注意力转移到其他地方。”

“也许我们应该在Windows 8平台发布四五款游戏（而不只是3款），现在我们可能确实该同Windows Phone合作了。”

“我可以很严肃地告诉你，如果你也是一名开发者，你也应该采取同样行动。假如你还没有一个应急方案，那么现在就得做好准备了。”（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）

Developer calls out Apple’s ‘disastrous’ App Store update in iOS 6

by Keith Andrew

Alterations to the App Store launched via iOS 6 may have initially fostered a flurry of positive feedback – the sharper visuals a notable improvement for many – but one developer believes, from an indie’s perspective, the changes are nothing short of disastrous.

Taking to his studio’s blog, Lightwood Games founder and CEO Chris Newman lays out just where he believes Apple has got things so wrong, starting with the decision not to include a new releases section in the charts tab.

Your attention please

“For a small developer, this is terrible news,” opens Newman.

“Although it’s only for a short period, the ‘new release’ exposure is extremely valuable. It’s our opportunity to grab people’s attention, build the initial user base and gauge the public’s reaction without needing to spend a fortune on marketing.”

New and noteworthy releases can now be found in the categories section under games, but Newman claims their disappearance from the charts tab will simply help games already at the top of the charts stay there.

“How does a new app break through? There is absolutely no way of being discovered unless a user is linked to your app directly, or searches for the app by name,” he continues.

Painful process

Other regrettable changes, he claims, include the new side-swiping format for search results, which he suggests are a “painful” process to navigate, penalise apps played in landscape mode, and mean there’s not enough room to see an app’s entire name.

“There are dozens of word search games that now appear to have identical names,” he adds.

“If you’re looking for ours and know the name but don’t know what icon you’re looking for, good luck.”

On a more logistical note, Newman says Apple has undermined the store’s search algorithm.

Now, he states, searching for something as simple as “word puzzle”, or a developer’s name, delivers an initial page that prompts the user to search for additional phrases, rather than the results themselves.

It’s a change that could result in consumers going around in circles, unaware the app they want is just a swipe away.

Time to switch focus?

Finally, Newman points out that developers websites designed to redirect users to their games on the App Store no longer function with the new marketplace – an error he describes as “catastrophic”.

“We shouldn’t expect Apple to do our marketing, but we do want a chance to be noticed. I believe the new App Store removes that chance completely,” he closes.

“We had a Halloween-themed game planned for release on iOS next month. I’m now giving serious thought to axing that project and concentrating our efforts elsewhere.

“Maybe we could have four or five launch titles on Windows 8 instead of three. Perhaps now’s the time for us to start working with Windows Phone.

“But I’m responding to this very quickly and very seriously. If you’re a developer, you should do the same. If you don’t already have a contingency plan, make one.”（source:pocketgamer）