2.3 million downloads :) Pumpkins knock down (free with ads)

Hi guys,

I released a small angry-birds style game -Please login to see this media element.
Currently , the game has 15 levels with various difficulty and all of them are unlocked (if you are stuck - you can just jump to the next level).

The engine is based on example created by Sergio Andre , but I altered it a bit and added a lot of new elements that change the gameplay.

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The game is available here: Please login to see this link.

Hi all,

I have released a major update of the game and I have added new elements to it (like hydraulic press , hard levels etc.). It is a free game Please login to see this attachment.

Quote from Snatchsoft

I've tried Pumpkins knock down. You're doing good.

Have you considered moving targets or shielded targets like in Angry Birds Space?
Also, another couple tomato ideas:
Rotten tomato: Explodes on impact with a gross squishyness and leaves smelly bits everywhere.
Beefsteak: Just a giant tomato.
Cluster: A tomato that breaks up into smaller pieces like shotgun pellets.

Thank you very much for the suggestions. Moving targets are on my TO DO list .

I really like the rotten tomato idea - it fits perfectly with what I want to achieve. I will do it next. Thanks again !

Hi guys,

I reworked the game , added more levels and more items in it (like - glass tiles, hydraulics) and decided to release it as paid game (1 EUR): Please login to see this link.

There are no ads, no in-app purchases, etc.
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Hi,

Just an update - the game has been downloaded 2.3 million times (as of Jan 2024) and I haven't used any ads

I have added a lot of new stuff ; some of the results can be seen here: Please login to see this media element.

Quote from Linky

I just tried the game myself, and yea it indeed has ads, and in-app purchases, google play listing and reviews already indicate that before you even download (would be really weird if it was a free to play game without ads or in-app purchases)

Not bad, it's nice, kinda missed old angry bird games style so this was close
If anything, maybe try polishing it more, like adding proper responsive UI instead of just stretching the screen, and having more effects, animations, and working on imporving existing game elements, for example, it would better if near elements would fly away from an exploding bomb, because currently it seems to have 0 impact, just destroying very near elements, also things like a shoot projector with dots similar to angry birds

Great comments, thanks!

Quote from Phi

eh?

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I mean that I haven't used ads to promote the game; the game itself has ads (it is free).

A lot of users turn-off their mobile data (in order to limit the ads). That is why in order to unlock new levels - they have to watch an ad. I think it is fair - if you are interested to play, just watch the ad and you will unlock two more levels.

Still I get a lot of 1/5 due to this strategy. Also, Google does not show ads in all countries (like Russia, Iran, etc.) and as result - people from these countries can't progress in the game and they frequently give me 1 star rating

Quote from airways

That is a really amazing level of uptake! Congrats. Any tips to do that?

Also have you considered something like offering people an extra "X" levels for $0.99 once they finish the first 10/20/30 or some other kind of add-on pack instead of running ads? Some users (like myself) won't even consider a game that has any kind of intrusive ads (so yeah I don't play a ton of games on mobile lol).

I'd be amazing to test the difference in financial performance between something like that (which I always feel more comfortable with) vs. ads, but of course you'd have to be careful and use a good A/B test model so that roughly half the users get the original scheme (based on if their Game Center ID is even or odd maybe?) and the other half get the tested scheme.

Anyway just a thought, and would love more info. Again, great job. Looks like a fun game too.

Well, inside the game you can already remove the ads for just 0.99 USD (I have implemented an in-app for that).

I can share the results:

- 1 sale out of 700 000 installations in India (I am also running a google experiment there - the price is reduced to 0.3 USD ; still nothing )

- most sales come from USA, but ads greatly outperform these sales.

Overall , the sales of the complete game account for just ~1% of the revenue that I get from ads.

I have a version of the game that is totally without any ads (it is the same - just the ads are removed); this version is "certified for kids" by Google. It has generated just several sales (<20) overall.

On the other hand - 99.95% of the installations come from Google Play explore (not the ASO listing). Simply Google put the game into "Related" games to various other games. This is quite good, but it has a downside - most of these games are more kids-oriented , while my game is actually difficult to beat (especially the last 20-30 levels). As a result - I get negative comments again ("too difficult - 1/5")