How to create games for VKontakte. Stage IV Beta version development. Paid application development

Earning money, having fun - all this is possible with entertainment applications. How can you create a VKontakte game? What is needed for this, what investments and level of knowledge will be required? Let's try to sort this topic out.

Contents:

Concept

Forget about all the technical issues, implementation difficulties and all the pitfalls that you will encounter during the development of your first game.

And I say this for a reason. There are a huge number of good programmers who can implement any ideas. Advertisers and designers will make sure to create a look and feel that will interest your future players and make them at least try what you have to offer.

These are all nuances. But the concept, or if you like, the idea is what is most important in developing a game.

You have to make the gameplay really interesting and fun. Without this, success cannot be achieved. Try to imagine yourself in the player's place. Would you be interested in spending time playing this game yourself?

Technical points

Immediately be prepared for the fact that you will need knowledge from these areas:

• JavaScript
• Adobe Flash
• Action Script

First steps in the developer service

In the process of creating a game, you will in any case come across a service for developers. It is available at:

https://vk.com/dev

This is what the main page looks like.

We are interested in the section "iFrame/Flash applications for VKontakte". Let's go there.

Let's get acquainted with the interface, scroll down the page, and follow the link “How to create a VKontakte application”.

We receive a message that Flash and iFrame applications will be available for us to work with. And we are asked to follow this link to get started:

https://vk.com/editapp?act=create

We open it and see the application creation dialog box. Fill in all required fields.

• Name
• Type (select IFrame/Flash application)
• Description
• Type (game)
• Category

Then click "Proceed to download the application".

You will need to open notifications on your phone, request a verification SMS, and enter it into the form. Once the confirmation has passed, you will be taken to the information page.

Let's get acquainted with the rules, scroll to the bottom of the page, and click “I agree with the new rules”.

We check the correctness of the entered information and upload the graphics (screenshots, cover).

We have prepared everything necessary. All that’s left to do is develop the technical part, upload it to VKontakte, and launch our game. But this is the material for a completely separate article.

Conclusion

Now you can imagine the process of creating a game. In general terms, of course. But the topic of programming is too broad to fit into one material.

Questions?

In contact with

VKontakte is the most popular social network in Russia, which was developed by Pavel Durov similar to Facebook. The public still perceives this project in two ways, considering it not entirely legal to copy a third-party resource, even despite significant adjustments on the part of Russian developers. However, one should not deny the popularity of VKontakte - every second person has his own personal page and visits it daily. A separate topic for conversation is games on social networks.

Everyone loves to play, especially if they need to spend their free time effectively and happily. Today, there are more than a million different games and applications on the social network, and this figure continues to grow rapidly. At the same time, any user wants to have their favorite game at hand or find something of their own. Unfortunately, game developers do not always listen to the opinion of the target audience, because their main task is to obtain maximum profit from their brainchild, which goes against the desire of users to spend a minimum of money on virtual currency. Because of this market situation, the question of how to create a VKontakte game becomes relevant.

How to create a VKontakte game?

Creating your own game or application for a social network is an expensive undertaking that will require several millions, if not billions, of rubles. However, the developers took into account the desires of users and offered a simpler way out of the situation, which is to add their favorite flash games. This approach will allow you to spend time doing what you love without leaving your personal page. How to do it?

To integrate a flash game, you can use the already built-in social network service. To open it, you will need to go to your VKontakte page and go to the “Developers” tab. This is where programmers, designers and app development companies upload new projects in an attempt to catch up with fame and fortune. On the main page you can familiarize yourself with the capabilities of the external social network platform, as well as add your own application using the “Create application” button.

Since none of us are full-fledged developers and do not have an entire studio behind us to create full-fledged games, you can do basic export of flash games, which will always be at hand on your page. To implement your plan, you need to enter the name, description of the game, icon, and also select the type “iFrame\Flash application”.

After filling out all the required fields, you can proceed to download the application. A message with an access code to create a game will be sent to your mobile phone linked to your social network account. This is a simple precaution due to the active activity of automated systems, so keep your phone with you. Then it’s a little simpler: download the SWF file from your computer or give the page to a flash application from the Internet and confirm the actions. Ready! You can invite friends and just enjoy a simple arcade game without leaving VKontakte.

Looking at how popular applications are on the VKontakte social network, many also want to repeat their success and are starting to look for ways to realize their desires. But what you can see at first glance is just the tip of the iceberg. And in this article you will be able to get acquainted with everything that is hidden from you, but, nevertheless, is important for further successful activities. So, how to make the VKontakte application yourself? What does that require? And what are the options?

VKontakte applications

First of all, what is the goal? An application on VKontakte is software that requires knowledge of at least 4 programming languages ​​to develop. It is also necessary to understand the API that is provided by the social network itself. The end result must be (for successful existence) represented not only by the program itself, but also by the database, as well as files and scripts that will exchange information between them.

Possible types

Before you start, it’s a good idea to know that VK offers two types of applications. More detailed information can be found in the accompanying documentation, and only brief overviews will be posted in the article:

1. Flash applications. This includes the final product, which has the .swf extension. It is developed in the environment, then it is compiled into a finished program, and only after that it is uploaded to the server. To write a program, you must know ActionScript 3.0.
2. Iframe applications. These programs can be developed using various technologies that are supported by modern browsers. At the time of use, a window will be created in front of users through which all the necessary information can be transmitted. Data is transmitted and received in such cases using the JavaScript programming language.

Is it possible to use a constructor?

Maybe your desire to engage in such activities has already dropped a little after a brief introduction to what needs to be done? And do you rely on designers who will turn the creation of programs into a fun walk? But, alas, not everything is so easy. The fact is that programs that perform such a wide functionality cannot be created using such constructors. The maximum they are capable of is creating stand-alone applications that will have the simplest functionality. How then can you make your own application? There are four main options:

1. Using the constructor.
2. On your own.
3. Create and lead a development team.
4. Order paid creation.

We use the constructor

It should be understood that the best option in this case is to create a VKontakte application for Android. In such cases, various online designers will be able to help you. But keep in mind that they do not work like a regular VKontakte application for Android, but require installation through PlayMarket, and they can be launched by interacting on the network itself. Some of them offer a free mode, but to get full functionality you will have to pay well. But if you are still thinking about an application where you can make it, here is a little tip for you:

3. Mobile Roadie.

9. Appsmakerstore.

10. TheAppBuilder.

Any of the above services positions itself as a free designer, but for full-scale work in most cases a paid subscription will be very useful.

Creating a program on your own

How to make the VKontakte application yourself, relying only on yourself or a team of like-minded people? Let's consider the second and third options. It should be understood that creating applications for VKontakte is not an easy task, which will require certain skills and knowledge. Also on hand will be the desire to constantly learn and the desire to improve, both personally and as a developer. Therefore, the VKontakte application for a computer will not be a walk in the park. You need to be prepared that you will have to face a number of difficulties along the way.

Study in detail the documentation provided by the VKontakte administration specifically for developers. There you can also familiarize yourself with the application programming interface, which will be used to configure a message between the application and the social network. Then you will need to create the application itself and send it to VKontakte officials for verification. They will evaluate the functionality and design of the program and decide whether it is worth listing it in a special catalog and giving access to payment in local currency. Therefore, both of these components should be given due attention.

What you need to know

What do you need to understand before starting work? First of all, you need to understand programming languages ​​and be able to write programs in them. It will not be possible to make applications without this knowledge. Here are the main programming languages ​​that are used to create your own software:

1. ActionScript. The most popular language in which the bulk of programs are written.
2. 3D engines. As a rule, they are used to write applications in which there are a lot of active actions from the 1st person.
3. PHP. The language used to transfer data between the application and the database.
4. MySQL. The language in which data will be entered into the database.
5. HTML. Can be used to write simple applications.
6. Java. Can be used to create game modes where many different users are active at the same time.
7. JavaScript. A language designed to transmit data.
8. JSON. Useful for deciphering received data if you choose ActionScript as your program writing language.

As already written, you will need to learn 4-5 of them + application programming interface. But this will take a lot of time. The VKontakte application for the computer will be developed faster if you find like-minded people.

Education

The success and speed of progress will directly depend on the number of hours per day that you will spend on studying. If days and nights are devoted to the application, then it will be a matter of one month. As an introduction, a video will be suitable, where everything will be explained in general terms. Then you will need to read a couple of books that will explain the nuances of programming - and you can start practicing. Feel free to search the world wide web: most of what you want to implement has already been done before, why reinvent the wheel if you can just copy it? And why figure out from scratch how to make the VKontakte application yourself if there is already some level of developments?

Source documents

The source documents of various programs offer great potential for use. They can provide you not only with the implementation of some aspects in the form of code, but also with a graphical component. Therefore, stock up on a couple of decompilers, download several ready-made programs that have what you need - and that’s it. Perhaps someone will post the source code of their applications - this is good, because the code may be incorrectly decrypted, and there will be no need to waste time understanding what and how it works. Don't look for a special application to download VKontakte. Everything you need will have to be removed manually.

Paid development

And the simplest, although costly, option is to order development from a team of specialists. Depending on the complexity of the functionality, you will need to wait weeks or even months and pay a large amount, but everything will be done more or less, and relatively quickly. Since it is not a fact that you will be able to spend a day and night at the computer developing the desired program, this is the simplest and at the same time difficult to implement answer to the question “How to make the VKontakte application yourself so that it is of high quality?”

is the most famous social network on the Runet, developed by Pavel Durov, who tried to overtake Facebook. The audience is still vague about VK, considering it illegal to copy-paste a third-party web resource, not paying attention to the big changes, both in functionality and design. However, its popularity cannot be denied.

Almost every second person has a personal page, and he visits it every day. Separately, it is worth noting the applications; every user wants to know how to create a VKontakte game on their own without special knowledge and skills.

Everyone loves to play, especially if you want to spend your leisure time efficiently and with pleasure. There are more than a million social networking games of all kinds around the world, and these numbers are growing. At the same time, the user wants to have something special in his arsenal that he will like.

Step 1: implementation of the application through the VK service

But, unfortunately, not all developers listen to their audience, since their main goal is to extract maximum profit from their product, and this can sometimes run counter to the desire of some players to spend a minimum amount of money on the game. Therefore, it is worth understanding how to create a VK game yourself.

This requires a huge budget amounting to hundreds of thousands of rubles, but the administrators of the social network nevertheless thought through this point and implemented an easy way out of this situation, which consists in integrating the flash applications they liked. This method will allow you to spend time doing your favorite process without leaving your personal page. For integration you need:

• Open the integrated service by going to the “Developers” section. In it, designers, developers and third-party app creators upload new projects, trying to gain a large audience and attract huge funds;

• The main page presents the capabilities of this platform, and you can also add a new application using the “Create an application” button. Since you are unlikely to be a professional programmer and do not have several developed games in your arsenal, you can simply export flash games that will always be on your page.

Step 2: Specify user information

To complete the task, you need to specify a description for the game, a name, select a logo, and also select the application value (Flash or iFrame).

• Once the required fields are completed, begin downloading the application;
• A message will be sent to your mobile device with an access code to add the development.

This precaution is associated with a high degree of activity of automated systems, so a smartphone should always be at hand. Then all you have to do is download the file with the .SWF extension from your PC or point to the page with the flash product on a third-party resource and confirm the action.

As a rule, customers of “social” games have one of the following motives. Try on:

• Create a game with very simple, but such brilliant mechanics. Be the first to come up with the idea, open your own Klondike, quickly earn money, fame and universal love.

Developer comment: Surprisingly, all Tetris, Pac-Man and Arkanoid games were invented a long time ago. Inventing and then offering the market a truly original idea is difficult. No one can guarantee that if Tetris had been made today, and not 30 years ago, it would also have become a craze. Competition, after all.

• Create a game with already known gameplay, Don’t reinvent the wheel, but implement it in such a way that you want to play it. Attract users. Add monetization and earn money.

Developer comment: That's better, but another problem arises: why will people play your new farming simulator, and not the one that ranks first in the “Popular” catalogue? And attracting players is generally a separate item (and a separate budget, by the way), which is often forgotten.

Let's not go far for examples - let's look at the VK catalog. We pull out several million-dollar games at random. We get:

The right side is the original progenitors, the left is the “socialized” versions of popular games.

As you can see, there are few innovations in the projects, but the work on testing interfaces, graphics, sound and calculating monetization systems is colossal.

A very small percentage of customers decide to invest in such complex projects. The rest prefer to limit themselves to a banal transfer of familiar and simple gameplay to a social network. This is how they are born:

• Games familiar from childhood: tic-tac-toe, “find the differences”, “bulda”, etc.
• All kinds of card games: from poker to Magic: the Gathering.
• Casual arcade games: like the familiar Lines and Tetris.
• Games “ported” to VK from consoles twenty years ago.

Examples of games that are “simple” in gameplay and mechanics in the VKontakte catalog.

Finally, the third motive of the customer, which brings him to the developer:

• Develop a branded game for a social network. Its meaning is brand advertising within the game, obtaining intangible profit in the form of communication (brand-consumer communication) and lead generation (creating a community of loyal users through the game).

Developer comment: A branded game performs slightly different, non-mercantile functions. Its purpose is to increase trust in the brand and attract traffic to groups. And then, for example, if you have an online store, you can provide it with an additional flow of visitors.

If you intend to create a branded game, you have two scenarios:

Temporary branding of an already running game. If you properly ask the VKontakte administration (conditions). Of course, the more players there are, the more expensive the accommodation will be.

Development of your own game for your brand. Here you take on a double responsibility: to make an interesting project and introduce a brand into it so that it does not irritate the players.

From existing experience:

A great way to brand a game and win the loyalty of players: introduce the brand gradually. For example, in “The Happy Farmer” (2009), at a certain stage of the game, users were given the opportunity to purchase a Lay’s chips factory, in a similar project “Farmandia” (2011) - a factory of the “Bystrov” brand, in “Favorite Farm” - the “Calve” restaurant.

The branded element solved two problems at once:

• Transitions to the group: 1,665,172.
• Users who have joined the community: 150,000 people.
• Churn from the group after the end of the branding period: less than 3%.

Branded apps and games on social media are becoming increasingly suitable for advertising. Moreover, this is advertising of a “new level” - it does not cause negativity, is unobtrusive and even pleasant. And a brand that has chosen such a “humane” path to the consumer as its tactics will always win.