The built in Joystick controlled behaviour should handle this automatically. Make sure the "should flip" toggle is on.
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RE: Move player forward In their direction
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RE: The 2026 Awards List!
Here are the latest awards. Share which ones you want and got!
Early Bird: Logged in 3 days straight. Nice start!
Dedicated Player: Played projects 3 days in a row. Keep going!
Quick Commenter: Commented 3 days straight. Your voice matters!
Like Away!: Liked 3 projects. Spread the love!
Daily Champ: Logged in a full week. Way to go!
Indie Games Addict: Played every day for 7 days. Keep rolling!
Comment Star: Commented daily for a week. Shining voice!
Lightning Likes: Liked 7 projects!
Login Legend: Logged in 30 days straight. Epic streak!
Indie Games Master: Played projects every day for a month. Game on!
Comment Icon: Commented daily for 30 days. Rule the chat!
Like Bug: Liked 30 projects.
Live and Breathe hyperPad: Logged in 60 days straight. You're here more often than we are!
Like Legend: Wow, 60 projects
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Is It Really “Just Marketing”? What One Reddit Challenge Teaches Game Devs
A developer on Reddit set out to test a common belief in indie game development:
“Good games fail because of marketing.”
He searched for games that earned under $1,000 but were genuinely great. What he found instead surprised him. Most low-earning games weren’t hidden gems. They were unfinished, unpolished, or too similar to hundreds of others.
For hyperPad creators, this conversation is powerful. It challenges a comforting narrative and replaces it with something more useful: accountability, craft, and strategy.
Let’s break down the key lessons and how you can apply them inside hyperPad to build meaningful, sellable games.
1. Most Games Don’t Fail Because They’re Invisible
They Fail Because They’re Replaceable
In the discussion, many low-performing games fell into familiar categories:
- Basic 2D platformers
- Generic 3D horror games
- Game jam–level polish
- Minimal visual identity
- No clear hook
These games weren’t “bad people’s efforts.” They were simply indistinguishable.
Today’s players have infinite options. If your game feels like something they’ve already played 20 times, marketing won’t save it.
Your Takeaway:
Before building your game, answer this clearly,
- What makes this different?
- What emotional experience am I offering?
- Why would someone pick this over 50 similar games?
If the answer is “it’s fun,” that’s not enough. Fun is the baseline.
2. “Marketing Is the Problem” Is Often a Comfortable Myth
Blaming marketing feels safe. It protects your ego. It suggests the product was fine.
But visibility only amplifies what already exists. If a game is weak, more exposure just reveals its weaknesses faster. Marketing cannot:
- Fix poor controls
- Hide inconsistent art
- Replace missing progression
- Add depth after launch
Your Takeaway:
Inside hyperPad, focus first on:
- Tight controls
- Clean UI
- Strong visual consistency
- Satisfying feedback systems
- A polished first 10 minutes
Your first 5 minutes of gameplay are more important than your trailer.
3. “Good” Is Not the Same as “Technically Functional”
Many low-selling games technically worked. They ran. They had mechanics. They were complete. But they didn’t feel professional. Players subconsciously evaluate:
- Animation smoothness
- Sound design quality
- Menu clarity
- Tutorial clarity
- Pacing
A game can function and still feel amateur.
Your Takeaway:
Treat presentation as part of game design, not decoration. In hyperPad:
- Use smooth transitions
- Add responsive button states
- Add sound feedback for interactions
- Polish your menus
- Make onboarding intuitive
- Small improvements multiply perceived quality.
4. Simple Is Fine. Generic Is Not.
The Reddit thread revealed something important:
- Simple games can succeed.
- Basic games rarely do.
- There’s a difference.
- A simple concept with a twist works.
- A standard platformer with default mechanics does not.
Your Takeaway:
If you're making:
- A platformer → add a unique mechanic
- A puzzle game → introduce an unusual constraint
- A shooter → innovate on movement or progression
- A narrative game → create a distinct voice
Ask: what would make someone describe this in one sentence?
If players cannot summarize your hook, your concept needs sharpening.5. The $10K Goal Is Realistic — With Strategy
The developer in the thread aimed for $10,000 annually.
That is not a viral-hit target. That’s a sustainable indie goal.
But it requires:- Skill development
- Niche targeting
- Consistency
- Iteration
- Asset reuse
- Long-term thinking
The myth is “most games make nothing.”
The reality is:
Most rushed, undifferentiated games make nothing.
There’s a difference.6. Meaningful Games Sell Better Than Trend-Chasing Games
The strongest indie games often succeed because they:
- Express a clear personal vision
- Target a specific audience
- Solve a specific player desire
- Deliver a cohesive emotional experience
Meaningful does not mean deep or serious. It means intentional.
Your Takeaway:
Ask yourself:
- Who is this game for?
- What problem does it solve?
- What emotion does it leave behind?
Build with purpose, not just mechanics.
7. Stop Building Game Jam–Scale Games as Commercial Products
Many low-earning games resembled month-long experiments.
There is nothing wrong with game jams. They are fantastic learning tools. But, game jam scope ≠ commercial scope. A commercial game needs:- Depth
- Replayability
- Content volume
- Stability
- Professional presentation
Your Strategy:
- Prototype quickly
- Validate your mechanic
- Expand intentionally
- Polish extensively
- Playtest seriously
- Do not stop at “it works.”
8. The Real Competitive Edge: Taste
One unspoken lesson from the thread, successful developers develop taste. They know:
- What looks amateur
- What feels outdated
- What players expect in 2026
- What standards have risen
Taste comes from:
- Playing many games
- Studying successful indies
- Analyzing store pages
- Reviewing trailers critically
If you cannot critique your own work harshly, the market will do it for you.
A Practical hyperPad Checklist Before You Publish
Before releasing your game on the App Store or hyperPad Hub, ask:
Concept
Does this have a clear hook?
Can I describe it in one compelling sentence?Gameplay
Are the controls tight?
Is the first 5 minutes engaging?
Is there a reason to keep playing?Presentation
Is the UI clean?
Are sounds consistent?
Does the art style match across all assets?Differentiation
Why this game instead of similar ones?
Who specifically is this for?If you cannot confidently answer these, improve before launching.
The Hard Truth That Should Excite You
The Reddit challenge unintentionally revealed something encouraging, it is actually hard to find a genuinely great game that earns under $1,000.
That means quality still matters.
For hyperPad creators, this is good news. You are not competing against perfect games. You are competing against unfinished ones.
If you, take polish seriously, build with intention, respect player time, develop taste, iterate relentlessly, and you are already ahead of most releases.Quitting a job to make games is a personal decision. Revenue is never guaranteed. But this conversation shows something important:
The market is not randomly cruel, it is selective.Do not just finish a game.
Finish a good one, what do you think? -
2026, a really interesting year for iPads?
The next base iPad is rumored to get Apple Intelligence support with an A18 chip, bringing on‑device AI tools and significantly better performance than the A16 — which could be a big deal for creative and coding tools on iPad.
There are also leaks suggesting OLED displays, stronger chips, and broader updates across the Air and Mini lineup, which would give devs like you more headroom for graphically rich apps and games.
At the same time, iPadOS 26 is adding better windowing, multitasking, and productivity features, positioning the iPad more as a creator tool than just a consumption device.
For game dev on iPad, that could mean:
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Stronger hardware in mainstream models → better performance for real‑time engines 🎉
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On‑device AI features → potential for procedural content, smarter behaviors, or assistive tools
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Improved multitasking → more productive on‑device workflows with editors and asset tools
Some folks are skeptical about how much real change we’ll actually see (especially on the Pro side), but broader AI support + OS upgrades could lower barriers for dev tools to thrive on iPad. 👀
Thoughts on how this might shift the creative ecosystem on tablets moving forward?
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RE: how the freak do you crop images that you import as graphics
Can you be more specific on how you cropped your image?
hyperPad has a limited built in image editor that has a crop feature. You can import a graphic, then in the asset library press and hold to bring up the menu, and then select "Edit Graphic" then on the left hand side select the crop tool.
If you used an app outside of hyperPad, make sure the image you cropped is saved, and you have imported it into hyperPad AFTER you have made any edits in what ever tool you're using.
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RE: 2026 Game Jam Challenge
The Theme: Love, Horses & Fire.
Your game must incorporate all three elements: Love, Horses & Fire.To celebrate the upcoming Lunar New Year, you are encouraged to draw inspiration from Asian folklore.
You may work solo or in a team. Looking for collaborators? Join our Discord to connect with other creators.
Rules & Guidelines
- Games must be created using hyperPad
- Reusing existing assets or logic is allowed
- Focus on theme, storytelling, and sharing your progress
- Games should be playable with a clear outcome
- Tag your submission with #2026FEBJAM to be featured on the Hub
- Submission ends February 9th, 11:59 PM EST.
Participate in the event to win a cute participation Award.
If there are at least 5 submissions, the winner of the game jam will win an exclusive Award.
Judging Criteria
Community members will evaluate games based on:
- Theme: How well the game connects to the folklore inspired concepts and required elements.
- Design: World design, writing, level structure, UI, and overall experience.
- Audio: Music and sound effects that enhance mood and emotion.
- Gameplay: Mechanics, player interaction, and how the world responds.
- Originality: Creativity and unique interpretation of the theme.
Tag us on socials with your progress! We love to see it.
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hyper_pad/
- TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hyperpad
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@hyperPad
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RE: hyperPad 2.5 Beta - Now Available For Sign Up
hyperPad 2.5 beta updates!
Thank you for your feedback beta testers.
With your support, we have caught some bugs and made updates.
Let us know what you think in the comments below.
New Bug Fixes
- Fixed crashes in some projects when playing in the Hub
- Fixed unit and clear buttons not being visible on text fields in the behavior editor
- Fixed the status bar being visible on exported projects
- Fixed the Alert behavior not working on exported projects
