Jump to content
IGNORED

The iOS gaming thread

Scog

By Scog
in Discussion

 Share

Recommended Posts

sammy

sammy

Posted
Posted

I wondered that as well, just started playing the last couple of nights. I've been selling them on once mastered. Brilliant game, ridiculously smooth and looks stunning on my 4S. I am utterly shit at it though, still can't beat the God King and am on 6th Bloodline or something - any tips? Stats wise I'm focusing on HP and attack, I don't seem to be using my shield much.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
rumblecat

rumblecat

Posted
Posted
I don't really like Scribblenauts. The sandbox bit is fun but the actual levels are dull dull dull and the controls are horrible. A lot of the levels are just basically 'think of 3 things you need for a party/heist/school', a glorified word test. And a lot of the objects don't actually do anything, or you can't use them in the way you want. It's impressive in a way, but the scope is so vast that the limitations just become immediately apparent.

I've really enjoyed it. True, the levels aren't that hard, but there's a lot of fun to be had in finding the weird ways to solve them. Like in the gunfight level-

first of all I called up a brick wall to block the bullets between the gunfighters. Then stuck a Medusa on the side of the enemy gunfighter, which turned him to stone. After that it was just a case of removing the wall and the Medusa and letting my gunfighter finish the job. :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites
toythatkills

toythatkills

Posted
Posted

Whale Trail is great and disappointing at the same time :(

The atmosphere and Gruff are both amazing, and the whole feel of the game is wonderful. Unfortunately, it goes on for aaaaaaages, which for an endless game is a pretty cardinal sin. The problem is that it feels like it goes on for so long because the game has no balance at all, rather than because of any effort on the player's part. It's just way, way too easy.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
sir stiff_one

sir stiff_one

Posted
Posted

I don't see how any great read includes the viewpoint that games with IAPs are extorting players. Sounds like another whiny indie playing the holier than thou card.

I said about the whole drawing lines in the sand thing, imaginary lines in gaming that two sides sit behind at pelt each other with tomatoes from. Very sad.

This is extortion in the worst way; this is extortion of the time we have left until we die, the sole resource of consequence for human life. Developers who deliberately engage in this kind of design should be ashamed of their creations.

Yeah whatever!

There are tons of different examples of poor value IAP and of traditional RRP pay once games. In fact the only thing that matters is:

Do you enjoy playing a game?

Fuck, you could write several hundred thousand words on the shitty filler that has been pumped into games from their inception to the latest AAA releases. RPGs are a genre almost based around grinding and filler, and some people absolutely adore them. All 11million WoW players are paying monthly to play a game based around time sinks - and don't get me wrong, World of Warcraft is one of the very best experiences that's ever been offered in gaming.

Luckily, there's absolutely no reason to take this guy seriously, reading this line:

I highly recommend my friend Tim Rogers' excellent series who killed videogames? (a ghost story).

Yeah go read those 30,000 rambling words which vaguely say nothing new at all.

This was an article so incredibly bad and flabby and self pleasuring that I actually wrote something in response to it here: http://wp.me/p1Tdge-r

Well, the battle has begun. Are you with the lame freemium and evil IAP devils, or the wonderful, artistically free indie devs? What a load of bullshit. This bullshit happens because gamers are dicks and gaming is a really fucking insular industry. Go and play games, and if you don't like a game, don't play it. Because choosing to play what you want is your right and the most powerful voice there is.

4
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Flub

Flub

Posted
Posted

Mage Gauntlet seems good so far. Not universal but still looks good at 2x on the iPad. Also Vertex Blaster. A bit of a cross between Super Stardust and Geometry Wars.

Boomblastica is an interesting musical style shooter. For me it's not that good a shooter but it's free and the music is very good. I keep replaying the first level just to listen to the music.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Flub

Flub

Posted
Posted

It's like everything. There are good IAP and there are bad. I had no issue buying the high score table access and extra ships for Phoenix HD (especially since the game is free) but I'd struggle to pay for something as cynical as Farmville or Mafia Wars. However we also have to remember that there are people who'd happily pay for things like that. Hell. My mum pays for a yearly subscription to Pogo just so she can play slightly different versions of games she already gets to play for free.

It is a shame when potentially good games are raped with IAP but I say fuck 'em. There are plenty more games out there.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
MK-1601

MK-1601

Posted
Posted

I don't see how any great read includes the viewpoint that games with IAPs are extorting players. Sounds like another whiny indie playing the holier than thou card.

Not even Smurf's Village?

Adam was definitely right to write the piece as it's clear that there's an unthinking acceptance among devs of using IAPs in lazy and chiselling ways. Forever Drive and Infinity Blade are good examples, although they're at least moderately enjoyable games, just with endless, pointless grinding tacked on. Tiny Tower is significantly worse. (I wrote a thing last night about how Forever Drive is needlessly spoiled for most players by the hamfisted use of consumable IAPs here.)

I agree about the Rogers piece though. I was amazed that those 'revelations' were new to anyone. How the fuck can industry people manage to wilfully ignore something as massive (commercially and in terms of shaping player expectations) as social games for two years?

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Cheeko

Cheeko

Posted
Posted

People seem to think it's a human right to constantly have full access to new games to play and they are appalled at these IAPs that they HAVE to pay for.

Just leave it people, if you don't like it just don't buy the games, your life will carry on fine.

I bought the custom disc designs in Disc Drivin' as I really enjoy playing the game.

I don't love the 10x multiplyer purchase on Drive Forever, I would've liked to keep playing but the free mode is too compromised for levelling up, so I just deleted it and I'm okay with that.

2
Link to comment
Share on other sites
PaB

PaB

Posted
Posted

http://blog.adamatomic.com/contrivance-and-extortion-in-app-purchases-mi

Great read on the use and abuse of in game purchases on iOS.

That whole piece is, basically, a crock of shit.

Point 1. His dislike of , effectively, level up grinds, and hard to achieve targets. This is supposed to be a new phenomenom to iOS is it? This is personal preference, It is not "deliberate contrivance to extort money from gamers"

Point 2 . When you first get a game for free, and find out that it is laden with microtransaction oppotunities, you have a choice whether to buy those or not. Of course you could also not be a cheap arsehole and pay , say, 99 pence for a full game that has no such "breaking of the sacred circle". Twat.

Point 3. "This is extortion in the worst way; this is extortion of the time we have left until we die" Oh fuck off

"That's when they step in, like a mafia godfather, and offer you a deal you can't refuse" Well, you can really, can't you. If you literally can't resist the temptation to spend £2 on level up aids, then you're the sort of person that spends a fortune on premuim gold packs in Fifa ultimate team. A person that takes short cuts, a person that cannot be ebothered to put in time and effort to reap the reward. Don;t blame the game, blame yourself for being weak.

Point 4. "If your game is not first and foremost about the player and the experience, then you are not building games" Absolute tosh. Making games, is like making films, or records or books, it's about making money. Guess what, the well thought out and researched works that have love and care and attention and effort put in to them, tend, buy and large, to make money.

2
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Sfan

Sfan

Posted
Posted

Not even Smurf's Village?

Adam was definitely right to write the piece as it's clear that there's an unthinking acceptance among devs of using IAPs in lazy and chiselling ways. Forever Drive and Infinity Blade are good examples, although they're at least moderately enjoyable games, just with endless, pointless grinding tacked on. Tiny Tower is significantly worse. (I wrote a thing last night about how Forever Drive is needlessly spoiled for most players by the hamfisted use of consumable IAPs here.)

I'm glad someone else is better able to Analise Foreverdrive's problems better then me. I'm about ready to delete it. It's grind for the sake of grind with no real goal. I didn't know you could not earn more credits and if you just test out track making you can't delete the ones you've made. You need to buy more slots. I want to like the game put it's a prick teasing slapper getting me to buy her more drinks before she might put out.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Distinct muttering

Distinct muttering

Posted
Posted

I wondered that as well, just started playing the last couple of nights. I've been selling them on once mastered. Brilliant game, ridiculously smooth and looks stunning on my 4S. I am utterly shit at it though, still can't beat the God King and am on 6th Bloodline or something - any tips? Stats wise I'm focusing on HP and attack, I don't seem to be using my shield much.

Yeah, sell them on, you only need one of each. Use monies to upgrade etc.

I also concentrated on HP and attack, and defeated him on the 6th bloodline, so you wont be far off. Remember to use your magic and super attack, if you get both of those off you dont need to hit him too much.

Gutted Dead space went back up to £5 before I could pick up at 69p.

Is real racing 2 any good? Im keen for some high spec games to show off the power of the 4s.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Distinct muttering

Distinct muttering

Posted
Posted

The point I agree with is that there are bad examples of IAP implementation and freemium 'energy' based games and they are made cynically. But what do you want for that, a medal - a badge perhaps?

Horse Armour 2.0

I still hang my head with shame to think I bought that horse armour, I was just so keen to be a in game purchase pioneer I didnt really care at the time it was purely cosmetic. What a tool.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
MK-1601

MK-1601

Posted
Posted

That whole piece is, basically, a crock of shit.

Point 1. His dislike of , effectively, level up grinds, and hard to achieve targets. This is supposed to be a new phenomenom to iOS is it? This is personal preference, It is not "deliberate contrivance to extort money from gamers"

Nowhere does he say it's a new development, and yes, it's objectively designed to cripple games to try to force payment. Have you played the games being talked about? It's like the cheesy Evony model of giving you a bunch of 'inspiration' to start then making every action take forever once it's run out.

Point 2 . When you first get a game for free, and find out that it is laden with microtransaction oppotunities, you have a choice whether to buy those or not. Of course you could also not be a cheap arsehole and pay , say, 99 pence for a full game that has no such "breaking of the sacred circle". Twat.

Yes, the guy who wrote Canabalt and Flixel is a twat. OK.

I'd love to buy a premium version of Forever Drive with the idiotic credits system stripped out. I can't because the developers have been beaten over the head so hard with the idea that pissing people off with grinding is the only viable business model.

Point 3. "This is extortion in the worst way; this is extortion of the time we have left until we die" Oh fuck off

"That's when they step in, like a mafia godfather, and offer you a deal you can't refuse" Well, you can really, can't you. If you literally can't resist the temptation to spend £2 on level up aids, then you're the sort of person that spends a fortune on premuim gold packs in Fifa ultimate team. A person that takes short cuts, a person that cannot be ebothered to put in time and effort to reap the reward. Don;t blame the game, blame yourself for being weak.

Pointless over-literal pedantry

Point 4. "If your game is not first and foremost about the player and the experience, then you are not building games" Absolute tosh. Making games, is like making films, or records or books, it's about making money. Guess what, the well thought out and researched works that have love and care and attention and effort put in to them, tend, buy and large, to make money.

Point missed by a mile. Films, records and books (and restaurants and, well, everything that isn't purely commoditised or a monopoly) are focused on the end user's experience. Building something around artificially requiring payments for the game to not be annoying flies in the face of "well thought out and researched works that have love and care and attention and effort put in to them".

F2P should be approached more like shareware. Get as many people as possible to play for free to winkle out the ones who would pay. Giving as many people as possible a shit experience and preaching that they owe you a living is just about the worst possible way to go about it.

...

By the way, I got the second-tier-up car in Forever Drive last night, after something like ten hours overall of mindless, arbitrarily-combo-losing grinding bullshit. It massively, massively improves the game. The best thing they could do would be to charge 79p for the game, lose the credits system and just give you that car from the start.

1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Pistol

Pistol

Posted
Posted

I'd love to buy a premium version of Forever Drive with the idiotic credits system stripped out. I can't because the developers have been beaten over the head so hard with the idea that pissing people off with grinding is the only viable business model.

Well, to be fair, their previous ventures have tried the "premium version" approach and I don't think it worked out for them.

I think there might be more to the Supermono team now that when Minisquadron was released, but that was an excellent, excellent game that should've done better than it did. We know only too well, though, that just being a fantastic game is no guarantee of success in this market.

I think IAP's are often a safety net for a lot of apps that would otherwise be unprofitable, regardless of how good the game is. Can't blame people for falling back on them, just have to hope their implementation of them is good.

For example, RocketCat studios and their array of hats for the characters in the Hook series of games. I have spent money on those, not because I want them as much as because I had enormous fun with the games and didn't mind giving them some more money for their efforts.

2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue. Use of this website is subject to our Privacy Policy, Terms of Use, and Guidelines.

  I accept