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[NorrenRadd]

How kind of you. :|

So you won't spend any money on a game you're enjoying until you're basically done with it? And then you have to *really* have enjoyed it, not just think it's good? How much would you say you typically throw the developer and how many times have you done this with F2P games?

I (and I presume others) get significant happiness out of beating a game without paying for IAP boosts. That's part of the challenge and part of the fun. If I pay before I feel like I've won, there is less challenge and fun because I feel like I cheated. If I pay after I've played for awhile, I don't feel like I have cheated. I think its a personality type or a mentality. I'm not out to screw developers and I am happy to support them to make more games. I have enjoyed these games and contributed money to the developers:

Hero Academy - Bought all of the teams and colors, will continue to buy all the teams.
Tiny Tower - Bought Bux for the wife to help her get started. I would buy Bux for myself but the value of them drops so significantly in the late game (I feel that's a design problem).
Pocket Planes - Waiting for them to fix the achievements/bugs before throwing them $10
Carcassonne - Bought the main game and all expansions. Will continue to buy the expansions.
Triple Town - Bought unlimited moves, but it killed the fun of the game for me :-(
'With Friends Games' - Bought the upgraded versions to remove advertisements.

This type of thinking frustrates me because it's exactly why so many F2P games *have* to have their hand out at every point otherwise most people won't pay. So the players that will have to pick up the slack, otherwise the game may not make its budget back. And that's why the most successful F2P games (hey, CSR racing) ask for money very frequently.

I don't consider it a 'type of thinking' as much as a design challenge. How can developers capture money from people like me, people who enjoy the challenge of beating the game without feeling like they paid and cheated?

With a content-driven game, this is easier. Carcassonne can release a new expansion and I'll pay. With a consumable driven game, the design challenge is harder. They have to give me value for my money but not make the game trivial. They need to make it acceptable for people to buy the intro pack.

People have decided they don't want to even spend 99 cents on games in great numbers. Amazing Alex, the #1 Paid App on iTunes is the #14 Top Grossing App. Where's My Perry, at #2 Paid is #21 grossing. And most of the apps on that Top Grossing chart are indeed free and beg for $$$. What do you expect, that's where the money seems to be.

You can't say that people don't want to spend 99 cents based on just the rankings data. Top paid applications are often inefficient in terms of capturing revenue from their customers. For example, I love Cut The Rope. I would have paid $20 for it, but it only cost me $1 and I can't pay for more. Their revenue numbers are lower than the amount of money customers are willing to pay.

F2P games don't have that problem as much, because they offer a method for people to continue to pay. Those apps aren't top grossing because they beg for money; rather, they are there because they are good F2P games with good monetization hooks that create the capability of grossing more revenue than a traditional fixed up-front cost application.

I get it; as a consumer - free is the best price ever! But, it did cost money to make what you're playing. If you can't even kick 99 cents to a developer of a game you think is good then I wouldn't expect them to make many more. I have never seen people so stingy with $2 as I do on the App Store. :\

I do kick $ to developers. Everyone who enjoys good F2P games should as well, so that we can get more goodness.

 

[Awesome Animals]

A few dollars? Somebody has ripped you off then, because it has only ever been 99c

Feel free to spend a few dollars more on the new cosmetic IAP.

I said a few dollars because I also bought the Aston Villa version. I was so ecstatic when that version came out.Any cosmetics for that one?

 

[Mario]

I said a few dollars because I also bought the Aston Villa version. I was so ecstatic when that version came out.Any cosmetics for that one?

We are looking at refreshing the branded versions to this seasons kits and info now. But there won't be any IAP in those.

 

[NYCrooner]

Anyone on the fence about Fieldrunners 2, don't kid yourself. Best TD game on the iOS by far and than some. I don't want it to end.

 

[Slacker]

Anyone on the fence about Fieldrunners 2, don't kid yourself. Best TD game on the iOS by far and than some. I don't want it to end.

I'll snatch up the iPad version if it's reasonably priced. History suggests it won't be, sadly. In the meantime Kingdom Rush is still filling the TD spot on my iPad nicely.

 

[toythatkills]

Tried The Tribez after a few people said it was really good a few days back. Did a few tutorial bits and it was going well, then I pressed a button to confirm something and it opened Facebook. Then I cancelled Facebook and it opened Twitter. Then I cancelled Twitter and deleted the game. FFS.

 

[Enco]

Tried The Tribez after a few people said it was really good a few days back. Did a few tutorial bits and it was going well, then I pressed a button to confirm something and it opened Facebook. Then I cancelled Facebook and it opened Twitter. Then I cancelled Twitter and deleted the game. FFS.

:lol

I gave it a shot but after a while I realised that I still hated micro management games and I deleted it. I find them so fucking boring.

 

[gabe90]

Shark Dash is free today

 

[Row]

Yea if you like TD fieldrunners 2 is a safe buy

 

[EleventhDoctor]

I'm very late to the party on both of these but Squids is AMAZING. can't believe I've missed out on this.

Also I installed Fieldrunners for iPad and there is a tremendous bug that has been known since last year but never fixed-your achievements don't trigger in GameCenter. EVER. NONE OF THEM. WTF??

 

[BradleyLove]

I'm very late to the party on both of these but Squids is AMAZING. can't believe I've missed out on this.

Also I installed Fieldrunners for iPad and there is a tremendous bug that has been known since last year but never fixed-your achievements don't trigger in GameCenter. EVER. NONE OF THEM. WTF??

I still can't resume a game either. Always makes FR bomb out, that bug has been there for ever.

I'm wary of FR2 cos of this.

 

[StoppedInTracks]

There is an EA sale happening right now.

Is MASS EFFECT™ INFILTRATOR worht 1 buck?

 

[Domstercool]

So my other (and final) work placement game came out today. It is called Katu Toka (means block head). This game is lot more arcade-action than what Lapsus was.


http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/katu-toka/id527603228?mt=8

Feedback welcomed as always.

 

[EleventhDoctor]

I have had so many iOS games that have achievement problems where the achievements get "stuck" or never fire. I wonder what this is about? This problem doesnt exist with XBOX achievements or trophies-so what's the deal?

 

[Katana_Strikes]

Anyone on the fence about Fieldrunners 2, don't kid yourself. Best TD game on the iOS by far and than some. I don't want it to end.

Better than Kingdom Rush?

I still haven't tried the first one.

 

[Ninjagorilla]

Mentioned that I've been beta testing Bad Hotel a few pages back. Lucky Frame released a trailer for it today. Great stuff:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2OH6lqi9msA

 

[DJ Lushious]

There is an EA sale happening right now.

Is MASS EFFECT™ INFILTRATOR worht 1 buck?

Oh, d-amn! Those prices on EA games are cheap. I need to know about Infiltrator, too!

Any other EA games worth buying, now that they are on sale? I really love Mirror's Edge, but I am rather biased towards that franchise.

 

[Awesome Animals]

The Mirror's Edge games is one of the best Platformers on iOS. Worth it at any price.

 

[soldat7]

I feel like there haven't been many good iOS games released recently. Is there truth to that, or is it just because I started using a laptop more than my iPad?

Metal Slug 3!

 

[StoppedInTracks]

Burnout Crash! for 1 buck. Worth it?

 

[DJ Lushious]

Burnout Crash! for 1 buck. Worth it?

If it is anything like the XBLA/PSN version, then, without a doubt, yes!

 

[PFD]

There is an EA sale happening right now.

Is MASS EFFECT™ INFILTRATOR worht 1 buck?

Easily, yes.

 

[StoppedInTracks]

Burnout™ CRASH!
SimCity™ Deluxe
SCRABBLE for iPad
MONOPOLY for iPad
MASS EFFECT™ INFILTRATOR
FIFA SOCCER 12
TETRIS® for iPad
Real Racing 2 HD
Dead Space for iPad

and probably many more EA's titles are all $0.99 right now.

Are EA iOS titles safe to buy? Meaning they won't disable the game in the future?

 

[Snuggles]

Oh snap. I had no idea that the Mirrors Edge game is actually good, I need it in my life asap. I'll grab Mass Effect too. How is SimCity on iPhone? Decent port?

The only EA title I currently own is NBA Jam. It seems to have a good amount of features and the graphics are decent, but I struggle with the virtual controls and the framerate is like 15FPS which hurts my eyes.

 

[StoppedInTracks]

EA is stating over 70 titles are on clearance right now...

 

[sladeums]

Burnout Crash! for 1 buck. Worth it?

I've not played it, but it has been mentioned in this thread by numerous people that it is a monumental pile of shit.

 

[Dynamite Shikoku]

Burnout Crash! for 1 buck. Worth it?

Nope

 

[Jarsonot]

and probably many more EA's titles are all $0.99 right now.

Are EA iOS titles safe to buy? Meaning they won't disable the game in the future?

No telling, but *I* won't buy any more EA games, $0.99 or no.

 

[One Foul Note]

Sorry if this has already been said, but Motoheroz is free atm. It is amazing, go pick it up. It is made by the Trials folks.

 

[toythatkills]

Sorry if this has already been said, but Motoheroz is free atm. It is amazing, go pick it up. It is made by the Trials folks.

It's terrible. RedLynx's worst game.

 

[DJ Lushious]

I've not played it, but it has been mentioned in this thread by numerous people that it is a monumental pile of shit.

Nope

Can you elaborate? How is it different from the PSN/XBLA version?

Are EA iOS titles safe to buy? Meaning they won't disable the game in the future?

No telling, but *I* won't buy any more EA games, $0.99 or no.

What is this in reference to? I am only a week into owning any Apple product, so I don't know the history behind this question.

 

[Acheteedo]

Anyone on the fence about Fieldrunners 2, don't kid yourself. Best TD game on the iOS by far and than some. I don't want it to end.

Just picked this up, is it already a standard to bold the names of titles that people are recommending? If not, can it be please? Very useful for people like me that use this thread to find new games.

 

[Snuggles]

Can you elaborate? How is it different from the PSN/XBLA version?



What is this in reference to? I am only a week into owning any Apple product, so I don't know the history behind this question.

Last May, EA "accidentally" put a prompt in Rock Band iOS that said it would be no longer playable by the end of the month. People who bought it with no knowledge of it's limited shelf life weren't happy. EA backed off, but most likely only because of the severe backlash.

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=472500
http://www.joystiq.com/2012/05/03/rock-band-ios-not-canceled/

 

[sladeums]

What is this in reference to? I am only a week into owning any Apple product, so I don't know the history behind this question.

They pulled and re-released new versions of Tetris, to add in a slew of IAP and optional subscription services :

http://toucharcade.com/2011/12/02/the-new-tetris-boldly-takes-iap-to-heights-few-dream-of/

http://toucharcade.com/2012/04/12/tetris-loving-ipad-owners-just-got-ead-hard/

They also had a Battlefield 3 title and a Simpsons game that were taken down following tons of gameplay or functionality complaints and have never been seen again.

 

[ScrabbleDude]

Burnout Crash! for 1 buck. Worth it?

I love it on XBLA. Everyone says it's terrible on iOS, but I'm not sure they liked the XBLA version either based on their comments.

 

[Wario64]

I love it on XBLA. Everyone says it's terrible on iOS, but I'm not sure they liked the XBLA version either based on their comments.

I have both, prefer XBLA. Something does seem off on the iOS version but I think most people who hated the iOS version wouldn't have liked the game anyway


I like the game though

 

[Marco1]

As much as I enjoy gaming on my iphone, there seems to be this worrying trend towards FTP with IAP or games under £3.
Some games I have purchased such as This Could Hurt has a system in place were I can't get past level 10 unless I use IAP.
Surely the market is screwed if apple don't change this.

 

[criesofthepast]

Picked up FIFA 12 finally. Was waiting for a sale. Gave Mass Effect infiltrator a try as well. 3.1gb left on my 16gb 4S. ~_~

I have 5 folders full of games. Have a few games I bought and finished that aren't on my phone but took off due to being very large like Max Payne.

Next iPhone I'm buying is not going to be 16gb.

 

[Fuu]

I have had so many iOS games that have achievement problems where the achievements get "stuck" or never fire. I wonder what this is about? This problem doesnt exist with XBOX achievements or trophies-so what's the deal?

It's hard to get any information on this since, Pocket Planes bug aside, we seem to be the only ones posting about GC achievement problems in the thread. Google searching doesn't give me too many results about this kind of thing either.

I had issues with four games so far. Every other one I play/played works perfectly and achievements register immediately (assuming I'm online through a decent connection, otherwise the GC log-in may lag a bit).

Which games gave you trouble? These are the problems I had:

-Beat Sneak Bandit: Some achievements would lag, sometimes for hours, but eventually register. Got the entire list working on this one so it was just a minor annoyance.

-Pocket Planes: Seems to be related to the game code as per developers feedback in the PP thread. Was supposed to be fixed in an update but I think it's still broken. As far as I know it's only the "Transatlantic" achievement that seems to be bugged, but more may be affected. (edit: just checked the PP thread and the Transatlantic achievement seems to be working for some people).

-Brandnew Boy: Logs in GC but doesn't register any achievements at all, despite in-game notifications. I tried deleting and reinstalling the game but no dice. I bought it after it got the big updated that added the female character, so I don't know if they were working before.

-Early Bird: Used to register achievements normally in the past. I stopped playing it for a while, then updated it at some point and got back to it recently. I even forgot it had GameCenter support because it wouldn't even log-in to GC when I started playing it again. Got all the stars and rage-deleted the game from my GC list when I noticed what was happening.

-GameCenter (not a game, but may be somewhat related): A few days ago it stopped showing which game people on my friends list played last, showing instead "Never Played" under their names. Affected other people in the thread, seems to be fixed now.

Since I'm done with the games I listed except Brandnew Boy, I'm keeping an eye on any updates to that one to see if it will be fixed. Earlier today I did a system reset/restore from backup on my iPhone for some reasons and decided to test it again. Turns out the game is still not registering achievements so at least it doesn't seem to be device-related.

 

[GeekyDad]

Oh snap. I had no idea that the Mirrors Edge game is actually good, I need it in my life asap. ...

I'd say it was merely decent. Whereas the console game could be frustrating because of having to learn the run, the iOS game is mostly frustrating due to technical flaws. I loved Mirror's Edge on PS3 -- think it's one of the coolest things to come out this generation -- but this wasn't all that fun for me.

 

[NorrenRadd]

I have had so many iOS games that have achievement problems where the achievements get "stuck" or never fire. I wonder what this is about? This problem doesnt exist with XBOX achievements or trophies-so what's the deal?

Apple cares much less about achievements than Microsoft does.

There is MUCH less certification for iOS games than Xbox games.

I think there may be iOS issues related to iCloud, GCenter, and being connected to the internet. It doesn't seem to work as flawless as playing offline on the xbox.

 

[hayguyz]

Is there a more recent "best of ios" than what is linked in the OT?

 

[toythatkills]

Apple cares much less about achievements than Microsoft does.

This. Achievements are a core part of Microsoft's strategy, whereas achievements in Game Center are just... there.

Saying that, the Xbox gets its fair share of glitchy achievements.

 

[Fuu]

Yeah, it's definitely a side-thing but developers are usually interested in fixing GC bugs with game updates so at least there's that. With GC support on Mountain Lion I can see it getting more focus in some capacity though.

 

[EleventhDoctor]

I'm no developer in any way-so could someone explain to me in layman's terms how Achievements work?

So if I do an action in a game that meets the code of "if x=true, then "send achievement 12 true" message to the GameCenter API?"

Is that about right? For instance right now in both Infinity Blade 2 and Hero Academy I've been working on progressive achievements-
1. Compete in 100 successful Clashmobs
2. Win 100 games with the Tribe/Dwarves

And in both of these-I was doing fine-the percentage was going up and then it just becomes stuck. I've read on both of the forums of these developers that this is a known issue-but how does it happen? How does it work one minute and then not the next?

 

[toythatkills]

Is this legit?

http://appshopper.com/games/terraria

=/

 

[heringer]

Is this legit?

http://appshopper.com/games/terraria

=/

Doubt it.

Who is going to be the guinea pig?

 

[SmokyDave]

Is this legit?

http://appshopper.com/games/terraria

=/

I took the hit for you and, nope.

It has a terraria start screen but then it's just some cheap, generic platformer. Doesn't even rip off terraria assets. Avoid.

 

[Marco1]

Is this legit?

http://appshopper.com/games/terraria

=/

As fake as you can get it!

 

[toythatkills]

I took the hit for you and, nope.

Ouch, thanks, I hope you get your money back. Normally these fakes are a lot easier to spot, I assumed it was dodgy but it was pretty hard to tell from the app details alone!

Presumably this'll be top of the app store charts shortly anyway.