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iOS Gaming Dec/Jan: GET

S

SteveWD40

Member
Dragoshi1 said:
So is the Witcher Arena game not working for anybody? Stuck on Connecting screen on ipad mini 2.
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Can't connect for the initial patch, seems common on TA as well. Reactions are it's shit so far... :S

Fates Forevor is too furry, Vainglory has shitty offline / no bots, I had high hopes for this one but alas.
 
T

tariniel

Member
I've heard a lot great things about the following iOS games. If I were to buy and play only one, which would you recommend? I enjoy story based games as well as match 3, so I don't think the type of game matters.

80 Days
Hero Emblems
Device 6

Other than that I downloaded Chain Chronicle last night and it's pretty cool. I played it for about an hour which is more than I played almost any other iOS game ever. I think the only game I've played longer is A Dark Room.
 
M

More_Badass

Member
TheLetdown said:
Regarding Ronin, Devolver Digital has been on such a roll with me that I'm sure I'll love it. They can't lose; I even highly enjoyed Gods Will Be Watching, which wasn't necessarily panned but definitely wasn't praised.

I just wish they would have done a little more with the presentation on Ronin. The backdrop could go miles in separating itself from Gunpoint and just doesn't.

Regarding Mark of the Ninja, I agree. It requires some really precise controls that would be too cluttered, particularly on phones.
Click to expand...
Not to derail into other platforms, but yeah, Gods Will Be Watching was a disappointment for me. I loved the Ludum Dare version, I even had it on my Indie GOTY 2013 list. But the tension and taut bleak scenario that made that version so good just translate over to the other levels in the expanded game.

And speaking of Devolver, Broforce on iPad would be the announcement of the year for me. Hell, the controls are so simple (up, down, left, right, 3 action buttons) and you can only shoot left and right, so you wouldn't have to worry about a second v-stick for aiming. It would be perfect. A man can always dream, right?
 
M

More_Badass

Member
tariniel said:
I've heard a lot great things about the following iOS games. If I were to buy and play only one, which would you recommend? I enjoy story based games as well as match 3, so I don't think the type of game matters.

80 Days
Hero Emblems
Device 6

Other than that I downloaded Chain Chronicle last night and it's pretty cool. I played it for about an hour which is more than I played almost any other iOS game ever. I think the only game I've played longer is A Dark Room.
Click to expand...
Story based, 80 Days is your best bet. Device 6 is very innovative in how it marries a text adventure with the strengths of the platform, but it's more of a puzzle game. 80 Days is just this sprawling, incredibly replayable journey through a 19th-century steampunk world brimming with conflict and international tension. You can replay it six, seven times and have a different experience each time

I'd say Device 6 is the better game due to the brilliant puzzles and innovative presentation, but 80 Days is the better experience. Both are absolute must-plays, so you win regardless of which one you decide to get

Hero Emblems is the best Match-3 RPG I've played yet. I started an OT for it, if you'd want to read some impressions from GAFfers
 
O

okno

Member
FerranMG said:
Yeah, Skyward is pretty sweet, I'm enjoying it more than I thought I would.
Shame that it doesn't have an option to remove the ads.
Click to expand...

That's my biggest gripe with it. Id gladly pay $1-$2 to get rid of them. Other than I can't put the thing down, haha. Nearly missed my train stop today!
 
gingerbeardman

gingerbeardman

Member
okno said:
That's my biggest gripe with it. Id gladly pay $1-$2 to get rid of them. Other than I can't put the thing down, haha. Nearly missed my train stop today!
Click to expand...
What are your thoughts on using an ad blocker? I have tested one and it works.

It would starving the developers of their well deserved money. But it also gets rid of the ads.

Anyway, I'm playing Jump Car! It's Jaleco's City Connection meets Doodle Jump. Amazing.

Jump Car by No Monkeys
Published by Ketchapp
https://appsto.re/gb/Jv_w4.i

http://youtu.be/3pBrW5W41m0
 
A

awp69

Member
okno said:
That's my biggest gripe with it. Id gladly pay $1-$2 to get rid of them. Other than I can't put the thing down, haha. Nearly missed my train stop today!
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gingerbeardman said:
What are your thoughts on using an ad blocker? I have tested one and it works.
Click to expand...

Weblock works well for about 75% of games. I always wondered whether even though we don't "see" the ad whether devs get credit for it anyway. I'm sure the vast majority of any ad revenue comes from click throughs anyway so if I see the ad and don't click on it, that isn't helping the devs either.

But Crossy Road apparently is doing very well with only ad driven revenue so I suspect many more devs may start going this route vs. IAPs.
 
M

More_Badass

Member
awp69 said:
Weblock works well for about 75% of games. I always wondered whether even though we don't "see" the ad whether devs get credit for it anyway. I'm sure the vast majority of any ad revenue comes from click throughs anyway so if I see the ad and don't click on it, that isn't helping the devs either.

But Crossy Road apparently is doing very well with only ad driven revenue so I suspect many more devs may start going this route vs. IAPs.
Click to expand...
I don't mind ads, unless they pop up during gameplay. I'd say as hell take ads over an aggressive IAP system
 
M

Mario

Sidhe / PikPok
awp69 said:
Weblock works well for about 75% of games. I always wondered whether even though we don't "see" the ad whether devs get credit for it anyway. I'm sure the vast majority of any ad revenue comes from click throughs anyway so if I see the ad and don't click on it, that isn't helping the devs either.
Click to expand...

Banner ads generate revenue usually on a mix of impressions or clicks.

Interstitial ads generate revenue mainly on successful installs (where there is an app or game being shown) or sometimes on clicks (usually for branded stuff).

Video ads generate revenue usually after seeing the first so many seconds of an ad or sometimes on completion. Incentivized video is normally on completions.


In terms of the question of whether devs make more money from ads than they would from a "no ads" purchase, that usually isn't the case unless the ads are monetizing exceptionally well in a game.

However, we have stopped offering that option in our games because the uptake was actually pretty low and you start running into problems when you still want to push messaging related to the game or specific other games in your portfolio (which could be considered "ads"). Instead, we (and many other devs) now prefer to turn off (most) ads off the back of any IAP purchase. We also do a better job of introducing ads deeper into the experience, so people who make early purchases in our games may never have even seen an ad. Overall, we think this is a better and more seamless solution.


But Crossy Road apparently is doing very well with only ad driven revenue so I suspect many more devs may start going this route vs. IAPs.
Click to expand...

Crossy Road has some limited IAP as well. But incentivized video does indeed drive the vast majority of the revenue.
 
M

Mario

Sidhe / PikPok
awp69 said:
^^ Thanks for the insight. Helps to understand how devs do or don't make revenue from ads.
Click to expand...

For reference, about 50% of our daily revenue comes from ads including incentivized video (though our IAP implementations are performing better over time which is shifting the balance in their favour).
 
J

JCho133

Member
More_Badass said:
Rex Rocket got pushed to Feburary. Here's a new screenshot

B754QMmCEAA1zq6.png


Damn...I mean, I'm all for PC ports, but if you have to practically recreate a controller using a quarter of the screen to make the game touch-friendly...

Now I see why this isn't coming to iPhone. Would be way too cramped to play on a smaller screen
Click to expand...

Good lord that is a lot of buttons. Will be tough to use even on an ipad.

If they ever port it, it could play nicely on iPhone if you have an MFi controller (which I don't). I just can't wait for that Sci Fi Metroidvania goodness
 
A

Andy C83

Neo Member
JCho133 said:
Andy! Welcome to the party!

Took you long enough.
Click to expand...

Thanks guys. :)

Well, I I've been waiting a few months for the GAF Powers That Be to deem me worthy of posting on here.

Thanks for the Rex Rocket update; do we know whether the game will have MFi support? I've been using a Dualshock 3 for some games that support it.
 
F

FerranMG

Member
Mario said:
Banner ads generate revenue usually on a mix of impressions or clicks.

Interstitial ads generate revenue mainly on successful installs (where there is an app or game being shown) or sometimes on clicks (usually for branded stuff).

Video ads generate revenue usually after seeing the first so many seconds of an ad or sometimes on completion. Incentivized video is normally on completions.


In terms of the question of whether devs make more money from ads than they would from a "no ads" purchase, that usually isn't the case unless the ads are monetizing exceptionally well in a game.
Click to expand...

How much does a developer get as an average for ad shown?
Surely it's cents of a cent at the most, am I right?
Is there a lot of difference between banner ads, interstitial ads, and video ads?
 
M

More_Badass

Member
So Tunesmith said that, due to IRL responsibilities, he won't be able to host the Feburary thread. So I'll be taking over the monthly threads for next month and likely for the months to follow. Not going to be making any changes or anything, Tune's OP set-up is fantastic as is.
 
M

More_Badass

Member
Anyone here play Brogue for iPad? I think it might be one of the best roguelikes available on IOS. I don't think any other on the platform could match its depth

Here' a really good piece from RockPaperShotgun on why the game is so good
Brogue is a freeware roguelike with attractive ASCII graphics, intuitive mouse controls, and monkeys who will steal your heart and your portions.

Why are you still here?

Oh, I can go on. I love how it looks. ASCII graphics are normally plain even if they’re readable, but Brogue simulates gases and liquids in a way that fills your screen with colour and makes each level of its procedural dungeon come alive.

I can say more. I love its unidentified potions and scrolls. They’re common features in traditional roguelikes, but here their effects are more fun than fatal. Your allies will turn into enemies and vice versa, the ground beneath you will collapse and send you tumbling downward, the entire map will be revealed in a shimmering light, high level enemies of all kinds will be spawned in every corner. These are complications, but the effects are beneficial or funny often enough to make a mysterious swig often too delicious to pass up.

I can’t stop. I love its monkeys, the game’s mischief makers. You’ll find them scurrying around on early levels, but they’re difficult to kill because by the time they’ve stepped within melee range, they’ve probably already nabbed something from your pockets and run away again. Best to avoid them where possible, unless you come across one being held prisoner in a cage by some industrious kobolds. Wipe out the captors, open the cage, and the monkey may become your sidekick – a faithful ally who’ll fight by your side, dutifully leap off cliffs to keep pace with you and, yes, tragically perish in your defence. I feel a sense of loss.

Play it play it play it.
Click to expand...

And another from PC Gamer
You see a toad.
You hit the toad in its sleep.
You hit the toad; the toad slams you; you begin to hallucinate.

When playing a truly great roguelike, the recurring question in your head is: how cruel can the game designer really be? As the player, you're engaged in consecutive games of 'chicken' with them, learning just how cruel one death at a time. What stops these games from being unfair or frustrating is that you knew you were pushing your luck when you agreed to play 'chicken' in the first place.

Hit a toad in Brogue, and it won't just hit you back. It'll also poison you, causing your monkeys to morph. You'll round a corner and they'll disappear from sight, and when you see them next, they're a goblin, no, a kraken, no, a lich, no. You're no longer sure whether it's your friend or your next death. The designer is very cruel.

This is nothing compared to the malicious allure of potions and scrolls. A lot of roguelikes have items with unknown effects. You know they could be good or bad, and you're probably best waiting till you find a Scroll of Identify before you use them. The results are positive just often enough that it's deliciously tempting to take a punt and have a drink. When I play Brogue, I wish every game had a system like this. A glistening thing under the player's control that could help or hurt, save or kill, but which will always do something hilarious and memorable.

A big red, flashing button labelled "DO NOT TOUCH". Vapor pours out of the flask and causes the floor to disappear! (It must have been a potion of descent.)

You plunge downwards into the hole!
Click to expand...
 
M

Mario

Sidhe / PikPok
FerranMG said:
How much does a developer get as an average for ad shown?
Surely it's cents of a cent at the most, am I right?
Is there a lot of difference between banner ads, interstitial ads, and video ads?
Click to expand...

Revenue rates are generally expressed in "eCPM" which stands for the "effective cost per thousand impressions". You can calculate that regardless of the actual way an ad pays out e.g. per impression, click or install.

eCPMs are roughly the following on average for the different categories

Banners $0.20-0.80
Static Interstitials $1.50-3.50
Video Interstitials $2.50-6.00
Incentivized Video $8.00-12.00

So, yes, divide each of those by 1000 and you get cents or fractions of a cent per impression.
 
T

toddhunter

Member
More_Badass said:
Anyone here play Brogue for iPad? I think it might be one of the best roguelikes available on IOS. I don't think any other on the platform could match its depth
Click to expand...

I've played a fair bit of it. You need to be in the right mood and you need to know what you are getting into.

But from there it certainly ticks all the right boxes.
 
C

colinp

Banned
More_Badass said:
So Tunesmith said that, due to IRL responsibilities, he won't be able to host the Feburary thread. So I'll be taking over the monthly threads for next month and likely for the months to follow. Not going to be making any changes or anything, Tune's OP set-up is fantastic as is.
Click to expand...

Thank you More_Badass! It's greatly appreciated and I'm sure you'll do a great job.
 
M

mr_toa

Member
More_Badass said:
So Tunesmith said that, due to IRL responsibilities, he won't be able to host the Feburary thread. So I'll be taking over the monthly threads for next month and likely for the months to follow. Not going to be making any changes or anything, Tune's OP set-up is fantastic as is.
Click to expand...

Great - look forward to it. Thanks for the effort.
 
M

More_Badass

Member
SiDCrAzY said:
Nice, really excited for this. One of my favorite games.
Click to expand...
Not many details yet. Actually the only news of a mobile version is on the Amazon page for the PC version, it mentions "All of the in-game textures have been meticulously recreated in HD for mobile and desktop"
 
A

awp69

Member
Heel said:
FRAMED will be free in about 7 hours, I think.
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Yeah, saw that and was shocked! Definately grabbing it as it was on my wish list and even though I feel guilty not paying for it, I've been spending way too much lately.

Not sure if all of this is for Australia Day but a bunch of other freebies as well:

True Skate
Duet Game
Kingdom Rush (including the HD version for us iPad owners who haven't double dipped)
Train Conductor
Earn to Die 2
Fruit Ninja
Time Surfer
Warlords Classic

Few old ones in there but all are worth at least checking out for free....especially Duet. All should hit at 11 EST. I'll add to this if I see anything else pop up.
 
M

More_Badass

Member
WTH, when did 99 Bricks go free? Now it's free with a $2.99 ad remover. Sigh. I had gotten the game when it is premium and I haven't installed it in a while, I wonder if I would have to buy the ad remover now...

Edit: nvm, devs looking out for their original supporters
Because so many people here praised us for our switch from F2P to premium we feel we owe these boards an explanation about our switch back.

After a somewhat disappointing soft launch with our F2P version we figured our game simply was a better fit for a premium model.

We decided to go premium and got a ton of positive attention, great reviews and we’re even featured in most countries in the iOS App Store. However, sales were still disappointing and we weren’t even close to breaking even.

Then we released the same version on Android, except we tried out ad support (with an IAP to remove all ads). We were featured by Google in the Play Store and to our surprise made more with ad impressions than we did with premium sales on iOS. Obviously this was working a lot better!

Even though we’d rather see our game thrive as a premium product, reality shows that the ad supported model is healthier in today’s market and to us still feels like an honest way to monetize. This is why we decided to also release our ad supported version on iOS and see where it goes.

To reach out to our premium players as much as we can we built in the following:

- If you bought the premium version, still have it installed and update the game now, you’ll never see an ad.

- If you bought the premium version, uninstalled it and reinstall it now, you can check your receipt in the Remove Ads popup that opens when you hit one of the “Remove Ads” buttons. This will remove all ads if you indeed have a valid receipt.
Click to expand...
 
A

awp69

Member
More_Badass said:
WTH, when did 99 Bricks go free? Now it's free with a $2.99 ad remover. Sigh. I had gotten the game when it is premium and I haven't installed it in a while, I wonder if I would have to buy the ad remover now...

Edit: nvm, devs looking out for their original supporters
Click to expand...

Cool. Wonder how that receipt thing works and if it does why other devs aren't doing it. The ability of devs to be able to identify previous purchases of paid apps is something I thought should be doable to prevent issues with changes to F2P.
 
F

FerranMG

Member
Mario said:
Revenue rates are generally expressed in "eCPM" which stands for the "effective cost per thousand impressions". You can calculate that regardless of the actual way an ad pays out e.g. per impression, click or install.

eCPMs are roughly the following on average for the different categories

Banners $0.20-0.80
Static Interstitials $1.50-3.50
Video Interstitials $2.50-6.00
Incentivized Video $8.00-12.00

So, yes, divide each of those by 1000 and you get cents or fractions of a cent per impression.
Click to expand...

Thanks, I've been always curious about this.
Whenever I play a game with ads, I always think how much the devs are getting from every one I see.
Tap Titans devs might have gotten more than 1 or 2$ from me, after the insane amount of videos I've watched! :p

Now, the other way around. Does anyone think these ads are effective?
I never even look at banners. I dismiss static interstitials right away. And I stop looking at the phone whenever an incentivized video plays. :/
 
M

Mario

Sidhe / PikPok
FerranMG said:
Thanks, I've been always curious about this.
Whenever I play a game with ads, I always think how much the devs are getting from every one I see.
Tap Titans devs might have gotten more than 1 or 2$ from me, after the insane amount of videos I've watched! :p

Now, the other way around. Does anyone think these ads are effective?
I never even look at banners. I dismiss static interstitials right away. And I stop looking at the phone whenever an incentivized video plays. :/
Click to expand...

They are effective at generating installs, otherwise publishers wouldn't be paying for them. Whether or not they are getting the type of install they want is up for debate though.

The more effective the ad model, the higher the price you can command, so banners are at the bottom end (being window dressing most people shut out) and incentivized video at the high end (being a rich media ad that the player opted into watching).

In general, only 1-2% of banner ads are clicked on, and 3-7% of interstitial ads are clicked on. From there, once somebody is on the product page, install rates are around 3-7% (being more based around how the game is positioned and pitched on the Store).
 
A

awp69

Member
Talked with the Rex Rocket devs on Facebook and ended up getting into the beta test. Awesome Metrovania sci-fi adventure. I was worried about the controls based on the screenshots Bronxsta posted, but can't comment on them too much as I only have two buttons so far for jumping/interacting and shooting. I'm guessing more abilities will come later. So far, however, the controls I do have are very responsive. The graphics are also nice and crisp, which is also likely why the game is nearly 700 MB.

Looks like a game to watch!
 
P

powersurge

Member
Wow iOS gaming has really taken off in the past few years. I upgraded from a 1st gen iPad to the iPad Air 2 back in November and I haven't been able to stop playing games on it!

There have been some f2p duds (Marvel and Real Racing I'm lookin at you with those evil timers) but some devs such as the folks behind Vainglory and World of Tanks really know how to nail the f2p balance just right. I'm just really bummed to see EA has gone sideways on mobile. I really loved Dead Space on my 1st gen iPad. It felt like a PSP level game at the time and it sucks to not have more of those on the platform. Come on we want some of those AAA franchises on the platform just not in the f2p timers from hell way.

With that little rant over I need to get back to Vainglory. I need my 3rd win for the day :D
 
X

Xater

Member
I lik Witcher Battle Arena. I am impressed that they even let you buy cosmetics with their free funny money you can earn. Vainglory is still a better game in pretty much every way and the best MOBA on mobile. I actually like it even more than playing than some of the PC MOBAS.
 
A

awp69

Member
PittaGAF said:
It's 640 Mb installed, according to my settings.
I guess those voiceovers didn't help in the space field...but they are really cool...to me anyway.
Click to expand...

The graphical enhancements and voiceovers are excellent. Adds a whole new level of immersion to an already fantastic game.

Great to see devs still supporting classics like this.
 
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