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iOS Gaming December 2015 | F2P is frightful, but the sales are so delightful

Pachimari

Member
Right now, there's nothing in 2016 I'm looking forward to. Gotta check out those lists.

I'm hoping for Final Fantasy VIII and Dragon Quest VII or IX but then again, I'm having these for Steam and 3DS.

I currently have 160 games on my iPhone so don't know what else I need.
 

protonium

Member
For some months / years now iTunes has been completely broken for me. The iPad disk space left is always wrong. Totally nonsensical, sometimes the space left is not so different but then I will had even the tiniest of apps and it will completely mess with it.
I suppose I'm alone in this ?

Oh and some games refuse to be backed up, even with device / transfer purchases, which results in my library being partly backed up on the hd and partly in the cloud.

These two issues along with the general abysmal design of iTunes really contributes to my general hatred of this piece of software. I long for the time when iTunes just worked.

I just noticed this as well. My 32 GB iPad had 6 GB used by "Other" so I transferred purchases, backed up and restored it on iTunes. Not all the apps were transferred...ok, whatever. I install a few apps and again the "Other" category balloons up to 4 GB. One moment I have 2.5 GB free and the next I get the "storage almost full" message without downloading anything. It's really frustrating.
 
Need some quick advice before the sale is over...

How playable is FF Tactics on a 6S+ vs an iPad? I can play my iPad in the evenings, but there is something compelling about some turn based strategy on the shitter at work.
 
I just noticed this as well. My 32 GB iPad had 6 GB used by "Other" so I transferred purchases, backed up and restored it on iTunes. Not all the apps were transferred...ok, whatever. I install a few apps and again the "Other" category balloons up to 4 GB. One moment I have 2.5 GB free and the next I get the "storage almost full" message without downloading anything. It's really frustrating.

"Other" can end up being some surprising stuff. I use Google Music and Photos, and both of those will eat up a stupid amount of space if you're not careful.
 

PittaGAF

Member
As far as I know, since the OS9 feature that installs on certain device just the data it needs (ie...on iPad Air you won't install data for iPhone 5 if possibile), transferring purchases is no more...because on your iOS device you do not have the whole app, just a slice of it (so on iTunes you couldn't install the app on other devices).

The only way to keep safe on iTunes all your purchases is to activate 'auto download' or something (I do not use iTunes since years but should be an option)...so it will automatically download the WHOLE app when connected.
That or manually remembering to download on your PC the app you bought on your iDevices.

It would be cool if iTunes would transfer the purchases and then download the missing part of the app, but so far it's not a feature.
(Would be useful because I wouldn't activate the 'auto download' feature anyway, because I download a ton of shit I delete in 5 minutes and I do not want those on my PC eventually).
 
Need some quick advice before the sale is over...

How playable is FF Tactics on a 6S+ vs an iPad? I can play my iPad in the evenings, but there is something compelling about some turn based strategy on the shitter at work.

I'm tempted to get FF Tactics, but HOLY HELL they haven't updated the game since 2013! "Requires iOS 4.2 or later" LOL. For all that money Square-Enix charges, they should have much better support for their games. Plus all the recent reviews complain of constant crashing in iOS 9.
 

pronk420

Member
Is it safe to create an App Store account for another region on a device with your main account on it? I thought I remembered reading horror stories of people getting their account banned and losing all their purchases, or their device blocked or something.
 

Dandte

Member
Is it safe to create an App Store account for another region on a device with your main account on it? I thought I remembered reading horror stories of people getting their account banned and losing all their purchases, or their device blocked or something.
No Problems so far, and i'm switching constantly between Germany, Japan, singapore and new Zealand.
 
Is it safe to create an App Store account for another region on a device with your main account on it? I thought I remembered reading horror stories of people getting their account banned and losing all their purchases, or their device blocked or something.
I have New Zealand, Australia, and Canada accounts so I can check out soft-launched games. No problems
 
I'm tempted to get FF Tactics, but HOLY HELL they haven't updated the game since 2013! "Requires iOS 4.2 or later" LOL. For all that money Square-Enix charges, they should have much better support for their games. Plus all the recent reviews complain of constant crashing in iOS 9.

Wow. Thanks for the heads up. I already own a few different versions of the game, so I guess I can skip the iOS version.
 

Heel

Member
Got a shiny new iPhone 6s. Is there anything awesome out there that takes advantage of the extra horsepower and/or force touch?
 
Was surprised with an iPad mini 2 for Christmas so I'm back in the iPad saddle (still have my iPhone 6). Forgot how much I love this thing for gaming
 

awp69

Member
Was surprised with an iPad mini 2 for Christmas so I'm back in the iPad saddle (still have my iPhone 6). Forgot how much I love this thing for gaming

Welcome back. Are you a Carolina graduate (judging by your user name)? Bet you're hoping Clemson loses tomorrow. I'm not an alumini but live in Greenville so I'll be rooting the Tigers on.
 

Heel

Member
Pocket Tactics: A Pocket Tactics New Year’s revelation

It seems Pocket Tactics was acquired by strategy game developer Slitherine back in August, and after a bit of a staff shake-up and a new editor-in-chief, are just now deciding to disclose this due to the site naming Slitherine as their "Creator of the Year 2015" runner-up.

Readers in the comment section seem to be less than enthused by this delay in disclosure. Personally, with Pocket Tactics being my go-to mobile gaming site, I find all of this to be pretty disappointing. Also a little odd that it was promptly buried under 5 other posts on a site that does not update very often.

I wouldn't be surprised to see this garner some wider attention in the gaming press.
 

colinp

Banned
Pocket Tactics: A Pocket Tactics New Year’s revelation

It seems Pocket Tactics was acquired by strategy game developer Slitherine back in August, and after a bit of a staff shake-up and a new editor-in-chief, are just now deciding to disclose this due to the site naming Slitherine as their "Creator of the Year 2015" runner-up.

Readers in the comment section seem to be less than enthused by this delay in disclosure. Personally, with Pocket Tactics being my go-to mobile gaming site, I find all of this to be pretty disappointing. Also a little odd that it was promptly buried under 5 other posts on a site that does not update very often.

I wouldn't be surprised to see this garner some wider attention in the gaming press.

Ahahaha, that's incredible.
 

awp69

Member
Pocket Tactics: A Pocket Tactics New Year’s revelation

It seems Pocket Tactics was acquired by strategy game developer Slitherine back in August, and after a bit of a staff shake-up and a new editor-in-chief, are just now deciding to disclose this due to the site naming Slitherine as their "Creator of the Year 2015" runner-up.

Readers in the comment section seem to be less than enthused by this delay in disclosure. Personally, with Pocket Tactics being my go-to mobile gaming site, I find all of this to be pretty disappointing. Also a little odd that it was promptly buried under 5 other posts on a site that does not update very often.

I wouldn't be surprised to see this garner some wider attention in the gaming press.

Wow. That's pretty bad and disappointing to me as well. Particularly with a new Editor-In-Chief, how can anyone expect the site to be completely unbiased?

It's actually a poor reflection on Slitherine itself. Why would a developer of strategy games buy a site that reviews such games when it's a clear conflict of interest?
 
Welcome back. Are you a Carolina graduate (judging by your user name)? Bet you're hoping Clemson loses tomorrow. I'm not an alumini but live in Greenville so I'll be rooting the Tigers on.

Yep, a grad and I work there too. I went to Oklahoma for a semester so I'm definitely pulling for the Sooners but I did grow up a Clemson fan (I'm from Greenville). I'm so torn!
 

heringer

Member
Pocket Tactics: A Pocket Tactics New Year’s revelation

It seems Pocket Tactics was acquired by strategy game developer Slitherine back in August, and after a bit of a staff shake-up and a new editor-in-chief, are just now deciding to disclose this due to the site naming Slitherine as their "Creator of the Year 2015" runner-up.

Readers in the comment section seem to be less than enthused by this delay in disclosure. Personally, with Pocket Tactics being my go-to mobile gaming site, I find all of this to be pretty disappointing. Also a little odd that it was promptly buried under 5 other posts on a site that does not update very often.

I wouldn't be surprised to see this garner some wider attention in the gaming press.

And now there isn't a single decent site for iOS reviews remaining. Welp, we had a good run.
 

Matt Frost

Member
screen640x640.jpeg


Been playing Blown Away for a couple of days and is really entertaining. Is a runner platformer with a teleport mechanic with a few interesting twists like charging and waiting and graphically is a delight, made by the team responsible for the excellent Love, Hate and Others and shares a lot its cute weirdness. Very polished, with lots of bright ideas... loving it. Now it needs an endless mode and GameCenter xD

screen640x640.jpeg


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yy6vmzemX7c

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/blown-away-secret-of-the-wind/id1064025591?mt=8
 
And now there isn't a single decent site for iOS reviews remaining. Welp, we had a good run.
Jay Is Games, IndieGames Weblog, Killscreen are all long-running decent sites that cover IOS games regularly

And of course there are smaller blogs that cover IOS games. Enthusiast blogs that cover indie games, both PC and IOS.
 

Matt Frost

Member
Voted for my Top 10 on the Mobile Game of the Year thread (here) and I thought of sharing it here as well:

Badland 2 - can go right AND left
Blown Away: Secret of the Wind - clever and fresh runner mechanics
Hero Emblems - most complete and deep match 3 game I ever seen
HoPiKo - mobile bit sized gaming at its finest
Ski Safari 2 - short bursts fun
Lara Croft GO - perfect mobile adaptation
Downwell - fun and addictive
Super Happy Fun Block - best puzzle platformer I seen on a while
Tetrobot & Co - best block puzzlers I ever seen
Altos Adventure - long bursts fun

Honorable Mentions:

Prune - a short but sweet trance into modern touchscreen perfection
Space Marshals - couldn't get into the controls
Land Sliders - Died in my eyes when they added Revives. Bye bye, but it was fun

Also voted on the GAF Games of the Year thread (here):

Destiny: The Taken King - Best shooter ever
Bloodborne - this game has it all for playing alone, one of the best games I ever played: style and substance.
FallOut 4 - gameplay over graphics, substance over style
Witcher 3 - is like Oblivion but different
Until Dawn - best story of the year
Lara Croft GO - best mobile adaptation of a franchise, ever.
Blown Away: Secret of the Wind - best auto runner in years
Badland 2 - go left AND right on a runner? What?
 

pdk27

Member
Anybody know of a good resource for getting started with Football Manager Mobile? I really want to get into the series but there is a lot of information to go through up front.
 

awp69

Member
Yep, a grad and I work there too. I went to Oklahoma for a semester so I'm definitely pulling for the Sooners but I did grow up a Clemson fan (I'm from Greenville). I'm so torn!

Well, guess you'll at least have a team to root for in the championship game no matter who wins today. And it better be Clemson ;)
 

Heel

Member
Wow. That's pretty bad and disappointing to me as well. Particularly with a new Editor-In-Chief, how can anyone expect the site to be completely unbiased?

I was actually previously familiar with the work of the new editor-in-chief as an editor (caretaker?) for BoardGameGeek's mobile gaming site. They eventually became a freelancer for Pocket Tactics, and now the new editor-in-chief.

A colossal error in ethics, to say the least. I don't know how I'd feel about it even if it was disclosed promptly.
 
While they should have disclosed the info months ago and the notion of a game dev/publisher owning a site seems pretty weird and shady, I don't see why their reviews and articles would be any less decent as long as they don't review Slitherine games
 

awp69

Member
While they should have disclosed the info months ago and the notion of a game dev/publisher owning a site seems pretty weird and shady, I don't see why their reviews and articles would be any less decent as long as they don't review Slitherine games

The fact that they named Slitherine developer of the year doesn't give me a very good feeling about it. Slitherine may have even deserved it, but it's tough to be impartial as a journalist even if just reporting on news. Add in that reviews and awards like this are pure opinion and it will be hard to not look at them through tainted glasses.

What if a game from another dev with a similar style as Slitherine gets a bad review? It may warrant a bad review, but having a game dev/publisher as owner is always going to make you second guess regardless of whether the writer really is writing without Slitherine in mind.

It's just a really bad situation and looks awkward at best. Imagine the uproar if EA bought out Gamespot or IGN?
 

Heel

Member

pronk420

Member
This is pretty terrible from pocket tactics, they have always been pretty positive on slitherine but they really should have disclosed this when they reviewed their latest game.
 

Voidance

Member
This is pretty terrible from pocket tactics, they have always been pretty positive on slitherine but they really should have disclosed this when they reviewed their latest game.
If you read the comments of the announcement, they say news of the acquisition slipped through the cracks because everyone was busy and there was a changing of the guard. *rolls eyes*

I'm sorry, but when you're a journalist who cares about personal and corporate integrity, you make the damn time to disclose an acquisition that may directly affect your opinion. No excuses.
 
I don't know if I can trust their reviews now, like someone above said everyone will always be second guessing their reviews and wondering if there is an agenda in them. Not revealing this earlier definitely did not make this look any better for them.
 

TheBear

Member
Can anyone recommend some good shared coop games for iPad for two people? So far pandemic looks ok. Would prefer board games I guess but keen to try anything.
 
Can anyone recommend some good shared coop games for iPad for two people? So far pandemic looks ok. Would prefer board games I guess but keen to try anything.
Her Story works pretty well as co-op experience since you can bounce ideas and hunches off each other or one person might catch something you didn't
 

pronk420

Member
No Problems so far, and i'm switching constantly between Germany, Japan, singapore and new Zealand.

Thanks, that's good to know.

Is there a guide for doing this somewhere? I don't quite understand whether I need to create another iCloud account, or switch the region of my current iCloud account? Or whichever is less risky?
 
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