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iOS Gaming September 2015 | GOing back to school with a backlog

E

Emarv

Member
More_Badass said:
Downcast looks like it had a poor rating. Is it worth getting the Overcast unlock?
Click to expand...
I think Overcast is worth it. This Verge article explains all of the great features. Also, here's what's gated behind the Overcast paywall.

Cellular downloads
Variable playback speed
Smart Speed
Voice Boost
Per-podcast effects settings
One-by-one playback option
Sleep timer
Unlimited number of playlists
Unlimited episodes shown in playlists
Click to expand...

http://www.theverge.com/2015/6/4/8724949/best-podcast-app-iphone-outcast-pocket-casts-castro
 
J

jon bones

hot hot hanuman-on-man action
More_Badass said:
Downcast looks like it had a poor rating. Is it worth getting the Overcast unlock?
Click to expand...

I use Overcast and love it.

Great interface and it handles having a few playlists of different kinds of podcasts really well.

Well worth the dough to upgrade from the standard iOS podcast app.
 
M

More_Badass

Member
jon bones said:
I use Overcast and love it.

Great interface and it handles having a few playlists of different kinds of podcasts really well.

Well worth the dough to upgrade from the standard iOS podcast app.
Click to expand...
Guess I'll be checking out Overcast. Praise seems unanimous. I got into podcasts earlier in the year and I couldn't believe I had been missing out on such an awesome medium. Hardcore History, RadioLab, etc.
 
S

Saucycarpdog

Member
Main reason I haven't upgraded to iOS 9 yet is for fear of breaking a few of my games. Anyone on iOS 9 tried Galatic Keep and Geometry Dash on it yet?
 
NoPiece

NoPiece

Member
More_Badass said:
Guess I'll be checking out Overcast. Praise seems unanimous. I got into podcasts earlier in the year and I couldn't believe I had been missing out on such an awesome medium. Hardcore History, RadioLab, etc.
Click to expand...

I really love Downcast - it is my most used iPhone app by far. Overcast is also good, both are miles above the Apple Podcast app.
 
H

Heel

Member
Sorry to get off topic, but thanks for the Overcast recommendations! Downcast is really good, but Overcast seems to have a few little extra features that I'd actually end up using:

-Share a link to a podcast, including timestamp, which sends you to a really nicely formatted Overcast site with artwork and player. Example - https://overcast.fm/+EozsTFf-s/26:19

-"Smart Speed" to automatically remove moments of silence in conversations, saving you a little time. Small, but neat.

Only thing it doesn't seem to have over Downcast (that I'd actually use, anyway) is the ability to start streaming instantly instead of downloading completely, which will convert to a download once it has streamed in the whole file. I guess it's "under consideration" though, so I can live with the small inconvenience.

Oh, and Downcast/Overcast play nice with each other, so importing my podcasts was a breeze. Awesome!
 
M

Mario

Sidhe / PikPok
More_Badass said:
A friend is working on a thesis and asked if I could share this survery. It's about freemium models and would be helpful if you'd be willing to fill it out:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1XJZNLrUKFixCOuK-1jdsCu_zwBASRU33ziEHgYn56KU/viewform
Click to expand...

He has split out Chartboost in one of the questions on ad types when really Chartboost ads are just interstitials (well, they have video ads now too, but their normal ads aren't some category on their own).

Also, his social sharing question on page 3 is required even if you didn't choose that from the question before. It should be optional if you didn't choose social sharing in the earlier question.

I added a note at the end saying I'm a dev so he can filter me out if he wants too.
 
PittaGAF

PittaGAF

Member
A word of warning about the last Battle of the Bulge update.

DO NOT UPDATE IT or if you do, be sure to have the old ipa to roll back.
New 'Siltherine' version is...and I'm REALLY sad to say this, trash.
Super clunky, sounds are all messed up, iPhone UI is ridiculous and more important the whole GC async engine is totally gone.

I already rolled back to old version and I'm enjoying one of the best games ever made and the beast head to head async strategical game.
Butter smooth, 60 FPS, great UI everywhere and async perfect implementation.

Already in talks with the devs about this huge mess, they seem committed to bring back the old glorious game but so far I would refrain to update.
 
B

Brakara

Member
Heel said:
Only thing it doesn't seem to have over Downcast (that I'd actually use, anyway) is the ability to start streaming instantly instead of downloading completely, which will convert to a download once it has streamed in the whole file. I guess it's "under consideration" though, so I can live with the small inconvenience.
Click to expand...

This, at least the streaming part (not sure about converting to download but it makes sense), is supposedly coming in the next major update. And, yeah, Overcast is great.
 
T

Tunesmith

formerly "chigiri"
Matt Frost said:
Okay then... I would like to announce my retirement in the freemium world for good now, bye bye free to play games with Facebook connection. I wont miss you.
Click to expand...

You're being data mined on GAF and the Internet in general. F2P games is not the only place where data is being collected on you.
 
Frostt

Frostt

Member
There is something cool being sold on Humble Bundle this week: Play and Create with GameMaker, offering the pro edition, android export and templates and/or Steam versions for games like Super Crate Box, Savant - Ascent, Stealth Bastard,... for only 13$... for someone like me who likes to play with making games, this is a steal. Expect a Super Crate Box inspired game in the future from me lol

Tunesmith said:
You're being data mined on GAF and the Internet in general. F2P games is not the only place where data is being collected on you.
Click to expand...

So the internet is becoming like those control freak sci-fi movies of the past. Damn. Soon there will be a Skynet as well...
 
T

Tunesmith

formerly "chigiri"
heringer said:
Sure, but the Facebook approach is far more personal and invasive.
Click to expand...

Facebook is used largely as a cloud server for storing game session data. They offer it for free and its global and platform agnostic so to a developer it's a win/win. Facebook is of course an aggregate but in my professional experience most customer data points collected comes from the devices, ISPs and such that the users use and not necessarily what apps or networks they log into. Aggregated over time it builds a very solid picture of who the user is. Predictive learning models collect and compare nearly everything and find the links between you, your interests, friends etc. You can go on and on that the data isn't used illicitly, I'd argue that most is benign and not PII (there are very strict laws around what specifically you can aggregate) but naturally there will be developers out there that skirt the edge a bit too much to make a quick buck.

To avoid it at this stage to any extent you'd have to go full on hermit mode with tinfoil clothing and play with pine cones and matchsticks.
Cyan said:
There's a question on the final page that asks whether you prefer watching ads or social sharing to get IAP currency. They're both trash, but it wouldn't let me finish without choosing one. So I closed it. :p
Click to expand...

I did the exact same thing hehe. :)
 
J

jon bones

hot hot hanuman-on-man action
More_Badass said:
Guess I'll be checking out Overcast. Praise seems unanimous. I got into podcasts earlier in the year and I couldn't believe I had been missing out on such an awesome medium. Hardcore History, RadioLab, etc.
Click to expand...

Yeah, podcasts are the best.

My favorites:
How Did This Get Made - Andre, Rafi and Andre's wife from The League watch a bad movie and make hilarious commentary afterwards. Pick a movie you've seen before - like The Devil's Advocate and listen to that ep.

My Brother, My Brother and Me - 3 brothers take questions from Yahoo Answers & e-mails and do an advice show. It's amazing, "compilation" episodes are good to start with: 161, 173, 201.

The Giant Beastcast - The only gaming podcast I listen to - great NYC talk, good diversity, a nice approach to gaming.

The Black Tapes - Serial meets The X-Files. A narrative story podcast, start at Ep 1!
 
M

More_Badass

Member
jon bones said:
Yeah, podcasts are the best.

My favorites:
How Did This Get Made - Andre, Rafi and Andre's wife from The League watch a bad movie and make hilarious commentary afterwards. Pick a movie you've seen before - like The Devil's Advocate and listen to that ep.

My Brother, My Brother and Me - 3 brothers take questions from Yahoo Answers & e-mails and do an advice show. It's amazing, "compilation" episodes are good to start with: 161, 173, 201.

The Giant Beastcast - The only gaming podcast I listen to - great NYC talk, good diversity, a nice approach to gaming.

The Black Tapes - Serial meets The X-Files. A narrative story podcast, start at Ep 1!
Click to expand...
I couldn't get into My Brother, My Brother, but I like Justin in Sawbones.

And The Black Tapes didn't really hook me, but Limetown did. Similar premise but with a sci-fi mystery. Also LORE is awesome

Other podcasts I like: Criminal, Detective, We're Alive, Bracket, Violence Island, Game Is A Four Letter Word, 99% Invisible, and Knifepoint Horror
 
H

Heel

Member
Brakara said:
This, at least the streaming part (not sure about converting to download but it makes sense), is supposedly coming in the next major update. And, yeah, Overcast is great.
Click to expand...

Nice. From what I can gather, a big 2.0 update has been in the works for quite a while and seems to be imminent.
 
A

awp69

Member
Has anyone else on iOS 9 been getting nag screens every time they open the App Store to download the Apple Store app? I can't see, to get rid of it and don't think Apple should be bullying me into downloading the thing since I rarely shop for Apple's physical products.
 
M

More_Badass

Member
Planned for tablets

Wartile
Alpha footage 1 | Alpha footage 2 | Burn & pillage test | Battle animations test
A real time strategy game for PC and tablets in which you control a small band of figures by picking them up and placing them on the miniature battle map, just like a game of chess without turns. Each figure has special attributes and abilities that counter each other, forcing you to strategically time and plan your moves against the enemy player.
Click to expand...
CPQc3kdUwAEEhbL.jpg


11009916_697175417076370_5215694521275495276_n.jpg


Ingame_Battlemap_Farsight.1.jpg
 
Frostt

Frostt

Member
Finished Lara Croft GO... with GameCenter... I dont know how, but must be 9.1 or something because it registered all the ones I got -going a second time to unlock the ones I'm missing... good thing it has iCloud too-. What a great game, the turn based games works very well, very intuitive, the boss battle is splendid, really loved it. The puzzles were great and the escape intense. Is the perfect game build specifically with touch screen in mind: perfect controls, pace, strategy, puzzling, etc... one of the best games this year.
 
B

Benedict

Member
Grim Legends 2: Song of the Dark Swan is free for iPad.
Another great hidden object game by Artifex Mundi.
A bit in the game you are required to install a trial of another of their games to continue to play though. Still worth it.
 
Frostt

Frostt

Member
Finished PixWing.... yeah I had a productive day today. PixWing is.. charming, beautiful to look at, 3D pixel art is very apt. The three worlds are gorgeous and with different mechanics each, there are a lot of unlockable planes like a dragon, a shark and the car from Back to the Future. Gameplay is like Retry but in 3D and lucky the controls (touch) are responsive and up to the task, everything is wonderful, coin rate is good, there is a free roam mode to earn currency, no IAP, etc... until the third world, where a new gameplay mechanic is introduced: wind currents. They are very annoying. Kind of breaks the nice flow of the game. I would have liked to see another mechanics instead. So I finished all level on a rush. Over all, is a nice game to play an afternoon in between Lara Croft GO.
 
Frostt

Frostt

Member
I want to mention that Super Happy Fun Block is really good despite the bad name. Level design is top notch and makes it really fun and interesting. Controls are flawless, the hand drawn animations is impressive... shows 3 years in the making and the developer seem to have accomplished their objective with this game: make a deeper iOS game that resembles the ones on Steam. Kudos. And I am hooked. Loving it. So far, one of the best puzzle platformers on iOS that I tried in my 5 years of AppStore experience. And I played almost every game that it was released (except the freemium ones, turn based games or simpler arcade games that comes out every week) :p
 
T

Tunesmith

formerly "chigiri"
Just going to gospel again about Low Power mode in iOS 9. I could game for a full 12 hours yesterday without sucking the battery dry and the phone never got hot.

It is really the background services and shit that make the device warm while the GPU is busy with rendering. I'm never gaming without Low Power turned on again.
 
M

More_Badass

Member
Tunesmith said:
Just going to gospel again about Low Power mode in iOS 9. I could game for a full 12 hours yesterday without sucking the battery dry and the phone never got hot.

It is really the background services and shit that make the device warm while the GPU is busy with rendering. I'm never gaming without Low Power turned on again.
Click to expand...
Need to look into it more. Havent used it while gaming yet
 
A

awp69

Member
Tunesmith said:
Just going to gospel again about Low Power mode in iOS 9. I could game for a full 12 hours yesterday without sucking the battery dry and the phone never got hot.

It is really the background services and shit that make the device warm while the GPU is busy with rendering. I'm never gaming without Low Power turned on again.
Click to expand...

Sadly this isn't a problem for me because it's rare for me to have more than an hour straight to play anyway.

But sounds good.
 
Z

Zanosuke

Member
Le sigh.. Had to restore my iPhone 5s yesterday since I got the stupid slide-to-unlock bug when I tried to upgrade to iOS 9 and neither iCloud or iTunes worked ; /

Anyway.. Started to redownload some old games that I hadn't played in a while and for some reason I got no music in 99 Bricks. Is this a known bug in iOS 9? I have tried to turn off/on in the ingame settings but nothing happens.
 
A

alundra311

Member
Tunesmith said:
Just going to gospel again about Low Power mode in iOS 9. I could game for a full 12 hours yesterday without sucking the battery dry and the phone never got hot.

It is really the background services and shit that make the device warm while the GPU is busy with rendering. I'm never gaming without Low Power turned on again.
Click to expand...

Still haven't updated to ios 9. Does this affect graphics and visual effects while gaming? If so, how much?
 
K

killercow

Member
Zanosuke said:
Le sigh.. Had to restore my iPhone 5s yesterday since I got the stupid slide-to-unlock bug when I tried to upgrade to iOS 9 and neither iCloud or iTunes worked ; /

Anyway.. Started to redownload some old games that I hadn't played in a while and for some reason I got no music in 99 Bricks. Is this a known bug in iOS 9? I have tried to turn off/on in the ingame settings but nothing happens.
Click to expand...

I've tried it and it did the exact same thing on my iPad Air 2 on iOS9. So that must be a bug!
 
Frostt

Frostt

Member
Zanosuke said:
Anyway.. Started to redownload some old games that I hadn't played in a while and for some reason I got no music in 99 Bricks. Is this a known bug in iOS 9? I have tried to turn off/on in the ingame settings but nothing happens.
Click to expand...

No bugs or anything, iOS 9 (and in part, 8) changed the root system entirely and some games that stored stuff there lost it. There a couple of painful losses: Whale Trail, Monsters Ate My Condo, Darkin,... Chillingo apps are the ones who withstand everything.

alundra311 said:
Still haven't updated to ios 9. Does this affect graphics and visual effects while gaming? If so, how much?
Click to expand...

Battery saving only disables some home screen effects (the zooming for example), automatic background refresh, background app updating and push emails, nothing else. And those few cuts makes the battery last a lot longer than usual.

Tip: Have it on at all times.
 
A

alundra311

Member
Matt Frost said:
No bugs or anything, iOS 9 (and in part, 8) changed the root system entirely and some games that stored stuff there lost it. There a couple of painful losses: Whale Trail, Monsters Ate My Condo, Darkin,... Chillingo apps are the ones who withstand everything.



Battery saving only disables some home screen effects (the zooming for example), automatic background refresh, background app updating and push emails, nothing else. And those few cuts makes the battery last a lot longer than usual.

Tip: Have it on at all times.
Click to expand...

Tunesmith said:
Nope, there are no performance changes.
Click to expand...

Good to hear. Will switch it on once I update to ios 9. Thanks.
 
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