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[butzopower]

I found it relatively normal that it would offer to save your state or more mining turns (these things are not necessary at all, they offer very few extra value unless you planned your moves pretty badly). 3 more turns to pick one or two diamonds I left on the mining field are useless. I rather use those coins to get tools and food to maximize diamond harvest next round if it's really what I'm after.

This is kind of the my point of what I think is bothering me about the game (I've gotten to level 14, something like 400 meters). As you are saying, you don't need the IAP to play the game, in fact the bonuses are pretty marginal, so why even have these mechanics there in the first place? I feel like the game could do away with gold even if it weren't for needing a way for the player to spend more money on the game.

It doesn't ruin the experience of the game, but it certainly affects it. MY experience feels cheapened at the expense of trying to get a few extra bucks off someone else. It feels akin to something like excessive product placement in a movie.

 

[soldat7]

This makes no sense. I sync all the time and Ive never had a problem. iTunes syncing isn't the problem-there's something else going on here.

As the movie was being pushed to my iPad, I was flipping through my apps on my iPad and noticed that the spot where my dictionary normally is was vacant. I flipped to another page and Mage Gauntlet was gone. I also lost Acrobat and around 20 important PDFs, amongst several other apps, around 2GB worth. Auto-sync must have been enabled. Oh well, shame on me.

 

[xJavonta]

Hold out, you'll regret it if you don't. If it was like March I would have said otherwise. Not now.

Especially coming off Android. You'll probably want the bigger screen.

The ONLY compromise I'd recommend is getting a used 4 to hold you over and to start playing apps on, and to wait and see how long it takes to actually get your hands on whatever the new one ends up being.

Thanks for the suggestion. September is really close so I guess I'll just hold off on one.

The screen size wouldn't be a huge issue. I have a 2g iPod touch and sometimes I fool around with my Mom's iPhone 4, so dropping .5" wouldn't be a dealbreaker. The extra real estate would be nice though.

My only concern if the iP5 does have a larger screen is it's resolution. I doubt it'll be the same as the iP4/iP4S, and because of that apps would probably be letterboxed until they're updated to adapt.

 

[Azriell]

So the IAPs are just extra currency and not DLC courses?

Thanks for the impressions. It'll be my next purchase.

As for Puzzle Craft's IAPs, I really don't feel pressured into buying anything. The game does seem like it's designed to make you use real money, but I think IAPs willl make the game less addictive.

Some of these games prey on impatience but we know better than to fall for that! But I can see casuals who will lose patience. I think the game is pretty fair. It's like Dragon Quest with IAPs, if you're willing to spend hours grinding away.

I apologize for being unclear. When I got the game, I believe it was free, with 5 courses (the first page), and a $.99 IAP which unlocked something like 10 pages of courses (which is something like 60 courses, and each course is like 3~6 holes). My assumption was that if the game is $.99, then it probably includes all of those courses already (maybe I bought the lite version, or maybe they changed it). There also may have been more courses for IAP, I cant be certain. But that $.99 IAP was a lot of content, and really worth it if you like the game.

There are also other IAP to unlock powers, some/all of which can be unlocked through gameplay, and are mostly throwaway. These IAP are entirely ignorable. For me it wasn't even one of those things where you say "I could pay, or grind for an hour". You just play the game and don't even think about ever spending more money, because it just isn't necessary.

 

[Azriell]

I turned auto-syncing off long ago and I have some data backed up to my 5GB cloud crap. Auto-syncing must have been reenabled with the latest iTunes, for me. Ugh, this is exactly why I try to never use iTunes. /rant

I hear you. I lost a 40 hour FFT save to iTunes, because I tried to sync it rather than using Dropbox. If I didn't still have an old iPod Touch I use for music and podcasts, that shit would have been stripped from my pc on the same day it decided I didn't need to play any more of my favorite game.

 

[nicoga3000]

I have no idea if I'm playing the same Puzzle Crack as everyone else...I have over 1000 coins, level 13, abundance of food and resources...Maybe it's just the way any given player approaches the game. I've even bought a few resources when I was short to get a new building or something.

 

[Vyer]

So I guess I have to try this Puzzle Craft game then.

Also, I tried the Simpsons Tapped Out, which is surprisingly pretty funny (if you're a simpsons fan) but I've never played one of these types of games before so I don't know if I'll stick with it.

And Cafe Nipponica is the usual kairocrack.

 

[Sotha Sil]

I'm looking for a turn-based strategy game/TRPG with a decent story (already played FFTactics, obviously). Is there such a thing on iOS? (on the iPad, more specifically)

Thanks in advance, GAF.

 

[toddhunter]

I'm looking for a turn-based strategy game/TRPG with a decent story (already played FFTactics, obviously). Is there such a thing on iOS? (on the iPad, more specifically)

Thanks in advance, GAF.

Could be Ravenmark is worth checking out for you:

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/ravenmark-scourge-estellion/id478016806?mt=8

 

[GDJustin]

Puzzle Craft was originally intended to be free but was rebalanced to be a $0.99 purchase.

 

[StarCreator]

So, jukebeat just did this.

◆Ray Parker Jr. pack◆

It's Time To Party Now ( 2 / 6 / 8 )
Still In The Groove ( 2 / 5 / 8 )
Ghostbusters ( 3 / 6 / 8 )
Jamie ( 3 / 5 / 8 )

Release Date: Aug 20, 2012

Purchase in app for $3.99.

Figured that was worth more than the usual heads up.

I was at a music game tournament over the weekend and ended up downloading ReRave at a friend's request since he wanted to practice it. Maybe I'll give impressions on that after I actually get around to taking a closer look at the Cytus and Tone Sphere updates...

 

[Kattbuss]

Has anyone tried Horn on an iPhone 4?
It says in the app description that it's optimized for 4s so I'm a bit hesitant to get it.
Any overall impressions of the game?

 

[Shaneus]

100 percent agree. I despise freemium games and puzzle craft is just fine.

It still comes off as being freemium though. Otherwise, why would they make you wait for two hours just to collect taxes? If it was a set number of turns in the game, that's fair enough... but having to wait real-world time is just shitty.

 

[Minsc]

It still comes off as being freemium though. Otherwise, why would they make you wait for two hours just to collect taxes? If it was a set number of turns in the game, that's fair enough... but having to wait real-world time is just shitty.

A little, but it's more the opposite for me. All the freemium stuff just makes it easier, rather than handicap you, so I don't agree. Free money, free items, and so on. The gold's only purpose (which you can easily accumulate 1000s of) is to shorten the game or lower the difficulty. Pretend you didn't have any of those things, which it gives for free, and it'd still be the same playable game.

The biggest thing is, if it were really freemium, it'd have two currencies, the gold and gems. And the gems would be only obtainable by purchasing packs of 5,10,20,100 for like $5, $10, $20 and $50. And you get prompts to install other apps, and extended your turns can only be done with gems, and there are a lot of buildings you can't purchase without using gems... luckily those things aren't the case, as then I'd agree with you.

 

[SmokyDave]

Damn, now I'm on the Puzzle Craft train too.

It's, um, pretty good. I'll be interested to see how long it holds my attention.

 

[Sotha Sil]

Could be Ravenmark is worth checking out for you:

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/ravenmark-scourge-estellion/id478016806?mt=8

I think I've seen it mentioned before. No other turn-based strategy game worth playing, then? It's settled, I'll try Ravenmark. Thanks!

 

[toddhunter]

It still comes off as being freemium though. Otherwise, why would they make you wait for two hours just to collect taxes? If it was a set number of turns in the game, that's fair enough... but having to wait real-world time is just shitty.

I agree I don't like the timed aspects and the whole thing gives off a bad freemium vibe.

However the IAPs would just shorten and ruin the game, so I'm happy enough to look past the other elements and enjoy it for what it is. At the end of the day, I've got more than enough fun out of it for the $1.

I think I've seen it mentioned before. No other turn-based strategy game worth playing, then? It's settled, I'll try Ravenmark. Thanks!

It is pretty highly regarded, so hope you enjoy it. There are plenty of good TBS games, but not many with a story. But also make sure to check out Wesnoth and Highborn (I believe Highborn has a 'demo/lite' and Wesnoth just has buckets of content) for your ipad.

 

[Shaneus]

A little, but it's more the opposite for me. All the freemium stuff just makes it easier, rather than handicap you, so I don't agree. Free money, free items, and so on. The gold's only purpose (which you can easily accumulate 1000s of) is to shorten the game or lower the difficulty. Pretend you didn't have any of those things, which it gives for free, and it'd still be the same playable game.

The biggest thing is, if it were really freemium, it'd have two currencies, the gold and gems. And the gems would be only obtainable by purchasing packs of 5,10,20,100 for like $5, $10, $20 and $50. And you get prompts to install other apps, and extended your turns can only be done with gems, and there are a lot of buildings you can't purchase without using gems... luckily those things aren't the case, as then I'd agree with you.

Well, I'm not saying the game itself is freemium, the rest of the game is quite fine and whilst being a little grindy (not for cash, but for specific goods) it's pretty well balanced. Then you have this thing where you have to wait for 2 hours to collect free in-game currency, and it even tells you it's there just to suck you in. If it's pushing it that much that it has notifications for it just to get you playing again, then it's sending some crazy mixed-messages.

Like I said. If they offered it to you on a turn-based thing (like, 3 or 4 puzzle levels or some form of "in-game" time rather than IRL time) it'd be fine. But this weird direction... hmm.

 

[Minsc]

I think I've seen it mentioned before. No other turn-based strategy game worth playing, then? It's settled, I'll try Ravenmark. Thanks!

There's quite a few that can be hit or miss for people. Squids Wild West (and the original) might be worth checking out after that. Ravenmark's generally considered the king of them all though. Hunters 2, while not having a long campaign also gets mentioned a bit. Then there's plenty of other less mentioned stuff stuff like Legion of the Damned, Great Big War Game, Spectral Souls, Rune Raiders, Call of Cthulhu: The Wasted Land, Crimson Steam Pirates and so on.

 

[GeekyDad]

I feel that the sliding "toolbar" that you use when mining/farming could be improved upon. It's not very intuitive to go up there and slide the slider to find the right tool...maybe if the drop down menu was 2 columns deep?

Yeah, that is perhaps the sole issue with the game. Each time you open the tool menu, it reverts back to the same positioning. So, say, you want to first fertilize your field and then use the rake (or whatever that is) to gather all the grass, you open the menu, have to slide over to the fertilizer, and when you reopen the menu, you have to slide again. And it actually doesn't slide. To be precise, you have to click the teeny, tiny arrows on the side multiple times. It can be a chore.

I don't think I've seen anyone complain that the game is unbalanced. My beef is that the game is pushy. It offers extra rounds in the mine, or to save your farm state, and then when you don't have that much gold (which you can't tell if you do or not since this is the one time they don't show you how much gold you have) it immediately pops up the in-app purchase window.

I wouldn't say the game's pushy, but the design can definitely screw new players over. I know I didn't fully get it when I first started playing, and if you're not careful, you can waste all your gold at the end of a farming season/mining expedition.

Puzzle Craft was originally intended to be free but was rebalanced to be a $0.99 purchase.

Makes perfect sense. It explains the general layout of the game design. But aside from Kingdom Rush (iPhone), it's still the best damn $0.99 I've spent on the App Store this year. Games like this only come around once in a while, and it sure is sweet when they do.

 

[Union Carbine]

Damn this thread! Starbase Orion and Puzzle Craft bought.

 

[heringer]

I wouldn't say the game's pushy, but the design can definitely screw new players over. I know I didn't fully get it when I first started playing, and if you're not careful, you can waste all your gold at the end of a farming season/mining expedition.

At worst you have to wait a couple of hours, no biggie. Hardly screwing someone.

 

[Clunker]

Funny because I find Puzzle Craft immensely more motivating than Dungeon Raid. 1000000 is also pretty good at motivating me, it's just that I really don't like the match 3 mechanics in that game.

In Puzzle Craft you are always being rewarded with usefull things. Every upgrade has an impact that can be noticed by the player. You are constantly trying to get that new building, or that new worker, or more tools. Not because it is a fancy new thing that will make your town prettier (that too), but because it matters gameplay wise, because it will make you one step closer to your objective (bulding a castle). And it's rewarding to go into the puzzle and notice how the new upgrades changed the farming/mining. It's also rewarding to see your town growing.

You could try playing some more, since some things you complained about will change. Like the number of moves you have, for instance.

In the end you could say it's all grinding, so maybe it really isn't your thing I guess.

I gave it another hour, but I ended up deleting it last night. Puzzle Quest just isn't doing anything for me; I didn't realize that there was an actual "ending" to work toward (the castle), which got me more interested for a while, but I think juggling all of the different tools and resources - all of which don't really do anything other than make collecting other tools and resources slightly easier - just felt completely empty to me. It feels like FarmVille with a light puzzle skin, or an offline MMO that just wants you to grind endlessly, so I think it's just not mah thang.

I will say that the IAP seems completely unneeded, as other people have said; I don't like PQ at all, but it definitely doesn't feel like it's baiting you with purchases and, like Minsc said above, it doesn't use a separate economy of gems or flooz or whatever to try to ply you into spending money. Anything you want can be bought with coins, so it's just a matter of playing smart to sell resources or just wait an hour or two.

 

[heringer]

I gave it another hour, but I ended up deleting it last night. Puzzle Quest just isn't doing anything for me; I didn't realize that there was an actual "ending" to work toward (the castle), which got me more interested for a while, but I think juggling all of the different tools and resources - all of which don't really do anything other than make collecting other tools and resources slightly easier - just felt completely empty to me. It feels like FarmVille with a light puzzle skin, or an offline MMO that just wants you to grind endlessly, so I think it's just not mah thang.

I will say that the IAP seems completely unneeded, as other people have said; I don't like PQ at all, but it definitely doesn't feel like it's baiting you with purchases and, like Minsc said above, it doesn't use a separate economy of gems or flooz or whatever to try to ply you into spending money. Anything you want can be bought with coins, so it's just a matter of playing smart to sell resources or just wait an hour or two.

Shame you couldn't get into the game! It happens. Sometimes I can't get into some beloved games around here, like Jetpack Joyride or Plants vs Zombies.

 

[kennah]

I hear you. I lost a 40 hour FFT save to iTunes, because I tried to sync it rather than using Dropbox. If I didn't still have an old iPod Touch I use for music and podcasts, that shit would have been stripped from my pc on the same day it decided I didn't need to play any more of my favorite game.

I hear you. Lost a 40 hour save when my memory stick on my PSP died. Haven't touched a FFT since.

 

[Booter]

my dungeon raid addiction has finally broken after about 5 days. trying puzzle craft...

 

[GeekyDad]

At worst you have to wait a couple of hours, no biggie. Hardly screwing someone.

I think you misinterpreted what I said. I didn't mean to suggest people were getting screwed over by the developers somehow. I simply meant that if you weren't aware of what the suggestions are truly about at the end of a farming season or mining session (which can be confusing at first), you can easily find yourself without gold for a while. This is evidenced by quite a few disgruntled players over on TA.

 

[heringer]

I think you misinterpreted what I said. I didn't mean to suggest people were getting screwed over by the developers somehow. I simply meant that if you weren't aware of what the suggestions are truly about at the end of a farming season or mining session (which can be confusing at first), you can easily find yourself without gold for a while. This is evidenced by quite a few disgruntled players over on TA.

Oh yeah, I get that. I just meant that waiting for a couple of hours (even less if you just get a few bonuses and sell) can hardly be qualified as "getting screwed" by the game. It's not a big hassle at all.

 

[Clunker]

Shame you couldn't get into the game! It happens. Sometimes I can't get into some beloved games around here, like Jetpack Joyride or Plants vs Zombies.

Yeah, it's all good. I'm not saying the game is shitty or anything, as most everyone else is loving it, but I just wanted to give the perspective of someone else who isn't enthralled. I think it's just my general dislike of the whole open city-building of games like this and Happy Street.

I'm feeling the same way toward Kairosoft's Dungeon Village; I picked it up, and I think I'm really noticing the diminishing returns of trying virtually every Kairosoft game so far. It feels like it plays itself a bit too much, though I love the whole RPG village vibe.

 

[BenjaminBirdie]

There's a lot gross, wonky, and stupid about Simpsons Tapped Out, but once you start playing the "right" way, just set stuff up and let it sit for a few hours, it's really fantastic. Right now Cletus is dumpster diving outside Krusty Burger while Krusty is juggling a few feet away. Milhouse is lamely dragging a kite behind him and Homer is lounging in the kiddie pool.

As long as you don't get too caught up in the Donut Premiums (which I probably won't be able to do indefinitely, as Scorpio's Lair costs 200 donuts) it's a pretty incredible little Springfield Simulator.

 

[Booter]

puzzle craft crashes on load screen on ipod touch 3rd gen. may need to reboot...

not into kingdom rush. azkend lite is too casual for me. i guess it's back to dungeon raid lololol

 

[One Foul Note]

I'm playing Puzzle Craft on my 3rd gen and it works reasonably well, although it chews through the battery like nobodies business and makes the device mega hot. It also has crashed to the home menu of the iPod a few times while in the mine (the explosion effects can cause that) although if I go back into the game it goes straight to where I left off. It is a little odd, for a 2d sprite game it seems to be fairly demanding in a way that I generally only see the 3d games I play be.

 

[EleventhDoctor]

I just saw an upgrade in Puzzle Craft that allows you to collect 2 animals at a time as opposed to 3...

 

[SeanR1221]

I just saw an upgrade in Puzzle Craft that allows you to collect 2 animals at a time as opposed to 3...

Yup, got that yesterday.

Level 25 now.

 

[GeekyDad]

Yup, got that yesterday.

Level 25 now.

You play like my wife. She just started last night while we were laying in bed. Woke up this morning and she tells me she already has a settlement. How the fuck do you guys go so fast!? I just hit level 20. Bought the building that lets you collect silver with iron -- nom, nom, nom...

 

[ToxicAdam]

I'm taking my time with the game. Don't want to burn through it so quick. Only level 14.


Early in the game, it seems the priority is to get as many workers as possible. Maxing out a select few (chicken related) and get all the chicken-related buildings. Then sell all your excess chickens to buy other tools/buildings.

 

[Smiley90]

Goddamnit I go on vacation for ONE weekend and you guys start a new OP, not cool. Someone post a screenshot of the wall of shame/posting summary of OT4, now! I'm on my phone

In gaming news, I've been a BIT out of Ascension, playing a TON of Summoner Wars and getting ready for that tournament (sign up in the iOS boardgaming thread!) and the Carc tourney is still happening. I'm still playing Nightfall and with the expansion coming soon I feel like it will definitely pass Ascension in my boardgame ranking list, it's just so much fun (and less draw luck).

Also, like it's been said a lot of times already, Puzzle Craft is AMAZING. Scratches that Dungeon Raid itch and adds sooooo much to it. So good.

Happy Street is great and will get an update this week that will hopefuly fix connectivity problems (and maybe even add some content? Who knows), so it'll be even better. Jurassic Park is good too, DEFINITELY better than Tap Out.

Oh, I'm always down for Neuroshima Hex games too, I've been playing games against Ray for like 2 months straight now LOL.

I'm trying to get into Starbase Orion, but... It's confusing... I'll keep trying and then set up some coop games, that'll be good.

Some other, older best-of titles:
Real Racing 2
Ravenmark
GTA ports (both!)
Civilization Revolution
The Broken Mirror games
Galaxy on Fire 2

Peace, out for now! I now have a 1st overall poster title to defend, so I'll start with content and then slowly move to spam when noone notices. Jk

 

[Fladam]

Anyone know if there a way to restart in Simpsons: Tapped Out?

AND Puzzle Craft is absolutely awesome.

 

[One Foul Note]

I'm taking my time with the game. Don't want to burn through it so quick. Only level 14.


Early in the game, it seems the priority is to get as many workers as possible. Maxing out a select few (chicken related) and get all the chicken-related buildings. Then sell all your excess chickens to buy other tools/buildings.

Exactly the same with me, in fact I am level 14 too. The game is starting to really change since I got the hiring hut that lets you get new workers without houses. Wheat and chickens are just rolling in when they were much tougher to farm before.

 

[nicoga3000]

Exactly the same with me, in fact I am level 14 too. The game is starting to really change since I got the hiring hut that lets you get new workers without houses. Wheat and chickens are just rolling in when they were much tougher to farm before.

That hiring hut was clutch for me. I've got so many amazing upgrades. And tools are amazing - I love using fertilizer + anything to rack up 6+ carrots in two turns. Next step is to lower to cost of carrot to apple conversion. Farming is DEFINITELY the way to go at first.

 

[GeekyDad]

That hiring hut was clutch for me. I've got so many amazing upgrades. And tools are amazing - I love using fertilizer + anything to rack up 6+ carrots in two turns. Next step is to lower to cost of carrot to apple conversion. Farming is DEFINITELY the way to go at first.

Got the scarecrow yet?

 

[EleventhDoctor]

Got the scarecrow yet?

I have 2 scarecrows....

 

[inky]

I'm swimming in pigs already!

 

[Sotha Sil]

There's quite a few that can be hit or miss for people. Squids Wild West (and the original) might be worth checking out after that. Ravenmark's generally considered the king of them all though. Hunters 2, while not having a long campaign also gets mentioned a bit. Then there's plenty of other less mentioned stuff stuff like Legion of the Damned, Great Big War Game, Spectral Souls, Rune Raiders, Call of Cthulhu: The Wasted Land, Crimson Steam Pirates and so on.

Thanks! I'll try a few, but seems like Ravenmark is the go-to game.

 

[Snuggles]

I'm currently hooked on both Puzzlecraft AND Happy Street. They've dethroned the Nimblebit games as my go-to time management games. They're much more involving, which is nice. As charming as Tiny Tower and Pocket Planes are, they start to feel grindy and mindless once you hit a certain point.

I also snagged Cafe Nippon but I haven't had much time to play it yet. It seems a bit deeper than Game Dev Story.

 

[nicoga3000]

Got the scarecrow yet?

I've been meaning to invest in that guy. Does he really just spew tools like it sounds like he does?

 

[Dog Problems]

I'm currently hooked on both Puzzlecraft AND Happy Street. They've dethroned the Nimblebit games as my go-to time management games. They're much more involving, which is nice. As charming as Tiny Tower and Pocket Planes are, they start to feel grindy and mindless once you hit a certain point.

I also snagged Cafe Nippon but I haven't had much time to play it yet. It seems a bit deeper than Game Dev Story.

If you want more friends for Happy Street then add me on Game Center, ID is Dosuchin. (same with Steam, if you want)

 

[SeanR1221]

You play like my wife. She just started last night while we were laying in bed. Woke up this morning and she tells me she already has a settlement. How the fuck do you guys go so fast!? I just hit level 20. Bought the building that lets you collect silver with iron -- nom, nom, nom...

I can't help it. It's all I play in any spare time I get. Once I build the castle I'm taking a break from it. .99 well spent for sure.

 

[GDJustin]

As I promised over the weekend, I wrote a big feature with a "wish list" of Puzzle Craft improvements:

http://www.ign.com/articles/2012/08/20/where-puzzle-craft-goes-from-here

Summary:

- A treasure room with collectible treasures.
- Build a battle arena to unlock a Dungeon Raid-style fighting puzzle.
- Build a harbor to unlock a diving puzzle that uses mining resources.
- Timed special events.
- "little" improvements like selling tools and moving buildings.
- Big end-game resource sinks, like constructing an endless tower.
- Plenty more potential for kingdom running puzzles. Waging War, developing culture, sciences, etc.

These bullets can all be accompanied by a selection of supporting buildings, workers, and tools. The "arena" expansion could add as much content as lvl 1-25 contains now, for example.

 

[WanderingWind]

I really got addicted to The Heist. It's a pretty awesome little puzzler that uses some real world tricks. It was free when I downloaded it the other day.