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[chickdigger802]

Come hang out in my awesome but barren nova 3 OT!


And my iPhone randomly went to recovery mode yesterday. First time I've restored from iCloud. Took like 30min but worked out fine.

But now I don't have sword and poker 2 no more T.T

 

[EleventhDoctor]

I finally downloaded Ski Safari....man is that fun!

 

[Amibguous Cad]

That makes me so sad I can't even formulate a complete response. It's so mechanically superior to every game on iOS (outside of maybe T&E) and it's a wonderful experience learning basic strategy from a light Euro to a super cutthroat game. Then there's the diplomacy element of 3-4p games, not to mention the strategy introduced by the large meeples which also plays into the diplomacy element. Never mind that the implementation is also head & shoulders the best of any digital board game ever. dsfdf though, sometimes certain games just rub people the wrong way!

You really don't get why people wouldn't like it? Carl is so strikingly different from the other board ga,es you mentioned they might as well be in differ genres- not simply in terms of different genres of board games, but different genres of iOS apps. Carc relies on spatial reasoning to a significantly larger extent than any other board game on the planet. It's not going to be everyone's cup of tea, and liking something like ascension or nightfall doesn't mean you'll like Carc. To call it objectively "mechanically superior" is to mistake your taste in game mechanics for an enduring truth.

 

[Dacvak]

-giant wall of text-

While I agree with a lot of your points, the one that people never bring up, but is a HUGE factor in achieving financial success on the App Store, is marketing. An alarming rate of indie iOS developers simply program an awesome game, submit it, and wait for it to take off.... uh, lol. They think there's some kind of magic protocol that gets users' eyes in front of their product, just because it's now searchable on an enormous shelf of software.

iOS developers simply don't budget for real, aggressive marketing. They might hit reddit, or forums, or make some YouTube videos that they try to get viral, but they don't throw real dollars into an advertising machine. Quite frankly, the App Store is like any other over-populated storefront: you need to thoroughly market your product in order to stand out from the crowd. I don't care how awesome your game or idea is.

And this is one of the biggest problems that (dare I say) most iOS developers just don't seem to understand.

 

[AstroLad]

You really don't get why people wouldn't like it? Carl is so strikingly different from the other board ga,es you mentioned they might as well be in differ genres- not simply in terms of different genres of board games, but different genres of iOS apps. Carc relies on spatial reasoning to a significantly larger extent than any other board game on the planet. It's not going to be everyone's cup of tea, and liking something like ascension or nightfall doesn't mean you'll like Carc. To call it objectively "mechanically superior" is to mistake your taste in game mechanics for an enduring truth.

False. I believe in objective truth and beauty. Ascension is a broken-ass luckfest with tons of overpowered cards compared to the sublime beauty that is Carc.

*goes back to playing the new Ascension expansion*

 

[Dacvak]

False. I believe in objective truth and beauty. Ascension is a broken-ass luckfest with tons of overpowered cards compared to the sublime beauty that is Carc.

*goes back to playing the new Ascension expansion*

Lol, I'm glad someone said it. It's such a fun game, but anyone can win. I dominate my friends and family at Dominion, which is entirely strategy-based, but then I often lose at Ascension, so they get some false sense of skill equality in card games with me. YEAH, NATE, I SAID IT. WHAT.

But still, Carc is dumb to me. I can wrap my head around any legitimate strategy. It all seems so surface-level. If you disagree, I demand you teach me your ways.

 

[glaringradio]

Defender Chronicles II on May 24th... Oh yes

 

[toythatkills]

While I agree with a lot of your points, the one that people never bring up, but is a HUGE factor in achieving financial success on the App Store, is marketing. An alarming rate of indie iOS developers simply program an awesome game, submit it, and wait for it to take off.... uh, lol. They think there's some kind of magic protocol that gets users' eyes in front of their product, just because it's now searchable on an enormous shelf of software.

iOS developers simply don't budget for real, aggressive marketing. They might hit reddit, or forums, or make some YouTube videos that they try to get viral, but they don't throw real dollars into an advertising machine. Quite frankly, the App Store is like any other over-populated storefront: you need to thoroughly market your product in order to stand out from the crowd. I don't care how awesome your game or idea is.

And this is one of the biggest problems that (dare I say) most iOS developers just don't seem to understand.

I don't really think that's fair. You can invest thousands of dollars into advertising a good game and still not have it take off, and many people can't afford that risk. Advertising might help but it's still not a guarantee of success.

 

[J0dy77]

It has now officially reach God tier with Carcassone now. Its soooooooo good.

This one sold me, haven't had a chance to play the new expansion yet but looking forward to it. The retina update looks amazing on the new iPad I must say.

 

[ThatCrazyGuy]

I don't really think that's fair. You can invest thousands of dollars into advertising a good game and still not have it take off, and many people can't afford that risk. Advertising might help but it's still not a guarantee of success.

I agree. Spending alot on marketing doesn't guarantee anything either.

Lots of console games with lots of marketing flop and don't sell. Won't be any different on iOS.

If somebody knew the formula, all good games would sell alot. Sadly, I don't think anybody knows.

Getting the word out doesn't hurt though, obviously. So people know the game is out.

 

[AstroLad]

I agree. Spending alot on marketing doesn't guarantee anything either.

Lots of console games with lots of marketing flop and don't sell. Won't be any different on iOS.

If somebody knew the formula, all good games would sell alot. Sadly, I don't think anybody knows.

Getting the word out doesn't hurt though, obviously. So people know the game is out.

It's tough. Didn't the Whale Trail guys say they really focused a ton on marketing and wound up losing a good amount of money because they just never got any real buzz? Maybe that's changed. That game is excellent too.

 

[pulga]

Ascencion Retina update AND expansion?! Hit me up GAF, ill be playing all day.

 

[Alexios]

Swordigo sure is better than it looks. It just sort of works.

 

[toythatkills]

It's tough. Didn't the Whale Trail guys say they really focused a ton on marketing and wound up losing a good amount of money because they just never got any real buzz? Maybe that's changed. That game is excellent too.

I think Whale Trail failed because the base game was crap. Notably, it was really fucking slow to get going, and this is just not what people want from their endless games on iOS. They want to be in the action right away.

It's been improved massively with the challenge mode though, which really, really has that iOS appeal about it. If it had launched with that it could have been The Next Big Thing™ but now we'll never know.

 

[Dacvak]

I don't really think that's fair. You can invest thousands of dollars into advertising a good game and still not have it take off, and many people can't afford that risk. Advertising might help but it's still not a guarantee of success.

Of course it's not a guaranteed success, I'm not claiming it is. I'm saying that that exact mentality, however, keeps developers from risking money in advertising, which is dumb. All advertising does is help your chances that your product will reach a vast number of people - or put very simply, it helps your chances of success. So let's pull out some arbitrary numbers.

Developer A just made a game on the app store. Without a marketing budget, their chance of success could be 10%, whereas their chance of success with X amount of dollars put into advertising could be 40%. There's still risk with both scenarios, but at least it increases your odds. Those odds may be even higher when you consider that most iOS devs don't advertise at all, so marketing your product is taking an extra step others aren't taking, upping your chances of standing out even higher.

I wish I could attach real numbers to this, but I don't think anyone can, unfortunately.

 

[AstroLad]

I think Whale Trail failed because the base game was crap. Notably, it was really fucking slow to get going, and this is just not what people want from their endless games on iOS. They want to be in the action right away.

It's been improved massively with the challenge mode though, which really, really has that iOS appeal about it. If it had launched with that it could have been The Next Big Thing™ but now we'll never know.

Hmm I liked the base game a lot. Maybe I'm just more patient than others? There's still challenge even very early just in trying to get every bubble. I like it way more than Tiny Wings and other iOS darlings. It's more challenging too, which I think was it's real fatal flaw in terms of appealing to the braindead iOS majority.

 

[toythatkills]

Hmm I liked the base game a lot. Maybe I'm just more patient than others? There's still challenge even very early just in trying to get every bubble. I like it way more than Tiny Wings and other iOS darlings. It's more challenging too, which I think was it's real fatal flaw in terms of appealing to the braindead iOS majority.

Tiny Wings isn't exactly the same thing.

Temple Run is probably the best comparison. There's a game you can lose at any moment, so from the very first second you're invested in it. Whale Trail is a game that you can only lose in the first five minutes if you go out of your way to lose it on purpose, it's that slow to get going. It's just a really boring introduction to the game and it leaves a very bad first impression for an audience which, due to the nature of the device, is impatient. If I'm sitting on a tube and I want to play something for five minutes between stops, I'm not going to go to Whale Trail because I just can't get anything from it in that time, unlike Temple Run.

That's why it didn't catch on, and why the challenge mode could have saved it, because that's perfect for five minute spells.

 

[Mrbob]

New Star Soccer is my addiction. I'm in my 4th season now and still going strong in the game. So easy to play while watching something on tv.

 

[pulga]

New Star Soccer is my addiction. I'm in my 4th season now and still going strong in the game. So easy to play while watching something on tv.

I love it. I recently achieved my goal of the Spanish triplete: Liga, Copa del Rey and Champions League w/ Madrid <3

 

[RaySpencer]

I think many people do. Me and Ray.Spencer for sure. I'm down -- I like the game a lot but it falls out of mind sometimes because the notifications disappear.

(Presume you mean TTR Pocket, which is async while TTR iPad is not.)

No period in there anymore man! Its just like my username now!

 

[Azriell]

Dungeon Raid keeps getting mentions here and there over the past few pages, so I decided to redownload it. I can't believe such a visually-simple game hasn't been made universal! I guess I'll try it in 2x mode, but I'm really disappointed.

Swordigo is pretty fun, if a little shallow. I'm a sucker for numbers flying all over the place (ie exp and damage), so I'm still enjoying it, but the first thing I did was max magic while leaving hp and my sword at lv1, and so far the ga,e has been a cake walk. Also not crazy about how I feel compelled to find all the chests, but they generally contain nothing of importance.

 

[krYlon]

Tiny Wings isn't exactly the same thing.

Temple Run is probably the best comparison. There's a game you can lose at any moment, so from the very first second you're invested in it. Whale Trail is a game that you can only lose in the first five minutes if you go out of your way to lose it on purpose, it's that slow to get going. It's just a really boring introduction to the game and it leaves a very bad first impression for an audience which, due to the nature of the device, is impatient. If I'm sitting on a tube and I want to play something for five minutes between stops, I'm not going to go to Whale Trail because I just can't get anything from it in that time, unlike Temple Run.

That's why it didn't catch on, and why the challenge mode could have saved it, because that's perfect for five minute spells.

Whale Trail is a great game when you have a spare half hour or more though, great to chill out to. And like you said the challenge levels are great, and for me elevate it above other endless games.
I get your point in terms of appealing to those who want a quick fix though.

Actually, funnily enough, the same guys made an endless game that is absolutely perfect for a quick five minute blast: DOT5TURBO. Very fast and challenging.
In fact all of their dot games are great (and free).

I guess they wanted to make something more involved with Whale Trail.

 

[8sanders]

Whale Trail is one of my favorite iOS games. Easily in the top 10 for me. Fabulous game

 

[Sgt.Pepper]

I didn't have internet for a few days, which gave me enough push to work on my iOS backlog.

Damn, Ghost Trick is an incredible puzzle/adventure game. Great animations, music and dialogue. Definitely recommended.

I marathoned the game, I think it took me like 13-15 hours. Though I did let the game still to listen to some of its music.

 

[GeekyDad]

I finally downloaded Ski Safari....man is that fun!

Yeah, it really is. I'll be honest, I erased it shortly after I downloaded it the first time; then got bored and downloaded it again. I've kinda been hooked on it ever since. Visually, it's very repetitive, but the gameplay gets its hooks in you once you give it a chance.

Swordigo sure is better than it looks. It just sort of works.

Swordigo is kind of a mixed bag, visually. I keep reading comments from people about how bad it looks, and I guess certain things aren't great (though I don't think any part of the game looks bad, really). But there are some areas, such as the caves and caverns, where the lighting and textures are really quite cool-looking.

But yeah, great game, nonetheless.

 

[PittaGAF]

Sadness...I just completed Gene Effect
WOW.
Just WOW.
One of the best games I played in the last years, on any platform.
I loved everything about the game...the atmosphere, the setting, the graphics, the sounds, the scores, the controls, the gameplay, the missions, the polish and the story that in the end turned out to be pretty great.

The ending...O_O

I do hope the game will sell a lot (just saw it as new&noteworthy in USA) because I really want to continue.

Now I'll try to find those damn artifacts everywhere and try hard mode.

Highly recommended.

 

[foomfoom415]

Damn, Ghost Trick is an incredible puzzle/adventure game. Great animations, music and dialogue. Definitely recommended.

I marathoned the game, I think it took me like 13-15 hours. Though I did let the game still to listen to some of its music.

Agreed on all accounts. And I did the same thing with the music here and there.

 

[Smiley90]

HURRAY,
New Hero Academy update with "Faster startup time" THANK GOD FINALLY.

 

[toythatkills]

So, speaking about Whale Trail, there's a huge piece on TA about it. It's going free-to-play. The devs still don't seem to *get* why it didn't catch on, but this might see it realise its potential.

 

[Forkball]

Ascension expansion.... oh god. OH GOD.

Also has anyone tried out Romance of the Three Kingdoms Touch or Nobunaga's Ambition for iOS? I want a strategy game like that on the iPhone, but they're a bit too pricy and I hear mixed things. Any alternatives?

 

[Reese-015]

Got Waking Mars but feel like maybe I should have gotten Gene Effect. Waking Mars just dropped in price though so I grabbed it. Very polished and kinda cool, I definitely see that it's unique and why many people may absolutely love it but thus far it has not 'clicked' with me yet. Getting Gene Effect at some point for sure, especially if it drops in price.

 

[AstroLad]

Ascension expansion.... oh god. OH GOD.

It really is like a whole different game in terms of complexity now. Not to mention prettiness.

 

[Keylime]

It really is like a whole different game in terms of complexity now. Not to mention prettiness.

I love Retina updates. You completely take it for granted, but when something you play daily and frequently suddenly gets insanely sharper and updated card art...my god!

Retina!!!!!

 

[Flunkie]

Ski Safari > Whale Trail

 

[hyp]

Ski Safari > Whale Trail

so simple and true.

 

[bubnbob]

Batman Arkham City just hit $1

Thank you based iOS

 

[Sgt.Pepper]

Fucking hell. I made a miscalculation in the dollars I had in my credit card, and I went over $7, now I can't do anything with the account. Doesn't help there is control here over the dollars you can get, so I can't use buy/download anything for like 6 months. lol =(

Guess I'll use my US account for a while..

 

[Jimrpg]

CitiRacing is free and its great!!! Enjoyed it more than reckless racing and death rally for some reason - feels like micro machines and the championship isn't one where you have to win every race and the AI will have the same car come second ready to take first when you make a mistake.

 

[Dreams-Visions]

Batman Arkham City just hit $1

Thank you based iOS

?

 

[Jimrpg]

That makes me so sad I can't even formulate a complete response. It's so mechanically superior to every game on iOS (outside of maybe T&E) and it's a wonderful experience learning basic strategy from a light Euro to a super cutthroat game. Then there's the diplomacy element of 3-4p games, not to mention the strategy introduced by the large meeples which also plays into the diplomacy element. Never mind that the implementation is also head & shoulders the best of any digital board game ever. dsfdf though, sometimes certain games just rub people the wrong way!

I think we've had this discussion before Astrolad but the way I see Carcasonne is that the theming and the mechanics are really separate and feels like an abstract game and I prefer something where they are blended together a bit more, it doesn't feel like city building at all, and the scoring doesn't really have anything to do with city building, so I've never seen it as a top tier entry level game.. most of the people I've shown it to had a better time with other games. ticket to ride has much more thematic elements and the gameplay reflects somewhat on building a train service. Puerto Rico would be what I think is one of the best examples of blending theme and mechanics at least in the early days of eurogaming. I've also had this issue with a lot of Reiner Knizia's games, they are really hit and miss with me.

EDIT: Actually i think the difference is that you must play it competitively, whereas i don't have much time to play board games these days and my friends just play it for the experience and games with a bit more theming help.

 

[TheExecutive]

So when was someone going to tell me that Order up! was on iOS? What a great game! I love chef simulations.

 

[Macho Madness]

So when was someone going to tell me that Order up! was on iOS? What a great game! I love chef simulations.

We talked about it a bit when it first released.

 

[yogloo]

My gf's iphone decided to auto sync when my laptop was on. Turns out that there's not enough space for the new update and the phone deletes her Plants vs Zombies app and her almost completed zen garden. :| For fucks sake, why haven't most dev implement some sort of cloud saving. She was pretty mad about it.

 

[Flunkie]

So when was someone going to tell me that Order up! was on iOS? What a great game! I love chef simulations.

Sorry, what? All I heard was grindgrindgrindgrindgrindgrindgrindgrindgrindgrindgrindgrindPROGRESSgrindgrindgrindgrindgrindgrindgrindgrindgrindgrindgrindgrindgrindgrindgrindgrindgrindgrindPROGRESSgrindgrindgrindgrindgrindgrindgrindgrindgrindgrindgrindgrindgrindgrindgrindgrindgrindgrindgrindgrindgrindgrindgrindgrindgrindgrindgrindgrindgrindgrindgrindgrindgrindgrindgrindgrindgrindPROGRESSgrindgrindgrindgrindgrindgrindgrindgrindgrindgrindgrindgrindgrindgrindgrindgrindgrindgrindgrindgrindgrindgrindgrindgrindgrindgrindgrind

 

[StarCreator]

My gf's iphone decided to auto sync when my laptop was on. Turns out that there's not enough space for the new update and the phone deletes her Plants vs Zombies app and her almost completed zen garden. :| For fucks sake, why haven't most dev implement some sort of cloud saving. She was pretty mad about it.

Check to see if you have an iCloud backup from before the sync. Something similar happened to me and I restored the entire device from iCloud to get my saves back.

 

[Dacvak]

Batman Arkham City just hit $1

Thank you based iOS

What's this game like? I haven't really heard deep impressions of the game, in fact, I don't even know what kind of game it is.

CitiRacing is free and its great!!! Enjoyed it more than reckless racing and death rally for some reason - feels like micro machines and the championship isn't one where you have to win every race and the AI will have the same car come second ready to take first when you make a mistake.

But... It looks so terrible...

So when was someone going to tell me that Order up! was on iOS? What a great game! I love chef simulations.

I'm guessing this is something like Cooking Mama?

 

[Dog Problems]

What's this game like? I haven't really heard deep impressions of the game, in fact, I don't even know what kind of game it is.

Infinity Blade.

 

[whatevermort]

Infinity Blade.

Only without the depth.

 

[8sanders]

Only without the depth.

Infinity Blade has depth?

 

[Dog Problems]

Yeah, it's a shallow game. But if you're a fan of the characters I'd say it's worth a dollar.