The iPad/iPhone/iPod Touch Gaming |Thread4| NOT Doomed

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7715 in Jetpack Joyride...reclaiming my throne.
 
It appears to be Minecraft in 2D, basically. I'm struggling to get to grips withit, but then I've not played Minecraft myself. It also looks rather pretty on the iPad.

It's WAY more like Terraria than Minecraft, for what it's worth. I'd go as far and say that it's pretty much Terraria on iOS. (and that's a great thing, because Terraria on PC is awesome)
 
7715 in Jetpack Joyride...reclaiming my throne.

:( I got 4980 forever ago and haven't got back since. Part of it is the need to get the achievement/mission objectives; They clearly get you killed way earlier but I can't help wanting to make progress. The game starts to go so fast it almost blurs and messes with my eyes.
 
The trouble with this is how do you define genres? Are endless runners and platformers the same? How would something like Bumpy Road fit in? What's the difference between arcade, action arcade, adventure and platformer?

The genres on iOS are far too wooly to make that approach work IMO.

But at the same time, it could totally work from an ease of browsing approach, as well as ensuring there are an even spread of genres represented...

I think it'd be easier/best to do it like the GOTY threads. When posting results there's the top10/20/whatever and then you get a top5 platformers/runners/arcade/rpg/puzzle/adventure/fighters/board+card games. What do you think?
 
Wait, whale trail bombed because YOU didn't like it? Isn't that a bit narsacistic? Come on now.

I have never heard anyone in my 30 years of gaming claim a game failed because the audience couldnt die in the first five minutes. Every time i think ive heard it all, a gem like this comes along.

Whale trail is my favorite ios game because it has some many games do not: charm. I dont have to be 'vested' in anything besides that. Its challenging, its simple, beautiful to look at, ha catchy music, and invokes the player to top their last high score. Its as pure of a game you need. I can play pacman without dying in its first five minutes. I can complete mario in less than 30 mins without dying. That has absolutely nothing to do with the integrity of those games.

I'd also like to add that Whale Trail has fantastic mechanics.
 
I'd also like to add that Whale Trail has fantastic mechanics.

Also, Whale Trail isn't just about how far you can progress. It is a high score game. Yes, it is easier in the beginning, but it is all about playing flawlessly. Hitting all the dots and getting perfect lines. Being aware of how much time you have left in each zone and timing your frenzies accordingly. Etc. if you are simply playing for distance you are playing the game wrong.
 
Does the developer(s) of Squids post here? I thought I saw them posting a few months ago.
6nhDN.jpg


Just in case I want to sing my praise about this game. Great art syle, wonderful music, awesome characters and worlds, super addicting rpg lite type meets underwater pseudo angry birds game play (I use angry birds loosely). I seriously loved everything about this game. Really good stuff here. Lots of content too. Just when I thought I did everything more and more kept coming. Cant wait for the sequel.


Now a question for those who HAVE played the game. Now that I have finished it I'm a sucker (no pun intended ;) ) for getting achievements and I'm trying to get them all and I'm a big short with no guidance on how to finish it. I'm looking for the "Lets Bounce" achievement. I thought I bounced off of SOMETHING with every squid on every turn and didnt get it. Are there specific things your supposed to bounce off of? What exactly qualifies as a bounce? If nobody knows is there a site out there like Achievement Hunters for Xbox cheevos but for iPhone games?
Yeah I love Squids. I picked it up when it was free not too long ago and I just finished the story missions today. Squids 2 was announced and is actually coming sometime soon I think.
 
I love Squids. I got the new iPad and lost my progress somehow and never finished. :(

I should though. One of the best games out for the platform.

I still maintain that Ski Safari is better than Whale Trail, though both are extremely well done. In all, it's a whole lot less stressful and more suited to what I want when I spend my time with an endless runner. And it's not bullshit like Jetpack Joyride becomes after 1000~ ft. It's more enjoyable because of the lazy mechanics and you not being doomed if you make one screwup. (aimed towards Astro's comments on the page before)
 
There's some Chillingo game called Picnic Wars that's free from $1.99. I have no idea if it's any good. Mirror's Edge for iPad is also 50% off at $4.99, but I wouldn't recommend it because it's gone lower before, and also it's EA.

Does anyone know if there's a way to copy app links on the iPad? I'd rather paste the links for you guys, but I can't figure out how for the life of me.
 
Wait, whale trail bombed because YOU didn't like it? Isn't that a bit narsacistic? Come on now.

I have never heard anyone in my 30 years of gaming claim a game failed because the audience couldnt die in the first five minutes. Every time i think ive heard it all, a gem like this comes along.

Whale trail is my favorite ios game because it has some many games do not: charm. I dont have to be 'vested' in anything besides that. Its challenging, its simple, beautiful to look at, ha catchy music, and invokes the player to top their last high score. Its as pure of a game you need.

What you've done there is misunderstand my point to a degree so spectacular, that even with NASA's most powerful telescope you can only hope to see it.

First, I LIKE WHALE TRAIL.

Second, Whale Trail didn't bomb, it sold 200,000 copies which is perfectly successful, or would be if the developers hadn't spend obscene amounts of money making it.

My point though is that it didn't "catch on." Obviously it has fans, like you, because it did enough to sell 200,000 copies. What it didn't reach though is Angry Birds levels of uptake. That's nothing to do with whether I liked the game (wtf?) but is everything to do with the structure of it. If you think it's nothing to do with how slow the opening of the game is, then I would suggest you know very, very little about the iOS market. NeoGAF isn't even slightly representative of the iOS market, the things that people here want (five minutes to build a combo) are not what the wider market wants (instant gratification). There is no gratification in Whale Trail for a long time into the game and that's why we're not talking about Whale Trail selling Angry Birds levels of numbers, and that's the only reason because it really did everything else brilliantly. Presentation, music, charm, everything was spot on except the gameplay itself. Can you really not see that?

If you think I'm wrong, what do you put it "bombing" down to?

I can play pacman without dying in its first five minutes. I can complete mario in less than 30 mins without dying. That has absolutely nothing to do with the integrity of those games.

You're making the mistake of assuming that a home console market wants exactly the same from its games as the iOS market does. That is so, so very wrong. It's about making the right game for the system. Mario is the right game for NES. Whale Trail is the wrong game for iOS, or at least it was when it launched. It's perfectly ace now with the challenges.
 
Re Whale Trail - I follow the point that the 5 minute long first section is off putting to gamers, but surely this is something that players would only discover once they'd bought the game. Or do you think that the word of mouth (or lack thereof) killed the chances at growing further?

IMO, Angry Birds was a fluke that may never be repeated. There's a mix of an influx of new iOS owners looking for a first game, cheap price, colourful characters, catchy name (people love birds, apparently) and then the word of mouth feedback loop when people talk about it since it's the only game they own.

Gameplay aside, Whale Trail had many of these hooks apart from being positioned at that very lucky time in iOS history.
 
Re Whale Trail - I follow the point that the 5 minute long first section is off putting to gamers, but surely this is something that players would only discover once they'd bought the game. Or do you think that the word of mouth (or lack thereof) killed the chances at growing further?

Pretty much. I think a lot of people would have bought it hoping for that quick fix, found that it wasn't there, and then never gone back to it. As a result it just never grew
 
...sigh...god...

Hopefully others, at least, can see what I mean.

If Whale Trail was the perfect iOS game, as you seem to think it is, then it would have sold gangbusters. That it didn't do this points to there being some flaw, because there certainly wasn't an absence of promotion. I propose that I have found the flaw and if you think I'm wrong, then I would challenge you to tell me the real reason why it failed, or at least what your hypothesis may be.

Until you do can do that, this isn't really amounting to any kind of debate or discussion.

As an aside, I would point out that your understanding of word of mouth is slightly erroneous. Word of mouth on this scale isn't "I played this game and it was shit, don't buy it." It is "I played this awesome game! Buy it!" Word of mouth, generally, is a tool to gain sales, not a tool with which to lose them. Whale Trail never had good word of mouth, if any at all, and so it never spread.

Again, though, I really like Whale Trail as it is today. There's really no need to act so hostile towards me for daring to claim that it was imperfect at launch, no matter how much you wish to defend its honour.
 
I'm glad I bought Junk Jack. At $2.99, the amount of content is mind blowing. My only complaints would be that dropping items seems hard to do and your limited jumping capabilities makes your exploration and creations a bit limited. Other than that, there is SO much to work with and a huge amount of polish on this game. Definitely worth the money (and, imho, far better than Minecraft PE).
 
I don't really know how anyone can make assumptions as to why a game sells well or not on iOS. It just seems such a lottery sometimes. No one would have guessed that Angry Birds would have caught on the way it did.
I see other games that are as good, if not better, just as cute and addictive, but don't catch on in the same way.
Sometimes it's about timing.

In Whale Trail's case, I think some people are put off because they think it is a Tiny Wings rip-off (which it isn't).
They see the cute whale icon, the colourful graphics, that it is an endless game and think Tiny Wings. Do I want to pay more money for a game that I already have?
With no lite/free version, it is hard to convince people otherwise.
If Whale Trail came out before Tiny Wings it may have sold more, who knows.

But more people need to buy it because it is AWESOME, and in my opinion the best endless game out there.
 
I don't think you understand how an argument works. You're the one making a specific claim as to why a game didn't catch on. The burden of proof is on you for making the claim; not on me for asking you to cite your evidence which you still haven't.

I have never seen or heard anyone cite that a games slow growth was due to its first 5 minutes. Iv already explained why that is nonsensical. There could be a variety of reasons why it went under the radar: timing, marketing placement, style, etc.
I've never played the game, so I can't really weigh in. But just on terms of arguing, your points are far less cohesive than toythatkills's. Or rather, it definitely seems like he has a better grasp of the overall iOS market than you do. A lot of his points may be theoretical, but that doesn't mean that your counter argument should be "oh yeah? Prove it." If the data is unavailable, all we can do is make educated guesses, and the stuff he's saying falls more in line with the actual iOS market than yours.

From an outsider's point of view, it seems like toythatkills's point may be a bit stretched, but it's completely valid and fairly accurate. Whereas your posts come across as someone who's blindly defending something they're very passionate about. You've already stated that this is your favorite iOS game, so it's not surprising that you'd expect or at least want others to fall in line with your side. But a lot of your points are simply argumentative instead of constructive to your argument.

Either way, I'm going to go download that game, because it sounds like fun.
 
I have never seen or heard anyone cite that a games slow growth was due to its first 5 minutes. Iv already explained why that is nonsensical. There could be a variety of reasons why it went under the radar: timing, marketing placement, style, etc. Hell, maybe people just thought that the idea of playing as a rainbow shitting whale was too far out there for them. I don't know. I can't argue with what really happened because I don't have any evidence to cite. I'm just asking you to cite yours to back your bold and unconvential statement.

In response to the bolded part, the thing is, you haven't explained why that's nonsensical. You just compared Whale Trail to two games that are not iOS games, were never intended to be iOS games, and appeal to completely different audiences than iOS does. This just shows a lack of understanding about the point I'm trying to make on your part.

(I appreciate that Pac-Man is on iOS, but it's impossible to glean anything from its sales data because it's based on an existing, non-iOS, franchise.)

As for things like performing surveys, sorry, but what do you expect? I can ask 1,000 people who didn't buy Whale Trail why they didn't buy Whale Trail, and every single one will tell me it's because they've never heard of it. The reason for that is that their friends weren't talking about it. Their colleagues weren't talking about it. Their families weren't talking about it. Obviously this is conjecture, but it's conjecture based on years of watching the app store evolve, looking at the games that sell, looking at why they sell, and looking at how they spread. I haven't performed any exhaustive studies, I am sorry, but I've been paying close attention for years and I have a very good idea of how the app store and the market around it works.

I don't think you understand how an argument works. You're the one making a specific claim as to why a game didn't catch on. The burden of proof is on you for making the claim; not on me for asking you to cite your evidence which you still haven't.

All I mean by this is that I see arguments as points, refuted by counterpoints. I made a point and you refuted it basically by putting your fingers in your ears and shouting "NO YOU'RE WRONG" at me. You offered no alternative solution.

To everyone else, I'd hold off downloading Whale Trail for now, it's going free soon. But absolutely get it when it does.
 
This Army of Darkness game is waaaayyyy funnier than I expected it to be.
I just downloaded it on a whim and ended up playing for hours ... and I don't even like tower/lane/castle defense games. Even the ballyhooed Kingdom Rush, Bloodshow, Creeps left me shrugging ... but this is just too much stupid good fun. 

It doesn't even really seem all that great technically, yet I can't stop playing...plus it's free.

- - - - -

Also got some promo codes here. US accounts only. Press quote to see.
One Infinity Blade 1 :
and two Aralon Sword and Shadows HD :
... don't thank/despise me ... these are courtesy of Panama Chief !
 
To everyone else, I'd hold off downloading Whale Trail for now, it's going free soon. But absolutely get it when it does.
Lol, dammit! I just bought it.
 
Got Ski Safari on the recommendation of a handful of ya. Game is definitely fun, but doesn't have it's hooks in me nearly as hard as Jetpack Joyride has. Gameplay just feels a bit more shallow. You can backflip, you can ride on a penguin or yeti or get flown by a bird...

I don't know. Just didn't feel nearly as engaging as I'd like.

Not at all a bad game, just not a Jetpack Joyride replacement for me. I'll give it some more time to work it's magic on me.
 
This Army of Darkness game is waaaayyyy funnier than I expected it to be.
I just downloaded it on a whim and ended up playing for hours ... and I don't even like tower/lane/castle defense games. Even the ballyhooed Kingdom Rush, Bloodshow, Creeps left me shrugging ... but this is just too much stupid good fun. 

It doesn't even really seem all that great technically, yet I can't stop playing...plus it's free.

- - - - -

Also got some promo codes here. US accounts only. Press quote to see.
One Infinity Blade 1 :
and two Aralon Sword and Shadows HD :
... don't thank/despise me ... these are courtesy of Panama Chief !
Got the Aralon code. Thanks.
 
Been playing Spell Sword and WaWa Land all day and really enjoying them both a lot! Spell Sword is everything I loved about Super Crate Box, but with a really great RPG element to it, and I love the variety of everything. I was extremely confused doing the first few missions, because it seemed like I would play for a few seconds and all of a sudden I'd fulfill the objective without realizing it. After doing about 5 missions, though, the way the spell cards worked started to make sense and it's been smooth sailing ever since.

WaWa Land is a beautiful game and EXTREMELY reminiscent of Super Mario Land. I highly recommend it for anyone looking for a solid platformer. I've only played the first few levels, but it controls great and the animation is extremely well done. My only issue is that the "tornado whirl" button sometimes doesn't activate unless I double-tap it, and then other times it'll work on the first tap. Weird issue, but not game breaking at all.

Going to check out Ghost Trick, Montower and Tower of Fortune in a bit. Going back to Spell Sword right now :3
 
I love this thread.

But no talk of the game from the "core designers" of Rez and Lumines, Kotomon? Early impressions are that it's not a good game.
 
I saw this earlier today. I'm really looking forward to this update!

www.neuroshimahex.com said:
It’s not a promise. It’s not just another status update. It’s happened. Neuroshima Hex multiplayer update is now waiting to get approved by Apple!

Yep, we have finally did it. I can’t even remember how many times we changed the release date and by how much this update is behind schedule. But does it matter now?

While waiting for this update to be approved, you may check out some screenshots of new multiplayer UI and full list of changes. Enjoy!


Online games

Game lobby chat

Creating a private game

Choosing army

NeoJungle vs The Outpost

In-game chat notification

In-game chat

Next turn notification

Hegemony vs Neojungle

Game results
Added features:

!!! Asynchronous Online Multiplayer !!!
New iPad Retina support
push notifications for online multiplayer
private games for online multiplayer
cool chat for online multiplayer
player profile and avatars
better modifiers visualisation
better Tutorial
fast forward skips entire battle
better Undo
Restore button for IAPs
redesigned Store, Menu and Game UI
new game engine
Fixed bugs:

problems and crashes with iPod 2G and iPhone 3G
achievements not increasing
Don’t forget to let us know what you think about these

http://www.neuroshimahex.com/1006/multiplayer-update-sent-fort-approval/
 
Anyone playing Big Win Soccer? Looking for some friends for the friends tournament or whatever.

If you haven't played it, its a freemium game from Hothead. Similar idea to FIFA Ultimate Team I think, you get packs of cards that give you players as well as 'impact' cards that have various effects (like better passing, shooting etc.) and strips and contract cards. You can watch your teams matches in a nice little match engine, although there are some annoying niggles (ridiculous amount of penalties for one). Subject to usual freemium stuff like in-game currencies, but I have been progressing fine without spending any money.
 
I downloaded Montowers out of curiosity:


I'm liking it quite a bit. It's a simple RPG where you collect monsters and try to climb a tower, defeating a different guy on every level. It has a very nice presentation, and some of the monsters have cool designs.

Check it out:

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/montowers-legend-summoners/id517860442?mt=8

Just curious: How essential are the IAP tokens to the game?

edit for the new page:

I saw this earlier today. I'm really looking forward to this Neuroshima Hex update!
---

It’s not a promise. It’s not just another status update. It’s happened. Neuroshima Hex multiplayer update is now waiting to get approved by Apple!

Yep, we have finally did it. I can’t even remember how many times we changed the release date and by how much this update is behind schedule. But does it matter now?

While waiting for this update to be approved, you may check out some screenshots of new multiplayer UI and full list of changes. Enjoy!


Online games

Game lobby chat

Creating a private game

Choosing army

NeoJungle vs The Outpost

In-game chat notification

In-game chat

Next turn notification

Hegemony vs Neojungle

Game results
Added features:

!!! Asynchronous Online Multiplayer !!!
New iPad Retina support
push notifications for online multiplayer
private games for online multiplayer
cool chat for online multiplayer
player profile and avatars
better modifiers visualisation
better Tutorial
fast forward skips entire battle
better Undo
Restore button for IAPs
redesigned Store, Menu and Game UI
new game engine
Fixed bugs:

problems and crashes with iPod 2G and iPhone 3G
achievements not increasing
Don’t forget to let us know what you think about these
---
http://www.neuroshimahex.com/1006/multiplayer-update-sent-fort-approval/
 
Which gadgets?
Honestly don't remember, but if I had to guess it would be the Lucky Lottery and Token Magnet. I love those things. No flying into shit trying to grab a stupid token!

Didn't use any of my tricks like I did to get my previous 6500 record like buying explosions and second chances to use...just had a good run.
 
Neuroshima Hex update is going to be fantastic. I expect it to be the hot game in the iOS board-game thread when it drops. :D
 
Tried that BattleCon card battle/fighting game on my ipod touch.

I don't know what is up, but it runs like crap on mine. Takes forever to load any selection that I touch. Whole thing seems to be chugging. It crashed a couple times as well. idk.

Also had had a question:

Is there a way to organize apps into folders or anything in the itunes view on PC? There probably isn't, just thought maybe I missed a a menu option or something.

I have so many apps. Takes forever to load the icons. I wish I could organize them better in itunes, so I can pick and choose with more convenience when what I want to sync.
 
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