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The Official iPhone/iPod Touch Gaming Thread

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Received some info on Marble Blast Mobile. It's a game in development by Garage games. It's sort of a spiritual successor to Marble Blast Ultra, which I enjoyed, on the XBLA. Figured I'd pass the info along. Here are some screens too.

title.jpg


play6.jpg


gems_in_the_road.jpg
 
Pimpbaa said:
The 5th picture they have for it there is a huge fucking spoiler! WTF id?!
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Considering you can choose to play the last level first, not much of a spoiler. They set it up so you can choose any level at any point, except the secret levels (which must be discovered first).
 
So, is there any way to preserve a game's save file besides simply keeping it on your device? I have plenty of room for now, but with all the games that will be out on these things I can see space eventually being an issue for me. Not looking forward to having to pick and choose which saves I can keep and which I'll have to let go.
 
Lord Error said:
Any idea when this is coming out? Their Pinball Dreams remake is one of my favorite games lately, just as it was back in Amiga days.
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They've given no firm timetable. They only said they would bring it out if the first one sold decently and it did.
 
Dreamwriter said:
Considering you can choose to play the last level first, not much of a spoiler. They set it up so you can choose any level at any point, except the secret levels (which must be discovered first).
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thats_the_joke920.jpg
 
AZ Greg said:
So, is there any way to preserve a game's save file besides simply keeping it on your device? I have plenty of room for now, but with all the games that will be out on these things I can see space eventually being an issue for me. Not looking forward to having to pick and choose which saves I can keep and which I'll have to let go.
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When you sync and backup your phone/touch with iTunes, one of the things that is recorded is your game saves. So they should be preserved in iTunes, and they are portable if you back-up and reload your games on another device.
 
Nice round-up posts on the previous page. Definitely looking forward to those two Advance Wars clones, hopefully they'll turn out decently.

And good to see EA hasn't forgotten SSX. Not so good that the iPhone seems to be the only platform getting an entry in the series anytime soon.

Bought Eliss last week after reading this thread, and it's probably my favorite iPhone title so far. Great stuff and exactly what I hope to see more of as the platform matures.
 
Mutanthands said:
When you sync and backup your phone/touch with iTunes, one of the things that is recorded is your game saves. So they should be preserved in iTunes, and they are portable if you back-up and reload your games on another device.
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This isn't what he wants though. A backup is different from putting a game save back in the package bundle of the game. If you backup your phone, then you can restore the entire phone by reloading the entire phone image from the backup. If you delete a game from your phone but it's still on your computer, simply deciding to put that game on your phone again will not bring your saves back. I assume that your phone backs up every time you connect it like mine does, so the first time you remove the game and sync it your backup with the save is gone. I don't understand why on sync iTunes doesn't search the contents of the app bundle on the phone for newly created files and sync those files into the bundle stored on your computer.

This has been my experience in the past, and unless you something has changed in recent firmware then I am advising you not to delete any games you don't want to lose progress on. I did :(
 
PhlivoSong said:
This isn't what he wants though. A backup is different from putting a game save back in the package bundle of the game. If you backup your phone, then you can restore the entire phone by reloading the entire phone image from the backup. If you delete a game from your phone but it's still on your computer, simply deciding to put that game on your phone again will not bring your saves back. I assume that your phone backs up every time you connect it like mine does, so the first time you remove the game and sync it your backup with the save is gone. I don't understand why on sync iTunes doesn't search the contents of the app bundle on the phone for newly created files and sync those files into the bundle stored on your computer.

This has been my experience in the past, and unless you something has changed in recent firmware then I am advising you not to delete any games you don't want to lose progress on. I did :(
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Ah, my bad. I don't think there has been any change in that, like you say. Maybe they are saving it for 3.1. Apple has been fairly good at (eventually) addressing various shortcomings in the software. This is an obvious one if they want to continue pushing games.
 
Anyone try compiling Wolfenstein 3D with the SDK? I get two compiler errors when I try to build and run it on the simulator. All I did was unzip it to my Examples directory, loaded up the project file in Xcode and hit build and run.
 
I love the marble blast series but I don't know if I will buy the mobile version straight away, want to see if there are any cloned levels and if there is plenty to do first.
 
Masklinn said:
Tell us what you think, I'm on the fence about it (and playing rogue)
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Just got through E1M1. Graphics are nicely filtered. Controls feel a little weird. My fat thumb keeps making me turn slightly to the left when I move forward. It's the same simple and fun shooter that so many fell for back in the day.

The map function is super helpful also.
 
Turk said:
Just got through E1M1. Graphics are nicely filtered. Controls feel a little weird. My fat thumb keeps making me turn slightly to the left when I move forward. It's the same simple and fun shooter that so many fell for back in the day.

The map function is super helpful also.
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Same comments here. The controls are nice except that I'd love to have a layout with only the stafe arrows and up/down keys (as the only layout available shows also the turn arrows) and turn using the iPhone. I guess you would walk like a drunk guy with this setup but it works... :lol
 
The third control option handles like a dream for me

Pretty much everything you could ask for in a port, controls great and silky smooth graphics and framerate.
 
The Scrabble app just got a lot cooler, aside from the One Giant Lameness.

First, the lame. The ear SHATTERING intro sound is still there, and it still doesn't respect the mute button. They must have their heads completely up their asses to (a) put that horrible sound in in the first place, and (b) leave it in through a major update. RAGE. >__<

However, the game itself got much better. They added Facebook support, so you can play online against your facebook buddies or against random people. If you are both online, you can play back and forth in (slightly delayed) real time. Otherwise it works like a play-by-email situation where each person does their move when they log in. Great fun!

Now just lose the FREAKING sound. >__< >__< >__<
 
You know I was thinking its sort of odd how EA is all over the iphone but Activision seems to ignore the iphone market. Now I know part of this is that EA has a true mobile division but still.

By not bringing over franchises like Guitar Hero it seems like they are leaving money on the table.
 
Stoney Mason said:
You know I was thinking its sort of odd how EA is all over the iphone but Activision seems to ignore the iphone market. Now I know part of this is that EA has a true mobile division but still.

By not bringing over franchises like Guitar Hero it seems like they are leaving money on the table.
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It feels like the DS all over again to me, the first 2 years of the DS were rather simple and basic but look at it now, like an A rated title coming out every other week.

I think more devs will dip into the iPhone coming up to the end of this year, they either have stuff in the works or waiting to see how much more the device picks up. I missed out owning a Touch untill early febuary but looking back the christmas rush was huge!

*edit* also to add, a lot of app's are budget priced and not £20, yet. Real Racing might be a brilliant seller at a high price but we don't know yet.
 
Stoney Mason said:
You know I was thinking its sort of odd how EA is all over the iphone but Activision seems to ignore the iphone market. Now I know part of this is that EA has a true mobile division but still.

By not bringing over franchises like Guitar Hero it seems like they are leaving money on the table.
Click to expand...

I am surprised how Activision/Blizzard aren't talking about an app that would run a "server-side" version of Wow on your home PC and that you could access the game via your iPhone.
 
suikodan said:
I am surprised how Activision/Blizzard aren't talking about an app that would run a "server-side" version of Wow on your home PC and that you could access the game via your iPhone.
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Grinding/farming while laying on your bed without using a laptop? it would sell BILLIONS!

Long as the glass protection on the iPhone can withstand a trillion finger taps in the same area, all is good.
 
Diablohead said:
It feels like the DS all over again to me, the first 2 years of the DS were rather simple and basic but look at it now, like an A rated title coming out every other week.

I think more devs will dip into the iPhone coming up to the end of this year, they either have stuff in the works or waiting to see how much more the device picks up. I missed out owning a Touch untill early febuary but looking back the christmas rush was huge!

*edit* also to add, a lot of app's are budget priced and not £20, yet. Real Racing might be a brilliant seller at a high price but we don't know yet.
Click to expand...

It feels like DS all over again but in a different way - big companies rushing to put MOAR 3D graphics, features, etc. ofc for premium premium prices (expect 9.99$ on every one of those EA games). I like my iPhone for wonderful & simple games - Dropship, Blue Defense, Zen Bound, MusicNeon. I don't want this to turn into another port-device with all the FIFA, NHL, MADDEN, etc. coming out every year, they have big consoles for this thrash.
 
Slacker said:
The Scrabble app just got a lot cooler, aside from the One Giant Lameness.

First, the lame. The ear SHATTERING intro sound is still there, and it still doesn't respect the mute button. They must have their heads completely up their asses to (a) put that horrible sound in in the first place, and (b) leave it in through a major update. RAGE. >__<

However, the game itself got much better. They added Facebook support, so you can play online against your facebook buddies or against random people. If you are both online, you can play back and forth in (slightly delayed) real time. Otherwise it works like a play-by-email situation where each person does their move when they log in. Great fun!

Now just lose the FREAKING sound. >__< >__< >__<
Click to expand...

ha, thanks for the update. yeah, that sound totally ruins me.
 
AlphaTwo00 said:
The iPod/iPhone is turning into quite a Tower Defense system.
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Just like puzzle games you will see a ton of them because the base mechanics of the iphone suit the genre well.

Although it probably takes a really good one for people to take notice since 7 Cities, GeoDefense, Fieldrunners, and The Creeps are all pretty solid.
 
Stoney Mason said:
You know I was thinking its sort of odd how EA is all over the iphone but Activision seems to ignore the iphone market. Now I know part of this is that EA has a true mobile division but still.

By not bringing over franchises like Guitar Hero it seems like they are leaving money on the table.
Click to expand...

I'm thinking the opposite - it's odd how EA is all over the iPhone at all, given how little money they can make at the low prices games sell for on it. It's perfect sense for Activision to not want to lose money :) I mean, think about it - to make an iPhone game at DS quality requires a team about the size of a DS team. But the DS game will sell for $30-35, they get to keep around $20-25, and there isn't nearly as much competition, let alone free and super cheap competition (sure there are tons of DS games...but on iPhone, we've got 10,000 games in a single store). Guitar Hero's a good example - there are 4 or 5 music games very similar on the iPhone, some free, some $5. And with the new ability for games to access your in-device music library, it won't be long before a game comes along that lets people create downloadable tap-lists for any song (there's already one for Jailbroken phones). The Guitar Hero name wouldn't mean much in the face of that competition.

Apple really needs that rumored $20+ high-quality-game app store section to really get the big developers.
 
GeoDefense is the only one I own because it looks like geometry wars :D hard as nails though.

I want more racing games! Real Racing is going to take over my life when it's out next month.
 
Dreamwriter said:
I'm thinking the opposite - it's odd how EA is all over the iPhone at all, given how little money they can make at the low prices games sell for on it. It's perfect sense for Activision to not want to lose money :) I mean, think about it - to make an iPhone game at DS quality requires a team about the size of a DS team. But the DS game will sell for $30-35, they get to keep around $20-25, and there isn't nearly as much competition, let alone free and super cheap competition (sure there are tons of DS games...but on iPhone, we've got 10,000 games in a single store). Guitar Hero's a good example - there are 4 or 5 music games very similar on the iPhone, some free, some $5. And with the new ability for games to access your in-device music library, it won't be long before a game comes along that lets people create downloadable tap-lists for any song (there's already one for Jailbroken phones). The Guitar Hero name wouldn't mean much in the face of that competition.

Apple really needs that rumored $20+ high-quality-game app store section to really get the big developers.
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I pretty much disagree. That's why you have a mobile division and make games. Yes the high end profit is lower but so are the dev costs. You make money selling in bulk. I also disagree about the name brand stuff. The reason the EA stuff has sold so well is purely because of brand name. The reason why Metal Gear Solid Touch has been selling well is purely because of brand name despite the low replay-ability and high price. The same would happen with Guitar Hero. Because it is a recognizable name and brand which counts for a lot.

And as I've said before my opinion is that the $20 app store will be a relative failure. I don't believe the masses out there want to spend that much on cell games right now although I'm more than willing to be proven wrong. Cell phone games are a market closer to something like Xbox Live Arcade price wise and by that I mean the relatively lower price stuff on there.
 
But that's because cell phone games are for the most part crap, and people know so. Some of the iPhone games we've gotten, though, are true handheld quality, and I don't know anyone who talks about iPhone games as "cell phone games".

As for the dev costs, they aren't lower, that's what I was talking about. To make a game at DS quality on the iPhone costs exactly the same as it does to make a real DS game. If EA were to make a low budget game on iPhone, it would look like a low budget game and wouldn't sell as well, even at the lower price. So for just straight monetary reasons, it would make a lot more sense to go ahead and just make the game for DS.
 
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