• Hey Guest. Check out your NeoGAF Wrapped 2025 results here!

The Official iPhone/iPod Touch Gaming Thread

Status
Not open for further replies.
Is it just me, or is the hitting really hard in 9 innings? With the perspective it's hard to tell how close the ball is to the plate...Plus I think my timing is a little messed up from BS
 
truth-lasers said:
Phil Hassey (developer of Galcon) has released Cosmic Nitro ($0,99):
http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=311717388&mt=8

Looks like Missile Command, but with some great effects and really, really fast gameplay:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wUlEP99CXQQ

Also, I don't think I've seen it mentioned in this thread, Michael Welch (Scorched Tanks) released his game Pocket Tanks Deluxe yesterday (there's a lite version as well) and it's $4,99:
http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=311466554&mt=8

Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZ5Am1HjJnY

I've just bought Cosmic Nitro, haven't played it yet. And I'm really tempted to get Pocket Tanks.
Click to expand...
Warning. This game is pretty bad. I picked it up because I'm a massive fan of Galcon, but this is just a tap-to-destroy affair and it rapidly degrades into chaos, slowdown and not a lot of fun (TM).
 
krypt0nian said:
Wolf3D 1.1 now has many improvements, including drag-able on-screen controls, user ipod soundtracks, etc etc etc!

itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=309470478&mt=8
Click to expand...

Yeah it was a pretty big update

picture_55153.png


And they already have plans for another.

id dev said:
The v1.2 update will include the ability to load user-created maps via http, and we're considering allowing user-created content to replace existing assets.

The details still need to be worked out, but if we go this route it would make it straightforward for us to support the v1.0 content as a downloadable "mod".
Click to expand...
 
Trellisaze said:
New update for Drop7 - it now has Global/Friend Leaderboards (through Facebook connect).
Click to expand...


A bunch of games got updates today.

Tap Tap 2 (Performance)
Baseball Superstars (Balance)
Azkend (Performance, Bug Fix)
 
Jonnyram said:
Warning. This game is pretty bad. I picked it up because I'm a massive fan of Galcon, but this is just a tap-to-destroy affair and it rapidly degrades into chaos, slowdown and not a lot of fun (TM).
Click to expand...

Agreed.

There's some eye candy in there, but as a game it gets repetitive after a couple of minutes and then nothing new or exciting happens >:(
 
Every single one of these games needs the option to play your iPod music instead of the game music. I hate that I can't play Puzzle Quest or Zombieville USA with my own music.
 
Acid08 said:
Every single one of these games needs the option to play your iPod music instead of the game music. I hate that I can't play Puzzle Quest or Zombieville USA with my own music.
Click to expand...


Once OS 3.0 hits it will likely be very common. The problem is it initially required a bit more work from what I understand.
 
Acid08 said:
Every single one of these games needs the option to play your iPod music instead of the game music. I hate that I can't play Puzzle Quest or Zombieville USA with my own music.
Click to expand...

QFT!!

I like to listen to my podcasts while I play my games thank you.
 
Stoney Mason said:
Once OS 3.0 hits it will likely be very common. The problem is it initially required a bit more work from what I understand.
Click to expand...

Yeah, but not much. Basically it takes two lines of code to suggest to the iPhone how to handle iPod music and system sounds during your game. So, you can take the easy route and add an option somewhere (before your game plays any sounds) asking whether to use in-game music or iPod music, or (as of I think OS 2.2) you can go a bit more complicated route and detect if iPod music is playing when your app starts (which only really takes a couple more lines of code, but it's more complicated and requires a bit more knowlege/research). What most games do, though, is ignore it entirely, and the default mode is to have the game sounds override iPod music. At least as-of 2.2.1, Apple made the default mode pay attention to the mute switch (ironically, those of us who had gone to the effort of allowing iPod music had to do more work to make our apps listen to the mute switch).
 
Dreamwriter said:
At least as-of 2.2.1, Apple made the default mode pay attention to the mute switch (ironically, those of us who had gone to the effort of allowing iPod music had to do more work to make our apps listen to the mute switch).
Click to expand...
Could you expand on that?
 
Masklinn said:
Could you expand on that?
Click to expand...

Well, the developer is supposed to set the iPhone sound mode when their game starts. There are a few different modes, telling the iPhone how the game is planning on using sound and letting the iPhone decide the priorities of different sounds. If the developer doesn't set the sound mode, then it chooses a default mode, which makes the game's audio override the iPod audio.

In 2.2 or 2.2.1 (I forget which), Apple added a couple new sound modes in addition to all the old ones; the new sound modes work like the old ones but also tell the iPhone to silence your game's sound when the mute switch is on. So for developers who were setting the sound mode like they were supposed to, they had to update their game to set one of the new sound modes to make their game follow the mute switch. But Apple changed the default mode for games that don't set the sound mode to one of the new modes that follows the mute switch, so the lazy/ignorant developers got that for free.
 
Well, I just got home with my iPod Touch 16GB... my toys just seem to get more and more expensive as I get older. :D

So, I'm probably going to grab Azkend, Drop7, UniWar and Zombieville USA right off the bat. Are there any other "must-have" games - or even apps - that you guys would recommend, particularly ones that may be having the short-term sales at the moment?
 
My favorite iphone game of all time is IDodge Space Ninja. There used to be a lite version, but if you like bullet dodging in overhead shooters you'll dig it.
 
Dreamwriter said:
In 2.2 or 2.2.1 (I forget which), Apple added a couple new sound modes in addition to all the old ones; the new sound modes work like the old ones but also tell the iPhone to silence your game's sound when the mute switch is on. So for developers who were setting the sound mode like they were supposed to, they had to update their game to set one of the new sound modes to make their game follow the mute switch. But Apple changed the default mode for games that don't set the sound mode to one of the new modes that follows the mute switch, so the lazy/ignorant developers got that for free.
Click to expand...
Ooooh thanks a lot, so that's why all recent games follow the mute switch while very few did on initial release. That's cool :D
Wallach said:
So, I'm probably going to grab Azkend, Drop7, UniWar and Zombieville USA right off the bat. Are there any other "must-have" games - or even apps - that you guys would recommend, particularly ones that may be having the short-term sales at the moment?
Click to expand...
If you like tower defenses, geoDefense.

Also, Frenzic, Horror Vacui, Flight Control, Zen Bound, Space Deadbeef, Galcon, Edge, Eliss. If you like roguelikes, Rogue Touch is pretty good (and regularly updated), as far as "puzzlers" go Monospace is good, Enigmo is still worth buying, ROYGBIV. One Dot Enemies is an interesting... thing. iDracula is nice.
 
Been playing Snake Galaxy ($3,99) a lot today.

http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=311473618&mt=8

01_Village.jpg


It's Snake, on spheres. And good.

I'm up to planet five now (out of six, you unlock a new planet when you get a highscore on the current one). Each new planet has a new visual style and some of them brings obstacles that you have to avoid or pass through as you collect rainbow crystals (hey, I don't know what they are) and grow longer. Collecting a crystal starts a countdown and if you reach a new one before it ends you get a higher score.

You control the snake by touching the screen where you want it to travel and that works well. I don't have that kind of fine control that planet 5 requires just yet, some of the obstacles are evil, teasing me to try (and fail).

There's a youtube video of it here, that shows the first planet and a short bit of the second. It's watchable, if you mute the sound.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWFSuy6Gz-I

There's no online leaderboards, and that might kill the replayability but the developer is working on that.
 
truth-lasers said:
Snake Galaxy
http://www.digdog-studio.com/images/stories/CapturesSnakeGalaxy/01_Village.jpg[IMG][/QUOTE]

It might be just the fact that it is a spherical world, but that picture reminds me a hell of a lot of super mario galaxy - so much so that i've just booted up my wii for the first time in a while to play it
Click to expand...
 
Is anyone else have azkend crashing a lot? Ever since I hit week 5 after I beat a level he moves to the next square and then it crashes to the "dashboard" or whatever the main screen is called.
 
tabsina said:
It might be just the fact that it is a spherical world, but that picture reminds me a hell of a lot of super mario galaxy
Click to expand...

Yeah, it does (and I guess it is somewhat intentional, with "Galaxy" in the title) and it looks really nice in motion. The other planets have different textures (the one I'm on right now is built out of newspapers) and the Mario Galaxy reference is the most obvious in that picture (not having seen the final planet yet, though).
 
Can I spam a little? :D

My first iPhone game is almost ready, it needs just some tweaking and the background music.
Here's a video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0ULX5l_GA0
Sorry for the crappy crappy crappy quality

I've done all the coding from scratch and the hand drawn(well, tablet drawn) graphics, now a friend is helping with the coding and another friend offered his help for the music.
It was a lot of work for such a small project, but I'm kinda happy with the result.
 
Bliddo said:
Can I spam a little? :D

My first iPhone game is almost ready, it needs just some tweaking and the background music.
Here's a video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0ULX5l_GA0
Sorry for the crappy crappy crappy quality

I've done all the coding from scratch and the hand drawn(well, tablet drawn) graphics, now a friend is helping with the coding and another friend offered his help for the music.
It was a lot of work for such a small project, but I'm kinda happy with the result.
Click to expand...

Price?

I'd buy it. <3 GAF.
 
Bliddo said:
Can I spam a little? :D

My first iPhone game is almost ready, it needs just some tweaking and the background music.
Here's a video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0ULX5l_GA0
Sorry for the crappy crappy crappy quality

I've done all the coding from scratch and the hand drawn(well, tablet drawn) graphics, now a friend is helping with the coding and another friend offered his help for the music.
It was a lot of work for such a small project, but I'm kinda happy with the result.
Click to expand...

Simple but neat little concept. The base game mechanic seems fun.

Might already have them later on but just a suggestion you might want to introduce some enemies the higher you go.
 
Bliddo said:
Can I spam a little? :D

My first iPhone game is almost ready, it needs just some tweaking and the background music.
Here's a video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0ULX5l_GA0
Sorry for the crappy crappy crappy quality

I've done all the coding from scratch and the hand drawn(well, tablet drawn) graphics, now a friend is helping with the coding and another friend offered his help for the music.
It was a lot of work for such a small project, but I'm kinda happy with the result.
Click to expand...

Looks pretty cool so far, any chance you were inspired by fl0wer for sound/visuals? Seem kinda reminiscent to me.

I'd like to support fellow upstarts (since I'm one too!) but it looks to me like the spacing of stars and the collision could use a little more balancing, as well as a few more frames of animation for the avatar.

Otherwise I'm digging the aesthetic and the offbeat combo-platforming (?) mix of gameplay. I'll definately check it out. What price are you going to be setting for it?
 
Bliddo said:
Can I spam a little? :D

My first iPhone game is almost ready, it needs just some tweaking and the background music.
Here's a video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0ULX5l_GA0
Sorry for the crappy crappy crappy quality

I've done all the coding from scratch and the hand drawn(well, tablet drawn) graphics, now a friend is helping with the coding and another friend offered his help for the music.
It was a lot of work for such a small project, but I'm kinda happy with the result.
Click to expand...

I love Machiavelli's Ascent for XNA and I'm sure I'll love your game.
 
quetz67 said:
Wild West Pinball is on sale for 0.99...just one table but a lot better than the four tables of Freeballin combined
Click to expand...

Wild West Pinball is fantastic, I paid $2.99 and at a buck it is a no brainer.
 
Stoney Mason said:
Simple but neat little concept. The base game mechanic seems fun.

Might already have them later on but just a suggestion you might want to introduce some enemies the higher you go.
Click to expand...
Thanks
Right now there aren't enemies, but they'll likely be added in the future

Kodiak said:
Looks pretty cool so far, any chance you were inspired by fl0wer for sound/visuals? Seem kinda reminiscent to me.

I'd like to support fellow upstarts (since I'm one too!) but it looks to me like the spacing of stars and the collision could use a little more balancing, as well as a few more frames of animation for the avatar.
Click to expand...
I didn't play fl0wer, I'll check it out though.
As for the spacing and the collisions, they're definitely part of the overall tweaking that will be done before the release.

As for the price, I still need to decide, but it will be for sure under the 2$

Thanks to everyone for the comments :)
 
Good interview with Ethan Nicholas developer of ishoot. A really good game that is one of the better examples of everything right when it goes right for the iphone business model.

http://www.pocketgamer.co.uk/r/iPhone/iShoot/news.asp?c=12764


A couple of choice bits.

Okay, we feel slightly better now. So why iPhone?

Well I saw the success of a couple of early titles, particularly Trism. Steve Demeter was one of the first guys who went out and told people how much money he was making and I'd be lying if I said that I didn't see dollar signs. He made $250K from that game!

That's a decent sum for one programmer. So, how does your fortune compare with that?

Well so far I've more than tripled it ... iShoot has made over $800K dollars.

Wow. So now we understand why you decided to change careers!

[Laughs] Yeah, I quit my job at end of January and decided to work on the update (iShoot 2.0 - released in March). Ironically enough that took me longer than the original game!
Click to expand...


And also this bit. My latest pet peeve is what I call the tyranny of the 99 cent app. While I've posted many times in the thread I love the iphone market because it is cheap and I think the future is very bright for the platform and I don't think the rumored $19.99 premium app store is necessarily the right fit, I think the situation that also has arisen is in some ways punishing to devs and for attracting larger scale apps. There is tremendous pressure on the app store for a dev to hit the 99 cent price point even if that doesn't reflect the true value of his app. The store ranking lists work as a sort of free advertising and 99 cents apps dominate the top of the list because it's almost impossible for things that cost above that price point to outsell 99 cents apps on a per unit basis. As some other devs have suggested first you need to re-organize some things in the app store and then rank them based on total revenue rather than total units sales. That way you are encouraging better and bigger concept games. 99 cent games will always have a strong place in the iphone market but they already have certain built in advantages based on the nature of the market so as Apple you want to encourage higher price points games without being obnoxious about it imo.

There's a lot said about the pricing issues on the App Store - what do you think of the model?

It's a huge problem at the moment and it's Apple's fault! The reason is simply the organisation of the app store - there's just two lists, Free and Paid. If there was only one list then it would be topped by free content. With just Free and Paid lists the paid is dominated by the cheapest titles and hence everything trends towards 99 cents.

Developers are understandably going to be wary of producing a big budget games at these rates. This could all be simply fixed by re-organising the App Store so there are different price ranges.

Having said that I do think that the downloadable content options in 3.0 will go a long way to fix the 99 cent crisis.

That's an interesting view. Assuming the organisation changed, what sort of price do you think the store can support?

I think $19.99 is a very hard sell. Given the quality of the apps at the current price and their success. I don't think Apple's customers will accept that. $10 for a premium game is probably about right.

What else would you like to see on the App store?

I'd love to have a way to respond to reviews. A lot of people write reviews and they say why can't you do X? I'd like to be able to respond and say that you can do X! In some cases the complaints people are making are factually incorrect. I've heard other developers ask for that.
Click to expand...
 
Nice interview. thanks for the link, Stoney.

I agree that 20 bucks is probably a tough sell. but so far it doesn't seem like the big devs have had much problem getting 10 dollar apps to sell. which suggests that a separate market for 10 dollar apps might not be needed.

If there's gonna be a split, then I think it sorta needs to be over 10 bucks for it to be worth the effort.

and Wildwest is pretty fun. sweet.
 
Wow, I'm hooked. I planned on buying a small handful of games just to mess with, and I've already bought like ten of them so far. Surprised by the quality of some of these; UniWar, Azkend and Drop7 in particular are pretty addicting. I think my DSi is going to be bored for a while...

On the topic of gaming, is a screen protector recommended? I noticed that this thing uses optical glass to cover the screen, but I'm still kind of nervous about it.
 
Wallach said:
Wow, I'm hooked. I planned on buying a small handful of games just to mess with, and I've already bought like ten of them so far. Surprised by the quality of some of these; UniWar, Azkend and Drop7 in particular are pretty addicting. I think my DSi is going to be bored for a while...

On the topic of gaming, is a screen protector recommended? I noticed that this thing uses optical glass to cover the screen, but I'm still kind of nervous about it.
Click to expand...

Yeah I was gonna respond to your earlier post but I was too lazy. There are dozens of good games for a newcomer if you have broad taste and an open mind.

ZenBound
iDracula
FieldRunner
Tap Tap Revenge 2 (free)
Rolando

If you go back every few pages you will genuinely find new and old games that people enjoy.

Just to pick 5 random ones. I use to use a screen protector in the early days but I personally got annoyed with them and removed it. I can see why somebody may want one thought.
 
I decided on three iPhone games I am going to get when I receive my new 3G iPhone. Recommend me one more GAF!

Rolando
The Oregon Trail
Tornado Mania
 
I'm still waiting for the day Real Racing appears on the Touch Arcade new app's list / App-store so I can buy it, said to be out in April so it could be soon!

I not brought any games for about 3 weeks, been playing what I own :D

Edit: I did buy that 3d worms tank game of a name I forget right now, need to install it later on and try it out.
 
Just wanted to say that I bought FLight Control yesterday and it's great. Very simple concept, that works great with the touchscreen and is just fun.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

The gaming nostalgia thread.
47
742
Alexios replied
The Official Art In Video Games Thread
|OT| Social Opinion 
30
1K
RainyNguyen replied
The Defiant - Official Gameplay Trailer
Trailer 
3
123
Disciple of MSSP replied
People will champion an old game, but can't even touch it without modding the hell out of it
2
86
404
SaintALia replied
The God Slayer - official gameplay reveal
21
553
Nankatsu replied
Top Bottom