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The Official iPhone/iPod Touch Gaming Thread

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Anyone have first-hand experience with Aurora Feint II? Seems interesting, I'm a big Puzzle Quest fan. How's the single-player in particular?

BTW I just noticed Zombieville USA got an update to v1.2 which actually improved the visuals pretty decently.
 
First off, the visuals are phenomenal. Great detailed environments - especially indoors, tiny little animated sequences between areas, pretty great looking pause/inventory/status screen too - very easy to navigate.

The default d-pad is pretty much useless, it's so small that it's practically impossible to use consistenly (which is a disappointment). Go ahead and turn that off so you can enjoy the visuals unobstructed.

So you're moving around Diablo style, point-and-move. This only presents a problem when you're moving north or south, as the game's landscape presentation means you can only move in small steps in either direction. It's obviously not a big deal moving east or west, but it's an issue that a better d-pad control would have helped prevent. EDIT: Quick fix for this - just doing some finger tapping instead of one single point pretty much eliminates this issue...so tap north or south repeatedly and you move smoothly there.

Anyway, it's really good so far - I've done the first few little intro quests. It's exactly what we were all expecting, gameplay wise. No real flaws that I've seen.
 
Toy Soldier said:
First off, the visuals are phenomenal. Great detailed environments - especially indoors, tiny little animated sequences between areas, pretty great looking pause/inventory/status screen too - very easy to navigate.

The default d-pad is pretty much useless, it's so small that it's practically impossible to use consistenly (which is a disappointment). Go ahead and turn that off so you can enjoy the visuals unobstructed.

So you're moving around Diablo style, point-and-move. This only presents a problem when you're moving north or south, as the game's landscape presentation means you can only move in small steps in either direction. It's obviously not a big deal moving east or west, but it's an issue that a better d-pad control would have helped prevent. EDIT: Quick fix for this - just doing some finger tapping instead of one single point pretty much eliminates this issue...so tap north or south repeatedly and you move smoothly there.

Anyway, it's really good so far - I've done the first few little intro quests. It's exactly what we were all expecting, gameplay wise. No real flaws that I've seen.
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Good impressions. People over at Toucharcade also say the dpad is useless. Hopefully update will fix that obviously.
 
Is there anyway to reinstall a purchased game after deletion?

My Zombieville stopped working after 1.2 update and I deleted it, wanting to install it again from the store, looks like a bad idea now...:lol
 
Shadow780 said:
Is there anyway to reinstall a purchased game after deletion?

My Zombieville stopped working after 1.2 update and I deleted it, wanting to install it again from the store, looks like a bad idea now...:lol
Click to expand...

Just resynch or redownload and resynch. or dl from your phone. it doesnt charge you again.
 
Shadow780 said:
Actually it does when I revisit the app page (the price tag showed up), which is why I'm asking...
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This happened to me one time. I turned my phone off then turned it back on and it was all good. You try that?
 
Man WTF. After the update Zombieville is much harder, even on normal. And even though I like the game its balance is all sorts of fucked up. There will be times when I've gone full levels without a single ammo drop. So frustrating.
 
Shadow780 said:
Yeah I tried restarting too, maybe I should try restart my iTunes as well?
Click to expand...

The only other idea is maybe your itunes account is not synced to your iphone. That's why it's not showing up as you already bought it. I'm just guessing though.
 
Vyer said:
Man WTF. After the update Zombieville is much harder, even on normal. And even though I like the game its balance is all sorts of fucked up. There will be times when I've gone full levels without a single ammo drop. So frustrating.
Click to expand...

Weird, it almost seemed easier to me. I'm pretty awful at the game on Normal but I got two or three levels farther than I ever had before the other night after installing v1.2.
 
Wallach said:
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...
The screen is tough, you don't need a protector (and you're using your finger, not a stylus)
PhlivoSong said:
Chronicles of Inotia has a trial version available now...

http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=311757533&mt=8

Looks like an interesting game
Click to expand...
It's meh. The controls aren't very good, and there's been no update in ages.

PS: thanks a lot you bunch of bastards, got me to buy tornado mania and underworld, as if i didn't have enough games already :(
 
Underworlds is fantastic, it really is the Diablo clone we've been waiting for. Biggest problems are the lack of music and character classes, but the developers have stated that they will be adding both of those in a future update.

But yeah, runs smooth, great graphics and has lootz
 
Damn you people, I just bought this thing stop making me buy games!

It's so easy to rationalize impulse purchases on this device it's scary.
 
Flib said:
Underworlds is fantastic, it really is the Diablo clone we've been waiting for. Biggest problems are the lack of music and character classes, but the developers have stated that they will be adding both of those in a future update.

But yeah, runs smooth, great graphics and has lootz
Click to expand...

Sounds good. But this is one of those apps where I'll probably wait a few months for it to pick up some updates before I buy.
 
Does Underworlds currently have the option where you can play your own music in the background? I'm probably also going to wait a little while longer to hear more impressions, but my desire for a good RPG of some sort on the platform is high.

Picked up Uniwar and am going to give Edge Lite a whirl. You people getting over 100 (or 300!) in Flight Control are ridiculous. I picked it up yesterday and apparently suck horribly.

I still think my favorite game I've tried would have to be GeoDefense. It's hard as shit (I've tried the stage "Gordy" probably over 40 times without winning) but I've yet to really feel frustrated with the game, which amazes me to no end. And the presentation is pretty slick (even if it's obviously borrowing heavily from the style of Geometry Wars).
 
Yeah I tried restarting too, maybe I should try restart my iTunes as well?
Click to expand...

When you go to rebuy, it will say something to the effect of "Do you want to purchase X app?" When you click OK, it will then show a screen that says "You have already purchased this item... click OK to re-download"

So you just have to hold your breath and hit that buy button. It won't charge you.
 
On a side note here is an interesting discussion on game sales and economics for the app store. The first post is from Veiled Games. The dev of "up there" a good little simple casual game. The second is from the iphone site Slide to Play. Well worth a read.


I know, I know… where the hell have I been. I’m not going to dance around it, with slippery salesman speak. That’s the first thing I have to address before I even think about writing another post. Well, busy, for one. We’ve been working on a… to put it lightly… huge app… and I’ve been working every hour of the day on it. At least for me, working for yourself means feeling guilty every minute your not doing your job. Without a boss to yell at me for being lazy, I do nothing but yell at myself now. But, more on that in a moment.

It’s been a while since we’ve taken a look at the bread and butter of this blog: Sales Charts. How about some of those puppies?

There’s Roulette. At this point, this chart is interesting just because of how long she’s been on sale, and how little she’s moved. Roulette has been lucky, and spared the lingering death that so many older apps have faced. She certainly never shined bright, but, still does OK.

Rou15.jpg


And then there’s Up There:

UpCart7.jpg


Really put’s a feature in perspective, doesn’t it? Things have slowed down, to put it lightly. Up There still sells OK on a day to day basis, enough to live on while we make the next game, but I think it’s safe to say at this point, that the feature did not have a lasting effect. It might have helped in the short run, but in the grand scheme, Up There just wasn’t a big seller kind of app, and even a feature couldn’t change that. We’ve made some serious bank of this little devil, no doubt about it, so I don’t want to knock that feature too hard. But, don’t count on a feature to turn your app into something it isn’t. Up There was a niche app, for people who want a nice little relaxing casual game, with pretty music and a balloon for a protagonist. Not the kind of thing to rock the app store world. A feature couldn’t change that, and Up There has since pretty solidly moved to where it would have been, if the feature had never happened.

That brings me to a big part of why I’ve been absent. As we were sitting, and thinking about what to do next, when Up There was finished, we decided we were lucky. And we were right. We got an app in at the last moment an app that size could reasonably be expected to make a splash. Up There did as well as it did, in part because it was still earlier in the app store. It’s our humble opinion that the days of the tiny apps are done. That’s not to say that there won’t be successful tiny apps. There will always be a market for distraction type games and apps. But when Up There came out, we felt confident that the quality of the app would make it rise above. And it did. But now… god there are so many apps a day, I loose track in a minute of browsing the store. My point is, that you might get lucky and make a small app that makes a big splash, but that’s playing the odds. If you want a better chance of making back your time you spend developing, I think you’re in a better spot if you make something really remarkable… an app that feels like a real game, not a distraction.

Koi Pond, Labyrinth, iBeer, all of that stuff… would be in a lot worse shape if they came out today, than a year ago. Sure, there’s still stuff like Pocket God, tiny things that get lucky… But Rolando, iDracula… you knew they were going to do well, it wasn’t a gamble. I’m going the safe route.

So that’s what I’ve been working on… We started work on this game in November. It’s April now. We hope to be testing it by June or July. This is a big game, friends. This is a huge game. There’s scripts, there’s tons and tons of 3d models… lord, there’s mountains and mountains of code. We’re trying to make an event. And man, is it exhausting.

Hopefully I’m not wrong. I’d hate to see that we were better off making more small type apps, then to invest a year or so into a full fledged, expansive game. But, no matter what, it’s always been a dream of mine to make something of this scope. To create a fleshed out story, and foster an atmosphere, and real attachment to the gameplay and characters. It’s exciting times for me… and exhausting… and busy. So, I’ll be here when I can… but forgive me if I’m too busy being excited about what we’re making to spend too much time here. I’ll be back occasionally, and all the time when I can finally take a break from the development work. Until then, you should be excited about what we have coming up!
Click to expand...

http://www.veiledgames.com/blog/?p=392


And then here was Slide to Play commenting on that blog post.

I ran into an interesting blog post over at indie iPhone dev Veiled Games' site discussing the commercial fate of the firm's classy microgame Up There. We liked Up There a good deal, and it seems like the Powers That Be did too, because Apple gave it a featured spot on the US App Store in late January. The app enjoyed its brief period in the sun--taking in excellent revenues at $1.99, and then shifting into overdrive at a sale price of 99 cents. Then it fell back down to Earth, as all balloons are likely to do sooner or later.
It can't last forever.

Evan of Veiled Games writes that even the tender ministrations of the App Store programmers weren't enough to push Up There onto the Top Paid Apps list for long. "Don’t count on a feature to turn your app into something it isn’t," quoth Evan. "Up There was a niche app, for people who want a nice little relaxing casual game, with pretty music and a balloon for a protagonist. Not the kind of thing to rock the App Store world. A feature couldn’t change that, and Up There has since pretty solidly moved to where it would have been if the feature had never happened."

After this experience, Veiled reached the conclusion that small games like Up There simply get lost in the daily fire hose of new apps. "It’s our humble opinion that the days of the tiny apps are done... you’re in a better spot if you make something really remarkable… an app that feels like a real game, not a distraction." Accordingly, Veiled is putting a lot more development juice into its next project, which sounds like it will have a much greater scope than Up There.

It seems like a logical response, but is it correct? Have commercial conditions on the App Store evolved to a point where it makes sense for a developer to move away from microgames, in favor of more ambitious concepts? It's certainly a worthy goal. I'm sure that we would all like to see iPhone games that have the complexity, depth, and production values to rival games on the portable consoles. I've advocated for it repeatedly since I started STP.

All of that said, if I were running a publisher instead of a website right now, I'd still be concentrating my resources on 99 cent-$1.99 microgames. As much as I hate to admit it, that's firmly where the center of the market is at the moment, and it's likely to remain there for some time, barring significant structural moves from Apple. For now, the main use case for the majority of people who buy iPhone and iTouch games is the one-to-five minute "gameplay snack." Most of these customers aren't "iPhone gamers"--they're idling away time. They want novelties and amusements, not gameplay, and they're drawn to provocative concepts and gimmicks.

I don't mean this in a pejorative sense; I am simply describing reality. In fact, I mostly prefer microgames myself these days. Working stiffs like me don't have the patience or energy to learn something that's designed to stress, rather than relax. Lots of others seem to agree, by the looks of the top paid games list. Flight Control, Flick Fishing, Doodle Jump: these are all high-quality microgames that have resonated with consumers. They cost essentially nothing, and they're highly replayable. Those many, many App Store customers that are reluctant to pay for anything can be coaxed into spending a buck.

And then, of course, there's the all-important profits side of the equation. Microgames are a low-risk, low-reward play. They cost only a fraction of a full game's development budget. Is any individual microgame likely to hit it big? Definitely not--you're playing the lottery, like Evan notes in his blog post. But if you put enough of these small games out and keep them on the App Store, updating them fairly regularly, a long tail effect should start to come into play. With enough games, that can add up to substantial revenue on the margins. Think about it like choosing a boring passive ability when upgrading your character in an RPG (classic example: percentage bonus to experience) instead of a flashy mega attack. A small but steady push is going to do a lot more good over the lifetime of the character.
Like it or hate it, you know the name.

Now examine the next tier of titles on the top paid games list: Bejeweled 2, Fast & Furious The Game, 2XL Supercross, Tetris, Galaga. The publishers of these games are living the dream--they get to charge more than 99 cents for their games, while still chilling out in the Top 20, where real volume gets done. Brands and marketing make the difference for most of these larger games. The publishers are still dealing with the volume problem, but the fact remains that they're playing on a different field than the no-name apps, no matter how good those might be. A familiar name is a boon. Plus, there is some evidence that a Veblen Effect is starting to kick in, at least for self-identified "console" games like Supercross. For certain buyers, higher prices combined with the right name will signal a different quality of experience.

I'm finding it difficult to wrap this article up, because as I read over what I just wrote, I realize that I'm recapitulating the same basic logic that has been ghettoizing the App Store. But that is how the business has evolved. Apple sets the terms, customers buy, and the results are self-evident. We want better, more expensive games, but not enough people are willing to pay for them to make them profitable. It sucks.

I see two basic ways forward. First, Apple delivers structural changes from on high--things that reset how people spend on iPhone games, like a Premium Games section and micropayments. Second, a middle ground bridging micro- and macrogames emerges from below--developers slowly improve the overall quality level of iPhone games while consumers come to accept paying more, little by little. I think we're going to need to see both at work for the business to continue to grow like it has. That iPhone OS 3.0 release can't come fast enough.
Click to expand...

http://www.slidetoplay.com/story/friday-slide-microgames-vs-macroprofits
 
Gemini Z said:
The only other idea is maybe your itunes account is not synced to your iphone. That's why it's not showing up as you already bought it. I'm just guessing though.
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Yeah got it to go with "Buy Now" and the it recognize my previous purchase, scary stuff.:lol

Thing is that all my games/apps doesn't work anymore, I have to re-download everything again, some fucked-up updates...
 
Was gonna grab Underworlds until I read it can be finished in 3 hours.

:/

Snagged Bookworm instead since I've been a longtime fan and it's excellent.
 
womp said:
Was gonna grab Underworlds until I read it can be finished in 3 hours.

:/

Snagged Bookworm instead since I've been a longtime fan and it's excellent.
Click to expand...

wat? Is this true? I read "Diablo clone", looked at the youtube video and pulled the trigger.
 
$5 for a really fun three hours doesn't seem too unfair, especially with the inevitable upgrades/content later on.

I haven't made it very far in yet, though...haven't touched it since last night.

Even knowing it's that short, I can tell that it'll be a fun ride while it lasts.
 
Yep. I read new classes as well. So it might be better to wait. I would have if I'd known there was only one. Oh well thats what I get looking at the App store after a deposit.
 
I had never tried any Tower Defence game before (i don't really like Strategy games, i suck at them!), but yesterday nite i downloaded GeoDefense Lite... WOW.
I'm speechless!

So fucking good, i think i'll buy it for sure (even if i can't beat the second normal level :lol ).
Is it hard guys?
I'm a n00b!
 
Metal Gear Solid Touch 2.0 just came out, per Appshopper.

The "Complete Version" is now available!
・8 "MISSION" Stages added
・20 "Wallpapers" added
・Language Support (French, German, Italian, and Spanish)

*"MISSION" completion records, "CODE NAME" acquisition records, earned DP, and "Wallpaper" exchange records from the Initial Release will be maintained.
Click to expand...
 
Diablohead said:
Give it an hour maybe, sometimes each region has delays to another.
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Well, it's already out over here. Some people (who bought the game already) have already posted impressions. :(

edit: Problem solved. :)
 
I killed a bunch of time on my friend's iphone playing that geometry wars-esque tower defence game. That game kicked my ass but I loved it. I couldn't get over how clear the font and graphics were on that device (new to iPhones, I know).
 
Proc said:
I killed a bunch of time on my friend's iphone playing that geometry wars-esque tower defence game. That game kicked my ass but I loved it. I couldn't get over how clear the font and graphics were on that device (new to iPhones, I know).
Click to expand...
That's GeoDefense... sooo amazing, i'm loving it too!
 
WordFu finally on sale - $.99
Have been waiting for so long.

Enigmo also on sale for $.99 it seems people are talking about it... i guess its good?

The Karmastar game they showed on the last CO-OP also on sale $1.99, is that a good game?
 
billy.sea said:
The Karmastar game they showed on the last CO-OP also on sale $1.99, is that a good game?
Click to expand...

If you like competitive card/board games where you have to scheme and work together to screw over other players, absolutely.

It could use online play, but for $1.99 it's definitely worth pulling the trigger.
 
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.
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I think this is just based on Winter Bells from Orisinal.com
http://www.ferryhalim.com/orisinal/g3/bells.htm
 
Mdk7 said:
I had never tried any Tower Defence game before (i don't really like Strategy games, i suck at them!), but yesterday nite i downloaded GeoDefense Lite... WOW.
I'm speechless!

So fucking good, i think i'll buy it for sure (even if i can't beat the second normal level :lol ).
Is it hard guys?
I'm a n00b!
Click to expand...

It is fucking hard as all shit. But worth every cent.
 
Zeliard said:
Drop7 and Azkend are unbelievably awesome.
Click to expand...

Definitely. I've been spending a lot of time with those two, as well as Fieldrunners (which is really fantastic).

Just picked up WordFu and Enigmo as they're on sale for $1 each. I am really loving this device as a platform so far; it doesn't have the depth of games you see on the DS/PSP, but in terms of value the AppStore is pretty fucking awesome. $30 can get you a ton of quality gaming time, especially with all the sales that go on.

Hopefully as it becomes more and more prominent the variety of software will continue to grow. 16-bit style RPGs seem like they would be a perfect fit.
 
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