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[GeekyDad]

Blog post by Tiger Style Games (Waking Mars, Spider the Secret of Bryce Manor) disclosing and discussing their lifetime sales figures and life in the App Store for one indie developer.

Interesting read.

Tiger Style’s Lifetime Sales Numbers
http://blog.tigerstylegames.com/post/22262030273/tiger-styles-lifetime-sales-numbers

Yeah, it is definitely an interesting read. It's too bad they don't offer a comparison to the sales for the past couple of weeks when the game went on sale.

I just started playing Waking Mars today. Holy hell, that shit is polished. On a complete other level to Spider. Jetpack controls are taking me a while to get used to though.
Be interesting to see what their sales are like now that it hit $3. I know that was enough to push me over the edge (though really, it shouldn't have been. It's only $2 FFS).

Yup, and...yup. Story-wise, it gets much, much better, too.

My iOS GotY thus far, easily.

I was browsing the store on the phone earlier and saw this "Brandnew Boy" game and it... looks pretty good and seems fun? Looks like it's some sort of Korean beat 'em up RPG, I presume it's grindy but it's not really a problem for me. Any impressions? No virtual sticks so it doesn't have the cooties as per GAF. Only post I found was GeekyDad mentioning it went on sale and loading problems on the 3GS (did you get it to run?). I should probably wait for another price drop though, it was 0.99 a couple of days ago but it's back to 3.99 now.

EDIT: I just missed your post, I guess. Umm...nah, unfortunately, I never did have any luck with it, but the dev chimed in over on TA to assure folks they were working to find the problem. I do plan to re-download it, though, if it ever receives an update. I was pretty disappointed because it looked so dang cool.

 

[bubnbob]

I was browsing the store on the phone earlier and saw this "Brandnew Boy" game and it... looks pretty good and seems fun? Looks like it's some sort of Korean beat 'em up RPG, I presume it's grindy but it's not really a problem for me. Any impressions? No virtual sticks so it doesn't have the cooties as per GAF. Only post I found was GeekyDad mentioning it went on sale and loading problems on the 3GS (did you get it to run?). I should probably wait for another price drop though, it was 0.99 a couple of days ago but it's back to 3.99 now.

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sh8DddMTxEU

Bunch of pics because it looks good.

wtf? this looks cool. thanks for the heads up. will add to wishlist.

i recently finished Chaos Rings 2. great sequel, best RPG on iOS. now i am doing all the PUB quests to get the "special ending" - a good reason to grind away and keep playing, unlike Chaos Rings 1 / Omega.

 

[Sgt.Pepper]

If I delete a game, and install it again, do I keep the save file? I'm updating Edge, but the download got stuck (as in the icon is greyd out with the download bar) and I might have to delete it.

 

[toythatkills]

If I delete a game, and install it again, do I keep the save file? I'm updating Edge, but the download got stuck (as in the icon is greyd out with the download bar) and I might have to delete it.

You'll lose your save file. Try downloading the update in iTunes and then syncing your device to it to force the update that way.

 

[Dacvak]

If I delete a game, and install it again, do I keep the save file? I'm updating Edge, but the download got stuck (as in the icon is greyd out with the download bar) and I might have to delete it.

You can also have all your save files back up on the Cloud, but you can only retrieve them by restoring your phone.

 

[LukasTaves]

Since a few days FreeAppDaily is only giving me notification about a deal when it's already over... I just noticed i missed spell tower

Is this happening to anyone else?

 

[mattiewheels]

It's not over for me, but I downloaded the apps it told me to and opened them, but the website doesn't register at all.

 

[GeekyDad]

Since a few days FreeAppDaily is only giving me notification about a deal when it's already over... I just noticed i missed spell tower

Is this happening to anyone else?

I had it fine, but passed on it. Not my thing, really.

 

[glaringradio]

Brandnew Boy has a bizarrely awful control system that completely ruined the game for me. Glad I only paid 69p for it.

 

[Pastry]

So when Hero Academy came out there were some complaints about multiplayer only and the lack of AI. Here is a good forum post from the Tilt to Live devs and why their next game, Outwitters, probably won't have AI.

http://www.onemanleft.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=15

This already touches on one of the major problems for my AI - dealing with uncertainty. It would be easy to create a simple reflex based agent ("if you see this, then do that", skill level: lobotomized cockroach) but these kinds of agents are trivial to defeat. What we need is an agent that can deal with the fog of war. To do this, the agent would have to understand the basic rules of the game as well as all the special units abilities. There are mathematical models to handle uncertainty, but believe me when I tell you that they are a nightmare of their own to wrap your head around.

Similar to the situation above, the agent would discover new information during its own turn. By spawning a unit or moving a unit, the fog of war changes and new enemy units may become visible. Uncertainty then becomes certainty and the whole situation changes.

Now that is chess - Outwitters is a whole different story. When thinking about game simulation you can imagine a tree with the current state as the root/trunk and all possible states that you can reach from the given state as branches and so on. An important feature of this tree is the branching factor, that is to say how many states can come out of a given state. For chess, this branching factor is around 35. This is due to the rules of chess: during your turn you have to move exactly one piece. That is all that you do in chess.

In Outwitters, you not only move with units, but also do stuff with them or build new units. And worst of all (from the AIs point of view) you can do more than one move in a turn - or do nothing. Similarly, the opponent can do very many moves in a turn or very little. This will put Outwitters branching factor somewhere in the hundreds. What is so bad about this is that the broader the tree, the less moves ahead you can simulate in the same amount of time. The less moves the agent can look ahead the less sophisticated its long-term strategies will be and therefore the easier it is to beat it.

 

[The Elite]

I was browsing the store on the phone earlier and saw this "Brandnew Boy" game and it... looks pretty good and seems fun? Looks like it's some sort of Korean beat 'em up RPG, I presume it's grindy but it's not really a problem for me. Any impressions? No virtual sticks so it doesn't have the cooties as per GAF. Only post I found was GeekyDad mentioning it went on sale and loading problems on the 3GS (did you get it to run?). I should probably wait for another price drop though, it was 0.99 a couple of days ago but it's back to 3.99 now.

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sh8DddMTxEU

Bunch of pics because it looks good.

Why am I getting this odd Atlus/Persona 4 vibe.

 

[BenjaminBirdie]

So when Hero Academy came out there were some complaints about multiplayer only and the lack of AI. Here is a good forum post from the Tilt to Live devs and why their next game, Outwitters, probably won't have AI.

http://www.onemanleft.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=15

Totally agree. AI is impossible to implement not to mention wholly unnecessary for games like this, especially since they appear on a platform that is constantly "online".

 

[mattiewheels]

Looks like Instacast got revamped. It has smart playlists and bookmarks too, but you have to pay $2 to get em.

And you have to pay for push notifications? I already get those, what does that mean exactly?

 

[Vinterbird]

Looks like Instacast got revamped. It has smart playlists and bookmarks too, but you have to pay $2 to get em.

And you have to pay for push notifications? I already get those, what does that mean exactly?

Wrong thread, but as mentioned on their blog, if you already were a paying customer, you get this stuff for free. At least thats how I understood it.

 

[AstroLad]

I don't need AI. I mean I haven't played the Carcassonne AI in years even though it's easily some of the best out there. But if you don't have AI for a turn-based strategy/board game with any depth, you need a good tutorial and documentation.

 

[PittaGAF]

Gene Effect mission 13.

OH BOY!!!
OH BOY!!!
AWESOME!!!

According to dev post in TA forum, next week or so the game will be upgraded with device rotation, savestate game (YEAH!!!) and iPad support.

I can't praise this game enough...too bad it came out from nowhere and had zero advertising.
It deserves to be featured by Apple and the top Adventure chart position at least.
Some vistas are simply unbelivable...I love this kind of graphics so I may be biased but it's surely one of the best looking games.
Every time I see the little ship moving with all the perfect lighting and moving propulsor I'm in heaven...and I do not want to spoil things...but there is much much more.

 

[GJS]

Brandnew Boy has a bizarrely awful control system that completely ruined the game for me. Glad I only paid 69p for it.

I don't have a problem with it, it's just timing taps to get the best attack strength and swiping to dodge. The movement outside of combat is better than what I've experienced with a virtual joystick too.

 

[toythatkills]

Totally agree. AI is impossible to implement not to mention wholly unnecessary for games like this, especially since they appear on a platform that is constantly "online".

The issue I had with the lack of AI in Hero Academy was that it meant the only way to learn how to play the game was to play it "live." That wasn't fair on me, and it wasn't fair on the person I was playing against either who wouldn't get a proper game.

All it needed was a mode with training dummies in it to help with learning the game, and it was a massive absence. I got as far as viewing the near-impenetrable help screens in that game before I said "fuck it" and deleted it because it was like they didn't want a new person to learn the game.

 

[yogloo]

Blog post by Tiger Style Games (Waking Mars, Spider the Secret of Bryce Manor) disclosing and discussing their lifetime sales figures and life in the App Store for one indie developer.

Interesting read.

Tiger Style’s Lifetime Sales Numbers
http://blog.tigerstylegames.com/post/22262030273/tiger-styles-lifetime-sales-numbers

Awesome read. Thanks for the link.

 

[AstroLad]

It's crazy to think that an awesome high-polish game like Waking Mars has <$250k revenues. I know it's not exactly a mass-appeal title, but that's pretty sobering.

 

[GeekyDad]

Gene Effect mission 13.

OH BOY!!!
OH BOY!!!
AWESOME!!!

According to dev post in TA forum, next week or so the game will be upgraded with device rotation, savestate game (YEAH!!!) and iPad support.

I can't praise this game enough...too bad it came out from nowhere and had zero advertising.
It deserves to be featured by Apple and the top Adventure chart position at least.
Some vistas are simply unbelivable...I love this kind of graphics so I may be biased but it's surely one of the best looking games.
Every time I see the little ship moving with all the perfect lighting and moving propulsor I'm in heaven...and I do not want to spoil things...but there is much much more.

If the update comes with a price drop, I'll be all over it. At $3, I'm in.

 

[Sgt.Pepper]

You'll lose your save file. Try downloading the update in iTunes and then syncing your device to it to force the update that way.

You can also have all your save files back up on the Cloud, but you can only retrieve them by restoring your phone.

Ugh. Why do I have to restore for a save file? That should be automatic already. Like with Steam Cloud. =\

 

[RedAssedApe]

It's crazy to think that an awesome high-polish game like Waking Mars has <$250k revenues. I know it's not exactly a mass-appeal title, but that's pretty sobering.

Never even heard of the game before GAF TBH. I wonder how much it cost to make.

 

[GeekyDad]

It's crazy to think that an awesome high-polish game like Waking Mars has <$250k revenues. I know it's not exactly a mass-appeal title, but that's pretty sobering.

Sad, but not surprising. They seem to me to be a marathon studio. They can cultivate a substantial audience by continuing to do what they're truly inspired to do. It'll take time, though. To me, they're in one of the best positions when it comes to this platform. Very few folks knew who Blizzard were back in the day. They didn't change directions, and they seem to be doing okay. Not saying Tiger Style should expect that type of success, but there's something to be said for being true to yourself...well, there's a lot to be said for that, actually.

 

[AstroLad]

Yeah, I hate thinky puzzle games and I definitely appreciate what they do. Very distinctive style.

 

[toythatkills]

Ugh. Why do I have to restore for a save file? That should be automatic already. Like with Steam Cloud. =\

You won't have to restore, just download the update on iTunes on a PC and then connect your device, and the sync will update the app for you. No restore required.

 

[WoolyNinja]

Ugh. Why do I have to restore for a save file? That should be automatic already. Like with Steam Cloud. =\

Similar to Steam, it's up to the developers to implement cloud saving in their games. If they do, then it works the way you'd expect - you can delete the game, re-download it, and when you start the game again it'll grab the cloud save.

The problem is hardly any devs are using this feature right now.

 

[RuneFactoryFanboy]

I was browsing the store on the phone earlier and saw this "Brandnew Boy" game

Thanks for pointing this out, it looks like it's right up my alley.

 

[neojubei]

Galaxy on fire 2 HD plays really well over airplay, you don't need reaction time and it looks really pretty on a big screen, you could say that it could easily be an XBLA or PSN game no problem.

Guess its time to get an apple tv

 

[Sgt.Pepper]

Heh, 5.1.1. just came out. Excellent timing.

 

[protonion]

Victorian Mysteries: The Moonstone (Square-Enix) is free.

Pretty good.

 

[Treefingers]

Wrong thread, but as mentioned on their blog, if you already were a paying customer, you get this stuff for free. At least thats how I understood it.

Sorry for the off-topic continuation but previous owners do not get the Pro features for free. Specifically the blog mentions that previous owners get every other feature for free, meaning everything new but the Pro stuff. Also when you pay for Pro you get push notifications for new episodes, which you did not get previously.

 

[plc268]

The issue I had with the lack of AI in Hero Academy was that it meant the only way to learn how to play the game was to play it "live." That wasn't fair on me, and it wasn't fair on the person I was playing against either who wouldn't get a proper game.

All it needed was a mode with training dummies in it to help with learning the game, and it was a massive absence. I got as far as viewing the near-impenetrable help screens in that game before I said "fuck it" and deleted it because it was like they didn't want a new person to learn the game.

Sounds like me. I opened the game and looked at the tutorial screens, and all I could say was "wtf?" Realized that I could ONLY play online and instead I ignored it.

Ended up giving it a second chance, but I still don't think I'm playing the game correctly as I constantly get creamed.

 

[AstroLad]

Hero Academy documentation is way too vague. Some dudes do splash damage but it doesn't explain how and how much. Some dudes grant buffs but again they're not really explained. I could hunt around the nets but honestly I bailed on that game after getting my ass beat by way more experienced people 19 out of my first 20 games.

 

[Jedeye Sniv]

Sad, but not surprising. They seem to me to be a marathon studio. They can cultivate a substantial audience by continuing to do what they're truly inspired to do. It'll take time, though. To me, they're in one of the best positions when it comes to this platform. Very few folks knew who Blizzard were back in the day. They didn't change directions, and they seem to be doing okay. Not saying Tiger Style should expect that type of success, but there's something to be said for being true to yourself...well, there's a lot to be said for that, actually.

This is true, but it's also true that it's a lot more profitable to be true to yourself if that truth involves some kind of bird-based shenanigans. I love the more in depth games (I even play them to completion which seems to be rare on this platform) but I know that the average iOS gamer doesn't give two fucks about these sorts of games. Even my iOS friends irl don't play proper games on their devices. Just casual time fillers.

Really, as long as studios can make a living from these awesome games then I'm glad. But they really do deserve so much more for their efforts, and their successes.

Edit: I do realise that the term "proper games" is poor wording, but you know what I mean...

 

[RedSwirl]

Need more impressions on Brandnew Boy.

 

[Fantastical]

I'm interested in a game where I can build my own town, theme park, or something like that. The problem is a lot of these games have bullshit freemium models. I'm familiar with Kairosoft, but I'm not always a fan of their style. I would really like something like Roller Coaster Tycoon.

Any suggestions? I have an iPod Touch.

 

[EleventhDoctor]

Sounds like me. I opened the game and looked at the tutorial screens, and all I could say was "wtf?" Realized that I could ONLY play online and instead I ignored it.

Ended up giving it a second chance, but I still don't think I'm playing the game correctly as I constantly get creamed.

Is that so? Please play me-mikeydavis I could use some wins.

In all seriousness I can play you and give you some non-condescending tips about how you're playing and give you suggestions on strategy, etc.

 

[KennyLinder]

What are the best tower defence games on iPad? I've finished Plants VS Zombies and am looking for something else.

 

[Awesome Animals]

What are the best tower defence games on iPad? I've finished Plants VS Zombies and am looking for something else.

Kingdom Rush or The Creeps. Also Anomaly Warzone: Earth is supposed to be good.

 

[60_gig_PS3]

I thought I'd throw out there that Myst plays incredibly well on the iPad.

It's like the game was meant for a touch screen.

 

[StarCreator]

Guess I shouldn't be surprised that no one else mentioned it, but jukebeat added a new Konami music pack this morning, right on schedule.

&#9670;KONAMI music pack 14&#9670;

"Chance and Dice" by Japanese boy ( 5 / 6 / 8 )
"SigSig" by kors K ( 6 / 8 / 9 )
"Queen's Paradise" by Nanako ( 4 / 7 / 8 )
"Green Green Dance" by Mutsuhiko Izumi ( 4 / 8 / 9 )

Release Date: May 7, 2012

Purchase in app for $3.99.

 

[AstroLad]

What are the best tower defence games on iPad? I've finished Plants VS Zombies and am looking for something else.

Kingdom Rush is one of the best iPad games period.

 

[WoolyNinja]

What are the best tower defence games on iPad? I've finished Plants VS Zombies and am looking for something else.

I agree with the others - get Kingdom Rush. It's the first tower defense game I haven't gotten bored with. I'll play levels 20+ times until I get the 3 star rating. Soooooo good!

 

[LukasTaves]

What are the best tower defence games on iPad? I've finished Plants VS Zombies and am looking for something else.

Kingdom Rush or The Creeps. Also Anomaly Warzone: Earth is supposed to be good.

I'm playing lots of Spice Bandits too. Very well done game.

 

[EleventhDoctor]

I'm playing lots of Spice Bandits too. Very well done game.

Spice Bandits is very well done-but if you're like me, you'll get irritated by the achievments. It relies on the piece of shit "Crystal" system which basically takes your achievements and then "Syncs" them to gamecenter. The problem is that half of the achievements never actually register-and a lot of them are mutli-player based. The multi-player in this is pretty much poorly made-so winning is basically a crapshoot-AND basically hardly anyone plays mutliplayer.

That being said-the majority of the game is a lot of fun. And it's free!

 

[52club]

Kingdom Rush is the best iOS TD game I've played. Second best portable only to PJM on the PSP.

 

[nicoga3000]

Guess I shouldn't be surprised that no one else mentioned it, but jukebeat added a new Konami music pack this morning, right on schedule.

SigSig is awesome. I don't know if I know the others, ha.

 

[EleventhDoctor]

Kingdom Rush is the best iOS TD game I've played. Second best portable only to PJM on the PSP.

Speaking of which-I'd love to see Pixeljunk Monsters on iPhone. Does Sony own them?

 

[glaringradio]

Defender Chronicles HD is absolutely the best TD game for the iPad (normal non-HD version for the iPhone obv). It's challenging, varied, looks great, has a Diablo-style equipment feature, levelling up of your main heroes, hundreds upon hundreds of hours of gameplay which is all pure TD presented in a 2D vertically scrolling manner. Beats the utter shit out of every other game mentioned (I'm sorry, but it really does).

Oh and the sequel should be out soon, so buy it too.