iPhone developer The Voxel Agents has recently released Train Conductor [App Store], a pick-up chaos management game that should get the attention of Flight Control and Harbor Master fans.
Train Conductor, like the other aforementioned titles, involves safely getting a series of vehicles to their designated destination. In this game, the vehicles in question are trains and, as such, it's not a matter of drawing an arbitrary path to said destination, but routing the trains from track to proper track.
Each screen is filled with up to five, numbered, parallel train tracks. After a brief warning signal, numbered trains enter the screen along these track -- in both directions -- and the task at hand is to draw connecting tracks to get each train to its designated track. A tap on any train stops it on its track, and a fast-forward control allows for moving the game along when all on-screen trains are sorted. It sounds like a more simple take on the formula than that of the better known time management games in the App Store -- and in a way, it is -- but as the developer's video illustrates, things can get hectic pretty fast.
In all, there are eight progressively harder levels across four Australian locales. Certain levels feature a few twists, such as especially long and fast Gold Rush Trains, Demon Trains, and even Ghost Trains in the Graveyard Shift mode where spectral trains don't collide and action ramps up fast. Plus+ network integration tracks global awards and leaderboards.
iPhone gamers on the go will find Train Conductor to be a game particularly well-suited to quick, pick-up play sessions. It's right into the action and in moments you're in the heat of the connecting track shuffle. In assessing the game for this writeup, I found it hard to put down and expect to spend some real just-for-fun time with Train Conductor over the next few months.
While we don't often post about hidden object or time management games, both genres have been quite popular on the App Store, perhaps because they perfectly target the highly coveted casual gamer demographic. There are hidden object games that will have you searching for things in every locale imaginable, and time management games that will leave the fate of hair salons, sandwich shops, and even factory farms in your hands.
Alawar's Gourmania [App Store] bridges both the time management and hidden object genres with a culinary themed Frankenstein monster scientifically engineered to be the ideal casual game.
In Gourmania you play as a small-time chef with aspirations for greatness as you make your way through 8 different restaurants that make up the 60 levels in the game. Like most time management games, the goal is to keep your customers happy while turning a profit.
The gameplay twist in Gourmania is that the different items required to meet the time management goals aren't clearly laid out. Instead, you must search for them. This is easier said than done as the kitchens you work with in Gourmania consist of food haphazardly strewn about all over shelves, counters, and even on the floor.
While you're working in the kitchen, orders will come in along the top of the screen that list certain ingredients that must be located. Once you've found all the ingredients of the order, you tap the order card at the top of the screen to prepare the food and collect your money. If you can't find an item you're looking for, the standard pinching and swiping gestures work to zoom in as well as pan around. If you're really stuck, there's a hint button that will lead you in the right direction.
The money you earn can be used to upgrade appliances which will increase your cooking performance. There are also various bonuses in game such as having all three orders cooking at once, or completing order combos. Once you've made it out of the early levels of the game, you experience the same time crunches found in other time management games. This is fun, but can be a little frustrating at first especially as you initially try to find objects that aren't as obvious as red tomato or bright green lettuce. Thankfully, the hint system helps out a ton and it doesn't take long to learn what the more ambiguous items look like.
The orders in Gourmania appear to be completely random, and sometime result in some pretty ridiculous combinations such as hot dogs with mayo or pizzas with lettuce. Despite the odd tastes of the diners in Gourmania, I've had a great time playing the game. Alawar seems to have succeeded in bringing out the strengths of both the time management and hidden object genres, and there's even a lite version available to try.
If you're an iPhone developer and you've been struggling to figure out a way to get your game back on to the top 100, just get a celebrity to mention how they can't stop playing your game on a talk show. Megan Fox appeared last night on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon and explained how addicted she is to the time management game Sally's Spa [$2.99 / Free].
The iPhone chat begins at around 3:20 remaining in the video:
Since Megan Fox's plug on this nationally broadcasted talk show just last night, Sally's Spa is back on the top 100. (Position #92 and climbing as of this writing.) This isn't the first time we've seen celebrities mention iPhone games, between Demi Moore tweeting about battling Ashton Kutcher in Flight Control [99¢] or American Idol winner Jordin Sparks tweeting high scores from Harbor Master [99¢ / Free] among others.
This just goes to show how shockingly mainstream both iPhones and iPhone gaming is becoming, something I'm not sure many people expected when the iPhone and the App Store launched.
At GDC Austin, we also met with Appy Entertainment, creator of Face Fighter [99¢ / Free], a fun fighting game where you create your opponent based on any photo on your phone. In the game you can beat up co-workers, loved ones, pets, or anything else. Face Fighter has been out for a while, but if you've never heard of it, there's a free version a try. [App Store]
While Face Fighter might be a difficult act to follow, Appy Entertainment may be on to something with their latest game, Zombie Pizza, a strange cross between matching and time management games. In the center of the play area there is a pizza with four quadrants that can be filled with the various toppings coming down a conveyor belt. Since you're making pizzas for zombies, these ingredients are things like brains and hearts, each with a different score value associated with them.
These toppings must be arranged on the pizzas in matching pairs, and an in-game cookbook guides you through the acceptable pizza types. As you go through the unlockable levels, you will have access to more pizzas, and you will eventually find yourself managing multiple different pizzas at once to feed a gang of zombies that grow even more restless with each new level.
Here is the trailer for the game provided by Appy Entertainment today at GDC:
Zombie Pizza has a great art style to it, and the cartoonish zombies combined with the ridiculous premise of needing to feed them pizzas was actually a lot of fun.
Zombie Pizza is due to be released on the App Store very soon.
Success Story is a very nice time management game which challenges you to run various fast food joints.
The objective here is simple: fill customers’ orders as quickly and accurately as possible. The happier the customers, the higher your profit margin will be, and most importantly, the faster you get to move on to the next fast food restaurant. Of course, it’s not as simple as grabbing this and grabbing that. To fill an order, you actually have to assemble things using the right ingredients and in the correct sequence using a variety of different ingredients.
Success Story offers a good deal of content with 10 different restaurants for a total of 46 levels including a final supermax franchise level to be the ultimate fast food guru. Customers appear with their orders and wait patiently at least for a short while for their orders. Controls are straightforward: tap on the desired ingredient or food product. And if you choose the wrong ingredient, tap again to remove.
Ingredients appear on a layout of 11 tables which constantly appear and disappear throughout so you’ll need to act fast. As I mentioned, accuracy is important. For example, to assemble a cheeseburger, the ingredients must be placed in the following sequence on the bun: patty, onions and then cheese. If any of that is in the wrong sequence, not only will your picky customer storm off, but your customer satisfaction will also take a hit if it happens too often. In order to proceed to the next level, you’ll need to meet certain profit targets and a running tally keeps track of progress.
As levels are completed, profits are tabulated which can then be used in the upgrade store. The game also has an achievement system based on points earned (not profit) called the Grill Hall of Fame where you can be crowned anything from Chief Cook and Burger Professor all the way up to Burger Hero and ultimately Burger God.
Visually, it can be tough to make out what’s actually in an order. For example, some customers request extra lettuce or cheese, and sometimes, that’s not readily apparent from looking at the order. In addition, the game throws a wrench into things by including indecisive customers—customers who change their mind while you’re preparing their order. For some, the gameplay may feel repetitive because you are constantly assembling things. But on the other hand, the diversity of items and the fast-paced flow of the game are both challenging and entertaining.
Success Story is a terrific game with high production values and a ton of content. The gameplay should appeal to those interested in time management games as well as those looking for a faster change of pace.
Two time management games have recently appeared in the App Store that have been receiving very positive reviews in our forums. These include Farm Frenzy [$4.99 / Lite ] and Ranch Rush [$1.99]. Each game seems to cater to a slightly different audience and each game seems to have its fans.
Forum user Big Albie reviewed both games (Farm Frenzy and Ranch Rush) and found both games to be solid time management games. He explains the differences between the titles:
...there are nuances to both, and you have to select the one that makes sense. Ranch Rush is more of a campaign with a long-term building focus where you have to succeed through each day to get to the next, and once they are met, the money and everything else carries over. Farm Frenzy on the hand is really more mission based so even if you don’t complete the game within the medal times, you can continue to earn money to buy things in the next round making it less time sensitive and stressful. In addition, you can keep making things for as long as you want and make money off of that until you meet the objectives regardless of time. In Ranch Rush, once you’ve met an objective in a day, anything extra beyond that doesn’t count for much.
Both are solid games, but the only way to judge this is based on each individual’s preferences. If you are looking for more causal gaming without having to worry too much about time constraints, then Farm Frenzy makes sense. If you like the competitiveness and more long-term building, then Ranch Rush would be the better choice.
Ranch Rush
This video is from the PC version, but a trial of the game can be played in your browser. The iPhone versions of the game costs $1.99 and offers 80 levels.
Firemint's Flight Control is one of the early games to support the 3.0 firmware's Bluetooth peer to peer gameplay. Prior to 3.0, players would have to be connected to the same Wi-Fi network in order to play any local networking games. With 3.0, all you need are two iPhones (or iPod Touches) with Bluetooth.
When you set up a Peer to Peer game, you are sharing flight control duties with your friend. In this level example, one person lands all the red planes, while the other lands the yellow planes and helicopters.
Click for larger image
Seems simple but all types of planes still appear in on each screen and you need to divert them to the other player's screen still while avoiding collisions. You both share a common cumulative score for the session. A very exciting new use for the Peer to Peer gaming option in 3.0.
Meanwhile, it seems that Firemint is branching out into merchandising with a new shop set up to sell Flight Control branded mugs and steins.
To turn on Bluetooth, you have to go to Settings -> General -> Bluetooth and turn it on. Only the iPhone 3G, 3G S and the 2nd Generation iPod Touch can use Peer to Peer Bluetooth.
From iPhone accessory maker Zagg, this is a casual chaos-management game with a similar feel to Firemint's Flight Control. There have been a number of similar themed games using cars, boats and, of course, trains:
This one offers a bit different gameplay as your sole method of control is tapping on the intersections to change the track directions. Unlike Flight Control, there's no way to redirect a train at the last second, so you need to plan ahead the tracks to avoid collisions. Your goal is to deliver colored cargo to their proper stations. Trains unload automatically as they pass their respective stations and must be led off the screen as well.
While I think I still prefer Flight Control, this one had me coming back more often than the many other similarly themed games.
This tap-to-target game clearly takes inspiration from the Police Trainer arcade game, but that's not a bad thing. I've wasted a lot of time and money on that arcade game, and found this to be a familiar experience.
The game is simple to play but hard to perfect. It offers you 5 different types of skills to test: Accuracy, Reaction, Color & Shape, Judgement and Speed. Check out the video to see how it plays. I tend to find it hard to recommend any tap shooters, but this one carries some familiarity that some may enjoy.
Imangi Studios has released their latest game into the App Store: Harbor Master [App Store]. This $0.99 chaos management game can really only be classified as an unabashed Flight Control clone.
Like Flight Control the game involves the use of the swipe gesture to safely guide your boats (planes) into their docks (landing strips). Imangi's version does do justice to the gameplay mechanic and adds a number of nice twists to make it interesting.
Besides successfully docking your boats, you must also wait until they unload their cargo and then safely guide them out -- all while avoiding hitting other boats. The situation can get relatively manic quickly requiring you to move some ships into holding patterns while waiting for a dock to free up. Larger boats move slower and also have more cargo to unload. In one of the three included maps, a cyclone can even send your ships off track which adds another dimension to the game. Online leaderboards allow you to see how well you've done on each of the three available maps.
The video shows the gameplay. From 13s to 30s it shows a sped up "time-lapse" version of the game while the later video shows actual gameplay speed:.
The game is very well put together and feels "right". I suspect there are those that will prefer Harbor Master to Flight Control and vice-versa, but for only $0.99 it's certainly not a gamble if you already love the genre. It already seems to be a hit amongst our forum early adopters.
Glu mobile has recently released a Lite version of their time-management game Build-a-Lot. Build-a-Lot Lite [App Store] offers an abbreviated version of the full game with the following features:
6 levels in 2 unique neighborhoods
Construct, buy, sell and upgrade different types of buildings and homes
Earn rent to purchase blueprints
Enhanced graphics augment the beautifully rendered animated backgrounds and sleek user interface
We quite enjoyed the full version of the game when we reviewed it:
I never would have expected a simple game based around renting and flipping houses could be as hectic as a good tower defense game, and although Build-a-Lot has questionable replay value once you beat the 35 included levels, it’s great fun the first time through. If you’re looking for a unique time management simulation game, we recommend giving Build-a-Lot a try.
Chance to Win Full Version
Glu is offering 10 TouchArcade readers a chance to win the full version [App Store] which is currently on sale for $1.99. Here's how to enter the giveaway (U.S. Residents only):
1) Download and Play the Lite version of Build-a-Lot
2) Send an email to buildalot-iphone@glu.com with the answer to this question: "Name one goal from level 4"
3) Send the email by Friday May 1st at 11:59pm Pacific Time.
4) Winners selected at random from pool of correct answers and will be announced in this article.
Don't look at the all time Flight Control leaderboards if you want to keep thinking you're an great Flight Control player. The highest recorded score is 3155 planes landed in a single session.
Yes, Flight Control's 1.1 version update went live yesterday and now offers CloudCell integrated online leaderboards. Flight Control is, of course, Firemint's massively popular flight time-management game that remains one of our favorite iPhone games.
Aside from the global scores, the update also provide a save/resume feature and some minor bug fixes. Firemint will follow with additional updates that add new airports and aircraft to the mix.
Meanwhile, the team at Firemint has publicly released sales numbers for Flight Control after it's first month and a half on sale. Firemint had committed to releasing numbers well before they knew what a huge success the game would be.
A summary of results is provided here:
Sales during the report period: 587,485
Sales to date (6 March to 27 April): over 700,000
Graph of global sales per day
Total sales per country (57% of sales in USA)
Peak sales days (over 35,000 sold on best day) and sales trends over time
Highest daily sales per country (19,164 in the USA)
And a detailed PDF can be downloaded from their blog entry.
Firemint has today announced details of coming updates to its charming little airspace management game, Flight Control [App Store, $0.99].
The first update, which should appear in the App Store by April 24, will bring:
Online highscores – by far the most requested feature, Flight Control will receive online leaderboards with a simple but clever design, to cater for many of the different ways people are playing. Firemint will use its cloudcell.com technology to go beyond a simple list of names and high scores and offer location based leaderboards and a skill based ranking system. Cloudcell.com has already been used in I-Play’s Fast & Furious game and will also be used in Firemint’s upcoming title Firemint Real Racing.
Save game – if the app exits mid-game (for example, closing with the Home button or receiving a phone call) the player will be able to pick up exactly where they left off.
Firemint will follow with additional updates that add new airports and aircraft to the mix.
We took a look at Flight Control shortly after it's release and found it to be an incredibly fun game offering easy, pick-up gameplay that's hard to put down. It remains one of our all time favorite iPhone games.
Flight Control is currently the #1 paid app in the iTunes App Store and Firemint CEO Robert Murray indicates the company has no intention of letting the game fade.
As long as people keep buying the game and loving it, we will keep supporting it. We’re putting in place a framework that will allow us to add new content more quickly in the future.
Last week Glu released Build-a-Lot [App Store], a port of a PC casual strategy game that takes place in the high stakes world of real estate development. The iPhone version comes packed with improved graphics and animations, as well as an interface optimized for touch input. The game features 35 challenges in Career Mode and 8 different neighborhoods to build up in Casual Mode, which should keep most people busy for quite a while.
The meat of Build-a-Lot is in Career Mode and the challenges that the local mayor issues to you at the start of each level. The first few objectives seamlessly serve as a tutorial for how to play the game where you learn about buying and selling property as well as building and upgrading houses. Moving on, the game introduces the player to the various special buildings like banks and workshops. These different buildings offer small sets of perks -- banks allow you to earn interest on your money while the workshop allows you to train workers at a reduced price. These different building tools all go together to meet timed objectives such as “Reach $25,000 Monthly Income”, “Own 4 Tudor Houses”, etc. Casual Mode takes the same game play mechanics and removes objectives and timers in favor of a simple target dollar amount to accumulate.
The strategy of Build-a-lot comes in how you manage your time and resources while meeting the goals in either Career or Casual Mode. Houses and buildings are constructed with workers and materials with each structure requiring a different amount of each. The Rambler, for instance, is the least expensive house to build and requires the time of 1 worker and 75 building materials. When completed, a Rambler will earn you $750 a month in rent and be worth $50,000 when resold. To maximize your monthly profits, houses need to be upgraded.
Another vital part of the game is buying houses and lots which periodically go up for sale to then decide to either upgrade the existing house or demolish it and build a higher-level structure. Properties only stay on the market for a brief period of time, so if you’re trying to earn a gold star for a level you may be forced in to buying and demolishing an expensive house instead of waiting for a Rambler or open lot to go on the market. Also, building materials are cheaper when bought in bulk which adds yet another complexity to the mix in deciding to hold out to get more for your money or just building now to start collecting rent.
In Career Mode, balancing your work force and materials stockpile, along with deciding whether to build cheaper houses early to get a revenue stream started or to just hold out for houses which yield higher rent income can get surprisingly frantic for such a simple game. Each level comes with a time limit and a secondary time goal which you can meet to earn a gold star, a task easier said than done once you get beyond the tutorial levels.
Overall, I’ve really enjoyed this game. When I was first read about it, I admit I wasn’t that interested since managing only two types of resources seemed rather simple compared to many other simulation games. (And really, Career Mode is pretty easy if you’re not going for gold stars.) Trying to meet the secondary time goals, however, will have you replaying levels, refining your strategy, crossing your fingers that something cheap goes up for sale, and hoping you can get your houses in need of repair fixed before rent gets collected.
I never would have expected a simple game based around renting and flipping houses could be as hectic as a good tower defense game, and although Build-a-Lot has questionable replay value once you beat the 35 included levels, it’s great fun the first time through. If you’re looking for a unique time management simulation game, we recommend giving Build-a-Lot a try.
There’s no lite version currently, however there are demos available for both the PC and Mac versions of the game that will give you an idea of what you’re getting yourself into.
This gameplay video shows some of the mechanics of the game, and this discussion thread shows a positive reaction to the game by our forum members.
Build-a-Lot exceeded our expectations. What appears to be a simple time management game actually is a fairly intense strategy game based around buying, developing, and selling houses.
Eric Haines of Starscene Software recently announced his upcoming iPhone maze game Realmaze 3D in our discussion forums.
Not just another 2D maze game dressed up in 3D graphics, this is an actual 3D maze (or, rather, a nearly unlimited number of them) where you have to climb up and down ladders too. Wow your friends with the unprecedented on the iPhone (as far as I know) dynamically created 3D lighting effects.
Realmaze 3D features either accelerometer control, touch control, or a combination of both. The game comes with five different map sizes ranging from "Tiny" to "Insane" to match challenge with player skill. An optional on-screen compass can be used to help get your bearings, and there's even a "trail of breadcrumbs" mode if you really get lost.
The main objective of the game is to finish each maze size in the shortest amount of time in order to rank highest in the time list.
Realmaze 3D has been submitted to the App Store and should appear sometime in the next week or two at a price of $0.99. Eric indicates that he has a few ideas for future updates, such as some form of online competition, so there's more to come following the initial release.
As mentioned earlier, the game is being discussed in our forums and readers seem rather excited about this one.
Last week, gaming developer Firemint released their newest iPhone game into the App Store called Flight Control [App Store]. Yes, the same Firemint that has been hard at work on the impressive Real Racing iPhone game due later this year. For their first self-published release, however, they focused on a simpler time management game which involves routing incoming airplanes to their proper landing strips.
While the game seems incredibly simple on the surface, the company has managed to hit upon the winning balance of easy pick-up gameplay, ramping difficulty and tickling the need to try "just one more time".
Flight Control presents you with a single map with two runways and one helipad. Airplanes and helicopters fly onto the screen and your job is to simply direct each plane to their respective landing pads (designated by color) while avoiding mid-air collisions.
Airspeeds vary by aircraft type. The large red airplanes travel the fastest which can cause some timing issues when coordinating landings with the small red airplanes.
The intuitive controls of the game, however, are what tie everything together into an addictive package. By simply swiping a path from the plane, you can quickly redirect a plane. You may choose a longer or shorter path depending on the desired timing, and planes can be redirected at a moments notice.
The developer provided gameplay video shows how it works:
While we're big fans of the game, we should be clear that this is a rather simple package with a single map, 4 types of aircraft and a single goal. Still, as always, gameplay is king and we feel it's easily worth its $0.99 introductory price.
Those looking for a more in-depth Air Traffic Control experience could consider the other two options in the App Store: iATC [$1.99] and ATC 4.0 [$2.99] -- as they try to offer more depth but with arguably less of a "fun" experience.
