Toytek, I would have posted an entry, but I'm so far behind the leaders that there didn't seem to be much point. I had looked at this when the initial iPad version came out and like the newer ad supported model much better as a trial. The previous time limit was a bit too restrictive. On trying it again, this time on the iPhone, I am really enjoying it. So in that aspect changing the lite version and having this contest is likely a success for you if it prompts others to have a first or second look at the game. The only thing keeping me from purchasing the iPad version is really the price. If the pricing stays the same, the full app with all letters will be somewhere around $45. It looks like the pocket version will be the same price, but the art is much easier to explore in the larger version. (And deserves the larger screen for those with an iPad). I'm hoping that you will have bundles for larger letter sets that will bring the price down even more. After playing through this level for awhile, if I could buy the entire alphabet for the iPad for $30, I would likely do so on the spot. As it is I will just wait and keep hoping to see the price come down a little more. Now, I do have a question after having played with this for a bit. Does it support multiple profiles in game so that if I hand my iPad to someone else they can try it without messing up my score? I see I can sign into OpenFeint as different users, but I'm not sure if that is kept track of as a different user in the game itself. One other question is how often do you expect to be releasing new letters? Is this going to be a wait of years for the complete alphabet? Or will they be coming out fairly quickly now that you have both the iPad and iPhone versions of the app itself released? By the way, I understand your argument about the time to complete a letter. I suspect that I, and possibly many other people will move on to later letters before completing one. I may revisit older letters later. It isn't so much an issue of how many hours of play this can provide, it is more a matter of feeling that this will be a larger investment than it feels worth to me, especially knowing that $7, already not a cheap iPad/iPhone game is really just the start for this one.
Each letter is a full game in its self, you can buy one, four or how ever many games you want, its up to you. The games are not incomplete without the other games in the series. So if you want to play other games without completing a different one you can, they are not dependant on each other and are stand alone games. Only A - D are available, we are planning to release the next bundle in a month or so time. If you take note of the write up on iTunes it does state that other letters will be unlockable so the estimated price for the 26 games in this series is not $45 because 6.99 x 6 = 41.94 with that aside it still wouldn't be $40 due to the unlockable letters... "More Bundles of games in the pipeline with FREE unlock able letters: 2 E,F,G & H 3 I,J,K,L & M 4 N,O,P & Q 5 R & S 6 T,U,V,W,X,Y & Z Over 7800+ cryptic clues to solve Over 7800+ words to find Over 7800+ jigsaw jumbles to solve" I hope that answers your questions.
Wow. It's 6 in the morn over here. I cant believe Im up. Okay. So I undersatand what you mean by each letter being a different game entirerly. And each letter DOES take 5-6 hours (a quality amount of time). HOWEVER, if it weren't for you, the developer, directly telling me that it should be viewed this way, I definitely wouldn't. The app is only ONE icon and when you purchase maps I wouldn't say you were purchasing new GAMES but more maps of the SAME game. May I suggest something so farfetched and radical that it just might work?!?! I say u make each bundle a separate app completely. This way, people will view each bundle as a separate app. People could still spend the same amount of money though. You see, people would spend smaller increments of money instead of one big chunk of change in an overwhelming in-app-purchase system. This way, you could completely abandon the IAP'es the Ultimate Alphabet A-D: $7 Separate app the Ultimate Alphabet E-H $8 Separate app and so on and so on This is kinda crazy I know but consider it. People usually don't like having more icons than necessary, but if you want ppl to view each map (or bundle even) as a separate game, this is the way to go. Plus, the amount of money isn't overwhelming.
Many options have been considered and this has been one of them and even just selling them individual too. But thanks for the thought. People like options and even the option to not have options! so there seems to be no right way to do it. maps? this isn't' a MMO that relies on everyone to be together in the same map for it to work with you and your buds ... This is a single player visual crossword! and some. $2.25 for 5-7 hours or $6.99 for 15-21 hours of crossword fun. Yes crosswords all look the same (not in our case) but essential they are the same game BUT the gamer is always getting a new rewarding challenge every time they decide to go out and buy another set of crosswords. So even though it seems like the same game its so not. (not comparable to an MMO) This is a new model for selling games to people a try-before-you-buy model with in app purchasing. People are bound to have something to say about the way we are dealing with it. Right lunch, busy, busy day!
bundle of 2 games are $3.99 not 1 (7-11 hours of unique content and gameplay) and the letter A is 99c (5-7 hours of unique content and gameplay) All games are stand alone and full on their own. something for everyone!
Winners Please can all potential winners send me their screen shots and the time and date of the posting. Cheers tua[at]toytek.co[dot]uk
Fair enough. The AppStore I'd s challenging market to produce and sell games. There is no right and wrong way to do it. One thing is for sure though, you've got a hell of a game that needs way more attention
Thank you. The marketing of an iGame is a whole different ball game! and I am working really hard to just to get people to look at it. ...............moan, whine, whinge................ but on a cheerier note .... have you seen our next game its really cute its a bilingual todlers jigsaw puzzle!!! yhea hu !! Check it out here G.
Lol. No problem. I sent you my pictures a few minutes ago. If you havent seen them yet, I'll tell you that I had to email the photos separately because I was on my iPad. I don't have access to my computer until Thursday but I'll be able to check this thread from my iPhone.
Usually I'd be upset I didn't win, but I got an excellent game out of it, and learned alot of new words along the way. Congrats to the winners. It was much deserved. This was definately one of the best/toughest contests.
Congrats to all the winners! And Toytek I do really feel for you it definitely is hard to get apps noticed in the appstore and with the pricing. I know you think the prices fit it perfectly and it actually does but most of us are all use to the insanely low prices on the appstore that its hard to buy a picture crossword game for $7 when you can buy a full high graphic and content game such as Hereo of Sparta for that same amount. You know its hard because your game is a different genre. I believe it is worth that much it is an amazing puzzle game but I just dont see people spending that much. I hope they do I really do. Wish you all the best it truly is a great game and I hope people start giving it a try. Thanks for the fun contest, I would never of known about this awesome game if it wasnt for this, so thanks again!
Thanks for explaining that. I was just calculating the price with 4 letters per bundle @ 6.99 each, having no idea how the letters would be bundled. I'm starting to get a better feel for how this will work. OK, so I see that there will be 6 more bundles, presumably at $6.99 each. However, somehow, some of these letters are "unlockable". Can you explain what unlockable means? I'm guessing that doing something with letters in earlier bundles earns the player a free letter? Or maybe doing something with an earlier letter in the same bundle earns a free letter later in the same bundle? What does one have to do in order to unlock a letter? If it requires completing a letter, then very few people will likely end up unlocking free letters. Those people that do will probably be very smugly satisfied - deservedly so. As for the time and amount of play for each letter, I can't argue that with you. I'm just telling you what I, as a potential customer see with this app. To me, no matter what you say, it is a single application with DLC. Each DLC bundle cost more than most other iPad games. (For a complete bundle - sub-bundles are a bit cheaper but obviously result in a higher overall cost.) To me, this is just an issue with the iPad/iPhone economy. If you released the whole alphabet as a PC game, it probably wouldn't be out of line at ~$40. Given the kind of game it is, though, it would be unusual to see it selling at that price. There just aren't other games floating around quite like this and it kind of seems to fall more into the casual game category. On the iPad/iPhone, I can't think of another game that ends up with such a large total cost of ownership when all DLC is purchased. In part, this is because customers don't generally know about all of the upcoming DLC. With the English alphabet, you can't just surprise us by releasing an unknown letter. So, this puts your app in the somewhat unique position of people like me calculating the total cost of a game early on instead of buying the game inexpensively and then occasionally seeing that there is new content. To me, you have a currently incomplete game with a lot of play time already there and lots more to come, albeit at a relatively high price compared to other games.
1. Prices have been reviewed and changed on the app store. 2. Using all game hints to help even a child could complete one of the letters. The jigsaw jumble is just for this and for me 3. There is no other game like this out there, it is content heavy and a fun way of expanding your vocabulary and general knowledge. Any one can play it and yes American spelling is accounted for as an alternate spelling in the rare cases where there is a difference. 4. Every letter is a complete game in its self. Letters A-Z will be over 100 hours of game play and yes this is a daunting prospect hence all the letters being individual games in their own right. Not everyone is going to have that kind of staying power, but some might. This is a mammoth game like no other. I love it its beauuuutiful, I played it when I was little with my dad.
