The game is fine as is(except online leaderboards, which is a must), but I still agree with everything but the last part. Just keep it as missiles, maybe new maps, but still missiles.
So I got the game (it was a buck, it's not like I'm going broke trying it out) and I have to say I really like it. It's simple, there is very little to it, and almost no strategy (which normally turns me off because strategy is my middle name). But I have to say it's very amusing and well done for what it is, and that is a $0.99 game. It NEEDS online leaderboards because competition makes things so much more fun, but as is the game is ok. I would also like to see a few more maps. Which leads me to 8lb gorilla. I think if they get a lot of hype for a game, they'll update it, just like almost every other developer. The one game a month thing bothers me. It doesn't give a lot of time to put on depth. Sure, zombies & me doesn't really need depth, but other games might, and o don't want to see a bunch of games that are being released at only half thier potential. The deal with EA doesn't bother me to much. It seems (at least to me) that ea is basically leaving 8lb gorilla alone. They hardly even mentioned them, and they aren't advertizing the games like thier other ones. Is EA involved in anything other than sucking up profit? It seems like the only link to the big company might be rescources for development, which can only be good for the overall polish. These are just my theories though, I'm far from being an expert. I look forward to the future games from 8lb gorilla, and I guess I don't have long to wait...their first game has my thumbs up. I hope it still gets supported. I'll be looking at the developers as a small company of people fresh out of college with great imaginations, which is what they are, rather than the juggernaught developer that is ea.
Hey =) More than anything I think what I like is the look of the game. I'm curious with a game a month how big is the team? Programmers/Artist/Sound?
Just saw the video for it and I definitely am going to pick it up, looks like a lot of fun As for the new studio, this happens allllll the time across every industry. Films, music, book publishing, etc. Not surprising, so long as they put out good stuff
I'm starting to love this game more and more. I love the little things the granny says. "you call that moaning?" it's fun. And I was wrong, there is a little strategy to it. I love the look of the game as well. 5 stars from me. Just add leaderboards and maps now. Ha, the developer submitted a review to his own game with the same name as his touch arcade name...got ya! I don't blame you though, it's a good game and it needs good reviews. Alot of people are passing it up because it's under EA...
Thanks for all of the suggestions- hope the game gives you all as much delight as an endless delicious sammich! (On a sammich kick as of late). We're hovering around the 90's in Top Paid Games... don't know if we'll be able to update the app soon. Get your friends to throw down a buck to try it so I can add an online leaderboard and some cook tweaks (the team is going crazy with wanting to make updates).
You know, right now I, well I WAS #2, now # 4 on TA Zombies and Me leaderboard, and I turned from critical of the game to a big fan... BUT This is exactly what a few of us here were concerned about. They need more sales to update, and they're at #90 on the charts. That's bull. Don't play me like that, or I won't play your games. Period. edit news article: http://forums.toucharcade.com/showthread.php?p=357295&posted=1#post357295
Where do you think the money comes from to buy the server infrastructure to host online leadboards and pay developers to build them? Magic?
hahaha EA is where it comes from. Telling people to buy doesn't make people want to buy. EA wants a share of the $0.99 market. The way this game is being marketed is completely upside down and offensive to people who know how to market. Developers from 8lb didn't come on here like most developers introducing themselves, offering a few promo codes to test out the game (not that I saw), telling people about the game, finding out what kind of features users are looking for. Just because you have a big name backing you doesn't mean you're the best. As of right now 8lb gorilla is actually 8oz gorilla. Most of all pissing of customers who haven't bought the game wont' bring in more sales nor will customers who bought the game (spreading via word of mouth).
I don't know, so far the extremely vocal minority who usually post about hating everything seem to be the only ones who currently have issues with Zombies & Me.
Got to agree with Hodapp. great to see 8lbs ea joining the forum. let's see what they come up with, teh result will tell its own story. Personally I have my doubts, Titan mentionned some of it. Indie devs are motivate by success, the desire to make an original idea into reality, putting a lot of themselves into their game, the hope of making some money, becoming rich maybe (! ) and the risk of losing some/a lot of money and time, etc. Running your own business gives you a very different perspective from being an employee. Risking your own money and time is different from risking to loose your job if you don't deliver your targets and having to look for a job elsewhere. You need to be hungry for a potentially huge reward to create greatness. In this case, the potentially huge rewards have already been allocated to EA. Indie devs spend ages and ridiculous working hours polishing their app. They nearly always bust their deadlines by weeks, no, months! Having to deliver a game a month on the basis that you get the money you need to finance your work doesn't sound like the magic answer. How many original ideas/concepts can an indie dev/dev team come up with a year? Less than 12 I bet. Creativity doesn't benefit from big financing and corporate deadlines. That said, this whole concept is new, nobody knows how it will pan out, I'm more than happy to wait and see and judge what those hairy mammals can come up with on its own merit! Good luck! OK, now where's the lite version?
You just said that SAME THING in the Enviro Bear 2010 forum thread, about all the liars. Come on, get real. And as Arn and Albie could tell you from their responses to me in threads, I happen to really enjoy this game, but NOT the dev's, or your, notions. I really can't wrap my head around your comment about where an EA branch is gonna get funds. Here's a heads up: THEY ARE A PUBLICLY TRADED COMPANY. Their 10Q is gonna reflect how they spent their money, why they spent their money, and their ROI (return on investment). How are they gonna explain to their shareholders that a 2 man team has a cloud/server capability (most of which is outsourced thru third parties) and gaining in popularity and revenue, but 8lb is sittin on their laurels and insulting the publics' intelligence??
LMFAO oh thats rich! Why buy the cow when the milk is free? In case you didn't read it, they can't afford the man hours to produce a lite version, and for all intents and purposes, you really couldn't strip the game more to make it "lite".
Honestly, you are coming off as either very young, or very naive with no idea how developing software works. When you working on a project, especially when working for a big company, you have a budget you need to stay under, and an expected deadline you need to meet. While EA may have all the money in the world, they're not some charity that's giving it all away to the 99 cent iPhone game market. In order for development to be profitable at that price point, they need to have a very lean development team, and produce games on an accelerated schedule. The three people listed in the credits for Zombies & Me are probably making at least $60k a year, which is hilariously low for corporate iPhone development and completely incorrect if they're working anywhere near the west coast. That puts their monthly development expenses at $15k a month, not even including the costs of keeping the lights on, providing an office to work in, buying all the computers and software to work on, employee benefits, and everything else that is required for running a business and making a game. To break even, just for salary alone they need to sell just shy of 21,500 copies of the game. If they haven't yet made their sales goal, it's not like they're going to go back to the EA executives that started 8lb Gorilla with their hats in their hands asking, "Please sir, can we have some more? There's a chronic whiner on the Touch Arcade forum who demands updates!" ...Which is why they're telling us they need the game to sell before they can devote more resources to it.
Finally someone who understands. Time is money. Some people may want to add updates to the game, but their either lacking one or two of these two things; Time + Money.
You can't be serious... Time + Money is not the case on a $0.99 app. This is pennies for EA. The way you're talking about this, its as if 8lb Gorilla is it's own company and they are fending for themselves. They probably work at EA's office building where every game is made (Madden, NCAA, ect.). Also if they are 20 year olds devs then they are not making $60k a year. If anything they could be interns for all we know. I've read articles about EA mistreating their employees so something absurd could be going on for all we know. Blog post from a guy who got fired from EA and talked about the mistreatment. EA wants to try and steal some of the small market share and get themselves out there in the app store. If they want to make money its made from NCAA 2010 which was released this week and will once again sell millions of copies. Next month Madden 2010 will come out and sell millions of copies. EA is notorious for not caring about their customers. Prime example is Madden. Year after year they release the game most of the time with nothing new or noteworthy. But they still sell enough copies you'd think to merit big changes. Why do most people buy it? The name. Everyone knows Madden and everyone knows EA. The other reason everyone buys it is because there aren't any other football games to buy. Why is that? Because EA ran and bought the trademark to the NFL shutting out all other competition (2K sports). I bet buying all those names just to make Madden was a lot of money, yet it wasn't issue to do it. Money isn't the issue nor is time here. Running to make a game every month shows that it obviously doesn't take long to make the game and EA wants something out of this. I don't have any issues with Zombies and Me. I think it has an interesting concept and there hasn't been an idea like it yet. I just don't like representatives from 8lb Gorilla coming on TA telling people "buy our game!. If they come here they need to talk TA's users with respect. No one can deny if someone comes running at you, gets in your face, and tells you to buy a product, you will 100% not buy the product. The way they are trying to engage TA's users is a huge turn off. They're were so many other ways they could have addressed future updates and sales but not the way they did. Developers that come on here take their time to show us their app, talk to users about it, and listen to us.
So you think EA should be financing 8lb Gorilla operating at a loss continually pushing updates for a 3 day old game because they make tons of money on Madden? That's not really how business works. Again, the number of people who have issues with Zombies & Me is about on par with the vocal minority of complainers with any game release, so I'd say they're doing pretty good so far.
I don't expect them to do updates with the game 3 days old. If there is a 2:1 on people liking then complaining then that's fine. If people ask about updates then the representatives from 8lb can at least say they're will be in the near future. Not say buy our game and if it makes enough will consider it. Currently with the app store everyone expects updates. Devs need to do updates to show they are interested in selling the game and getting people interested. They just come off as wanting to make money and move one. That may not be how business works but EA can afford to do it. This wasn't a million dollar project. It was a few devs put together to make $0.99 games. If they wanted to see a real return they would be making big games at $9.99 or $4.99 games. EA's sports games probably do make up for their losses. Just like every game company EA has made games that don't profit and they can afford to do it. They then make other games that make up for revenue they didn't make on games that didn't succeed.
Okay, let's assume it takes 4 developers working 40 hour weeks about a month to finish the game. Let's say these developers are getting paid $15/hr. That's roughly $10,000, right off the bat. Now, let's add in licensing for sound and art assets, marketing, legal and other miscellaneous fees. I'll be a bit liberal with that and call it $5000. So now we're looking at a minimum development cost of $15,000 on a $0.99 game. That means they have to sell roughly 21,450 copies to break even. EA can't just say, "Gee, we made a boat load off Madden this year. Let's endlessly funnel that into shitty iPhone games." Do you have any idea how that would look to the stockholders? Maybe once you graduate the safe bubble of high school and get out into the real world you'll realize how things work. But until that time, I recommend you shut your gob and lurk more.
