About the unlocks: I'm happy that the unlock rate is so well received! I do play the game incessantly while making it, just to get the feel right, and try and not frustrate myself (and in turn, not frustrate you lovely lot, hopefully!) So the unlock rate was constantly tweaked from averages gained through testing. It's not perfect, but I'm glad you guys are finding it satisfying at least! And your comments RE: the skip button just goes to show the value of testing! It's great to get other people's opinions! While I've always said I make the games for myself (as in I make games I *want* to make) it's always useful to get outside ideas. I mean, it'd be fine if only *I* ever played them. But you do have to try and consider *every* kind of player that might try it. It's also why I'm glad things like 'it's possible to unlock stuff without having to get to higher levels' are noticed. I hope my games are as inclusive as possible! I like 'Defender stuck on one screen' - thanks And I'd LOVE to make a Game & Watch game - I used to love those as a kid! hmmm... it's not quite the same, but isn't Apple releasing some new watch thingy at some point? Hello! Welcome! Pull up a chair. Tea's boiling, and help yourself to biscuits Now here's a question for those of you who've unlocked a bunch of stuff: Have you unlocked 'Brian' yet? And what do you think of him? WITHOUT spoilers please! QS =D
I've had Brian unlocked for the past few days but hadn't taken him for a test drive until reading this prompt. My immediate, spoiler-free impression of him is HOLY FREAKIN' CRAP!
Nominations are open for Game Of The Week. You can go nominate your favourite five games (obviously SOS) here http://forums.toucharcade.com/showthread.php?t=243677 Edit, sorry I forgot the link tags, I'll edit once I figure it out.
I really like him! Just a bit of fun later on in the game, eh?? He's actually referenced as a character in a very short text adventure game I wrote, FIVE YEARS AGO. Continuity, eh? Gotta love it Oh wow - see, this is a part of the TA world I don't get to see. Thank you for mentioning it, that's lovely! *sheepyhugs* Thank you! That kind of comment is short but very sweet! Thanks I'm off out to get unbearably wonderful no doubt at the Eurogamer After Party event at Namco in Westminster tonight! Free arcade machines! \o/ Anxious as hell, but should be fun! I'll be around here till I pop off though, so any questions let me know! So, here's a bit of a heads up for those starting on the high scores. You may have noticed under the 'score' on the screen there's a 'score multiplier'. This is directly tied into the air supply of each sheep. So if you pick up a sheep and its air is full, your multiplier will be 10. If it's at half, your multiplier will be 5. etc etc Something to consider when going for big scores - get to the sheep fast! QS =D
Ok. After a bit of playing, a little feedback. - the gameplay is wonderful - the way the menu pops up after each wave really takes you away from the action. I feel it would be much better without this much of a stop in action every minute. - the game over screens and the wave completed screens look too much alike, IMO. - the soundtrack is just perfect 4.5/5
I like the pause between waves. I like the opportunity to take a moment before moving on or taking a break.
Thank you so much for the compliments on the gameplay and soundtrack - that's really lovely! I understand what you mean about the Game Over/Wave completed screens. They're pretty much identical - the real difference is in what buttons are shown! There's a technical reason for this - adding another graphic, for example, to better differentiate between the two (and note, I agree it would be nice if they *were* differentiated!) would add more to the memory. I know it looks like a very simple game, but even graphically, every image takes up a certain amount of memory. Bear in mind the amount of characters, planets and aliens etc etc Currently you can play the game on an original iPad - to do that I had to try and optimise the hell out of the game. I'm not saying it's perfect, but using one rather large graphic instead of two different ones doesn't actually affect the game too much I hope, but *does* help keep it running a little easier! Please note I'm not dismissing your feedback - just trying to explain the reasoning behind the decision! And here is the developer's dilemma - you can't please all the people all the time! :O Also, while I'm here, ty to all those posting in the game of the week thread - that my little game can inspire such kind gestures is just all sorts of awesome! Thank you! More to say tomorrow no doubt! - I had a fab night out (much needed) and will catch up with you soon! QS =D
If you need a moment to take a break, there's always the pause button. Forcing the player to take the break doesn't feel right. I'd be curious to hear if others like this break as well, or if I'm alone. Being pulled from the game every minute means I never get to sink my teeth in. It takes away from my feeling of escape, which is the main reason a lot of us play games.
I like the break in between waves, it's not so much because I want a break, it's more because it allows me to play in shorter bursts, esp when you get further and the waves get tougher, I like knowing I can finish say wave 53 after maybe 12 attempts, that I can close the game and resume again from wave 54 wheras if waves were grouped in say tens or even fiveswith no interval and I'd close the app I'd have to start back again wave 50, at the earlier stages I could see it maybe working but sometimes getting past just one wave can take me a while so if I knew I'd had to get past five or more waves before I could save progress and close the game I'm not sure I'd stick at it so much. I play games to escape and totally get what Lazer kat means, just for me personally it would feel like a chore and as much the ton of unlocks are cool and help with progression etc, I think the feeling of completing a wave feels more like completing a level so you feel like your progressing quicker, I honestly think if was done the other way then I'd still be at 30 or maybe even further back lol, That's the main drawback for me, but the kid in me also likes to use the gap after waves to go check what I've unlocked and change characters or colours or music asa treat for finishing a tricky wave. I'm still just working on completing each level so maybe I'll feel differently when I start going for scores, and I think I feel the way I do because I see them as seperate levels more so than waves. I guess adding an option to play straight through would please everyone but after reading about the memory issues etc I can't see it possible to implement without cutting off access to the game for players with lower end devices, so I think even I did feel differently when I'm chasing scores I'm ok to have a break between waves if it keeps the game accessible to more people. Gawd I hope I made sense..... My nephews are coming later this afternoon so I'll ask what they think, I've had a few texts from mum chums asking what game my nephew has cos their kids want it so you might get a couple of extra sales today
I agree that in the earlier levels it felt a bit off having all these breaks, but later on they make so much sense, at least to me. I'm still trying to find out what this "survival mode on/off" does ? Any light on this, maybe with spoiler on ? And wow, still unlocking new soundtracks, incredible. Edit: My rank is going from dangerous to deadly to elite now, still the same highscore, though.
Just having a bit to eat, so will address the 'wave' situation in a bit - I love talking about this stuff, so expect an essay later! As to the rank thing - it's not tied to your high score at all, but rather to the amount of kills you have. Which also ties in to the colours which are determined the same way (no. of kills) So, for example, I know that you have 'Stargate' as your highest unlocked colour because your rank is 'Elite' - the next rank you get will unlock the final colour type (which I hope you'll enjoy!). I haven't explained Survival Mode very well, which is an oversight on my part. You'll notice if you have it on, that you can't retry when you die. So it's literally about how far you can get in one go! What isn't so obvious is that your score is doubled in Survival mode. So if you're going for the high score, you'd play with that on. It's really for those that have unlocked everything and aren't worried about progressing further, but are more into the scores. Additionally, it's the only mode that will count how many levels you've passed without retrying - which fits in to the Game Center stuff (which isn't working - so easy to miss that). Hope that helps - will comment back on the wave stuff in a bit! QS =D
Back on the breaks between waves. They need to be there when it comes to what happens after bosses since you get an option. They aren't really needed in the first so many levels but the deeper into the game they go the more I'm thankful they are there.
Wootwoot ! Finally unlocked Spoiler living color - the game looks so much more vivid now. That's what i was waiting for. Superb ! Edit: thanks, just thought so because i'm a shepherd now.
Hey Sheepy, thanks for explaining the multiplier, I was wondering about that. I had my 2nd proper go at Survival today and went to Wave 35. For anyone interested my high score is 3,366,362. The Spoiler Golden Parachute perk is a must for high score chasing. On the other side I you can either go all out with another score based perk or you can be a wuss like me and use Spoiler Time Trap.
