Double tapping a card enlarges it but not enough to read the flavour text. And cards in the card gallery cannot be double tapped. As far as I can tell, there is no way to enlarge the cards sufficiently to read ALL the text. The next update needs to address this, as well as implementing multitasking.
Crashing Problems? Anybody else having problems with the game crashing constantly? I'm on a Verizon iPhone 4, but can't get further than a couple windows in the tutorial. I've tried restarting the device, but no luck. I will try reinstalling later when I'm home, but was curious if others are having this problem. Really bummed since I can't wait to try the game.
So I decided to pick this up after all. (Thank you again to those who offered input.) I played through the tutorial and then finished the game that started. Right now I'm basically...fairly confused. I have some grasp of the basics but really at a loss as to what strategy the game entails. For example: in the tutorial there is a mention of some cards complementing others. I've no idea how or why. For the remainder of the tutorial game I simply kept selecting "Play All" then randomly selecting what cards became highlighted to just see what happens. I won the tutorial game in this fashion but didn't really learn a lot about strategy. I like the atmosphere of the game, but then, that's what always attracts me to these games so that was a given. I wish there was more than one piece of music and really wish the one there is didn't have that sloppy pause at the end of its loop. But that's neither here nor there. I'm curious to understand what's really going on and to at least begin to feel like I am making some sort of conscious tactical decisions. Not sure how that will come about, but I guess I'm going to see if a few more games do the trick. I think my main problem at the moment is I simply have no clue why any particular beneficial move would be preferable over any particular other. Is there a reason not to hit "Play All" at the beginning of each turn? I cannot see one at the moment.
First impressions are very positive. This is a polished app that looks great on the iPad. I think it might get a bit crowded on the iPhone ... but that's okay, as I hope to never have to actually play it on my iPhone. I'll add that the comparisons to Shadow Era and Orions don't make a lot of sense, for two reasons: 1. Other than using cards, they are different sorts of games. 2. Ascension is based on a very successful, award-winning physical game. It has a level of playtesting and balance that SE and Orions can only dream of (any doubters are welcome to check the SE and Orions threads here; observe what the most frequent topic of conversation is). Finally, the rulebook and tutorial are both very well-done. The developers were smart enough to realize that they were likely to see a lot of newcomers to this sort of game sitting on the fence and pondering a purchase.
Here's a PDF of the rulebook, sometimes I find it easier to have a printed copy that I can peruse at my leisure: http://www.ascensiongame.com/downloads/item/official-rulebook?category_id=4
There's a very good reason: you are not learning anything about the game or its mechanics. Play your cards one at a time for now. Watch as they either help you build up runes or power. Watch as some of them add to your honor total. Watch as some of the face-up cards in the center tableau become highlighted. As you see these things happening, you'll begin to understand the connections between the cards and how the gameplay flows.
I totally agree. Comparisons to SE and Orions 1 & 2 are not valid. Ascension plays fairly well on an iPhone but of course will always look better and play easier on an iPad. I hope the developer makes an appearance on this thread soon. It would be good to get their input and thoughts, not to mention reassurances that they are working on the first update!
There is a feature called "log" where you can examine every moves made by the opponent during the previous turns. I find that even at the slowest setting, the computer moves run too fast to my eyes to catch on my iPad1... Too bad the tutorial does not tell you all the features and buttons used in the game, just the basic mechanics. The goal to to score, not to knock out your enemy's card like in SE and Orions. It is quite a different beast. I think the heart of the strategy is know what the other would put upon as much as possible, and gain as much (and prevent them from gaining) within your round. Sound easy? I still cannot beat the 2nd tier of AI difficulty. IMHO, like SE, this game is best played on iPad...
some of the cards have conditional or draw effects, so sometimes you want to play cards in the specific order.
Wow... so I don't have an iPad and I was pretty concerned that they would have trouble adapting this to the very small screen of the iPhone, but my concerns seem to have been completely unfounded. Yes the text can be small, but on retina much is readable, especially on the tap to enlarge. I think they did an amazing job with the UI on such a small screen, no wasted space, everything intuitive for me so far. No more eye strain then I usually get from gaming/reading on the phone As for the game itself, really enjoying it. I've played plenty of Dominion, but never Ascension, and I do like the 'kill monsters' mechanic here. I find myself already wishing for more cards so here's hoping the IAPs come out quick ( I think the physical expansion just came out ). I see this studio, Incinerator, is at work on several different card based iOS adaptations. If what they put out here is any indication, all should be well received.
First impression of this game is that it is amazing! Nothing like Carcassone, but not quite like MtG either. For those not familiar, it is like a CCG, but all the cards are in the box. You always start with a specific set of basic cards, then use those to acquire others. The mechanics are unlike anything I've played in the sense that on each turn, you draw from your deck, and anything you don't use is discarded. It is very tactical in that sense. However, there's long term strategy in deciding what cards to acquire. When you acquire a new card, you don't get to use it, it goes into your discard pile which gets reshuffled when you run out, and then you will be able to draw it. Very cool. Very easy to understand. Simple, effective tutorial. Can't speak to the AI quality (I obliterated it, but come one it was the end of the tutorial match). I don't usually care for ccg type games because they get so complicated, but this is right up my alley. I have a feeling I'm going to be playing this a lot more.
Not the answer you are probably looking for, but neither in my opinion. It is a deck *drafting* game, which means cards are presented on the board and you "buy" these cards with currency provided by the cards already in your deck. When you buy a card, it is added to your deck. Your deck starts very small and may grow large by the end of the game. When you run out of cards in your deck, you reshuffle, so cards you bought can be used. The goal of the game is to have built the most effective deck of cards during the game, whereas Magic is focused on building a deck of cards *before* you even start playing.
