Thanks for responding to my request for information on why you made Cavern Soulinhki! It was interesting to hear about how you came about making the game. The update sounds good! I'm looking forward to it. I haven't had much in the way of problems, aside from the slow down that is caused by your memory leak. Still, updates are always good! Look forward to it!
I'll add my impatience to the pool How's everything coming along? Have you definitely sorted out the random floor generation issue for the end-game? I'm itching to start a new game, but don't want to bother if I won't stand a chance of finishing no matter how good I do. And I've gotten pretty good at Cavern Hope you're doing well... Stop by and fill us in on the status, any extra features and ideas you have!
Hello y'all! Bad news first : no, the update has not been submitted yet so unless Apple review team works on weekends it will land on next monday or tuesday. Reason for not releasing it yet is that despite the quite serious bugs around I decided to do quite total overhaul to memory and file io to allow future expansion of content. Update will break backwards compatibilty to 1.0-1.3.x file format so I thought it would be good thing to combine this with the new highscore server too. I hope to have time to work on dpad controls and volume settings before releasing update. Level generation bugs with last level have been resolved. Chagelist for 1.4 -Cavern startup time should be many seconds faster -Resolved issues with corrupted saves -Gone are some restrictions of savegames like maximum of 255 objects on the level floor. -Level generation is much faster, on my 3gs all levels generate in less than 3 secs -Item specs can be checked from inventory -New, faster highscore server -Fixed bug with blocking snake blood -New tileset for last level -Resolved issue with levels generating without "required" rooms (ie. last level) -Resolved some cosmetic generation issues with last level (floor tiles in lava) -Lava animation -End game monsters are generated a bit differently now, in addition to area near stairs some appear around level too. -Monsters are a bit harder -Leech is fixed -Freeze is fixed -Two new effects, bless and curse (bless reduces dmg taken and improves dmg dealed, curse pretty much inverse, both are temporary like poisoning) -Couple new special scrolls -Some new non-secret and secret rooms Hope you can stand this slight delay!
I wish you good luck with this big task! I really enjoy this game a lot! Waiting for the update impatiently too.
Glad to hear about the fixes and new features and stuff. I don't mind waiting if it will mean a better udpate, I was just hoping to hear some news about where it's at right now. Like Data I don't want to start a new game until the update hits, so naturally I'm a little on the anxious side.
Wicked, looking forward to the blessed buff and being able to check items from the inven screen! Edit; er, the item stats I mean!
I've been checking my updates everyday since I saw you were working on a new update. I'm glad to see that you are planning such a big update and I can't wait to get on it! I'm bummed that it's not submitted yet though Good work though!
Just a small status update, Not yet submitted but hoping to release the update today, there has been quite a lot of stuff to fix with the new format and been fixing those bugs whole weekend... In other news, noticed that Cavern got a honorable mention in a Finnish game magazine (Pelit) - actually this is first time Cavern is reviewed (not counting this thread or iTunes) . Short story pretty much said that Cavern is a promising new roguelike that could be great if rough edges are polished with updates. So back to work..
Enjoying the game a lot, it put a big smile on my face when I stumbled across the body and ghost of a fellow explorer- a really nice touch. Just wondered about the update- if it comes out while I'm in the middle of the game, will it affect that game, or would I be able to update and carry on with the game in progress?
Next update will not be compatible with saved games from previous versions so I suggest to finish current game before updating. Technically, it would be possible to convert old save to new format but I left the feature out since for me it is very hard to test due to lack of enough save game files. There are also couple of bugs that would exist on saved games (ie. the issue with last level)
Cheers for the reply. I just got to the last level and there's only one lever, flicked it, nothing happened. No other levers, no doors either, the big bad guy guarding the lever is dead... looks like I've hit a bug and my guy's going to have retire a failure... Still y'know... it's not about the destination, it's about the journey...
That'll be fixed once the patch is out , think of your run through a training session for the update!
Hey Soulinhki, quick question. I think Cavern is a really great game, but seeing as how fluid the app store is I'm wondering how well it's sold. Have you made back the development costs? Well I'm sure you created it yourself, but do you feel that it's made enough money to justify the time you have put (and are still putting) into it? It's really awesome to see you still supporting the game. I can't wait for the update!
Hello, Not yet submitted but update will be submitted today, I know the wait has been way too long already. I apologise for so many slipped promised release dates but 1.4 is by far the most biggest update to Cavern and there has been many issues popping just when I thought it would be ready. I'll post here immediately after submitting. johndramey, I haven't checked exact numbers but Cavern has sold about 500 copies worldwide. So, not really a blockbuster title but I'm happy with it. Actually I think it's nice archievement with zero publicity. Sales are pretty flat with only notable bump being first couple days (when the Cavern was on the new releases chart of iTunes) Rough estimate is that 70% of copies are sold in the US. Cavern was built on my free time so if you dont put any price for that then yes, income has covered all the costs (Dev licence fees, couple books). More importantly, it has been (and still is) great fun doing this as a hobby so the money is not that big deal. Maybe a bit cliche but for me the most rewarding part has been discussions and feedback from users - it's kind of odd to think that someone somewhere is playing my game or waiting eagerly for an update. I've been thinking about how the pretty high price and the lack of lite version has affected sales (most likely a lot) but on the other hand it has been fun to keep Cavern "small" - and I think that the $2.99 price commits me to making constant updates and improvements.
@soulinhki Only 500 copies for a game of this caliber?? I'm quite shocked... it's a natural classic with the likes of RT. I haven't been very active in these forums lately, but I constantly check this thread for the latest news on the update. Hope it comes out soon... but no pressure! It's a really cool game... congratulations and well-done
Yup, not really the kind of money I thought this game deserves. Cavern is very well done and I love it. I think it deserves much more income. Good thing money is not you main objective, but still I think this game deserves more. Good luck and here I am too waiting anxiously for the update.
Even 500 copies worldwide at $2.99 is a stunning achievement with no marketing of any kind. There are people who've put out 99 cent games that never see 100 downloads! My advice is to hold your ground on price. The people that really enjoy these sorts of games have no problem flipping an extra few bucks for a great experience. People have even told me that they *paid too little* for Rogue Touch after all the enjoyment that they've gotten from it The App Store is a big place, and new stuff comes out every day. You never had a chance to be seen on the charts. Honestly it may work out long-term... your initial release and updates have improved the game and removed bugs. This next release is really going to bring the "A" game for you! Word of mouth should help keep your sales going, as they do my own after over a year. I know johndramey bought Cavern on my suggestion, and a few other people not present in the forums have too. You've made a great hidden gem... at some point soon a few of us developers will be getting together to do a bit of cross-promotion and sharing of info. Your attitude toward developing and the quality of your work mirrors our efforts, so we'd be glad to have you join in We are overdue for a private chat, so I'm going to get in touch soon- I'll leave you alone until after the update is complete though! Quite a few people want to play that, including me
