Why take out Quests? They're a highpoint of the game and can simply be ignored if you don't want to bother with them.
Good idea. If you've playing an insane level then you probably have more then enough completed quests to unlock all the power-ups and a no-quest level would make chaining the only source of points. I'm planning a new idea right now that involves making chains of mixed colors and shapes. More details to be revealed later.
This game keeps on getting better and better... Another idea: I suggest this game comes bundled with every iPhone & iPod, like a new Tetris! Lol
The next update will contain a new "Hyper Chain" level where you only have 60 seconds to score as high as possible. If you've ever played Bejeweled Blitz, then you know how much fun a 60 second game can be. This mode plays like the other Timed games, shapes are always moving and a collision subtracts points instead of ending the game. The power-ups spawn much quicker in this mode and you can have up to five power-ups on the screen at once (two multi, two normal, one energized). Since this level is all about speed, the power-ups spawned are only ones that will help you increase your score and there aren't any quests to distract you. When you score with a chain of length 10+, you'll increase an overall scoring mulitplier bonus (2x, then 3x, then 4x, etc) that will last until the end of the 60 seconds. There is also a new stat system shown at the end of the game that is broken up into two charts (swipe to toggle between charts). The first bar graph breaks down your score in 10 second intervals and indicates the length of any long chains you made during that time. The second bar graph shows your total score for the past 10 games you've played so you can track your progress (are you getting better or worse?) You can also earn bronze, silver and gold chain (gold chain, get it! haha) awards for reaching a particular score in Hyper Chain. Your metals are saved and shown at the bottom of the level selection screen for Hyper Chain. And the best part, the new level is free with the next update. I don't have a date yet for the release but shouldn't be too far away. I'm making small changes at this point to make this the most amazing 60 seconds of your life! The next update will also reduce the memory footprint of the game in half! This will boost the performance on older iphones/itouch and also help with the new multitasking ability in iPhone OS 4.0 coming out this summer. It also contains the new easy static level that has no time limit. There is also work being done on a completely new game mode, Pattern, but that won't come out in the next update. I have a prototype up and running right now and I'm working on making the gameplay fun and challenging. Here are some screenshots of the stat system in Hyper Chain.
I spend too much time in the evening playing Hyper Chain that I end up not getting any coding done so I can finish it and release it. Oops.
I keep working on "just one more feature" and is the reason the update hasn't gone out yet. But I've forced myself to stop adding new things today and I'm going to polish everything off this weekend to get the update in everyone's hands next week. A new idea I'm trying is a weekly high score leaderboard for the new Hyper Chain game. At the end of each game, one of the stat pages will show the top five players for the week. This gives everyone a equal chance to try for the top 5 spot every week. A new week will start every Tuesday. Do people like this idea? Do you also want a normal leaderboard for Hyper Chain that contains a list of the all time high scores too or just a weekly leaderboard?
Looks great but always cautious of games where I have to control things under my finger as unable to see objects because my hand would be in the way, etc. This was once 99c?
Here's hoping it makes it to the HD version as well since it sounds too cool! I guess I'm one of those dudes who wants it ALL! I love the idea of weekly leaderboards but it might still be nice to track everyone's best all-time score as well.
I've never had an issue with my finger blocking the game play. Most of the time you only spend a split second with your finger dragging around a shape and you already know what type of shape is under your finger so you don't need to see it as you're dragging. When you aren't dragging, I have my hand off the screen so I can see everything fine as I'm looking for my next shape to touch and drag. I'm scheduled to submit it for review on Sunday and hope Apple reviews it by the middle of next week. HD will get the same update but from my past experience, it usually takes a bit longer to get an iPad app reviewed. It took over a week to get my last HD update approved.
Bought the game and it's very good. I cannot find any information regarding what the 'Wildcard' power up does. Would it be possible to put the powerup information in the help section of the game? Edit - Noticed the subtle change of color beneath my finger when using the wildcard so figured I could chain the respective color. Would still be nice to see what each powerup did in the help section.
Just wanted to say that this is a cracking game (I have it on the iPad) and I am totally addicted. I call it 'the bejewelled of the ipad'!!! Keep the updates coming!
There is a Quests link off the main menu that shows you the number of quests you've completed and all the power-ups you've unlocked by completing quests. That screen also shows you icons of all the power-ups in the game and if you touch them, you'll get a description for each power-up. I'm going to rename the Quests link to PowerUps in the upcoming update to make this clearer.
