I finally have time to address some of the other questions/comments about the game. Thanks for all the interest guys! @MetaGonzo: We plan to add distinct music and sfx volume controls in version 1.1.0, which should be out within a couple of weeks - this was something we wanted on initial release but in the end we had to nail down a release, and some things always end up getting pushed 'til post-release. Remember that you can just start playing something on the iPod app - the game's music will remain muted (it detects that you're playing different music), but the sfx will still play. But it sounds like you just want the music at zero volume... Also @MetaGonzo, re "double-tapping" to place a piece... I tried this for a while but it was too prone to making errors... it's quite easy to accidentally tap the screen twice when you meant to tap it once. We played around with several solutions but the one we launched with always proved the happiest medium in being both "safe" and intuitive. @EnShinNoi & Misguided: We played around with adding a "next piece" option (pretty standard for puzzle games), and also a "bank a piece and use it later" option. Neither really made the game much more interesting, or gave any significant addition in terms of planning. There's definitely planning in the game; if you don't think so Misguided, make sure you've played on Extreme! In some cases I have to be planning FAR in advance... especially at times when I realize "I can't get to the greens until I clear the reds, but I can't clear the reds until I clear the grays...." In a game where you're constantly at risk of getting in your own way, you definitely have to plan.
Good to know about the music; I know I'm in the minority but you're right, it's no music at all that I crave. And with regards to the double tap; I guess it's one of those things that seems like a good idea until you actually try it. You have and it was lacking; that's good enough for me.
Props for making sense to someone who knows nothing about programming If you're going to make the streak bonus stack with the triple bonus, I might hold off extending my high scores until the update. Any idea when it will be coming? No pressure whatsoever from my part, just curious.
This is a really nice little puzzle game. Enjoying it a lot so far. Extreme seems to be the only mode really worth playing. What would a good score on extreme be?
My top score is 12300. Whether that's considered good or not I have no clue. I get enjoyment out of all the modes as they require different strategies for achieving high scores. Easy mode gives you all the time in the world to set up a massive streak. But extreme mode is the only one I'd deem challenging.
holy crap... congrats!!! I'm gonna have to play this one hardcore today, and see if I can't hit 10k... =oP
I didnt know about this gem until i saw it on the front page. Its really good, ive been playing non-stop since i bought it. Nice puzzle mechanic, and the music is very suited too. Thumbs up
We've been thrilled to be featured on the front page, the game had gotten little traction in terms of press until now, so this has been a real boon for our visibility. We're still standing at a solid 5-star review score in the App Store as well... Though we'd appreciate more reviews there, for those enjoying the game (we forgot to put in one of those annoying "go review us!" dialogs). Re: Scores... EnShinNoi, 17k+ on Medium is definitely the highest score I've heard of yet, that's crazy. Myself and my sister-in-law have cracked 13k in Extreme (I lost my exact high score because I keep cleaning the game off my phone during development... oh well). This makes me want to put in the GameCenter integration all the more so as to see the true worldwide high scores! I hope to have that submitted by this weekend... we'll see. In the meantime, use the Twitter functionality when you get a high score, and copy/paste the link in this thread, so that we can challenge your high score on that particular board!
I look forward to the game center addon also, I would like to see the others scores. I'm glad to see you (the dev) are actually talking and listening to other peoples opinions. Shows you actually care about us small people.
hmm I am not a high-score chaser, I'd rather encounter some tougher diffciculties. As a big fan of puzzle games I gave this one a try. It's way too easy imo, even at hardest difficulty. The music is awesome though!
Let's test this out. I used facebook though because I don't have a twitter account. I scored 13500 points on a Extreme board playing Connectrode for the iPhone! Click here to play the same board and try to beat my score! Noticed a mistake, "on a Extreme board"
Maybe we are a minority, but you are not the only one I never understand why it is not a default option that you can turn on/off music and soundeffects in games. Music is a matter of taste and if I know that I cannot turn off the music I don't buy the game. I like the music in this game, but still want to turn it off.
A review of this game by The Austin Chronicle made a good point--Connectrode is as easy or as hard as you want it to be. If you're not into beating your previous high scores, then I can see how it could be viewed as "busywork". It's really not hard, unless you happen to get a difficult (i.e., unlucky) run of color chips. There's a big luck component in the game (not unlike Tetris), and the game is only "hard" if you get bad luck. I love puzzle games that require some thought and cleverness; I also like games that provide a level of "hypnosis"--they make for a good way to kill time while doing mundane things like waiting at the dentists' office, etc. A big reason why I like this game is that I can make it as mindful or as MINDLESS as I want Also, love the music.
Congratulations on getting featured! They made the right choice. Hopefully you'll see a spike in sales and the player-base increase as a result.
Thanks EnShinNoi! We're thrilled about this too - we were really worried about whether we could ever get visibility for our deceptively simple little puzzle game in today's crowded App Store. But being featured by Apple counts for a lot! FWIW, I imagine being featured by Apple couldn't have happened without the TA front-page review; and the front-page review probably wouldn't have happened without community members speaking up on the forums about their love for the game! Isn't it nice when a community really can make a difference? I'm still slaving away on the GameCenter integration, it's more difficult than I expected, but once it's done I'll immediately submit an update. Thanks for your patience and glad that people are sharing scores and competing a bit here on the forums!!
You're absolutely right about this; but unfortunately a feature like this sometimes gets de-prioritized to post-launch, and that's what happened here. You'll be happy to know that I already have SFX and Music volume control integrated and working, and once I finish the GameCenter integration I'll submit an update that contains both improvements.
