Universal Darkside by Clockwork Pixels (Universal)

Thanks for all the feedback : )

Yes ... although ... I do need to add a 'Restore Purchases' button, an oversight on my part ... but ... if you go through the motions of buying it again the store will tell you you've already purchased it and the IAP restores for free.

I spent a month or so improving the game for iOS (done on the PC so that version could benefit from the same updates). The game never found an audience on the PC, so I kind of see the older PC version as a prototype for this iOS release : )

Thanks for buying! I've never seen an auto-pause before though, what games do that!? I think it'd drive me mad. What next, auto-going-to-the-main-menu if the camera senses you've left the room!? Will look into adding an option : )

 

Some games like Meteor Blitz, PewPew 1 & 2, Infinity Field, and I think some of Radiangames's dual stick shooters among others. It lets you reposition both fingers and pausing the action automatically. As long as you keep one finger on the screen, no auto-pause.

 

I hope you can add iCloud sync for next update...

 

Please make it so we can play our own music in the background.

 

Yep, Tops answered exactly. It's actually really helpful for touch screen devices, at least for me, because I know my fingers tend to wander off the controls, etc. or even for interruptions when you want to pause quickly. Thanks for considering!

 

I wasn't following this one at all, but have been enjoying it immensely. Played a few rounds of Arcade mode, then bought the IAP. Not only do I want to support a great game, but I definitely want to support thoughtful IAP implementation. Well done!

I've enjoyed dual-stick shooter games on iOS for several years now (anyone remember Isotope?), but something that felt really unique about this one (other than its beautiful graphics and 3D nature) was the interaction with the environment -- I feel like I have to be much more careful with my flying, and I appreciate how the gravity feels really natural and true-to-life.

 

This game is awesome. I'll surely buy the complete game as soon as I get home.
The only thing that annoys me is the speed of asteroid pieces when you break the big ones. I think they're a little too fast. In later stages I lose half my energy in the first 10 seconds, when there are 4-5 big asteroids because you don't have room for evasive maneuvers and the rock pieces fly around at bullet speed.
Maybe it's just me, I'm too used to Super Stardust and Meteor Blitz, but if it was me, I'd turn down a couple of notches the asteroid fragments speed. I'm not talking about the small asteroid pieces in general; just as soon as the big rocks are torn apart, the pieces should be slowed down a bit.

 

What's the ideal control set up for this?

 

Any words, dev???

 

Thanks ... For me, it would be auto-pausing a lot as I like to conserve ammo and frequently slow down ... which means taking my thumbs off the screen. I could add a delay of a second or two, but that would defeat the purpose. I really will check it out though : )

iCloud ... lol! I gave up smoking two months ago and my concentration is still only at 60%. As soon as I get my programming head back on I will definitely look into it. I am sorry for the current lack of syncing.

Hey EscapedTurkey! Sounds good, but I'm a bit worried about performance issues, playing music on top the game playing music. Is this a common thing in OpenGL based games? Thanks for your email btw, I'm being slow today.

Thanks for purchasing! Nice to hear from someone who likes the ship movement the way it is too ; )

It is best to keep your distance, or have a lot of fire power! Towards the end of an arcade level, just tap the fire button to get the last few asteroids, that way you'll have far more ammo for the start of the next level. Flying backwards while firing is good too, keeping an eye on where you're going.

Also, about the Arcade mode ... several of the levels are intentionally small. I like this, but it does mean it's hard to keep your distance on these levels and I have had some comments ... so, I'll be tweaking the arcade levels for the first update. On the Missions mode, it shouldn't be so bad? The levels tend to be larger.

Well, as the game has just appeared on New & Noteworthy (US Store, Games) ... 'Thank', 'You' and 'Apple' : )

Thanks again for all the feedback!
George

 

I have two play-related questions:

1) How long does the Invincibility power-up last? How can I tell how far into the power up I am, and when it's about to run out?

2) Am I correct in my understanding that there is no time limit, or time bonus, for completing each round in Arcade mode? I've really liked this so far, because it's given me the chance to take my time, and try and preserve my health while flying more carefully. I just wanted to make sure I wasn't missing something along the way!

Thanks for the clarification!

 

To anybody who hasn't unlocked the extra content yet, the missions are really excellent. If you like the free part at all, put your dollar in.

 

Thank you!

Thanks! I'd like to second that thought : ) ... I must admit, I'd assumed the take up on the unlock IAP would be slightly higher. Too early to panic though, will try get some more reviews and see how it goes.

1) Invincibility lasts for around 15 seconds, not long. It's enough to have a breather and de-stress while still destroying stuff. There is no notice of when it's going to run out, I usually blast away for a few seconds, then start being careful again just before it runs out, maybe it's something you get used to as the time is the same each time.

2) There is no time limit or bonus for arcade mode. There is however, extremely large level completion bonuses for increasing your difficulty setting!

Cheers,
George

 

Yeah, just to add another post to this thread - since I'm getting a little tired of being negative about the games I'm not enjoying, and would like to compliment one I am having fun with some more . Still got some problems with it; as far as the difficulty level goes, I appreciate the way the mechanics all work together, yet at the same time I agree matches can sometimes feel balanced on a bit too much of a knife edge. The natural response for dual-stick shooters just seems to be constantly firing everywhere, and the way you can sometimes die in seconds as a result does get a little jarring. The alerts for what's going on and what powerups are in effect or how long they'll last could stand to be more obvious, I think - I appreciate you're dealing with very limited screen space, and it's by no means a deal-breaker but it has left me a bit lost now and again.

At the same time, it's one of those games where even when you suspect the rules might be a tad unbalanced it's a hell of a lot of fun trying to work with them anyway. Very fast, very furious, very intense - combat is really gratifying when you're doing well, and I'm still in awe of the visuals. Pretty sure I can see where you're cutting corners, mister Clockwork Pixels, sir , but it's still really skillfully done IMO and with very little slowdown or crashing on an iTouch 4G. I don't know if I'll ever get that far through the game - Normal is still very tough to my way of thinking - but I don't regret the purchase at all. Would happily have paid three times the price for this.

 

Thanks for the info!

 

Hi, thanks for all your feedback ... it's been a hard game to balance. The 'normal' difficulty setting for me was feeling too easy, but of course I'd had lots of practice at the game. I'm thinking for the update I will ease things up a little for 'normal' as the other difficulty settings do offer enough incentive to switch up to them (at least, if you're going for high scores they do).

Thanks to Touch Arcade for the Excellent Darkside Review!

I was just about to send some review-request reminders, checked out TA to see if anything had been posted ... and it had just gone up! That was a great end to an otherwise rubbish day for me : )

All the best,
George

 

Mission 22 is ridiculously tough. I've been trying over and over but it's just beyond me.

 

Thanks TicTac ... I'm working on an update now so will look into it. Silly question, but do you have the game on the 'Normal' difficulty setting? I'll either add an 'Easy' setting (so players can use this to 'skip' certain levels, maybe with no score recorded), or tweak the 'Normal' mode.

Thanks again for all the feedback : )
George

 

Nice game

This game app seems pretty good to kill time on my iPad.