Universal Fallen London (by Failbetter Games)

Discussion in 'iPhone and iPad Games' started by TouchArcade Bot, Apr 19, 2016.

  1. Vendince

    Vendince Well-Known Member
    Patreon Bronze

    Oct 17, 2013
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    In Fallen London, by clicking them in inventory, you can convert items to a higher rank. Can't find tantalizing secrets on a quick check, but things in inventory are sorted by kind. You usually need fifty of a thing for conversion.
     
  2. spader623

    spader623 Well-Known Member

    Jan 18, 2014
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    Yeah I found that but holy crap some are a lot. And just in general, some cards require like 500 special wines and I'm like 'uh I have like... 20'.
     
  3. Dankrio

    Dankrio Well-Known Member
    Patreon Silver

    Jun 3, 2014
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    The grinding bothers me.
     
  4. spader623

    spader623 Well-Known Member

    Jan 18, 2014
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    It sucks I'll admit that but I can always go work on cards or other things. I have options. Well, the player does I mean.
     
  5. spader623

    spader623 Well-Known Member

    Jan 18, 2014
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    So apparently 'the cheesemonger' is s thing and I wanna find it
     
  6. Vendince

    Vendince Well-Known Member
    Patreon Bronze

    Oct 17, 2013
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    You will. Cards will pop up. Just work on stats and connections. Far as I know you can't miss the Cheesemonger.
     
  7. Nycteris

    Nycteris Well-Known Member

    Jun 25, 2012
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    The best part about this app is that I can switch back to playing on the web whenever I am at a PC. That experience is better- but the iOS game lets me continue the game and does sync progress nicely.
     
  8. idub76

    idub76 Well-Known Member

    Apr 19, 2011
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    I am so in love with this game. There are a few GUI and design things that I'm not a fan of, but none of that matters because the writing and the world is just so damn good.

    I now have a new dream game; a 3D adaptation designed by Arkane Studios.

    ...

    *drool*
     
  9. spader623

    spader623 Well-Known Member

    Jan 18, 2014
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    Idk if that'd work very well though. It's an interesting idea but it's a bunch of locations, creatures, encounters, etc etc. it would be a lot of time and money, but I'd be interested
     
  10. idub76

    idub76 Well-Known Member

    Apr 19, 2011
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    I know what you mean, of course. I just want to explore Fallen London in first person, it's such an amazingly realised world.
     
  11. Nycteris

    Nycteris Well-Known Member

    Jun 25, 2012
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    It is very like being able to play in Nightvale

    It makes me want to write my own weird stories and interactive fiction.
     
  12. fabell

    fabell Well-Known Member

    Feb 3, 2016
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    Fallen London is part of the storynexus universe (I believe it is the centerpiece of the company) and is absolutely gigantic. However, even though it claims to boast more than 1.5 million words, you won't get to those words very quickly, as everything is gated to skill level and storylets you've completed (which access is given based on skill level).

    Think of Fallen London like one very large skill tree. You redo stories to gain higher skill, and once you've gained higher skill you have access to other stories. Some stories grant you access to other stories, while some stories just increase your skill level or set of attributes (which again, if built up, give you access to stories).

    The crux is that you can only increase skill levels at a certain amount per session, and the only sessions that reward high skill level increases you have to pay a lot of money for (quite a lot). To just get access to one of these special stories requires something like $8 a month, which nets you a new story each week (so think of it like $2 a story). If you are heavily invested in the game it's probably worth your green but if you are just a free player you'll probably get frustrated early on with how slow skills go up.

    Mind you I'm still in the first major story arc (where you work for the Widow) and I don't think I'm anywhere close to finishing it (I need something like Shadowy 60 to get good rewards, the game tells me, and once you go past Shadowy 30 it progresses at a very slow rate).

    The writing is phenomenal (it better be, since it's storynexus' centerpiece product), and from what I've read it's gigantic, since each storylet has so little text. The writing is compact, darkly poetic and extremely sinister.

    One other little adage to add to this pseudo-review -- loading up the game takes a good 2-3 minutes. Each time. I've no clue why since the browser version doesn't take that long, but apparently the architecture of the iOS product has to check the entire database for new image and sound files each time you load up the game. And if the game crashes you have to go through that again. So understand that before you load it up and you won't be as frustrated (I actually deleted the game the first time I opened it because I thought something was wrong with it).

    The free stamina renewal is quite generous (compared with the price you pay if you spend money). You have 20 points and it refreshes from 0-20 in about 3 hours, so you could feasibly play around 60 turns per day (or 120 runs if you are a monthly subscriber). However, stamina goes quick so don't expect a lengthy session if you are in need of skill points for a particular story you are working on. It only costs 1 for a turn but sometimes the game require you to use more than 1 so be careful if you aren't playing the game with an open wallet.

    If you have the idea this is going to be like a Choice of-styled Interactive Fiction you'll be disappointed. It's more like an old fashioned MUD without other players (just you and the stories you unlock). If you are looking for a similar experience without the price gouging just visit storynexus's website and you can find dozens of totally free stories to read through that use he same concept and gameplay but are written obviously by different writers. You could even try your hand at making your own.
     
  13. Dankrio

    Dankrio Well-Known Member
    Patreon Silver

    Jun 3, 2014
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    I really wished to enjoy the game, but probably is not for me.
     
  14. Ayjona

    Ayjona Well-Known Member

    Sep 8, 2009
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    Freelance journalist and writer, amateur musician
    Stockholm, Sweden
    #114 Ayjona, May 4, 2016
    Last edited: May 4, 2016
    For ya still trying to wrap yer heads around Fallen London's eldritch mix of super-immersive, hyper-atmospheric but sometimes not very game-like character, and its illbegotten, highly contemporary gaming-typical f2p mechanics, one way to think about the game is this:

    Yeah, it's a freemium product that will pinch and grab and grub for your blood-stained nickels and dimes with timers and subscriptions and additional DLC*.

    But it does so with extremely substantial, subtle and emotive writing instead of tapping and clicking and endlessly running and infinitively basebuilding.

    That alone exonerates it and makes it a product worth all kinds of investments to my mind.

    * Which, on the other hand, is just like the accepted forms of DLC premium and shareware titles have been extended by through the history of gaming. If anything, we should probably applaud proper expansions and mini-expansions in freemium titles - as opposed to timers and stuff that offers competitive advantage. It's ironic how we so often come down like a ton of sharp things and excrement on developers for giving away some of their shit for free instead of going premium and cutting out the f2p shenanigans... and then cry "paywall" and kick them a few extra times in the shins for NOT giving away ALL their shit for free ;)
     
  15. Ayjona

    Ayjona Well-Known Member

    Sep 8, 2009
    3,295
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    Freelance journalist and writer, amateur musician
    Stockholm, Sweden
    If the previous patch made the loading times almost bearable, today's update basically nearly brings the game up to par with the web version. This is how to fall to London in mobile style (and the version Failbetter should have released initially).
     
  16. Almyn

    Almyn Active Member

    Feb 18, 2010
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    Yep. This is a good update. I can go back to playing the game now. The load times and possible sync errors really put off spending too much time on it,
    despite how much I was actually enjoying the game. It's just a pity it didn't launch like this.
     
  17. TheProxy

    TheProxy Well-Known Member

    Nov 29, 2009
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    Chandler, AZ
    Nobody plays this? It's really fun.
     
  18. hoodwinkedfool

    hoodwinkedfool Well-Known Member

    Mar 27, 2011
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    The game seems to be stuck right now. It won't get past the loading screen.
     
  19. elfspelth

    elfspelth Member

    Jun 4, 2012
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    Damn. Everything I see an update for this I am hoping that it's been expanded to lower iOS versions, but it doesn't look like that's going to happen. So silly to limit your player base.
     
  20. Dankrio

    Dankrio Well-Known Member
    Patreon Silver

    Jun 3, 2014
    1,740
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    It is a shame I can't stand the grinding. It might be a great game.
     

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