I find Gameloft games one of the better developers at optimizing their game for older devices. Seeing my 4s play modern combat smoother than high end android devices says a lot.
I'm seeing what you mean first hand. The 'dead alliance' thread is cringe worthy. The developer is nice and willing to take feedback, but the majority of the feedback had to do with monetization of a $1 game...
However, he just made it free, pouring salt on an open wound. It seems it's about the principal of the enitire thing. I wasn't part of it.
It wasn't about the 1$, it was about the principle. Nobody wants a freemium game in a paid game. The developer admitted that they had no idea what they were doing with the payment model and that they did it at the last minute. IAPs are becoming a mechanic and we should be able to criticise it just like every other mechanic, without labeling that criticism as "raging".
This is an example of Gameloft being "forced" to go freemuim. Look at the cost of those decals. Decals should be free of charge considering they are add-ons, the cars are already expensive and they have already added a second currency. But of course, they want more money. That's not even the highest I've seen either. Some decals are up to 400,000 credits or even more.
I'm not into hating any developer or wishing to run amok raging through the forums about freemium vs premium disputes that run rampant and are becoming a very old argument here. I'm for premium games, or even games with iap if I know what I'm getting upfront. I also don't mind some freemium games, I just don't see me playing them really. Except for maybe Hearthstone and a few others. I used to like some Gameloft games, but I felt that the freemium aspects got way out of control and never saw them as innovative games to begin with. As one member posted, they were a lot of movie tie-ins. Loved Order and Chaos, but then that seemed to go totally free and costly, and basically ruined my experience. Don't worry, I'm not saying my experience ruined your experience, just mine. Gameloft can run their business any way they want. You can run yours any way you want. Personally though, if I were to be honest, it seems like discussion after discussion is disguised as to open yet another freemium versus premium debate and it seems like the freemium supporters are just throwing it in our faces time and again. Let me solve this. No matter how much you love Clash of Clans, no matter how much money the developers rake in, no matter why "YOU" think the freemium model is better, it's not going to change how I prefer the currency. I'm getting tired of the "Freemium games are the best" posts, etc... That is simply neither true or fact, it is really just opinion. I love turn-based strategy games and most of them are running on a premium model (because they are all making money - Slitherine, Hunted Cow, Rodeo Games... ). I'd appreciate it if people would stop thinking they are persuading everyone into supporting freemium pay model. I don't care if you love your freemium game. Good for you. Bottom line: I'd rather just see posts and game discussions about how awesome such and such game is, not redundant arguments on how awesome the pay model is.
Actually we were talking about Gameloft, and everything said was necessary to talk about said Gameloft.
This wasn't a thread about "premium"/"freemium", those are systems made up by the iOS gaming community. Honestly, I can't blame Gameloft for their tactics, they have multiple studios and a lot of employees who need to be paid, and they know that there are people willing to pay for certain things. I've played a lot of their games and I can attest that you can get just about everything by grinding, IAP for the most part is just to make things faster. In games where they have to pay a license to another company(ie. Disney/Marvel), that's when you see iap that are in locked strictly buy a certain dollar amount.
Gameloft should release a horde of freemiums, bring on a gravy train of cash & then use that money to develop premium games
It would be impractical then to develop the premium titles if the freemium titles were able to funnel cash in. I keep saying this in this thread, Gameloft is a company and a business. Gaining a profit is a part of the system.
But sadly its all changed Look at how many premium games get released here for say $3, people wait for price drops, go crazy if theres a promo code, want 78 reviews from people before spending $3. I still believe IF we all bought the game on release and Gameloft make a lot of money we'll get more premium. But sadly freemium games make more and companies arent stupid, hence we get more and more freemium as thats where the money is. I dont blame Gameloft, i blame the cheapskates waiting for price drops or games to be free or people who solely go for promo codes (plenty of accounts here where people solely go for codes, never talk about buying games). Those are the people who have caused freemium I dont like freemium but companies arent stupid, they need to make profits, they need to keep people employed and make their shareholders happy. 'We' created freemium not the companies out there If premium games made TONS more money then companies would go the premium route for sure.
Gameloft makes great games. Asphalt 8 is one of the staples on my iPad. It's a free game, I can put up with that, but the new restriction of having to always be online is what's bugging me. (Modern Combat 5 and Dungeon Hunter 5) But otherwise if I see a Gameloft game I know they are a top developer and make quality games. Modern Combat 5 was at least premium but then they added internet restriction. It's a hard line to walk. I just sometimes wish they could have options like perhaps a full version unlock. I just feel better knowing I paid for a game and can play it without restriction. P.S. I actually paid for Asphalt 8 back before they made it freemium lol
I'm not speaking for anyone but myself here. I sometimes wait for a price drop on a game I'm not sure of... yes, if it is coming from a developer or it is something I know I will like, I've seem gameplay videos, I'll pay for it right away. I don't consider myself a "cheapskate", if say, Gameloft were to offer an in-app full-unlock. I will download it, try it out, if the controls fit, I'll buy right away. However, if I'm strongly interested in a game, but not sure if it will control to my liking and there is no option to try it before I buy it, I will wait for a price drop. I did this with Modern Combat 5, I waited for the price drop, and I'm glad I did, because I didn't like how it handled.
Well dungeon hunter 5 looks interesting but I'm not going to get into more freemium games. So I went to get dungeon hunter HD and dungeon hunter 2 HD. They are both gone off the store...why? There's older games still out there... It's to force people to get the freemium ones isn't it? Maybe? Ida paid the 8 bucks a peice and got both. Now an important question, they pull that off the App Store so any of you guys who bought that game, is it still there for you to download or is it gone? If it's gone that opens a whole new conversation I'm sure you guys have talked about before. I think if you pay a premium Price for a game and the dev pulls it off, it should be on there or at least a way to get a copy! Like jeez. Ima check every game before I delete any for space (I guess it's the same for the guy who sinks 100s into freemium game justto have the company shut it down and screw him out of his money and hard work! That's why I don't get into freemium btw). Sorry bout the bad grammer and typing issues, might be a little wrecked
They were removed along hundreds of other games by different developers due to system read and write changes on iOS 8. Apparently if the application was coded properly this wouldn't have been an issue but the developers took the easy way out and hard coded the save data files. That's a simplified version but many other games had their game engine also broken with the new iOS update and it was deemed too expensive to update (Ghost Trick is one that comes up to mind, that was put together "with glue and sticks" as I quote).
Ahhhh so to them it wasn't worth the money to update them to work with the new OS. So everyone who bought it is SOL... Wow, what's the legality on that? I'm going to actually read the fine print on an app from the App Store when I buy it. Just to see. I suppose you could back it up with ITunes, I have never tried to do that, is it simple to back up one file? Because you would think it would be just evil if the devs could sell you a game with no way to keep a copy forever. More like renting the app then. Renting it til the dev thinks it's not worth it to him to let you play something you bought.... That's kinda a big arse flaw in the system isn't it?
