I've only purchased the starter pack and I feel like the number of ads is once every three of four stages, which I don't have any real problem with. Most seem to be 10-15 seconds in duration and happen just before entering a stage. I haven't minded this especially with the mindset that as I play more and more and see the depth and number of future stages, that getting to Patron level might be a good idea for me specifically. Even before I bought the starter pack, I didn't mind the ad clips because I love the fact that the UI isn't crowded with all sorts of pushes to spend money. This is clearly a premium game experience that is being offered as FTP out of necessity based on modern mobile trends and a lack of a big name IP publisher, so I think it is both prudent and fair. Really hope to see this game get more press and I've advocated to several friends already what a fun and engaging game it is.
Happy to hear it. We are taking the negative feedback on board though and will be tinkering with the balancing of things like ads and the amount of gold people start with. We're also looking at different ways people can pay and get rid of ads permanently. That and trying to fix an issue with the Android version relating to a hang on startup if the data files haven't been downloaded properly...
Perhaps either removing forced adds if you buy a mid-range IAP, or having a smaller IAP to remove them. Either would remove the online-only requirement. You could then have optional ads to get a little extra mana or gold. £20 is too much for me, despite loving the series and respecting you as developers, and that purchase includes a lot I'm not sure I want. But a few pounds to remove ads seems fair, and would let me play while commuting. Plus you would still get a trickle of advertising revenue from me, if I could choose when to watch. The model is close to great, hopefully a few tweaks away from pleasing almost everyone.
Yes, I'm playing online. I think the ad timer/intervals ceased to function because I "missed" the first ad, so now I'm stuck.
Been a fan of this game series but was disappointed after the second one came out as I recall buying the full version of the first one as an IAP purchase but something happened with it not restoring. Not a fan of F2P unless I can buy the full game as an IAP and I haven't even explored the IAP bit after reading the forum $20 for some IAPs sounds horrible to me... Before I'm accused as being unfair to developers I own plent of games on iOS that I've paid .99-$24.99. I'm even tempted to buy the new Layton's Mystery Journey which is $15.99 and if you buy all IAP it will be $40 close or exactl the same as future Nintendo 3ds version. My likely concern is while I liked the first two in the glyph series I don't like their F2P model for this game... Good luck to the developers as it looks like a fun over all game but in my opinion do a reasonable set premium price and you'd get a number of premium gamers to buy.
Might I suggest returning the player's consumables if they fail a quest? For instance, I just went into the first boss fight with 2 small and one medium health potion. I died from disease and would have beat the boss on the next turn. Now I have no potions and no gold left to buy more, so kind of screwed.
I continued to follow the thread and if this is online only that is another problem. In my opinion people like to play games in a variety of settings and one of those is on a plane. While many flights have wifi for a few or as frequent travelrs might get Free wifi I would urge the developers to do away with online only.
I agree - I can't stand online only. TBH, we didn't even think it would be a thing when we put the ads in. Daft, huh? We're working on an update that, amongst other things, delays the ads until considerably later in the game. We're also looking into other methods of disabling them altogether - spoiler alert: they all involve giving us money. Then again, we're going to add more opt-in ads. The current plan is to have a dodgy salesman turn up in a dark alley in Helmstone and offer you potions in exchange for watching an ad. Neat, huh?
As daring as it sounds, unlocking Patron Mode will disable the ads. That means you can play entirely offline.
Not sure if this bug has been reported/fixed yet, but when I was playing yesterday the store menu wasn't working properly on iPad-- the first half could scrill down bur not up, and the second half (IAPs) wasn't showing up at all. It was fine on iPhone, though.
Nope - that's a new one on me. Odd too - we run it on an Air 2 all the time and seems to work fine...
Android users! That pesky bug that made the game hang on the launch screen has been fixed! Fixed I say! Why not try updating to the latest version where you'll also find: Ads appear much later in the game. You can no longer skip them - which created all sorts of problems - BUT... You can also disable them by buying any non-consumable IAP - Alchemist, Loyalty Card, Patron Pack or Starter Pack. Other fixes include: Daily Dungeons no longer costs mana and the timer only resets if you successfully complete it. Amazon Safia appears much earlier to bring you items in combat. That should help with the first boss fight. Challenge Mode no longer removes mana at all. iOS users! All of these updates are heading your way very soon, but it's 1.30am here and I should probably go to bed. If you're enjoying the game, why not do us a solid and leave a lovely, glowing review on your app store of choice? Happy Questing!
Just rechecked, and the store menu is still stuck at the hottom of the coin-based section, with the "Special" header barely visible at the bottom; it's not even starting at the top anymore. Bouncing between store/Helmstone/quests doesn't semm to unstick it. Tried deleting and reinstalling , which did reset an odd level-progress glitch probably left over from having had the beta version, but the store is still stuck. IPad mini 4 (A1538)-- hm, looks like I'm behind by one iOS upgrade, so I'll check whether that fixes it. On edit: wasn't able to get to the store after upgrade/reinstall because tapping "restore purchases" twice in a row crashes the game; will need another delete/reinstall cycle.
Okay. Good bug-hounding. I have a suspicion about what it might be, although it's just that - a suspicion. I'll have a look and get back to you. We're going to be putting out an update in the next couple of days, so hopefully that will fix it for you. Did the Restore Purchases work in the end?
Sounds like a great set of updates and look forward to testing them on iOS once available (after sleep and Apple approval processes, of course!). Just hit level 14 and am working through the areas slowly but surely, and very much enjoying the game. That said, I think the sweet spot for Patron may be $10 instead of $20. I don't feel a need to buy more to progress beyond the starter pack (but am very glad to have spent some money so far), and the gap between needing and wanting unlimited mana seems a bit too far. I'd like to be able to grind for materials to help level up equipment, but would rather spend mana progressing quests to get further, which then puts me at risk for failing the next quest and needing to go back and grind anyhow (which hasn't happened often, to the credit of the balancing). I know a lot of those elements are intentional to incentivize purchases, but am not sure it is going to help with broad appeal or longevity in its current state. I know the data and analytics will start to show patterns of behavior in the near term, but I suspect you would get a much larger number of people purchasing the Patron pack at a single $10 purchase earlier in the game than people climbing up to $20 (or even $10) over the course of incremental purchases. You could also look to offer the Patron pack at a 50% discount for the first 48 hours or something like that, which forces players to decide how much they want it and will likely drive many to play more sooner, and purchase earlier. I don't see this as a game where whales are relevant as that is generally in competitive games whether direct or indirect competition (leaderboards, pvp, etc). I think the key for a game like this is to show a fun and engaging experience (which I think it has), show the value of making an early purchase to commit to the game, or provide options for longer term play with incremental purchases which contribute to equity in the game (which has already been done well). Will be putting my 5 star review on the App Store shortly, well earned both in terms of the game and commitment to the community.
Sadly, I think the iOS requirement is down to some of the plugins we use - probably the Facebook one, although we're really not sure.
