Thanks Shin. I have seen an issue rarely where the grid becomes unresponsive. Also situations where a hammer cannot be used or blue mushrooms become unresponsive to taps. I'm looking into these.
Awesome!!! Thanks so much for being involved!!!! A couple thoughts: 1) pause button 2) save if the game gets closed I am no game designer so I have no idea what that would take but some runs can take some time so it saving would be awesome.
Hi ShinHadoukin, If you press the 'gear' button (setting), it will pause the game, but having a separate pause button also makes sense. I also wish I had a save button sometimes, especially if I'm in a long game and have to do something else. The save game (auto-save, with a 'resume previous game' feature when returning to the game) feature will be implemented very soon.
Some thoughts after the first 5 days I'll share my first week's app store statistics in a couple of days (installs, revenue etc.). I like things to be transparent for other developers who are working on their first game as most of us are clueless as to what to really expect once we hit the big green 'submit to apps store' button. I really don't know how Gnomium compares to similar games released last week. It wasn't listed on any of the app store's featured lists, but had some decent press coverage, a couple of online reviews, not from any big gaming sites, but there has been some good activity here at TA. I think it's coverage has been decent, and probably more than I could ask for one-guy-doing-it-all in such a crowded and saturated market that mobile gaming is now. Looking at the 13 App Store reviews the game has received up to now, I am not surprised with the result. People either love it or hate it. The risk all along has been releasing a game into a genre where players expect their games to play a certain way. The arcade-playing style applied to a letter-grid is just too out of sync, too new, too different from the 'I must find words' mechanic that is the standard measurement of every word game. I almost wonder if it shouldn't have been categorize as a word game at all, but instead categorized as an action or arcade game. The problem is, it really is a mixed bag genres, and some don't think that it mixes very well ("I don't get it.") I am proposing, on the advice of some players and a few good friends of mine to do 2 things: 1) Vastly improve the tutorial. 2) Add a new play mode that allows the player to find (draw-in) the words instead of words being found automatically. A play mode that is self-paced with no timers (on tiles or coins) and allows the player to feel the satisfaction of using their own word-finding skills to beat a challenge. This second option is more along the lines of a tradition word-game and would satisfy the hard core word players desire to do the work. This new mode would definitely play differently, would have a new feel to it and some adjusted rules and items. I'm still working out the details and will post more about it later, but what do you think? Are you one of the players who didn't like the game because you felt cheated out of the fun of finding words, or felt that the game was too random? Let me know.
1) I love the game & get the difference & respect it (from other word games). 2) I think a mode with no timers is a good idea b/c the word finding aspect is the main complaint so this mode may bring more people in. 3) a better tutorial would really help. Your post is what really helped me, however the details are in the game if you read them but most people don't want to take that time (unfortunate). 4) another example for making s new tutorial: Gamezebo reviewed your game. They loved it & said how deep it is if you can get over the confusion. Well, they game the game a 3/5, which isn't bad but if you only read the review you would give it 4 or 5 with the caveat to stick with it till you understand it. 5) to the new mode: I was thinking a mode that plays just like the regular mode but no timers. This would also help learn the game, let you move things around to make words. So maybe that could be "zen" mode & the traditional mode mode could be "Tradrional" mode. Does that make sense? 6) Many modes in a game is a selling point too. 7) I have to agree that I was confused at first but I get it now (not good at it). It's a unique game (which makes it difficult to label). I say that so say, make some modes to help widen the audience & help others but please keep the unique REAL mode of the game! You made a great game!
Hi Shinhadoukin, 1) Thanks for respecting the difference. 2) Yes, I am working on the swipe/draw/find word controls now. This new play mode will play much the same, just without timers on tiles or coins and the player will be responsible for finding and linking all words. Much much slower and more challenging I would imagine, though I do need to test this play mode for it's fun-factor. 3) Yes, the game guide is helpful, but probably rarely accessed by new players. 4) True, I did respond to their review in the comments section as well. It seemed to me that they did not preview any of the game details included in the email I sent them before installing and playing. Though a raw review did help me consider the fact that the tutorial needs a desperate update. 5) Yes this makes sense, the arcade mode without timers, though there would need to be some adjustments to tile counts in order to compensate for the lack of timers. 6) Agreed. 7) I will definitely keep the current play mode as I agree, is very fun to play. Thanks again for the feedback and your interaction. I would say that after the first week, indies live or die based on feedback and player interaction. I'm not sure if most players think that indies are inundated with feedback, but I certainly have not been (to my chagrin). Kind regards..
I'm still loving the game. I don't earn coins to save my life but it's fun. I hope people are checking this out.
Hi Shin, Very glad you are still loving the game. I am working on a significant update the introduces a brand new play-mode as well as a whole new re-working of the tutorial. I'll post more information here as I get closer to finishing the update. I also post daily on Instagram, just follow @Gnomium. Thanks! -Chris
First of all I’m sorry for living under the rock and discovering this masterpiece 3 years too late. For those of you who purchased “full game”, meaning unlimited credits, do I still have to watch ads if I want to open a gift during gameplay? It’s incredibly annoying and it’s completely breaking my concentration to just stop playing and wait 30 seconds. But those gifts are helpful so do I get them “for free” after purchase? Thanks in advance! EDIT: Nevermind. I just found out from one of the reviews you can't pay your way out of watching ads if you want those gifts. Or paying 50 coins instead which is barely what I earn during one game. Considering the amount od gifts I'd be constantly short of coins. It's a shame. Seems like a wasted potential. I'd be more than happy to pay for premium experience. Well, maybe when there's new update one day. And since last mention from the dev is over 3 years old I wouldn't hold my breath.
