i don't know what u mean by that. i use only Alric and beat all stage in frontier. if i feel that it's too hard for me then i rethink my strategy, like the Dusk Chateau stage, the first time i couldn't beat it so i try again this time i use only arrow tower and 3 mages towers and i beat it with three stars.
What I mean is I don't know if it is theoretically possible to 3-star every level without using powerups. When there are no powerups to buy, then you know 100% that it's possible. When there are powerups, you start to wonder about a paywall and that kept me away from hitting the retry button.
Yay! These will go on my "insta-$.99-sale-buy" list! I mean, it's 2014 and developers are still making two versions of their apps? (In reality calling one version "HD" should mean iPhone 6+ now, anyway.... ) *This is not a rant because I'm too cheap to spend money on games (although I do admit I never buy two versions of the same game) - I just don't like not being able to continue a game where I left off on one device when I'm out and about and don't have my iPad with me, for example.
Unfortunately, the people most likely to voice opinions early on are the glass half empty types who either due to youth or simply lack of curiosity about the world they live in have no freaking clue how good they have it. Their reactions are as deep as they are: copy / clone / reskin / AAAGH! IAP! BURN STAB SMASH! LOL As for my initial reactions after playing a couple of hours, they've refined the formula even further AND addressed the biggest complaint people had with the gem powers in the first 2 games. Gone are the "wipe the board" and then "give me back my hearts so I can 3 star this level I barely passed!" powers. All the gem powers seem much more limited in strength versus what the first games got. I'd like to think this would preemptively shut up the paidmium crew, but as is obvious by this thread, nope. Back again are the lovingly hand drawn maps with easter eggs out the yin yang to keep you entertained while you're playing (love the topiaries on L4 or somewhere about there) Only complaint, such as it is, is the initial difficulty seems turned down. Started on Veteran and haven't needed to repeat anything more than once to 3 star it so far. Haven't tackled any of the challenge levels yet, so maybe they saved the cursing and hair pulling for those. Or maybe it's just that I have played so much KR that once I have a feel for the enemy wave patterns it's no problem dealing with it, but it still seems easier than the first 2 KR titles.
Although I did buy some extra heros later on for some variety, I can promise you that the KR games can absolutely be completed without spending an extra penny (and I have done so many times)
Only played 3 levels so far but finding it reasonably easy as well. I guess what it boils down to is that the gameplay is similar to 1 & 2 and therefore if you've played those ones a lot, you'll be pretty good at this one too ! Hope you're right about the latter challenges though, although I'm just happy for some new KR so won't cry if not.
You're absolutely right about trust being important. When a game ships without IAPs and then they are added later I don't generally wonder about balance issues. In the case of Kingdom Rush, however, they have earned my trust, although that can always be revoked if necessary
I might be getting this but I agree that where there is iap the game is definitely manipulated to encourage sales. About the early levels being easy. That's to get people addicted as well as getting reviews where people say they can't see the iap affecting gameplay. That happens much further down the track as do paywalls. I'd much prefer a one price premium because then I'd know for sure it's my fault if I fail and not because of a paywall. I'll probably get it but in all likelihood for the average gamer there will be paywalls. You just never know.
Tell me, which game was already hard at the beginning? Don't be ridiculous. Never bought any IAP in the previous games, completed them in all game modes and difficulties. This is an instant buy.
On the first games, you usually needed to build up some upgrades and/or replay enough to figure out optimal tower placement to 3 star on Veteran - simply beating a level on Veteran in the early levels from a fresh start is no effort, but 3 starring was NOT the walk in the park this one has been. I have been playing through the first two from scratch on my iPad at Veteran difficulty since moving over to that last year and this one definitely feels easier.
I don't say this often but shut up and stop talking about things you know nothing about. I've played both previous games to completion, I do not use any gems or gem powers at all as I feel like I'm cheating doing so. The games are also not paywalls as you do not need to buy heroes whatsoever to complete the game the free ones have sometimes ended up being my favourite to use anyway in previous games I purchased a hero or two just to change things up a bit. As for this game I'm enjoying it very much so far, I do agree the game seems easier from the start but perhapse that's to break newbies in? So far I'm just using the second hero who seems pretty cool, I like the archer too but I've always preffered Mages. As for saying it's a copy ect as someone else pointed out its like saying Borderlands 1 & 2 and the pre sequel are all just copies because all that changed were maps, story, heroes and enemy skins ect it is a new game and at a fair price for what you get. My only small gripe with the game is that I'd like it if all heroes were accessible through gameplay and not only Iap, but it's not world ending and if people buying it means more content for me that's fine by me.
I think it would've been perfect if they just gave us ONE character (the best hero in the game) that can be unlocked by completely all levels on veteran. The complaints about the game not being universal and IAP heroes would've been a lot less.
I have completed KR and KRF and probably getting bored with TD games in general. But I am a Elves addict.... Are there many details and storyline about Elves? If yes I may just buy the game for the Elves....
just love this one even more than previous ones, just dont know why, but Kingdom Rush keeps the flame alive, maybe it's unique And gorgeous art style or maybe the feeling behind its gameplay that just make everyone must have this saga. And being a huge fan of this game, I just had to have all heroes for "the collection " could be said, as on my previous ipad KR games. And for the record the best heroe is Bravebark
I disagree, and not only because you overestimate the objectivity of the complainers In an ideal world, I would love to get back to the one price buys everything, but mobile is not ideal. The market is tipped ridiculously in favor of the customer and equally against the developer. A few devs "win the lottery" and get mad money for their products, but the overwhelming majority - irrespective of quality - wind up turning small profits at best, many not even breaking even. So, until we reach a point that games are selling both in numbers and up front prices commensurate with their quality, I'm all for variable pricing in my games. I can add a few gewgaws to say thanks, appreciate the quality of your game, or I can, when I am less enamored, play games at discount prices letting someone else foot the bill. I do not live under any illusion that the $5 I paid for the HD version in any way covers the amount of effort that went into the game. If we wanted to have the best hero in the game unlockable through the game then you need to up the base price, because now not only are the same people who complain at the IAP heroes still complaining, still not buying them, now you've given the people who would have bought a hero or two as a tip a strong incentive to skip it since now there is no reason to have other heroes, just make your way through the game and, ta-da, the uberest uber is yours. Worse, you've also given the people who would have jumped right to the dragon in the games to feel mighty as they smash their way through the levels with impunity a strong incentive to feel *they* were cheated since people who only paid the base price are getting a better hero than they are paying more than double the cost of the base game. And, of course, once you up the base price of the game to offset the revenue lost from IAP heroes now you're losing revenue because you have a higher base price.... there is no perfect solution for developers but I've been more than happy with the approach IronHide has taken *except* their stubborn refusal to go universal, but I even understand that to a degree, because, again, the higher the base price, the more paying customers you lose due to the strange way demand works on the app store. Due to the history, iPad owners are more accustomed to dropping more, so they can target that audience directly with a higher base price while keeping the iPhone version at what has been shown to be the maximum "premium" price accepted by the masses.
All those talks about the game being easier than its predecessors make me wonder if any of the experts here have managed to beat the game / levels WITHOUT using the hero (just let it stand at the gate) AND its powers AND all player area-of-effect attacks (like lightning) AND gem powers? To me, this is an ideal way to "stress" the game to test its true balance to see if you can beat the game without these "extra" add-ons. If one is skillful enough, one should be able to do this at least on casual or normal level of difficulty.
Where in the world did you get that idea from? The game isn't truly balanced if you have to use your hero? The hero character isn't just an "extra", in Kingdom Rush the hero is an essential part of the game. It's not an add-on, it's a constant and primary feature in all Kingdom Rush games. A true stress test would be being able to beat the game without any IAP heroes or gem power-ups, the included heroes and rechargeable powers are integral to the balance of any KR game. Not using them would create an artificial imbalance.
Ironhide Studios are one of the successful companies that's earning a lot of money because of the sheer popularity of their game. I get your point, but I don't think it applies in this situation. I disagree with this line of thinking, because it can be applied to the $60 you paid for a AAA console. $60 bucks is probably the salary of one of the dozens of devs for just one day. Does the money you paid cover the effort put in by AAA devs? Does that mean that because you paid $60 for it, you cannot make constructive criticisms of the game? I'm looking at this purely from the point of view of giving back to your fans. I don't expect them to do it, I'm just saying it would be nice. And I think they're successful enough to be able to do it without a need to "increase the base game price".
