That is so nice of you! Melodive is sinking like a rock on the american charts for some reason, so I need some sales just about now! I think you could at least try it out on your ipod (should be restarted first), but you won't have the full experience before you upgrade unfortunately. It's that silky smooth feeling that sells the game imho.
Wow, that's good flying. Now I feel like I have a long way to go before I can approach your level. Anyway, I have a question about the new settings for you and Johan: was getting rid of the speed setting really a good idea? So the way I understand it, both gravity and speed determine how fast the gameplay is and gravity is effects the speed throughout while speed more effects the starting speed right? I can understand if you thought having both settings would be redundant, but I think having a separate setting for starting speed makes sense. I know if someone only wants to go after records is always going to set it to zero, but for training to improve flying, I think it would be essential. Having the speed set in stone for every game would also give less options for ways to play and would take away from the variety. And after watching Abbey's gameplay, it seems to me at least that max gravity has a noticeably slower coasting speed than heavy gravity with max speed in the current version 1. It might just be me though. It's kind of hard to tell since I can't play both. How do you guys think they compare? I only mention this because I think being able to max the speed and get a score that high would be an indicator the the max should be higher than it is.
I think this is based on a few misconceptions, first of all, ante wasn't running the final build. I have tweeked the scoring since then. So his score was way too big. Also speed controls the speed of time, not your speed. In version 1.0 speed starts at 30 % with 0 bars, but in version 1.1 it starts at 50 %, because 30 % was just too slow. It's boring to start from 30 %, but it had become necessary because of the crazy scoring done that way. So to compensate for the higher start speed (time), the ramp up of time (difficulty) will be a bit slower. I think you will find that will full boost the new set start will be more than challanging, or at least it is possible to go very very fast. I find that some ramp up is good to have anyhow. With this new version I think you are put into the action very quickly if you want to and also it takes a lot of skill to go fast from the start. And you will also get a slight speedbonus in the score. We'll see how it works out. It's scare that it's not only my world anymore. I am careful with what changes I do, but this I did to make the game clearer and easier for beginners. Also the sliding gravity means it will be easier for people to advance for light to heavy gravity. It's no problem, if it doesn't work out, we just make a new game, just tell me how you want it! I'm also thinking of other and maybe more difficult ways of moving though space. A hook-mechanic would be really cool, and almost impossible to master. When speed isn't enough anymore... haha There is a limit to how fast the game can go and there is some people who are pushing that limit now. Real cool too see on the leaderboard what depths people are starting too reach. Before we released Ante was complaining it was too hard, but I said there are some crazy guys out there! Now he's scared he can't be best anymore!
One thing that'd make things even more fun/terrifying would be to give a higher score the closer you are to hitting the edges. There'd be greater incentive to fly through caves and stuff..
One good thing about Melodium... ...is, when it hits you, you hear sitar! Hello, I reinstalled 1.0 again to try to regain my honor on GC... No, I had to try 1.0 for what it was worth, and just set a new hi-score, trying to beat the beta-score. And I almost did it, and I think the hardest part is the first 20 000m. The max speed is the same in both versions, but when you reach top speed it´s about stamina really. And I agree, it could maybe be even a little faster, but I like it now, I have tried faster and it´s just not fun. At this speed you have a little time to react and collect Melodium, but one mistake and you miss your exit... And as we know melodium gets purer and more valuable the deeper we go, and in the new 1.1, speed is a little more important score-factor. Now it is about who collects most melodium on the way down. It´s fun, but with the speed factor - it adds another racing element to the game. I think Johan mentioned adding another scoreboard for fastest 10 000m or something. I will ask him tomorrow. I feel I have alot more to explore in the deep. I think sometime in the future someone is going to make a billion, since the value of Melodium rises at such a rate as you reach deeper. And I always have an eye open, searching for melodium... So, Luke when you get an iPad, my hi-score will be history! I can barley make 20 000m on my iPhone5.
Yes, that could be a mode, or at least a leaderboard. Maybe it's a bit abstract, could be a different game altogether. When I first started on Melodive I really wanted to make a proximity flying-gaming (wingsuit), where this would be the scoring mechanism. I am also looking for feedback on these three ideas: 1) Soundpacks 2) Sandbox 3) Hook-mechanic I am considering dropping the IAP and implementing some of the above depending on the interest. Then maybe raise the price to 1.99. I really want to use my time coding cool stuff, not implementing a store.
Game Impressions I'm dumbfounded. How is this only 0.99? The concept of this game is honestly, as refreshing to me as Fruit Ninja or Temple Run was when they were first launched. I remember the initial few days, when I just couldn't get enough of fruit-slicing and running/jumping action. It seemed so simple to pick up, but oh so difficult to master. That said, I absolutely love the feeling of flying deeper and deeper through endless chasms. Just when I think hope is lost and everything goes dark, I see a trail of colorful confetti that brightens up my journey. Soon enough, i'm surrounded by trails of brilliant lights that guide me back in the right direction, trying to find that next pocket of hope. Heh... yeah, it's left quite an impression on me. As many others have suggested, I'd love and support IAP music packs. But how about alternate textures and/or 'levels'? Perhaps different rock textures / colors (without compromising on frame rate? On another angle, how about instead of flying downward through caves, an option to fly upward through blue skies could be added (picking up stars / clouds / other intergalactic-themed items along the way)... kind of like Superman starting from sea-level and making his way up to space? The game has massive potential and i'm floored by how immersive it is already. Glad I picked this up; congrats on the fantastic release!
Firstly: Thank you so much for posting your impression, it's a real good support for me to know that peope are enjoying it and looks at Melodive as something new and fresh. I was very unsure of the reception, I thought that if people couldn't adapt to the controls they would be more negative in the reviews if it cost more than a buck. Also there was a lot of stuff I didn't finish, like a tutorial, that made the game a risky buy for the general app store crowd. I hoped of course there would be some people out there who where open to the advanced controls and immersive gameplay. There is acutually no textures in the game, because it's too expensive for the GPU. I have prioritized polygons, they define the space better imho. But different color are possible. The 1.1 update will have more color combinations, as I have refined the algorithm. As for sound packs I will definitively include a few, but I don't want to increase the app size to more than 20-25 mb. Regarding levels, I would love to imlement a simple sandbox where you could make your own levels and export them to photo-roll for sharing and saving. I have some ideas of how to make this work, but it will take a bit of time, which I don't have at the moment. With a sandbox, I could also include this content in a future release of Melodive. I have several ideas on other games where you go upwards instead. One could simply be a 3d doodle jump where you jumped from rock to rock. I would like to explore other ways of moving though space than just flying also, but flying games are the most easy to do because there is so limited intereaction with the world. Melodive as it is now, needs a black background for it to look the coolest. I have tried reversing the light, as it would easier to say: Just go into the light. A death simulator? Thanks, please don't hesitate to come with other ideas, Melodive is hopefully just the start.
Sandbox could be interesting, but I'm not sure how much use it would get. Are we just talking about arranging chunks to create a 'level'? How would a hook-mechanic work? Do you mean a gameplay mode where you only have a hook? That could be fun. This is something that would really come down to the specific implementation though. There would be a lot of things to work out. Would you be able to build momentum if you came to a stop? I guess one side of the screen could be the hook and the other could swing.
Yes, it's like your own private Melodive. You float around and add and subtract lumps of Melodium in diffrent color combos that are presented to you on screen, like tetris. The level wouldn't be infinite though. The current level is 96 x 576 x 96 voxels, but it wraps of course so it feels a bit bigger. I was thinking it could be cool if somebody loved making levels, you could include those in a special "story mode" where the challange could be to do 3 laps in the fastest time. But maybe this is for another crowd, it wouldn't be minecraft or anything, i just feel it could be nice to add a human touch to this alien world. You never know what might pop up. But maybe it's better to work on the core of Melodive, which is this nice movement though space. Ok, here is how I'm envisioning it: No boost, only hook. Imagine standing on a shelf somewhere in the Tuiniverse. You touch the screen to shoot out the hook, if you keep touching the screen, it will start to reel you in when it's connected to some rock. So you will already have a momentum towards the rock. Of course gravity will do it's thing and you have this swinging motion. You touch the screen to release the hook, or hold the touch to reel in more. After releasing you fall with a lot less lift than in Melodive, so you need to find a new rock to connect to and repet the process all over again. It would of course have it's own mode and leaderboard, maybe be a game inside the game. A switch between Melodive and MeloHook. Haha. I think it will be fun, and I always wanted to implement it, but I also think it's gonna be extremely hard to make progress in this game. It should be even more satisfying though since the challange is so hard. I don't think this has ever been done before, but now there is 80 Melodive Masters in the world, it might be possible that some of the fans could advance to tihs control method, or at least have fun with it. I feel this could be a better IAP than soundpacks, but I'm really leaning towards just including everything in one package. I'm more interested in goodwill than money in this project.
I really like the idea of sound packs. IAP is fine with me (I'll gladly put a few more dollars into Melodive). Raising the game's cost to 1.99 would be fine too. You may even consider going 2.99 or more. The game is unquestionably worth it, and you don't have to give it way. I have probably played 12 hours (so far ) on my one dollar purchase. The sandbox sounds pretty cool. I'm not sure if I personally would build levels. It would be cool to see what people came up with tho. Hook swinging sounds fun.It might work better as a separate app. I'd buy Melohook (or that wing suit game you mentioned). And congrats to Abbey. I couldn't believe it last time I checked the scoreboard Half a billion points?! I was so happy to get down to 30km (going slow) and he goes almost 50 (going fast). That's awesome Abbey!
The sandbox mode sounds really interesting! I'd love to fiddle with that. Also, I love hook swinging in 2D... in a 3D game like this it could be pretty amazing!
Only 12 hours and you're down to 30km already? Man, I knew I made this game too easy. I will have to make a new hardcore Melodive. Maybe name it after the first one to 100km. Abbey has play That's my thinking too. Yeah, maybe build a separate game is a better idea. My original idea was to make 10 $1 games, but I am very busy with my day job at the moment so this will have to wait. The hook I want to experiment with anyhow, but I think it will be extremely hardcore. Remeber that Abbey has played this game everyday for a year and he's not finished with it yet. I don't know how many hours or km that is, but it's pretty incredible. I would love to add a bunch of stuff to Melodive, but I also like the pureness of it, the sense of speed and flight. So I would rather add all the other stuff to other games.
That's great, I think it would be great to see what people could come up with. It could add a lot to the experience as you could use the terrain as storytelling. But it needs some kind of relevance to the game. Maybe it's better for another project. I just think people would be extremely frustrated and it would be hard to get into. But super fun if you could get the hang of it. I think the terrain of Melodive is perfect for this mechanic so it would be cool just to try even if it didn't work out.
Looks at this clown. I assume he was going for a fake score, and accidentally posted a fake depth. Epic fail
Most popular games have cheaters. I imagine they trick Game Center itself (and not individual games). I'm really not sure. It just seems like way too much work to go through individual game coding. Some people blantantly cheat (like this guy). But at least this is ignorable. What really "gets my goat" is people that post a fake score that's like 105% of the real top score.
