Words of encouragement do wonders for an isolated indie dev! Thanks a bunch! Yeah, I suspected that anything older than 4th generation wouldn't handle it well. As I mentioned in my message to you, the main problem is the memory, the game uses too much, so whenever the iOS need some more memory it's likely to kill Mysterious Castle first. I'm working on two things to offset this problem. The first is simply better memory usage through smaller audio files and some level data optimizations. The second is an autosave feature that will save the game whenever the app goes into the background. As far as the interface is concerned, it's true that I'm pushing the limit of the available resolution on the small form factor iDevices. I guess I'll put up a disclaimer that suggests the large fingered folks wait for the iPad version. I guess I must have tiny fairy hands @strivemind: You forgot to mention what OS version you are using, it'd be a help to know that. Thanks for testing it out!
What about a selection method sort of like what Final Fantasy Tactics uses? Holding the screen will place the selection box just above your finger, and releasing will select that location. btw my device is up-to-date with the standard iOS, 4.3.5
Will there be an iPad version? Or universal? Or what is the plans? I don't play 2 versions of the same game ever.. So if there will be an iPad version. I will wait!
Aside from a few bugs, this is actually a great game, and one of a kind on iOS! PS> Running something like MemoryInfo helps with the title/loading crash... I haven't had much time to play with this one yet - probably this weekend, I hope - but it's been enjoyable to far! The game is pretty straightforward, and a good mix of TBS/party/roguelike. Comments so far... 1) Sucks to lose my save when the game crashes... 2) Change the icon name, "Myster...astle" isn't so good. 3) Definitely need at least some basic instructions - found the two-finger-swipe to move the map around by accident!
A zoom system like Palm Heroes (iPhone) might work - move controls are very much the same as here - tap to select, tap same spot again to confirm. PH zooms in (and highlights the space) when you make the first tap. Example: Palm Heroes 2 Deluxe (iPhone) gets around this by being 'zoomed in' all the time. I'm pretty happy with the zoom level in MC, but I'd probably use 2x zoom (pinch to zoom) sometimes.
Thanks! I'm working on that bug right now! As far as crashes are concerned it is entirely due to memory usage ie. I use too much. I found that on 4th gen devices, if you clear out your memory by closing apps (with the double home button) then the game never crashes for me. Obviously this is NOT good enough, and I'm currently working on memory optimization. In the meanwhile, treat the game as a jealous lover and don't keep any other apps running. Also, until I finish optimization, the game is only recommended for 4th gen devices. I don't understand? Does your save game file get deleted when the game crashes? Or is it the unsaved progress that is lost? I know the controls are strange, but if you swipe down then the option screen slides in allowing you to save the game, which you can load at any time, even after a memory crash. www.mysteriouscastle.com/playerguide www.mysteriouscastle.com/FAQ Hehe... I knew there would be some comments. Would you like to play Mr. Assh*le? Har! Yes! A tutorial/help screen will be in the next version. Thanks for your feedback, it'll help me make the game better! As far as an iPad version goes, I said it before, and I'll say it again, YES! An iPad specific version is forthcoming.
Due to popular opinion (and to slightly help support the development of another roguelike on iOS) I will buy this game. I thought about typing that last bit in all caps, but I figured that would be a little too dramatic for a $3 purchase.
Hey everyone! Thanks for all the support, and your patience with a far from perfect product. I will shortly be releasing 1.6, which will address the prevalent memory problem quite nicely. Apparently I shipped 1.5 with 48khz, 32bit stereo sound FX. For non-audio people, that means HUGE files. I have shrunk the audio files by 300%, which means that I have freed up more than 20MB of memory. This will go a long way towards fixing the low memory crashes. It's still recommended that for optimum performance you close as may apps as you can. Additional changes will include a help screen, some small bugfixes, much faster pathfinding code (which is good for the 'snapiness' of the app as well as the battery/heat generation) and the following much needed change to combat: Zooming will have to wait for 1.7, as I need to update my OpenGL skills, and want to fix this critical memory issue ASAP. I hope to upload 1.6 tonight, and then I just need to wait for Apple to approve the update. Thanks again!
Awesome, appreciate your hard work. Loving this game more and more. I even downloaded the Mac version.
@eclectocrat - Knowing when you are out of actions for combat will be a big improvement. If you do implement zoom, please make it an option only, because it's unecessary on the iPad (never played @1x). Still loving this. I imagine some more Roguelike fans will emerge this weekend to give it a try.
Wow, this game really looks fun. Can someone please tell me if 3 characters is the maximum for the party size? Geez, I don't know if I can wait for an ipad version to come out.
yeah three max, but you can take only 2 or 1 if u wanna. probally die tho.. as i was going to bed this morning, i played it on the iphone4, before i was playing in 2x mode on ipad. I recommend playing it in 2x mode if able, cause everything seems way less cramped and the whole interface is way more clickable when its giant rather than tiny. there is some slight pixelation, but only the title screen looks real bad (can't even make out the web address at the bottom) there is already so much content, and with promises of more, i am super excited to see how great this already gem can get! great work BTW have played a few hours now and have yet to have a single crash! i obsessively close open apps tho
Hey everyone, I thought I'd lay out some of the roadmap for the game to clear up any confusion. First of all I've already uploaded 1.6 to the App Store and am waiting for Apple to confirm it. I've explained the differences in an earlier post. My first goal is to optimize and stabilize the game. That means that the first update (1.7) will have a lot of changes under the hood, few changes in the gameplay. I am however saving one killer feature for this stability update to entice people to download it. Lets just say it's something to do with large scale conflict... Along with that update I may be releasing the iPad version, IF I can find an iPad to test on. I may ask for some volunteers in a couple of weeks. Then I hope to do future releases on a 2-3 week cycle, with significant media and gameplay improvements. For instance, I am in the conceptualization stage of a big improvement to AI, at which point I will probably let you have an additional character in your party. After that however, I will need to do some major changes to the following/formation code in order to have your party members follow the leader in an orderly manner, so it could be several months before you can have a 5th and 6th party member. As far as achievement scores and halls of fame... sorry! I have to admit that I omitted it due to pure laziness. It's technically trivial, and will be one of the first features I add. As far as larger maps on the iOS version, that depends completely on how much memory I can shave off the current version. If I can squeeze out 10MB I'll put 5MB back into a bigger map, however being completely crash free is more important to me than bigger maps. Over the next few months this game is going to evolve a lot. Some of the features that are almost ready include pick-pocketing, locks and keys, climbing, destructible terrain, buying and selling, guilds and alliances, crafting, and a lot more. Thanks for supporting indie games, and have fun!
