I wish more people realized this. Worse yet, when a premium game does actually come out, people still find some weird reason as to why the developer is totally ####ing them over and we spend the next week deleting posts from idiots encouraging everyone to just pirate the game because that'll show 'em.
Holy crap this thread is such a disaster, and I was not going to bother posting or cleaning it up, but this post is pretty insane! So just as a comparison, from all the devs I've talked to over the years, implementing a 99¢ IAP to remove ads in an otherwise ad-supported free game gets less than 1% conversions. Like, way less, like less than half a percent I believe. That is why most developers are hesitant to add an ad-removal IAP into their games, and when they do it's almost always just as a courtesy to a very small portion of their player base as it makes no money and actually takes a lot of time and money to implement. I know you are just doing some armchair economics and stuff, but to try and say this game would make 6 million dollars by putting a FIVE dollar IAP that solely allows for certain parts of the game to be played offline is just way, way off base. First of all, making an always-online connected game just even partially offline is a gargantuan task, and depending on the game, can require a complete rewrite of all of the code. It's not so trivial as just "adding it in." But then you're asking people to pay five bucks for something that only a very tiny portion of people would even want. I mean, think of all the always online games that are huge successes. Nobody cares about offline support in most mobile games. Well, not nobody, but a very very VERY tiny handful of people. Sorry, but your scenario is highly illogical and excludes so many factors that it doesn't even make any sense.
Personally, and I'm speaking as a gamer here rather than a DSFL employee, I find the "3" very justified. Even at this early stage, the game that you can download from the Dutch App Store is a legitimate successor to Galaxy on Fire 2. Sure, it is different. But there are six years between both games and the entire market as well as the whole environment have changed completely in the meantime. And, quite frankly, this is what GOF looks and feels like in 2016. To give you a better impression of what the game has to offer, here's a little more info on certain aspects of GOF3. Story You're right. Players are no longer taking over the role of Keith T. Maxwell. And the story is also no longer told linearly. But during your adventures in the Neox Sector, you will meet more characters, listen to more dialogues and stumble upon more storytelling than you will in GOF2 and both of its add-ons together. And as you move on, you will meet all kinds of familiar characters from the previous game and discover tons of easter eggs and surprises. There really is a lot of the old GOF games in GOF3 - Manticore. You just need to give the game a chance and play it for more than a few minutes to find it. Flying & Space Fights This is where GOF3 really shines. The flight physics is a lot more dynamic, the maneuvers are way more diverse and the enemy AI is much more complex than it was in GOF2. Missions Here, we also have a much bigger variety. We have contracts, bosses, grind missions, challenges and so on. And for each mission type, we got a lot of variations. Game World Here GOF3 does indeed have a bit of catching-up to do in some areas, while it has vastly improved in others. In GOF2, the orbits were connected and you could freely roam them without being distracted by fights. This, GOF3 does indeed not (yet) have. But therefore, every orbit in GOF3 is absolutely unique, hand-crafted and telling its own story. Among others, you can now visit run-down industrial areas, bright holiday resorts, hi-tec military outposts and breath-taking outer space environments. There really is a ton to see and explore in each orbit. Stations In GOF2, they were little more than a background image that turned into a loading bar when you approached it. In GOF3, they are gigantic structures that are organic parts of the orbits they're located in. You can dash through their ramifications, maneuver through their windings and approach them close enough to see every detail. Trading Not in there... you are right when you say that GOF2 totally slams GOF3 in this regard. Ships There are not yet as many ships in GOF3 as there are in GOF2. But the ones we already got look helluva cool and show a lot of diversity. We have both "remakes" from the older GOF games and entirely new models. And we will, that much I can tell, still add lots of new ships in the future. Boss Trees Don't wanna reveal too much about it, but it's basically like the most wanted boards from Supernova. Just a hundred times bigger and cooler. And here, we also still have a lot of surprises up our sleeves. To cut a long story short, GOF3 is different from GOF2. And for fans of the old game, it takes a bit of time to get familiar with the new game. That I can't argue with. But if you love the genre and the IP, taking some time to "get to know" GOF3 is really worth it. Along the way, you will discover a lot of cool new things that hopefully make up for the old things that are no longer part of the game. And even if the new features cannot win you over entirely, please keep in mind that the game is far from being finished. Our team is putting a tremendous amount of work and passion into this game and they got many awesome things up their sleeves -- quite a few of which all old GOF players will like. I will surely keep you posted in this regard. And who knows, maybe some of you who are now sceptical about the game will approach it open-mindedly and see that it's really quite cool. And if you don't, that is fine as well. We're collect, consider and value all feedback we get, be it nice or harsh. Cause we can only constantly improve our game if we know what you think of it. And now... I'm off to watch Poland vs. Portugal. Take care & talk to you tomorrow!
@Tobi: Screw this, downloading. I wasn't interested at first, but your post above this convinced me to give a shot, well done! Out of curiosity: I live in NL, and the country is so tiny you could pick Liechtenstein or Vatican City instead, almost Can you share why you picked Klompenland for softlaunch? I am genuinely curious how you folks arrived at that decision. Eli & Boardumb: This.
I was a big GoF2 fan and bought all the upgrades. I don't have any comment on your move to freemium, I completely understand why. I'm a "whale" in more games than I care to mention, starting with Clash of Clans and most recently Star Wars GoH. However, you've made a classic error regarding freemium games. A large proportion of us use both an iPhone and an iPad. These games require players to log in regularly to maintain progress. Playing anywhere, anytime, is essential for a freemium title. If you launch with device syncing broken, you will fail from day one. I wouldn't touch your game. Look at the recently released Independence Day game. No device syncing, dodgy iCloud saves, progress lost - the game tanked immediately, despite one of the biggest IPs of the year. Sort it out, Game Center sync, seamless. Without it, you've missed the point of the freemium model. You'll thank me later.
Lol, to be fair you can tell he's just a fan who desperately wants this game to suit his needs. I totally get it. But yeah, his rational is definitely pretty out there. We see this all the time though, people wanting certain features and expecting that they're trivial to implement, so why WOULDN'T a dev want to meet absolutely everyone's demands and just rake in all that cash? It's so simple, right!?
Regarding device synch: Don't worry. This is already being worked on. The version that has just soft launched is fully playable and already pretty cool. But it still misses quite a few features and functionalities that the worldwide candidate will have. Regarding the "Offline" IAP: I am not allowed to state any numbers. So let me just say this. IF the Supernova add-on had performed half as good as this fictional IAP, we wouldn't have had to file for insolvency in 2013. People often tell us how great the GOF2 system is, namely to offer the main game for free and then charge for additional content updates. If they knew the conversion rate behind this model, they'd stop suggesting it in an instant...
The Death of Galaxy on Fire I think the biggest problem people are having with this game and that will ultimately give them a lot of bad social media coverage is trying to pass this game as Galaxy on Fire. That is deceptive because Galaxy on Fire 3 is not really Galaxy on Fire -- a game known for its sandbox mechanics that allowed free-world exploration. Galaxy on Fire 3 is missing nearly every core functionality that defined Galaxy on Fire. Sure people can claim that mobile gaming has changed but then don't sell this as Galaxy on Fire when it's not. This is a freemium game that is trying to take advantage of the good press and fanbase that a different series earned with hard work. Won't work well in the end as other developers already learned. The truth is that Galaxy on Fire 3 will not please Galaxy on Fire gamers but it's instead geared towards people who only play Clash of Clans, Farmville, Candy Crush and similar timer-based games. If you're looking for open-world space flight, trading, exploration, freedom or in-depth mechanics you must look for better alternatives that didn't die as GoF has. This game has absolutely zero immersion. To those actually looking for a modern Galaxy on Fire game look elsewhere, try alternatives like Stellar Wanderer or the more strategic Star Nomad 2 as those developers haven't given in to freemium and still believe in good quality premium games on mobile. Fishlabs may have given up on good quality mobile gaming but others haven't and I trust that it's only a matter of time until other developers pick up this category and develop new space games with exploration, mining, trading and combat that will make people forget how Galaxy on Fire died... Have faith fellow gamers!
Of the millions and millions of mobile gamers out there, how many do you realistically think even know what Galaxy on Fire is? I mean, Galaxy on Fire 2 game out six years ago. People who see this on the App Store will think, "Oh hey, this looks neat and it's free," not "Where are the sandbox mechanics?"
This may be true but it's like saying that a loyal fanbase means nothing to their companies. I do understand it from the commercial standpoint alone but my point remains that this isn't Galaxy on Fire. If everyone starts thinking this way then high quality mobile gaming will die and all we will be left with is timer-based simplistic games because hey that's what pleases the broader audience. I honestly hope not but if that happens then mobile gaming really doesn't have a bright future ahead.
With the exception of the IAP arguments, you completely articulated my thoughts. This game isn't a sequel. It's the equivalent of if Square Enix tried to say Hitman:Go was a sequel.
-scrolls through 4 pages of thread since his last post- Huh. Well, I still like this game so far. Keep at it Fishlabs, I'm one of your american 'netherlands' testers so if there's unfair paywall balance anywhere, I'll let you know(since i cant buy iap heh) -shrugs, goes back to playing manticore-
I can't stand comments like this. You're implying that this is somehow a low-quality game because it's not personally to your liking. You're discounting the months and years of time and effort they put into trying to make a game that will fly in today's mobile gaming climate. You're then comparing it to games made by tiny teams who can afford to take the risk of going off the beaten path. Not liking the direction a series is going and criticizing that is fine, personally attacking a developer like that is below the belt and not acceptable. The only thing you forgot was to call them "lazy."
With all due respect, but saying this game appeals to Farmville players because it contains timers and IAPs is the same as saying it appeals to Ninja Turtles fans because the Vossk are greenish and have hard shells... I'm all up for criticism, but in cases like this, I really don't know what to say. :/
Can't say I'm surprised. We knew the series was going downhill when GoF2 wouldn't turn ads off for people who purchased the game and DLC outright, and the direction taken with Alliances. GoF3 looks nice but we'll see about its substance.
This board is famously anti-freemium. Don't sweat it. The issues I generally have with these kinds of games start around 4-6 months in, when "free" stuff gets cut back and prices go up. You'll start to plan upgrades using a calculator and lose sight of the fun element that keeps gamers happy. That's my issue with freemium. On the other hand, I spend heavily so I contribute to the problem. If you can be the first freemium developer to strike a balance between profit and goodwill then you will have achieved something truly great - I hope you do. Speaking so candidly here is a good sign.
I'm just happy that my Christmas wish was answered this year and we can have literally the exact same argument in every thread with any game that has IAP.
It has nothing to do with what I like. I believe I made quite a point with my comments and developed on its reasoning -- I explained and justified my point of view with missing gameplay elements that define this series. The same would be true if I didn't like space games at all. You may not "stand" my stated facts all you wish but that still won't make them not true.
