Universal [Open Beta] Addagrams (by Noah Rosenfield)

Discussion in 'Upcoming iOS Games' started by Tilt, Aug 7, 2021.

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Do you want more "making of" content?

  1. Heck yeah! Show me the dirt.

    3 vote(s)
    100.0%
  2. Not really, game updates only plz.

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%
  1. Tilt

    Tilt Well-Known Member

    Oct 29, 2015
    54
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    6
    Game Designer
    NYC
    #1 Tilt, Aug 7, 2021
    Last edited: Dec 13, 2022
  2. Tilt

    Tilt Well-Known Member

    Oct 29, 2015
    54
    0
    6
    Game Designer
    NYC
  3. Tilt

    Tilt Well-Known Member

    Oct 29, 2015
    54
    0
    6
    Game Designer
    NYC
  4. Tilt

    Tilt Well-Known Member

    Oct 29, 2015
    54
    0
    6
    Game Designer
    NYC
  5. Tilt

    Tilt Well-Known Member

    Oct 29, 2015
    54
    0
    6
    Game Designer
    NYC
  6. Tilt

    Tilt Well-Known Member

    Oct 29, 2015
    54
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    Game Designer
    NYC
    Addagrams 0.6.0 is now ready for you!

    BIG NEWS: RULE CHANGE

    Hints are now available for use in the daily puzzle. But...

    Using the hint button prevents you from earning the perfect round bonus point for that round.

    Note, using the hint button makes it impossible to achieve a perfect score (required for entry in the 99 Club). But, you can replay the daily multiple times.

    See below for the full list of new features and happy 'gramming!

    Addagrams 0.6.0 Change Log
    - Hint Button rule change (using the hint button prevents you from earning the bonus point for a perfect round)
    - The "initials entry" looks and works better (the selector arrows are now functional!)
    - A bigger dictionary with more puzzles!
    - UI improvements (buttons, colors, etc.)


    Testflight: https://testflight.apple.com/join/JHSKgGvB
    Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.nosenfield.addagrams
    Website: https://addagrams.com
     
  7. Tilt

    Tilt Well-Known Member

    Oct 29, 2015
    54
    0
    6
    Game Designer
    NYC
    #7 Tilt, Jun 17, 2022
    Last edited: Jun 18, 2022
    Release Update: Addagrams 0.7.0

    Ok, two things:

    1. We've got another big update this time :)
    2. We can't post the android version just yet :( waiting on a replacement device to continue debugging

    So in the meantime here's the iOS version! https://testflight.apple.com/join/JHSKgGvB

    No rule changes this time, but a much more polished experience: new splash screen, new landing screen, improved tutorial, "grape juice", daily puzzle cache bug fixes, and a few others.

    We'll let you know as soon as the android build is approved for the play store.

    And on a more personal note...

    Phew, what an update. We had all these separate pieces of the experience built (gameplay, free play menu, daily puzzle menu) but no structure yet. I had been using a messaging layer for inter-scene communication, which was great when the experience was still uncertain and I needed more "plug and play" ability. But now that things have solidified a bit I found it was causing more problems than it was solving, so I traded off flexibility for simplicity and refactored to static references.

    I'm really happy with how it turned out though. And the new splash screen is so smooth. That one definitely took a little grinding. Who knew you had to restart the device between installs to get startup screen changes to register? Well, now I do, ha.

    Hopefully the new point graphics help balance what was some rather austere feedback. Interestingly, the hardcore players have already voiced their dislike of it because "it takes too long". I thought that might happen, so I'll probably push out a new setting to the player config to skip animations. Easily solved and gives me another reason to get to work on the "settings" experience.

    The daily puzzle is still causing issues every now and then (not recaching). It's a backend issue and I've been thinking of swapping in Beamable for Firebase for a while, but just haven't found the time or motivation to learn/implement a new tool. Maybe next update...

    Until next time, happy gramming!
     
  8. Tilt

    Tilt Well-Known Member

    Oct 29, 2015
    54
    0
    6
    Game Designer
    NYC
    #8 Tilt, Jun 18, 2022
    Last edited: Sep 16, 2022
  9. Tilt

    Tilt Well-Known Member

    Oct 29, 2015
    54
    0
    6
    Game Designer
    NYC
    #9 Tilt, Jun 30, 2022
    Last edited: Jun 30, 2022
    Android Release Update: Addagrams 0.7.1

    Hello, green bubble friends! The newest Addagrams update is now available for Android:

    https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.nosenfield.addagrams

    It looks and feels great on our new Galaxy A8 tablet. So glad to finally move past Kitkat 4.4.1. This was such a huge blocker for us because the newest Unity version stopped support for anything below Lollipop (which our Note 4 couldn't handle, lol). Ah, sweet, sweet progress.

    Featuring:


    - UI Overhaul
    - Polish + Juice

    - Daily puzzle caching problems are finally fixed!*

    Happy gramming!

    * We think... If you have any issues with this please let us know!
     
  10. Tilt

    Tilt Well-Known Member

    Oct 29, 2015
    54
    0
    6
    Game Designer
    NYC
    0.7.3 Release Update and Soft Launch Contest!

    We are so excited to finally announce our upcoming soft launch. We've seen an amazing influx of new faces from around the globe over the past week. Nothing helps propel us more than you, our players. And as a result our confidence and determination have never been higher.

    Which is why we have decided to hold a Soft Launch Country Selection Contest in your honor!

    On September 22, the top three countries with the most new players will win first access to Addagrams.

    So round up your roos and message your mounties. Grab your guv and ask your amigas. Send them to http://addagrams.com or share the beta directly via the links below:

    Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.nosenfield.addagrams
    Apple: https://testflight.apple.com/join/yHVGpzXX

    Plus, we'll live stream the results next Thursday during our Unity Dev Hour at 1pm on Twitch, so mark your calendar and we'll save you a seat.

    Let the 'grams begin!


    Dear US/UK players, We love you. You were our first. Unfortunately we're unable to offer soft launch in these countries due to the nature of the Play/App stores. But don't be discouraged from sharing. If you win we'll make it up to you. Promise .
     
  11. Tilt

    Tilt Well-Known Member

    Oct 29, 2015
    54
    0
    6
    Game Designer
    NYC
    We Pushed the Button - 0.8.5

    Addagrams is now live for our Soft Launch Contest Winners. Congratulations again to:

    [App Store Links]
    Australia

    Brazil
    Canada
    Greece
    Ireland
    South Africa

    [Play Store Link]

    Everyone!


    A huge thanks to all our beta players for helping us make it through this tremendous milestone. We can't wait to keep impressing you. And for anyone looking to enjoy early access to new features, click on your platform at https://addagrams.com


    Here's our soft launch thread: https://toucharcade.com/community/threads/au-br-ca-gr-ie-za-addagrams-by-noah-rosenfield.426803/

    We'll be posting updates to both threads (wherever seems relevant) as we continue our open beta and gathering feedback, so keep it coming!

    Oh, and here's our newest gameplay trailer. What do you think of the music? Sound is one of our next big updates and this one really caught our ear. We'd love your input:


     
  12. Tilt

    Tilt Well-Known Member

    Oct 29, 2015
    54
    0
    6
    Game Designer
    NYC
    PlayNYC '22 and Version 0.8.9

    TLDR: Snag the update, enjoy the new features, and we'll see you on the leaderboards!

    Big news this time round. First up, #PlayNYC '22!

    For those outside the NYC indie scene, Play NYC (hosted by Playcrafting) is New York's premier event for all things indie gaming. We had a blast exhibiting and it was awesome to chat, laugh, and connect with our players. That's literally my favorite part, always.

    In case you missed it and want to check out our sweet booth setup and some behind the scenes stuff, we posted some video clips here: https://www.instagram.com/playaddagrams/


    On the development side of things, I'm excited to announce our newest build (0.8.9) with two new features and what to look out for over the next two months. Introducing...

    A smarter "check" button! We've updated our algorithm to alert you when no unplayed anagram exists.Here, check it out:

    IMG_0455.jpg
    1. We hit "check racks" and are told the status of the two racks (each is a word) and then we play them.
    2. We hit "check racks" and are told that both words in our racks have already been played.
    3. We try an alternate arrangement and are told that there is no unplayed answer for the letters TYR but that there is still an anagram for the letters NWO (OWN or WON)

    New custom avatars! Dropping this month are: Lucky Clover, Android Classic, Mac Classic and... our limited Playcrafting
    avatar previously available exclusively for PlayNYC '22 booth attendees.

    IMG_0459.PNG IMG_0461.PNG IMG_0462.PNG IMG_0460.PNG


    We've got big plans for the next two months and need your input. We'll share more shortly. In the meantime, snag the update, enjoy the new features, and let us know what you think.

    See you on the leaderboards!
    – Noah

    IMG_0427.PNG
     
  13. Tilt

    Tilt Well-Known Member

    Oct 29, 2015
    54
    0
    6
    Game Designer
    NYC
    #13 Tilt, Dec 13, 2022
    Last edited: Dec 13, 2022
    0.8.11 Patch Release

    TLDR: We drastically reduced memory usage. Any player who has been stuck/crashing on an older device, please try this build! Oh, and we squashed that nasty last round popup bug. This one is definitely a worthwhile update.


    It's been three weeks since our last update and that last round "dead end" popup bug has been killing me. I kept hoping to push a quick patch that would just leave some dangling wires while I worked on a better solution, but never managed to find the time for the small update, so instead you get the big one!

    We've done a massive overhaul of our puzzle generation algorithm that has reduced memory requirements by 50%. We saw that a number of players on older devices essentially got forced out of the game due to memory constraints after we increased the puzzle selection. Hopefully this will do the trick to get you back up to speed.

    If you're one of those players, please let us know if this worked!

    Untitled-1.jpg


    In other news...

    We've got our next live event picked and planned. Ok, mostly planned. Here we come PGConnects London!

    We'll be yacking it up at the journalist's bar, offering 1v1 challenges in the Big Indie Zone, and shaking our stuff at the Very Big Indie Pitch. So if you're in the area come on through. We'd love to see you!

    And we're cooking up some of those OG NFT's, that hand-crafted swag. One of a kind, just like Addagrams and just like you :cool:

    If you want more posts about stuff like our live events, "making of", and more let us know in the poll at the top of the page.

    IMG_0589.jpg
     
  14. Tilt

    Tilt Well-Known Member

    Oct 29, 2015
    54
    0
    6
    Game Designer
    NYC
    Important Update: 0.8.12 Patch Release

    TLDR: We were a little too efficient with memory reduction in our last update and we accidentally let loose a nasty bug which prevented in-progress games from saving. That has been fixed and we recommend all players upgrade to 0.8.12. We've also included a new custom avatar to commemorate the occasion/make up for the inconvenience

    Woof, what a week. Somehow this nasty little bug slipped into production. My best guess is we had a little git branch mixup. And then, in reverting the code to fix the issue, we ran into a huge heap of problems with some 3rd party plugins that were preventing a successful build .

    Thankfully, after much coffee, cursing, and cajoling, we managed to get the patch built, uploaded, and released.

    To help us blow off some steam and to help ease your pain, we also got a little creative and have included a new save-themed avatar to mark the occasion. Hope you enjoy it and apologies for any inconvenience the bug caused during the last week.

    In other news...

    We're still getting ourselves prepped and ready for PGC London. We've now secured a few more of the components for our DIY swag and should be able to begin the assembly process shortly. Our booth preparations are coming together and it should be an excellent time. Hope to see you there!
     
  15. Tilt

    Tilt Well-Known Member

    Oct 29, 2015
    54
    0
    6
    Game Designer
    NYC
    Given that this is the first reply we've gotten (oof! lol) I'm tempted to just leave it.

    CRYPTO is actually a great letter set for Addagrams. It gives you:

    CRY OPT

    CRY POT
    CRY TOP
    TRY COP
     
  16. Tilt

    Tilt Well-Known Member

    Oct 29, 2015
    54
    0
    6
    Game Designer
    NYC
    #16 Tilt, Mar 29, 2023
    Last edited: Mar 29, 2023
    Major Update: 1.0.0 Release

    TLDR: Our newest version features a more inclusive leaderboard, post-game stats, new custom avatars and more. Updating to 1.0.0 is required to access the daily puzzle. Grab it for Android and Apple.

    play-2208X1242.png learn-2208x1242.png compete-2208x1242.png


    It's been a while since our last update, but not for lack of development. Version 1.0.0 is absolutely packed with feature changes and bug fixes. Most importantly...

    Inclusive Leaderboard: The 99 Club is now an open leaderboard. Just finish the puzzle to get your rank and see how you stack up each day.
    Post-Game Summary: Review your puzzle and watch your lifetime stats grow after every finish.
    Instant Daily Puzzle Refresh: No more caching issues for your daily puzzle, so you'll always be up to date (updates @ midnight GMT)
    New Avatars: We designed 3 new looks (Baseball, Bread, Terminal) and brought back some oldies as well.
    Tutorial Improvements: Better onboarding for new players


    And lastly, our trial period is coming to a close which means we'll be enabling some minor advertising to help keep us up and running. Our global launch date is closer than ever and we're looking to release in just a few more weeks, so jump in now to get a head start.

    See you on the leaderboards!

    - Noah
     
  17. Tilt

    Tilt Well-Known Member

    Oct 29, 2015
    54
    0
    6
    Game Designer
    NYC
    BIG changes in Version 1.1.1.

    TLDR: Our new update is absolutely STACKED with a new look and new features. Grab it for Android and Apple.


    We've been hard at work prepping for our global launch in just a few days! What do we have to show for it? Well... THIS

    a8_99Club.jpg a7_TheDaily.png a4_PlayerCard.jpg a3_GameSummary.jpg


    THE JUICE: We've got new icons, a new menu structure, and more juicy goodness for you to sink your fingers into.
    PLAYER CARD: A new place for everything YOU with in-depth stat tracking and new custom avatars.
    GAME SUMMARY: Review your game, see definitions for words played, grow your stats and share your progress with friends!


    We've also added a guided tutorial for new players, difficulty tiering for our puzzle library, and options for ad removal.


    You asked for it... new behind the scenes footage!



    We finished editing the footage from our trip to London for Pocket Gamer Connects. Take a trip with us around the city and tour the Addagrams booth where our keychains made their debut!
    keychains.jpg IMG_132059BAD7FB-1.jpeg


    Thanks for reading, watching, and playing! Stay tuned for more updates as we ramp up for our global launch.

    - Noah
     

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