I'm not sure. I think it may have something to do with how I reset the angle-counter. I think there may be a posture where he gets "stuck" just at the surface of the water and keeps bobbing upwards. This is an annoying problem because I have to give a small bit of "rest" to the dolphin to adjust his forces smoothly from air to water otherwise he can get unstable. I need to nail this down for the clinical version. Extra points is not so much a concern there as getting "stuck" in that boundary which could get annoying.
Yay! Thanks for the update. Hopefully I will have more fun with Zoey now (Orcas are my favorite animal after Raptors).
Well thank you for being honest. We can't please everyone, unfortunately, all of the time . I knew the hardcore-experts may like the older controls but that requires very intense skills to get very good at. I'm just not sure the iOS market is suitable for that "type" of game - but time will tell how the mass of players respond. This is a very intriguing learning experience. Easy fix though: in the next update - I'm going to have an options menu that will let you set the variables that I am setting. Sliders for touch sensitivity and ai-gain. Some presets too. I think you're going to like the next game we are working on - there is no Ai-assist whatsoever because you have full 360 top down accel or dpad control. So its really your precision and skill that govern combat.
You're a shark in the new one. No Cetaceans. Only Chondrichthyes. Although we are playing with a sea-dragon that may make an appearance.
I was one of the early adopters who fell in love with the game's soul and presentation, but in the end, after trying quite hard to love the game's game, I gave up to the controls. This update makes the game much much more enjoyable for me, as I'm probably more in the casual market who prefers enjoying game without having to first put 5 hours to learn the basics (not about this game but any game with lengthy intro / tutorial). If you plan to bring back the old controls, I guess it's better not to use sliders and instead just let players choose between 'casual / easy / auto / whatever' mode and 'manual / advance / hardcore / veteran' mode. Then if you absolutely believe there has to be sliders, put it somewhere in the corner of 'advanced' mode, so casual gamers wont accidentally mess up the sliders (or at least give us an easy to reach reset button). You cant please everyone, that's true, even with dozens of options. But if some groups (reviews, forums posts, website, etc) voice similar concerns, then it's best to give them an option and let them choose. Because in this world, unless we have the luxury of loyal cashed up customers to rake in profits and survive long-term, we have to learn market reaction and adapt then grow better.
It's very easy, not much skill anymore. But like you said, it's an app on the App Store and these games tend to attract a lot more casual players as a cell phone or tablet was never meant to be a platform for a Battlefield game. All in all though, I like the new controls. It's much more relaxed now. Edit: You are still planning on more Dolphins and a possible perma-unlock for a the current ones in either this one or a Shark Eaters 2, right? I just love my freakin Dolphins.
Thank you dnk for your thoughtful comments. The controls that are in there now are going to stay the way they are as the default. I may do an update with options - but this version was carefully crafted with many insights. There is no "right" or "wrong" way to do it from the artists perspective - its a question of mood and feeling. To be true to the game, I have to design something that I love to play, and I want to play. This version is simply the "casual" in me - wanting to have fun with the game, but still offering challenge (especially towards the end). The previous version was a hardcore version where I really wanted a deep challenge that tested the limits of my reaction time. I had to bring out the casual more "fun" version because I think thats what this marketplace will like more. This version takes the "stress" out of the gameplay. Also - this doesn't preclude expansion levels that offer more challenge, but still without the "stress".
Yeah the new controls make the game much easier, haven't read anyone's posts, but it feels like there is an aim assist on here. Ran into a bug, kinda cute, but I ended a game in the middle of my dolphin going to surface, and now he's just bobbing up and down. Edit: oh, and it's crashed on me twice, always during when I'm picking a stage.
Yeah - that is a known bug that I need to address. Actually quite a pesky one thats not as trivial as one might think. how far have you gotten ?
installed the update today - i didn't know it would override the beta and keep its progress, i could have been playing the beta build to the end if i knew it. I thought they would be two separate apps for some reason. Congratulations on the controls once again, and it's nice to see the majority here supporting this. Also, what news on the different dolphins/ unlocks/ shark eaters 2 / that top down shark game?
I was coding today playing with some battles with the top down - so I think the next big announcement will be in the upcoming games. I am pretty sure I will do more updates with SE - soon. That will include more dolphins since we did them, they look beautiful, and need a home. I have an endless version almost finished too. But polish and final package will take a few weeks with the crazy schedule we have with the clinical stuff too which must take priority. Also - SE will have an "expansion" that brings the challenge further out - and with the same easy to use controller thats in there now. We wanted to make it accessible to as many people as possible first. Making it harder and challenging for the upper end of players is far easier than finding that right balance to appeal to most people to get them to play. So don't get too comfortable thinking the controls are too easy now and your skills are so good. I will add "black" cards after KThulu which will employ the deeper learning. You will still have the control ease - and they wont just be faster or more difficult via less lives. Rather, they will learn to anticipate your moves - so their victory will seem smooth and seamless. A real ai enemy.
Dammit, i really really hope you make it to the big names league. It's teams like you that make me think about starting a fb page about my favorite ios games, because sadly, my ios friends don't play so i can't spread the word to anyone interested yet...
