Thank you for the lengthy explanation although I strongly disagree concerning the ability to make comparisons to the previous games. Would you say then that the game plays balanced at free and that the gem system is an unnecessary superimposition? No paywalls to speak of?
The only walls you'll run into are the gates to each new area. They require three keys to open, which you get by request from facebook friends or spend 40 gems per key. The other option is unlocking the whole gate for 10k gold. Grinding out 10k is doable, but it's still a progress halter. I find the gates pretty lame and don't see how they add anything positive to the experience. So there's that. But as far as the rest of the gameplay goes, no, I don't see any paywalls. Some of the magic abilities require gems to use, which is unfortunate, but I honestly don't feel that these are necessary to play the game. They seem to be geared for those high rollers who just want to blaze through the game on easy mode.
As I said before, I really want to like this, but as I continue to play through it, wading through all of these "paid" options seem more and more like a chore, a social and economic machine rather than a game. I am going to sneak on back to Sword and Poker 2 before it gets taken down and hope that Konami takes our feedback into consideration.
Your comment about magic being only for high rollers I don't think is valid as a lot of the earned stars are tied to specific achievements made using particular magic spells. So basically a portion of the core gameplay is tied to that, which means even if you pay 4.99 or 9.99 or whatever price the game is for the IAP (funny that no one still knows even when Eli met with the devs) you are still not getting the entirety of the game without shelling out for consumable IAP. Again the gate/premium currency thing we've seen before (Angry Birds Epic) and it's sad that the state of iOS gaming has come to this. This isn't an attack on the choices devs have to make, they are only responding to the market, it's just sad that iOS gaming has gone in this direction when I'm sure we all thought a couple of years ago it would be in a totally different place today.
I like that last statement. It's basically saying "So besides all of these paywalls and gem purchases and facebook advertisement feed vomit, I totally don't see any other paywalls. So it's all good guys!" I really love this series too, so this one kinda stings the most.
Well, I guess reading comprehension can't be everyone's strong suit. He asked if there were any paywalls. A paywall, if you don't know, is a point in a game where you must pay in order to continue progression. I mentioned one... ONE... "wall" in the game, which isn't necessarily a "pay" wall, since you can either facebook spam your way through it or grind out gold in game to get past it. You can, of course, pay your way through it, but there are alternatives to doing so. Other than that, there is nothing that could be considered a paywall in the game. Hopefully that's more understandable to you.
Are the spells required by those achievements only available from the gem spells? I haven't really payed attention to the star requirements on the levels yet.
Stage 2 with 3 stars can't be completed without the magic spell Rob, stage 3 without some type of fire magic.
No, you misunderstand. I know exactly what you were saying. I'm making light of the tone that there's an air of acceptability of having a singular paywall to begin with, especially after paying for energy system removal, or the various aforementioned in app purchases/facebook nonsense. Don't take it so personally with the unnecessary condescension.
I really want to like this game and have been playing intermittently due to the energy bar. Then in the third day I got the "Rob" magic as a free gift and thought "great now I can get those achievements where you have to steal a card from each opponent of that stage. Turns out the "Rob" magic is a one time use. To get more you have to buy it for 10 Gems EACH time. I'm at stage 8, only purchased updates for health, 1 sword and 1 shield and Have got every chest. And I am out of coins. So I'm not sure how I am making 10,000 coins by stage 13. I have not purchased the previous S&P games. Is it better if I spend $4 on S&P2?
That's not how your post came across, and even looking back at it after reading this response, it still doesn't come across that way. Don't be so suprised when you get negative responses to snarky comments (especially when they misrepresent the actual discussion at hand). The fact is, there's no pay wall, per se. You can play all the way through the game without ever paying a dime or logging in to facbook. I've already stated my dislike for the gates and how they locked some of the more powerful spells behind gems, so I'm not sure where you think this "air of acceptability" for those things is coming from.
If you don't mind the step down in graphics, absolutely yes. Both play very similarly but in my opinion Sword & Poker 2 is a superior experience. It is also void of any IAP nonsense. What you pay for is what you get.
Agreed. Once you beat it though, there is not a lot of replay value, however, it will take you a long time. IMHO the gameplay is better due to better magic, and more strategy.
Most games which are said to have paywalls allow you to continue advancing via a combination of massive luck and strong play, or grinding. I know that you're talking about the kind where advancing is literally impossible, so it seems that this is where a miscommunication is happening. nodoctors, probably better to direct your annoyances toward a review for this game, too. Gotta keep people informed.
S&P 1&2 are worth getting if you enjoy any part of the mess that this game is turning out to be, they are a lot of fun, and don't have any of the frustrating "features". There's a reason that this game is getting 2 1/2 stars both here and in the App Store, it could easily be a 4 or 5 star game. Hopefully Konami takes note and pulls it like Dungelot 2, tweaks it and tries again. I won't be buying the unlimited energy until something is done to make it a great sword and poker game. I'm sure that after having paid for the rights that Konami will try something to make it work, so that it's not a complete loss for them. One look at any of the comments should steer them in the right direction. I just looked on the App Store, they are only under iPhone games, but both original games are still there. If you aren't sure if they are for you, they both have free versions to try first.
Cheers. I'll keep trying it out as long as the gem weapons are eventually replaced by gold weapons and they do not limit your options on what weapons are available for gold. The third slot spell are a big disappointment. At the very least make all spells available and we might even occasionally use gems to open up the third slot. What does getting 3stars get you? Nothing? Also funny if this horrible freemium of a great paid game ends up making snp1/2 getting more sales. ^_^
Still can't believe they locked up some of the best stuff like Rob, my favorite magic. And locking the 2nd and 3rd slots as pay only sucks. I really wish they just released a TRUE premium game version for $5 and a lite (the same game we're playing) for free. I've seen some devs do this but I think they'd rather people just go through the free games to "force" them to pay up. Premium is none of their business. This game only has the graphics overhaul and mission system going for it. Everything else is pretty terrible.
I think since it's in jest at your post's expense you refuse to read it that way, but I'm certain others can see what I'm pointing out. You know there is a paywall, you say you don't like it, but you still say that one ridiculous comment that can be said about every single free to play game in history "The fact is, there's no pay wall, per se. You can play all the way through the game without ever paying a dime or logging in to facbook." That is acceptance of the model. You can say you don't like it, but still have an air of acceptance to it, and hopefully this was clearer. You should refuse to believe that since you can spend five years trying to grind through a game for free that it's okay they're designed so heavily with anti-game and anti-consumer mechanics. You paid for the energy removal system, and yet you still have literal paywalls in the form of gates. Oh, and since there's multiple gates, there are multiple literal paywalls. It's just repeated.
I just looked, and they require you to steal cards and burn the enemies, both of which are weapon effects. The only achievement I see that is specific to magic is the one which says to complete the zone without equipping magic at all on the first zone.
