The problem is TOB has a wide array of surfaces you can climb, like in Super Mario World, it wasn't limited to just up/down but any direction you wanted to go. So for now, Option C is your best bet. Go to options->controls-> and drag the Type slider to the right. This will make it so you cannot slip off ladders.
I'd be fine if when on ladders you went to 4 direction arrows with the ability to jump off or move hard left or right to get off a ladder. Outside of that, diagonals could be active for jumping between chains (which the original controls worked better for me on that) or climbing wheels or whatever else is out there. Also, it would be nice if checkpoints (as someone else also mentioned) served as a sort of mini-save... so if you die then you restart at that point with any of the defeated enemies still defeated and the same time on the clock. As for the timer, rather than death when it expires... let the game keep going (like Meganoid 2) but just make it where you can't earn a star or bonus points on the score or something. Deeper than that, Mikey Shorts was a different kind of platformer because of the need for speed, but it had a similar collectathon to it with the coins and the hidden secret shorts to find. Playing through on subsequent runs didn't undo your work but rather let you keep the collecting going. So if you found the shorts, they weren't there, but coins and enemies and stuff were always to appear on subsequent plays for the whole speed run deal. Still if you finished the coin collecting during a game, that stayed recorded for the accomplishments on that level. So replays eventually ended up just being about speed and precision and not about anything else. This game isn't as much about speed, but it could be and it could also be about score and collecting the other stuff. Really it's all on y'all to decide the direction of the game. But there's always room for improvement. Look at Little Caves sometime for an example of a floating analog stick that actually does not relocate ever unless you remove your thumb from the screen. It's bloody brilliant and it has full movement. Look at Jazz Trumps Journey, SpyCorp, the fixed control option in Towel Fight 2 is also pretty nice (and that game got plenty of flack for the controls in it's initial release), and I'm sure countless other examples. I'm not expecting TOB to be the end all be all of platformers. I think maybe if I want something like that I need to get off my own rear, download some game engines and start coding the games of my dreams. Still, it would be nice to see this become something that helps elevate the iOS platform as a serious gaming platform as it gets refined over time.
Thanks, just tried with option c controls and they seem the best for now. Hope you guys can refine things and continue developing the TOB story/games as there's loads of potential there.
I need to eat a little crow. Rob/SimianSquared contacted me personally to recommend try the "fixed" option as it was a fixed four direction D-pad that I had missed. My bad in not trying the third option after the first 2 had failed, and I really, really appreciated the personal touch of a dev going out of their way to contact me. That said, option C, while a vast improvement, still doesn't work for me. At the end of the day, my general opinion hasn't changed, which is that there's obviously a metric ton of originality and inspiration in this game's design, characters, and presentation, but the controls in any of their 3 current iterations prevent me from enjoying the game. It's not a big deal, I wish the devs luck and, again, people who are clicking with these controls, enjoy. I'll give it another try down the road when things have been further tweaked and see how that works for me.
I know you guys have worked a crapton on the controls, but I'd like to request three more features: 1) An option to remove the dead zone in the middle of option C, so that if you are touching the screen, you're moving. I suspect that this is a large reason for why people still dislike the controls. 2) An option to allow you to move your thumb anywhere after you've touched the dpad (like most analogue sticks), just without moving the actual dpad. 3) An option to allow you to move diagonally with option C, like pressing two buttons on a GameBoy. I think if you eventually implement these, the controls'll be pretty much perfect!!
So much banter about the controls still - it is a hot topic with iPhone gaming in general but I think these guys nailed it Especially in regard to taking on feedback etc - a small team so a crazy good effort... New controls should suit every player... But enough about the controls. Has anyone 3 Stared all levels? planck
Oh and the pixel art is fantastic! I have recently started doing some myself after years of hand drawing so I have a new found appreciation - planck
I'm enjoying it much more now with the new controls, yeah i'm sure there could be other slight adjustments made (i know the poster above you mentioned 3 MORE options !) but that would be ridiculous to have 6 or so possible control options ! I think we're forgetting the big picture that this is a 69p game, i've had a lot of value for money (since the update) for my 69p and i'm looking forward to the free levels we'll get at some point soon as well (great value). And yeah i'm loving all the graphics (and music). Looking forward to seeing later levels
I nailed it plenty of times Glad to hear that you're having so much fun with it! We put a lot of effort into every aspect of the game but you can't ever please everybody. That's just how it is We are currently putting our time and effort into making more content now. The controls are very solid as is and there is still a lot we want to do in upcoming updates.
At the end of each level you will see a scoreboard. There is a little "?" in the right upper corner of that board which will tell you how many Points you need for a Star Pigeons you need on you while crossing finish line Golden Pigeons found/needed (3 are to be found in each level).
I've never seen developpers take so much negative feedback and always seem cheerful, upbeat and positive. You deserve 3 stars for this. This game is pure gold and an enjoyment to play with the new control schemes. Whatever you do never change your attitude and you'll go a long way
Thank you so very much for your kind words Happy to hear that you're satisfied with the new control options! As for our attitude, we're gamers as well and we fully understand the "passion" some bring to the table when it comes to games. So we always try to be understanding and open to ideas/input even though we can't make everyone happy but that's just how it is in any industry. Some people bash our game, we even got some "bad" reviews and there just isn't much we can do about it even though I want to go and tell these reviewers they are all wrong (because we as a team put a lot of work into it). However, we don't do that. We take it and instead of getting all riled up and upset we choose to stay cool and look at all the beautiful replies here on Touch Arcade or the reviews in the app store. We are generally happy developers as we really enjoy making "The Other Brothers" the game we intended it to be and if people like yourself love it then that makes us even happier
We didn't see it as bad criticism, I only saw people caring enough to post how they felt so we could fix it. And fixing it up has led to people being happier, and the show is not over yet. Much more to come
Congratulations guys. The review was really positive. I'm glad the TA team saw the greatness in the game you have created. I hope it translates into a sales bump for you.
