Not all IAP are "skinner box diversions". There are many free games with IAP that focus on gameplay and solid mechanics without compromising the experience
Now that's pretty subjective What about 3DS ports like Mutant Mudd and Gunman Clive? Or console ports like Limbo and XCOM? Or PC ports like Incredipede and Frozen Synapse? Or the countless other IOS-exclusive experiences like Incoboto and Device 6?
These ports you mentioned are rushed and still in beta. No game on iOS is bug-free (the big names) it can't be bug-free. iOS changes all the time (new software builds etc.. that ruins and breaks games. No serious gamer will play iOS solely, IF they do.. they'll move on eventually after experiencing all the bugs and troubles in the long run.
No game in existence is bug free, that's just a silly thing to say. As games get more intricate it becomes more difficult to the point of impossibility to design the "flawless" game. Any "serious" gamer would know that...and using that term is a pretty glaring sign of elitism. Anyway, to say something that hasn't been said yet, I despise the AppStore. So many reasons...but having spent so much time on there trying to find the new releases, checking purchase history and seeing great games getting no exposure it's hard not to be disappointed with it.
Half time I'm not sure if your comments are serious or sarcastic but anyway...uh, none of those ports are betas
They ARE in beta, they just don't label them as beta. They want their games out early to make money. IF I was part of QC I would never push out builds without thoroughly testing them out on multiple devices. Quality should be first, not greed.
Think thats a bit far fetched. I havent had any problems with Limbo, Mutant Mudd, Gunman Clive, no show stopping bugs. Minor things i can look past as they can be added in an update. I'm a serious gamer but i stay solely with iOS due to convenience. Any bugs/troubles i have found in the past are minor compared to the hours and hours of fun i've had playing the various games. I work in software and i dont get too upset with any minor issues i find with games, even more so when i know i've only spent 69p on the game and the poor dev has to try and cater for multiple devices and OS systems etc. I admit if i buy a game for $50 on another platform i would be very angry if there were any major bugs/issues. But when theres a minor 'bug' on a 1 dollar game, i'm okay waiting for it to be fixed
Best idea ever! As someone putting out their first game in a couple months this is what I struggle with. I don't have high hopes of making big money but would like to break even (art adds up) so I'm struggling with freemium. My guiding principles are 1) if it would annoy me don't do it 2) don't trick someone into clicking something they didn't mean to 3) reward paying customers with more of a good thing or customization vs punishing non-paying customers with unnecessary barriers.
I say the one major thing I have about iOS is GREED. The AppStore and iTunes is the most popular online retail shop on the world and everyone wants their cut, and that is just not possible. There are way too many developers on iOS that heard the tales of Angry Birds a want to get rich by any means (and by any means I mean: copying others persons work without prejudice, upload a lot of crap, IAP schemes, bots, price drop tricks, and much much more. I wish the world was a bit less afraid of public opinion and what others think and a little bit less fanatics and less greedy. It would be so much better...
These's a lot wrong with iOS as a platform, at least tangentially. $1 games. This is not sustainable, it's insane. Good games take effort and gamers can't expect what the expect for $1, let alone what they expect for $10. Freemium anything. Garbage, obviously. Shovelware. Greedy, cash-in publishers. Which is far from an iOS exclusive problem but clearly it's taken to an extreme on this platform... handhelds always suffer this to the greatest degree. Apple. The company's awful, proprietary everything and the popularity is entirely undeserved; unfortunately, that popularity lends the App Store a massive competitive advantage. After that, App Store censorship, again, garbage, obviously. On the surface that seems to distill down to an honest dislike of the company and it's consumers, not all but plausably a non-vocal majority; reminds me of Steam actually. Fortunately, the developers are rock solid, which I actually can't say for steam, and the platform is a bastion for latent niche markets, which I personally appreciate. Distilled to a final conclusion, I guess it's all about a few great developers, whom I humbly appreciate, laying out pearls before swine. An interesting market to be sure.
Great post. Sums up most of the problems with the AppStore. I would add into that: a lack of any sort of quality assurance or standards in the approval process. Apple will allow almost anything on the store in the hopes of making their 30%. I understand that some people would argue adding that step would make the approval process take longer. I would contend that, they could immediately dismiss a large percentage of apps/games, saving the trouble of meticulously sifting through every file for "offensive" content. Which could speed up the process. The other advantages of QA would be getting rid of the shovelware and having people feel more confident in spending some money on an app. As opposed to waiting for a sale, or free game.
Also promo code competitions ! Look at all the people writing 5 star reviews for 'watching paint dry simulator' just to try and win a $5 gift voucher. The fake App Store reviews ruin it. Think they should be ashamed
I hate developers putting in advertisements as a sneaky update in paying apps , that is an insult to buyers. They would never dare to do that in PC games, but I guess mobile ecosystem is tolerant enough.
I mostly agree but there are some iOS games that are as good as something you'd find on PC or Console. Deus Ex: The Fall was developed first for mobile and it's a wonderful, full-fledged gaming experience.
He said true gamers , not games. If you're playing only on a mobile platform , you can't expect games to be a full experience. Phones and tablets are not made specifically for gaming- at least not yet. So all these games are like little things to do when you're in a long line or if you're at a doctors appointment and need to do something. Gamers require full-fledge experiences , not minute man rushes.
What is a full experience? A AAA-level game? Or just a game that requires time and dedication, more than just quick sessions? Yes there are many games like that, from Super Hexagon to Jetpack Joyride, but there are many lengthy involved games such as Device 6, A Dark Room, Incoboto, Penumbear, ports like XCOM, King of Dragon Pass, KOTOR, etc. So I wouldn't generalize all of IOS gaming as little timewasters
The major thing I hate is games with two types of currency, aka freemium games. It usually adds a level of complexity that scars the game, and makes it uglier than it truly is. And as far as the "True gamer" discussion goes, I consider myself a hardcore gamer and there are iOS games I'll pick up and play for hours before I play Battlefield or Dark Souls. You can't really generalize.
