TanZen: $0.99 Forever!

[Little White Bear Studios]

Hey everyone, our $0.99 sale awhile ago was a great success, so we've decided to drop the price of TanZen (http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=286331900&mt=8) permanently to $0.99! If you've never tried the game out before, please give our Lite (http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=287657517&mt=8) version a try, which has 18 puzzles to solve. You can get over 288 puzzles in the full version!

Note: The price was changed at 1pm Pacific today. If the price hasn't changed for you yet, please try again later, as Apple's servers haven't updated your region yet.

[joehunt]

I've purchased many games but I keep coming back to TanZen - it's great fun. I've almost completed all of the puzzles so was wondering if there will be a TanZen 2 in the future? - I sure hope so.

[Oliver]

I bought TanZen a while ago and like it in a way but whats missing is a snap to grid feature :(.

[Little White Bear Studios]

I've purchased many games but I keep coming back to TanZen - it's great fun. I've almost completed all of the puzzles so was wondering if there will be a TanZen 2 in the future? - I sure hope so.

Not to worry, an update with more puzzles is going to Apple for review in the next day or so. It is currently going through testing, as the scrolling puzzle viewer has been improved, and there is another new feature. Thanks for playing! It means a lot to us!

[Little White Bear Studios]

I bought TanZen a while ago and like it in a way but whats missing is a snap to grid feature :(.

Thanks for the suggestion, Oliver! I will add that to our list of possible future features. :)

[networkman]

Little White Bear,
I'm giving it a try.

TTT.
for a developer.
:)

[Little White Bear Studios]

Little White Bear,
I'm giving it a try.

TTT.
for a developer.
:)

Thanks, networkman!

[sirisaacx]

I've been on the fence about getting this app for a while now, but I think it's definately worth it with the price drop. I'm just going to hold out for the update.

[Little White Bear Studios]

I've been on the fence about getting this app for a while now, but I think it's definately worth it with the price drop. I'm just going to hold out for the update.

Thanks, sirisaacx. We've got about 3-4 more hours of testing left on the update, so it should be submitted to Apple late this evening. So, given the previous review times for TanZen, you should see it seven days from now. If you do decide to buy now, your progress in the game is carried forward in the update.

[vandy1997]

You received an excellent review from iLounge here: http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/articles/comments/iphone-gems-good-games-with-familiar-names/ . Congratulations!

[Little White Bear Studios]

You received an excellent review from iLounge here: http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/articles/comments/iphone-gems-good-games-with-familiar-names/ . Congratulations!

Excellent! Thanks for the heads up! It's interesting that they gave the Lite version an A-, and the full version a B+, when they are identical in every way, except for the number of puzzles. I guess free rates better than volume of content. :)

[vandy1997]

Yeah, they tend to do that for free apps. I guess that they deem it a better value. I purchased your app long ago, but I thought that the review was great. And sometimes iLounge tears apps apart. I laugh at some of their reviews because they really point out the flaws in some of the apps from big-name companies.

Excellent! Thanks for the heads up! It's interesting that they gave the Lite version an A-, and the full version a B+, when they are identical in every way, except for the number of puzzles. I guess free rates better than volume of content. :)

[Little White Bear Studios]

Yeah, they tend to do that for free apps. I guess that they deem it a better value. I purchased your app long ago, but I thought that the review was great. And sometimes iLounge tears apps apart. I laugh at some of their reviews because they really point out the flaws in some of the apps from big-name companies.

Then I feel lucky! I did add a note in the comments, that the game does have sound. It's just very subtle, and can only be heard when you complete a puzzle, or the entire game.

And thanks for getting TanZen! Hopefully Apple will finish reviewing my update in a few days, and you'll have some more puzzles to play with!

[sirisaacx]

I ended up buying it, and I'm very happy. A good deal for a dollar. Are there any other features in the new update or is it purely levels?

[Little White Bear Studios]

I ended up buying it, and I'm very happy. A good deal for a dollar. Are there any other features in the new update or is it purely levels?

Thanks, sirisaacx! Glad you like it!

The update includes:
- new puzzles
- redesigned puzzle picker, which allows you to navigate all the pages of puzzles more easily, and shows you what pages haven't been completed yet
- another small, yet useful feature

[mrbass]

Thanks for the suggestion, Oliver! I will add that to our list of possible future features. :)

I bought TanZen a while ago and like it in a way but whats missing is a snap to grid feature :(.

Yes please implement snap to grid (tangrams latest update got that) and perhaps an option to turn off rotating circle if one wishes to just tap to rotate piece like I do.

[Little White Bear Studios]

perhaps an option to turn off rotating circle if one wishes to just tap to rotate piece like I do.

Actually, a very early beta version of the game worked this way. All the testers found it to be very annoying, as you could only rotate in one direction, and if you tapped one too many times, you'd have to go all the way around again. Also, tapping too fast would cause a flip to happen, as there is a fine line between two quick single taps, and one double tap. However, the selection ring is a very big hit with the majority of players, as is the freeform nature of the pieces. But I do understand why you'd like it to be the other way, and I certainly am not ruling that possibility out in the future.

[mrbass]

Ok sounds fair enough. How about an option with that rotating circle when you turn it it'll rotate 45 degrees. From a programming point of view this might be hard to implement as you'd have to specify how much rotating would be required to rotate it 45 degrees. Or it might be simple...honestly have no idea. In other words, just want a quick way to position it without having to micro-rotate it just right. Having said that, the snap-to-edge would be my main request though as that'd really speed up puzzle solving. Also advertise you have 288 puzzles not 200 anymore on app store. Don't short sell your app...hehe.

[Little White Bear Studios]

Ok sounds fair enough. How about an option with that rotating circle when you turn it it'll rotate 45 degrees.

This is actually something I've looked into a bit before. There are a couple issues here. One, jumping to 45 degrees changes the smooth feel of the game, which is one of our main selling points. Right now, it simulates a freeform movement by jumping at 15 degree angles. This gives the feeling of free rotation, yet it will still lock when it needs to. If you switch it to 45 degrees, the jump is very jarring. Also, there is a user expectation problem, because how far do you have to move your finger for the jump to happen? If you wait until 45 degrees, people will complain that the interface is sluggish. If you do it at say 15 degrees, the rotation is too fast, and it'll be hard to know when to stop moving. As I said, I have looked at this before, but I've yet to find a happy medium that fits the theme of the game and user expectations.

Having said that, the snap-to-edge would be my main request though as that'd really speed up puzzle solving.


Yes, this is a stickler for a very small percentage of players. As TanZen is meant to be a very casual game, speed really wasn't a factor in the original design decisions. As with all feature requests, I do add it to a list, and when it's time to work on an update, I weigh the feature against several things: technical feasibility, fits with the game theme, cost of development vs. sales vs. playing with my 3 kids. But I do take all suggestions seriously, and I never say never, as you never know what the future holds.


Also advertise you have 288 puzzles not 200 anymore on app store. Don't short sell your app...hehe.

Right you are! Forgot about changing the post. Thanks!

[Everydaynormalguy]

This is one of those games that you keep coming back to. I would only change one thing: for it to let you see your finished puzzles if you go back to them instead of asking you weather you wanna solve it again.

[BrettArchibald]

I'm more than happy with the way the pieces rotate at the moment, but I would like a snap-to-grid feature.

Something else I would also love is the ability to play using a chosen "profile" so that both my wife and I can play the game (at different times obviously), and we can each work through our own list of completed puzzles.
As it is at the moment, because I'm ahead of her (well, it is my phone after all :) ), she has to remember which page and puzzle she last played and then "re-play" the next already-completed puzzle after that one.

[Little White Bear Studios]

This is one of those games that you keep coming back to. I would only change one thing: for it to let you see your finished puzzles if you go back to them instead of asking you weather you wanna solve it again.

I can see how that would be helpful, thanks for the suggestion!

[Little White Bear Studios]

Something else I would also love is the ability to play using a chosen "profile" so that both my wife and I can play the game (at different times obviously), and we can each work through our own list of completed puzzles.

That may be an option in the future, Brett. Not technically difficult, but more of an interface/maintenance task, since it would involve adding a user interface to an already crowded screen, and coordinating two sets of data.

[BrettArchibald]

...Not technically difficult, but more of an interface/maintenance task, since it would involve adding a user interface to an already crowded screen...

I'd gladly help there! :) ;)

[Little White Bear Studios]

I'd gladly help there! :) ;)

As always, feel free to email me your suggestions, and we can discuss the possibilities. :)

[mrbass]

I'm more than happy with the way the pieces rotate at the moment, but I would like a snap-to-grid feature.
.

Snap-in is just about only thing missing to make tanzen playable for me. Tangrams $2 has it and so does Tangram Puzzle Pro $2. If possible please consider adding it when if time permits.

[rootbeersoup]

I deleted this game off my iPod for a couple reasons

Snap-in

And selecting/turning the pieces is somewhat difficult

[Little White Bear Studios]

I deleted this game off my iPod for a couple reasons

I'm sorry the game didn't fit your needs. Perhaps a future iteration of the game will better fit your expectations. For more information concerning snapping, please see the next message.

[rootbeersoup]

I'm sorry the game didn't fit your needs. Perhaps a future iteration of the game will better fit your expectations. For more information concerning snapping, please see the next message.

It's a good game... The idea is good and I would play it if better implemented I suppose

I actually think that the selecting/turning pieces was a bigger issue for me

[jborislow]

I bought this months ago when I think it was $2.99... Great game! One of my better purchases

[Little White Bear Studios]

Snap-in is just about only thing missing to make tanzen playable for me. Tangrams $2 has it and so does Tangram Puzzle Pro $2. If possible please consider adding it when if time permits.

Okay, I've never played either of these games before, but in the interest of the discussion, I just downloaded both the free versions, so I could see what they have to offer. Frankly, for the design goals I set out to maintain with TanZen, the methods both games are using for snapping would change the mood of the game. Let me try to explain:

TanZen was designed with the idea of making a tangrams game that was not like all the other tangram games available via software or web apps. Most of these apps treat the game the same as the other two games you've mentioned. Very mathematical, and very exact, with the side effect of becoming jumpy. A common theme was that the game was really in control of shape placement. The design philosophy of TanZen was to go in a completely different direction, by making the game very fluid, giving the player full control over the pieces, as if they were playing a real game of tangrams. Every design decision in the game was based on maximizing fluidity of movement. The game is designed to be played casually, at a slow pace, so maximizing the ability to complete a puzzle quickly was never a design goal. Snapping, at least the variety used in these two games, goes against the design goals of TanZen, and would actually break much of what makes the game popular in the first place. You would lose a few things off the top of my head:

1. Natural feeling of fluid motion.
2. Accurate rotation around the center of the piece, even after letting go.
3. Scaling. TanZen scales the puzzles to fit the screen, where these apps do not. This limits the variety of puzzles they can include in their games. Grid snapping does not scale well, due to rounding errors. Scaling is also used to transition between puzzles.
4. Uniqueness.

Now, I'm not arguing that snapping isn't a useful thing, because it certainly is. But the examples of snapping you're talking about are not something I would put into TanZen, as it goes against the goal of the game. I fully understand that to some players, this is a deal breaker. However, the game's design philosophy seems to have been very well received so far. Certainly, I could rewrite the game engine, and base it on a grid system, but that would change the game considerably, and quite possibly affect sales in a negative way.

Finally, I am in no way pretending not to hear that some players want snapping. I am currently looking at ways to implement snapping in a new and different way, that does not involve the jarring and unpredictable piece placement that I've seen in these other games. And don't get me wrong, both of these games are good tangram games. My main goal is to immerse you into the theme of the game. That is what I think differentiates TanZen from the rest: the theme. Yes, TanZen has more features (sans snapping) than the others, but that is not why the game is popular. TanZen is designed to be a gaming experience, which happens to be based on tangrams. Every feature request is weighed against the theme of the game. Some pass the test, and some do not. Snapping has not passed that test...yet.

[Little White Bear Studios]

I actually think that the selecting/turning pieces was a bigger issue for me

What is it you don't like about selecting and turning the pieces?

[Little White Bear Studios]

I bought this months ago when I think it was $2.99... Great game! One of my better purchases

Thanks! Glad you're enjoying it!

[vaelsh]

Hey one question. Could you make a feature that would allow the player to change the color of the pieces? Maybe even the background?

[daniglue]

Hey one question. Could you make a feature that would allow the player to change the color of the pieces? Maybe even the background?

Oh, no...please...
Now it's so zen, but if they make it violet or orange we won't have that feeling anymore...

They'll have to change the app's name. :)

[Little White Bear Studios]

Hey one question. Could you make a feature that would allow the player to change the color of the pieces? Maybe even the background?

Both of those are entirely doable, and have a fairly good chance of appearing at some point in the future. :)

[Little White Bear Studios]

Oh, no...please...
Now it's so zen, but if they make it violet or orange we won't have that feeling anymore...

They'll have to change the app's name. :)

Not to worry. Any change I make will have to fit with the theme of the game. And most likey, if I made any large changes, the original look would be available as well.

[vaelsh]

Thanks! I am looking forward to that. I tried the lite version and beat it just a few minutes ago and I am wondering a few things before I buy the full version. How often do you put out updates? Also, when could the changing color and background feature take effect?

[Little White Bear Studios]

Thanks! I am looking forward to that. I tried the lite version and beat it just a few minutes ago and I am wondering a few things before I buy the full version. How often do you put out updates? Also, when could the changing color and background feature take effect?

Updates are fairly regular, as least once a month, sometimes more often than that. TanZen started with a little over 100 puzzles in August, and currently has over 300. It was updated less than a week ago, with 27 new puzzles. All updates maintain your current progress in the game. As to when new colors/backgrounds will appear, there isn't a set schedule for either of those yet, but I imagine at least one of them will appear in the near future.

[vaelsh]

Any idea how near in the future? Just curious...

[daniglue]

Updates are fairly regular, as least once a month, sometimes more often than that. TanZen started with a little over 100 puzzles in August, and currently has over 300. It was updated less than a week ago, with 27 new puzzles. All updates maintain your current progress in the game. As to when new colors/backgrounds will appear, there isn't a set schedule for either of those yet, but I imagine at least one of them will appear in the near future.

have you ever considered to translate your app description into other languages?

[jborislow]

Another thing I just realized is that the entire game is only 3.1 MB! That is amazing considering the content in the game... just another great aspect of this game... so there is really no reason to ever delete it when you factor in the numerous updates...

[Little White Bear Studios]

Any idea how near in the future? Just curious...

I can't make any promises about feature release dates. Due to this being my night job, and having three kids, my free time is unpredictable. All I can say is, one of those features is on the short list of things to try to implement fairly soon.

[Little White Bear Studios]

have you ever considered to translate your app description into other languages?

I've considered it, but the lack of it hasn't really shown itself to hurt sales in other countries yet. TanZen sells extremely well outside the U.S. Is there a language you need it to be in?

[vaelsh]

Thanks LWBS. I appreciate it, and now look forward to updates. I think that I will go buy this awesome app right now. Can't wait for new stuff and more puzzles! I loved the lite version and I am sure that I will love the full version! Thanks!

[tosui]

Hey LWBS - I grabbed your game when it first went to $1, and I've been loving it since! This is one of my most-played games, and your updates/new puzzles keep me hooked. Keep up the good work!

[jborislow]

I can't make any promises about feature release dates. Due to this being my night job, and having three kids, my free time is unpredictable. All I can say is, one of those features is on the short list of things to try to implement fairly soon.

That is one awesome night job!

[Little White Bear Studios]

Another thing I just realized is that the entire game is only 3.1 MB! That is amazing considering the content in the game... just another great aspect of this game... so there is really no reason to ever delete it when you factor in the numerous updates...

And if it weren't for the tutorial, it would be about 1.5MB. :)

[Little White Bear Studios]

Thanks LWBS. I appreciate it, and now look forward to updates. I think that I will go buy this awesome app right now. Can't wait for new stuff and more puzzles! I loved the lite version and I am sure that I will love the full version! Thanks!

Thank you! Have a great time with the game!

[daniglue]

I've considered it, but the lack of it hasn't really shown itself to hurt sales in other countries yet. TanZen sells extremely well outside the U.S. Is there a language you need it to be in?

Some of my Italian friends were like "ah! did you purchase THAT THING? I noticed the icon on the app store, but I didn't really understand what's that game about..."

"ah, right...what is that? is it a zen garden application?"

"origami?"

"no...look at this" (and daniglue showed it)

"oh, that's nice..."

But, as you said, TanZen is one of the most sold application (even on the Italian store). It's just a pity that some people don't understand how the game works.

[Little White Bear Studios]

Hey LWBS - I grabbed your game when it first went to $1, and I've been loving it since! This is one of my most-played games, and your updates/new puzzles keep me hooked. Keep up the good work!

Thanks! I'm happy to hear you're enjoying it! I'll try to keep the updates coming!

[Little White Bear Studios]

That is one awesome night job!

That it is!

[jborislow]

It's great that the game is so good... because now you get to come on here and have everyone praise you :) Some Threads here are people bashing games that were poorly made...

[Little White Bear Studios]

Some of my Italian friends were like "ah! did you purchase THAT THING? I noticed the icon on the app store, but I didn't really understand what's that game about..."

"ah, right...what is that? is it a zen garden application?"

"origami?"

"no...look at this" (and daniglue showed it)

"oh, that's nice..."

But, as you said, TanZen is one of the most sold application (even on the Italian store). It's just a pity that some people don't understand how the game works.

Very interesting! I'll have to add description translation to my list of things to do in the future. I'd be fairly concerned that the in-game language wouldn't match though. Since Apple isn't allowing an easy way to include custom fonts in apps, my tutorial uses graphics for text. So including other languages would cause the app to explode in size. Hopefully this is something Apple will fix in the future, so I can provide a better experience for everyone. The animated nature of the tutorial seems to be bridging the gap fairly well though.

[jborislow]

Have Ascii art in the description that somehow shows how to play... lol

[daniglue]

Very interesting! I'll have to add description translation to my list of things to do in the future. I'd be fairly concerned that the in-game language wouldn't match though. Since Apple isn't allowing an easy way to include custom fonts in apps, my tutorial uses graphics for text. So including other languages would cause the app to explode in size. Hopefully this is something Apple will fix in the future, so I can provide a better experience for everyone. The animated nature of the tutorial seems to be bridging the gap fairly well though.

Definitely you don't a localization for TanZen :) , but the AppStore description translated into multiple languages would help (I think).

Keep working good.
I'll go to sleep now.

Ciao. :)

[Little White Bear Studios]

It's great that the game is so good... because now you get to come on here and have everyone praise you :) Some Threads here are people bashing games that were poorly made...

Well, I wouldn't say it's all praise. :P But yes, I spent many late nights for months making this game, so it is nice to see it's appreciated.


Okay, everyone. I'd love to keep conversing, but I need to go carve some pumpkins with my kids now. I'll be back later tonight if there are any more questions/requests. Have a nice night!

[jborislow]

I still am wondering how sales records work... Does Apple supply stats for sales in each country? Or is the game on the top 50 lists?

[jborislow]

Later... Have fun with that... I have to go too..

[Little White Bear Studios]

Definitely you don't a localization for TanZen :) , but the AppStore description translated into multiple languages would help (I think).

Keep working good.
I'll go to sleep now.

Ciao. :)

Thanks, I will certainly consider doing that!

[Little White Bear Studios]

I still am wondering how sales records work... Does Apple supply stats for sales in each country? Or is the game on the top 50 lists?

Yes, once a day, Apple sends sales stats for each country. We get the number of copies sold, the number of upgrades, and the number of refunds. TanZen is currently on the top 100 games list in 45 countries, so it's doing fairly well for a game that came out three months ago.

[The Bat Outta Hell]

Nine more puzzles, huzzah!

[coconutbowling]

Yay, mega bump!

[pluto6]

I have the wooden version of this game with a couple hundred cards that I keep in my office - I guess I will go the electronic version - although I still like handling wooden pieces.. something soothing about that..

[eugekava]

I bought the game after reading through this thread. Thanks to my TA addiction I am now enjoying a well designed game that is beautiful, clever and fun.

BTW, well done sticking to your guns regarding snapping to grid and other issues. I think this game is fine as is.

[Devilishly Good]

update 1.5.8 out

What's new
- 9 new puzzles!

[Michelangelo]

update 1.5.8 out

What's new
- 9 new puzzles!

It's not out for me :(

[Devilishly Good]

It's not out for me :(

maybe the update is still propogating, just give it a little time and see if shows up in your update section

[mihir79]

Have been playing this game since early this year...among my first paid games on the ipod. Love and keep coming back to it. Great job Little White!!;)

[mihir79]

You can get over 288 puzzles in the full version!


Aren't there more than 400 puzzles in the full version? I would know, i,ve finished all of them!:D

[Devilishly Good]

Aren't there more than 400 puzzles in the full version? I would know, i,ve finished all of them!:D

477 puzzles according to the app description, but i'm not sure if that incorporates the 9 new puzzles or not

[skyye06]

New Orange piece color! (Available on the Options screen.)

[Silver Orange]

New Orange piece color! (Available on the Options screen.)

Nice, sweet update. Great job to Little White Bear Studios for constantly updating this game!

This was one of the first games I ever bought on my device (second I think) and I still think it is the best puzzle game in the appstore. Check it out if you don't have it yet!

[eugekava]

Thanks, LWBS.

New orange colour is great. I think I can learn to love it as much as green.:)

[Devilishly Good]

1.6.3 update is out:

What's New

9 new puzzles