LandFormer is OUT - (Free + DLC)

[ataloss]

Okay. A little confused because the developer stated it would be out today, but according to the Appstore, it was out on the 20th June? Anyway. It's here! (I think) :rolleyes:

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/landformer/id350807495?mt=8

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2 DLCs:

1) Premium Content ($1.99) - 50 new levels, save created levels, and more!

2) Discotheque Theme ($0.99) - Download the Discotheque Theme to play Landformer.

NOTE: The free version has adds, purchasing either/or both of the above will disable this.

[goiMot]

Yes, it's OUT, Downloading now.

[VeganTnT]

haha, I definitely just burned through all 10 levels in about 5 minutes.

Once you get the concept these beginner levels will be a breeze. I'll have to wait for the premium content (stupid gameloft sale) but I'll definitely be keeping this until I can get it

[RiverOnFire]

Looks real good and the DLC pricing is fair as well.

[jwei44]

I tried getting the dlc but I got something about a "Test User Acciunt" and a sandbox environment. Help! :(

[c.ihls]

I first saw this game in the upcoming-thread and wanted to pass on this, as I'm REALLY bad at this sort of puzzle games :rolleyes:

This morning I saw, that it is in fact a freemium game, so I thought 'hm, why not take at look (the graphics got me hooked)?' - and now I have already purchased the level pack and try to sort the easy levels out :D

Great game - but I think, I will not even succeed in solving the medium levels :rolleyes:

[VeganTnT]

I tried getting the dlc but I got something about a "Test User Acciunt" and a sandbox environment. Help! :(

are you jailbroken? cause that would cause that to happen

[jwei44]

Yeah. Figured it out.

[OTrain13]

Hi guys:

I'm Owen from Streaming Colour. Thanks for posting about LandFormer! As usual, you guys are much quicker than I at posting about my own games! :D

As the poster mentioned, the game is a free download (+DLC for awesome stuff). :) I hope you enjoy it! If you have any questions about the game, I'm happy to answer them.

And just because I love the TA forums so much, I created a custom level to share with you. If you've downloaded the game (even the free version), open this thread on your iPhone/iPod touch, and click this link to Launch the Level in LandFormer (landformer://?title=For%20TA&moves=6&level=2123223332340432333223212&check=EBF9C38C27FF7A9595536537E070B011).

I would classify it as a Medium difficulty level on the easy side of the scale. It can be completed in 6 moves.

Enjoy!
Owen

[Lazuli]

Cleared the initial 10 pretty quick, but that TA one has me very confused. Looking forward to figuring it out.

This is by far my favourite looking puzzlegame ever since I saw it in the game jam. Simple but addictive ;)

[OTrain13]

Cleared the initial 10 pretty quick, but that TA one has me very confused. Looking forward to figuring it out.

This is by far my favourite looking puzzlegame ever since I saw it in the game jam. Simple but addictive ;)

Thanks, Lazuli! I'm glad you're excited about the game. :) The beginner levels are fairly easy to get through. The level I shared is a good example of a medium difficulty level like you'd find in the premium content. Sorry, couldn't resist a little plug for my DLC. :D

Owen

[ataloss]

Hey Owen

Congratulations on the game being released - it's been occupying my time all afternoon and I think I've hit a wall after Hard - level 6. :rolleyes: Need to think about this one...

I have a problem though about the long-term viability of the game. I love the editor of the game, and it's sure to extend it's lifespan - but I feel concerned because the way the levels are shared may also limit its future. As far as I can discern, sharing levels is reliant on knowing, i) another person with the same game and, ii) their email address. Okay...for (i), they should all have this game - a real puzzler! But, as for (ii), well, this doesn't make sense. There are quite a few games that have a very sociable nature; Fantastic Contraption, iBlast Moki, Chalkboard Stunts, and the stunning Labyrinth 2 - meaning that they allow the uploading of new levels to a central server and here they can be rated, downloaded and new designs can be uploaded to. Friendly games, huh? ;)

I love this game, really. It's so polished I could use it to help me shave, it's more complex than a tax-return, more fiendish than Wile E. Coyote :) But, at the same time, it's a sports car stuck on a very small island! Needs more space to breath (a little like someone's stomach blessing a small elevator... ahem, think we've all been there)

So, will there be a more comprehensive way to share levels, rate and download that doesn't require know the recipient's address? :confused:

[Touchgamer3g]

I am really enjoying this puzzle game! I love everything about it :)

2 questions though before buying the DLC:

-If we buy the Premium Content package, will all future themes, levels, and additions be free? And will the advertisements in-game go away?

[ataloss]

I am really enjoying this puzzle game! I love everything about it :)

2 questions though before buying the DLC:

-If we buy the Premium Content package, will all future skins, levels, and additions be free?

Have no idea. :(

And will the advertisements in-game go away?

Yep. Gone. Banished. Forever. :D Bonus!

[nikhsterboi]

Great game. :)

[OTrain13]

I am really enjoying this puzzle game! I love everything about it :)

2 questions though before buying the DLC:

-If we buy the Premium Content package, will all future themes, levels, and additions be free? And will the advertisements in-game go away?

The answer to your first question is no. The Premium Content gets you the 50 extra levels and the ability to save the levels you've created, as well as the levels you've received. It doesn't include any themes or future levels.

The answer to your second question is yes. Any purchase will disable all ads in the game.


So, will there be a more comprehensive way to share levels, rate and download that doesn't require know the recipient's address? :confused:

Thanks for the question, ataloss. This is something I struggled with a lot while making the game. Originally I had considered at building out a server infrastructure to handle public sharing of levels, like the awesome games you mentioned. However, 1) that's a whole lot of work :) 2) I find that I rarely download random levels in that kind of game, but rather look for levels my friends have made.

With that in mind, I decided to implement the link-based sharing system that you see in the game today. Within the game, when you tell the game to Share the level, it lets you send an email with a link to a friend. A friend can click that link to open the level. But here's the thing, all the information the game needs is in that link. This means that you can share that link any way you want!

- Email it to your friends
- Post it on Facebook
- Post it on twitter
- Build up a collection and share them on your own website to distribute your own level packs
- Post them here in the forums (I could start a thread for sharing levels, if that's something people are interested in) - if you look back a few posts in this thread, I shared a level with everyone here.

Any way you can share a link, you can share a LandFormer level. I chose this way because it gave people the freedom to share levels however they want, and not force them to use my system. All someone needs to do is click that link on their iPhone/iPod touch and it will load the level in the game.

Keep in mind that all of this works in the free version of the game! The only limitation that the free version imposes is that you can't save the levels you receive inside the game. If you buy the premium content, all the levels you receive will be saved in the game.

Does that answer your question? Let me know if you have any more questions. Thanks for trying the game!

Owen

[OTrain13]

For those still on the fence (and really, it's free, just go try it! :D), Eli's review just hit the front page:

http://toucharcade.com/2010/06/29/landformer-review-forming-land-is-more-difficult-than-it-seems/

Owen

[songbird]

For those still on the fence (and really, it's free, just go try it! :D), Eli's review just hit the front page:

http://toucharcade.com/2010/06/29/landformer-review-forming-land-is-more-difficult-than-it-seems/

Owen

Awesome, congrats on the front pager! :) Tried it myself and I'm really loving it.

[Touchgamer3g]

(I could start a thread for sharing levels, if that's something people are interested in) - if you look back a few posts in this thread, I shared a level with everyone here.


That is a great idea about starting a LandFormer User Levels thread here on TA to post links of the levels. The people are interested! :p

P.S.- I just bought all of the add-ons in the game including the theme. I can't wait for more themes. I would love to hear some of the ideas of future themes to be released!

Oh and is there any way to add a mild hint system? I have young family members that would love to play this game but they would need hints to do so.

[epedemix]

I have been looking forward to this game since I saw it in the upcoming threads, but with that said I dont understand what the neccessaty is with the DLC. The way I am currently set up, I am unable to purchase any sort of DLC for any games, and I cant do open feint/plus+ etc... Why not just do a full and a lite version? Cogs did this same thing, and it really burned me up, is it possible in the future that you will be putting a complete package in the appstore sometime in the near future?

[OTrain13]

Awesome, congrats on the front pager! :) Tried it myself and I'm really loving it.

Thanks! Glad to hear that! :)

That is a great idea about starting a LandFormer User Levels thread here on TA to post links of the levels. The people are interested! :p

P.S.- I just bought all of the add-ons in the game including the theme. I can't wait for more themes. I would love to hear some of the ideas of future themes to be released!

Oh and is there any way to add a mild hint system? I have young family members that would love to play this game but they would need hints to do so.

I'll figure out where the best place to put a levels thread would be and post here once I've got that set up.

Thanks for helping support me in making games! As for future themes, I have lots of ideas. :) I'll share some ideas, but these are just ideas at this point, some/all of them may not get made. We'll see how things go. ;) One of my favourite ideas is a Mars theme (as I just finished re-reading the Mars Trilogy by Kim Stanley Robinson). I'd love to do a theme that's all water-based. I'd like to do one based on seasons. There are more, but I think that's enough hints for now. ;) If you guys have suggestions for themes, I'd love to hear them!

As for a hint system, this was something that got requested a lot during beta testing. There is a problem, however. A hint would only really be possible if you were on the same path to the solution that was used to create the level. As soon as you deviate from that path, it's very hard for the computer to tell you have to get to a solution. The problem is that using any kind of brute-force search method to try to find a solution isn't possible; the game is too complex, mathematically. I've been trying to think of a good way to do hints, but I haven't figured it out yet.

I have been looking forward to this game since I saw it in the upcoming threads, but with that said I dont understand what the neccessaty is with the DLC. The way I am currently set up, I am unable to purchase any sort of DLC for any games, and I cant do open feint/plus+ etc... Why not just do a full and a lite version? Cogs did this same thing, and it really burned me up, is it possible in the future that you will be putting a complete package in the appstore sometime in the near future?

Hi epedemix, thanks for your comments. It's a fair question. There were several reasons I went this route (and I'm going to be very honest here, no BS):

1) If someone wanted all the levels, but didn't care about the disco theme, I didn't want to charge them $3 for the game when they could have spent $2 to get what they want.
2) This is what I do full time, and what I do to support me and my family. As a player, I love free updates to games as much as everyone else, but I also wanted a way to help me pay for the costs associated with creating new content. DLC allows me to charge a little bit of money to help me cover the costs of spending several weeks working on a new theme for the game, for example.
3) Using the DLC system the way I have it set up, I can still release free level packs and themes in the future, if I want. And I do plan to.

The problem with separate full/lite versions is that it's inconvenient for most users to upgrade that way. It means having to quit the app and load the store, and redownload a whole app. I wanted things to be as seamless as possible. I'm sorry that you're in a situation where you can't purchase the DLC, but unfortunately this is the route I've chosen for this game.

Owen

[Touchgamer3g]

Thanks! Glad to hear that! :)



I'll figure out where the best place to put a levels thread would be and post here once I've got that set up.

Thanks for helping support me in making games! As for future themes, I have lots of ideas. :) I'll share some ideas, but these are just ideas at this point, some/all of them may not get made. We'll see how things go. ;) One of my favourite ideas is a Mars theme (as I just finished re-reading the Mars Trilogy by Kim Stanley Robinson). I'd love to do a theme that's all water-based. I'd like to do one based on seasons. There are more, but I think that's enough hints for now. ;) If you guys have suggestions for themes, I'd love to hear them!

As for a hint system, this was something that got requested a lot during beta testing. There is a problem, however. A hint would only really be possible if you were on the same path to the solution that was used to create the level. As soon as you deviate from that path, it's very hard for the computer to tell you have to get to a solution. The problem is that using any kind of brute-force search method to try to find a solution isn't possible; the game is too complex, mathematically. I've been trying to think of a good way to do hints, but I haven't figured it out yet.

No problem! I'm glad to support such an awesome game and developer who is active in the forums and taking user feedback. Those pending themes sound great, I will try and think of a few and get back to you :)

The User Level thread would most likely go in the General Game Discussion forums.

I understand what you are saying as far as the hint system goes. It would just be really nice to have one so that the youngsters can play a puzzle game like LandFormer that really gets their brain going. If you find any way to incorporate any kind of hints, that would be incredible.

And is there a way to delete Received Levels?

I just made my first level! It is not that complicated (I'm just getting used to the level editor, which is very easy to use and perfect in design by the way). I will post my levels here until a separate User Levels thread is made!

[OTrain13]

I've created a new thread for sharing your created levels in the General Game Discussion Forum:

http://forums.toucharcade.com/showthread.php?p=1152586

Go there to post your levels or play levels your fellow forum members have created!

Owen

[Howlingwolf]

Great little game i love games that leave me scratching my head :D

[OTrain13]

The User Level thread would most likely go in the General Game Discussion forums.

Done. :)

I understand what you are saying as far as the hint system goes. It would just be really nice to have one so that the youngsters can play a puzzle game like LandFormer that really gets their brain going. If you find any way to incorporate any kind of hints, that would be incredible.

I'll keep thinking about it. It's a really difficult problem, but I like difficult problems (or I wouldn't have created a game like LandFormer!) ;)

And is there a way to delete Received Levels?

Yes, just swipe left or right across a cell to delete it (it works just like the Mail app). This also worked for your created levels.

I just made my first level! It is not that complicated (I'm just getting used to the level editor, which is very easy to use and perfect in design by the way). I will post my levels here until a separate User Levels thread is made!

Awesome! I tried to design the level editor to be as intuitive and easy to use as possible. I'm glad you're finding that. :)

Owen

[cts125]

Seems like a fun game but every time I solve a level and go to the next one (or try to start at level 2) the game crashes out and dumps me to my home screen. (I have no problems with any of my other games)

Not off to a good start...can't recommend this one yet.

CT

[Touchgamer3g]

Done. :)



I'll keep thinking about it. It's a really difficult problem, but I like difficult problems (or I wouldn't have created a game like LandFormer!) ;)



Yes, just swipe left or right across a cell to delete it (it works just like the Mail app). This also worked for your created levels.



Awesome! I tried to design the level editor to be as intuitive and easy to use as possible. I'm glad you're finding that. :)

Owen

I have faith in you to find a way to add a hints system! Thanks for answering all my questions and making such an amazing puzzle game :)

Seems like a fun game but every time I solve a level and go to the next one (or try to start at level 2) the game crashes out and dumps me to my home screen. (I have no problems with any of my other games)

Not off to a good start...can't recommend this one yet.

CT

I'm running on an iPod Touch 3G on iOS4 and have not experienced any crashing.

[OTrain13]

Great little game i love games that leave me scratching my head :D

Thanks! I love puzzle games that really make me think too. That's why I enjoyed making this game so much. :)

Seems like a fun game but every time I solve a level and go to the next one (or try to start at level 2) the game crashes out and dumps me to my home screen. (I have no problems with any of my other games)

cts125, can you send me an email at: support [at] streamingcolour [dot] com and I'll see if I can get to the bottom of it. I haven't seen that problem at all, nor did any of my beta testers, so I'd like to be able to get a crash log from you and see what's going on.

Thanks,
Owen

[mikeg123]

As for a hint system, this was something that got requested a lot during beta testing. There is a problem, however. A hint would only really be possible if you were on the same path to the solution that was used to create the level. As soon as you deviate from that path, it's very hard for the computer to tell you have to get to a solution. The problem is that using any kind of brute-force search method to try to find a solution isn't possible; the game is too complex, mathematically. I've been trying to think of a good way to do hints, but I haven't figured it out yet.

One idea might be to make the hint system lead players down the path you want them. Basically, let the player bash their head on a level for a bit, and once they restart a level, they can get a hint, which would be the first move you want them to make. Then the player could bash their head some more using that first move, before getting a second hint which is the second move you want them to make.

So it is a progressive hint system that leads a player down the exact path you expect them to.

Of course that can be viewed as making the game too easy, but I would guess that people will otherwise get frustrated and stop playing the game. And you don't have to figure out a brute-force method for determining hints.

Just a thought. :)

[OTrain13]

One idea might be to make the hint system lead players down the path you want them. Basically, let the player bash their head on a level for a bit, and once they restart a level, they can get a hint, which would be the first move you want them to make. Then the player could bash their head some more using that first move, before getting a second hint which is the second move you want them to make.

So it is a progressive hint system that leads a player down the exact path you expect them to.

Of course that can be viewed as making the game too easy, but I would guess that people will otherwise get frustrated and stop playing the game. And you don't have to figure out a brute-force method for determining hints.

Just a thought. :)

You're right, this system could work. The thing I'm not as keen on is that it infers that there's a "right" way to solve the puzzle. One of the things I love about this game is that there are often several of solutions to solving a puzzle (sometimes dozens, sometimes more). In an ideal world, the hint system would be able to guide you from your current state towards a solution. But that's where I run into the hard math. :)

I do see what you're saying, though. It makes me wish I had saved all the move progressions for the existing levels. :o

I guess for me, I'm happy just to have solved the puzzle, and I'm not as concerned about doing it in the minimum numbers of moves. But I do understand that there are a lot of people out there who will really enjoy trying to do everything in the min moves too.

I will give it some more thought. :)

Owen

[mikeg123]

You're right, this system could work. The thing I'm not as keen on is that it infers that there's a "right" way to solve the puzzle. One of the things I love about this game is that there are often several of solutions to solving a puzzle (sometimes dozens, sometimes more). In an ideal world, the hint system would be able to guide you from your current state towards a solution. But that's where I run into the hard math. :)

I do see what you're saying, though. It makes me wish I had saved all the move progressions for the existing levels. :o

I guess for me, I'm happy just to have solved the puzzle, and I'm not as concerned about doing it in the minimum numbers of moves. But I do understand that there are a lot of people out there who will really enjoy trying to do everything in the min moves too.

I will give it some more thought. :)

Owen
Yeah, I had also thought that the system I suggested would infer a single solution. I wasn't sure if that was the case here, but it sounds like there can be many solutions. So, yeah, tough problem. Good luck with whatever you come up with.

I just finished the 10 intro levels. Great fun! I think I will be purchasing the 50 very soon!

[ataloss]

Thanks for the question, ataloss. This is something I struggled with a lot while making the game. Originally I had considered at building out a server infrastructure to handle public sharing of levels, like the awesome games you mentioned. However, 1) that's a whole lot of work :) 2) I find that I rarely download random levels in that kind of game, but rather look for levels my friends have made.

With that in mind, I decided to implement the link-based sharing system that you see in the game today. Within the game, when you tell the game to Share the level, it lets you send an email with a link to a friend. A friend can click that link to open the level. But here's the thing, all the information the game needs is in that link. This means that you can share that link any way you want!

- Email it to your friends
- Post it on Facebook
- Post it on twitter
- Build up a collection and share them on your own website to distribute your own level packs
- Post them here in the forums (I could start a thread for sharing levels, if that's something people are interested in) - if you look back a few posts in this thread, I shared a level with everyone here.

Any way you can share a link, you can share a LandFormer level. I chose this way because it gave people the freedom to share levels however they want, and not force them to use my system. All someone needs to do is click that link on their iPhone/iPod touch and it will load the level in the game.

Hi Owen :)

Thanks for the detailed reply, yes, I can fully understand the logic of your final decision. Setting up a server for the sharing of levels could be an absolute nightmare as other developers here could surely testify!

I had a thought; just an idea. While the members here will enjoy the opportunity of a thread dedicated to such levels, I know there are those, out there, somewhere, poor and misguided, who do not know about this haven. (Strange, but true)... So, I was thinking, if you could collate the levels on a webpage, along with links, and then place a link from the game, directing the player to that website where they could do a number of things...

1) browse the levels available, see a mini-preview, perhaps categorised by moves, or difficulty, or popularity (based on downloads)
2) also "copy/paste" the link for their level into the page, which could then be incorporated into the growing list.

In essence, only a webpage housing these links...this would give the game a wider web presence which it really deserves, but also allows access to a far greater audience than TA members? ;) I have no idea how much work this would entail, but I'm hoping you could give it some consideration!?

On a side note... just finished all levels. Want more! When? :D

[OTrain13]

I had a thought; just an idea. While the members here will enjoy the opportunity of a thread dedicated to such levels, I know there are those, out there, somewhere, poor and misguided, who do not know about this haven. (Strange, but true)... So, I was thinking, if you could collate the levels on a webpage, along with links, and then place a link from the game, directing the player to that website where they could do a number of things...

That's a really interesting idea... I will definitely give that some thought. Thanks for the suggestion!

On a side note... just finished all levels. Want more! When? :D

Wow! Already! Someone get ataloss some new super-difficult levels, stat! :D

Owen

[songbird]

Is an iPad version in the works? :)

[Touchgamer3g]

LandFormer just got a 5 (out of 5) from Appspy.com!

Congratulations!

[OTrain13]

Is an iPad version in the works? :)

It's in the back of my mind, but not in the works yet. :) I'm waiting to see how the iPhone version does before I invest several weeks of time rebuilding it to work on the iPad. I'm really hoping I can do an iPad version, and I think the game would be awesome on it. We'll have to wait and see... :)

LandFormer just got a 5 (out of 5) from Appspy.com!

Congratulations!

Thanks! Reviews are coming out from all over the place. I'm posting them all to the company's Press page:

http://www.streamingcolour.com/press/

Owen

[RttaM]

(PERSONALLY) DLC sorta killed it. But it looks interesting.

[Alyindar]

Seems like a fun game but every time I solve a level and go to the next one (or try to start at level 2) the game crashes out and dumps me to my home screen.

I had the same problem, had to reboot my iPod and now it works fine.

[iamthekiller]

(PERSONALLY) DLC sorta killed it. But it looks interesting.

I couldn't disagree more. All games should be like this - free/lite version, with DLC in-game.

I played through the first 10 levels and really enjoyed it... so I went ahead and purchased the $2 DLC. I'm looking forward to some user created content.

[OTrain13]

If you're looking for more free LandFormer levels, Intruder_qcc just shared 14 levels he created. You can find the details on the level sharing forum thread here:

http://forums.toucharcade.com/showthread.php?p=1152586

Just a reminder that you can play these levels, even with the free version of the game. You just won't be able to save them unless you buy the premium content. :)

Owen

[Foozelz]

Can someone convince me to buy the DLC. I would like to know if there are more DLC on the way also.

[OTrain13]

Can someone convince me to buy the DLC. I would like to know if there are more DLC on the way also.

Well I think you should buy it. ;)

Yes, there will be more DLC coming. I'd like to add more themes and more level packs in the future. Let me know if there are specific level difficulties you want to see more of.

Owne

[Foozelz]

Well I think you should buy it. ;)

Yes, there will be more DLC coming. I'd like to add more themes and more level packs in the future. Let me know if there are specific level difficulties you want to see more of.

Owne

I bought it. Couldn't resist it. Will there be free level updates too?

[OTrain13]

Hi guys:

If you've downloaded LandFormer (free or bought DLC), check out the in-game shop. I just uploaded a Bonus Long Weekend level pack. The best part: it's FREE! It will only be available until July 5th, though, so get it while you can ...

Have a great long weekend, everyone (for those who have one this weekend). :)

Owen

[RagManX]

Played yesterday at work. Was looking forward to buying the DLC today, but got a sandbox error today when I tried to buy it. I assume it's because I'm jailbroken and/or still on 3.1.3. Is there anyway I can purchase and download the DLC while keeping my jailbreak? I really like my themes and how JB 3.1.3 handles multi-tasking and am hoping to stay with what I like.

[RagerX]

Hi guys:

If you've downloaded LandFormer (free or bought DLC), check out the in-game shop. I just uploaded a Bonus Long Weekend level pack. The best part: it's FREE! It will only be available until July 5th, though, so get it while you can ...

Have a great long weekend, everyone (for those who have one this weekend). :)

Owen

Just downloaded the free levels. Thanks!

I am addicted to this game.

[LordVader]

Hi guys:

If you've downloaded LandFormer (free or bought DLC), check out the in-game shop. I just uploaded a Bonus Long Weekend level pack. The best part: it's FREE! It will only be available until July 5th, though, so get it while you can ...

Have a great long weekend, everyone (for those who have one this weekend). :)

Owen

I'm a little late but congrats on the TA article! This looks amazing.

[OTrain13]

Just downloaded the free levels. Thanks!

I am addicted to this game.

I'm a little late but congrats on the TA article! This looks amazing.

Thanks, guys! :)

Owen

[VeganTnT]

Played yesterday at work. Was looking forward to buying the DLC today, but got a sandbox error today when I tried to buy it. I assume it's because I'm jailbroken and/or still on 3.1.3. Is there anyway I can purchase and download the DLC while keeping my jailbreak? I really like my themes and how JB 3.1.3 handles multi-tasking and am hoping to stay with what I like.

Do a search in the jailbreak forum.

I can't remember the exact steps but it requires deleting the game, SSHing into the phone, changing the extension of a file, downloading the game again, and then changing the file back

[heffdog116]

Loved the first couple levels so dl the free dlc. Will get the 50 level dlc if i like what i see :)

[Oxo.Cuboid]

Hello!

First off, Owen, you have done a magnificent job with Landformer. Totally awesome. I haven't checked out your other games yet, but I will.

Quick question though. I bought the premium pack (well worth the money) and I am slowly working my way through the levels. Then, the Weekend pack came out, and I snapped that up today. However, if my iPod were to break, and I click "restore purchases", would the July pack appear? Because it said free packs would not be downloaded automatically, and it will not be available to people after July 5th. Will people who did get it be able to access it, or will it be restore with the paid packs?

EDIT: Will there be a feature (Openfeint or something, if possible) to save received levels? That would totally awesome.

Thanks,
Alex.

[OTrain13]

Hello!

First off, Owen, you have done a magnificent job with Landformer. Totally awesome. I haven't checked out your other games yet, but I will.

Thanks! I'm glad you're enjoying the game. :)

Quick question though. I bought the premium pack (well worth the money) and I am slowly working my way through the levels. Then, the Weekend pack came out, and I snapped that up today. However, if my iPod were to break, and I click "restore purchases", would the July pack appear? Because it said free packs would not be downloaded automatically, and it will not be available to people after July 5th. Will people who did get it be able to access it, or will it be restore with the paid packs?

Unfortunately, no. When I pull the July Bonus Levels, if your iPod dies and you reinstall the game, you will not be able to get the free level pack again. Sorry. The restore process goes through Apple's App Store to check your iTunes account for which purchases you've made, but free content doesn't go through that same process, so I can't check if you've downloaded it before and restore it. It's an unfortunately limitation of the system. I knew about the issue when I implemented the store in LandFormer, but I figured it was better to be able to give away free content to players with this limitation than not ever give out free content. :)

EDIT: Will there be a feature (Openfeint or something, if possible) to save received levels? That would totally awesome.

I'm not really sure what you mean, can you clarify? Once you bought the Premium Content, then it unlocked the ability to save received levels. They should appear in the "Received Levels" screen. Is that what you meant, or something different?

Owen

[ataloss]

I'm not really sure what you mean, can you clarify? Once you bought the Premium Content, then it unlocked the ability to save received levels. They should appear in the "Received Levels" screen. Is that what you meant, or something different?

Owen

In some games, such as "Super Quick Hook" and "Warpgate", the social scoring systems also offer a way to upload "game-saves" that can then be downloaded if progress has been lost, or the user has switched to a new device. Kinda of like a "backup" ... allowing the user to pick up where they left off. ;)

[OTrain13]

In some games, such as "Super Quick Hook" and "Warpgate", the social scoring systems also offer a way to upload "game-saves" that can then be downloaded if progress has been lost, or the user has switched to a new device. Kinda of like a "backup" ... allowing the user to pick up where they left off. ;)

Oh, interesting. I wasn't aware of that feature. I'll take a look at it, but I'm not going to promise that I'll integrate it yet. :)

Owen

[RagManX]

Do a search in the jailbreak forum.

I can't remember the exact steps but it requires deleting the game, SSHing into the phone, changing the extension of a file, downloading the game again, and then changing the file back
Figured it out with some Googling. Turns out I had a stupid app installed that blocks a lot of legitimate app installs and DLC. Uninstalled that since it's provides a functionality I don't need. Not even sure why it was installed, but after removing it everything was good. Don't think it's needed for any legitimate purchases in the Apple app store or Cydia so I don't think I'll miss it.

[kzwen]

Figured it out with some Googling. Turns out I had a stupid app installed that blocks a lot of legitimate app installs and DLC...

I betcha that app is something that ends with sync eh? Cos I had the exact same issue but all is fine now. Able to buy the premium pack and I am almost done with it. :D


Yes, there will be more DLC coming. I'd like to add more themes and more level packs in the future. Let me know if there are specific level difficulties you want to see more of.

Cool! More expert pls? Maybe you could put out beginner packs, expert packs etc?

Also, perhaps there can be a sort of high score table where we score by using less moves than what is required to make the level? Maybe that can also be use to unlock stuff like levels or themes?


...Originally I had considered at building out a server infrastructure to handle public sharing of levels, like the awesome games you mentioned.
....
I decided to implement the link-based sharing system that you see in the game today.
Owen

The link based sharing system works okay if one is sharing one or two levels. But what if I like to share a pack maybe quite a number of levels, will there be an easier way to do it rather than opening Safari, click a landformer link, have the app start, close the app, go back to Safari, click another link. Cycle continues.

[Oxo.Cuboid]

Oh, interesting. I wasn't aware of that feature. I'll take a look at it, but I'm not going to promise that I'll integrate it yet. :)

Owen

Yeah... that, but also, like syncing levels that you received (like the Touch Arcade level) to all iDevices, iBooks style, or if the iPod dies, syncing them. I suppose it would be kind of like a backup system, but I'm not sure...

Also, I'm still working through the levels. Some stump me so much, I quit the level and randomly choose a different level to complete. Once I completed an expert one! I think, to aid this, there should be a "random level" button that randomly chooses a uncompleted level? Does anyone agree?

[LordVader]

Update 1.1.1 is out:

What's new

v1.1.1
----------
- Changes to the in-game shop to improve support for future content

v1.1
----------
New Stuff:
- Added two bonus levels to the free version of the game: one Easy difficulty level, and one Medium difficulty level.

Fixes and Improvements:
- Fixed an iOS4-only crash that would occur when certain help alerts came up mid-game.
- Fixed a bug where a received level wouldn't load if you were in the middle of a game.
- Fixed a bug where purchased content wouldn't appear right away when the shop was entered from particular alerts.
- Improved fast app switching for iOS4 devices.
- Improved handling of corrupt save files.
- Improved the review path from within the game.
- A few small UI tweaks and bug fixes.

Other Stuff







Congrats on the first update! :D

[aznriceboi13]

v1.1.2
----------
- iOS 4 multi-tasking fix: receiving levels while the app is in the background is now handled properly.
- Fixed a crash in the free version of the game that occurred when playing the game for the first time with no network connection.
- Fixed a bug where quitting in the middle of a received level wouldn't save the game in progress.