Nimble Strong: Bartender in Training (+lite)

[ImNoSuperMan]

Dvn5qqdMCss

http://itunes.apple.com/app/nimble-strong-bartender-in/id375879786?mt=8

Lite : http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/nimble-strong-lite/id375868656?mt=8

[applesauce25r624]

"Introducing the world's first fully realized story driven, drink mixing video game."

lol another one just came out pretty soon

[songbird]

"Introducing the world's first fully realized story driven, drink mixing video game."

lol another one just came out pretty soon

Yes but this is the world's first copy of that one. :D

[goiMot]

Doesn't look good and $4.99? I'll pass.

[songbird]

Doesn't look good and $4.99? I'll pass.

Not my type of game but the other one was only 99 cents and looked better too. http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/bar-oasis/id377345861?mt=8

[goiMot]

+1, I got that one and yes it is a good game but very short.

[AdamNimble]

Hey guys,
Thanks so much for the post here and the comments. It took me a really long time to make this game and I wanted to clarify a few things.

(1) When we submitted the game to Apple we were the first. It was bad luck that a game I spent 1.5 years on had something else approved right before while we were still in Apple purgatory (it took well over a month to get out of it). I put in a request to change the wording never-the-less.

(2) Nimble was designed to be part-foundational bartending 101 course. These courses normally cost upward of $300. As such drinks are learned progressively and there's a lot of actual bartending intelligence within. $4.99 vs. a $300 course is an incredible value.

(3) Almost everyone who I've asked to play Nimble vs. Bar Echo says that Nimble is simply a more fun, faster-paced game. I'm not a big company so I didn't have as much money to put into the art so the game might not "look as good" but we also didn't load it with 500 pages of filler text between each drink ;-)

I'm here if anyone has any questions or feedback :). I'd be happy to provide a free download of Nimble if someone wants to do an objective review and comparison between the two games.

Cheers--

Adam

[jerry hunter]

The hottie in screenshot 3 is addictive. :p

[kiranb28]

Hey guys,
Thanks so much for the post here and the comments. It took me a really long time to make this game and I wanted to clarify a few things.

(1) When we submitted the game to Apple we were the first. It was bad luck that a game I spent 1.5 years on had something else approved right before while we were still in Apple purgatory (it took well over a month to get out of it). I put in a request to change the wording never-the-less.

(2) Nimble was designed to be part-foundational bartending 101 course. These courses normally cost upward of $300. As such drinks are learned progressively and there's a lot of actual bartending intelligence within. $4.99 vs. a $300 course is an incredible value.

(3) Almost everyone who I've asked to play Nimble vs. Bar Echo says that Nimble is simply a more fun, faster-paced game. I'm not a big company so I didn't have as much money to put into the art so the game might not "look as good" but we also didn't load it with 500 pages of filler text between each drink ;-)

I'm here if anyone has any questions or feedback :). I'd be happy to provide a free download of Nimble if someone wants to do an objective review and comparison between the two games.

Cheers--

Adam


Congratulations on your release. I'm sure it's a great feeling having your app on the market after a year and a half of your hard work. I have a few concerns though:

1) So you're saying your app got submitted before Bar [b]Oasis]/b] but the latter ends up getting approved weeks before yours? How come?

2) What's the difference (content wise) between your game, and Bar Oasis? I believe the recipes and quantities for each drink required are the same? Not to mention Bar Oasis also has a drink mixing mode, where you don't have to spend time with the storyline?

3) Bar Oasis is also 4 dollars less expensive than Nimble Strong, despite all the text.


Don't get me wrong - i'm not trying to say your game falls short in any way. It actually looks nice. Unfortunately, having already played Bar Oasis for quite a bit of time (and being fond of it, too), i'm trying to evaluate how paying 4.99 for your game would be a good deal in comparison to a 0.99 product i'm already happy with :)

[iphoneprogrammer]

Bar Oasis sucked, im gonna try this one

[AdamNimble]

Congratulations on your release. I'm sure it's a great feeling having your app on the market after a year and a half of your hard work. I have a few concerns though:

1) So you're saying your app got submitted before Bar [b]Oasis]/b] but the latter ends up getting approved weeks before yours? How come?

2) What's the difference (content wise) between your game, and Bar Oasis? I believe the recipes and quantities for each drink required are the same? Not to mention Bar Oasis also has a drink mixing mode, where you don't have to spend time with the storyline?

3) Bar Oasis is also 4 dollars less expensive than Nimble Strong, despite all the text.


Don't get me wrong - i'm not trying to say your game falls short in any way. It actually looks nice. Unfortunately, having already played Bar Oasis for quite a bit of time (and being fond of it, too), i'm trying to evaluate how paying 4.99 for your game would be a good deal in comparison to a 0.99 product i'm already happy with :)

Thanks Kiran, promo code sent so you can check it out and post your thoughts here :). I'd welcome a good objective post.

1) Just bad luck, Apple's submission process is really flaky...you can imagine how bummed I was to see a 99cent game from a huge developer while mine waited in line

2) The most important things for a bartender to learn are:

(A) Pour count timing: You have to really have a good sense of what a "one second" pour is to be a bartender. Nimble uses a one ounce per one second paradigm so by the end you'll have a good sense of pour counts. Bar Oasis uses a weird non pour count system that I don't quite understand.

(B) Thinking on your feet: Nimble is fast-paced and starts training you to juggle multiple drinks at once and allocate resources, Bar Oasis takes you off-screen for each order and gives you unlimited time and you make one drink at a time.

(C) Actual Bartending Intelligence: You'll learn things like what ginger beer is, the difference between gin and bourbon, the history of tonic, etc. Why some drinks are stirred and some are shaken. These are actual foundational mixology concepts.

(D) A Sense of Order to the Drinks: You start small with highballs and work your way up in Nimble, from few ingredients to many ingredients, from built drinks to shaken/stirred. In Bar Oasis you go from serving wine and beer (?) to making things like Manhattans and Long Islands.

Drinks have a sense of order and connection and family. For example there are New England drinks and Sour Drinks and a lot of drinks that are the same but with swapped ingredients. No bartending course in the US would teach you how to make drinks in Bar Oasis' order.

3) Mixing drinks is an expensive hobby. You can easily spend hundreds of $ just buying the ingredients and barware, so setting aside $5 I don't think is unreasonable. :)

They can afford to sell their game at a loss or try to get huge mass adoption because they're a big Korean company. I'm just one guy who couldn't hope to break even on selling Nimble at 99 cents...

One thing they do do better than me though is that their game runs better on 2G devices. I only recommend Nimble if you have a 3rd Generation or above.

The best benefit I can offer though:

If any of you are serious about getting into drink mixing and get Nimble, I'll personally help you with *any* bartending questions you might have. Just email me (adam@velegant.com), I've already been helping a few people get started on this awesome journey :).

[AdamNimble]

We just got reviewed by Joystiq, which is RARE in itself as they don't review many iPhone games.

I've never seen a review for anything as glowing as theirs:

"Finally, video games have purpose" - 4.5 / 5 stars
http://www.joystiq.com/2010/07/08/review-nimble-strong/

Just wanted to share the good news :)

Adam

[songbird]

We just got reviewed by Joystiq, which is RARE in itself as they don't review many iPhone games.

I've never seen a review for anything as glowing as theirs:

"Finally, video games have purpose" - 4.5 / 5 stars
http://www.joystiq.com/2010/07/08/review-nimble-strong/

Just wanted to share the good news :)

Adam

Congrats, that is an AWESOME review! :)

[yosoypepito]

why did you leave a review of your own game on itunes if you´re the developer?:confused::confused:

[bloodyparrot]

I enjoyed the hell out of Bar Oasis, not that it was a perfect game, but it was well-made enough and a novel experience (sucks for the timing, seems they definitely stole some thunder).
I JUST found out about Nimble Strong while browsing the reviews for BO...I've downloaded the LITE and hope to be impressed. I'll pick it up for sure if it is what I think it is =)

After checking out the Joystiq review and reading the developer's comments I can really sympathize. Its HARD to compete in this app-gamer world of free and 99 cent games!
My whole notion of Value has been turned upside-down :confused:
I don't see how a few years (and a couple hardware upgrades) from now the DSs and the PSPs can reasonably compete with their libraries of games averaging $30...especially given the ease of AHRRRRRRRRrrrr

[AdamNimble]

Hi all,
BoingBoing just gave us a massive plug :)

To celebrate Nimble is on sale for the next 24 hours at 40% off: $2.99

This is the first time since launch we've had a sale.

http://www.nimblestrong.com

In addition, anyone who buys a copy and emails me a receipt will get a free 99 cent app of their choice (or 99c paypal'd to them).

I know a lot of you were skeptical early in this thread, so here's a selection of our glowing mainstream press:

* BoingBoing
http://www.boingboing.net/2010/10/06/nimblestrong-the-iph.html#comments

* GamePro: 4/5
http://www.gamepro.com/article/features/215843/app-store-games-of-the-week/

* TUAW: "Very, very well done, quite a gem."
http://www.tuaw.com/2010/07/09/tuaws-daily-app-nimble-strong-bartender-in-training/

* Joystiq: 4.5/5
http://www.joystiq.com/2010/07/08/review-nimble-strong/

It is sad to me that my favorite App site was the most negative to my game of almost every other outlet (no review/mention and the forum posts you see above), but hopefully this will help a little bit?

We plan a version 2.0 coming out in the next few months with some nice upgrades.

Cheers,
Adam

PS: Please no troll posts. This is a good day for us :), the BoingBoing praise has helped momentum a lot.

[bgribin]

Hey Adam, what's your email address? ;)

Great offer and I'm pretty sure I'm going to snatch this one. I've been tracking it for a while, since Joystiq mentioned it on a podcast.

[djflippy]

@AdamNimble - Sold. Congratulations on your press.

[AdamNimble]

Hey Adam, what's your email address? ;)

Great offer and I'm pretty sure I'm going to snatch this one. I've been tracking it for a while, since Joystiq mentioned it on a podcast.

adam@velegant.com

Cheers,
Adam

[bgribin]

GUYS GUYS GUYS - Nimble Strong just dropped to $2.99. It's easily worth it and you should get it ASAP.

I have no idea why Touch Arcade hasn't covered it but it's outstanding. It's a unique iPhone game that's unbelievably fun. AND you learn how to make drinks while playing too - so next time you have friends over, you can totally show off. Just don't pour too much ice! I hate it when that happens. :p

Please, read the Joystiq review at least. http://www.joystiq.com/2010/07/08/review-nimble-strong/

EDIT: And no, I don't work for these guys. I just love this game that much and really want to see it succeed.

[Agas]

It's one of the game that I picked up based on games I don't own from Buttonless Book and I adore it very much.
Simple but yet gives me information on bartending and really challenging.
I love it so much and it becomes one of my overall top ios games!!!
The price itself is worth the bartending lesson.
PS : The recipe for Pina Colada is missing shaken. Perhaps can be fixed with an update?

Wonderful game!!!!