Why? You get the fugly OF image on the icon You get the fugly OF image inside the game You do not get to choose the game in the same way, it's a step backwards Hiscores from the last version are retained but average game time is zero. Hiscore pages lead to OF even if you have opted to not use OF. So what was one of the best untainted puzzle games has turned into one big ad for OF. So backup the original .ipa so why you delete this new one you can roll back very easily. It is times like this that I wish I could permanently mark a game as "Never update this game".
Hi, I'm the developer of Marple. I'd like to address few points you made. Now, whether the OF image is ugly or not, that's of course in the eye of the beholder. I'm sorry that you don't like it. I don't quite understand what you mean by "You do not get to choose the game in the same way". You can still select the level from options like before. Or were you referring to something else? Yes, the statistics reset is a known issue if you declined OpenFeint. But fear not, the stats from 1.x version were not really lost in the update. Version 2.0.1 is already in the approval process and will let you import those old stats (by clicking a link in the Troubleshooting section of application help). Also, in 2.0.1 you don't need to be registered with OpenFeint in order for Marple to track your stats. Furthermore, you can enter your hiscore name manually instead of getting that annoying "(unknown user)". So in essence, you can continue using Marple like before without OpenFeint. The only difference will be the addition of the main menu. It sounds that OpenFeint is really not your cup of tea, but few words about it. At the moment the OpenFeint integration is limited to achievements and hiscores. I do have plans on exploring some other possibilities as well. Especially since it seems that some adolescents enjoy filling the hiscores with cheated results (I mean really, ~30 seconds to solve a puzzle... riiight). Already with the current level of integration, I really like the possibility of comparing achievements and hiscores with my friends. In general, I personally think that the OpenFeint ecosystem is really great and has the possibility of adding a lot to the experience, much in the same way as Xbox live adds to the experience in Xbox games. The reason for refactoring the UI and integrating OpenFeint was that during the 18 months or so that the application has been available, it's been selling extremely poorly. Which is really strange because everyone seems to love it but only a few people seem to be using it... I thought that by polishing the UI and adding some contemporary features (networking, achievements) it would become more appealing to a larger audience. I hope the 2.0 update doesn't prove to be a complete failure . If you have any good ideas on how to improve Marple, please let me know. I don't think I will be removing OpenFeint support, but at least I will try to make _not_ using it a valid option, so stay tuned for the 2.0.1 update. Br, Mikko
The OF logo. It could be smaller. It could be coloured differently. It could be a lot more discreet. Yes I do not like the fact my Touch is turning into one big OF ad when friends see it despite the fact I don't want to use and never will use it. I like Marple hugely. It has not been off my machine since I bought it, I play a level a day on average and the few people I have recommended it to bought it. If I want to run around like a little character shooting or driving or jumping of falling or whatever else then that's great to compete with. Those games are designed to be competitive, they fit with the OF model. But some games - as I see it - do not fit. Marple is one. I am playing me. I am playing for me and I want the game to be centered around me. I really don't care about other hiscores or any sort of achievements. This sounds selfish I know but I honestly believe that some games should not be in OF (or +plus, crystal or whatever else is dreamt up). Let's say I do the OF thing and see you did level 10 in 5 minutes. So I try level 10 and do it in 6 minutes. I then write down the symbols and the next go I complete the level in less than 1 minute, maybe even 30 seconds. If the levels are randomized then there is no point in OF given the huge combination of puzzles. Marple is a fantastic game, it really is excellent in every respect but I can also see why it may not be selling and that is the learning curve. This game isn't going to appeal with the same speed as the doodlejumps, imokis and racers. I can see why adding OF could be a good thing to drive sales that way but I don't see it working because I think the market for Marple is not the OF market. But this is from someone who does not like OF so I'm ever so slightly biased. Someone else will hopefully be along with some suggestions. I have Vexed too and would buy any puzzler you made - I have checked your page frequently - so I'm not against you and in the end I'm looking at it from a different angle. I hope this does make a difference because more people should get this game but for me OF is a visual blight on the face of my ipod touch.
Yes, I kind of agree with you. Marple is bit like Solitaire, "a lonely man's game" . Mainly you are playing against yourself. Still, having the possibility of comparing your results with your friends results or of the community, is in my mind a plus. Especially if it's implemented so that it doesn't get in the way of basic game play. Yes, that's what I meant by the 30s cheaters. I was thinking of introducing a "Challenge" mode where the puzzle is always randomly selected. Also, you would not see the puzzle number while playing and if you reset the level, it would again choose another random level. This should help removing cheaters from leaderboards. However, as the level selection and resetting the current level are good while practicing, I wouldn't like to remove them altogether, just have them available in another mode (let's call it "Normal"). Furthermore, I was thinking that after you've finished a puzzle in Challenge mode, you could challenge a friend to play that same puzzle (your friend wouldn't be aware of the puzzle number either) to see who is better. Well, this was just a quick idea, haven't really thought it through yet. Br, Mikko
I agree with markx2 that not every game needs online leaderbords, and I'm not the biggest fan of online leaderboards, achievements etc. But in OpenFeint you can choose not to use the online features, and OF will store your scores locally. According to the poor sellings. I tried the lite version a few month ago. Despite that I'm a puzzlegamelover I never got in to the game, because I did not understand what I had to do and how to do it. It annoyed me a bit, because I think Marple is a great game - so it's still on my wishlist I think a better help section in both the lite and full version is the best way to improve the sale. I don't remember enough of the game to suggest how to improve the help. But maybe a tutorial where you played a full game would be helpful. BTW: I own your game Vexed and play it frequently, great game.
Very good idea. For some reason I've never gotten around making a tutorial. Anyways, I've created one now and it's available at: http://www.kotiposti.net/sodacan/marple/. Hope this helps in lowering the learning curve. mikko.
Alrighty.. 2.1 is out (AppStore thinks the version is 2.0.1 but it's really 2.1, sorry about that). * Missing your old statistics? Now there is a way of importing your statistics from an earlier (1.x) version if you declined OpenFeint upon first launch. See the Troubleshooting section in the application help for instructions. * Now you can play Marple properly without registering with OpenFeint. If you haven't registered, statistics will still work and you can enter your hiscore name manually. * Added challenge mode. In challenge mode you cannot select the puzzle, cannot restart the puzzle and cannot see the current puzzle number. Only hiscores obtained in challenge mode will be sent to OpenFeint. Note that the old online hiscores (that are full of cheaters) are now replaced by the challenge mode hiscores. * Increased the hint and warning penalty. * Added "Start in game view" setting. Enable it to start Marple immediately in game view. * New achievement * Fixed blurry text in dialogs * Hiscores pages tuning * Small fixes
