Universal Blast-A-Way (by Illusion Labs)

Discussion in 'iPhone and iPad Games' started by killercow, Aug 29, 2012.

  1. TheFrost

    TheFrost Well-Known Member

    Nov 18, 2010
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    It feels perfect on a iPhone, same screen size
     
  2. touchchamp

    touchchamp Well-Known Member

    Nov 1, 2009
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    #82 touchchamp, Sep 3, 2012
    Last edited: Sep 3, 2012
    This is easily one of my favorite iOS games ever. Definitely worth the $4.99 price tag. The last set of levels is the hardest and takes some cajoling to get all three blockies, but it's so fun! I keep coming back!

    Devs, I want more! More levels, more achievements, more! Please tell me you have an update ALREADY coming with more?

    Oh and thanks for keeping the file size so low without losing quality! The game looks amazing and the music is good too! Under 50 MB, awesome (54.8mb uncompressed)!
     
  3. banger1103

    banger1103 Well-Known Member

    Jun 26, 2011
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    Wait what's the uncompressed file size? Thanks :D
     
  4. touchchamp

    touchchamp Well-Known Member

    Nov 1, 2009
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    I got it!
     
  5. Misguided

    Misguided Well-Known Member

    Jan 27, 2009
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    I've still got 14 levels to go. I'm trying to stretch the game out a bit by doing a couple of levels a day.
     
  6. Firetruck94

    Firetruck94 Well-Known Member

    Jul 20, 2012
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    on mars
    My iPod is showing 57.1
     
  7. banger1103

    banger1103 Well-Known Member

    Jun 26, 2011
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    Wow that's it? Downloading now!
     
  8. y2kmp3

    y2kmp3 Well-Known Member

    Jun 25, 2010
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    Marcus,

    First, congrats on this great release. The game is very polished, and the mechanics are intuitive and yet very clever.

    I am, however, encountering a problem with control. In particular, I have found the explosion used to "deflect" the boxies very difficult to target correctly. For many times, we are asked to place the explosion nearby to such a fine accuracy as to "deflect" the boxies to the correct trajectory. This accuracy seems contradict the rudimentary control offered by the touch interface. In turn, it creates an unnecessary friction to the gameplay that mars the otherwisenear flawless experience.

    Am I just going about this the wrong way? Am I missing some aiming tips that are supposed to resolve this issue?
     
  9. oddryan

    oddryan Member

    Aug 24, 2012
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    The quality and polish in every Illusion Labs game is stunning.This game is pleasing to look at, the controls are flawless, the levels are all well designed, and there is so much replay value.
     
  10. Agas

    Agas Well-Known Member

    Jan 28, 2011
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    Vote for your favorite GOTW !!!

    [thread=119439][​IMG][/thread]
    [thread=150239][​IMG][/thread] [thread=150254][​IMG][/thread] [thread=150222][​IMG][/thread] [thread=150228][​IMG][/thread]
    [thread=150232][​IMG][/thread] [thread=150053][​IMG][/thread] [thread=150221][​IMG][/thread] [thread=150225][​IMG][/thread] [thread=149924][​IMG][/thread]

    Click on above icons
    to discover more about the games!


    [size=+3]BLAST-A-WAY[/size]
    is one of the nominees for
    [size=+2]Touch Arcade Game of the Week
    29/08/2012
    [/size]


    Do you like to help three robot heroes save the lost Boxies?

    [size=+3][thread=150472]VOTE HERE[/thread][/size]

    Poll close
    09-07-2012 at 06:28 AM

    - Devs cannot vote for their own games -​
     
  11. GSJ1977

    GSJ1977 Well-Known Member

    Jul 6, 2012
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    Like so many puzzlers, this one starts promisingly enough but quickly degenerates into a battle fought with the controls rather than with the puzzles. When it takes me 10 seconds to work out the solution and 10 minutes of trial and error trying to get the throws just right in order to bring that solution to life, that to me is a bad puzzle game.
     
  12. touchchamp

    touchchamp Well-Known Member

    Nov 1, 2009
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    I don't get it. I can bounce a bomb off the CORNER of a cube to make it hit another cube close to me. I can use bombs to throw them so close to a boxie to blow it onto another platform. You might just need more practice. Some levels definitely need a little finesse, but with practice you can accomplish what you need. Wait until you get to the last 5 levels of plastic. You will want to throw your phone, but after enough practice, I was able to accomplish exactly what I wanted EVERY single time. It's actually very accurate.

    Devs: to make precise targeting easier, I suggest you add a magnifying glass that pops up above your finger on screen with a zoomed in view and cross hair. Or maybe an Angry Birds dotted line. That would make things much easier for those complaining. Personally, I think the challenge is what makes it so great and your control scheme is VERY well thought out and tuned well. One of the best control schemes I've played yet.
     
  13. syntheticvoid

    syntheticvoid Well-Known Member

    Jun 20, 2010
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    Musician & factory worker.
    a[V-O-I-D]
    I do agree that a magnifying glass would be a great addition, but like touchchamp, I haven't had any issues with the controls, and actually making fairly precise explosions comes pretty naturally. I did have some problems on my iPod, but nothing game breaking or even mildly frustrating. On my iPad, I'm halfway through the 4th world, and on my iPod, I've hit the beginning of the 3rd world.

    Unlike most puzzlers, this is going to be one that I complete 100%. I haven't done that since Robo 5
     
  14. swoolf

    swoolf Well-Known Member
    Patreon Bronze

    Jul 9, 2009
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    Blast A Way Stone Supreme Level 7

    Anyone wanna help me out with this one? I keep on losing the Boxie stuck on the Blue Cube... AURGH
     
  15. GSJ1977

    GSJ1977 Well-Known Member

    Jul 6, 2012
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    A magnifying glass isn't a solution IMO. A true solution would be to:

    A) let the player select the angle without having to "time it right"
    B) show the player where the ball will go, including where it will bounce

    This would remove all the frustration and leave a purely cerebral challenge. I'm sure the Devs considered this control scheme at some point, but decided (as most devs do) that frustrating controls would be the better option. That way they extend the play time considerably, and keep the masochists happy.
     
  16. Dazzlemi

    Dazzlemi Well-Known Member

    Mar 14, 2010
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    I'm loving this game too. A couple levels a day
     
  17. TheFrost

    TheFrost Well-Known Member

    Nov 18, 2010
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    Where is this coming from? Bad controls? They are as easy as they get:

    Tap on the white part of the level and rotate
    Tap on any block and swipe around to move the camera
    Tap and draw a line for the robots to move where you desire
    Tap and hold wherever you want to throw the bomb at, keep pressing for alitude

    Using the techniques shown above will leave you with the fantastic gameplay behind it

    Edit: Not directed to you personally :)
     
  18. Misguided

    Misguided Well-Known Member

    Jan 27, 2009
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    Possibly. I only recall a very small number of levels where you had to use a bomb to move an unattached boxie is it possible you freed it too soon (which can be a problem on many levels). When I did have to use a bomb that way, I honestly don't recall it being that hard. It is more common to have to bounce a bomb off a block to hit an object, but even that isn't usually too bad.

    I think the controls are great. There is some "slop" introduced by the moving gauge, admittedly, but without that, an already easy game would be even easier, so that might not be the best solution, even though I understand why the suggestion was made. Generally, when something goes awry, I know what I did wrong. That, to me, is the sign of a good control scheme. If my results are inconsistent and I don't know why (Like in Gasketball) that's far more frustrating, IMO.
     
  19. touchchamp

    touchchamp Well-Known Member

    Nov 1, 2009
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    I agree. Played start to finish, taking breaks for a few hours, but kept coming back to this one for more. Some levels took some good thought, most easy, but challenging none-the-less.
     
  20. TheFrost

    TheFrost Well-Known Member

    Nov 18, 2010
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    I stopped playing this once I realized how good it was (in my head it makes sense), going to enjoy this one veeeery slowly... Good to know it is that good at the end :)
     

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