Starship Battles Take control of formidable warships to defend the galaxy against an infinite force of relentless aliens. Explo… TouchArcade Rating: $0.99 Buy Now Watch Media DetailsTake control of formidable warships to defend the galaxy against an infinite force of relentless aliens. Explore space to discover and harvest valuable minerals and expand your fleet with 6 unique warships, each offering improved weaponry to take down enemies faster and survive longer. Use simple and intuitive arcade controls to blast the enemies with barrage of missiles and powerful torpedoes. FEATURES:AMAZING GRAPHICSFeatures next-gen graphics on your phone or tablet, with fantastic explosions, detailed spaceships, all fully rendered in 3D.DISCOVERUse Minerals to purchase new Warship with improved weapons and stronger shield. Customize your preferred ship with a variety of War-Paint and go for the high score. FIGHTCommandeer your Warships and destroy original Alien Ships across 3 levels of difficulty, earn achievements and compete on 3 leaderboards. Starship Battles run smoothly on the iPhone 4, iPhone 3G, iPod touch 4G, iPod touch 3G, first iPad, iPhone 5, iPhone 4S, iPad 2, Ipad Mini or new iPad. ● Modojo 4/5 ●"Fun and frantic arcade strategy, with a decent selection of ships and upgrades to work towards."● Arcade Sushi 75/100 ●"...Starship Battles is a solid little game that will remind you of the days you spent in the arcade pumping quarters into the Missile Command machine. It is proof that some of the oldest gameplay styles still holds up today and that is always a good time..."● 148Apps ●”…Starship battles is a beautiful looking arcade game in which players try to fight off a constant barrage of enemies for as long as possible... "● TopApps ●"...Starship battles is a wonderful arcade-style shooter game with smooth gameplay and great look. ." Information Seller: Genre:Action, Arcade Release:May 30, 2013 Updated:Nov 30, -0001 Version: Size:0.0 TouchArcade Rating: User Rating: (1) Your Rating:unrated Compatibility:HD Universal chris1a Well-Known Member Mar 10, 2010 1,335 1 0 Sweden #2 chris1a, Jul 19, 2013 Ouch another app/dev that burned me. Oh well, it's been a while since the last time Exact-Psience Well-Known Member Jan 12, 2012 22,664 2 38 The Work-At-Home Guy Philippines #3 Exact-Psience, Jul 19, 2013 Another good game that deserved much attention but didnt. Sad to see it go free, but hey, everyone who doesnt have it can now play. EFGames Well-Known Member Aug 13, 2012 312 0 0 http://www.emptyflaskgames.com #4 EFGames, Jul 19, 2013 Sorry - I should have created the Thread and mentioned that this is a weekend sale only. There will be more content coming soon nightc1 Well-Known Member Oct 19, 2012 4,362 0 0 AL #5 nightc1, Jul 19, 2013 I'll check it out. Thanks for the info. one.sixty.four Well-Known Member Jan 14, 2013 1,282 0 0 minnesota #6 one.sixty.four, Jul 19, 2013 I'm loving it so far. Thanks for the freebie. One suggestion to the dev: could you add a indacator to show how much energy each weapon takes? Thanks. undeadcow Well-Known Member Dec 4, 2010 9,493 2 36 Houston, TX #7 undeadcow, Jul 19, 2013 When games go free often it's the developer who gets burned. They spent months making the game and I just downloaded it at no benefit to them. nightc1 Well-Known Member Oct 19, 2012 4,362 0 0 AL #8 nightc1, Jul 19, 2013 Not true, they benefit and the future they may benefit financially from just downloading the game. Here's how: First off, the game has IAP so there's always a chance you'll cave in and buy some because you like the game or feel bad for getting it free. Second, they are looking to get bumped up in their ranking on the AppStore... so just the act of downloading the game is a benefit. Once a paid game goes back to being paid, those "free" downloads will still affect the the paid rankings in a positive way. The higher the ranking, the better chance more casual gamers will jump on board and I think casuals are the ones that blow most money on IAP. Third, there's a chance when it goes back to being paid that you'll post about the game or talk about the game and that could lead someone else to buy it... especially if you post a nice 5 star review on the appstore. All those things affect the overall marketing. This of course only works if the game is good, but the dev must feel it is if they are willing to risk a boatload of bad reviews. Fourth, for new releases... sometimes a dev really needs general feedback to fine tune a game. Rather than rely on the same group of people that beta tested the game through testflight or whatever, getting random people to post feedback is often very valuable. Those tweaks could end up making the game more attractive to others who will buy it. ... and that's just four ways that devs benefit from these free deals. You are pretty much becoming an unpaid member of their marketing machine even if you never finish the download and play the game. awp69 Well-Known Member Oct 30, 2009 8,249 0 36 Greenville, SC #9 awp69, Jul 19, 2013 Well, it usually means it isn't selling well so that already sucks for the dev. But I still view temporary free sales as a way to maybe help get the word out and spur future sales. And if nothing else, if those who got it free like it, they may more apt to keep an eye out for their next project. I only get upset if a dev is too impatient and does this after a week on the store (or even the same week!). That can sting for early adopters and bring more backlash than support. EDIT: nightc1 beat me to it with a much more thorough response Morgan01 Well-Known Member Apr 11, 2013 243 0 0 USA #10 Morgan01, Jul 19, 2013 Last edited: Jul 19, 2013 You have a capital ship on one side, fighting endless waves of capital ships on the other side sending out fighters and bombers that crash into your ship. You tap the screen to send out a barrage of various missles (reminisenet of missle command) to intercept and destroy each of the attacking ships. Upgrades can be purchased with minerals. Minerals are located in space, which you tap to collect. Gameplay consist of panning around with your fingure, defending your capital ship from attacking fighters and bombers, locating and destroying endless waves of enemy capital ships, while locating and collecting minerals. It can get rather frantic as you are constantly swipping to pan the screen and tapping to send out waves of missle while also tapping to collect minerals. It takes about 3 swipes to get from one side of the screen to the other. I felt that this could have been implemented more smoothly, such as a tap and hold to pan. This game has a bit of a Freemium feel to it, with its endless waves of enemies while trying to collect minerals can feel like a grind. I am not saying this is Freemium and that the implemented the IAP is required. More in depth gameplay would be required to make that determination. undeadcow Well-Known Member Dec 4, 2010 9,493 2 36 Houston, TX #11 undeadcow, Jul 19, 2013 Those are good hypothetical points. I'd be curious to see if free games really lead to eventual increased profit or not. I wish more developers were transparent about sales before, during, and after these sales so there was real data. Here's a curious blog of one price changing experiment: http://www.sophiehoulden.com/results-of-the-swiftstitch-pay-when-you-want-sale/ Just because you enjoy something doesn't make your a pawn in that brands marketing. I understand the logic that sometimes free sales lead to secondary gains but it's questionable if they offset the damage as follows: 1. Reducing App Store ratings. I recall one developer commenting they do not discount their games or make them free because they have observed discounts leading to reduced ratings when hordes of people who don't really want to game impulsively download then trash it. Also, if as NightC1 claims the developer is soliciting general feedback to squash bugs or improve the game that implies the product is in a state contrary to maximizing favorable word of mouth (and that people are more likely to label it buggy). See Morgan01's reply here. 2. Perceived value is diminished. If I know a developer is likely to have a discount I will not purchase the game early unless I really want to support them. Chillingo's Gloomy Hollow will be mine free soon... other developers like Triniti, EA, Gameloft, etc couldn't sell me a game at full price with the way they have such predictable discounts. Even with Square Enix I know in Decemeber, if not earlier, I can probably net half off. Some will purchase games to play them immediately but I can wait and one thing is sure about iOS pricing, sales are plentiful. 3. Word of mouth marketing is questionable. I understand some marketing perspective but when there is a limited audience (iOS gaming is a niche market) I wonder if developers are not burning through their audience with these sales. I had eyeballed Starship Battles before the sale and might have eventually purchased it, but now I have it free. If I eventually get to it in my backlog and like it I might purchase it here but I'm not sure how many people I could convience to buy it. Even over-looked gems like Fall of Angels or Kingturn that I rave about don't necessarily seem to be raking in dough as the result of my feverish recommendations. Last night I bumped the Pitman thread with a recommendation, no one else commented. It's hard to say if developers discount games as a "get rich quick" scheme but my impression has always been there's an "indie spirit" or just hoping someone plays and appreciates their game. (You must log in or sign up to post here.) Show Ignored Content Share This Page Tweet Your name or email address: Do you already have an account? No, create an account now. Yes, my password is: Forgot your password? Stay logged in
Another good game that deserved much attention but didnt. Sad to see it go free, but hey, everyone who doesnt have it can now play.
Sorry - I should have created the Thread and mentioned that this is a weekend sale only. There will be more content coming soon
I'm loving it so far. Thanks for the freebie. One suggestion to the dev: could you add a indacator to show how much energy each weapon takes? Thanks.
When games go free often it's the developer who gets burned. They spent months making the game and I just downloaded it at no benefit to them.
Not true, they benefit and the future they may benefit financially from just downloading the game. Here's how: First off, the game has IAP so there's always a chance you'll cave in and buy some because you like the game or feel bad for getting it free. Second, they are looking to get bumped up in their ranking on the AppStore... so just the act of downloading the game is a benefit. Once a paid game goes back to being paid, those "free" downloads will still affect the the paid rankings in a positive way. The higher the ranking, the better chance more casual gamers will jump on board and I think casuals are the ones that blow most money on IAP. Third, there's a chance when it goes back to being paid that you'll post about the game or talk about the game and that could lead someone else to buy it... especially if you post a nice 5 star review on the appstore. All those things affect the overall marketing. This of course only works if the game is good, but the dev must feel it is if they are willing to risk a boatload of bad reviews. Fourth, for new releases... sometimes a dev really needs general feedback to fine tune a game. Rather than rely on the same group of people that beta tested the game through testflight or whatever, getting random people to post feedback is often very valuable. Those tweaks could end up making the game more attractive to others who will buy it. ... and that's just four ways that devs benefit from these free deals. You are pretty much becoming an unpaid member of their marketing machine even if you never finish the download and play the game.
Well, it usually means it isn't selling well so that already sucks for the dev. But I still view temporary free sales as a way to maybe help get the word out and spur future sales. And if nothing else, if those who got it free like it, they may more apt to keep an eye out for their next project. I only get upset if a dev is too impatient and does this after a week on the store (or even the same week!). That can sting for early adopters and bring more backlash than support. EDIT: nightc1 beat me to it with a much more thorough response
You have a capital ship on one side, fighting endless waves of capital ships on the other side sending out fighters and bombers that crash into your ship. You tap the screen to send out a barrage of various missles (reminisenet of missle command) to intercept and destroy each of the attacking ships. Upgrades can be purchased with minerals. Minerals are located in space, which you tap to collect. Gameplay consist of panning around with your fingure, defending your capital ship from attacking fighters and bombers, locating and destroying endless waves of enemy capital ships, while locating and collecting minerals. It can get rather frantic as you are constantly swipping to pan the screen and tapping to send out waves of missle while also tapping to collect minerals. It takes about 3 swipes to get from one side of the screen to the other. I felt that this could have been implemented more smoothly, such as a tap and hold to pan. This game has a bit of a Freemium feel to it, with its endless waves of enemies while trying to collect minerals can feel like a grind. I am not saying this is Freemium and that the implemented the IAP is required. More in depth gameplay would be required to make that determination.
Those are good hypothetical points. I'd be curious to see if free games really lead to eventual increased profit or not. I wish more developers were transparent about sales before, during, and after these sales so there was real data. Here's a curious blog of one price changing experiment: http://www.sophiehoulden.com/results-of-the-swiftstitch-pay-when-you-want-sale/ Just because you enjoy something doesn't make your a pawn in that brands marketing. I understand the logic that sometimes free sales lead to secondary gains but it's questionable if they offset the damage as follows: 1. Reducing App Store ratings. I recall one developer commenting they do not discount their games or make them free because they have observed discounts leading to reduced ratings when hordes of people who don't really want to game impulsively download then trash it. Also, if as NightC1 claims the developer is soliciting general feedback to squash bugs or improve the game that implies the product is in a state contrary to maximizing favorable word of mouth (and that people are more likely to label it buggy). See Morgan01's reply here. 2. Perceived value is diminished. If I know a developer is likely to have a discount I will not purchase the game early unless I really want to support them. Chillingo's Gloomy Hollow will be mine free soon... other developers like Triniti, EA, Gameloft, etc couldn't sell me a game at full price with the way they have such predictable discounts. Even with Square Enix I know in Decemeber, if not earlier, I can probably net half off. Some will purchase games to play them immediately but I can wait and one thing is sure about iOS pricing, sales are plentiful. 3. Word of mouth marketing is questionable. I understand some marketing perspective but when there is a limited audience (iOS gaming is a niche market) I wonder if developers are not burning through their audience with these sales. I had eyeballed Starship Battles before the sale and might have eventually purchased it, but now I have it free. If I eventually get to it in my backlog and like it I might purchase it here but I'm not sure how many people I could convience to buy it. Even over-looked gems like Fall of Angels or Kingturn that I rave about don't necessarily seem to be raking in dough as the result of my feverish recommendations. Last night I bumped the Pitman thread with a recommendation, no one else commented. It's hard to say if developers discount games as a "get rich quick" scheme but my impression has always been there's an "indie spirit" or just hoping someone plays and appreciates their game.