Any advices for my game

Discussion in 'Public Game Developers Forum' started by thisissudoku, Mar 6, 2011.

  1. thisissudoku

    thisissudoku Active Member

    Mar 5, 2011
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    #1 thisissudoku, Mar 6, 2011
    Last edited: Mar 6, 2011
    Hi.

    I'm interested to read your opinion about my game. I really don't have experience selling anything and I'm trying to do my best.
    I have some key items I'd like to know what you think of as a developer:

    - Icon
    - Description
    - Screenshots (do they tell you anything about the game?)
    - Look and feel of the game

    Besides those, any comment about anything would be much appreciated.

    Here's the thread I started
    http://forums.toucharcade.com/showthread.php?t=86363&highlight=Sudoku

    Thanks.
     
  2. carrytheone

    carrytheone Active Member

    Oct 20, 2010
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    Free-range Game Developer
    Brisbane, Australia
    Hi,

    Firstly I'm a fairly new developer myself so don't take anything I say as gospel. Wait to see if anyone else agrees with me first.

    I really like the game's concept. Having tried and failed at my first couple of Sudokus in the paper on a recent holiday I think I might be your target audience.

    For what the game is I think the graphics are fine. There's always room for improvement, and it should be encouraged, but I can't imagine anyone being turned off by what you have. I think the theme suits the game well.

    It looks to me like the paragraphs in your app description are trying to cover:
    - good for both beginners and pros
    - these are the benefits for beginners
    - these are the benefits for pros
    - list of other stuff you'll like

    ... except I think you're making a conscious effort to avoid words like "beginner".

    If so then I think that's good, but I found some of the wording hard to follow. For example this sentence I had to read a couple of times before I got it (not necessarily uncommon for me): "If you use logic strategies to crack them, then you probably feel unconfortable removing by hand every candidate you know is false." It became obvious once I read the rest of the paragraph so maybe it's not a big issue. The rest of that paragraph is fine, and that whole paragraph is pretty much what sold me on the game.

    One question: is there a way to play it "traditionally" where you do have to remove candidates for each square manually? It wouldn't be a dealbreaker for me, just something I'm curious about.

    I'm going to buy the game later today (need to top up my itunes credit first) so might have some more feedback for you tomorrow. At the end of the day though, you just made a sale so you're doing something right!

    Cheers,

    Pete.
     
  3. Astraware

    Astraware Well-Known Member

    Jan 22, 2010
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    Games Studio
    UK
    There are dozens and dozens of Sudoku apps in the app store already (we have one too :D ) so best advice would be to work out what makes your app different from all the other Sudoku apps, and really push that feature.

    It seems from your description that the game is really based around learning how to play - a Sudoku tutorial if you like, so make that your main feature and really highlight that in your description, icon, screenshots etc.

    Hope that helps.
     
  4. thisissudoku

    thisissudoku Active Member

    Mar 5, 2011
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    Thank you both very much for your replies.
    @carrytheone, now that you're saying it I realize it. You are right about that phrase, it's hard to follow. I'm going to update it.
    And you are also right about how avoided to use the beginner word, but that's because you can be a sudoku master, but not being aware of these techniques exist, so this game is for them as well.
    There's no way to play it traditionally. You'd need to learn the techniques, for easy level you would need only three of them (actually is four, but one is naked single but it is obvious to find it).
    And thank you for buying it.

    @astraware you know, it's a logic-based sudoku game with tutorials, but they are not the main feature (or that was what I believed). From all people who has test it, I can tell that they really liked this feature and I'm really thinking to twist it a little to highlight that. I added the tutorials for those people who doesn't know the techniques already. As I mentioned above, one can be a sudoku master, but using some kind of brute force algorithm or guessing to solve them and perhaps never knowing these strategies exist. So the game also wants to introduce the techniques to them.
    By the way, I like your sudoku, you have a clean ui, which makes it nicer.
     
  5. Astraware

    Astraware Well-Known Member

    Jan 22, 2010
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    Games Studio
    UK
    Thank you! One of our main thoughts was that we wanted to keep the UI very simple so people could focus on the puzzle and the solving.

    I think you focussing on the logical solving techniques and teaching those is a good idea, because it's a feature that can set you apart. We often hear from people who won't try Sudoku because they don't know how to play.
     
  6. thisissudoku

    thisissudoku Active Member

    Mar 5, 2011
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    And you really did it, at least that's my feeling after seeing it, I could really focus on the puzzle, without any elements distracting me or too much information (I don't mean text, but textures and colors).

    Thanks for your thoughts.
     
  7. carrytheone

    carrytheone Active Member

    Oct 20, 2010
    44
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    Free-range Game Developer
    Brisbane, Australia
    Hi,

    Sorry I know I said I'd get back to you a couple of days ago, but my game just got released yesterday so all my plans went clean out the window. I've been playing your game and am enjoying it. I'm slowly learning all the new strategies, but some of them are pretty tricky! A couple of quick things I can mention that probably don't need too much detail:

    - The music wasn't to my particular taste, so I was glad the option was there to turn it down
    - For a while I kept getting confused between the two fox icons as to which did what. Maybe you could add *for example* a question mark or one of those university graduation hats to the top one to show that it's helping/teaching, and a pen to the bottom one to show that it's solving...or something. I know the top one is next to the big question mark and so with that context it should be obvious, but there are still people out there like me who are thick as four planks, and you might need to go the extra mile to cater for them.
    - To me the list of strategies seemed to scroll the opposite direction to what I thought it would.

    I'll keep playing and will try be back soon as I can if I find anything else.

    Also I would love to be able to use swiping gestures to indicate the patterns I have found, but I'm not even sure that would be possible given the number of strategies and the complexity of some of them. Have you ever thought about that?

    Cheers,

    Pete
     
  8. thisissudoku

    thisissudoku Active Member

    Mar 5, 2011
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    #8 thisissudoku, Mar 10, 2011
    Last edited: Mar 19, 2011
    1. Yeah, you know I was pretty happy with it since I thought that it would let the player focus on the puzzle but also would relax him/her.

    2. Loved your idea of putting the hat to the fox. It will add an hilarious feeling to the game.

    3. You are right and its fixed already for the next update.

    Regarding to using swipe gestures, I think I'm not following you. Do you mean like some kind of library of all the patterns you spotted earlier in the game?

    Thanks for your comments. They are very helpful.
     
  9. carrytheone

    carrytheone Active Member

    Oct 20, 2010
    44
    0
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    Free-range Game Developer
    Brisbane, Australia
    Heh, yeah my sentence about swiping gestures wasn't very clear was it? Sorry, let me try again...

    During the game, when I want to indicate that I've spotted a strategy - instead of selecting the strategy from the menu, then tapping the relevant square, then tapping the fox, I could do one of the following instead, depending on the strategy I have spotted:

    Naked Single: double tap the cell

    Hidden Single in a row or column: tap the cell, then trace a line along the row or column (whichever is appropriate) containing the cell. I guess the line wouldn't have to be precisely along the correct row or column since the user has specifically picked the appropriate cells anyway. Just enough to detect whether it's a vertical or horizontal swipe.

    Hidden Single in a square: tap the cell, then trace the outline of the square through each of the square's outer cells. Again you'll probably have to be fairly forgiving about this, accepting traces that look more like half-completed circles, just as long as it's mostly in the right square :).

    Naked Subset: Similar to Hidden Single, except you tap several cells before drawing your line or square.

    Line Exclusion: Think this can be the same as Naked Subset. I wonder about having 1 gesture for two different strategies, but it might work. It would make it easier to remember the gestures at least.

    Scyscraper: Tap the four corresponding cells, then do a 2-fingered swipe horizontally or vertically (whichever is appropriate) along the corresponding rows or columns. Again it won't have to be very precise.

    That's all I've gotten around to so far, but I hope that clarifies what I mean. I'm not sure yet if the remaining strategies are doable using gestures, but if you like the concept maybe you can work those out. If you do I'd like to hear what you come up with. If I get some more spare time I might come back and try to figure out the remaining ones.

    Anyway, those are just ideas. I would personally love to play it that way, but not sure if other users would agree.

    Cheers,

    Pete.
     
  10. thisissudoku

    thisissudoku Active Member

    Mar 5, 2011
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    I see it now. Thanks for the clarification.
    I get your point about it. However I think the player could get confused since there would be a different way to apply each strategy.
    Also, even the strategies you mentioned would work nicely the way you described it, I think for finned fishes would be messy and, if everything turns out fine, This Is Sudoku 2 will have more strategies that could be impossible for the player to select them that way. They will be mainly chain strategies in which several units (rows, columns and boxes) are linked in the same pattern.

    Thanks for your comments.
     
  11. carrytheone

    carrytheone Active Member

    Oct 20, 2010
    44
    0
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    Free-range Game Developer
    Brisbane, Australia
    Yep, now that I've been playing for a while and gotten to know the more complex strategies a bit better I can see where it might be difficult to use gestures. Still really enjoy playing This is Sudoku when I'm in a thinking kind of mood. Good luck with the updates.
     
  12. thisissudoku

    thisissudoku Active Member

    Mar 5, 2011
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    I'm glad to read that you are enjoying it.
    I estimate to be submitting the new release next week.

    Thanks.
     

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