Universal PILE (1Button)

Discussion in 'Upcoming iOS Games' started by 1Button, Mar 6, 2014.

  1. 1Button

    1Button Well-Known Member

    Apr 22, 2013
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    #1 1Button, Mar 6, 2014
    Last edited: Mar 8, 2014
    Hello!

    Our upcoming game PILE will hit the App Store on March 20!

    [​IMG]


    Full video: https://vimeo.com/87087223


    We initially released PILE in 2012 as a very simple iPhone game. It was a complete commercial failure but it was downloaded about 400K times thanks to several price drops. Players loved it, we loved it. And we had many new ideas. So last summer we decided to work on a small update. And the small update eventually became a HUGE update ^^.

    We've redesigned everything. We've added everything we wanted to add and improved every single aspect of the game. We've been working more than six months on PILE 2, which is probably risky as we can't spend a dime in marketing…

    PILE 2 will be released as an update. The app will become free, including optional in-app purchases (I'll detail later). We pulled PILE 1 from the App Store until March 20 so that nobody buys it.

    PILE 2 includes:
    - Colorful edge-to-edge graphics
    - 3 modes (Classic, Missions, Special)
    - 15 upgradable power-ups
    - Game Center (leaderboards, achievements)
    - iCloud sync
    - 13 languages

    I'll detail the game mechanics later. In a nutshell, PILE is a fast-paced match-three with an original gameplay that emphasizes strategies and combos.


    Don't hesitate to ask me if you are interested in trying the game before its release.
    Cloudpuff and Bronxsta are already on my list :)
     
  2. sink_or_swim

    sink_or_swim Well-Known Member

    Feb 4, 2012
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    I'd like to try it :)
     
  3. TheFrost

    TheFrost Well-Known Member

    Nov 18, 2010
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    Same here :)
     
  4. cloudpuff

    cloudpuff Well-Known Member

    Sep 12, 2013
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    Can't wait to try it, if it's even a fraction as good as your other titles you've nothing to worry about.
     
  5. 1Button

    1Button Well-Known Member

    Apr 22, 2013
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    #5 1Button, Mar 7, 2014
    Last edited: Mar 8, 2014
    I sent the app to Cloudpuff, Bronxsta, sink_or_swim and TheFrost :)
    Anyone else interested?


    I'll try to post daily about different aspects of the game. Today I'll talk about blocks. As you may have noticed, blocks are the raw material in PILE. There are several kinds of blocks.


    Color Blocks
    If you line up at least 3 blocks of the same color (horizontally or vertically), they disappear. You start with only 4 colors in the Classic mode but new ones are added over time.

    Bomb Blocks
    Line up at least 3 bombs to make them explode. They blow up all the blocks around them. The explosion will even propagate, as shown in the gif.

    [​IMG]

    X Blocks
    These blocks can only be cleared by bomb blocks and power-ups.

    Shiny Blocks
    A color block can sometimes become shiny for a limited time. Clear it to score points and earn coins. Clearing a shiny block will also clear all the other blocks having the same color. Of course some shiny blocks are more likely to appear than others. The rarer the shiny block, the more points you score. Shiny blocks often appear at places that are difficult to reach.

    [​IMG]


    All these blocks appear with variable proportions during the game. We spend a lot of time to finely adjust these proportions.

    Tomorrow I'll post about what makes the difference between PILE and the other match-threes : its core mechanics!
     
  6. tkphotos

    tkphotos Well-Known Member

    Jun 10, 2011
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    looks like a winner:D:D:D
     
  7. cloudpuff

    cloudpuff Well-Known Member

    Sep 12, 2013
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    Just like I thought this is as good quality as your other games, you get gently eased into the game and I like how you give the player plenty of time for the player to get the hang of the mechanics before introducing the next elements, a lot of games bombrd you with everything at once. The speed etc feels to increase at a nice even rate so you don't feel suddenly overcome, but at the same time being challenging as the screen fills, you need to plan where to drop the blocks to get the best matches while also being against the clock.

    I love it. I'll chime in with impressions on other elements as you post about them if that's ok.
     
  8. 1Button

    1Button Well-Known Member

    Apr 22, 2013
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    #8 1Button, Mar 8, 2014
    Last edited: Mar 18, 2014
    Hello,

    Today I’m gonna talk about what makes PILE so different from the other match-three games: its game mechanics.

    PILE can be most related to Columns (Sega) and Dr. Mario (Nintendo). In such games, there are blocks that fall, one at a time, from the top of the screen. The player has to rearrange and position them while they are falling. The blocks then land either on the floor or on top of previously fallen blocks. If several blocks of the same color are connected, they disappear, making the blocks that may be on top of them fall.

    [hqyoutube]IHXdtKEHDNU[/hqyoutube]

    In Columns, each turn the player is given a new column of three blocks. The player can swap the blocks' position within the column while it is falling.
    In Dr. Mario, a new capsule (two blocks) appears and the player can rotate the capsule in the four directions while it is falling.
    In both games, the blocks appear one at a time and the next column/capsule is displayed. This way, experienced players can build strategies. Triggering combos is quite hard as we only have a limited number of blocks to begin and sustain the chain reaction.

    In PILE, we wanted to design a match-three game that would emphasize strategies and combos, even for novice players. Instead of just showing the next group of blocks, our solution is to directly give several groups of blocks to the player. He can play them in any order, which means the blocks don’t fall automatically. They are stored in a dock at the top the of game area. Of course the player can switch the colors of each pair with a tap, even while it is already falling.

    [​IMG]

    We decided to give four pairs of blocks at each turn. With that much blocks to deal with, the player can build strategies (which one should I play first?). And because the blocks will disappear only after all the four pairs have been played, there is enough material to easily make impressive combos.

    For each turn, there is a timer. If you don’t play all the four pairs of blocks before the timer ends, a penalty line of blocks is added at the bottom of the screen. Thanks to this timer, we can finely tune the difficulty curve and create an interesting rhythm.

    Next time I’ll talk about the Classic Mode and the clever difficulty curve we designed!
     
  9. Guise

    Guise Well-Known Member

    Jul 10, 2009
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    I downloaded and played the original about six months back, when I discovered SEQ and your other games. I liked it but think I got sidetracked by other games and forgot to return to PILE. I'm definitely looking forward to the update/upgrade.
    Keep up the good work!
     
  10. Bronxsta

    Bronxsta Well-Known Member

    #10 Bronxsta, Mar 8, 2014
    Last edited: Mar 8, 2014
    Impressions

    I haven't played many Tetris style games so I'm sure other games have had a similar mechanic. Due to the urgency of timer, PILE does for matching/Tetris games what Word Mage did for word games. It's fast and challenging, as you only have seconds to scan the board, think steps ahead, and figure out the best place to place your blocks. The additions of power-ups and special blocks only add to the arcadey vibe.

    I'm really enjoying PILE. There's a whole wealth of content here: the regular Classic mode, a Missions mode which I've yet to unlock, and a Special mode. Beyond that, you can also upgrade power-ups, which range for slowing the clock and clearing columns to negative effects like hiding the colors of the blocks.

    ---
    Two questions:
    1) Sometimes I'd have a group of blocks like this
    [][]
    [][]
    But they wouldn't clear till the next turn. Is there a reason why, like a rule I'm missing or something?

    2) Is there a reason to activate a bad power up? I've just been avoiding them
     
  11. 1Button

    1Button Well-Known Member

    Apr 22, 2013
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    The only two patterns that make the blocks disappear are:

    [][][]
    or
    []
    []
    []

    That's why it's a 'match-three' ^^. Unlike Dr. Mario, the blocks that are connected to such patterns will disappear as well.

    You only have 4 slots for power-ups (5 if you unlock the Power-Up+ booster). So if you don't use the bad power-ups you get, the slots will ultimately be filled with bad power-ups and you won't get good power-ups anymore.

    For almost all the bad power-ups, there are strategies for using them at the right time. For example, the 'Elevator', a power that adds 3 lines of X Blocks, should be used only when you know you can align 3 bombs on the floor during the current turn. This way all the X Blocks will disappear.
    Some bad power-ups are not as bad as they look, you can take advantage of them. I'll detail this aspect in a future post about power-ups ^^.


    Did you notice you can buy some good power-ups at the beginning of the game (Level 0) with the coins you earned?
     
  12. szu75

    szu75 Well-Known Member

    Dec 11, 2013
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    Arizona
    I'd love to try if it's still not too late (I'll download it on 20th anyways), clean and simple graphics + puzzle gameplay is just irresistible for me!
     
  13. 1Button

    1Button Well-Known Member

    Apr 22, 2013
    196
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    Just sent you a PM :)
     
  14. cloudpuff

    cloudpuff Well-Known Member

    Sep 12, 2013
    3,600
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    lazy layabout
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    Ahh I see now about the patterns that get rid of blocks, I also wondered why squares weren't budging lol.
     
  15. szu75

    szu75 Well-Known Member

    Dec 11, 2013
    59
    0
    0
    Freelance
    Arizona
    #15 szu75, Mar 9, 2014
    Last edited: Mar 9, 2014
    So far really enjoying the game!!! Quick first impressions when it's still fresh in my mind,

    - The art style and presentation is great, that finger in the tutorial cracked me up!
    - The game itself is addicting and easy to play on the go, I'm sure I'll sink more time into it in coming days and weeks! The pacing is nice where the player will feel some pressure of dying couple minutes in but still manageable(until I hit that X button and all went to hell). I'm not that good yet so I'll let you know more when I can actually start building combos and such.
    - I have no problems understanding the special blocks after reading the tutorials.

    - I got confused on how exactly to clear the normal blocks, initially I thought putting together same colored blocks of 3 in any direction will work. But then stacks of 4 in a square starts to build up and I had to watch the tutorial again (in complete focus) to get it.
    I think part of it also comes from the nature of clearing block, where it also takes away anything next to the line of 3 if it's the same color. I immediately related this game to Puyo Puyo, instead of Dr.Mario.

    - Since the reaction isn't instantaneous (you have to put all 4 sets down to see what will happen), I think it might help the players to highlight the blocks they've just placed down so they can track their strategies easier.
     
  16. Lavender

    Lavender Well-Known Member

    Dec 31, 2013
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    I would love to try the game!

    Thanks
     
  17. 1Button

    1Button Well-Known Member

    Apr 22, 2013
    196
    3
    18
    France
    Thanks szu75 for your feedback!

    That's a good idea, we'll think about it!


    Let's talk about the modes.

    PILE includes 3 game modes: Classic, Missions and Special.

    The Classic mode is the only one available when you install the game. The player has to survive as long as possible across 21 levels with a progressive difficulty.

    Classic:
    https://vimeo.com/89409523


    As you can see, the game starts with only 4 colors. The other blocks are added one at a time across the levels. For example, the bomb blocks appear at level 3 and the yellow blocks at level 6. You'll earn coins after each game (depending on the level you reached, the number of combos you did and so on).


    In Missions mode, there are 35 puzzles that we designed carefully. Some missions ask you to solve a puzzle in a limited number of turns, some ask you to survive a few minutes with a new line at the bottom at each turn, etc.

    Missions:
    https://vimeo.com/89417912


    To unlock the Missions mode, you just have to reach the level 6 in Classic mode. You'll earn coins once you succeed at a mission, which will allow you to unlock the next missions.

    All the missions are quite hard!


    The Special mode can be unlocked with 150,000 coins, which means you have to reach level 21 in Classic mode and/or succeed in almost all the missions. It's a mode designed for hardcore gamers :)
     

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