Universal Horn (by Phosphor Games Studio)

Discussion in 'iPhone and iPad Games' started by metalcasket, Aug 16, 2012.

  1. Drummerboycroy

    Drummerboycroy Well-Known Member

    Apr 2, 2012
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    Maine!
    *Yawn* [Insert fake look of shock here... here, this one will do.:eek:]

    DBC
     
  2. bramblett05

    bramblett05 Well-Known Member

    Aug 29, 2012
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    Lol or "shocked" look
     
  3. Eli

    Eli ᕕ┌◕ᗜ◕┐ᕗ
    Staff Member Patreon Silver Patreon Gold

    I just think it's weird that Phosphor was all about collecting feedback under the guise that all this stuff was going to get changed or otherwise implemented to make the game better and instead focuses their efforts on a free version of the game. If that was the plan all along, that's cool, I guess. (And really, I guess should've been way more obvious sailing under the Zynga flag.) I'm just not sure what the point was of getting everyone all jazzed with the attitude of "Keep it coming guys, we're listening!"

    *shrug*

    Definitely one of those "fool me once..." kind of situations.
     
  4. Johnny101

    Johnny101 Well-Known Member

    Jun 29, 2011
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    Yes, I was kind of skeptical when this came out, and sure enough it has happened again. Took some flak because of my opinions.

    I'm glad there's many other talented developers to buy their games from, that are trustworthy.
     
  5. shoi

    shoi Well-Known Member

    Aug 3, 2012
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    #865 shoi, Dec 11, 2012
    Last edited: Dec 11, 2012
    I would like to know why you think it is a degusting move?
    I bought the game full price myself too btw.
    I am just curious as to how you see it.

    As for me, a free lite version is ok.

    They didn't make the game free, it is just the prologue of the story mode that is available with the new Quest mode (certainly requiring IAPs at some points).
    If a free lite version allows them to promote the paid version and generate enough benefits from both versions to invest time in the game, why not?

    I think they reach a stage where it is the easiest way to acquire new possible customers and they try to lower the entry fee to attract people who may not buy it without a little push like that.(It's even better than a free sale IMO)
    ---

    A good news is they added that fullscreen support is coming soon in the game description.
     
  6. Drummerboycroy

    Drummerboycroy Well-Known Member

    Apr 2, 2012
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    Maine!
    Funny enough, that whole paragraph could be cut-and-pasted into another specific thread and it wouldn't look the slightest bit out of place.

    Realizing I'm asking to be flamed, I would be curious as to whether or not the "PREMIUM VERSION" of Horn gets "imaginarily" rebalanced like, you know, that other game.

    I can just hear the apologists and Stockholm Syndrome victims sharpening their pitchforks now...

    "Fool me once" indeed.:rolleyes:

    DBC
     
  7. bramblett05

    bramblett05 Well-Known Member

    Aug 29, 2012
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    +100000
     
  8. defred34

    defred34 Well-Known Member

    Aug 27, 2012
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    All I ever asked for was a virtual dpad control scheme. What can be so hard?
     
  9. cabdog

    cabdog Well-Known Member

    Mar 14, 2011
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    What this game really needs is iCloud game save. Just throwing that out there.

    I heard at one point this is really hard to implement, but Universal should be synonymous with iCloud IMHO.
     
  10. Phosphor_chip

    Phosphor_chip Well-Known Member

    Oct 6, 2011
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    How is a free demo a bad thing? Who have we fooled?

    On one end you have people complain they will wait for the game to be a dollar or free, on the other end you have people being mad you are making accessible to people who won't pay for it.

    The Story Mode economy / balance of the game has not been touched, and indeed in the Premium game the you earn double the loot in the Quest mode, which in turn makes the story mode even easier. We deliberately choose to not mess with the Story mode at all because of feedback we received on this forum previously.

    In terms of other criticisms that haven't been addressed- we agree with many of them (see interview here http://www.pocketgamer.biz/r/PG.Biz/Horn/feature.asp?c=45848 ) but many of them are "non-trivial"- for example we actually had virtual controls working locally, but it broke the whole game in so many ways- all the interacts have to be redone for non-touch events, and then they all have to be crazy tested. To do a change like that you really need to plan it from the beginning. While we all agree more alternate control options= most people happy, the vast majority of reviews don’t even call this out. We have taken this to heart in our next game that we really want to give options for the different ways people want to play.

    We addressed all the known bugs we have seen in the forums, we are getting to iPhone5 native res support- we are definitely listening to the feedback.
     
  11. bramblett05

    bramblett05 Well-Known Member

    Aug 29, 2012
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    Well there's controls and other small bits but you think a free version is more important when people think this is a redux of dark meadow because "its for people who didn't want to pay 6.99" (which is no excuse)
     
  12. Drummerboycroy

    Drummerboycroy Well-Known Member

    Apr 2, 2012
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    #872 Drummerboycroy, Dec 12, 2012
    Last edited: Dec 12, 2012
    Edit: At this point, it's not even worth it.

    DBC
     
  13. bramblett05

    bramblett05 Well-Known Member

    Aug 29, 2012
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    I know but someone needs to point the truth regardless pointless or not.
     
  14. Appletini

    Appletini Well-Known Member

    Jan 8, 2011
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    It isn't. The extreme knee-jerk overreaction in this thread is hopefully only the result of people not actually understanding what this release actually is, as the other option is the terrifying notion that IQs just dropped sharply while I was away.

    None of that is relevant; this isn't a "free version" of the whole game, it's a demo of part of it, and PC has the situation pegged exactly. You (the community) don't get to complain that games are too expensive, then whine when the developers release a demo. You just don't.
     
  15. defred34

    defred34 Well-Known Member

    Aug 27, 2012
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    It's like the boy who cried wolf. Going free for your first game was maybe acceptable, but now twice in a row and I have lost any confidence I had in Phosphor to begin with.

    I would like you to articulate one instance in which a virtual d-pad may pose serious problems and will need to be "crazily redone". Otherwise, I call this a bull.

    And as long as you don't fix the Android version (how hard can it be to block non-Tegra devices from getting the game??), I will recommend people not to get this and see you guys as ones who steal indiscriminately from naive gamers.

    PS: Mind you people, since launch on 31 August, the game can actually only be played on Tegra devices on Android, but Phosphor continues to sell it to others when this can actually be addressed. They don't bother and keep on taking $6.99 from people who can't play the game AT ALL and they don't seem to bother about a Google Play rating of 2.7/5.
     
  16. shoi

    shoi Well-Known Member

    Aug 3, 2012
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    #876 shoi, Dec 12, 2012
    Last edited: Dec 12, 2012
    I really don't understand why so many people are mad about this free lite version of the game.
    Perhaps because they are under the trauma of the change of a paymium Dark Meadow to a freemium version penalizing even the first customers. It was indeed really badly done.

    But this time around, it seems quite fair.

    As for the D-Pad, just need it while free roaming, not in the battle, I don't see how challenging this can be to implement?
     
  17. defred34

    defred34 Well-Known Member

    Aug 27, 2012
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    Hah, we all fully understand this is some kind of a demo (it actually isn't....there probably are consumable IAPs in there too and Zynga/Phosphor will make their money from the "free" version anyways).

    What we are really riled about is that persistant calls for changes and improvements in the game have been sought by the devs in the forums, yet they seem to have dedicated their time to making a freemium version of the game (the arena style is really a new part of the game and can be classified as a standalone game in itself).

    This time could have been instead used to polishing up and improving the main game. Eg: Virtual d-pad.

    EDIT: OK fine, if D-Pad is really SOOOO difficult, then why can't there be a progressive touch-to-go? Instead of tapping everytime, you just leave your finger on the screen (like Heroes Call)?
     
  18. Appletini

    Appletini Well-Known Member

    Jan 8, 2011
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    #878 Appletini, Dec 12, 2012
    Last edited: Dec 12, 2012
    The very post I just quoted clearly indicates that you don't understand this, because everything you keep posting only even begins to make sense if you are under the mistaken impression that "Horn Free" is the full game being made available for free (as happened with Dark Meadow).

    It isn't. It's a demo of part of the full game.
     
  19. defred34

    defred34 Well-Known Member

    Aug 27, 2012
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    Hahaa. (said in the voice of King Julian).

    I never knew DEMOs contained consumable IAPs.

    Yes, this is only a demo to an extent. Don't let the dev trick you. The bit wbout the prologue section is indeed demo. The other part where you get to go questing isn't a demo - it is a fully functional game in itself. Please understand this. Please.
     
  20. Ravenblack

    Ravenblack Well-Known Member

    Feb 24, 2009
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    Isn't the quest mode thing also in the full version, as mentioned in the TA article?
     

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