First of all the negative critsizm: It's really disappointing to see that the release has been pushed back.....yet again! My feeling is that you all should have either announced a release date when you were sure you could have the game finished,and submitted to Apple in time to achieve the date,or have the team work the extra hours neccessary to get the polishing done so it can get released on May 10th. That's my only criticism,that and we are already close to a year since this first got announced. The positive feedback: is that I like how the game is looking. Really well done!
Message received We were really hesitant about showing off the game at E3 last year since we knew it was still so early, I know that makes it tough on all of you because you have to wait so long to get your hands on it. On the other hand, I don't think it was a mistake. This development process has been so tough that there have been numerous times, usually between 2:00 and 3:00 AM, where I would have quit and walked away if it weren't for the fact that we knew there were so many people who wanted to play this game. That may sound trite, but I guarantee I've felt that way numerous times. We've been working on Pocket Heroes for over a year, during late nights and long weekends. We didn't do a Kickstarter and ask for a bunch of money from people, we continued to work day jobs and build Pocket Heroes in whatever spare time we could muster because it's our dream to make games. I know that the wait for the game has been difficult, and I appreciate you sticking with us this long. Stick with us just a few more weeks, and I think you'll be glad you did.
IMO the only way someone's got a right to be upset about a missed release date is if they have preordered the product in question and thus have put money on the line. People with zero skin in the game somehow still seem to think they are entitled to all sorts of things. Just wait. Be patient. It builds character.
I don't really like this personally. I rather pay IAP for new classes or even for cosmetic changes (different hair color, etc.). I feel like being able to buy gold gives you an unfair advantage in the game and takes away from some of the resourcefulness and skill in decision making that would be required to progress through the game if you didn't have such an IAP. IAP which makes games easier takes away some of the fun and bragging rights. IAP which focus on new classes and cosmetic changes expand the game and give players the ability to affect small details in appearance in exchange for IAP (without affecting the game difficulty). Look at the IAP model in HERO ACADEMY. You can buy new teams (expanding the game), and you can buy cosmetic changes (personalizing the game), but none of the IAP alter the difficulty of the game itself. I spent $14+ on new teams and cosmetic changes in HERO ACADEMY, but had they introduced even a single IAP that affected the difficulty of gameplay, I would have quit instantly and not spent that money.
I don't like IAPs either but know many people do. How about a setting or separate server for people who want to play with no IAPs? Heck I'd pay more ($4.99) to play with people without IAPs (aka cheats).
TBH I'm a bit weary about the proposed IAP classes; I just hope that, if implemented, they won't be overpowered compared to the classes that you get w/o an in app purchase. Balance is key, especially when flirting with additional IAP characters.
Or maybe the IAP characters can also be bought with a large sum of coins? That might help balance issues, because this way you can either fork up the money to buy the character right away, or grind a little for it. Either way, no one will be excluded from eventually being able to play as the character.
Just look at Hero Academy. It has a good entry for players since it is free and gives you a free team. But then you have to buy the other teams, which I think is totally fair. Furthermore, they try to balance the teams so that there is no unfair advantage to those who buy the IAP teams. Looking to Pocket Heroes, I'd suggest keep the entry price low for the game at $0-2, and then I'd suggest limiting IAP to new classes (each class could be $1-2). The game could come with 2-4 free classes, but any extra classes would cost IAP. There should be no way to buy these classes with gold (as the dev needs to make $). Of course, they should try to keep the classes somewhat balanced. As for items, weapons, armor, etc. These should be kept to game currency and should not be mixed with IAP. They can make additional $ with IAP cosmetic changes. I don't mind paying extra $2+ for an alternate hero sprite (same hero but slightly different look).
TBH, I'd rather pay more for the app ($5+ is fine with me), as opposed to paying for new classes every month or so. The reason I think either IAP or a significant amount of gold for new classes would work is because the dev will still be able to generate additional revenue from IAP, which some people would still buy, regardless of being able to grind for a new class instead. Of course, this is up to the dev to decide, just giving my opinion. Definitely going to be getting this regardless when it launches. =]
Thanks for all the replies on this guys, it's good to hear different perspectives. We're definitely not planning any class to be over-powered than any other. It's our plan for each character class to provide a different play style and to fulfill a certain role in the group so that you can mix and match classes in a party for a different experience. All the classes will be balanced according to their role in the game whether their were a free class or IAP. For the gold, I can see how that would make some people wary but I personally don't see it as being a problem. One of the things we are trying to stress with Pocket Heroes is the cooperative aspect of putting together a party and going on an epic adventure together. So, while I understand the competitive aspect I would look at it more as an opportunity to improve your group if you want to take advantage of it. I mentioned this in another post earlier but I want to restate that the items you can buy in the store won't be ultimate weapons or anything, they will be randomly generated just like the loot in the level you just completed. So, I hope that makes you feel a little better about how we're approaching it. If not, let me know.
More than anything, Wakfu and Dofus would both make for damn near PERFECT iOS games, what with controls that do not rely on twitch precision, and a combat system that is exceptionally lag- and disconnect-tolerant I've long considered going into their forums and launching the largest "dudes, bring this stuff to iOS" campaign in the history of mobile gaming But yeah, both of Ankama's MMORPGs are probably a good inspiration for anything turn-based.
We had to push back the release date by a few weeks. Our latest blog post had some info on why ( http://f5games.com/2012/04/pocket-heroes-april-dev-update/ ). We're still making great progress, we're using the extra time to add some additional animations, items, and abilities as well as play test for bugs and balancing. I'm planning another blog post for later this week that gives some more examples and, If you're interested in getting all the latest info, I tend to drop little updates on twitter as I'm working as well ( @Readmore ).
Good for you guys. Taking the time to do it right is definitely the right way to go. Long ago I'd decided I'd buy this the day it comes out, and what I've seen from you guys has not changed my opinion one bit.
Thanks, I really appreciate that! We definitely want to take our time and get things right, but on the other hand we really want to get the game out there for all of you to enjoy and to get your hands-on feedback. It's been tough trying to find the best balance but I'm feeling good about where we're at now.
I understand. I'm designing a game myself (tabletop miniature space combat! - http://www.silent-fury.com ), and it's tempting sometimes to focus more on getting it out there than getting everything right, but the longer I spend working on it the better it gets.
