Golvellius removed from App Store (by DotEmu)

Discussion in 'General Game Discussion and Questions' started by zombiemuscle, Jun 6, 2014.

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Have you purchased the Golvellius app?

Poll closed Jun 9, 2014.
  1. Yes

    1 vote(s)
    33.3%
  2. No

    7 vote(s)
    233.3%
  1. zombiemuscle

    zombiemuscle Well-Known Member

    May 6, 2014
    190
    0
    0
    This has been removed (Golvellius originally by Compile for SMS) from the App Store. The reason is irrelevant (but I will mention that it was due to licensing issues and it is probably not coming back), the main topic of discussion is continued playing of the game after removal from App Store.

    Something I worry about: will this app not work correctly after the ios8 update? If the update breaks Golvellius, there will not be an update to fix any issues. Meaning, if we want to continue playing this game, don't update.

    But what if it doesn't break it? What if we can continue playing it forever with no issues? That would be an awesome guarantee.

    I will give two examples of apps that have been broken with an ios update:
    Metal slug 3
    Blazing star
    These both ended up only showing half the screen and rotating orientation to vertical, while all touch features and digital buttons were broken so that even the visible stuff didn't work. Snk eventually fixed it but it took them a great while.

    An example of a game that has hardly been updated and has been removed as well, but which has never had any problem functioning:
    X-men by konami
    Probably a licensing issue though I can't confirm it for this game, but the question is why do some apps continue to function after updates and some don't? It probably has to do with the language and coding.

    If anyone has any input or thought on the matter I would greatly appreciate it. Any developers comments would probably be gold. Really I just want assurance that I can continue to update my phone because I don't want to lose Golvellius. On the other hand I can't quit updating my ios for one app.
     
  2. undeadcow

    undeadcow Well-Known Member

    Dec 4, 2010
    9,493
    2
    36
    Houston, TX
    I don't think there's anyway of forecasting if an iOS update will break an older game or not; you just sort of have to grit your teeth and hope for the best. Fortunately my perception is that more often than not apps do continue to work. Unfortunately because iOS software/hardware is closed without much ability to tweak performance/specification all apps have an unspoken expiration date. There were, probably still are, ways of installing older iOS editions on your iDevice so that's always a possibility (provided former iOS is compatible with current gen hardware) if you're game for it. Good luck with Golvellius.
     
  3. zombiemuscle

    zombiemuscle Well-Known Member

    May 6, 2014
    190
    0
    0
    So stick with wayward souls
     
  4. Anonomation

    Anonomation 👮 Spam Police 🚓

    But, someday that's gonna be gone too. Maybe around iOS 9 or 10. Who knows.
     
  5. zombiemuscle

    zombiemuscle Well-Known Member

    May 6, 2014
    190
    0
    0
    Think rocketcat games will be gone so soon?
     
  6. JindoFox

    JindoFox Well-Known Member

    Dec 21, 2008
    525
    11
    18
    It's no great loss in this case, but every time an app is removed from the store AND stops working, I die a little. TurboGrafx Gamebox is in a similar state -- no longer available (though you can download it from your Purchases list), and no longer works.
     
  7. nightc1

    nightc1 Well-Known Member

    Oct 19, 2012
    4,362
    0
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    AL
    This whole situation is part of what has soured me on iOS as a serious gaming platform. Yes, bait and switch has been a bigger part of my love for the platform waning, but so has the fear that my library of purchases will be unplayable even over the next year. The transition to iOS7 to me was pretty scary. Once you upgrade from 6 there is no going back. So if you're borderline device which was top of the line suddenly can't play serious games then you are stuck. Then you have games like this, you are forced to not upgrade but then if you don't upgrade then it means a lot of new games don't work because devs push the new OS. So you are then locked out of anything new because for some reason new simple turn based sprite based games need iOS7 to work (insert eyes rolling).

    A big part of the problem is Apple and how they design new versions of iOS and new devices which breaks many apps. It's not like the old days of a console manufacturer releasing a new version of the same system and every game still works, now it's dealing with a company that doesn't seem to care if things work or not when they update. It's either everyone updates along with them or they get left behind.

    So, I've put a hold on all iOS game purchases this year. I've not bought a single iTunes card this year and I'm going to hold out as long as I can because the platform is unstable. Not just the forced need to constantly upgrade the OS but also devices. Nothing lasts very long. So I've gone back to more traditional game systems, handhelds, and even the PC. I bought an Android tablet to use for reading and video. But I don't even game on Android because of how unstable the market is for these platforms. My steam account and PSN accounts though have grown while my iTunes account has just gone stagnant.

    Not that anything digital is safe, but at least with PSN and Steam I have two companies actively wanting their services to survive and one that requires some user feedback before they even consider putting most games on the service. Not that Steam is free of stinkers, but user feedback in the reviews helps stop the purchase of many bad games.

    Still, the future of iOS is not really conforming to the serious gamer in me. Nothing is safe and once a dev abandons their games for any future fixes, it's the end. At least on PC when this happens there are typically still ways to run the games.

    YES, there are some reliable devs on IOS. Some I put up against any console game maker out there... but even they can end up going belly up and then you are one upgrade away from losing the ability to play their games.

    Maybe the only solution is to keep around older devices... like keeping legacy consoles when a library is abandoned. But this isn't quite the same as consoles as part of the fun is just having one device, one account (or many from other regions), and a massive library of possible fun times. But it doesn't work that way sadly.

    I think the move to freemium only further sours my feelings towards the future of iOS with each new device and OS version. But, I don't want to go there and get banned.
     

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