Book Of Heroes [Out Worldwide Now] by Venan

[New England Gamer]

Originally Posted by Vovin

The first information was wrong, you don't need wifi.
I already tested this with 3G and even the normal data stream of my carrier - and both options work great. So, as long as you have a connection to the internet, you're fine. I guess the game just sends data packages now and then - when you level up, finish a mission or buy something, for example.
Since you are on an iPhone 4, no problems here for you. Just people with an iPod touch can only play when in vicinity of a wifi source, I guess that's what New England Gamer meant.

No, what I meant, was on an iPhone, occasionally I get a screen that cuts me out of the game and says - you need 3G or wifi to play. It has an ok or some acknowledgement button that I press and then the game brings me to the title screen. When I start the game again I am always a few minutes before that happened. I have not played this game on an iPod Touch. The last time that happened it was immediately after I beat a boss. When I restarted I had to beat the boss again. An annoyance but manageable. However, if it continues over and over it will indeed be a deal breaker. [add: or maybe you were talking about a response I made to someone who might want to play on an iPod Touch, hard to tell by that cuz I did say that before I realized he had 3 different devices in his signature]

Anyway, no matter what you are doing you must be connected to either wifi or 3G. Clearly will be a deal breaker for many people who don't want to either hunt for wifi, or only play at home.

There is indeed no Game Center but its own share system for heroes for which I can't find. (not that I looked too hard though - because I am not sure what there is to share other than comparison of stats) There are many things I can't find in the game as I said before. I would think that if there was Game Center there would be no need for a private server, which would eliminate some costs and traffic and then would allow for some different payment model. It would also have a nice neat way to keep track of the quests completed as they could be achievements. Nimblebit continues to be the leader in the IAP category. I am not sure if they have their own servers - I do not think they do - and they only use Game Center for back ups. I have moved their games from one device to another without any problems or loss of data at all. They don't shove the IAP down your throat because you don't need it every 3 or 4 minutes. You end up getting some cool IAP because you WANT to not because you HAVE to.

The energy bolts are now taking much longer to replenish as I feared. And they are critical to all aspects of the game. Every enemy you want to fight costs one bolt. Every time you want to heal costs one bolt. Just about everything costs one bolt. It is either that or play for 12 bolts worth and then wait for them to replenish. Health replenishes in time as well.

But when you have a quest that says go kill 25 of something, I kind of want to finish that in one fell swoop, and not have to go back to it at some point in the day when I get more energy bolts. So far there isn't a penalty for not finishing the quest and waiting until you get more bolts, but maybe down the line there will be, and in the time you wait for bolts, enemies also regain strength and numbers. Now THAT would really stink.

This is clearly the Zynga or Facebook IAP model. Play a minute or two or keep feeding quarters into the machine. There have been those ports on the iOS and I stayed away from them just knowing what they are. But Venan is a developer I loved and trusted. I felt sure they would not sink to THAT level. I understand the cash cow these kinds of games can be for the right player but that has to be a small percentage of the market and probably makes them more than an outright paying customer gains them. But in their case I would have hoped they would want to reach more customers than gain that kind of following.

Venan, I hope it isn't too late or too much work to reconsider this model or server choice.

[Cromwell]

Originally Posted by Vovin

The game itself is a very funny mixture between Cozy Quest, a gamebook adventure and DIABLO or single player World of Warcraft.....
.....Fans of gamebook adventures, browser-based RPGs should check it out.

@ 1nonya1: one note about IAPs: they work great, because they bring a small constant flow of money instead of an one-time heap of bucks. As long as the game's good, the revenues are much higher. Just look at Pocket Frogs and Tiny Tower. Of course devs will choose this when it fits the game. And they'll make more money even if a lot of people boycott this business method.
Just look into the AppStore at Top Grossing. In the German AppStore for example, there are more games with IAP method than games you pay for once in this category. For further explanations, please follow this link:
http://www.gamesbrief.com/2011/07/io...ts-first-year/
and this link:
http://www.gamesbrief.com/2009/04/zy...virtual-goods/

Just a little made-up mathematical example: with a good game, that has been downloaded - let's say, 600.00 times and will be supported by just 5% of the gamers with money - it can survive easily (given the fact that these gamers pay around 5 bucks every three months, which is very likely. Now we are talking here about $50.000 per month of revenues.). Selling it once at 5 lousy bucks to you would bring much less... because they already get these 5 bucks from some people every few months.
Always remember: were talking here about gaming business and not some overly generous Santa Claus-devs...

I wouldn't recommend this game to People who like to play game book adventures or RPGs. This game has a shallow gameplay that can be compared to this Facebook Mafia Wars like games. No real strategy in fights, you have to buy consumables to be able to play as long as you wish, so better buy Descent, Aralon or any other good RPG. There you get more for your money, you support DEVS which care about the gamers and you know what you pay to play the game when you buy it!
I deeply DETEST any game with this ENERGY consumables crap, such games aren't made to give the gamer a satisfying gaming experience, their ONE and ONLY purpose is to pull a lot of money out of your pocket and leave you with a shale taste in your mouth.
I can only recommend to stay away from games like this. You wil not be satisfied on the long run...

Ok, because my former post was deleted, I removed some parts which sounded offensive in some ears. For others it might have been what they were thinking too
Anyway, what I wrote before it is still my opinion and I stand for it!

[Vovin]

Originally Posted by New England Gamer

No, what I meant, was on an iPhone, occasionally I get a screen that cuts me out of the game and says - you need 3G or wifi to play. It has an ok or some acknowledgement button that I press and then the game brings me to the title screen. When I start the game again I am always a few minutes before that happened. I have not played this game on an iPod Touch. The last time that happened it was immediately after I beat a boss. When I restarted I had to beat the boss again. An annoyance but manageable. However, if it continues over and over it will indeed be a deal breaker. [or maybe you were talking about a response I made to someone who has multiple devices and might want to play on an iPod Touch, hard to tell by that]

So no matter what you are doing you must be connected to either wifi or 3G. Clearly will be a deal breaker for many people.

There is indeed no Game Center but it's own share system for heroes for which I can't find. (not that I looked too hard though) There are many things I can't find in the game as I said before. I would think that if there was Game Center there would be no need for a private server, which would eliminate some costs and traffic and then would allow for some different payment model. Nimblebit continues to be the leader in the IAP category. I am not sure if they have their own servers - I do not think they do - and they only use Game Center for back ups. I have moved their games from one device to another without any problems or loss of data at all. They don't shove the IAP down your throat because you don't need it every 3 or 4 minutes. You end up getting some cool IAP because you WANT to not because you HAVE to.

The energy bolts are now taking much longer to replenish as I feared. And they are critical to all aspects of the game. Every enemy you want to fight costs one bolt. Every time you want to heal costs one bolt. Just about everything costs one bolt. It is either that or play for 12 bolts worth and then wait for them to replenish. Health replenishes in time as well.

But when you have a quest that says go kill 25 of something, I kind of want to finish that in one fell swoop, and not have to go back to it at some point in the day when I get more energy bolts.

This is clearly the Zynga or Facebook IAP model. Play a minute or two or keep feeding quarters into the machine. There have been those ports on the iOS and I stayed away from them just knowing what they are. But Venan is a developer I loved and trusted. I felt sure they would not sink to THAT level. I understand the cash cow these kinds of games can be for the right player but that has to be a small percentage of the market and probably makes them more than an outright paying customer gains them. But in their case I would have hoped they would want to reach more customers than gain that kind of following.

Strange, I restarted my device once (as I always do) and had never any disconnects. I always stayed online... hm...
And you don't need wifi or 3G, Edge is doing fine, too.
I agree with the rest you've said. And that's the bitter fact: this game has potential.

Cromwell wrote: I deeply DETEST any game with this ENERGY consumables crap, such games aren't made to give the gamer a satisfying gaming experience, their ONE and ONLY purpose is to pull a lot of money out of your pocket and leave you with a shale taste in your mouth.
I can only recommend to stay away from games like this. You wil not be satisfied on the long run...

Ok, because my former post was deleted, I removed some parts which sounded offensive in some ears. For others it might have been what they were thinking too
Anyway, what I wrote before it is still my opinion and I stand for it!

It would be very nice if not for the IAP and consumables. That's what I've stated before and that's my opinion. Again, CLEARLY: I don't like this consumables and energy stuff. But I like the rest of the game.
It's just not my fault when Cromwell isn't reading my posts exactly and makes confused statements instead.

[New England Gamer]

Originally Posted by Vovin

Strange, I restarted my device once (as I always do) and had never any disconnects. I always stayed online... hm...
And you don't need wifi or 3G, Edge is doing fine, too.
I agree with the rest you've said. And that's the bitter fact: this game has potential.

I did too (restart the device). So my guess is this is the reason for the soft release. See how the servers are working out. For the most part fine. But there have been a handful of times they cut me off.

This is why I wish Venan will rethink this whole structure. No servers, no cut off time. Game Center to save. Pay a price upfront. If you can say this is a "lite" for me - trying out the spirit of the game - I would say it passes with flying colors and I would be willing to pay a premium price for a complete game. But at this IAP model, I won't be paying a cent. But maybe it is too late now and too much work would have to go in to revamping it. And that would indeed be a shame. The game has Venan quality splattered all over it. But aimed at the "I don't care how many credits I buy" market who really won't appreciate it.

[squarezero]

Originally Posted by New England Gamer

I did too (restart the device). So my guess is this is the reason for the soft release. See how the servers are working out. For the most part fine. But there have been a handful of times they cut me off.

This is why I wish Venan will rethink this whole structure. No servers, no cut off time. Game Center to save. Pay a price upfront. If you can say this is a "lite" for me - trying out the spirit of the game - I would say it passes with flying colors and I would be willing to pay a premium price for a complete game. But at this IAP model, I won't be paying a cent. But maybe it is too late now and too much work would have to go in to revamping it. And that would indeed be a shame. The game has Venan quality splattered all over it. But aimed at the "I don't care how many credits I buy" market who really won't appreciate it.

Even if this were not a freemium game, I still don't find the experience all that compelling, sadly. I understand why Venan went this route (it breaks my heart that SM wasn't a megahit), but the whole set up is totally non-immersive for me, especially compared to something like Wizardry. There's plenty of polish, and the combat system is interesting, but I just not having any fun.

[Vovin]

To make things clear, the artwork alone, the design and even the nature of the different npc characters - how they treat and speak to the character - is fun.
This isn't the usual "jump from screen to screen" browser mmo.
Sure, there are grind quest, sure, there are collect 10 x or kill 5 y and such stuff, but there are also quests which are different in some sort of way.

Here, you fight actively by carefully selecting which attack, which skill or spell you use next, watching how fast the enemy reacts, the thrill of being down to 50 hp while hoping your spell / strike goes though and you can heal... it's a bit like WoW fights. With DoTs and other stuff, well made.

Oh, and no game center for this is clearly a "no-go".

[bigred447uk]

Wasted £6 on this because of my trust in the dev. Leaving a one star review then deleting until they come to their senses (for all the reasons stated above).

[rogerchiu]

I love this game. My Hero Code: 647 556 534
I have no problem about the connection. No disconnect. Using Wifi in Hong Kong.

[Venan]

Hey Folks,

Before I touch on the touchy subject of IAP, I want to address some of the other questions brought up about the game.

- GameCenter - Support for this will be coming, and it will be retroactive and placed under the Feat system as much as possible. You can find the Feats by visiting the Trainer. This is actually pretty annoying and we're moving it into your character menu for the next update.

- Multiple Characters - We're planning for this as well.

- Connection issues - We've been working on this and have smoothed out a lot of the troubles on intermittent connections, this will be rolled out in our next patch.

- Notifications - If you're getting them while they are turned off, we likely screwed something up. We'll look into that.

And now some bigger questions:

We have a lot of cool plans for Book Of Heroes. The nice thing about games like this is that they can evolve and grow. The server component is a necessary part of this.

First, it is meant to be "social." Right now we just have the bare bones features working, but if you haven't added any friends yet, try sharing some codes. It's fun seeing people's little Facebook like progress posts on the newsfeed (lower right corner.) In the tavern you can also click on the leaderboards to see how other people look in the game and who has been the most heroic. Another feature coming that got cut for soft launch will be adding NPC versions of your friends into your party to fight w/ you. And of course some PvP dueling.

We also want the world to grow. Our current system lets us add new content easily - literally as quickly as we can make it. The current game world of Glenfort is one of only 4 we had originally planned for. Expect to see lots of new equipment, quests, and zones to visit as we continue to expand the game.

Finally, it get's rid of the pesky pirating issues and prevents cheating. I'm not one of those doomsayers who thinks that pirates destroy the industry, but it is an annoyance, and when we introduce some competitive aspects I like the playing field to be even. I played the heck out of Tiny Tower (I got to 107 floors), but one look at the leaderboards and you can see just how many people were gaming the clock to speed things up.

The IAP issue is polarizing, I don't want this to turn into an IAP vs. non-IAP thread though. If you are really against it - this game isn't for you and I respect your decision to go elsewhere for your enjoyment. And if you are big on huddling down and sinking five-six hour chunks of time into a game - this probably isn't for you either. I understand where you're coming from though, but I think Skyrim and Diablo 3 will be better choices for that than anything we could do on an iDevice.

That being said, there are no IAP requirements to play the game. I've played it extensively, and other than testing that IAP works, I usually go through only getting new gear from drops and quests, and saving up silver to buy new items. There are never going to be gates in the game that require IAP to complete.

I don't think the business model defines the game though. Just like there are plenty of crappy games you have to pay for, and plenty that are good, we think there can be good IAP style games as well (there just aren't a lot). Hopefully, we can evolve the genre past treadmill style progression/management games and bring some real gameplay. And if we're not their yet, we'll keep trying!

And in line with that, I'd love more game feedback if you'd had a chance to play it. Some of the navigation issues brought up by New England Gamer are good to know, as well as some of the bugs mentioned. But even more gameplay issues, things you find confusing, things you like or don't like (besides IAP), what you think could make the game more compelling (squarezero), why you think you wasted that money (bigred447uk) - that's all good stuff to hear. We don't want people throwing their money away.

[rogerchiu]

@Venan, If I delete the game for some reason, will my hero data restored when I install the game again?