Beast Bound: Chock full of Classic RPGness

Discussion in 'Upcoming iOS Games' started by Lt. Action, Jan 21, 2015.

  1. Lt. Action

    Lt. Action Well-Known Member

    #1 Lt. Action, Jan 21, 2015
    Last edited: Jun 18, 2015
    We are LIVE!

    For realsies, here's the trailer!



    [04/29/15 UPDATE!]

    We are now live on Google Play for ALL Regions!

    If you are unable to download, you should be good to go within the next 24 hours! That's 1,440 minutes for you nervous types.

    [04/23/15 UPDATE!]
    If you're an Android user AND Canadian you are, for the first time in your life, in luck!

    WE'RE LIVE ON THE CANADIAN GOOGLE PLAY STORE!

    This is the beginning of our soft launch endeavors and we will be posting up a link to iTunes once we're approved!

    Please try out Beast Bound and let us know what you think!

    ----------------------------------------------------------------------

    **Please see page 9 for an announcement regarding our soft launch!**

    Welcome one and all!

    Check your pockets. Go ahead, shove your hands firmly into the vast caverns of your pants-pouches and root around. What'chyu got in there? Lint? An old receipt from Arby's (where you haven't been in months)? A hastily scrawled note reminding you to do that thing you forgot about?

    I'll tell you what you and your woeful pocket are lacking. DESTINY.

    JB Gaming is here to fix all of that, friends!

    Beast Bound is our two-man project aiming to recapture the glory of the Super Nintendo RPG days and wrap it all up in a tidy package digestible by the contemporary mobile gaming audience.

    WE'VE GOT TITLE SCREENS!
    [​IMG]

    WE'VE GOT BATTLING!
    [​IMG]

    WE'VE GOT EXPLORATION AND DISCOVERY!
    [​IMG]

    WE'VE GOT QUESTING!
    [​IMG]

    WE'VE GOT CRAFTING!
    [​IMG]

    AND WE'VE GOT ITEMS AND LITERACY PREREQUISITES!
    [​IMG]

    My colleague and I have been at it since September with high hopes to deliver a soft launch kicking and screaming very soon, but we need your help!

    As of 2/11/15 we are suspending testing applications! Thank you to everyone who applied, we will get you in and keep you informed on our progress! If anyone would like to test that did not make the cut-off, please PM me directly and we'll talk!.

    If you're the sociable type with many friends and more selfies, trundle your fine self on over to our facebook page and spare a Like!

    So, what'chyu guys think? How can WE excite YOU?
     
  2. Lt. Action

    Lt. Action Well-Known Member

    Hope ya'll don't have a really specific phobia for magic floating cats that follow you wherever you go and dispense advice, commentary, and knee slappin' witticisms.

    Cause they're ain't no cure for that.

    Check out these portraits for our very own "Cappi", the helpful floating cat!

    [​IMG]
     
  3. Nullzone

    Nullzone 👮 Spam Police 🚓

    Jul 12, 2013
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    This does look good and interesting, even with the a little bit too "cutesy" look and feel.
    I especially like the girl with the huge hammer, nice detail :)

    Can't say I have much time for testing currently, but might send you an email anyways.

    Some feedback right away:
    On the crafting screenshot I see a timer. It's a singleplayer game, right? So why do something like that (unless you want to go all freemium-y, that is; which would greatly disappoint me) ?
    If you plan on delivering a premium(-priced) game and experience, do away with the timers.
     
  4. Exact-Psience

    Exact-Psience Well-Known Member

    Jan 12, 2012
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    Looks good and all, but im guessing... Freemium?
     
  5. Lt. Action

    Lt. Action Well-Known Member

    Thank you for your feedback, fellas! :D

    However, it pains me on our first meeting that I must disappoint you both.

    We are indeed following a free to play model.

    BUT WAIT!

    Before you pin us down and pack kitty litter into our mouths, let me assure you that we are making sure that this never gets in the way of enjoying the game.

    I am the sole artist and I solemnly swear that I have not created any UI that says "PAY NOW OR NO GAME FOR THREE HOURS *faceslap*". We want everyone who wants to play to enjoy playing, but we still gotta make money, honey.

    That said, if you manage to wrench some free time out of your schedule, we would love to have you on board as a tester with your specific anti-freemium stance.

    It is a delicate balancing act, finding a snug place where people who don't want to pay still feel fulfilled and people who do pay feel that their purchases were worthwhile, and that is where we need people like Nullzone and Exact-Psience the most.

    *Also, before I go and hoist my sails on the USS Assumption and cruise off into the sunset, what particular facets of the freemium model do you find the most disagreeable?

    If I have still disappointed you beyond all consolation, Nullzone, please accept the below image as a parting gift <3

    [​IMG]
     
  6. Nullzone

    Nullzone 👮 Spam Police 🚓

    Jul 12, 2013
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    No worries, I am not against Freemium per se (like the odd crusader-type or two you can find around here) . I even play Freemium games (oh noes!), enjoy them (heresy!) and do pay/buy when I like them (burn him at the stake!) ; consider it a monthly subscription fee - especially for multiplayer/online games - , if you will.
    No worries, I understand perfectly that you folks need to make money, and that currently Freemium is the best way to do so for most developers.
    That I still prefer a non-freemium fullprice approach is a different story. I feel like I am part of a tiny minority that has no problem paying 20+ bucks for a game, and we will very soon go the way of the Dodo :(

    That said, *especially* for single-player games I prefer to not get timers and whatnot into the way of me playing. Because I have very limited time due to family and work, if I sit down to quietly enjoy a singleplayer game, I am oldschool enough (think Planescape:Torment, Avernum/Avadon and similar games) to want an experience without F2P shenanigans.

    Worst F2P offenders in my book?
    - Like your example: Annoying stuff that is constantly shoved in my face. Practical example: I currently play Kings Road. And everytime you return to town, an almost fullscreen ad for a sale pops up. That one toes the borderline perfectly. Yeah, it's annoying, but it's only one click to dismiss it, so not too bad. I've seen worse... For example, I find the fact that I need 3 clicks to close the chat window everytime I change area way more annoying (what''s the problem with making it default to "closed"?).
    - "Broken" game balance: Where you cannot proceed past a certain point, for example because your character simply is too weak without buying high-priced "premium" equipment.
    - Unobtainable premium resources like gems: Lots of games do that, where you can e.g. get 1 or 2 gems per day, but need like 1000+ to buy the next best sword. Go play Star Warfare 1 & 2 if you want to see how it can be done right. Their Mithril resource was scarce, but it was perfectly doable to collect enough to get anything you want within a reasonable amount of time.
    - Insane timers (looking at you, Dungeon Hunter 3/4!): "Forging your item will take till the heat death of the universe. If you want to speed it up by throwing tons of money our way, CLICK HERE!"

    "Best" "F2P" stuff?
    Additional content. Like e.g. Warhammer Quest or Baldur's Gate 1&2: That's premium price, with additional characters to get, also with quite a nice pricetag (for iOS at least) . But that's not really F2P/Freemium anymore, now is it? ;)
     
  7. Lt. Action

    Lt. Action Well-Known Member

    I hear ya, man.

    You and me, our gripes are settled firmly in the same boat.

    We are a young studio and this is our first solo foray into the F2P scene, so the balance is going to be an interesting challenge for us.

    I can say with certainty, though, that as of now pure cosmetic items will be the only content locked behind a pay-wall (and not even all of it, we'll toss in a few things in here and there <3).

    We are embracing the timer, however. I, too, have been struck firmly in the jaw with adult-responsibilities and have little time to play the games I love so much. I will never forget the bile that rose to my lips when I found out I had to PAY to open the first two chests I encountered in Assassin's Creed Unity; this is a feeling I hope to never inflict on our players.

    Thanks again for taking the time to spread some knowledge on us, Nullzone, your presence would be highly appreciated if you do find time to help us test!
     
  8. Nullzone

    Nullzone 👮 Spam Police 🚓

    Jul 12, 2013
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    What I personally find better than timers is what I'll call "reverse timers" for lack of a better word.
    What you have now in many games is: You can do thing X once, then you have to wait Y hours to do it again. No fun when you are at the office during the day, and only have an hour or two in the evening when the kid's asleep.

    Now, the "other way". I'll try to explain it using your potion brewing:
    - Over, say, 24 hours I accumulate 6 times (let's call them tokens) where I can brew a potion without any wait. So it's 4 hours to earn one token.
    - When I brew one, I use 1 token to brew 1 potion.
    - The potion is ready instantly.
    - It takes 4 hours now until I earned another token to resupply my stock.
    - When I'm out of tokens I can either wait, or do some fremium-y stuff like buy them for an outrageous amount of real money :p

    The advantage?
    While the crazy kids that truant from school to play most likely won't give a damn how it works exactly, it's a lot more friendly toward older folks with family and work (like you and me ;) ) .
    I can let things sit there during the day, and use up my supply when I am home and have time.
    Instead of missing quite some stuff just because the average timer schedule is geared around kids playing all day.

    Paywall:
    I do not mind at all to have content - and even most of it - behind a paywall. Say, additional areas or characters. Or even the majority of the game past stage 1 or 2. When I was a kid that was called a "demo version" :)

    Sidethought:
    No idea if that's feasible, both in terms of work effort and revenue for you.
    But, would creating a premium version be an option, where you rip all the timers out?
    If that's easily done and brings enough revenue, you could have two versions aiming at different target audiences.
     
  9. Lt. Action

    Lt. Action Well-Known Member

    You make some good observations, my friend.

    Reading your post turned me right around in my chair and launched me right into a half hour long conversation with my coworker about "potions".

    The take-away from this mini-meeting; balance is hard, haha.

    I believe once we get the game rolling, you will find that your progress will not often be stymied by the nature of the F2P model, that's the goal, anyway.
     
  10. Lt. Action

    Lt. Action Well-Known Member

    #10 Lt. Action, Jan 23, 2015
    Last edited: Feb 26, 2015
    It's been a lively day here in the official "Beast Bound" thread.

    There has been a lot of talk about IAP, freemium, what to do, what not to do.

    Tears were shed, memories were made, blood was spilled.

    To commemorate this, please allow me to waggle a fistful of gems in your face.

    MONEYMONEYDOLLA'DOLLA'BILL, YA'LL

    [​IMG]
     
  11. Nullzone

    Nullzone 👮 Spam Police 🚓

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  12. Lt. Action

    Lt. Action Well-Known Member

    How dare you use ABBA as a weapon! That's like slapping the pope in the face with a pure white dove!

    Even despite your heresy, we're glad to have you on board!

    Today I'd like to share with you all how little girls are made.

    Next time your adorable pink faced angel asks you where babies come from, you send them on over to Lt. Action. I'll protect their fragile minds from the wonders of biological science with dazzling illustrations and bright colors.

    [​IMG]

    Meet Feliza, our very own purveyor of potions and other substances that should probably be kept out of a child's reach! Also, she loves cats.

    Like, a lot.

    Like, wants to be one.
     
  13. Lt. Action

    Lt. Action Well-Known Member

    I hope ya'll like entirely revised battle systems, cause that's what we're all about!

    [​IMG]

    It's starting to smell a lot like Super Mario RPG in here...
     
  14. aconfusedkender

    aconfusedkender Well-Known Member

    Sep 28, 2012
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    Kendermore, Ansalon
    Damnit you got me! I've been peeking in on this one for a while now and after reading your banter back and forth I wanna try this out. I sent an email to you guys. I'll be looking forward to trying to help in any way I can
     
  15. Lt. Action

    Lt. Action Well-Known Member

    You beautiful animal, you <3

    There is no shame in succumbing to the siren's call, just lay back, close your eyes, and let us show you a whole new woooorrrrllllllld.

     
  16. aconfusedkender

    aconfusedkender Well-Known Member

    Sep 28, 2012
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    LMFAO you guys are great! You crack me up.

    SO are you'll running this through TF?
     
  17. Lt. Action

    Lt. Action Well-Known Member

    Cracking you up is my purpose in life <3

    And, I'm sorry, I need some clarification on your question; surely, it isn't possible you've discovered my real-life initials >.>

    <.<











    >.> Right?
     
  18. aconfusedkender

    aconfusedkender Well-Known Member

    Sep 28, 2012
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    Kendermore, Ansalon

    I have my ways (insert sinister laugh)...TIM FENNIGAN!!!! No not the one...or is it TOM FELIZA!!!! no...not that one either? Weellll weeeelllll I see that I might need to ramp up my torture methods hmmmm.

    I was referring to TestFlight by the way

    (dramatic pause)

    TONY FLOOPER! :D
     
  19. Lt. Action

    Lt. Action Well-Known Member

    This world is so full of acronyms, who can be sure of anything any more?

    And yes, we're distributing through test flight and, once you're signed up, you'll get an email notification to update through TF everytime we release a new build!

    (You have no idea how close you came to my true name. YOU WILL NOT HAVE SUCH POWER OVER ME!)
     
  20. aconfusedkender

    aconfusedkender Well-Known Member

    Sep 28, 2012
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    Kendermore, Ansalon
    I sent an email to that one link email you have on page 1 listing what yhou had asked for. If I need to enter anything else let me know.

    (YOU HAVE ALREADY SHOWN YOUR WEAKNESS TONY FOSTER!!!) (I WILL RULE OVER YOUR REALM AND TAME YOUR BEASTS)
     

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