iQuarters - (New Version, DLCs included)

[ITme]

Howdy folks,
My name is Adam Kramer and I work with Incredible Technologies, the makers of the bar games Golden Tee Golf and Silver Strike Bowling.

We've decided to take the bar game format to the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch in the form of our first game iQuarters which is now live in the Itunes Store. We've discussed this game a bunch over in a thread at the iPad Forum, but certainly don't want exclusive iPhone users to miss out.

The game was designed with two play strategies in mind; one for the fun-loving casual gamer and the other for the competition-craving master. It combines realistic physics, strategy and trick shots with the timeless art of flicking change. The goal is simple: flick a virtual quarter into a glass to advance through different levels. We recently released the iQuarters trailer and think it's worth a look whether you've spent drunken hours playing this game at a bar or not.

Would love to hear thoughts from anyone that has purchased or is still considering buying the game. Thanks!

[BazookaTime]

This is a fantastic game and there are some gameplay impressions in the iPad section since this is a universal game.

[Gabrien]

I'm disappointed that the speed with which you flick has little to no effect on the distance. I don't want to set an arrow for adjusting the flicking angle. I want to just...flick. And see the velocity I've created accurately reflected by the physics. Because this device is perfectly capable of that.

I don't want to feel like I am being robotically assisted and/or limited in a game like this. That wasn't what I was expecting, and to be honest feel quite cheated.

[BazookaTime]

Originally Posted by Gabrien

I'm disappointed that the speed with which you flick has little to no effect on the distance. I don't want to set an arrow for adjusting the flicking angle. I want to just...flick. And see the velocity I've created accurately reflected by the physics. Because this device is perfectly capable of that.

I don't want to feel like I am being robotically assisted and/or limited in a game like this. That wasn't what I was expecting, and to be honest feel quite cheated.

Interesting take. I guess I looked at it that the setting is some what controlled when it comes to distance. This is really a trick shot game and in so, the distance isn't much of a factor as the stage is already set. However, the play seems to be more about angles and the direction of your toss. Higher points are given out based on bounces ect.

You are correct that the distance is pretty controlled. You certainly can't toss the quarter way beyond the targets but I guess I don't really want that option.

[ITme_anoon]

Hey there everyone, Alan Noon here, Project Manager of ITme, developers of iQuarters.

Thanks for taking time to check out our app! It's our first crack at this crazy iPhone gaming scene, and I can tell you that I, along with the rest of the ITme crew have been monitoring the response obsessively.

@Gabrien:
I am honestly sorry you came away feeling "cheated" by the feel of the throwing mechanic. I'll try to offer some insight into how the game was developed.

Game design and developing feel is all about carefully balancing the factors at play in a particular title. A game can't be too difficult for the player, just as we don't want it to end up being too easy. Finding that balance is a very subjective and iterative process.

For iQuarters, the guys had a number of factors to contend with when trying to come up with the right balance: Shot strength resolution, angle of attack, gravity, material/physics properties, table layouts, camera angles, animation speeds, etc, etc. Given all of that, it would have been very easy to come up with a game that was almost impossible to do well and have fun with, (see some of our competitors' apps *ahem*) And so, the crew went back and forth tweaking things, trying to get that right balance. Ultimately I think they did a great job given the type of experience they were aiming to provide, which was game play more about about timing, angles, and tricks with less of a focus on precision distance shots. Your mileage may vary.

That said, I'll finish this massive wall of text by saying that we really do appreciate the feedback, whether it is praise or constructive criticism. The great thing about app development for us is that we now have an opportunity to interact with our customers at a level we have never really had before when developing coin op product. Now we can gather the feedback, review it, reach out to you and discuss, tweak our game, rebuild, and resubmit within a fraction of time that we were previously used to.

So keep it coming! While I can't promise that we'll be making grand changes to the mechanics of iQuarters at this moment, I will promise that we do want to provide the best game we can, and we certainly didn't get into the iPhone business to make anyone feel ripped off!

[Howlingwolf]

Picked this up earlier and loving it so far any chance of online leaderboards in the future

[cranker]

Originally Posted by Howlingwolf

Picked this up earlier and loving it so far any chance of online leaderboards in the future

Yes Please

[applesauce25r624]

quarters > queer pong B]

[ITme]

There is absolutely a possibility for online leaderboards along with a variety of other additions, HowlingWolf. The dev crew is always looking at ways to improve or enhance gameplay and online leaderboards are near the top of this list.

I like "beer" pong as much as the next guy, but the ones I've dabbled with on the iTunes Store haven't been great. We've logged too many bar hours and in the process have learned how to drink beer and make a pretty damn good bar game.

[Gabrien]

Originally Posted by ITme_anoon

So keep it coming! While I can't promise that we'll be making grand changes to the mechanics of iQuarters at this moment, I will promise that we do want to provide the best game we can, and we certainly didn't get into the iPhone business to make anyone feel ripped off!

Look, the reason the "training wheels" on flick distance are such a disappointment to me in the first place, is because the rest of the game truly is excellent. It's an immersive experience, broken by one glaring limitation. I understand of course that limits are there in any engine. We don't (thankfully) have to set the left/right direction of our throw. It is still limited - we aren't able to flick the coin off screen to either side - but in a much more relaxed way so the illusion of freedom is retained. Why can't this also be the case for forward motion? Feeling like the force of your flick is a factor is huge as an immersion factor for this kind of game.

If nothing else, could it be tweaked a little? At least to offer the same degree of control as left to right flicking? And if you feel this makes the game too difficult, could not it simply be an option, perhaps on a simple slider which would allow the player to adjust it to their liking?