Ticket to Ride - (by the devs of 'Small World for iPad')

[VeganTnT]

Originally Posted by cprloe

This is a great update, but where is async multiplayer?

Not coming. Macworld just posted an article talking with the CEO about the new update.

It provides such gems as : "We think -and the data in the app shows we are correct- that people play differently on the iPhone than they do on the iPad" Oh really!? I never would have guessed...

"They tend to play longer sessions on the iPad than they do on the iPhone" Never mentioning that those numbers are completely skewed. The iPad users paid more for a premium package and are more likely to be avid boardgamers, while the iPhone version has been made free twice. With more users and a high likelihood that users purchased it with only a passing interest inte game, the numbers can't be an accurate account of their target demographic.

Oh and they speak about how async was put into the iPhone version because of a "vocal minority" and that few people use the feature. Perhaps that's because most people that want async are the iPad players who are stuck using the convoluted DOW system to find and play games? or maye it's cause I currently have both versions I ticket to ride on my iPad so I can use one for async and the other for offline play.

Personally, I think it's unfair to limit functionality of an app (especially a higher priced one!) because the developers know what's best for us. I seem to recall them sayin the same thing about Ticket to Ride never becoming universal because the maps just don't work well at the iPhone size... Looks like they were wrong there too.

No mention of huge price difference in iPad expansions versus the iPhone sizes.

---
Small World fans can rejoice at the fact that they said we should "stay tuned" for an update

link to article

[sapphire_neo]

Wow... that's ridiculous. Forget about buying TtR, I'm going to avoid DoW apps altogether.

[WakeOfPoseidon]

I think probably the main reason they haven't added async to the iPad version is due to compatibility with TtR online (on the DoW website and Steam), which only features real time games.

TtR Pocket is a completely separate app that has no hooks into TtR Online.

That said, I'm with everyone else here in that Async would give this new life online for a lot of folks and hope they reconsider it in the future. I'd rather have this iPad version be it's own thing along with TtR Pocket with async then keep it's real time ties with TtR Online, but I'm sure there's plenty of people that feel the other way.

[LordGek]

So can anybody tell us about the Legendary Asia map?

As far as I can tell the biggest twist are the Mountain Routes which require a player to discard a few extra trains of the routes indicated color (a bit reminiscent of the tunnels of Europe but not random and each sacrificed train in this manner nets the player an extra 2 points).

[VeganTnT]

Originally Posted by WakeOfPoseidon

I think probably the main reason they haven't added async to the iPad version is due to compatibility with TtR online (on the DoW website and Steam), which only features real time games

It doesn't have to be one or the other though. Look at Carcassonne, Summoner Wars, and Nueroshima Hex; They use their own servers for online gaming and Game Center is just the login info/friend finder (NH isn't as seamless as Playdek's integration).

Ticket to Ride does offer some GC integration but it's woefully inadequate. If you go into the online lobby you can see all your Game Center friends in a separate list... Not the ones that own Ticket to Ride.... ALL OF THEM.

So if I want to coordinate an online game I have to find out if they even own the game, search their user name, invite, then play a live only match.

I won't pretend for a second that it will be an easy task to retrofit their existing system for a sync play but I don't want to use their system. The iPhone versions use full Game Center integration (that's why push notifications come from Game Center instead of the app) so why not side load that system in the iPad app so I can choose the best system for me?

Not railing against you just saying the devs can do more if they stopped pretending they knew everything about their users.

[LordGek]

Originally Posted by VeganTnT

It doesn't have to be one or the other though. Look at Carcassonne, Summoner Wars, and Nueroshima Hex; They use their own servers for online gaming and Game Center is just the login info/friend finder (NH isn't as seamless as Playdek's integration).

Ticket to Ride does offer some GC integration but it's woefully inadequate. If you go into the online lobby you can see all your Game Center friends in a separate list... Not the ones that own Ticket to Ride.... ALL OF THEM.

So if I want to coordinate an online game I have to find out if they even own the game, search their user name, invite, then play a live only match.

I won't pretend for a second that it will be an easy task to retrofit their existing system for a sync play but I don't want to use their system. The iPhone versions use full Game Center integration (that's why push notifications come from Game Center instead of the app) so why not side load that system in the iPad app so I can choose the best system for me?

Not railing against you just saying the devs can do more if they stopped pretending they knew everything about their users.

I think you're onto something, the CEO seems to be spouting a bit of a self fulfilling prophecy, "See, hardly anyone is playing multiplayer on the iPad version so why make any effort to improve it if nobody will use it?"

[djflippy]

Color me unimpressed with that official company stance.

[epthegeek]

Ugh! I was really hoping when they updated the ipad version they'd add gamecenter. I've been playing on the pocket version because I HAVE to to get async play - but I would so much rather be able to play on my ipad.

Apparently I'm in that "vocal minority"

[soldat7]

Originally Posted by LordGek

I think you're onto something, the CEO seems to be spouting a bit of a self fulfilling prophecy, "See, hardly anyone is playing multiplayer on the iPad version so why make any effort to improve it if nobody will use it?"

Yup. The value of async play is reduced given the lack of a Universal app as well, sadly. Bad decisions all around. Days of Wonder won't be getting my support anytime soon.

[tarasis]

Sad to be sure that they aren't adding asynchronous support to the iPad but I do have the iPhone version so it's not such a loss to me.

What I do want them to do though is update Small World for retina support, then I'll buy it. It hasn't had an update since what 2010?