Cargo Runners - (by Trouble Brothers)

[LordGek]

So while I probably won't buy it until there is some AI, all the rest of you GET IT NOW so they can make the AI for me!

[badmanj]

No A.I.? Crazy. That combined with the poor history of support these guys have acquired, there's no way I'm gonna buy this. Shame 'cos it does look really nice...

Jamie

[jchampl]

no ai? no thanks.

[Drakeer Melkhor]

I'm still waiting for Wizard hex online update guys...

[fargoal]

Originally Posted by ChromaTick

Looks very nice. Does it support asynchronous play?

Thanks! However, not currently, but thanks to Apple's recent announcement we will be able to add asynchronous play with iOS 5.

– Jeff

[fargoal]

Originally Posted by Drakeer Melkhor

I'm still waiting for Wizard hex online update guys...

We will be submitting the update to Apple this Friday. Thanks for your patience.

[currymutton]

So, async play on iOS5 and no AI (at this price range), okay:

1. Small World and Ticket to Ride are cheaper and more feature rich
2. Judging by your track record, I am holding this on my watch list till fall.

[tecwrtr]

No AI = no buy.

It's a shame because it looks interesting.

[fargoal]

Originally Posted by sooz

Yep - but those are all iOS games based on existing games with established visuals, rules, and strategies. I believe you cover the creative R&D that goes into the creation of a new game from scratch at that price point.

But don't get me wrong - I'm bummed about no AI too since I don't have a lot of board game friends and am often offline with my iPad. Then again, I've seen so many board games with poorly implemented AI - it seems safer to launch the game without it (since it's expensive to code AI up), see general response to the game overall, and then determine if the AI will be worth the investment.

I appreciate your thoughts, Sooz,

Regarding Cargo Runners launch:

Yes, we always have such a challenge about what to put our initial development dollars into. As small, independent developers we recognized that it is paramount that we create good, original board games with excellent graphics, sounds and music; a good sense of competition, replayability, and thematic content; a satisfying "around-the-table" play experience; and a great Online Multiplayer experience.

We have tried to hit all those points with Cargo Runners right from day one!

And yes, absolutely we too would *love* to have found a way to launch Cargo Runners with AI, but to do so would have been at the expense of one or more of the other critical priorities listed above. So Sooz, you are correct: As soon as we start seeing income from the game it will help us to add other great new features, included AI and/or solitaire play, as soon as we can.

Regarding comments about overdue Wizard Hex update:

First of all, we are sorry we have been around the dark side of the moon for a while and let our fans down...

Being a very small core ownership of Trouble Brothers and entirely self-funded (Jeff and Steve) it meant that we were developing both Cargo Runners and the Wizard Hex update on parallel tracks — plus Jeff's (my) involvement in the Fargoal, LLC team for Sword of Fargoal, Sword of Fargoal Legends, and Sword of Fargoal 2.

We honestly just got behind on the Wizard Hex update! This does not mean that we don't want to support Wizard Hex. In fact, now that we are done with the initial release of Cargo Runners we can concentrate on being more responsive in the forums for *all* of our games, providing feedback/answers to questions, and submitting any new updates promptly.

Also, we are the first to admit that we missed the boat on OMP for the first release of our first game, Wizard Hex. Thankfully we have just recently finished the Online Multiplayer update (with Voice Chat) and will be submitting it to Apple for review this Friday, right after the Cargo Runners launch. Ultimately, we're so proud of Wizard Hex as an original token-based game with surprisingly deep strategic play. We hear from fans that they enjoy playing the game with friends and family — but we are also very glad to be adding the ability to play with others who are looking for matches, which is addressed by the new version which has Online Multiplayer through Game Center.

We hope to earn your appreciation for what we are trying to do in creating fully-original board games and other socially-interactive games for the iPad and other devices. If you end up deciding to try Cargo Runners please let us know what you think when you play it with friends or family, or with a total stranger who also wants to play a game half way around the world!

Sincerely,

Jeff McCord,
Trouble Brothers, LLC

[djflippy]

With regard to the core game mechanics, what board game does this most closely resemble?