Cargo Runners - (by Trouble Brothers)

[fargoal]

Originally Posted by 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!

Oh, LordGek,

Of course, now that we know it is *you* we will start working on AI tomorrow!!



— Jeff

[fargoal]

Originally Posted by djflippy

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

hmmm... Good question. Steve may have a better answer, but honestly I can't think of something that is specifically like Cargo Runners in terms of mechanics. It involves going to various Cargo Ports around the world and, after having decided which sets of cargos to pick up and filling your ship with them, delivering those cargos to any of the six Home Ports to fulfill contracts and earn money! All the while, cards and die rolls come up that can either block your progress or provide you with certain advantages as you proceed through the game.

There may be some classic games (think Parker Brothers from the 1950s or early 1960s) that it is reminiscent of, but I can't think of anything that I have seen currently on the App Store that it is most like.

— Jeff

[djflippy]

Originally Posted by fargoal

hmmm... Good question. Steve may have a better answer, but honestly I can't think of something that is specifically like Cargo Runners in terms of mechanics. It involves going to various Cargo Ports around the world and, after having decided which sets of cargos to pick up and filling your ship with them, delivering those cargos to any of the six Home Ports to fulfill contracts and earn money! All the while, cards and die rolls come up that can either block your progress or provide you with certain advantages as you proceed through the game.

There may be some classic games (think Parker Brothers from the 1950s or early 1960s) that it is reminiscent of, but I can't think of anything that I have seen currently on the App Store that it is most like.

— Jeff

Thank you for the quick and detailed response, fargoal. I was hoping it was modeled after a modern day Designer/Eurogame of which there are several that it could share mechanics with.

Were you involved in the design? Love SoF.

OT: BTW, if cloning is a form of flattery, you should be thrilled that Slay the Dragon was released today, as it shares a "passing resemblance" to your work.

[LordGek]

Originally Posted by fargoal

Oh, LordGek,

Of course, now that we know it is *you* we will start working on AI tomorrow!!



— Jeff

Well..okay then [he then slumps back down in his jewel encrusted throne]

I can appreciate that you may want to open the game up to the real wide world of players a bit and see what the winning strategies are and such BEFORE you develop a competitive AI...I just hope it is added down the road, thanks Mr. Fargoal!

[fargoal]

Originally Posted by LordGek

Well..okay then [he then slumps back down in his jewel encrusted throne]

I can appreciate that you may want to open the game up to the real wide world of players a bit and see what the winning strategies are and such BEFORE you develop a competitive AI...I just hope it is added down the road, thanks Mr. Fargoal!

LOL! Yes, Gek — we bow down at your feet and will do your Lordship's bidding as soon as we can.

— Jeff

[currymutton]

Originally Posted by fargoal

hmmm... Good question. Steve may have a better answer, but honestly I can't think of something that is specifically like Cargo Runners in terms of mechanics. It involves going to various Cargo Ports around the world and, after having decided which sets of cargos to pick up and filling your ship with them, delivering those cargos to any of the six Home Ports to fulfill contracts and earn money! All the while, cards and die rolls come up that can either block your progress or provide you with certain advantages as you proceed through the game.

There may be some classic games (think Parker Brothers from the 1950s or early 1960s) that it is reminiscent of, but I can't think of anything that I have seen currently on the App Store that it is most like.

— Jeff

So, a game play video or 2 would be very much appreciated.

Any additional game impression would also be nice.

[fargoal]

Originally Posted by currymutton

So, a game play video or 2 would be very much appreciated.

Any additional game impression would also be nice.

Workin' on it!

— Jeff

PS: I am going to see Steve at Quiz Night tonight, and I will ask him to post on your "game impression" comment.

[currymutton]

Big thanks!

[cherdman]

No AI, no asynch, and Wizard Hex sorta died on the vine...not sure I'll go for this one. We'll see.

Originally Posted by fargoal

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

That's encouraging.

[Gabrien]

This release simply makes no sense. If there was no time/money to implement AI, the game should have been released at minimum price (at most) to insure sufficient players online. As is, who on earth is going to buy this and why? To sit back and stare at a "looking for players" screen?

And then of course the dev comes out with saying the addition of AI hinges on how well the game does. Well it's a bit of a catch 22 there, no?