Hi overdriver, Glad that you and your GF like the game! Thanks for the game ideas too. We had considered some of the ideas already (the special charms like in Bejeweled). We will consider your ideas for the 2nd major update to Charmed.
Level Preview Icons Hi all, Just added a cool little feature last night. When selecting a new game, you can start at any level you've previously reached. That is much better than before, but the cool part is that you can see a preview of each level before you select it! There will be a new Beta version going to Beta testers this week. Progress on other new features: Online features - 90% done (OpenFeint integrated) Leaderboards done Achievements done, but need more icons Chat done Difficulty levels - done Two additional game mode variations - done Start a game from any level - done Ask the user if they want Charmed music or iPod music when starting - done Fix slider drawing bug in Options screen - done Still to go: Add some new levels Rearrange the order of levels to be a more consistent increase in difficulty Facebook and Twitter testing (OpenFeint) Bug fixes and optimization Send/receive challenges - this one might not make it into the next update This is shaping up to be a very nice update for players I think. I hope to get some feedback from the Beta and then submit to Apple in about 1.5 to 2 weeks.
I've been playing this frequently the last two days. I'm enjoying the full version loads more than I initially posted on the lite version. Your most recent update looks like it going to really own. Just to compare, I played a few rounds of the dreaded bejeweled 2, then I played Charmed. It's very obvious that Charmed is exponentially better than bejeweled. There is more strategy involved and the level-up layouts are great. And there is no annoying voice overs. To those that are fans of the straight match-3 genre, I highly recommend. Charmed is on par with Smiles, Gemmed, Big Booty, and Match 3D.
I played the lite version a bit last night and my only whine is it seemed far too easy to milk for near endless points as long as I left one gold tile uncleared. Although, if I understand it correctly, had I ever run out of moves the game would end, right? Which then means farking around in this manner is a bit like playing Russian Roulette if there is a decent chance eventually for NO MOVES/GAME OVER. Are there plans to hold the $1 sale over to the update?
It is certainly possible to run out of moves. The initial release erred on the side of the casual gamer for difficulty level. In other words, many people found it too easy. The update will address that, and a few points that relate to your comments: There are 4 difficulty levels: Easy, Normal, Hard, Expert Each level affects the amount of time earned for matches, as well as the frequency of Snowflake Charms. The incentive to "level up" is that you get more points for each match, so hanging around on Level 1 is pretty much guaranteed not to get you a high score. On Hard and Expert modes you will be too busy finding matches and watching the timer to worry about milking it. There is an Endless mode where it is not possible to lose. You just get to keep playing with no pressure (some folks like that). The new Challenge Mode will allow you to do exactly what you just described (milk a single level for maximum points). In fact, you choose a single level and try to get a high score on just that level. The thing is that the Gold Tiles can massively catapult your scores since their multipliers stack (2x, 4x, 8x, 16x, 32x, etc.), so you should use Gold Tiles, but be careful to not use them all or the game will end! It will also end if you get No More Moves. This mode is only available at the Hard difficulty, so you won't be able to just sit back and relax while getting your high score. Sorry, no plans for another sale anytime soon.
I can respect that and look forward to the update. Once those tweaks you've discussed are in play I'll GLADLY pay $3 for it! I love how many games have an Endless mode but, unless the dev can explain it, it can mean either of two extremes (either a levelless survival mode or something like what you're planning, the you can't lose deal). I can't stand endless without any fear of losing BUT appreciate, just as you stated, some folk do like that. I guess my only hope is that you don't bother tracking their scores. ;-P
You should be pleased to know that there are no leaderboards for endless mode. It 's purely for the I-want-to-relax-and-not-be-able-to-lose crowd.
Beta Tester with iPod Touch 2.2.1 OS Wanted Hi all, I am looking for Beta testers for the next update to Charmed. In particular, I need someone that still has OS version 2.2.1 on their iPod Touch. Read back over the past couple of pages of this thread for details on the beta. If you want to participate, please send your device type, your device's UDID and your OS version to me at ken[at]mindjuice.net. The tester(s) will get a promo code for the full version once it is released. Thanks!
Last call for Beta testers for Charmed V1.1 update!!! Get a free upgrade to the full version of Charmed if you give me feedback on the Beta and an iTunes review. Again, I would really like someone that still has OS version 2.2.1 on their iPod Touch to participate. If you do or know someone who does, I'd appreciate the help. The new update is "going to really own" according to PhagoCychotic. See above for details on the Beta. Thanks!
Hey Charmed fans, Here's my somewhat feeble attempt at a Charmed icon pumpkin! I'll probably get some confused trick-or-treaters this year! By the way, Charmed V1.1 Beta is going out to testers tonight!
I wish I could either submit my highscore, or figure out how to get it on here. I just got 557,375, but I ended up failing on level 18 because I accidently turned it the wrong way and filled up the empty spot i was keeping open, and ran out of moves. Either level 15 or 16 I used my time stop and created a move for 400,000. I was kind of proud of myself.. lol
Congratluations! Yeah, it is possible to get massive scores with the gold tiles. I've been testing the achievements with OpenFeint this week and have achieved several 6 digits scores using Freeze Time! I was cheating for the sake of testing though, so I got full freeze time any time I wanted. LOL OpenFeint integration is being sent to Beta testers tonight, which of course includes high score submission, so you won't have long to wait before you can brag about that high score. That gives me an idea though. I can add leaderboards for the highest single scoring move and for the highest scoring cascade!
I like that but then I'm hoping these "Single Moves" and "Cascade" scores are shown at the end of the game (like some sort of end of game stats) as I've seen many app with such achievements but then having no idea WHEN I got these record combos as these stats were never shown to me in any sort of end of game summary when they were made.
I was thinking to show it as a pop-up whenever you break your own personal best for the single score or cascade. We won't know your actual position in the global leaderboard until after the score is submitted though, so we can't easily say where you rank at that time. Achievements have a pop-up like this too that shows the achievement icon, name and description right after the achievement is earned. Then later you can review them in the OpenFeint screens.
Okay, that would be good enough and, right, I wouldn't expect to see a World Ranking at the end of the game, but just some indication in there when one of these personal records is made.
Charmed V1.5 Update Submitted to Apple We very happy to announce that the V1.5 update of Charmed was submitted to Apple last night at approx. 7pm. Here is the summary of what's new in this version: OpenFeint support Online leaderboards Facebook and Twitter integration 32 Achievements (each with their own icon!) Five new game boards (total 35 now) New Game Modes: Timed, Endless and Challenge Difficulty Levels: Easy, Normal, Hard & Expert Start a new game from any unlocked level (or 2 beyond that) See a preview image of all unlocked levels before playing Better support for listening to iPod music in game Several bug fixes Here is what the final "New Game" screen looks like: And here is the OpenFeint leaderboards screen: Hope you all enjoy the update!
Check Out Charmed Xmas Too! If you like Charmed, be sure to check out the Touch Arcade thread for the new Mind Juice game, Charmed Xmas, in the Upcoming iPhone and iPod Touch Games forum.
