We all know hat we are gonna be asking questions and needing help when this releases, so: http://forums.toucharcade.com/showthread.php?p=1962927#post1962927
I don't think there's really any reason to do a universal version, with the exception of making the iPad support intentionally pretty halfassed so you can do a same-time release. The problem with that is iPad users really seems to support niche/complex/deeper games well, both in wanting a richer experience and being willing to pay extra. So, MG will be universal, but I'm almost certain future games will be iPad first, iPhone shortly after. DEFAULT CONTROL MODE is called Pro Swipe (though it may accidentally be called PRO STICK in-game)... you swipe and hold anywhere onscreen to move. There's no "center" and very little "dead zone", so the controls feel very sensitive. I prefer these controls by far, so that's why they're the default. Downside: Are a little different, some people feel that their fingers move around too much with this mode. There's also a VIRTUAL JOYSTICK option. Place your finger onscreen, a circle appears, swipe to the edge of that circle and you'll move in that direction. The center of the joystick always appears where you first touch the screen, until you let go. This control method is pretty common in other games. And then there's the godawful D-PAD option. It's an 8-way d-pad on the bottom left corner of the screen. It's still more responsive than pretty much any KRPGs control option, but I hate it. We still put it in, though.
I seriously can´t wait for the release! I am going to press that "Buy" button as soon as the product page loads. Another Rocketcat game is always great, but this one seems to be their biggest yet, making my anticipation for it so much greater!
Oh no! Please don´t forget about the people that have only iPhones or iPods....I would be bummed if I got a crappier version of your game only because I don´t own an iPad.
I definitely see your point. Perhaps the solution is just to not make a half-assed universal version..? Just don't do it intentionally crappy like you said above. Thus, granting an enjoyable experience for either platform. I'm not complaining. Just discussing. I realize that would take a little more time and you could start seeing money come in from the iPad version while working on the iPhone version. However, it is frustrating seeing an iPad only version go universal at the same time the iPhone version is released a month later. As if they decided to just throw what they have made for the time being and will worry about other fans later. Again, I'd understand why you would go about this method, but I at least would want to voice my opinion as an iPhone-only gamer. Ive been following this thread for months, will be picking it up at 11 PM, look forward to the release and wish you success. I'll also be looking forward to your next title in the future (whether it first be iPad released or not).
The Wait is Killing Me! Kepa, will the Game get Released in NZ earlier or are you doing it the same Way as Shadowgun was Released? Same Day/Time Worldwide.
@kepa, the thought of Rocketcat making RPGs designed specifically for the iPad gets me all hot and bothered. Would you keep with the pixel art theme; I'm guessing that the art direction in your games so far has been a conscious decision and not that you have a designer who is scared of polygons. For what it's worth IMO pixels > polygons, especially for iDevice games. And it's been touched on earlier in this thread but thanks again for making yourself accessible to fans. Good customer service goes a long way, and is hard to find these days. Hopefully the interest in the game prior to release will equate to lots and lots of sales. Outside of Dark Souls and Uncharted 3, I think I can honestly say that MG is my most anticipated release of 2011.
I was going to catch up with some sleep tonight, but it looks like I´m going to have to do it when I get home from school, then wake up at night and play. This game better not disappoint!
Someone recently told me that you can make the HD version universal, so it's primarily designed for the iPad but works on an iPhone. That's really interesting to me. That way we could have a more expensive version (5 or 6 bucks) with full iPad support and tons of music due to no worrying about the download limit, then do a cheaper version (3 bucks) specifically for iPhone only a couple weeks later. That way we could still have the under 20 mb version, and anyone that absolutely couldn't wait to get it on the iphone could get the HD version. World of Goo did it this way, apparently, and so did Sword and Sworcery. The downside to this plan would be that it would be way harder to climb the iphone charts, but then again we don't care too much about charts due to us not really doing 99 cent games. It would frankly be really nice to sell a game for more than a gallon of milk costs. Also seems like the iPad audience appreciates complex/deep/traditional games a lot more, as a whole. I think NZ earlier? Whatever the default option is. I have no idea what the policy is now, didn't really check. I know I could pick a date and I picked 10/20. Pixel art theme would stay, though it gets a little chunky on the iPad at 4x4 size pixels. Need to see what people think, it may be a little too big? In future games, I might limit it to 3x3 pixels at the most... but yeah, depends on feedback. We can't do it in this game because the levels weren't designed with the iPad in mind, and the extra screen space combined with zooming out would let you see secret areas pretty easily. I'd do polygons if we were making something like Fallout 2 on the iPad, something with a lot of animation and equipment combinations. Otherwise pixel art really has a lot more clarity, and it's nice to have a really stand-out style. Not a lot of other developers do a 16-bit aesthetic.
The new Chillingo games follow this model (look at Super Crossfire for another example) NZ will be seeing the game VERY soon.
I really like when developers do this. I don't own an iPad as of now, but I may at some point in the future. So I don't mind shelling out a little extra money to get the universal version of a good game, and the devs make a little more this way too. I think it's much better than forcing people to double dip if they own both an iPod and an iPad.
How does this work now? Will I be able to get my hands on the game at 00.00 local time the 20th or is it more like "sometimes during when its the 20th in US"?
11pm EST in the US, 8 pm PST is when it's out. Out in some places right now, but I don't know how that works. GOODNIGHT, UPCOMING GAMES THREAD. Writing UPCOMING GAMES THREAD on a tiny novelty basketball hoop Grabbing normal sized basketball SLAM DUNKING ball into hoop at full strength Tiny hoop shatters into several pieces
