hey guys I usually have the privilege of testing unique and AAA games on ios, i had the privilege of playing and testing this game recently, first of all before i give my mini review i want to thank the devs and hard working people who made this game. Let me start by saying that we are living in a new age of mobile gaming an age that is filled with boring clones of clones of other games its very rare to see unique games something new and fresh, well this isn't the type of games mentioned above it is first of its kind i'm not talking about ocean and fishes we got lots of that on the store lol. Im talking about the whole package, beautiful semi cartoony graphics that at the same time gives you the feeling that you are looking into the ocean, the animation and movements are spot on, the controls are tight. The card system is unique it gets very addictive and relaxing very quickly, its the type of game that will woo older gamers but at the same time its perfect for younger players. i am still in the process of playing i might have more to say down the road but for now its 2 thumbs up.
Some concepts we are using for the deep underwater environments that will come later - fish will be able to hide in rocks etc, and you have to use environment during the battle:
essence You discover the "essence" in the game. A mysterious light that sharks, too smart for their own good, took more than they were supposed to have. The Dolphins restore the balance of essence in the ocean.
Wow this looks great. What is the control scheme like? I'm having a hard time imagining what I would need to do to move like that.
thats the beauty of it the ui is clean on the left side there is a semi trans parent button and your right hand moves the character in a way i havent seen its very intuitive and one of the few games i have seen that you actually feel like you are looking threw a glass its just amazing.
These are some of the real black-tip sharks we studied at the National Aquarium in Baltimore to model the black-tip and dogfish locomotion (they are very similar). This video we took confused us when we watched it. They dart so fast - we thought the video was sped up. But that's actually how it looks. When they dart (boost in our game), its remarkable. We spent a lot of time recreating that feeling with the sharks. It almost looks like they are defying physics in real life - quite a sight. They also rarely do this so we got lucky that day. Subscribe to the TouchArcade YouTube channel
Would you say it's like an underwater version of infinity blade? Do you control the dolphin with swipes?
control I made this video for you. But, you have to play it to truly feel it. You have full 3D motion - but controlled in 2D swipe. Its very intuitive, you will feel in full control. Trust me. Every input you give, results in visceral movement on the creatures. That's why we say you're "jacked in" to the animal. Everything is pure physics. There is not a single "hand done" animation in the entire game - its all driven by the physics/dynamics. The dolphins have about 30 rigid bodies each - connected by virtual muscles that contract when you give it your "intention". Add accurate hydrodynamic drag forces underwater and you'll feel like you're swimming. But again - you need to play it to understand. Subscribe to the TouchArcade YouTube channel
So, the developer was nice enough to let me test out the game so I could feel the controls. It did take a bit getting used to, but I'm really getting the hang of it now. You mostly swipe in the direction you want your dolphin to go, then boost the speed in order to attack the other fish. You don't have to perform any complicated combos to get the dolphin to move like that. It sort of just happens, very fluidly. The different fish all have different movement patterns, and even the small ones can be feisty -- so you need to stay alert. It strikes a nice balance between casual/relaxing and hardcore, as you have choices between different battles. So if you want to take on three sharks and get your adrenaline going, you can do so. And the visuals are gorgeous - very realistic. The dolphin's just so darned happy after eating a fish. Definitely recommend checking it out when it's available. Edit: And I just realized I've been playing for two hours straight! Edit 2: I'm definitely getting a sort of Infinity Blade of the sea feeling from it. The way each enemy has its own unique moves and everything's controlled primarily through swipes. It's still very different than IB, and obviously unique and special in its own right, but I think fans of the series would dig this.
So, a few questions: Do the same fish get smarter and faster as you progress through the different card colors? The little fish are making a fool of me now that I'm in red. Also, I notice in some of the videos (maybe older ones), that the health bars on the bottom look different than the version I'm playing. Did you decide to simplify things? Also, as I'm playing on the iPhone, I'm curious if there are any big differences between the iPad and the iPhone version? Edit: I also noticed you said that the three different characters move differently. Are certain ones better against certain fish?
Fish Intelligence The fish each have what we call Ai-protocols. Each fish has a unique ai-protocol, and each ai-protocol scales in difficulty. Hundreds of parameters govern each fish. Also the effective behavior of the fish in groups changes the overall quality of the ai-protocol. Especially when fighting two different fish - your tactics, as I'm sure you're finding out, must change. The Cod has a certain way you have to kill, and the Snapper, another. But when they are together, you have to adjust your tactic because darting between them may be disastrous for you. You will intuitively figure out the behavior of the fish - this was very important in our design. Nobody can possibly discern the hundreds of variables that go into it. Its subconscious. If one type of fish has a perfect avoidance system for dead-on jousts, you subconsciously learn to avoid that approach and will switch to a slight angle of attack and turn inwards or upwards (which is a very effective way to kill). Here are 5 variables (there are many more but too complicated to talk about on the forum as they deal with probabilities, Bayesian predictions, etc.) 1. their field of view (where you are) 2. your field of view (if they are being hunted) 3. your excitement (how jerky or smooth you are moving, i.e., are you ready to pounce) 4. overall proximity 5. the probability that you will attack So within each protocol - these variables (and others) are adjusted. So early on, I will narrow the fishes understanding of your field of view - so you can more easily attack. Or, the fish wont dart away if you are moving a lot. Later on - this gets adjusted, in relation to your skill. Update 1 will get adaptive intelligence, where the fish will learn from your attack patterns, and adjust accordingly. This is for after the extreme (red) level, and for people who become very skilled (as it seems you are if you beat Kthulu). The sharks have a more elaborate protocol system and the battles are far more drawn out. You have to attack 2 or 3 times - and they can change behavior based upon your attacks. As with the mighty Kthulu, which you impressively beat, simply darting after is futile, you have to carefully wait or stalk your prey and gently turn into and avoid. Its like fighting like Bruce Lee, instead of Mike Tyson.
Wow. That sounds like some complex AI. No wonder those little snappers are kicking my butt now. They attack like piranhas. Vicious!
Wow, this sounds more amazing with every post you write What is also impressing me is the amount of love and pride you obviously have for the game you and your team have created. I'm getting more and more excited about this by the second. I'm also enjoying your game insights so please keep them coming
Thank you kindly. We put a lot of time into every detail, battle, and interaction to make it a) extremely addictive; and b) something you've never, ever, experienced before both in terms of physics and control. Our beta group reported these two qualities, consistently, and completely unsolicited. So I think we hit the mark.
