The current store screenshots do show the padlock, however, and the notes for the 2.02 update that introduced the Seafarers expansion stated: "The Seafarers expansion includes more than 10 additional scenarios with an extensive campaign and is available to purchase from the Catan In-App Store." Cities and Knights is also identified as being an IAP expansion. Then their plan worked. On another minor note for Rivals, I'll mention that the game uses the exact same music as the original Catan. I suppose how you take this depends on whether you personally view the developers as "consistent" or "lazy".
Doesn't appear to be, from what I can tell. The options on the multiplayer screen are: Game Center game (this jumps to GC for an auto-match or game versus a friend) Add friends Hotseat mode
Did they ever get it going for SoC? If not I wouldn't think it likely here at the speed they seem to move on projects.
Thanks for the informative impressions, Appletini. Given the bugginess you've reported, methinks I'm going to hold off on this purchase and wait for the devs to address them first.
They changed it after I got up on my soapbox and wrote a damning AppStore review. Not my proudest moment but it did cause them to react. It really did work I do appreciate the heads up as I probably would've jumped into this game head first if hadn't heard anything bad. It's the curse of a boardgame addict
Don't get me wrong, the game looks fantastic on a Retina-based iPad (it uses the same art as Catan, naturally, but it looks and feels better here), the game itself is solid and quite a bit more interesting than the boardgame (to use a timely example, it feels like you're growing a settlement in much the same way that Agricola feels like you're expanding a farm), and most of the issues are just basic UI fixes. The only really significant overhaul needed is the return of the openly-available information to the mini-cards themselves. At the bare minimum, there needs to be an option to permanently display the costs and rewards directly on every card placed on the board and held in your hand, to reduce the need to keep checking the info panel to see what a card costs and what it provides.
Haven't played enough to state conclusively one way or the other, but the game uses AI opponents with "personalities", so in theory they'll each favour particular strategies. That said, I just won a basic game against Candamir, where he had the foresight to place a brick factory between two hills, doubling the production of both, and a marketplace to benefit from the fact that I had more resource locations than he did; in the previous game, he built every trade ship he could. In the basic game, it isn't really possible to do much to affect your opponent directly, but the extra theme decks bring direct conflict into play. Another issue I've run into is that the game doesn't actually include a manual outside of the tutorial. While it has an extensive and rather useful Card Almanac, there isn't actually anything available to remind the player of what the various symbols mean, how the "points" work, etc. While it's not too difficult to remember these things after playing through the tutorial, a basic rulebook is pretty much expected in any board/card game app.
Weak, but thankfully there is BGG for stuff like that. Edit: Here are the full rules of the game: http://www.catan.com/down/?/files/downloads/rfc-cg-rules-092710.pdf
Thanks to LordGek for asking the same questions I had and a BIG Thank You to Appletini for taking the time to answer all the questions and posting impressions. I'm going to buy the game just because I am a boardgame junky especially for how cheap every single one is in iOS form and from Appletinis impressions it doesn't sound like the game is broken or the AI too cheap, just the game is not implemented well.
Pretty much. I'd just suggest sending feedback to [email protected] about these UI/UX/QOL issues if you find they bother you. The core of the game feels solid enough, but there are a couple of rough edges that could stand to be polished away.
I will, especially about the info not being displayed on the cards, the no manual issue, and the UI overlap when selecting resources. Thanks for sharing your insights.
The most horrible Tutorial I have seen in an Board Game I have played on iOS like ever. Who are those Guys that design such crappy Tutorial and then expect someone who has never played it before to understand it. As someone who has never before played the Game I would give it a straight 1/5 simple because the Designer didn`t managed to actually explain to me at all how the Game is working and I have just wasted 20. Minutes of my Time with it and I won`t even start about the Money Part. I`ll replay the Tutorial but my expectations are so low that I will probably count this Buy as thrown out Money for tonight = Refund.
Statement: sorry to hear it even worse implementation than Eclipse. May hold it till things get fixed (judging from what I get from Catan, it is a long train won't come) Query: anyway, is the multiplayer async? Edit: sorry, missed a page -- no async so no purchase for me...
This video might be helpful to those who are unfamiliar with the game if the in game tutorial doesn't have enough info for you.
I have played only once Catan (the actual boardgame) and I liked it. I have not bought it though for IOS because I believe it's better to play it with real persons due to trades. I didn't know that Rivals for Catan exits. Is it better or worse than Catan? Is it difficult to play or the same? Do you recommend buy this game for iphone / ipad ? Thank you!
