@iPadisGreat - we are working on auto rotation on the iPad for a future release, but its a lot of work to do considering the sheer number of user-interfaces that its going to take some time to complete. Right now we are still directly porting features from the full Android version, but that won't take too much longer to complete!
@undeadcow / @peewhy - maybe 10 or 15 users directly, and the feedback appeared through email and across four different forums. It seems like a small number. However, among pieces of negative feedback that we have gained about Star Traders on the App Store, it strongly trended into the top few complaints (that weren't something we could fix immediately, bugs or features we were planning to port shortly). Trese Brothers has a strong customers-first mentality, and there were people who would not get the full version due to dislike of IAP. Personally, I don't understand that at all (it's the same game for $2.99) but we did it to help more people who want to appreciate the game get access to the full version, and to help us get better exposure in the App Store. I bet it still sounds crazy! But ... we always try to go the extra mile for our gaming community.
Thanks, that sounds great too. I assume you are talking about from portrait mode to landscape mode. I actually just wanted to rotate my iPad upside down so that the home button is on top, but your idea is cooler.
@iPadisGreat - a complete flip? Interesting. I can put it on our backlog here. I was initially talking about landscape / portrait. Its another feature that is supported in Android and we eventually plan to make it available on the App Store version. But first -- the last of the missing featuers, ships, upgrades, awesome.
Ok fired up the game today (elite paid version)... went to create a new game. Put in my name, difficulty 1, kept everything defaulted except the ship. I changed to the second ship (Aperio Caliga) since it has more cargo space and I get an error in a brown box that appears at the bottom of the screen when I go Create New Game that says: "Starting Ship: Unlock Required. Hardcore Captain" I looked at the captain settings, but there's not one called "Hardcore". I changed to Challenging (2), Same error... then (3), (4), (5), (6), (7)... nothing. So I changed ship to "Picky Beggar" and captain on normal (1), got a new error... "Starting Ship: Unlock Required. Rapid Rank 1" ... So what's the deal? Are the other ship unlocked as you buy them in game? I'm a noob at this, I admit it. The closest thing I've played to this is probably Elite years ago. I changed to the default "Vae Victus" ship, no problem. Started the game, went through intro text like on the free version... went to the first planet ... did the job and another brown box popped up for a second but disappeared before I could read it. I'll play some more tonight. Does this sound normal?
@undeadcow - iST-765 was the issue number in our bug tracking system. Sorry, I am used to giving those out and reporting them as fixed on our own forum. This was the issue with putting the coordinates of a rumor in with the planet name during the text so you can find the rumor location!
@nightc1 - those "brown box" alerts contain vital game information. There is an option that you can change to make them stay on the screen longer. A near-term update will give you the ability to review the last ten. All of the other things you are describing are the awards / unlocks system. It sounds like the UI in those area needs to be clearer about what needs to be completed in order to gain access to those ships etc. From the main menu, check out the awards list and find "Hardcore Captain" which you will have to achieve on a specific difficulty (and report at a planet's palace in the Hall of Records) in order to unlock that ship. I hope that helps!
It isn't crazy. I won't pay to unlock games. There is no guarantee any app will stay available on the appstore; if it goes poof!, restoring purchases usually won't work. With a full version, I can still install it through iTunes if the app is removed. Plus, Apple doesn't have the most robust ticket system in the first place.
Super silly question, and I am sure it is so basic that it doesn't warrant a spoiler tag, but better safe than sorry. Spoiler Where are permits sold? Or how can I get permits? I attacked enemy ships but some of my spoils can't be sold because they need permits, but permits don't seem available for buying. Are they awarded for clearing missions?
Oh, and I won't be buying this despite it being right up my alley. It isn't your fault at all...I owned a somewhat similar game (Dark Nova iirc) that became iap-ified through updates. And then there was Dangerous!, which saw a seperate HD release with no upgrade for early adopters. With small (first time, especially) devs, especially in niche genres, I've had to take a wait an see approach. If a year has past and the game remains the same, or improved, I'll buy it. Like I said, it isn't your fault at all. Personally I blame Apple for allowing paid apps to dissapear or change their pricing model. As developers have treated consumers, so it goes the other way.
If you enjoyed Dark Nova, try Hyper Warp. Apparently it was the same game by another developer and I managed to successfully complete it. Star Traders RPG seems to be more complex than Hyper Warp... As for pulled apps, they should not be an issue now that the App Store has fixed the Purchases tab. I managed to redownload Reiner Knizia's Poison and Dungeon Solitaire from my purchase history.
@greyskull - thanks for weighing in. We were amazed at how confusing transferring IAPs across devices is on Apple. So many of our users who have multiple devices have come forward saying "Why do I have to buy this twice?" and we can only say, "You don't... but Apple -really- makes it look like you have to!" Thanks for your support of Trese Brothers and Star Traders Elite!
Respectfully I am confused by this statement about a rigid no-indie stance. One of the things I think makes iOS great is it's accessibility for the number of small studio developers who can jump with innovative and competative products (like Star Traders RPG). There are many examples of games becoming freemium post-release (i.e. EverPlay) or newer superior editions being released at a later time (i.e. Age of Zombies HD) regardless of studio size but I'd speculate there are even more examples of honest developers who released and continue to support fair content without resorting to those tactics. Maybe it's a case of a "bad apple" ruining the bunch. Also; we are discussing a $1.99 app so if you were to get burnt then it's unlikely a huge loss. If you have a stated preference for this type of game I encourage you to take a chance and support continued quality developments on iOS from small studios that need your backing most of all. Granted Star Traders RPG is not for everyone but there is so much out there from talented small developers. Especially in the case of these developers it appears they have well regarded Andriod apps that we could benefit from if they were ported to iOS; something your support might contribute to.
@greyskull - also, maybe put us on a watch list. We aren't going anywhere. We have been releasing games for 2.5 years, and run hundreds of updates to our Andriod games. You will see continued updates to Star Traders. Now -- saying that is not worth much. So... watch list us (is there such a thing in the App Store?) and see for yourself! Thanks for any support you are willing to give! Enjoy! You can play the free one for free!!
@iPadisGreat - Permits are a very normal part of interstellar trade. You can purchase a Trade Permit at the palace of any friendly faction. This will allow you to sell and carry restricted goods (such as weapons and artifacts) in their space. If you can't get a permit for a faction, you can always go to an independent planet and sell of these goods there. Hope it helps!
I still need to put more time in with the paid version. I haven't forgotten about it but just have been really digging music games lately and they've sucked up a lot of my time. I will get to playing this though (it's still on my phone) and will update my itunes review afterward but I went ahead and posted a 5 star review because the game is worth it based on the time I spent with the free version and this one. This is the case though where we should support a new (to iOS) dev. They took the hint that I and others gave that said they'd support a premium (no IAP) version of the game and they made it happen. Certainly that's no guarantee the dev won't make a bad decision later... but it's enough of a good faith effort by the dev that I'm willing to trust them with my $2. This isn't big money. It's the same $2 that I feel QuestLord and other games are worth... even with a new unproven dev. With the big boys experimenting on the freemium model to make as much money as possible rather than make more compelling games... I HAVE to support the smaller devs that actually make real games that interest me. Really though, I don't blame you for sitting on the side lines and watching. When (not if) I feel as burned as you do... I could be right there next to you. But I really don't want to get that jaded about iOS gaming.
@nightc1 - thanks for the support and the $2! Glad you picked up the Elite version! Star Traders and some new updates will be waiting for you when you come back to it. More stuff is on the way. When you do get to sinking more hours into the Quadrant, we'd love to hear your feedback and advice on how to make the game better or things of which you'd like to see more!
