Universal Warhammer 40,000: Space Wolf - (by HeroCraft Ltd.)

Discussion in 'iPhone and iPad Games' started by Sanuku, Sep 26, 2014.

  1. Sazonov

    Sazonov Well-Known Member

    Oct 8, 2014
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    We just couldn't fit into 512Mb RAM, but we are close to it. It's a small team working on Space Wolf, so we have to pick priorities, and for now it's PvP/multiplayer. And if everything goes well we would be able to assign people to work on 512Mb RAM devices. By the way, one of my devices is iPad2, it's a good tablet and it's shame I can't play our game on it.
     
  2. Sazonov

    Sazonov Well-Known Member

    Oct 8, 2014
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    Well, we'd rather not overhype as tablet is still better for this game. And another thing - it's only for iPhone 5, 6 and 6+.
     
  3. Talbs

    Talbs Well-Known Member

    May 1, 2011
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    Np. Still very happy to see it hit iphone in some form. I only have an iPad 2 or iPhone 6+, so this at the least has made it obtainable.
     
  4. Amenbrother

    Amenbrother Well-Known Member

    Jun 24, 2011
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    Can you tell me how to update my game if I used a promo code and dont have an account in the soft launch areas?
     
  5. KelevrA

    KelevrA Member

    Oct 25, 2014
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    Answer on page 5.

     
  6. Amenbrother

    Amenbrother Well-Known Member

    Jun 24, 2011
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    That answer doesnt work as when I hit the game in purchase history it doesnt even show up. It just hangs with a white screen.
     
  7. Ayjona

    Ayjona Well-Known Member

    Sep 8, 2009
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    I’ve yet to explore the freemium model enough to judge its fairness, but mechanically, this is an excellent TBS, with far greater strategic variety than many on the platform. The tactical variations and considerations that arise from the card, action point and delay mechanics leave players with several weighted choices beyond move or attack each turn, a refreshing change from the “move, shoot or overwatch” paradigm. And tweaking your deck in addition to your squad between battles makes long-term planning and strategizing more involved and rewarding. And the overall level of polish in presentation is great.

    Bot matches against setup is a great idea. I really like the indirect player interaction and semi-competitive feel (without true competition) that comes from playing against another player’s assets, without the need to always match up for direct head-to-head. When combined with true PvP, we always have an option for some form of multiplay, regardless whether we have the time to schedule online sessions.

    And speaking for time for matches, please, make online multiplayer asynchronous. No matter the length of matches, there are many, many players like me, who does not even have the time for realtime multiplayer even if games take but a few minutes. But who plays async titles regularly (I usually keep at least two, up to 10, matches active in different games, and take hundreds of turns throughout my days), and who can enjoy multiplayer only because of asynchronous mechanics.

    The leisure to act only when I have a few minutes to spare, without the need to schedule an online session, or to remain in-game for more than 20-30 seconds, is a small revolution in online gaming, and allows players like me to play in ways our real lives would otherwise never permit.

    You can always leave an option for realtime only matchups, for fast-paced games. Plus variable turn timers for async, to prevent drawn-out battles. And when realtime and async multiplayer are seamlessly integrated (such as in Carcassonne or Playdek titles), async only kicks in when one player leaves, which also has the added benefit of providing disconnect protection and automatic game saving.

    Because the dedicated, hardcore audience of sites like TouchArcade does not always correspond to the general iOS audience in spending habits, awareness of alternatives or preferences. Across a site like this, it is easy for shared sentiments to proliferate, which can make an opinion (such as the idea that the majority of players prefer premium, or the premium apps are more profitable) seems like a given conclusion, even if this analysis doesn’t correspond at all to the state of the market.

    While there are many exceptions, the general rule still seems to be that the market prefers freemium and that there is more profit for developers to be made with pricing schemes based in this paradigm, if the game in question features mechanics for collection and/or unlimited progression (which in turn allows devs to sell that progression through IAP). And Space Wolf, while perhaps unusually hardcore in mechanics for a freemium game, definitively fits that model splendidly.

    We might prefer premium (I certainly do), but if the freemium model allows HeroCraft to turn better profit and update Space Wolf with new content (and make more games) to a greater extent, the trade-off might benefits us as well over time.
     
  8. Ayjona

    Ayjona Well-Known Member

    Sep 8, 2009
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    Freelance journalist and writer, amateur musician
    Stockholm, Sweden
    Addendum to my post above: does anyone know if it is possible to grind for coins infinitely (even in very small amounts), once all missions have been cleared?
     
  9. Sazonov

    Sazonov Well-Known Member

    Oct 8, 2014
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    Yes, you can replay (except first short mission) to get credits, but you can't get bonus from the chest twice. We also had plan to do side quests which would make it easier to get goodies and some daily bonuses.

    Thank you for feedback and suggestions!

    On async - above in the thread, there was actually strong advice against async :) And with async you will also have to keep in mind some old deck with which you started the game.

    Do you think even short battles (with timer) on very small arenas would be too long? Maybe battle against bots (which can be resumed any time) for rewards would be better? I personally won't play that, although I can see fast competitive mode working well. Anyway, it's all still in process of thinking over and trying things for PvP.
     
  10. TokyoDan

    TokyoDan Well-Known Member

    Oct 7, 2010
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    Well it is the 28th and I don't see it in tha App Store here in Tokyo.
     
  11. ptitmoos

    ptitmoos Member

    Oct 25, 2014
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    Will the game be cross-platform?
    -> Will it be possible to continue the game I begun on my iPhone on my android device?

    Thanks!
     
  12. Chiller ONE

    Chiller ONE Well-Known Member

    Sep 20, 2008
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    The game is already cross-platform.
     
  13. ptitmoos

    ptitmoos Member

    Oct 25, 2014
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    sure it's not only multi-platform?

    When I began my game on iPhone, no account has been created or linked to whatever social network, so I can't see how I could recover my original iPhone decks/progress on my android device...
     
  14. KelevrA

    KelevrA Member

    Oct 25, 2014
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    You can grab card from chest (green) when replay, but black chest you can pick up only once per mission.
     
  15. TokyoDan

    TokyoDan Well-Known Member

    Oct 7, 2010
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    Is the game out yet!
     
  16. KelevrA

    KelevrA Member

    Oct 25, 2014
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  17. TokyoDan

    TokyoDan Well-Known Member

    Oct 7, 2010
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    #97 TokyoDan, Oct 28, 2014
    Last edited: Oct 28, 2014
  18. sivad

    sivad Well-Known Member

    Mar 28, 2013
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    It's alive ;)
     
  19. Ayjona

    Ayjona Well-Known Member

    Sep 8, 2009
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    Freelance journalist and writer, amateur musician
    Stockholm, Sweden
    #99 Ayjona, Oct 28, 2014
    Last edited: Oct 28, 2014
    As long as you leave players with an option to force realtime only games (plus ensure that realtime and async integrate seamlessly, so that even async games play in realtime before one player leaves. No silly forcing one player out of the match at end of turn, or blocking their view with “not your turn” pop-ups), there is never a reason - other than lack of time/resources - not to include asynchronous play in turn-based games.

    I doubt the old deck issue will ever be a, well, issue. But it is infinitely small compared to being unable to play online at all, one that players like me gladly accept in return for online play, and I doubt you’ll ever hear a single complaint from our camp ;)

    Also, since I doubt even async games will go on for more than a few hours of real time (considering the direct and hectic nature of fighting directly against other squads), or usually a day or two at the most, I doubt there will be frequent changes to players’ decks of a drastic enough nature to cause any confusion.

    But if drawn-out async matches is an issue, include customizable turn and match timers.

    Since I can’t find the advice against async you mention, I can’t really address any specific issues.

    (The only comment on the subject I can see in this thread is “I am sure you are aware at some of the massively talented studios that tried to make Async TBS games and failed. There is too much room for frustration. Too many quits, give ups, etc…”

    I don't interpret this comment as advice against async, only a warning to implement it well. The problems mentioned apply to all multiplayer games, after all, and are commonly cited as issues in real time multiplayer as well.

    And apart from the Brink guys, I can’t really think of a single massively talented studio that has failed at the async TBS paradigm, and those of us who played RAD Soldiers generally agreed that pricing and the freemium model was the source of the issue, not the async mechanics, clumsy and badly implemented though they were.

    But I can think of plenty who have done it exceedingly well. If you’re looking for examples of asynchronous TBS titles which have done or reviewed well, and that constitute examples of well-done TBS with async mechanics in general, there are plenty for the platform:

    * Ravenmark Mercenaries might be one of the most prominent, with leagues and ladders and an active community severals years after release, and a very smooth online system.

    * Outwitters, Haunted Mansion and Hero Academy in particular have done very well on the casual end of the TBS spectrum, and at least Hero Academy still has a passionate following.

    * Skulls of the Shogun, the Ace Patrol series and the mighty XCOM are examples of single-player focused TBS games where async multiplayer has been tacked on to great effect.

    * Naval Tactics is a very pure and tactically focused asynchronous TBS experience, and the results are very tactical and smooth.

    * Combat Monsters from Rubicon, a TCG/TBS, does something a little similar to Space Wolf (but with less focus on single play and story, and with much less interesting progression), and the results are highly playable and pleasant. The game is due for a relaunch and remake, and I think it will make quite the impact during its second coming. I do know that Combat Monsters has not done well enough for Rubicon's liking, but neither players not Rubicon has ever blamed the async mechanics for any shortcomings in popularity or profit (there is quite the thread over at Rubicon's forum on how to reinvent the title, and what to fix).

    Summoner Wars from Playdek has none of the single player content and progression of Space Wolf, but it is a card/TBS hybrid, one that has become veeeery popular with competitive players. (I’m actually in the beta for Playdek’s new competitive/social platform mBer right now, and I’ve never seen a better example of just how popular and engaging competitive async TBS play can be.)

    Anything beyond 20-40 seconds is enough to completely bar me, and players like me (we who embrace the async model wholeheartedly, and who rely on it for online gaming) from all online multiplayer. Hence why async constitutes a small revolution in online gaming for people like me (as per my initial post).

    But beyond that, it would be a shame if all online play was shoehorned into extremely short match lengths, when realtime + asynchronous play can offer us options for both long and short games, and allow all kinds of gamers access to online play in Space Wolf.

    Like I said in my original post, bot games are a GREAT idea. But never as a replacement to real time and async multiplayer, just a very pleasant complement for those who shy away from head-to-head, or that something like to play semi-competitively, without the stress/challenge of battling another player directly.

    In summary, the more options for online play you have the time, resources and energy to squeeze in there, the better for us players. Which hopefully translates into more profit for you. So, instead of settling for a simple model for online play, give us long and short matches, real time online and async (and both in seamless tandem), bot matches, co-op missions, asynchronous challenges (comparing scores and results of missions), etc, etc, etc.

    Why cater to only one group of players, no matter how small or big, when you can offer options for both, and create a multiplayer systems for all kinds of players (not just those who only want to play short matches in real time, or those who wish to take turns at their leisure with async)?
     
  20. Shifaan

    Shifaan Well-Known Member

    Jul 27, 2013
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    Soft launch? When is the full game coming out universally? Plus, is this compatible with IPod touch 5g?
     

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