What matters most is the fact that, ultimately, you're aiming for mass appeal. You just won't get that if you cram too many stats into the game, so I say you'd be better off with as many simple stats as possible. I like my hardcore number cruncher games, but I prefer them on the PC, to be honest. On the iOS I don't expect, and don't really want the full PC experience.
Hahah, perhaps! Something like goo linked plates or something. =) Something else to think about too. Thanks for the feedback! Interesting point, I'll talk to my team about that. I really like what you said about not really wanting the PC experience. I hope what we've done that since the interface was designed from the ground up to accomodate the touch interface and small screen, unlike most TBS games on the iPhone right now which are ports. Sorry dude, we couldn't figure out how to have it without skewing the game too much.. in most TBS games, characters usually get stupid powerful. We're considering having a overall upgrade for each Element type.. but we're not quite satisfied yet that I can confirm it'll go in though. Really sorry!
I'm exactly the opposite. The full PC experience is always what I want on iOS, regardless of genre, but so very rarely get. Mass appeal is a funny thing, and works in many peculiar ways. There is a large player base clamouring for just that, games that make no compromise, and that sacrifice neither detail nor depth, when transferred to iOS. While iOS has MANY brilliant strategy games, very few provide anything like a deep PC-like experience, and if they indeed are ports, they are often simplified, Civ Rev-style. FFT brought the full console stuff, and that seems to have worked rather well for Square Enix. A strategy game that brought an experience similar to turn-based war games on the PC would probably have quite the impact, and be a far more unique thing than another touch-and-go semi-casual turn-based romp.
Addendum : One of the biggest limitations with the iOS gaming scene today is that people either believe it to be, or even want it to be, just a casual platform. But yet, whenever a game comes along that promises an experience beyond a few minutes' diversion (Street Fighter Volt, Infinity Blade, Warm Gun, Galaxy on Fire 2, Starbase Orion, Urban Rivals, Shadow Era, Monkey Island series, the more advanced sports simulations, Real Racing 2, Kairosoft's deceptively deep games, Final Fantasy Tactics, Carcassonne, Dead Space, Shadowgun, King of Dragon Pass, etc, etc, blah, blah, and possibly Ravenmark ), this is often the very aspect of the game that becomes most hyped, and in the case of successful delivery of that promise, most appreciated. So, for every gamer waiting for their next casual fix, there might be another hoping for the platform to grow beyond this subjective stigma.
I have to disagree with you on a point: I don't see iOS games as casual, or the platform as casual. Accessible is the term I personally prefer. And going along with accessibility, I don't like RTS games even on the iPad. They are made with the rigid PC mindset which doesn't work as well on the small gesture-based screens. (I know this game is not quite an RTS but it was to illustrate an example) When I say I don't want a PC experience, I'm not saying that I want a shallow and simple game. I just don't want it to be made with the same rules as a PC version. iOS is unique in a lot of aspects and many games that embrace that have done well. Also you can't look at Square Enix, because they're Square Enix. ^.^ Actually, a lot of the games you cited already have pretty large fanbases outside the iOS world. (minus a couple)
In games like the Fire Emblems, FFT, etc the story line branches. Will the campaign branch? Are there 'hidden' units or leaders or certain things you will only see given certain choices? Or is the campaign entirely linear?
I think both of you are of a same mind and want the same thing. I think the key word is perception and how people see the platform. Brian has told me many a time that people ask him why we aren't making an 'Angry Birds'.. and he dies a little inside. What you guys are talking about is exactly the middle ground we hope to walk - something that has depth but isn't so convoluted that it would turn people off at the onset. Personally, I'm finding it hard to carry that across in the tutorial - the game is easy enough to control and understand, but it's hard to exhibit the possibilities open to the player. Aside from our aspirations, we also have the limitations of a start up. We literally are a bunch of guys huddled in an attic, trying to do something really new to us. It pains me every time I have to say, 'No, sorry, we don't have that in our game." So we constantly have this tug-of-war.. can we deliver what we want? I hope Ravenmark earns a place among those titles mentioned. =) No, sorry, we don't have that in our game. =`( We really, really wanted those things though. There was this character called Eldon Tealeaf, a halfling assassin that would appear in all the campaigns and appear only when a player was doing TOO well and muck things up.. for a laugh. He would have referenced other points in the overall world as well, even give hints to what's coming since the stories aren't necessarily played chronologically.
Hey TouchArcaders, So today I thought I'd introduce some of the main characters in the RAVENMARK storyline - help you folks put some names to the faces of our first campaign. These two are just two of a large cast of supporting characters, but you'll see a lot more of these two than most... Do these guys seem like interesting characters you'd want to get to know more about?
Hiya guys, Nothing like a video preview as part of a wholesome and nutritious diet. Today, you get to check out a story cutscene from an early mission in the Prelude campaign of RAVENMARK... Watch as the the Imperial army of Estellion prepares a strategic ruse to take down a bandit camp on the borders of the Empire's territory. Subscribe to the TouchArcade YouTube channel I apologize for the lower quality of this video - if you noticed in the original video we posted, the graphics are Retina-level sharp, but the video was rather jerky due to processor slowdown. (Story of an indie's life... equipment's never good enough!) So we decided to do today's video in standard resolution to better reflect the smoothness of in-game battle animations... If anyone wants a high quality version though, I'd be happy to oblige
Oh dear, now you've gone and got me all excited about this. Do we get to see a character preview of Vidius Harper? ^^
We're glad to hear that! Harper will be featured soon, Brian said some time tomorrow perhaps. =) I.. really don't know to be honest. I'll get back to you on that.
Please do! Those of us with an older iTouch device would love to play Ravenmark! (and if you need someone to test Ravenmark with a 2nd Gen Touch, I'm your guy!)
Oooo, good quality turn based strategy game always gets me excited, can't wait to see the iPad version!
Cheers man, it'll be awhile before the iPad version is ready but I hafta say, it's really satisfying to play Ravenmark on one. =D We managed to test it on an old device - bottom line is yeah, it'll run. There's some issues with the architecture though so the camera goes wonky. I guess I can't promise anything right now. =X My guys are aware of the issue and we'll work on it when we can!
