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iOS Gaming September 2016 | I don't have unlimited money

putermcgee

Junior Member
I know it's old, but I just started playing the first Lifeline. I'll probably finish it, but holy cow the protagonist(?) is a jerk, and I'm wondering if his attitude improves, or if it's just the game's writer. If it's the latter, I could see the same unlikable characters permeating throughout the series.

Also played Lonk's Awakening for the first time in a long time. There are a few choice games that came out of the Flappy Bird craze, and this is one. It's so goofy, and parodies Zelda items really well.

And another game I went back to after only dipping my toes into before is Pilots of Dawn. The first thing that popped up was an Everyplay SDK expiration notice. I hope that doesn't stat popping up in all these older games that aren't up to date. Anyway, the game is like a poor man's Luftrausers mixed with MiniSquadron, and can't hold a candle to either.
 

Poetaster

Banned
Does no one else has massive problems with their MFi controllers? I cannot get my stratus working reliably :/
It is connected but it is only flickering very short and this does not change when I start a game. Last time I fixed this by rebooting my phone buz yeah that would be a pain in the butt to do it always again.
Saw this the other day:
https://afterpad.com/ios-10-potentially-causing-issues-mfi-controllers/

Haven't used either of my MFI controllers lately, I hope the latest Hori controller still works.
 

Interfectum

Member
I know it's old, but I just started playing the first Lifeline. I'll probably finish it, but holy cow the protagonist(?) is a jerk, and I'm wondering if his attitude improves, or if it's just the game's writer. If it's the latter, I could see the same unlikable characters permeating throughout the series.

The writing reminds me of The Martian novel.
 

autoduelist

Member
Dungeon Warfare is a -really- solid tower defense game. Tons of content, and great balance. There is also a ton of replayability --
- try old levels with newly unlocked traps and weapons
- you'll unlock level modifiers [faster enemies, healing enemies, and other 'curses'] that give you cumulative experience boosts for that level if you win [ie, you might play with 3 different curses for a 2.35 exp multiplier
- if you beat an earlier attempt on a level, you earn the difference in experience. so there is no benefit to endlessly grinding a level [no exp], but there is a reason to go back and beating it 'better', with curses in play.

all in all, I honestly spend more time refining previous missions than i do pushing forward to new levels, because it's fun to try out new traps/etc on older missions where that newly unlocked trap would be just 'perfect'.

All the traps/etc feel good and are varied enough that you can beat levels in various ways, and some of the levels are -devious-. Some of the curses are also really hard, like one that limits you to 3 tower types, and one that heals enemies.

Leveling up and progression feel solid. Beating levels earns you new toys / towers / traps, but your cumulative experience [sum of max score on all levels] will also earn you stuff -- primarily gems. You spend the gems to level up your towers before you start [reset-able for free] to fine tune your strategy for a level. Every level decreases cooldown or some other trait, but every 5 levels also will let you level up the tower in game for a fee [like regular td]. So for example, you might spend a ton of gems getting a bolt gun up to level 20, or level a bunch of different traps up to 5... there is a ton of room for different strategies.

highly recommended for any tower defense fan, it's a [dungeon] keeper.
 

Oynox

Member
Saw this the other day:
https://afterpad.com/ios-10-potentially-causing-issues-mfi-controllers/

Haven't used either of my MFI controllers lately, I hope the latest Hori controller still works.
Oh I was checking his page as well but it was not updated until recently I think.

That is really unfortunate and I regret once more that I updated to iOS 10 because so far there has not been a single positive thing about it with my 5S :/

Additionally there is no real alternative to the Stratus if Apple decides that the problem does not deserve to be fixed (what I think is very likely)
 
highly recommended for any tower defense fan, it's a [dungeon] keeper.

I keep going back to Dungeon Warfare. The core gameplay of it is real strong. All the stuff you said about it is stuff I also love although I would also add I love the way new strategies reveal themselves once you level the traps up enough. Like with the dart trap, it is a fair run of the mill normal damage dealer trap but once you reach tier 3 with it you can build one with knockback effect on hits. So suddenly this trap can be used to throw people into pits or (as I like doing) putting at the end of straight corridors with slowing traps on the floor to hold the enemies ability to advance like it is a massive fan. It is just nice playing the game for a few hours and getting all your strategies down and suddenly you can do a whole bunch of new stuff because your traps have a bunch of new abilities.
 

awp69

Member
Surprised there are no reviews or fanfare for Embers. It's easily one of the strongest iOS RPG's.

Yeah, other than being TA's game of the week, nothing else.

I'm sure Shaun Musgrave will do a review of it. He was busy with TGS last week (he lives in Japan) so that maybe one reason there isn't one yet from TA at least.
 
Surprised there are no reviews or fanfare for Embers. It's easily one of the strongest iOS RPG's.
I'm currently 4 hours into it and I'm loving the crafting system and combat. Definitely the best RPG on iOS hands down. If someone wants to make a thread for the game that might get the game more attention.

Regarding that Capcom thread in GD, wasn't Capcom making a F2P MH game for mobile but it got cancelled or something? Forgot what the game was called.
 

Arroyo

Neo Member
Do the Telltale games run well on an iPad mini 4? Hesitant to buy any of them because of, well, Telltale.

I think some of them are free (1st chapter only) so you could try them before buying other chapters. The new Batman game isn't free, though.
 

Ron Mexico

Member
I know that things move pretty fast iOS-wise by nature, but I just 100%'d Solitairica and all I can say is it's the first game in a long, long time where I was disappointed to see it come to an end. It could use some more classes and a few more spells/items but this completely belongs in GOTY territory.
 

Svafnir

Member
My favourites are:
Alone
Alto's Adventure
Boson X
Canabalt
Dashy Crashy
Jetpack Joyride
Monster Dash
Power Hover (I think they added an endless mode)
Solipskier
Tiny Wings
Wave Wave

There's also:
Banana Kong
Cubed Rally Redline
Grim Joggers
Impossible Road
Infinite Surf
Kayos
Knightmare Tower
Pitfall
Pivvot
Ski Safari Adventure Time
Super Mole Escape
Time Surfer
Unpossible

Thanks I will check some of them out.
 

Rlan

Member
Hey guys! We at PikPok have just released our brand new game - Shadow Wars!

pBZptl0.gif

atYxFuf.gif

HV7x71R.gif


Monsters are real.

As a Shadow Master, you have the power to control them. To survive, your monsters must fight the monsters of other Shadow Masters around the world.

Join the hidden battle raging across the globe. Travel to major cities and clash with five secret factions, capturing new monsters and collecting rare artifacts in each vibrant location. Carefully balance your monsters’ abilities to craft the ultimate crew, then unleash them on teams of opponents in a strategic game of planning, timing, and skill. As you level up and evolve your monsters, you'll face greater and deadlier foes. Join the war or be destroyed.

● Collect, level up, and evolve powerful monsters, each with unique skills and abilities
● Intense strategy — build a crew of monsters, configure their skills, and plan your play
● Form alliances with players worldwide — join forces in battle and defeat rivals
● Daily and weekly live events based on real-world news stories — compete to collect rare monsters, crucial resources, and legendary artifacts
● Artifacts to collect and further customize your playing experience

I've been playing it in Soft Launch a lot and have had a ton of fun. Check it out!

Download on iOS
Also on Android!
 

awp69

Member
Flying Slime is free. Picked it up when it was on sale for $.99. Haven't put a lot of time into it, but well worth checking out. Swinging platformer with gorgeous graphics.
 

wolf73

Member
Damn, just found out Tiny Thief got delisted and doesn't work on iOS10, loved that game. Can anyone recommend something similar?
 

Ron Mexico

Member
Hey guys! We at PikPok have just released our brand new game - Shadow Wars!

pBZptl0.gif

atYxFuf.gif

HV7x71R.gif




I've been playing it in Soft Launch a lot and have had a ton of fun. Check it out!

Download on iOS
Also on Android!

Just finished the first city and first set of daily challenges. Wasn't sold on the puzzle aspect at first but there's more depth than at first glance. Definitely enjoying it so far. Only complaint is the game absolutely kills my battery on a 6+.
 

Matt Frost

Member
My favourites are:
Alone
Alto's Adventure
Boson X
Canabalt
Dashy Crashy
Jetpack Joyride
Monster Dash
Power Hover (I think they added an endless mode)
Solipskier
Tiny Wings
Wave Wave

There's also:
Banana Kong
Cubed Rally Redline
Grim Joggers
Impossible Road
Infinite Surf
Kayos
Knightmare Tower
Pitfall
Pivvot
Ski Safari Adventure Time
Super Mole Escape
Time Surfer
Unpossible

Amazing list :) but you forgot my favorite: Worm Run. The best of the bunch IMO, a ton of fun!! Feel the rush and terror of a giant worm chasing you :)

Also try Redungeon from Nitrome or Whale Trail
 

Mario

Sidhe / PikPok
Just finished the first city and first set of daily challenges. Wasn't sold on the puzzle aspect at first but there's more depth than at first glance. Definitely enjoying it so far. Only complaint is the game absolutely kills my battery on a 6+.

Glad you are liking it. The puzzle and strategy aspect does get pretty deep the further you get into the game, especially as you encounter new board elements, artifacts, and monsters/skills.

Work on load times, CPU usage, and memory usage is ongoing, so hopefully the next couple of updates ease up the battery situation.
 

PittaGAF

Member
Any Heartstone players here?
I'm NOT a competitive player, I play just for fun (I like the game a lot) but I'm not obsessed with deck builds or know the cards etc...I just choose a theme and I build the deck accordingly.
LOVED the last brawl with random decks, I was finally able to win quite a lot of games and made 700 gold to buy an adventure.
What do you suggest?
I have already unlocked the first Nazxramas wing and some sort of guest vs host fight in the last released adventure.
I can unlock the second part of Naxramas or the first wind of any other adventure.
What do you suggest?
I like warriors and the like. Also, dragons.
 

jon bones

hot hot hanuman-on-man action
Any Heartstone players here?
I'm NOT a competitive player, I play just for fun (I like the game a lot) but I'm not obsessed with deck builds or know the cards etc...I just choose a theme and I build the deck accordingly.
LOVED the last brawl with random decks, I was finally able to win quite a lot of games and made 700 gold to buy an adventure.
What do you suggest?
I have already unlocked the first Nazxramas wing and some sort of guest vs host fight in the last released adventure.
I can unlock the second part of Naxramas or the first wind of any other adventure.
What do you suggest?
I like warriors and the like. Also, dragons.

The only 2 iOS games I play anymore are Hearthstone & Vainglory.

I would get the latest Adventure wing. Naxx cards are no longer usable in "Standard" play.

Alternatively, I would pick a class you enjoy the most. Go google the most interesting & cheapest 'Standard' decks available for that class, and start to build towards it. It will require cards from a recent Adventure and you can get that.
 

Jamesways

Member
I usually stick to Real Racing 3 and SBK16 but just wanted to say Horizon Chase is really, really good. Super fun game.
 

Boney

Banned
Just got an iPhone. Whats the best endless runner?
I got it on my 6s and it's almost unplayable. You can't read anything and it's either too far away for some decent fov or stupidly close so you can actually see the game.

Needs an iPhone tailored update stat.

Which reminds me, Baldur's gate had an iphone update, does it play well? Ember being unplayable gave me massive blue balls for an action rpg.
 
I got it on my 6s and it's almost unplayable. You can't read anything and it's either too far away for some decent fov or stupidly close so you can actually see the game.

Needs an iPhone tailored update stat.

Which reminds me, Baldur's gate had an iphone update, does it play well? Ember being unplayable gave me massive blue balls for an action rpg.
Rule of thumb: never play a CRPG on anything less than a tablet
 

awp69

Member
Rule of thumb: never play a CRPG on anything less than a tablet

For Ember, I think you can get away with an 6+/6S+. But Baldur's Gate and Icewind Dale absolutely not.

Even on the action RPG side, Titan Quest is way too hard to play on my 6S+.

The text is small on Ember but still quite readable for me. The menus and gameplay are perfectly fine.

I have seen some people asking for the option to increase the size of the font on Ember so hope they do that. But I'm still having an absolute blast on my 6S+ and have no doubt it will be on my GOTY list -- currently probably even at the top of my list.
 
Yeah seems like it. They should probably make them iPad only but they'd miss on sales from suckers like me. Wanted to try some shiny games for my 6s. Mega bummer
If it's good graphics you're looking for, check out The Room series, Shadowmatic, Warhammer Deathwatch, Sky Force Reloaded, and Samorost 3
 
Dungeon Warfare is a -really- solid tower defense game. Tons of content, and great balance. There is also a ton of replayability --
- try old levels with newly unlocked traps and weapons
- you'll unlock level modifiers [faster enemies, healing enemies, and other 'curses'] that give you cumulative experience boosts for that level if you win [ie, you might play with 3 different curses for a 2.35 exp multiplier
- if you beat an earlier attempt on a level, you earn the difference in experience. so there is no benefit to endlessly grinding a level [no exp], but there is a reason to go back and beating it 'better', with curses in play.

all in all, I honestly spend more time refining previous missions than i do pushing forward to new levels, because it's fun to try out new traps/etc on older missions where that newly unlocked trap would be just 'perfect'.

All the traps/etc feel good and are varied enough that you can beat levels in various ways, and some of the levels are -devious-. Some of the curses are also really hard, like one that limits you to 3 tower types, and one that heals enemies.

Leveling up and progression feel solid. Beating levels earns you new toys / towers / traps, but your cumulative experience [sum of max score on all levels] will also earn you stuff -- primarily gems. You spend the gems to level up your towers before you start [reset-able for free] to fine tune your strategy for a level. Every level decreases cooldown or some other trait, but every 5 levels also will let you level up the tower in game for a fee [like regular td]. So for example, you might spend a ton of gems getting a bolt gun up to level 20, or level a bunch of different traps up to 5... there is a ton of room for different strategies.

highly recommended for any tower defense fan, it's a [dungeon] keeper.

I agree. The game is a lot of fun! Did you unlock the secret level?
 
Got a new game for you card game hybrid fans

Frost - $3.99
It's basically The Long Dark as a single player card game roguelike. You're crossing a frozen wasteland, struggling to stay ahead of an ever-encroaching ice storm, dealing with wolves, psychos, and dwindling supplies. It also has a unique starkly hand-drawn aesthetic
 

FerranMG

Member
Glad you are liking it. The puzzle and strategy aspect does get pretty deep the further you get into the game, especially as you encounter new board elements, artifacts, and monsters/skills.

Work on load times, CPU usage, and memory usage is ongoing, so hopefully the next couple of updates ease up the battery situation.

Gave the game a go. Made it to stage 5, when I had to force-close the game because it got stuck in the post-game screen in which you can attempt to capture a monster. Probably an issue with lost internet connection when trying to capture it.

The game looks cool, and I could see myself playing it, but there are two pretty big issues for me.
One is the amount of data the game consumes. It was 30MB for a 30 minute session, which I think is A DAMN LOT. What are you guys downloading or sending to the servers? I didn't see any add, which makes it still more glaring. Is it all data from the game session?
Typically I play 1 hour a day while I'm commuting. If this translates into 60MB a day, say 20 days a month, this adds up to 1.2GB per month. I'm on a 2GB data plan, I just won't be able to play the game it these numbers hold.

The other one is how slow is the game between game states. "Loading menus" is not really a loading message I would like to see ever.

Finally, and this is a pet peeve of mine, I hate it when the music and sfx options are locked until you finish the tutorial.

As I said, the game looks pretty cool, I like the animations and the game aesthetic, and looks like there's quite some depth, but the first issue I mentioned above is basically a game stopper for me. Hope you can give it a look or reconsider some decisions related to the data the game needs to get/send.
 
Gave the game a go. Made it to stage 5, when I had to force-close the game because it got stuck in the post-game screen in which you can attempt to capture a monster. Probably an issue with lost internet connection when trying to capture it.

The game looks cool, and I could see myself playing it, but there are two pretty big issues for me.
One is the amount of data the game consumes. It was 30MB for a 30 minute session, which I think is A DAMN LOT. What are you guys downloading or sending to the servers? I didn't see any add, which makes it still more glaring. Is it all data from the game session?
Typically I play 1 hour a game while I'm commuting. If this translates into 60MB a day, say 20 days a month, this adds up to 1.2GB per month. I'm on a 2GB data plan, I just won't be able to play the game it these numbers hold.

The other one is how slow is the game between game states. "Loading menus" is not really a loading message I would like to see ever.

Finally, and this is a pet peeve of mine, I hate it when the music and sfx options are locked until you finish the tutorial.

As I said, the game looks pretty cool, I like the animations and the game aesthetic, and looks like there's quite some depth, but the first issue I mentioned above is basically a game stopper for me. Hope you can give it a look or reconsider some decisions related to the data the game needs to get/send.

These echo much of my feelings with the game too. Although I do like the base game itself, the constant (and occasionally quite lengthy) loading menus and waiting for all the ingame animations makes it a game fairly unenjoyable.
 

awp69

Member
Sproggiwood is down to $1.99. Highly recommend it for those intimidated by the rogue like genre. It's still pretty tough but presented in a way that gives it a casual feel that's a good introduction to the genre.
 

heringer

Member
For Ember, I think you can get away with an 6+/6S+. But Baldur's Gate and Icewind Dale absolutely not.

Even on the action RPG side, Titan Quest is way too hard to play on my 6S+.

The text is small on Ember but still quite readable for me. The menus and gameplay are perfectly fine.

I have seen some people asking for the option to increase the size of the font on Ember so hope they do that. But I'm still having an absolute blast on my 6S+ and have no doubt it will be on my GOTY list -- currently probably even at the top of my list.

I actually find Ember rather playable on my iPhone 6, though I still prefer to play on my iPad. The text is indeed a bit on the small side though.
 
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