I just picked up Hector: Badge of Carnage and I'm really enjoying it so far. One of the few genuinely funny video games I've played in recent memory.
It really is fantastic. It's like British Ron Gilbert humor. I just wish I had more opportunities to play it, but most of my iPhone gaming is in the form of short stints on the subway, and Hector seems more fun if you can play it for a longer session.
Got EpicWin... not sure I see the appeal yet, but, it's only day one.
Does each new day bring it's own list of premade tasks, or do I have to create them beyond day one?
Do items have any purpose?
It's a to-do list, not a game. You create your own tasks based on stuff you need to do, and assign them an XP value based on their importance. It works like any other to-do list app.
As a to-do app, EpicWin is stil pretty barebones—no push notifications or badges, not the greatest flexibility when it comes to repeating tasks, etc.—but as a novelty to-do list it's awesome. The devs are promising some updates down the road:
We've kept the filesize as low as possible so you can download EpicWin anywhere and start gaining XP. But we've got some free updates coming which add:
1) Sound!
We are currently optimising sounds and adding them
into the app.
2) More Characters!
Currently Treeman and Muscle dude can be bought to unlock, but we want to implement a system whereby you can unlock extra characters as rewards in the app as well, we're still putting this into practice in a way that will hopefully please everyone, along with developing more character types and customisations.
3) New Features!
We will be updating the app to improve features incrementally - there's a lot of work involved, it's an Epic journey but we are all on it together!
Sounds like it was a little rushed, but it's already far more interesting than the to-do app I bought to keep track of my grad school homework last spring. I'd like to see folders and subcategories of tasks, along with push notification and badge support.
I also bought Monster Dash ($.99), which is out now and pretty awesome if you like Canabalt, because it's Canabalt + pixel art + guns, and it's from golden child Halfbrick (makers of Fruit Ninja). There's a nice randomized element to the speed of running and the background cycles; if you like straightforward arcade "run till you die" games, you could do far, far worse.
Monster Dash, is a little slight, but well worth 59p. Not sure how long I'll stick with it mind.
Epic Win is a strange one, it's certainly novel, but I used Things (£6!) which sync with the Mac version and is very useful - so it seems strange to use this instead. Also, more awkward to get out at work. That said it is fun. I might segregate, work to Things and used Epic Win to give myself achievements for outside work. Blog, writing, games etc.
So I'm still pretty new to the app store. Are there any good twinstick shooters or shmups? I found Super Laser, but none of the control schemes really work for me. My thumb tends to "wander" away from the range of the joystick without any physical reinforcement.
So I'm still pretty new to the app store. Are there any good twinstick shooters or shmups? I found Super Laser, but none of the control schemes really work for me. My thumb tends to "wander" away from the range of the joystick without any physical reinforcement.
Space Invaders: Infinity Gene and Espgaluda II are both fantastic vertical shmups; there's a free version ("Lite") of IG if you want to test the controls, but pretty much everyone I've heard talk about it agree it controls like a dream, and both games control very similarly.
For twin-stick shmups, there is good ol' Geometry Wars but it's a little pricey and you might still run into the same control problems; there is a bit of a learning curve with the virtual D-pad setup. There's also Minigore, and I enjoyed Isotope, which takes sort of an RPG/campaign approach to a very Geo Wars-inspired setup. I have one twin-sticker called Critical Wave that's pretty cool, though I scored it for free and don't know if it's paid now or not.
You might also like Tilt to Live, which naturally uses tilt controls, and Bit Pilot is a personal favorite of mine—no shooting, so I guess it's a dodge-'em-up.
EDIT: Oh yeah, and Space Miner! It's got more of an Asteroids feel, but since it uses a virtual wheel instead of a D-pad or stick, it ends up controlling a lot more nicely.
Infinity Gene and Espgaluda are both amazing from the demos. I couldn't really control Isotope very well. I just bought IG, because it was cheaper than Espgaluda and I like the way the demo is set up.
Epic Win is really lacking. Limited to one profile, no calendar and two of the five avatars are in-app purchases. I mean...$2.99 for this and then $1.98 to buy two avatars? Leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
I don't have a To-Do app yet, so I don't regret the purchase, but I recommend others stay away until some updates get pumped into it.
"Apple yesterday applied for patent to allow remotely disabling electronic devices when 'unauthorized usage' is detected. The patent application covers using the camera to take pictures of the unauthorized user and using GPS to determine location, and it involves ascertaining whether the phone has been hacked or jailbroken, using that as criteria for detecting 'suspicious behavior.' The patent would allow the carrier or any other 'authorized' party to disable or restrict the functionality of the device. Is this Apple's latest tool to thwart jailbreaking?"
This is already in use with macbooks used by local school systems and such. If one is stolen, they watch for it to show up online and then have it take a picture with the webcam to find who stole it.
Henrico County school officials have remotely activated cameras on district-owned laptop computers to locate missing or stolen equipment, a policy that has gotten a Pennsylvania school system in hot water with federal officials who now are investigating the school district's actions.
Henrico schools spokesman Mychael Dickerson said yesterday that the system has remotely activated cameras 50 times in the past three years to locate computers stolen from elementary schools. Those computers do not go home with students. Of those, 20 have been recovered. The other cases still are under investigation, he said.
That was a different school system; from further down that article:
A school system's ability to remotely enable laptop cameras is at the center of a lawsuit involving a Philadelphia-area school system.
Officials with the public schools in Lower Merion, Pa., said they used webcams on school-issued laptops only to locate missing machines. Outraged parents are suing the district, however, alleging privacy violations.
Student Blake Robbins of Penn Valley, Pa., sued last week, alleging that officials at Harriton High School, in the Lower Merion School District, took a photo of him inside his home.
He learned about it when an assistant principal said she knew he was engaging in improper behavior at home, according to his potentially class-action lawsuit.
Robbins and his family have told reporters that an official mistook a piece of candy for a pill and thought he was selling drugs.
Lower Merion officials confirmed last week that they had activated the webcams to try to find 42 missing laptops, without the knowledge or permission of students and their families. Both the FBI and local authorities are investigating whether the district broke any wiretap, computer-use or other laws.
edit: Recent news on that lawsuit - the FBI investigation didn't find evidence to prosecute wiretapping allegations
Whilst talking about TODO apps I've just found an interesting one. "Streaks" (£1.19)
When Jerry Seinfeld was asked by a budding stand up for a tip he talked about his method to get himself to write. It involved a big year planner and every day that he wrote he got to add a cross to that day. Soon you had a line of crosses.
The aim was "Don't break the chain"
And this app lets you do that. You make a topic (in my case 'Write') and can cross off the days where you manage it. It keeps score on the app button, and keeps your high score.
Just what I need. Of course, a print out of this chart and a pen is far cheaper.
Man, that has the opposite effect for me. When the floating head in Brain Age started giving me shit for missing a few days I thought "fuck this guy" and never touched it again.
So there's this game I downloaded: War of Eustrath. It's basically Fire Emblem and Xenogears, if Xenogears didn't have character battles and only had Gear battles. Woo! The interface is fairly self-explanitory, and if you've got the iPhone 4 it's a very stable game and has multi-tasking enabled, so you can put it down and pick it right back up This will do NICELY until Final Fantasy Tactics hits (eventually).
Also it has a bit of engrish! It's always good to see that pop up every once in a while!
I'm having a real FUCK ITUNES moment myself right now.
Is there any way to see all the applications I've purchased? I mean I know fucking well apple has that information but is it made available to me anywhere?
I'm trying to set my phone back up after an OS upgrade that put me to 4.0.2 so now I cant even jailbreak the piece of shit again.
[edit] nvm i found my entire itunes purchase history, there is an option under view my account to see this in case anybody else ever wants to do this.
I would like to play Dice Wars on my iPhone, but I am told that the iPhone version of this game sucks. Can anyone speak to this? Also, anyone have any good alternatives?
I dominate on the lowest setting, but get my ass handed to me in the second lowest.
I'm really glad I grabbed this on a whim. It's a really fun game I would have paid for.
Also hurrah for more good schmups.
solsovly on
0
SenshiBALLING OUT OF CONTROLWavefrontRegistered Userregular
edited August 2010
Yeah, I grabbed Galcon too, I've played it on the computer but it's great on the iPod. Also Solipskier is absolutely fantastic. Plus it has a handsome icon and art style so doubleplusgood right there.
I think I finally figured out Galcon... you need to aim for the largest planets with the smallest numbers in them, and then start harassing... makes me win on difficulty levels I haven't won on before.
Does anyone have any more tips?
eobet on
Heard the proposition that RIAA and MPAA should join forces and form "Music And Film Industry Association"?
0
SenshiBALLING OUT OF CONTROLWavefrontRegistered Userregular
edited August 2010
Double tap and use several planets to attack at once
Changing the number of units pulled during an attack to 75% instead of 50% seems to work well also. Doing that combined with Senshi's tip have made even the higher difficulty levels kind of trivial.
Posts
I want to know more PA people on Twitter.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVwufzQ0DUg
It's also free...so whats not to like?
(p.s. I'm posting from a pc with no sound, so hopefully this review video isn't bashing the game)
Does each new day bring it's own list of premade tasks, or do I have to create them beyond day one?
Do items have any purpose?
It really is fantastic. It's like British Ron Gilbert humor. I just wish I had more opportunities to play it, but most of my iPhone gaming is in the form of short stints on the subway, and Hector seems more fun if you can play it for a longer session.
It's a to-do list, not a game. You create your own tasks based on stuff you need to do, and assign them an XP value based on their importance. It works like any other to-do list app.
EXP
Levels
Items
Overworld Maps
Achievements/Goals
Characters in RPG Armor
Stats
Anyone that hasn't seen the app would think you're crazy :P
It's an interesting concept.
Sounds like it was a little rushed, but it's already far more interesting than the to-do app I bought to keep track of my grad school homework last spring. I'd like to see folders and subcategories of tasks, along with push notification and badge support.
I also bought Monster Dash ($.99), which is out now and pretty awesome if you like Canabalt, because it's Canabalt + pixel art + guns, and it's from golden child Halfbrick (makers of Fruit Ninja). There's a nice randomized element to the speed of running and the background cycles; if you like straightforward arcade "run till you die" games, you could do far, far worse.
Epic!
I want to know more PA people on Twitter.
Monster Dash, is a little slight, but well worth 59p. Not sure how long I'll stick with it mind.
Epic Win is a strange one, it's certainly novel, but I used Things (£6!) which sync with the Mac version and is very useful - so it seems strange to use this instead. Also, more awkward to get out at work. That said it is fun. I might segregate, work to Things and used Epic Win to give myself achievements for outside work. Blog, writing, games etc.
2009 is a year of Updates - one every Monday. Hopefully. xx
I want to know more PA people on Twitter.
"Just the bullets."
Space Invaders: Infinity Gene and Espgaluda II are both fantastic vertical shmups; there's a free version ("Lite") of IG if you want to test the controls, but pretty much everyone I've heard talk about it agree it controls like a dream, and both games control very similarly.
For twin-stick shmups, there is good ol' Geometry Wars but it's a little pricey and you might still run into the same control problems; there is a bit of a learning curve with the virtual D-pad setup. There's also Minigore, and I enjoyed Isotope, which takes sort of an RPG/campaign approach to a very Geo Wars-inspired setup. I have one twin-sticker called Critical Wave that's pretty cool, though I scored it for free and don't know if it's paid now or not.
You might also like Tilt to Live, which naturally uses tilt controls, and Bit Pilot is a personal favorite of mine—no shooting, so I guess it's a dodge-'em-up.
EDIT: Oh yeah, and Space Miner! It's got more of an Asteroids feel, but since it uses a virtual wheel instead of a D-pad or stick, it ends up controlling a lot more nicely.
I don't have a To-Do app yet, so I don't regret the purchase, but I recommend others stay away until some updates get pumped into it.
Henrico school system uses webcams to locate missing computers
edit: Recent news on that lawsuit - the FBI investigation didn't find evidence to prosecute wiretapping allegations
When Jerry Seinfeld was asked by a budding stand up for a tip he talked about his method to get himself to write. It involved a big year planner and every day that he wrote he got to add a cross to that day. Soon you had a line of crosses.
The aim was "Don't break the chain"
And this app lets you do that. You make a topic (in my case 'Write') and can cross off the days where you manage it. It keeps score on the app button, and keeps your high score.
Just what I need. Of course, a print out of this chart and a pen is far cheaper.
2009 is a year of Updates - one every Monday. Hopefully. xx
Also it has a bit of engrish! It's always good to see that pop up every once in a while!
XBL: Torn Hoodie
@hoodiethirteen
Is there any way to see all the applications I've purchased? I mean I know fucking well apple has that information but is it made available to me anywhere?
I'm trying to set my phone back up after an OS upgrade that put me to 4.0.2 so now I cant even jailbreak the piece of shit again.
[edit] nvm i found my entire itunes purchase history, there is an option under view my account to see this in case anybody else ever wants to do this.
2009 is a year of Updates - one every Monday. Hopefully. xx
Wow, the difficulty levels in this game...
I dominate on the lowest setting, but get my ass handed to me in the second lowest.
Tweeted by Cave World Games
_____________________________________________
"Dodonpachi Resurrection, available at the App Store August 26th, 2010!"
"Special Commemorative Price of $4.99, £2.99 and €3.99 for 4 days starting August 26th (Japan time)!"
_____________________________________________
If it's anything like Espgaluda II, it'll then get bumped up to $8.99, so take advantage of the sale.
I'm hoping Espgaluda goes on sale as well.
I'm really glad I grabbed this on a whim. It's a really fun game I would have paid for.
Also hurrah for more good schmups.
Does anyone have any more tips?
feels bad man