8 ms·

If anybody's looking for a side project, I think there's a curation opportunity here. I'd subscribe to a newsletter focused on great, non-IAP-driven iOS games.

If anybody's looking for a side project, I think there's a curation opportunity here. I'd subscribe to a newsletter focused on great, non-IAP-driven iOS games. It could be weekly or monthly, with a mix of new games and classic gems that maybe aren't so well known. I'd tolerate a fair amount of advertising or sponsored content in the newsletter as long as it was clearly labeled. The key thing for me is quality. I think that's true for many (extremely) casual phone gamers. I'd much rather get 1 outstanding recommendation per week/month than 10 of varying quality. And I know game enjoyment can be somewhat subjective, but there are still some games that are generally well-done and broadly appealing to fans of a genre. If the top recommendation is a racing game, I might skip it. That's okay. I don't need a new game every week or even every month. I just don't want to waste my time sifting through bad games or games that start fun but quickly ramp up the IAP pressure. HumbleBundle kind of fits this niche, but I found their volume to be too high. And frankly, I don't want to buy a bunch of games at once. I think I'm less of a gamer than their target audience.

voltagex_ 10y ago
There was a site that only listed no-IAP games for a while, but I think they "pivoted" into something less useful. http://www.slant.co/topics/1194/~android-games-without-in-app-purchases-paywalls http://www.slant.co/topics/1194/~android-games-without-in-ap... / http://www.slant.co/topics/3480/~ios-games-without-in-app-purchases http://www.slant.co/topics/3480/~ios-games-without-in-app-pu... is what's left.
- StuieK 10y ago
  Are you referring to honestandroidgames?
  - CmdrKrool 10y ago
    I was poised to post that site in this thread earlier on, but on googling I found not the site itself but this sadly relevant comment on Reddit from the site's former owner describing their eventual exhaustion in searching for the good stuff and disillusionment with the Android platform in general. https://www.reddit.com/r/AndroidGaming/comments/2ggaqp/ https://www.reddit.com/r/AndroidGaming/comments/2ggaqp/
  - voltagex_ 10y ago
    Yes, thanks for reminding me.
flashman 10y ago
> I'd subscribe to a newsletter focused on great, non-IAP-driven iOS games. I guess one would monetize that by soliciting advertisements and featuring particular games?
xzi 10y ago
Pocket Tactics [http://www.pockettactics.com http://www.pockettactics.com] is mostly what you want. This site should be stickied every time HN talks about mobile games. Most of what they cover is buy-once. IAP in their covered games usually takes the form of optional DLC or as a way to buy the game outright after trying the initial levels. When they occasionally review a F2P game, they take the side of the average consumer and discuss how intrusive (or not) the IAP is.
beefsack 10y ago
I'd just love to be able to search the respective stores being able to filter out stuff I'd never want. If I could: * Filter out any apps or games with microtransactions. * Filter out any apps or games with ads. * Filter down to apps with at least x downloads or ratings. * Choose how the content is sorted. I feel I could find things that I'm actually interested in. As it is at the moment it feels random whether I'll find something I'd actually want to download.
retromario 10y ago
Quality is also a key requirement for me. We developed our game Ellipsis for iOS with quality as the main driving factor. It's a minimalist action game of survival and dexterity, with zero text, no ads and no IAP. We've put a lot of effort crafting a polished experience that respects the player. Please check it out, you're precisely the type of audience we are aiming for: http://playellipsis.com http://playellipsis.com Regarding curation, aside from places like TouchArcade, there are occasionally nicely curated video lists of best new premium games like these from Gameranx: - January: https://youtu.be/Nuaj_ti5MtA https://youtu.be/Nuaj_ti5MtA - February: https://youtu.be/aTQO0_bhuUI https://youtu.be/aTQO0_bhuUI (disclaimer: we're in this list) - March: https://youtu.be/oreE8YX5jQI https://youtu.be/oreE8YX5jQI
paulnewmanseyes 10y ago
It's on hiatus right now, but I really recommend the @games_we_care twitter feed for this. The 1,041 recommendations in its archive are pretty great, and if/when it comes back, I'm sure the future will be good too.
harryaka 10y ago
Check out Curated, pretty much does what you're looking for: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.curated.android&hl=en https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.curated.an...
- baldfat 10y ago
  Last updated August 2015
Arjuna 10y ago
"The key thing for me is quality." I wanted to say that I developed Rocket Renegade [1] for iOS. It's an 80s-inspired arcade shooter, with elements reminiscent of Space Invaders, Asteroids, Galaga... and, of course, it contains bosses. I wrote all of the code, and I composed the soundtrack as well. The bitmap graphics were done by game designer Daniel Cook, who released them under a Creative Commons Attribution license. I believe that it fits all of your requirements: the quality is high, the gameplay is fun, it runs rock-solid at 60 frames per second, the music is awesome, and it's a POP game (Pay Once to Play); no IAP, no ads. It's essentially a straight-up, gun-for-your-highest-score-classic-arcade-shooter. [1] https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/rocket-renegade/id955229059?mt=8 https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/rocket-renegade/id955229059?...
- IgorPartola 10y ago
  I just bought it and gave it a try. I have to say, it is not really my type of thing. After beating the boss, it just repeats, which is not really fun. I really liked the graphics and whatnot, but there was very little in ways of Replayability. It reminded me a lot of Xenon, but was basically over after the first boss. Still, great job! Hope it makes you rich.
  - Arjuna 10y ago
    Thank you for checking it out! Yes, your feedback is well-placed; it does need additional game-play elements (e.g., power-ups, shields, variation, etc.) that would give it a higher replay factor. Again, thank you for taking the time to play and provide feedback. This was my first game, and it's clear that I have a lot to learn!
    - IgorPartola 10y ago
      Welcome. And best of luck. This is an awesome start!
- Tenhundfeld 10y ago
  Just purchased and played several times. Very solid gameplay, nice retro graphics, fun music. Congratulations. I was kind of hoping for some power-ups, like a faster shot rate or scattershot. Those might be present, and I just didn't get to them yet, only made it to stage 3-x on first attempts. I also wish the stages had more variation, might feel too repetitive after a while – though that might happen later also. Anyway, for $0.99, I'm definitely not complaining. It's a fun game and definitely an example of what I'm looking for. I'd personally be willing to pay more, in the $4.99 range, for a game like this, especially if it had some the variation features I mentioned above – but I might be unusual.
noxToken 10y ago
VSauce 3 used to have videos dedicated to apps. Some were games. I'd be lying if I said I tried all of the games, but I will say that most of their recommended games were of good quality. They stopped making those videos sometime last year. Here's a compiled list of their featured apps: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1cnARmaoMH-ZzAHCmaqkBus3rjZuemB8wY5lyY-ps2e4/edit https://docs.google.com/document/d/1cnARmaoMH-ZzAHCmaqkBus3r...
StuieK 10y ago
I built a crowdsourced version of that general idea: http://www.slant.co/topics/3480/~ios-games-without-in-app-purchases http://www.slant.co/topics/3480/~ios-games-without-in-app-pu...
- Tenhundfeld 10y ago
  Ah yeah, that's pretty cool, definitely along the same lines I'm thinking. Thanks for sharing.
so_serious 10y ago
Long time lurker, first time poster. I wrote and published a completely original puzzle game for android, got featured on google play a number of times. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.wp.wordbox https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.wp.wordbox
- cheiVia0 10y ago
  Curious how if I search for the exact name of the game on the Play store, I get it all the way on the bottom of the screen... http://i.imgur.com/p8OnlG8.png http://i.imgur.com/p8OnlG8.png

voltagex_ 10y ago

There was a site that only listed no-IAP games for a while, but I think they "pivoted" into something less useful. http://www.slant.co/topics/1194/~android-games-without-in-app-purchases-paywalls http://www.slant.co/topics/1194/~android-games-without-in-ap... / http://www.slant.co/topics/3480/~ios-games-without-in-app-purchases http://www.slant.co/topics/3480/~ios-games-without-in-app-pu... is what's left.

StuieK 10y ago
Are you referring to honestandroidgames?
- CmdrKrool 10y ago
  I was poised to post that site in this thread earlier on, but on googling I found not the site itself but this sadly relevant comment on Reddit from the site's former owner describing their eventual exhaustion in searching for the good stuff and disillusionment with the Android platform in general. https://www.reddit.com/r/AndroidGaming/comments/2ggaqp/ https://www.reddit.com/r/AndroidGaming/comments/2ggaqp/
- voltagex_ 10y ago
  Yes, thanks for reminding me.

flashman 10y ago

> I'd subscribe to a newsletter focused on great, non-IAP-driven iOS games. I guess one would monetize that by soliciting advertisements and featuring particular games?

xzi 10y ago

Pocket Tactics [http://www.pockettactics.com http://www.pockettactics.com] is mostly what you want. This site should be stickied every time HN talks about mobile games. Most of what they cover is buy-once. IAP in their covered games usually takes the form of optional DLC or as a way to buy the game outright after trying the initial levels. When they occasionally review a F2P game, they take the side of the average consumer and discuss how intrusive (or not) the IAP is.

beefsack 10y ago

I'd just love to be able to search the respective stores being able to filter out stuff I'd never want. If I could: * Filter out any apps or games with microtransactions. * Filter out any apps or games with ads. * Filter down to apps with at least x downloads or ratings. * Choose how the content is sorted. I feel I could find things that I'm actually interested in. As it is at the moment it feels random whether I'll find something I'd actually want to download.

retromario 10y ago

Quality is also a key requirement for me. We developed our game Ellipsis for iOS with quality as the main driving factor. It's a minimalist action game of survival and dexterity, with zero text, no ads and no IAP. We've put a lot of effort crafting a polished experience that respects the player. Please check it out, you're precisely the type of audience we are aiming for: http://playellipsis.com http://playellipsis.com Regarding curation, aside from places like TouchArcade, there are occasionally nicely curated video lists of best new premium games like these from Gameranx: - January: https://youtu.be/Nuaj_ti5MtA https://youtu.be/Nuaj_ti5MtA - February: https://youtu.be/aTQO0_bhuUI https://youtu.be/aTQO0_bhuUI (disclaimer: we're in this list) - March: https://youtu.be/oreE8YX5jQI https://youtu.be/oreE8YX5jQI

paulnewmanseyes 10y ago

It's on hiatus right now, but I really recommend the @games_we_care twitter feed for this. The 1,041 recommendations in its archive are pretty great, and if/when it comes back, I'm sure the future will be good too.

harryaka 10y ago

Check out Curated, pretty much does what you're looking for: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.curated.android&hl=en https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.curated.an...

baldfat 10y ago
Last updated August 2015

Arjuna 10y ago

"The key thing for me is quality." I wanted to say that I developed Rocket Renegade [1] for iOS. It's an 80s-inspired arcade shooter, with elements reminiscent of Space Invaders, Asteroids, Galaga... and, of course, it contains bosses. I wrote all of the code, and I composed the soundtrack as well. The bitmap graphics were done by game designer Daniel Cook, who released them under a Creative Commons Attribution license. I believe that it fits all of your requirements: the quality is high, the gameplay is fun, it runs rock-solid at 60 frames per second, the music is awesome, and it's a POP game (Pay Once to Play); no IAP, no ads. It's essentially a straight-up, gun-for-your-highest-score-classic-arcade-shooter. [1] https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/rocket-renegade/id955229059?mt=8 https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/rocket-renegade/id955229059?...

IgorPartola 10y ago
I just bought it and gave it a try. I have to say, it is not really my type of thing. After beating the boss, it just repeats, which is not really fun. I really liked the graphics and whatnot, but there was very little in ways of Replayability. It reminded me a lot of Xenon, but was basically over after the first boss. Still, great job! Hope it makes you rich.
- Arjuna 10y ago
  Thank you for checking it out! Yes, your feedback is well-placed; it does need additional game-play elements (e.g., power-ups, shields, variation, etc.) that would give it a higher replay factor. Again, thank you for taking the time to play and provide feedback. This was my first game, and it's clear that I have a lot to learn!
  - IgorPartola 10y ago
    Welcome. And best of luck. This is an awesome start!
Tenhundfeld 10y ago
Just purchased and played several times. Very solid gameplay, nice retro graphics, fun music. Congratulations. I was kind of hoping for some power-ups, like a faster shot rate or scattershot. Those might be present, and I just didn't get to them yet, only made it to stage 3-x on first attempts. I also wish the stages had more variation, might feel too repetitive after a while – though that might happen later also. Anyway, for $0.99, I'm definitely not complaining. It's a fun game and definitely an example of what I'm looking for. I'd personally be willing to pay more, in the $4.99 range, for a game like this, especially if it had some the variation features I mentioned above – but I might be unusual.

noxToken 10y ago

VSauce 3 used to have videos dedicated to apps. Some were games. I'd be lying if I said I tried all of the games, but I will say that most of their recommended games were of good quality. They stopped making those videos sometime last year. Here's a compiled list of their featured apps: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1cnARmaoMH-ZzAHCmaqkBus3rjZuemB8wY5lyY-ps2e4/edit https://docs.google.com/document/d/1cnARmaoMH-ZzAHCmaqkBus3r...

StuieK 10y ago

I built a crowdsourced version of that general idea: http://www.slant.co/topics/3480/~ios-games-without-in-app-purchases http://www.slant.co/topics/3480/~ios-games-without-in-app-pu...

Tenhundfeld 10y ago
Ah yeah, that's pretty cool, definitely along the same lines I'm thinking. Thanks for sharing.

so_serious 10y ago

Long time lurker, first time poster. I wrote and published a completely original puzzle game for android, got featured on google play a number of times. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.wp.wordbox https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.wp.wordbox

cheiVia0 10y ago
Curious how if I search for the exact name of the game on the Play store, I get it all the way on the bottom of the screen... http://i.imgur.com/p8OnlG8.png http://i.imgur.com/p8OnlG8.png