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Is there more to the app than a sudoku rehash, a Rush Hour rehash, Sokoban, and a sliding tile game? I mean, those are all reasonably nice puzzles and should b

Is there more to the app than a sudoku rehash, a Rush Hour rehash, Sokoban, and a sliding tile game? I mean, those are all reasonably nice puzzles and should be easily worth a $1 download just as is, but that seems like a crazy amount of activity for slight variations to common puzzles wrapped up in some pretty gloss.

deleted 15y ago
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timdorr 15y ago
There's also the prize of a free game at the end that I won't ever play and don't even particularly like. But that gives it a perceived value of the retail cost of that game.
flyosity 15y ago
As an iPhone developer (well, mainly designer, but I also write Cocoa) I can tell you that thinking it's "some pretty gloss" is a big mistake. It's not "gloss" it's incredible over-execution and it's what separates a regular app from a blockbuster app. This is especially true in games. The audio design, impeccable visual design and extreme planning of every single user interaction is what takes an app to the top. By dismissing immaculate execution and over a year's worth of work from some of the top game & visual designers in the iPhone industry as "some pretty gloss" you're completely missing why it (and almost every other Tap Tap Tap app) has went #1.
- jamie_ca 15y ago
  Yeah, I understand that the visuals are what gets the masses to jump on it - especially since that's basically all you have to base your opinion on in the app store. That they went almost 2/3 of the development time before plugging the games in is also an indication that they know exactly where they need to focus to make it such a hit. I think a few years of desktop linux experience combined with a love of ugly-but-fun 8- and 16-bit console games has just left me in the habit of looking beyond the shiny to identify the crunchy gameplay lurking underneath.
smackfu 15y ago
Yeah, they got my purchase, but the actual game lost my interest after about a day. Given that, a $1 game only really has to hold my interest for a day so I'm not that miffed. But the $1 games that I play for weeks are the ones that I really love, unlike this one.

deleted 15y ago

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timdorr 15y ago

There's also the prize of a free game at the end that I won't ever play and don't even particularly like. But that gives it a perceived value of the retail cost of that game.

flyosity 15y ago

As an iPhone developer (well, mainly designer, but I also write Cocoa) I can tell you that thinking it's "some pretty gloss" is a big mistake. It's not "gloss" it's incredible over-execution and it's what separates a regular app from a blockbuster app. This is especially true in games. The audio design, impeccable visual design and extreme planning of every single user interaction is what takes an app to the top. By dismissing immaculate execution and over a year's worth of work from some of the top game & visual designers in the iPhone industry as "some pretty gloss" you're completely missing why it (and almost every other Tap Tap Tap app) has went #1.

jamie_ca 15y ago
Yeah, I understand that the visuals are what gets the masses to jump on it - especially since that's basically all you have to base your opinion on in the app store. That they went almost 2/3 of the development time before plugging the games in is also an indication that they know exactly where they need to focus to make it such a hit. I think a few years of desktop linux experience combined with a love of ugly-but-fun 8- and 16-bit console games has just left me in the habit of looking beyond the shiny to identify the crunchy gameplay lurking underneath.

smackfu 15y ago

Yeah, they got my purchase, but the actual game lost my interest after about a day. Given that, a $1 game only really has to hold my interest for a day so I'm not that miffed. But the $1 games that I play for weeks are the ones that I really love, unlike this one.