TUAW's Daily App: Tap Disc

I have to say, I'm a little more interested lately in longer and more developed experiences for the iOS devices, which is one reason why I loved Game Dev Story so much. But there is still some space in my app diet for quick, pick-up-and-play experiences, and Tap Disc is one of those. Actually, "pick-up-and-play" might not be the right phrase to use -- there is a lengthy tutorial with the game, and lots of things are happening. But at its core, Tap Disc is a pretty straightforward action game, and it's clean and satisfying enough to be well worth the buck it's selling for on the App Store right now.

The basic gameplay has you following a series of discs around the iPhone's screen, and you tap the screen to create matching orbs for them to touch. Touch to create an orb, then line it up so the bouncing disc touches it at the right time. The twist is that the discs are all different colors, and the orbs you create change colors over time. For example, a white disc simply has to hit a white orb, which is the color it is when it's first created. But a red disc can only hit an orb after it's turned red -- about a half second after you create it. You have to calculate the angles and time your orb placement just right in order to match colors and clear the discs.

It sounds complicated, but in practice, it's not. What you end up with is a fun mix of a timing and angle game that's pretty addictive. There is also a "preschool" mode for kids (much less complicated -- just tap the moving objects to clear them), and there are a number of different difficulties and powerups to contend with. OpenFeint integration extends replayability, and the team is even offering a monthly contest with cash prizes for the game's best players. Tap Disc is definitely worth checking out.

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Source: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/tap-disc/id375367799?mt=8

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iPhone iOS

I have to say, I'm a little more interested lately in longer and more developed experiences for the iOS devices, which is one reason why I...

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Stamatis Sarris

Some tips to master Tap Disc:

- Collect the discs asap. Don't leave 'em on the screen unless you have some combo plan.
You stand no chance if there are more than 4-5 discs on the screen. So be fast.

- Have you noticed that every time you collect a disc, a new one appears immediately but when you don't collect a disc, it passes some time for the next disc to get served? Get advantage of this.

- Lets say you have 2 white discs on the screen. Don't collect them one by one.
Try to collect them both simultaneously to get extra points. Just wait for a while. (not for beginners)

- Try to manage the combos as you wish. There is always a chance for a combo. If you get a white, you fire up the "3 color combo" (white > orange > red). If you break it though and collect a red you fire up the "3 reds in a row combo" (red > red > red). Or if you start with an orange, you go for the "3 orange in a row" combo. There are always indicators top right that shows which combo is activated.

- And always when you manage to collect 5 in a row... ...there you are, there is a random bonus coming.

- When you make ten in a row... You immobilize the hostile disc for 15 seconds. ) There are indicators that let you know how many discs you collect in a row (top left).

- Donâ€™t want the bonus because it disturbs you from your mission ?
BREAK THE COMBO after the 4th disc in a row just by touching anywhere on the screen without collecting a disc.
And get back to them when you are ready to control them.

- Please don't use your thumbs to play Use your forefinger and react fast. Play easy mode. And try steps 14-15 of the exhaustive tutorial to practice with speeds and color changing rhythms. The game is deep and you donâ€™t realize it with a first look.

- The white disc is 10p, the orange 15p, the red 20p.

- And now the big secret. If you manage to reach the last stage... the bonus ride begins. Get ready for great scores from that point and after.
Dig and find the GOLDEN TREASURE of the game to make very high scores.

- Every time a friendly (any colour) disc hits the collector it gets protected / shielded (we have an animated effect for this for 2 secs or so.
But you have a penalty of 5 points loss.) Thatâ€™s why the new players sometimes make scores like -40 or so So it is more than obvious that when you want to protect a disc from colliding, YOU JUST TOUCH IT !!!

You can discover methods when you get familiar enough to deflect the hostile (radioactive) disc without even losing your combos.

Friendly
Stamatis - Legal Radiation team