touch-arcade posts

Filed under: Gaming, Software, Hacks, Apple, Developer, iPhone, App Store

iPhone app claims 95% piracy rate

by Mike Schramm (RSS feed) on Oct 28th, 2009

With all of the success stories coming out of the App Store, it's been pretty easy to forget the problem of piracy for most developers. Not so for Fishlabs, who've posted over on the Touch Arcade forums that their latest game, Rally Master Pro 3D, is experiencing a 95% piracy rate. You read that right: supposedly 95% of the people playing the game on the iPhone haven't paid for it.

There's probably a multitude of reasons why that is -- the app is $7 with no trial version, it's not a super-popular app quite yet (so one pirated copy on a popular message board is probably traveling farther than the copies coming off of the official App Store), and there are probably at least a few other factors in the mix that we don't know yet. Still, 95% is obviously pretty darn high for a platform that's supposed to only deliver software through Apple's official store.

Now, fortunately Fishlabs doesn't sound litigious -- they're not pulling the old "piracy = lost sales" fallacy that many companies in this situation would do. They are lowering the price on the app -- they expected it to be worth more, but apparently their consumer base seems to disagree. They tell Mobile Entertainment that they'd entertain the idea of providing content only through Apple's in-app purchasing service (presumably, that would prevent piracy by locking down the extra content), but they also say that's a gamble they've tried and missed on other platforms before.

Of course, it'll take more than one post on one message board to make hay out of the problem of app piracy -- it definitely happens, but on the other hand, there certainly are apps selling well, and there are also apps not selling well that don't have this level of piracy going on. Apple already has lots of authentication and validation processes in place, but if app piracy is this big a problem for everyone, they may need to look at more.

Tags: app-store, app-store-piracy, forums, iphone, lost-sales, mobile-entertainment, piracy, rally-master-pro-3d, touch-arcade

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Gaming, Software, iPhone, App Store, iPod touch

Payback brings a GTA clone to the iPhone

by Mike Schramm (RSS feed) on Jan 29th, 2009

Grand Theft Auto isn't out for the iPhone, but Payback is --it's basically a 3D version of the old top-down GTA gameplay, improved with better rendering and lighting. You control the game by pressing "buttons" on the screen, and tilting the iPhone around, and Touch Arcade says it works well. Some missions are apparently tough, but in terms of what GTA is really about -- driving around and generally causing mayhem -- Payback will deliver.

Unfortunately, textures (both visual and audio) are rough, as are the actual physics, so it seems Payback is more of a "GTA could work on the iPhone" demo rather than an actual game (though of course you can play it, it probably just won't be as fun). Still, we're in favor of any game reaching high on the iPhone, and this one definitely does.

Payback is out in the App Store now, for a substantial $6.99. But it's worth it, especially if you're a big GTA fan, just to see such a complex game on Apple's little handheld. Video on the next page.

Continue reading “Payback brings a GTA clone to the iPhone”

Tags: app-store, apple, grand-theft-auto, handheld, iphone, ipod-touch, mayhem, payback, problems, touch-arcade

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Gaming, Software, iPhone, App Store

Ng:moco's Young aims to create an early EA for the iPhone

by Mike Schramm (RSS feed) on Nov 3rd, 2008

Touch Arcade has an interview up with Neil Young. Just like you, I was only slightly disappointed to learn that it was the Neil Young formerly of EA who recently formed ng:moco, quickly becoming one of the most high-profile iPhone game houses, not that other one. But only slightly, because also like many of you, I'm looking forward to Rolando and the "over a dozen" other games ng:moco is releasing on the App Store, and I'm interested to see what ng:moco has to say for themselves about the little iPhone game empire they're building.

Unfortunately, TA didn't get a price or a strict release date out of Young for Rolando, but he does say that the game's shaping up well -- he even says creator Simon Oliver "could be the first Miyamoto of the iPhone," which, even if an exaggeration, is an interesting idea. They also discuss the plan behind ng:moco, a company which, like EA in the earlier days of PC gaming, aims to bring together publishers, designers, and promotion and sales all under one big roof. And the volatile issue of iPhone App pricing comes up, but I agree that the big balance on price always seems to be quality -- looking at a system like the Xbox 360's marketplace, you can justify almost any price for a game, as long as the user has an experience that feels worth what they paid.

And finally, they hit on the iPhone's competitors, and it sounds like Young thinks Android phones have a ways to go -- the difference is not in the hardware (touchscreen, size, and so on), but it's in the usability and interface, and in those arenas, Young says, Apple still has the edge. Very nice interview with a company that seems destined to play a big part in the iPhone gaming market.

Tags: app-store, games, gaming, interview, iphone, neil-young, ngmoco, rolando, topple, touch-arcade

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Gaming, Software, iPhone

Line Rider coming to iPhone

by Mike Schramm (RSS feed) on Sep 3rd, 2008

I thought Line Rider kind of "jumped" the shark (so to speak) when they sold out to McDonald's, but apparently the little sandbox physics game is still kicking around. InXile, the company that makes it, is working on a version for the iPhone. There was a version available for jailbreakers, but apparently the company put the kibosh on it when they found out.

Not much else to say about this -- Line Rider is currently available for free online, and if you like it there, you'll probably like it on the iPhone, too. Personally, it's more fun to watch than to play -- whenever I try to make a run, my little guy always dies on the first curve. But maybe with a little more iPhone-based practice, I can finally get him to do that loop-de-loop I've been wanting.

[via Touch Arcade]

Tags: games, gaming, inxile, iphone, jailbreak, line-rider, touch-arcade

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Gaming, Hardware, Apple, iPhone, App Store, SDK

Belkin JoyPod plans sneak out (now confirmed false)

by Mike Schramm (RSS feed) on Sep 1st, 2008

Update: Belkin reps have contacted us to say that the JoyPod, while a fascinating idea, is not a product they have in development. Oh well!

I guessed that we'd see a more official iPhone controller sooner or later, but I didn't think it'd be this much sooner -- Touch Arcade has unearthed this photo of a Belkin-branded game controller/case for the iPhone and iPod touch called the JoyPod. Looks pretty slick, though as Engadget points out, the ratios don't really work out -- odds are that the final product will have to be a little longer to fit the iPhone in there.

Very interesting, though -- now I'm curious to see if Apple really will support stuff like this. Supporting a third-party controller would seem to go against His Jobsness' suggestion that a multitouch screen could be used for anything (even typing on an awkward non-tactile keyboard), but clearly there's a demand, from consumers if not from devs themselves, to move game controls off the screen and onto buttons you can feel while pressing. How else will you be able to "exprimir al maximo tu iPhone o iPod touch"?

Tags: belkin, buttons, design, gaming, iphone, ipod-touch, joypad, multitouch, touch-arcade

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Gaming, Hardware, Developer, iPhone

Control pads for gaming on the iPhone

by Mike Schramm (RSS feed) on Aug 27th, 2008

Ever since games first started running on the iPhone, the issue of controls has always been at hand (so to speak). While the multi-touch screen allows for some very flexible control schemes, it doesn't provide any tactile feedback, and so more delicate controls like a directional pad or buttons aren't always doable (not to mention that they often take up valuable screen space).

Enter the iControlPad, a device that wraps itself around your iPhone and provides some tactile controls to software (we posted about it back in May, but we're closer to seeing an actual release than ever). Touch Arcade's got more on how it works, and pictures of another rumored device (though no manufacturer is mentioned). Button presses are delivered via the serial port, and jailbroken apps already support the pad, with full code and SDK support to come.

Pretty interesting -- iControlPad wants to sell theirs for less than $30, and of course if the idea takes off, they'll have some competition (maybe even from Apple?). The iPhone is already a great gaming device -- would a button-based peripheral make it even better?

Tags: control, icontrolpad, iphone, multitouch, touch-arcade

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Gaming, Multimedia, iTunes

Touch Arcade interviews maker of iPhone Chopper

by Mike Schramm (RSS feed) on Jun 5th, 2008

Touch Arcade has a nice interview up with David Frampton, author of both the Mac game Chopper and its upcoming port to the iPhone. Apparently the game is feature complete and now in testing, so hopefully it'll be one of the first apps up on the App Store when it arrives, supposedly sometime this month.

The game will use the iPhone's accelerometer to control the little helicopter, and Frampton says it's both a blessing and a curse, in that it makes things more fun to control, but the iPhone also has to be held at a certain angle to center it out (they're planning to get around this by adding a way to calibrate it for different playing situations). He also talks about how the iPhone's OpenGL ES version works, and says that, despite our worries about battery life, the iPhone is able to churn out a pretty consistent FPS as well as keeping battery usage fairly low. To be fair, Chopper is probably on the low end of graphics potential, but we'll take any good news we can get here.

The game is still on track for a release in late June, and while even Frampton doesn't have details to share about the App Store's launch day, Apple's past support of this title means that if any third party games make it into the App Store, this one will definitely be there as early as possible.

Tags: app-store, chopper, david-frampton, design, games, interview, iphone, joystiq, majic-jungle, opengl-es, touch-arcade

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