http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/10/22/midnight-stars-innovative-touch-gameplay-revealed

Meh...To leave Halo or Disney for THIS???

Well you nor I have played it yet. I'm at least curious.

As far as people I don't know go, he's high on my list for what he did at Bungie.

It's a mobile game.

That's all I need to know.

It's a mobile game.

That's all I need to know.

Your mom's a mobile game.... I'm sorry I don't know where that came from.

If any of you are looking for a cool mobile game for android check out Star Command. I got it in a humble bundle recently, so I may be able to share it should any of you want it.

Yeah, we get it. You don't like mobile games. Some people do. They've set out to make a kick-ass mobile game. Looks intriguing to me.

Yeah, we get it. You don't like mobile games. Some people do. They've set out to make a kick-ass mobile game. Looks intriguing to me.

Ditto, especially with John Scalzi signed on as writer/consultant. I'm hoping this will be the game that makes mobile shooters fun to play. :)

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http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/10/22/midnight-stars-innovative-touch-gameplay-revealed

Meh...To leave Halo or Disney for THIS???

Well, if they ever do an Android version I'll probably give it a shot. I honestly don't play a lot of phone games, but you never know, it could be good.

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I did a play-test with them a couple weeks ago and had a blast! And I'm about as skeptical of mobile FPS games as they come.

Yeah, we get it. You don't like mobile games. Some people do. They've set out to make a kick-ass mobile game. Looks intriguing to me.

No he is right. The game sucks. I don't even have to play it.

Explained here:

http://destiny.bungie.org/forum/index.php?id=12789

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I'm not impressed with the gameplay. The story will probably be good, but I loath rail shooters.

You do have a talent for disgusting metaphors. People mocked the idea of a console FPS, too.

This is a rail shooter. It has zero potential to do anything worthwhile...this is like those shooters you see at the arcades, only on a smaller touch screen.

Games like Halo, Bioshock, The Last of Us etc. are remarkable story driven experiences. Angry Bird chasers will never be able to achieve that level of immersion or story telling. IMO they are cheap cop outs in order to make a quick buck. This is a game that you play when you are bored on a bus or in between class. Something that you pick up and put down without any real care.
This is like Michaelangelo leaving the Sistine Chapel to paint caricatures at Six Flags.

What other gross metaphors have I made? I've forgotten.

No he is right. The game sucks. I don't even have to play it.

Thanks for the contribution with your informed views. We don't have enough copies of those exact three sentences across the breadth of horrible comments sections out there already.

Explained here:

http://destiny.bungie.org/forum/index.php?id=12789

Huh? This must just be an automated Cody Miller bot or something...

This is a rail shooter. It has zero potential to do anything worthwhile...this is like those shooters you see at the arcades, only on a smaller touch screen.

Well, somewhat, but hey it's probably best to stick with simplifications and generalizations if you haven't tried something, right?

Games like Halo, Bioshock, The Last of Us etc. are remarkable story driven experiences. Angry Bird chasers will never be able to achieve that level of immersion or story telling. IMO they are cheap cop outs in order to make a quick buck.

And some thought stories were the domain of RPGs before Half Life and Halo and others started to spotlight the FPS's unique contributions...

This is a game that you play when you are bored on a bus or in between class. Something that you pick up and put down without any real care.

Sounds like a book. I've heard a few of those were good.

Yeah, we get it. You don't like mobile games. Some people do. They've set out to make a kick-ass mobile game. Looks intriguing to me.

No he is right. The game sucks. I don't even have to play it.

I don't usually do this, I think I even admonished someone for doing similar things in the past, but this was too good to pass up. :)

No he is right. The game sucks. I don't even have to play it.

Thanks for the contribution with your informed views. We don't have enough copies of those exact three sentences across the breadth of horrible comments sections out there already.

Yes, because this sounds so cool:

"Each weapon can only be taken into battle a set number of times before it needs to recharge in real time. At that point you can either take a break, spend some dough, or take a different loadout into battle."

The only reason this is even being discussed is because of his name. On its own merits, it's utter trash.

"Each weapon can only be taken into battle a set number of times before it needs to recharge in real time. At that point you can either take a break, spend some dough, or take a different loadout into battle."

That doesn't sound very cool, but it's rare that I like every fraction of a game.

The only reason this is even being discussed is because of his name. On its own merits, it's utter trash.

I'm discussing it because I thought the story and visuals look cool. Yes, there is a name attached to it who has made some games I've loved. I still play hail to the chimp with friends every once in a while. That helps. But the main reason I'm discussing it is because I find comments trashing things they haven't tried to be really absurd and annoying. So for every one of those cynical, generalizing comments I see, I feel the need to balance the equation. So:

Game could be great. I haven't tried it.

What other gross metaphors have I made? I've forgotten.

I'm probably remembering your penchant for expressing excitement for [whatever] as a sexual function. Unfortunately, you're typical of your age group in that--dagnabit! Now you've got me wound up to full old man mode. :(

Game could be great. I haven't tried it.

Ditto.

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So for every one of those cynical, generalizing comments I see,

Please don't lump me in with those. I at least provided analysis as to why the game is ill conceived, so I'm not just being negative for the sake of it. There are real, poor decisions at play here when it comes to the game design, which I thought I pointed out. I'm basing it off that, not generalizing.

Thanks.

Is that this is a situation of how the mighty have fallen.

Could you imagine a situation where Cliffy B's next game is mobile? Or Jason Jones'? or Jade Raymond?

IMO iPad/Mobile games are a waste of time. They are games that offer little to no immersion, they are the equivalent to DS shovelware. They are done purely as a way of making a quick buck. I have yet to see a mobile game break this mold.

I very much doubt they will. There will soon come a time when iPads/Surface's are able to play fully functional AAA releases (Or indies titles) with a controller. Essentially just turning your iPad into a very small tv. Only then will gaming on a mobile device be a device capable of delivering anything close to what we get at home.

Seropian has proven he can create good games, good studios, run them effectively and with integrity (The recall fiasco) why waste such talents on mobile?

Is that this is a situation of how the mighty have fallen.

Could you imagine a situation where Cliffy B's next game is mobile? Or Jason Jones'? or Jade Raymond?

IMO iPad/Mobile games are a waste of time. They are games that offer little to no immersion, they are the equivalent to DS shovelware. They are done purely as a way of making a quick buck. I have yet to see a mobile game break this mold.

I very much doubt they will. There will soon come a time when iPads/Surface's are able to play fully functional AAA releases (Or indies titles) with a controller. Essentially just turning your iPad into a very small tv. Only then will gaming on a mobile device be a device capable of delivering anything close to what we get at home.

Seropian has proven he can create good games, good studios, run them effectively and with integrity (The recall fiasco) why waste such talents on mobile?

Perhaps because he is interested and sees potential in the mobile platform that you don't see. He was attracted to the platform. I watched their videos a while back, and the story is that Seropian found himself playing mobile games exclusively because of his schedule and lifestyle. He explicitly stated he wants shake up the mobile gaming landscape with this game. And do you really think that a guy like Seropian needs the money? That he is involved might be a clue that this is motivated by passion, not greed.

I find you and Cody both to be close-minded. You're welcome to think it would not be your cup of tea, but to dismiss any interest in it as misplaced is arrogant. I have my own skepticism, but I'm intrigued, and extremely heartened to read Roland's comment above, especially considering he's actually played it.

Is that this is a situation of how the mighty have fallen.

Could you imagine a situation where Cliffy B's next game is mobile? Or Jason Jones'? or Jade Raymond?

IMO iPad/Mobile games are a waste of time. They are games that offer little to no immersion, they are the equivalent to DS shovelware. They are done purely as a way of making a quick buck. I have yet to see a mobile game break this mold.

I very much doubt they will. There will soon come a time when iPads/Surface's are able to play fully functional AAA releases (Or indies titles) with a controller. Essentially just turning your iPad into a very small tv. Only then will gaming on a mobile device be a device capable of delivering anything close to what we get at home.

Seropian has proven he can create good games, good studios, run them effectively and with integrity (The recall fiasco) why waste such talents on mobile?

And yet I love iOS games like Battleheart, Sword & Sworcery, Aquaria (a PC first title that is very playable on the iPad), Waking Mars, and most recently Device 6 which was a pretty darn immersive, very cleverly written interactive story. I'll agree that your average $2.99 iOS game won't equal a AAA console or PC game, but as with everything you can't write off the entire mobile gaming/ touch screen platform and retain a serious / informed argument.

Is that this is a situation of how the mighty have fallen.

Could you imagine a situation where Cliffy B's next game is mobile? Or Jason Jones'? or Jade Raymond?

IMO iPad/Mobile games are a waste of time. They are games that offer little to no immersion, they are the equivalent to DS shovelware. They are done purely as a way of making a quick buck. I have yet to see a mobile game break this mold.

I very much doubt they will. There will soon come a time when iPads/Surface's are able to play fully functional AAA releases (Or indies titles) with a controller. Essentially just turning your iPad into a very small tv. Only then will gaming on a mobile device be a device capable of delivering anything close to what we get at home.

Seropian has proven he can create good games, good studios, run them effectively and with integrity (The recall fiasco) why waste such talents on mobile?

I have gathered your point. I'm just saying I find it very presumptuous, especially because we're talking about a game neither of us has played.

I don't like seeing new things not given a chance and being beaten down with such harsh, judgmental words as 'trash', 'waste', etc., just because someone has grouped them in with previous experiences due to some resemblance or shared terminology. Even the best games share something in common with the worst.

And condemning an entire platform is just absurd.

I think there are interesting things to be done in mobile game design. Do a lot of games use it for a quick buck? Possibly/probably. But then I've also played a few that are not like that at all, as well as worked on/for a few, where that was definitely not the intent.

Yeah, it appears that there are some micro-transactions in this game, which I'm usually not a fan of, but the campaign is also free. So it's not that the model is inherently any more greedy than any other published game on any other platform; it's just different. The key is not letting the greed/model affect your gameplay, and I don't think every mobile game allows that to happen, just because it's 'mobile'.

I have many fond memories playing the original Game Boy, and, while the percentages might be different, I've played many PC/console games that seemed created for a quick buck. So I don't think its the platform that is the deciding factor for greed nor a limiting factor for fun, it's the execution.

Honestly, I think most movies, books, and well, everything tend to be created for greed and end up not very good. But I still give things a chance to find new and unique experiences that are fun, moving, and were created with sincerity. I won't let popular trends color my view of the potentiality of a platform.

I was not lumping game boys/DS/Vita into this. Strictly touch control based iPad/iPhone games.... I will wait and see however I as of now am not impressed. I am disappointed that someone who has proven himself the way he has would lower his sights.

I was not lumping game boys/DS/Vita into this. Strictly touch control based iPad/iPhone games.... I will wait and see however I as of now am not impressed. I am disappointed that someone who has proven himself the way he has would lower his sights.

You know, there are plenty of games out there for iOS and Android that are decent. Off the top of my head, I'm thinking of the growing list of good adventure games exclusive on those platforms, such as Lost Echo and Curse of the Shadow House.

The problem is that many folks just don't know what types of games are good on a touch screen, nor how to design them.

I don't think FPS games work on a tablet. I really don't. I think any game which requires a.) rapid reaction times and b.) being able to see what you're doing at all times is going to suffer when it has to rely on a gesture-based interface where you obscure the view with your own hand.

That said, tablets are fantastic devices for all manner of other games. Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater.

That[i/] said, I do think this game looks lame. I find myself agreeing with Cody, even if:

[quote]The game sucks. I don't even have to play it.[/quote]

…made me chuckle.

"Each weapon can only be taken into battle a set number of times before it needs to recharge in real time. At that point you can either take a break, spend some dough, or take a different loadout into battle."

That doesn't sound very cool, but it's rare that I like every fraction of a game.

It's not just a small part of the game though; shooting in a shooting game is the most fundamental mechanic. If I were to speculate, this sounds like a transparent attempt at creating artificial scarcity in a game as a means to leeching IAP credit out of the player.

IMO iPad/Mobile games are a waste of time. They are games that offer little to no immersion, they are the equivalent to DS shovelware. They are done purely as a way of making a quick buck. I have yet to see a mobile game break this mold.

It sounds to me like you don't play a lot of mobile or tablet games.

The problem is that many folks just don't know what types of games are good on a touch screen, nor how to design them.

Partially this, but also thanks to a culture of entitlement being spurred on by VC-funded apps, the wind got taken out of the sails of mobile app / game developers just as it got started. I paid £10 for my very first iPhone game in 2008 (Super Monkey Ball) and considered it a bargain compared to the £40 it would have cost for a console, but within a very short space of time perceptions rapidly shifted such that this was considered egregiously expensive. Now a lot of players won't even pay $2 for a game, and so developers have had to come up with new ways of making the game profitable. Mostly this comes in the form of gameplay mechanics designed around consumables bought with In-App Purchase, and a ‘free’ base game (Clash of Clans, Candy Crush Saga etc.)

These games are successful and popular in spite of having mechanics which I think a lot of people on this forum would take issue with, but it's against that kind of toxic ecosystem that other developers are struggling to make games that are fun and work. Take Plants vs Zombies 2 for example. Made by Popcap, but published by EA, so naturally the stereotypical EA-hating reddit reading hivemind already has it in for them, especially as it features IAP. In actual fact it's a great little game that makes no hard sell to encourage you to purchase the IAP content (I still haven't; you can unlock almost all of it through natural, patient progression). But by all accounts it's not done well for EA financially, and so I have to imagine the lesson learned will be they need to be pushing IAP far more heavily in future.

It's ever so slightly depressing.

"Each weapon can only be taken into battle a set number of times before it needs to recharge in real time. At that point you can either take a break, spend some dough, or take a different loadout into battle."

That doesn't sound very cool, but it's rare that I like every fraction of a game.

It's not just a small part of the game though; shooting in a shooting game is the most fundamental mechanic. If I were to speculate, this sounds like a transparent attempt at creating artificial scarcity in a game as a means to leeching IAP credit out of the player.

Exactly. The game is free to play.

This isn't some interesting mechanic that adds strategy or complexity to the game; this is something designed to suck so people will pay to skirt around it.

I do not understand this. If your game is only not annoying when paid for, why not just have everybody pay for it up front? That way everybody gets the best version of your game.

I do not understand this. If your game is only not annoying when paid for, why not just have everybody pay for it up front? That way everybody gets the best version of your game.

Because, and this is shitty, some people won't do it, but the ones that will, will do so to such a vastly large degree that it's more financially worthwhile to set things up this way.

That[i/] said …

God, I hate bbcode. Give me Markdown or give me death!

I still play hail to the chimp with friends every once in a while.

Good man.

—Matt

I still play hail to the chimp with friends every once in a while.

Good man.

—Matt

Yeah… well I play Stubbs through every Halloween! :-p

I still play hail to the chimp with friends every once in a while.

Good man.

—Matt

Yeah… well I play Stubbs through every Halloween! :-p

Definitely still listening to that soundtrack. The Earth Angel cover is even my girlfriend and I's 'song'.

Yeah… well I play Stubbs through every Halloween! :-p

That's a great idea! Thanks, Cody.