In-app purchases ("Free" to Play") broke Dungeon Keeper

[Gryzor]

Really funny video. Loved the original game...



Nerd³ 101 - Dungeon Keeper (Mobile) - YouTube

[Devilmarkus]

What the f....?

I loved the original game, too!!!
Got the GOG release (DK-II) and patched it with the original game CD to German

[mr_lou]

hehe.... something that has puzzled me for a looong time.

It was the same thing with ad-funded games on the JavaME platform. Gamers didn't want to pay any kind of one-time amount for a game, but they didn't mind having an ad displayed before the game started - despite the fact that the download of these ads usually cost more in the long run than the price of the game. Oh well, developers didn't care of course. They made money.

When Android came along, everyone knew that adware was what gamers wanted, so there's a ton of that on Google Play now. Everything is splattered with ads everywhere, and it has become extremely annoying. It was working fine back on the JavaME platform. Now it's just a mess. No wonder that gamers install ad-blockers - and then complain if the game isn't working because it detects the ad-blockers.

The adware idea is ruined now because of this, and in-app purchase is how developers makes money. But like the adware idea, in-app purchase is also being ruined now.

All "free" stuff on Google Play has been worthless for a long time to me.
How hard can it be to add new categories like "Adware" and "Microtransactionware"... or maybe "Ridiculously splattered with ads" and "Actual price 500 quid!"
The Android platform really desperately needs to make all actual freeware stuff appear in searches.

[Gryzor]

Haha good points there


I always block ads on my rooted devices, never had a game "not working" because it detected it could not download ads.


I can understand the concept of IAPs, but the way they're implemented it just doesn't make any sense. So, and because there are no "full", paid-for versions, I end up downloading modded apks to play till I get bored.


Games with a "light" and "full" version, though - if I play enough of the free version it means it's worth buying the full version, and I've bought many.


Seriously, 70 quid for gems just enough to dig 200 squares? A tiny space in the game? Yeah, fuck you very much, let me google for a modded apk...

[Sykobee (Briggsy)]

It's the price of these in-app-purchases that shocks me, or the lack of stuff you get for the price. The development cost of these games initially is not high, not like a PC game these days, and the market is massive so sales of a quality product at a reasonable price (£4.99 or less) should still result in a massive profit for the developers.


A PS4 game is £60, costs tens of millions to make, and the market is currently only a few million users. A mobile game does not cost that much, £1m would shock me even for a high-end mobile game, £200k is more likely. The market is billions (iOS and Android together), or hundreds of millions at worst.  But as long as other games are being sold as "FREE", with in-app-conning, there will be pressure to do the same.  Google Play should separate the Free games from the In-App-Purchase game sections IMO. Even better, a max limit is put on in-app-purchase fees, so a player knows that once they have paid £10, the game becomes fully unlocked (this is similar to the old shareware mechanism, get a demo, like it, pay for the rest of the content).



I blame Farmville myself, that had in-app purchases from an early date.

[Gryzor]

I completely agree... it's really a scam when they say "Free" but you absoltutely need to pay in order to progress in it. I wouldn't mind IAPs for extras, like making it easier, buying outfits or extra features and whatnot. But this, Free it ain't.

[Devilmarkus]

Really good review:
Review: Dungeon Keeper (iOS) | Superlevel

[Gryzor]

hahahahaha