Slitherine

pipfromslitherine wrote:Guys, we have answered this in considerable detail. The idea that rewriting major chunks of the game, because Apple have stripped out support in the OS, is 'support' three years later is absurd. The game got many free updates, additions, and fixes after release. Almost no other games allow cross platform play, or the downloading of mods. But yes, please question our integrity.

Frankly this kind of abuse certainly does nothing to make us want to keep making iOS games.

Cheers

Pip

I too face this dilemma but totally understand the situation. All I can do is raise one voice among many and ask that you do keep making these great iOS strategy games. They are in a class of their own. In the meantime as long as the battery doesn't fail I can keep my iPad Air with iOS 10.3.3 on it for the games I own from you guys which are a lot. Don't be put off by some negative comments. Surely gaming on the go has to be the future? It seems our mindset just isn't quite there yet.

Why not give it a shot - you already have taken our money and the bulk of purchased games no longer function. Do you understand how your explanation for not giving discounts alienates further purchases?

Having read this thread and how it went I ask myself, what is wrong?
The tablet market is fickle and subject to changes and all of the 3 big systems (Android/Apple/Win) are designed not to be compatible as each company wants to tie the customer to itself. Furthermore, by agreeing to the terms of usage and updating you automatically accept that certain things might/will not work anymore. Which is a dilemma your OS provider puts upon the customer, not a third party selling software for a platform. A game produced earns a company cash and at a certain point it will become uneconomical to support a game anymore as the funds spent for upholding the infrastructure for support outweighs the income from the game. To avoid going broke one needs to sell and develop newer products. This point is reached after what time? One year after release? Two? If the game is kept alive with the sales of expansions and DLC then more. But if not, then wave support goodbye.
That said, what I really do not understand, is why one should feel entitled to get discounts or free games on the base that something on the platform the game is on has changed?!
Imagine people owning an old car in the time when they banned lead in fuel. Did they get discounts for new cars from car companies just because gas stations did not sell the stuff anymore? What about people having bought a betamax video recorder? Did they get discount on VHS just because they made a wrong choice - or were just unlucky that the other system sold that good? SEGA consoles, anyone? Never heared about having games for Sony/Nintendo at a discount after buying a SEGA console.
This is not about 'alienation' of the customer. This is about the customer having made a bad choice when it comes to gaming platforms and not accepting it (Desktop PC works fine since...whatizzit: 20 years? Biggest issue in my book was the jump from WinXP to more and more smartphonish-style OS. Tablets and smartphones are hyped to the max and people buy them without thinking some steps ahead and their standards change like what: every half or full year or the release of a technical novelty like having no ports for headphones or unreachable power packs?) or at least not accepting that a game cannot be supported for unlimited time. No software company can see into the future and code for standards of future 2-3 years. I guess I did not make friends with these statements made here but otherwise reading this thread here gave me a bad taste in my mouth. I feel with iOS users - this is sad and I feel sorry for them, but also I feel for Slitherine as some things are just not in their hands. I guess it would be much simpler for them as well if everyone would stick to a common standard like desktop PC. Nope, now they must make people happy owning a smartphone instead, apple users, tablet users..luckily not consoles yet. Each of those devices means more work at coding, more issues with different companies and a fractured customer base meaning to spend more money to have the same earnings - which is neither beneficial to users nor company.

Thanks for your understanding Doc & PCKid - we really appreciate it.

To Iain, Pip and all the other Slitherine people who’ve had so much **** thrown at them for about a year

I took a few months off BA and BA2 on my iPad recently - decided to give most casual gaming a break. And because I’d played BA and BA2 every which way multi times and realised I’d probably ‘ been there' enough. And because I knew this was coming and I guess I’d didn’t want to try to open a BA game to realise it wouldn’t work. I didn’t want to look that feeling in the eye.

Today I thought I’d check the forum to see if there were any future plans for BA on iPad. But what I found didn’t surprise me, sadly. I guess I knew it was coming.

So I just want to say thank you for making a game that stole so many hours from me, in the kitchen at work, in the loo, on the train .. I can’t remember a game since Civ 2 that I’ve so wanted to live in.

BA particularly has given me so much joy, hours and hours of it. Days of it, when you add it up. Possibly weeks.

People are angry I guess because they’re upset over losing something so precious. It’s hard as a maker to find that grief in the anger - but that’s what it is. When all the anger flows away, it’s loss that remains.

I get why you can’t make these games again. And I’m so sad that BA2 didn’t sell out like BA did. What a shame, for us all.

I’m going to take a few minutes to let the loss of BA in my spare moments sink in after posting this. But I just wanted everyone at Slitherine know how much I valued these games, how much I loved playing them.

I paid you money, but what you really got from me was a big loving thanks for making me an awesome thing. You can’t bank that, but money can’t give you that glow inside that being a maker who touches people can.

Walk with pride.

So long Battle Academy on iPad. I’m really, really going to miss you.

https://www.amazon.com/Apple-iPad-Mini- ... ished+ipad


Or .... pop out meager 150 bucks and enjoy the BAs, Commander The Great War , P & S for years to come

Sort of like a classic car kept in the garage ....

I got one on the corner of my desk (wifi disabled) that sits there waiting for me to scratch the Slitherine iPAD war gaming itch.

I have heaps of you iOS amusements and in the event that you could furnish you with an answer I as far as concerns me won't not require any issue that needs to do with Steam. it is a miserable situation however there are substantial arguements for both Slitherine and Apple. I have come to just acknowledge the absence of amusements as it happens and is a reality of presence with pc computer games. i've a cabinet brimming with Window computer games on DVD, CDs, and floppies that neglect to works of art. Hell I in any case have vintage DOS plates and the ones for windows 3.zero. I assume we as a whole need to return into any PC purchase (comprehensive of equipment) with the possibility that one day it'll be unusable with more current gear or working frameworks.

zakblood wrote:have passed on the information for admin eyes, as i can't answer for them

Can you give a coupon to purchase a new game off of the App Store?

P.S., a turkey dinner for thanksgiving would be nice too!

not my call tbh,

and im more of a chicken man myself

Interesting announcement:


https://www.pockettactics.com/articles/ ... your-phone


Won't be good for play while traveling - but if you have your Android tablet or iPAD connected to your wireless home router - this could allow for Steam based games, like BA2, Commander the Great War and P & S to be played on mobile devices. (good for couch play etc)


I'll be watching this closely.

Slitherine support was speedy and great about getting my issue resolved, thanks guys!

pipfromslitherine wrote: ↑Thu Sep 21, 2017 2:55 pm Guys, we have answered this in considerable detail. The idea that rewriting major chunks of the game, because Apple have stripped out support in the OS, is 'support' three years later is absurd. The game got many free updates, additions, and fixes after release. Almost no other games allow cross platform play, or the downloading of mods. But yes, please question our integrity.

Frankly this kind of abuse certainly does nothing to make us want to keep making iOS games.

Cheers

Pip

I’m just getting to this thread now, but I really wanted to reply to this point. I’ve been very vocal in the past about wanting more iOS support from Slitherine. However, I also do not feel that I am entitled to you guys spending limited resources to update a game that was only rendered obsolete because Apple has become the epitome of an evil, money grubbing corporation.*. IMHO, this is Apple’s fault, not Slitherine’s. That said, it pains me to see the drop off of iOS support from where it was. This got me to thinking about an alternative:

I would love to see games like Battle Academy and many others updated to 64-bit. Since this is costly, why not run some sort of fundraiser? I would gladly contribute and I suspect others would as well. It would be well worth it to have access to these games again. Worst case scenario is that you don’t make your goal and do nothing; best case scenario is you get to update these games for very little, or maybe nothing, and hopefully pick up some more sales on top of that.

Whatever happens, I enjoy your games and while I hate Apple, I am stuck with their abominable hardware for now, so I’d love to have your games to play.


—————
*- I have a hard time believing that it was necessary to scrub 32-but support this early. Is would have been far easier and more equitable to simply cease allowing new 32-bit programs to be added to the store and keep the code that allowed 32-bit functionality for a few more years. This way they’d have pushed developers onto 64-bit without basically destroying millions of dollars of their customers’ purchases.

Alternatively, they could have provided an app to allow access to an older version of iOS in order to run all the older programs. This may have been resource intensive, but iPads have more resources than ever to handle the burden in at least some circumstances. Regardless, Apple has the money to accommodate their user base.... they just chose to throw us all under the bus.

best75 wrote: ↑Mon Sep 25, 2017 3:48 am I think something should be done because if nothing is done than I will have to reconsider buying any iOS games from slitherine in the future and many other people likely will too.

If we are all being fair, shouldn’t we all be reconsidering whether to pay for iOS games in general? It seems to me that Apple made this mess and they should be the main target of our ire. The problem is that they are so big that it will be difficult. Still, I am considering a move to android for the first time ever. Apple used to be a good, solid company.... but it has been years since that was true.

DonCzirr wrote: ↑Tue Mar 27, 2018 4:04 am https://www.amazon.com/Apple-iPad-Mini- ... ished+ipad


Or .... pop out meager 150 bucks and enjoy the BAs, Commander The Great War , P & S for years to come

Sort of like a classic car kept in the garage ....

I got one on the corner of my desk (wifi disabled) that sits there waiting for me to scratch the Slitherine iPAD war gaming itch.

Can you still download from the store with those older iPads? IOW, if I bought one and logged in would I be able to get all my games again? I ask because my iPad 2 died last night and I am now officially going through withdrawal. At least I could turn to my old iPad before to get my fix, but now all I have is a crappy newer iPad and none of my Slitherine games. I am jonesing folks....

Looking at my 2017 iPAD that is running IOS 10.3 and the corresponding version of the AppStore, most Slitherine apps are still available for download. And they work fine for me aside from the occasional Apple propaganda at app start telling me it needs to be upgraded. I also have an ipAD 4 refurbished, running IOS 9.3 where they are running fine as well.

Version 9.3 IOS is even better if you can find it - as some apps broke with 10.3. (i.e. Shadowrun DragonFall, Space Hulk etc)

If however, you are a couch gamer and just want it mostly for gaming comfortably around the house, I recommend getting a decent Android tablet and play your war games via Steam Link - the games I mention above can all be played that way.

In addition, I am also playing Strategic Command series, Decisive Campaigns Case Blue, my John Tiller Panzer Campaigns and Napoleonic titles the same way. (i.e. you can play a lot of non-Steam games this way too)

DonCzirr wrote: ↑Fri Feb 08, 2019 3:36 am Looking at my 2017 iPAD that is running IOS 10.3 and the corresponding version of the AppStore, most Slitherine apps are still available for download. And they work fine for me aside from the occasional Apple propaganda at app start telling me it needs to be upgraded. I also have an ipAD 4 refurbished, running IOS 9.3 where they are running fine as well.

Version 9.3 IOS is even better if you can find it - as some apps broke with 10.3. (i.e. Shadowrun DragonFall, Space Hulk etc)

If however, you are a couch gamer and just want it mostly for gaming comfortably around the house, I recommend getting a decent Android tablet and play your war games via Steam Link - the games I mention above can all be played that way.

In addition, I am also playing Strategic Command series, Decisive Campaigns Case Blue, my John Tiller Panzer Campaigns and Napoleonic titles the same way. (i.e. you can play a lot of non-Steam games this way too)

That’s great information, thanks very much. Out of curiosity, how do you manage to keep your iPad from auto-updating from 9.3 to 10.3? In the past I have fought this, but inevitably I forget to hit ‘later’ or someone’s else using my iPad inevitably hits update to proceed, etc.

I’m a long time gamer (well over thirty years now) and play anywhere I can. So while I do most of my gaming at home, it is nice to be able to play out and about. I will definitely consider the Android option. It sucks having to change over but, as I mentioned earlier, I don’t have any love for Apple any longer. They’ve become a really miserable company.

Btw, you wrote “my” John Tiller games. Do you make those games?

EDIT: btw, I don’t know if anyone at Slitherine has noticed my suggestion, but I think it is at least worthy of discussion. Why not try a kickstarter or go fund me or some such to do conversions to 64-bit. I would gladly contribute to see these games available again.

Actually, I would LOVE to see the update for Pike and Shot on iPad...... don’t make me beg. It won’t be pretty.

Nope - I don't make 'em - just play them

JTS games :

http://www.johntillersoftware.com/

On my 9.3 iPAD, I just shut off my Wi-Fi and only play those older legacy games on it - so really no need to enable.

And yes I hear you - I went kicking and screaming from IOS to Android as my early Android experiences were horrible.

Pick up the Samsung 10.1 Tab A with S Pen however that is now up to Android 8.1 and you'll see that they have come a long way in the last few years.