Super Tower Rush [March 13th-16th]

[mgnade]

Once upon a time, there was a tower every knight and lady who had a wish visited. Racing another aspirant was the only way for their own wish to come true. The fastest one at descending the Tower would be the winner.

Super Tower Rush intends to bring old values back, such as shared gaming experience face to face, although this version includes almost all single player modes and will soon include a system to play online with the community too.

Get all updates for life by purchasing it now!

Anyone else having trouble connecting to the server to make an account? Was having trouble last night, thought maybe they were just really busy or something, but even now I can't connect. Makes me sad.

This is the 2nd game I regret buying at IGS. This is an alpha? There is no story mode. You cant play single player because there isnt any decent content. If IGS wants to act like a kickstarter or indigogo, then say so. I expect IGS to play through the game. STOP PUTTING ALPHA GAMES THAT HAVE NO CONTENT.

Telling that we will get all updates is of no use when there is no game. 'Wyv and Keep' was the other ALPHA that was broken as hell. We were told the same thing about updates. There has been no updates for it on IGS. Get your shit straight IGS and review and reject games that do not have enough content and quality by the date they intend to go on sale on IGS.

-An angry but dedicated IGS buyer.

I'm having some fun with the single player arcade mode for now, had a few neck and neck races but usually the comp will get stuck somewhere... Multiplayer should be great though, if I could get on the server to make an account. I'm thinking once this game is done it will be amazing and you'll be glad you own it, same goes for Wyv and Keep, another game I really like.

[canj]

drunkenapekills wrote:

This is the 2nd game I regret buying at IGS. This is an alpha? There is no story mode. You cant play single player because there isnt any decent content. If IGS wants to act like a kickstarter or indigogo, then say so. I expect IGS to play through the game. STOP PUTTING ALPHA GAMES THAT HAVE NO CONTENT.

Telling that we will get all updates is of no use when there is no game. 'Wyv and Keep' was the other ALPHA that was broken as hell. We were told the same thing about updates. There has been no updates for it on IGS. Get your shit straight IGS and review and reject games that do not have enough content and quality by the date they intend to go on sale on IGS.

-An angry but dedicated IGS buyer.

We are sorry that you are upset with the game selection. We feature a different game every four days, that you do NOT have to purchase. We provide a platform for the developers to showcase their games, not rejecting them. In the video and the description, it tells you the features available in the game.

We are trying to build a platform for indie games - this is why we have the game wallet. STR is available on Desura for $4.99, you can buy it here for $1, and add it to your collection. When it is updated, you will have the full version. It is a DISCOUNT on the game that is already available.

As for why you are so angry, I am not sure. If you are unsure of a game, you have the ability to buy it for only $0.25

I personally am happy that you are expressing your opinion as we do want the feedback, it doesn't make us happy that you are unsatisfied with your purchase.

I think that you are misunderstanding one of the core elements that makes IGS so great -

The developers for this game need the support - and we decided to give them that. We stand behind them 100%

If you ever have anything you would like to share privately, you can either msg me or email me at : matt@indiegamestand.com

Again, we are listening - we are just as passionate about indie gaming as well.

[mgnade]

I just wanted to pop in and add a couple things

1. If you are ever so unsatisfied that you want a refund for your purchase, you can open a support ticket And we can work with you.

2. Lorena and Andre busted their butts to finish the new version for igs and include single player. Story mode and online multiplayer are in the works and when it all comes together this will be a fantastic game. The game is super fun locally. I will email Lorena so that she can stop in and provide more feedback on the development. I know that the new userbase and feedback they gather from this sale will definitely help improve tower rush.

3. We listen to our community and you guys helped us find this game by suggesting it to us. We really appreciate all the suggestions you buys make for the games you want to see on igs.

drunkenapekills wrote:

This is the 2nd game I regret buying at IGS. This is an alpha? There is no story mode. You cant play single player because there isnt any decent content. If IGS wants to act like a kickstarter or indigogo, then say so. I expect IGS to play through the game. STOP PUTTING ALPHA GAMES THAT HAVE NO CONTENT.

Telling that we will get all updates is of no use when there is no game. 'Wyv and Keep' was the other ALPHA that was broken as hell. We were told the same thing about updates. There has been no updates for it on IGS. Get your shit straight IGS and review and reject games that do not have enough content and quality by the date they intend to go on sale on IGS.

Marketing your game while it's still in beta, or even alpha stages is essential in this industry, where the market is so flooded with thousands of games and developers. If you're not attempting to generate interest in your game before it's 100% complete, there's no way you'll do very well in sales.

Marketing in-dev builds of your game is a great way to get direct feedback from gamers as well, and for a small independent studio, this is an extremely affordable version of playtesting.

If you don't want to pay for unfinished games, that's fine, but if you can't be bothered to read up on the game before you buy, that's not our fault.

Thanks for the reply canj. I will ignore all the bold, italicized and enlarged text since I can read just fine. Point is whether for $0.25 or for $60, if you are showcasing a game it should have content. Otherwise call that particular sale a kickstarter or fundraiser or something. If you mention humble bundle as an inspiration learn that if it features untested games it calls it out or it is for charity.

"that you do NOT have to purchase" - hmmm so you dont want to put the effort to sell games most people would like to buy? I am well aware I have the choice to buy. I am also aware that my believe in IGS presenting good games is being tested recently.

"although this version includes almost all single player modes and will soon include a system to play online with the community too." from the current description of STR. ALL SINGLEPLAYER modes - is the story mode there? Any mention that it is not available. We scream at letting War Z pass and you wanna dodge the bullet by saying " In the video and the description, it tells you the features available in the game. " and "The developers for this game need the support - and we decided to give them that. We stand behind them 100%".

Furthermore, it is now obvious looking at XBLA, Steam Greenlight and kickstarter that there are many indie developer with shoddy, bad or generic games (so many platformers on IGS). Just because one is indie developer does not mean the developer automatically is qualified to be supported. With an aim of pushing around 100 indie developers every year you may be doing a disservice to the game industry. I would prefer quality indie games and developers whose products are already on steam or desura since long and are not getting attention. For example my favorite game on IGS till date - "Weird Worlds".

If you compare yourself to a lemonade stand and I were to say that the lemonade I got was sour and made from rotten lemons, dont tell me that 'we support the lemon farmers'. All I want you to do is next time pick better lemons.

I think I am clear about what I had to say - like the site, like effort put in bringing new features, disappointed by the review process. I am not saying STR is bad or the developer doesnt need to be supported. Support them when they present enough content, turn them down till they don't.

Edit: Thanks for mentioning "Lorena and Andre busted their butts to finish the new version for igs and include single player." I appreciate their effort. However, (a) if they were not ready why agree to feature them. (b) I can see they rushed through it because presently when I press spacebar, I see a debug popup with '0' popup. (c) I understand that the devs decide/pick the 4 days they want to be on sale. If they were not ready- bug testing and all, they should not have put up the game for sale, alpha or not.

I have to agree that Igs sometimes release not so great games as indie developers not necessary good ones too, but they never hided fact that this game is alpha. BUT IGS still not that big and powerfull as humble bundle to dictate that games they will accept and that no (but I pretty sure that they still reject some).
About alpha updates - this differ from game to game, in example Towns still spawn updates pretty often.
And as already mentioned, there is always last option - get refund, its normal practice, I suppoce.

You know, it's one thing to not be interested in a particular game, there have been a few I haven't been, but to say they are shoddy, bad, generic, and all this other nonsense is another. I don't think there's been one game featured on this site that fits that description yet.

I haven't got around to play this one yet, but I bought it because I like the idea of the game and wanted to get in on it early.

While the homepage does say its in Alpha, some people don't understand alpha or believe that if something is up for sale than it should be feature complete. Maybe have a note on the description of the game, saying something along the lines of "Note: This game is currently in alpha stage, which means it is not feature complete, and there will be buggy elements."

@Soli, kindly read "shoddy, bad, generic" in the context it was meant. I only mentioned generic platformers for IGS. Rest of the comment was for the recent indie scene in general.

'Wyv and Keep' and 'Kill Fun Yeah' were indeed sub par in terms of execution and content.

I am a professional software engineer. I am well aware of what an Alpha build is. But unfortunately the video game world has forgotten it. Let me quote it from Wikipedia - "Moving to black box testing inside the organization is known as alpha release"(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Software_r ... life_cycle). Alpha builds are not supposed to be released to public because they are not worthy of being presented.

Lets look at it from the video game development angle - (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_game_development)
"Alpha is the stage when key gameplay functionality is implemented, and assets are partially finished. A game in alpha is feature complete, that is, game is playable and contains all the major features. These features may be further revised based on testing and feedback. Additional small, new features may be added, similarly planned, but unimplemented features may be dropped.[139] Programmers focus mainly on finishing the codebase, rather than implementing additions. Alpha occurs eight to ten months before code release."

Hmmmm, so alpha is an untested, feature complete build not meant for public. Interestingly alphas are available for free on kickstarter and greenlight etc.

'Wyv and Keep' and 'Kill Fun Yeah' were indeed sub par in terms of execution and content.

Umm, no. Wyv and Keep is a lot of fun, I love me a good puzzle platformer. Kill Fun Yeah, I didn't purchase it so I honestly can't speak on it's behalf, but I did have a lot of fun with Wyv and Keep, not sure where you get off calling that sub-par. First and foremost it has good puzzles, it also has a silly story, and humor. I never got a chance to test the online multiplayer but the fact that it's even there is great. All that and technically it's still in beta, .907 to be exact, so it's close to done, but not quite.

Out of the context- why the hell do ppl again started to make pixelated/sh!tty graphic games?

I can always run Nintendo or Amiga emulator if i want pixels and poor graphic- is it really needed to make new games looking like this? Isn`t this actually making the possible customers go away? Am i the only one against this?

Personally, I've found Super Tower Rush super fun. It's simple, the hot seat mode is very addictive. Music is very good. I think it will be a great game when completed.
Thanks!!!

pysiu wrote:

Out of the context- why the hell do ppl again started to make pixelated/sh!tty graphic games?

I can always run Nintendo or Amiga emulator if i want pixels and poor graphic- is it really needed to make new games looking like this? Isn`t this actually making the possible customers go away? Am i the only one against this?

There is a few reason I believe, the no doubt lovely Super Rush people can say why they chose the art style they did.

Reason 1. Its not about fidelity, its about gesture and expression. Much like the impressionism/realism argument back in the late 19th century in art. Designers use pixel graphics as broad strokes to accentuate the emotion and movement, and add wonder, where games like Skyrim need the realism afforded by high fidelity to bring the immersion to the game.

Reason 2. It alludes to a glory day of when games were straight forward and fun.

Reason 3. Its quick, easy and there is no need for anything more, the added graphics would take away from the development time/budget and would not give enough in return to make the investment worth it.

Having played this now and Pixelry, the art style suits the gameplay, it fits. They could do some lovely sprite stuff that would fit too, but thats a lot of work if you don't have a very talented sprite artist.

[PlayerReview]

I am an IGS fanboy and I buy everything they have because i trust their judgement and not only want to support the developers, but the concept of IndieGameStand. I'm also glad to see OSE as the selected charity again.

That said, I really really enjoy having more objective consumers than myself. If there weren't community members that were critical, it would really make the comments less interesting to me. I hope that everyone always feels the right to criticize/compliment with a good argument, I think that drunkenapekills is backing up his opinion sufficiently and I really enjoy his posts in the forum. Anyway, I hope that the forum is never dominated by fanboys like myself.

I disagree, but I value drunkenapekills' opinion. Sometimes it is just really easy to go into defensive mode when the model is attacked.

pysiu wrote:

I can always run Nintendo or Amiga emulator if i want pixels and poor graphic- is it really needed to make new games looking like this? Isn`t this actually making the possible customers go away? Am i the only one against this?

I have to agree with this argument, mainly directed to the Indie game industry at large. I usually think of myself in the minority since retro still seems to be "in". I am hopeful that we move forward with graphics in the indie industry. I would love to see some nice custom graphics engines, but I really enjoy Unity and some others. Cognition and McDROID were beautiful. I did enjoy Bridge It's graphics quite a bit as well. I think Pixelry is fantastic and the pixelated graphics are necessary for the mechanics.

So, gameplay will always trump graphics for me; But, I would really like to see graphics evolve instead of devolve.

Edit: BTW, there have been a lot of features here with great "evolved" graphics, I just mentioned some recent ones.

Kiril wrote:

Much like the impressionism/realism argument back in the late 19th century in art. Designers use pixel graphics as broad strokes to accentuate the emotion and movement, and add wonder, where games like Skyrim need the realism afforded by high fidelity to bring the immersion to the game.

I really like this comparison. It actually forced me to evaluate my opinion. I used to only enjoy classical paintings that were made to be photo-realistic, then I picked up the hobby of oil painting. Once I was involved in the process I fell in love with impressionism, which used to make me vomit. So, maybe if I got into game design I would have more appreciation for the [retro] art style. Thanks for the great comments!

drunkenapekills wrote:

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Software_r ... life_cycle). Alpha builds are not supposed to be released to public because they are not worthy of being presented.

Lets look at it from the video game development angle - (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_game_development)
"Alpha is the stage when key gameplay functionality is implemented, and assets are partially finished. A game in alpha is feature complete, that is, game is playable and contains all the major features. These features may be further revised based on testing and feedback. Additional small, new features may be added, similarly planned, but unimplemented features may be dropped.[139] Programmers focus mainly on finishing the codebase, rather than implementing additions. Alpha occurs eight to ten months before code release."

Hmmmm, so alpha is an untested, feature complete build not meant for public. Interestingly alphas are available for free on kickstarter and greenlight etc.

I personally enjoy the alpha access to the games i select to buy (but i do this after careful consideration ).
Often it allows me to influence a game a little, little bit which in itself is great for me. I can understand this might become a big problem from a Developer point of view though.

Kiril wrote:

Having played this now and Pixelry, the art style suits the gameplay, it fits. They could do some lovely sprite stuff that would fit too, but thats a lot of work if you don't have a very talented sprite artist.

Thx for the reasoning, to be honest i didn't feel the graphic in Pixelry to be subpar, i liked it as well. But that game is something new to me, personally i haven't played anything similar in my whole gaming experience.
Yet myriad (i`m not writing about Super Tower Rush in particular) of platformers/runners/etc were released already that's why i feel as i do
Anyways, thx again

PlayerReview wrote:

[...]
I have to agree with this argument, mainly directed to the Indie game industry at large. I usually think of myself in the minority since retro still seems to be "in". I am hopeful that we move forward with graphics in the indie industry. I would love to see some nice custom graphics engines, but I really enjoy Unity and some others. Cognition and McDROID were beautiful. I did enjoy Bridge It's graphics quite a bit as well. I think Pixelry is fantastic and the pixelated graphics are necessary for the mechanics.

So, gameplay will always trump graphics for me; But, I would really like to see graphics evolve instead of devolve.

Exactly what i ment

I like to think that i`m also not placing the graphics over the gameplay in general, but i feel it is too often used. It was fun the first few times for me or if it is used in some creative way.

Once again thank you for your insight. This is why i love this forum.

Wyv and Keep - online play state



I did enjoy the single player mode - it had spunk but online mode was an embarrassment. Defend it all you want but I am yet to see an update from this developer on Desura either.

People bought War Z, loved alpha access to it, had fun with friends in it, defended it to death but reality is that the game is still shit, business practices are dodgy and overall has lowered game developer standards. So always think about that game when you defend broken or half implemented games - alpha access or not.

pysiu wrote:

Out of the context- why the hell do ppl again started to make pixelated/sh!tty graphic games?

I can always run Nintendo or Amiga emulator if i want pixels and poor graphic- is it really needed to make new games looking like this? Isn`t this actually making the possible customers go away? Am i the only one against this?

Well, 1st, pixelates is not always "bad" graph at all. In example, i playing Anodyne right now, its have GBC level graph and it feel perfectly OK (at least due great OST).
Personally i do like games with beautiful picture, Trine in example, but its all depends on setting and style of game, pixelated is not always bad.
BUT, there is other side of coin too. Why there is so much of them, you say? Its easier to draw, and lesser system req.s. Esecially this situation is seen on that XNA based RPGs. there 95% of them pixelated so much, so its gettin annoying (there is some Android RPGs with better grath!).