Curious about reception to the game

[Spydurmn]

This may not be something Obsidian will answer, and I can understand that.  But maybe someone else can give me some input (based on maybe amount of downloads on Android or Apple Store, and comparatively speaking?), how has the reception to this game been so far?  I know it is early.  I haven't seen any marketing.  Maybe someone else has?  I am hoping the game has blown up, and it has overwhelmed Obsidian.  I don't play a ton of phone/tablet games (tabletop/console/PC gamer mainly), so have nothing to compare it to.  The answer, if any is given, will not sway my playing of this game either way, as I am hooked.  Was more just curious how long can I expect to be hooked.  Hoping for this to go all the way through Shackles, Wrath, Mummy and beyond.

[Hannibal_PJV]

Not official, but

 

google store:

- loaded 50000

- evaluated 1700

- score 3,7

 

Apple store

Too few to have any information

 

People Are complaining a lot of very poor tutorial, very poor explanation what to do, very badly done program, bugs etc. So very rough Beginning to the game.

 

People bash games very easily in these days, and internet hate is norm. But all in all the big problem is that game is still at what could be considered beta. It even don't have all adventures for some months not counting how long it will take to iron out all the bugs for the upcoming adventures. So I Expect that that game rates Are not gonna be Great for long time.

The game is Great and I like it a lot, but it would have been better reseived with at least 6-10 months of extra work. So expected release day for pathfinder as it was ment to be near christmast 2016.

 

How, how, how ;-)

 

But it is hard to develop games exspecially for mobile platforms so long time because it requires time and money, so it is easy to see why the game is out even at this moment and not at the end of this year.

I hope that rough Beginning does not prevent the further development of this game. There Are Many other similar things in game development. For example Fallout 4 that was so buggy that you was forsed to reinstall the game and start From the Beginning From time to time and so on. Or those horrible batman games lately.

Obsidian has done good job at making this game better and have killed bugs at very good rates, but this game really needs better tutorial because it is so complex. How to make a deck, how to make multi check combat with monster with Many heroes, how to explore again after Collapsed ceiling etc. They Are coming, but people Are quite impatient these days.

I really Also hope to see other big boxes and seasons to this game. I have played a lot so far. But I have good experience From the tabletop version so I know how this is suposed to work. To totally new, this game can be real Mess to figure out. So next big update really needs an expanded tutorial part, just for the new players.

Edited June 9, 2016 by Hannibal_PJV

[Spydurmn]

Exactly what i was looking for.  Thank you, sir.  Maybe as they iron out the kinks, they can then hit a real marketing campaign.  We will be the "beta" to help get this in line.  I imagine most who are playing anyway, are those who play the tabletop, know how complex this game is, and may be a bit more understanding.  I agree with you in hoping the initial roughness to the game doesn't put off so many that development just stops.

[teasel]

i randomly found this game through the suggested games on the google market since i play a lot of other board game/rpg related stuff otherwise i wouldn't have ever heard about it which is a shame because it's a great package especialy as F2P

[Borissimo]

I have to confess that I'm a little worried about how this game is doing. The partnership between Obsidian and Paizo was announced in August 2014, so by the time the game is finished (I agree with Hannibal that it is not, strictly speaking, at the moment complete), it will have been in development for over 2 years. That's a long time to pay developers' salaries if the game isn't a big seller.

 

I wonder if putting out the game for mobile first is part of a long-term strategy. Perhaps Obsidian used the mobile platform as a kind of proving ground for the game, so that when it comes out on Steam -- to an audience that is not only much bigger but also much more interested in this type of game than is its mobile counterpart  -- it will be a lot more polished and successful than it would have been had it been released for Steam to start. At the end of the day, poor sales and reviews on mobile won't matter if this game is a smash hit on Steam in 2017. Popping up on Steam's front page with a "very positive" tag for user reviews could utterly make this game and pave the way for all of the base sets.

 

One piece of feedback that I hope Obsidian heeds is the widespread desire for a better tutorial. I was very honored to have my rules explanation video stickied in the general forum, but not everyone wants to watch 42 minutes of rules explanation before starting a game. I think that a comprehensive, interactive game manual is essential for this game to not immediately put off players who aren't pre-existing experts of the game.

[teasel]

i thought the tutorial was fine

[Hannibal_PJV]

It is not bad, it just does not cower so Many aspect in this game that people think Are bugs, but Are instead features and UI related unexplained things. So tutorial, good, just make it, more complete!

[Brainwave]

I think they made a mistake in releasing it when they did. Sure, I wanted to be able to play the game just like everyone else, but it was very buggy on release and really for the first couple of weeks it was out. Multiple easily reproducible bugs involving key components like Seelah's base power, cards that roll to increase difficulty before combat (the Justicar guy from deck 1 or 2 is one example) not adding that increased difficulty to the right roll, and combat dice converting strangely to d4s are just a few that immediately come to mind. The initial known issues list was quite long. Not to mention that quest mode was quite literally broken between release and the first patch.

 

That stuff is getting fixed and I don't think bugs are the biggest issue anymore but that happening when a game first comes out can turn off a lot of people. Say what you want about bugs being normal with a new game, but there's a certain playability level that's expected.

 

Then the tutorial, I completely agree, needs work. Just from the amount of basic questions I was answering on the forums at first, I could tell that for non card game players especially, a lot more is needed.

 

Also I agree with the person who mentioned that he randomly found this on google market. I knew vaguely that this game was in the works but had no idea it was actually coming out until a friend mentioned it in passing. There are probably people who would be interested who don't even know it exists.

 

But yeah it's a concern. This isn't my ideal adaptation of the Pathfinder card game but I hope it is successful for them.

[dbt]

I've played the board game version of this through 3 complete adventure paths and thoroughly enjoyed it. I was an early advocate for this digital version and bought the season pass on day one. The things Obsidian got right are amazing and the potential is enormous.

 

Unfortunately, the game just has far too many fundamental bugs both as an app (crashes, etc.) and even more with all the game mechanics problems.

 

The game's complexity seems to have exceeded the ability of the development team and although bugs are getting fixed, new ones are coming in with each expansion. They need a quality stand down to hammer the bugs before worrying about new content. I don't mean this to insult the devs, but something is broken with the production system, QA or number of resources assigned to the project.

 

I've stopped playing it for now as it is just too frustrating to spend 20 minutes on a scenario just to have it break on you. I'll try it when the next patch comes out but if it's still buggy I'll probably uninstall it and wait for 6 months to see if they can clean it up. Had a friend with whom I played the card game ask me about it last week and I had to tell her to skip it for now.

[Hastur]

I've been playing the game a lot. At least, as much as I can. I've played two groups through the 3rd pack. It has a lot of bugs. Through some of which the player can easily work if he just something simple as going to the vault. Others, like closing the general store in the 3rd scenario of the third pack, seem to close down the game. In some ways, it's a complete mess and there isn't any defending it.

 

On the other hand, I've played the hell out of this game. I threw down the cost of the bundle literally on the first day. I'm pleased as hell and enjoying the electronic version greatly. While I've still been going through the card game with my real life group, the fact that I can conveniently play the app when at where it's convenient for me is great. I do hope they fix the bugs, but I'm pleased as punch about what I've had so far.

 

In fact, the only reason I'm here right now is to do a search to see what folks are doing with their gold. I've got almost 20k right now and I don't see anything other than dropping it for the chests. ...But, having spent for the bundle, I'm not sure if I already have everything. I'm happy with what I have and I'm potentially happier with what I can get for my gold stash. If there's anything other than that, it's all cake.

[Kamikazi]

In fact, the only reason I'm here right now is to do a search to see what folks are doing with their gold. I've got almost 20k right now and I don't see anything other than dropping it for the chests. ...But, having spent for the bundle, I'm not sure if I already have everything. I'm happy with what I have and I'm potentially happier with what I can get for my gold stash. If there's anything other than that, it's all cake.

Save it for when Deck 4 is released. Not all cards in the gallery are actually there now. Unless you are unhappy with your current vault. I'm at 20K as well and that is my plan, to wait for the next content release. My gaming isn't really hampered by not having Deck 6 Legendary cards.

[Hastur]

 

In fact, the only reason I'm here right now is to do a search to see what folks are doing with their gold. I've got almost 20k right now and I don't see anything other than dropping it for the chests. ...But, having spent for the bundle, I'm not sure if I already have everything. I'm happy with what I have and I'm potentially happier with what I can get for my gold stash. If there's anything other than that, it's all cake.

Save it for when Deck 4 is released. Not all cards in the gallery are actually there now. Unless you are unhappy with your current vault. I'm at 20K as well and that is my plan, to wait for the next content release. My gaming isn't really hampered by not having Deck 6 Legendary cards.

 

Many thanks. I'll do that!

[Borissimo]

The devs have teased several times that new and interesting things are still to come (like dice skins), which is another reason not to spend your gold on chests (at least not all of it). I'm holding onto mine in case the dice skins and whatnot are purchaseable with gold. And even if they're not, I wouldn't buy chests until we get confirmation from Obsidian that all of the treasure cards (especially the legendary ones) have been implemented.

 

Given that it would currently take literally thousands of chests to get every card, I wouldn't be surprised if Obsidian tweaked the drop percents at some point too. Another good reason to wait.

[Hannibal_PJV]

If I am not wrong, They will add new cards to treasure 2020... There is not any reason them to stop produsing new treasure card to spesific day. So there will always be something new tomorrow. So it is like waiting that better gpu, next year there will be something new in anyway.

[yaemon]

Well, in general this is a niche game, so don't expect it to make the Apple store top chart.

Most reviews I've read online have been positive, that is how I found it. I agree it will need more polishing and content (better quest mode, more adventures etc). For now, I am very happy with it and I hope they have a solid bottom line

It might become more popular after it is available for PC

[Longshot11]

The devs have teased several times that new and interesting things are still to come (like dice skins), which is another reason not to spend your gold on chests (at least not all of it). I'm holding onto mine in case the dice skins and whatnot are purchaseable with gold.

Unless I misheard on a Twitch interview with Nathan  - dice skins will be one of the possible Chest drops. So, congratulations, now we'll have even less of a chance at new treasure cards.

[Hastur]

I've been pretty happy with the cards I have. I think it's funny that one of my favorite cards is charm person which does one of two things. First, it allowed me to nab tons of great allies and spread them out to the party all while doing the second thing which has remained a bonus the whole time which is almost always allowing Ezren an additional exploration. The reason I bring up that card is that I got it early in my six party group and haven't come across it with my four party group. ...And my four party group is the one I kind of, deep down, consider my 'real' party. Having new cool cards is fun, but there are great cards I've as yet not managed to nab for both groups

 

Moreover, while the prospect of getting different cards is cool, I also worry about what the new cards will do. How careful are they in crafting the new cards to work well and not break the essential card game that I already enjoy immensely?

 

As far as the gold goes, Hannibal makes a good point. Don't want to wait for the next great thing because there's always going to be some next great thing around the corner. I still think I'll take Kamikazi's advice and wait for the 4th deck. That's not too far out and I can evaluate what's for offer then. In the meantime, the game is still surprisingly fresh considering how much I've played it.

[wakasm]

IMO, the only way for this to compete and grow would be:

• If they upped the frequency of content
• If they had a Steam Release of the game
• Fixed the bugs, and/or had a smoother release

I love the Pathfinder Card game and even I am bored with the app for the most part, and have just decided to just wait for everything to be released.  When I want to play games, I generally want to play all of the game.  

 

That said, Pathfinder The Card Game is a Niche of a Niche...so the size of the user base that woudl instantly be attracted to this game is already small   It has a weird intersection of Board Game and RPG Fans, but each then only a small portion of their respective smaller markets.   They could have earned a lot of NEW users from the video game and cgc market by having a more fine-tuned experience, explaining more of the board game adaption, and with less bugs.  The bugs single handedly are killing their userbase IMO.

 

 A Steam release is even more critical than a phone release as well... because Steam has a userbase that is much more focused on this Niche than the app store.  While there are more phones in the world, Steam is comprised of only gamers, and because this is a deeper experience than a lot of the quick to play games it competes with on the app store... its a great target market for them to grow.  It's a shame they pushed this so far off.   Look at something like Sentinels of the Multiverse and their multi-device support and their polish.  

 

However, the biggest thing I think that will hurt Obsidian's success with Pathfinder The Card Game is not having the full game as part of the app from the beginning AND/OR a tighter release schedule.  Pathfinder has a lot of unique things, and Role Cards/Power Feats are the most addictive/attractive part of the game.  It's generally the people who play to Adventure Path 4 that "love" the game because they start to see how the role card specializations work and the app doesn't even point this stuff out to you, and does a horrible job at even explaining that this is a thing to come.   If not the full game, they should have had Adventure Paths 1,2,3 and quickly released 4 right after the launch.  

 

A full adventure path really is needed to get the full experience... and Obsidian really just assumed that everyone would understand the game, because of the board game market, and that alienates every single user who may have never even heard of Pathfinder.  it then also can frustrate some of us who really know the game and just wanted a digital implementation to play the game.  

 

IMO, the release schedule should have been:

• 2 weeks at the max per Adventure
• Every other 2 weeks a new character class, or even just 1 character from the class packs!
• Every month, some new treasure cards
• Every month some new quest mode or custom content scenarios (if they decide to do these).

Currently with Rise of the Runelords, Skulls and Shackles, and Wrath of the Righteous - that's 2 weeks x 18 Adventures - almost a year worth of content... which could easily be delayed to a longer time period if they mixed in the 37 class characters and some unique app-only custom content or custom scenarios.  Plus, the 4th Adventure Path is on it's way for even more content that, even at a 2 weeks, would expand way over a year which any game would be proud to have that long of an active user base.  

 

Only with this kind of fast release pattern could they hope to corner more users, and without it, I don't think it will grow beyond what it is unfortunately.  Hopefully, those of us who supported it with cash will make it worthwhile enough for them to continue all the way to the later Adventure Paths, but I assume they have not made a lot of money on this game so far.  

 

I also think focusing on Multiplayer is/was misguided.  The majority of users here will mostly play solo, and sure, multiplayer is a nice to have, but if it's eating into content/bug updates... it should be last on the feature release list.  

 

I understand that there are probably not a lot of staff of people making the game... but... really... this should have been the plan before launch.  Even waiting 6 more months for release to make sure all of the above was possible would have gotten them more money in the long run.  At least, that's my opinion!

 

Only time will tell.  I gave them my money, and will continue to do so, because it's either this, or nothing!

Edited June 12, 2016 by wakasm