Keeping interest in the game

[Pediatron]

I'm posting this because I have had a really positive experience with the pathfinder game for ios. I believe I am in the target demographic (casual gamer that only played it on the ipad - not rebuying the game I already had, can easily afford it and its subsequent adventures). With that said, I immediately bought the whole game shortly after it came out, finished the story mode at legendary with my party of 6, have played some quest and have tried to play for gold for chests. I even bought the daily gold for a month which expires today. I was playing at least 2 or 3 times a day a single adventure (much more when I first started). My problem is that I am getting bored. It is becoming more of a chore to turn on the game to try to earn a bit of gold. There aren't any new items in level 3 and lower that are better than what I have. I am worried that I will start looking online to find something else and just move on and forget about this game. And I am guessing that there are a lot of people in my same position.

I write this because I want the game to succeed and I don't really want to leave it for something else. But I do think the developers need to be aware of the attention span of the average ipad gamer. I know they are doing their best to get bug-free material out, but I do wonder how many like me might just wander away before new stuff appears to keep us interested.

Just my 2 cents.

[Hannibal_PJV]

There is limit on how much any game can take replaying.

It may be much wiser to try different team combinations, differen size teams, different character builds than play several times with the same characters and same teams.

[RedPred]

"average ipad gamer" ... it's the first time I read about that... sound quite exclusive... I think I m too old to join your group mate ...

Just joking a little. In my opinion, it seems you are looking for "new game" experiences and you discovered this game based on a "rpg board game". In other words, this is a game for players that play together the same scenario for real! The "single campaign" is funny but not representative at all, because this isn't just a game to finish or to play alone, but a game to continue playing with friends, looking for good cards with a party of all new characters from the first adventure to the last one for weeks. Like playing a full soccer championship season with friends but more world wide web

 

Also the game is still in a kind of beta release so the content development is a sort of parallel objective among stability, efficiency, compatibility, multi-playing, ... The game is still young we could say. So I fear you will leave too soon to know its real expression and how funny that would be (also with a voip app in background... awesome!).

 

Think that I was looking for a game like this for years... and now simply I can't wait to join the multiplayer features with my nephew and all the guys I debate with in this forum ... but I have to wait months beyond AD4 for that..

[whoopdido]

It's a bummer. I followed the development of this game from the very beginning. Came here, posted, speculated, etc and dealt with all the delays. I bought the full game on day one and played it a bunc. Enjoyed it despite the hundreds and hundreds of bugs.

 

Unfortunately I've pretty much lost all interest in it at this point and haven't played it in weeks. Considering there are still countless bugs and I've finished what I can (can't get quest mode to work) there's just no reason for me to play it. It's more frustrating than fun at this point.

 

Probably what I should do is forget about it entirely for about 6 months and try again and see how it's doing. Hopefully by then the bugs will be fixed and more content will have been released.

 

I'm more looking forward to the next version of the physical game (Mummy's Mask) that comes out in November.

[wakasm]

You aren't alone OP.  

 

MOST people would want to play the game from Adventure B - Adventure 6.  Then decide which other characters to replay the game with, and/or if it is even worth doing so.  

 

SOME people might try different characters in different modes. 

 

SOME people might try different characters to see if they like them, and maybe switch if they find they don't like the gameplay. 

 

However, the notion that this game was designed from the ground up for constant repeated play on only a few Adventures/Scenarios is silly.  It wasn't.  It was designed for CHARACTER PROGRESSION, which the game lacks in it's current form, because they content doesn't go past Adventure Deck 3 currently. 

 

The most interesting parts of progression - better loot and role-cards/feats are all still locked away.  

 

The replay-ability comes when you can get to end-game progression, and realize there are other ways to play the game with classes/combos/items, etc.   Just because some people are OK with grinding and min-maxing in a half-baked game... doesn't mean the entire community enjoys this.  Far from it.  

 

 

 

 

Also the game is still in a kind of beta release

 

No, they released it and charged money for it.  This is just a flat-out lie. 

 

 

 

The game is still young we could say.

 

No, it's not.  In app-time, this game is past it's prime.  Look at Pokemon Go - 2 weeks old,80 million users, and there are already people claiming it's past it's prime, the devs messed up, tons of people downvoting the game and asking for refundsl.   

 

The only real difference is that this game's active userbase is much smaller and MOSTLY pretty patient and generous... but the chance of the Pathfinder App success will fade because of issues like this grows daily, which really is completely related to poor content roll-out planning.  The other thing this app has going for it is that board gamers are also pretty patient.  

 

However, it won't last forever.  

 

 

 

 Like playing a full soccer championship season with friends

 

You mean half of a soccer season, where you never find out who the champion is, right?

 

(which is the current issue most people who post and complain are touching upon).

Edited August 2, 2016 by wakasm

[PinkRose]

Well, the solution is obviously play once a month, like I did when the physical game game out.

Then you can come back to the game each month for more content. Just like Real Life.

Also, jam an icepick in your ear while you play so the pain of having to shuffle and sort cards feels real as well.

 

This game wasn't initially made with an iota of thought to digital release.

The fact that I can play more games in a day than I used to in a month is awesome.

 

I just can't stand the bad mouthing of a game and a company that have made this game far more accessible for those of us who love it.

And made it available for those who had never heard of it.

 

I am excited for the future, and can't wait to multiplay with friends all over the world as we attempt Skulls and Shackles with Steam on my TV through Chromecast.

In the mean time, I'll just run my all girl power party through Sandpoint again.

[RedPred]

 

 

Yes, they released and are selling a prototype version of the game with half adventures, no multiplayer, a lot of issues. And some people are buying a beta release with half adventures, no multiplayer and a lot of issues.

You can buy everything and pretend to be the perfect final product that it has never been. But you have seen it exactly how it was at that moment.

 

If you can't distinguish a prototype car from a final release, it is your fault.

If you expect development speed increases more than it has ever done, that's still your fault.

 

I have seen the product and I have seen fix/lifetime rate and I already said they will need 1 year at this speed to complete the product to a final revision.

 

But in meantime I have known the game and how the physical game works and I like it. Because I like the society rpg board game and this is the best I have found in a decade. Then I like the idea to play that game in a digital version with players all around the world as we still were around the table.

 

So? I haven't spent a single euro to play this game and I have already all unlocked with no annoying ads in less than a month. I m playing a great game still in prototype-kind-of-beta for free and I ll wait until the company complete the development or stop to develop it, just because it is the transposition of a physical great society game.

 

Your expectations or payments don't affect my vision of the game or the actual state of the product. You can hold position and see, or you can quit. Your choice.

Edited August 2, 2016 by RedPred

[wakasm]

It's a product, that was released, and they are charging money.  It's not a beta, a prototype, or a magical unicorn just because you want it to be.    It's a framework for a game, that is currently incomplete.  Will it be complete one day? Maybe.  Will it be bug free one day? Maybe.  Will it be too late for some one day? Maybe!

 

And for umpteenth time on this forum - I don't expect anything. Stop asserting that I've asserted that.  The devs can run the game however they want.  It's their game.  It's their risk, not mine.  

 

However, I don't have to like/agree with their sub-optimal roll-out plans for something that could be more successful. 

 

And once again... no one is "bad mouthing" anyone.  For some reason, especially on these forums, the only opinion people can have is a 100% positive one, which is just not true. The game is incomplete.  The devs have missed almost every deadline.  etc. etc. etc.   There is a whole slew of reasons to be disappointed at this point in time. 

 

Just because YOU, as an individual, are OK with an incomplete game doesn't mean ALL people are OK with an incomplete game. 

 

 

Well, the solution is obviously play once a month, like I did when the physical game game out.

Then you can come back to the game each month for more content. Just like Real Life.

 

This is not a solution for everyone.  It might work for you, but it doesn't for all.  

 

The whole point of the digital game is to consume it however you want.  Why should someone who just discovers the game, falls in love with it, be forced to wait a month and come back? That's not a solution long-term.  That is a stop-gap for what is missing.  

 

Most people don't even mind waiting... when a release schedule is consistent.  But when it's sparatic at best, with missing deadlines constantly...  ALL people should 100% just not give a care in the world about it?

 

Maybe stop asserting that the Devs are infallible and keep in mind that MOST people who complain WANT the game to be successful.  

Edited August 2, 2016 by wakasm

[RedPred]

I want the game to be successful exactly as you mate. I assure you that.

But think that hold programmers and managers on a free app has its cost anyway. And a company has to pay his employers every month. That's why they released the clearly incomplete application too early, that's why they are so slow in patching and fixing.

 

Other companies use pre-order concept where people can buy the application with some future benefits without play the game at all for a year.

Really better if it's released to public then, cause developers can have a huge feedback and issue reporting. And that what I m doing. I reported perhaps twenty issues with screenshots and description in a week to give as much information is possible to identify causes and define quickly solutions.

 

They closed the beta test too early. It's clear for all. That's why I continue to say this is still a beta version. And their scheduling was too much optimistic. Still clear for all. But you know how it will be the final version of the game because you know perfectly the physical game.. We all want it asap, but we can't change their business planning just because we love the game. This is still a free app with marginal income per month and no one works for free. That's why I think that our best shot is to support the game without completely quitting and reporting any useful information about issues.

 

We want the same thing, just through different ways.

[Hannibal_PJV]

Yep. This will be "beta" at least 5-6 month more. Just because They don't have time to fix old and test the new at the same time. So I think that is fair to say that this game is constantly at beta stage untill all ad's has been releases and after that bugfixed.

But the question of how to keep on interested in this game while waiting the new content was the original question and I still think that trying different variations is the only sensible way at this moment.

I personally just play something else instead while waiting new content and I have at least 100 games to play while waiting, so I don't have problems at all in that. Why would I want to burn myself by playing one game too much? It Sounds not fun at all. I constantly change From one game to another and come back to previous ones later, just because I like variety. And I come back to Pathfinders adventures more often than many others games says something about the merits of this game even at its current state. If you Are those, "I can not wait" type of fellows, it is wice to start this game in the next Christmast. The waiting new content will just to be too burden. If you play a couple of times here and then, you may start now. IMHO.

[kurtalb1]

I have played the game for well over 100 hours and am still enjoying it in Quest Mode (have maxed out three parties on Story Mode).  I always play on Legendary and NEVER forfeit a game due to Scenario and Wild Card settings.  I've selected six characters to play and randomly determine how many will be included in each scenario and then choose the party combinations.  I have also created a simple spreadsheet to keep statistics on my group (Wins/Losses vs. specific Villain, Wins/Losses with different party size, etc.).  

[kurtalb1]

Well, the solution is obviously play once a month, like I did when the physical game game out.

Then you can come back to the game each month for more content. Just like Real Life.

Also, jam an icepick in your ear while you play so the pain of having to shuffle and sort cards feels real as well.

 

This game wasn't initially made with an iota of thought to digital release.

The fact that I can play more games in a day than I used to in a month is awesome.

 

I just can't stand the bad mouthing of a game and a company that have made this game far more accessible for those of us who love it.

And made it available for those who had never heard of it.

 

I am excited for the future, and can't wait to multiplay with friends all over the world as we attempt Skulls and Shackles with Steam on my TV through Chromecast.

In the mean time, I'll just run my all girl power party through Sandpoint again.

 

I'm with you 100%!  As usual, complaints (justified or not) tend to always outweigh positive feedback.  I'm certainly not saying the game is bug free, but it definitely is not unplayable!  In my most recent Quest Mode play through, I've had one forced forfeit due to game bug in at least 50 scenarios played.  Every computer/console game I have ever played has had bugs in varying degrees. I'm willing to have patience with this one.  I just hope the negativity doesn't cause the developers to become frustrated to the point of not developing the game to its fullest (not to mention deterring people from trying the game in the first place).  I believe this game could be awesome!

[Bajie]

I'm posting this because I have had a really positive experience with the pathfinder game for ios. I believe I am in the target demographic (casual gamer that only played it on the ipad - not rebuying the game I already had, can easily afford it and its subsequent adventures). With that said, I immediately bought the whole game shortly after it came out, finished the story mode at legendary with my party of 6, have played some quest and have tried to play for gold for chests. I even bought the daily gold for a month which expires today. I was playing at least 2 or 3 times a day a single adventure (much more when I first started). My problem is that I am getting bored. It is becoming more of a chore to turn on the game to try to earn a bit of gold. There aren't any new items in level 3 and lower that are better than what I have. I am worried that I will start looking online to find something else and just move on and forget about this game. And I am guessing that there are a lot of people in my same position.

I write this because I want the game to succeed and I don't really want to leave it for something else. But I do think the developers need to be aware of the attention span of the average ipad gamer. I know they are doing their best to get bug-free material out, but I do wonder how many like me might just wander away before new stuff appears to keep us interested.

Just my 2 cents.

Its ok to leave it for something else. It simulates a physical board game and a such will be played as such.. (Based on my playgroup).

Its ok to have a game rotation. Maybe you had consumed the current contents too fast or the new content ain't rolling out as fast as you can, there's really not much we can do about it.

 

If you need some suggestion on some good ipad games, be glad to suggest you some.

[Pediatron]

Thank you all for your responses. Just getting a response helps. I've decided to re-up for another month of daily gold (at least it makes me log in everyday) and play some more of the quest part of the game. Hopefully AD4 will come out before my monthly gold expires!!

[Bajie]

Good for YOU and good for the game. Thank God, someone suggested something that works for YOU that might not work for all. Hope you're not being forced into waiting. ^^

Edited August 2, 2016 by Bajie

[HPL_fan]

I know I play less than most on this board seem to - I can get a couple of hours a day if I'm lucky - but if you like a card-based RPG this is THE game!  I played through story mode through the available content.  Legendary difficulty is too much for me.  I try it once in a while to change things up but I don't like it - mostly just me complaining about not being a good enough player I think.  However, it's there and I do play it, and to get there I first have to complete the scenario in Hero(?) difficulty.  Same with Quest mode - I love it's randomization and was even thinking for a while I liked it better than story mode (until I started playing Story mode again...).  Same with the different characters - I have my personal favorites, but it can be fun to see how the others work and a challenge to figure out how to make characters you don't like as much work for you.   That applies to both Quest and Story mode.  

 

Add all that together, and I think people can get bored of the same gameplay over and over but I don't see how you can have done everything this game already has to offer.  And there's more to come!  I'd suggest trying a different game and then coming back to PA.  There are some good card-based board games or CCGs out there for Android at least.  I did that as well and found it made me want to play PA even more.

 

And, for the hundredth time, to the nay-sayers: there is NO bug free software.  I've worked in software QA and development for 15 years, and I've never seen or heard of it.  Add to that the incredibly complex platform Obsidian built and then added hundreds of cards of content to, and it's just unfair to complain.  Some bugs are annoying, but even if I have to forfeit a scenario I've still gained a few gold and cards.  So tired of reading smack from people.  Obsidian rocks!  If it wasn't for them I never would have been able to play PA, and I love this game.

[Pediatron]

Ughhh! Was so excited to go in with a positive attitude and give it another try. Decided to play a 2 player quest game to build up a couple of characters and now am completely frozen out of the game -- can't even start a new quest. It wouldn't let me bury a card when one was required and now it is showing me the area map and not my discards and won't let me do anything. Just wants me to bury a card that I can't access. Tried turning off the game completely - both "continue" and "quest mode" get me to same place. Won't let me even tap the gears to quit the game (no other options are available). So now no quest mode for me and even more disappointed and frustrated!!

[Pediatron]

I took a screenshot of the problem but have no idea how to post it here. Any help would be appreciated.

[PinkRose]

Contact support.

They might be able to reset your game or your characters or your account if the worst comes to worst.

[Bajie]

I took a screenshot of the problem but have no idea how to post it here. Any help would be appreciated.

For the quest lock, its reported here:

https://forums.obsidian.net/topic/88385-soft-lock-shutting-down-quest-mode-crow-bait-bury/?do=findComment&comment=1830789

 

Some have workaround but some of em don't work.

 

For posting screenshots, initially from tablet will be too big filesize, you can email it to yourself file changing it to smallest size possible then saving it again on your device then finally attaching it.

[Pediatron]

Well I guess I will say thank you for the link to the quest lock problem -- but incredibly depressed after reading the posts -- basically no options given and an insurmountable problem. So much for my fresh start with Pathfinder Adventures.

[Bajie]

You can try reaching out to techsupport if they can revert some of your progress. I guess your down to farming on Story-Legendary mode.

 

I'm trying to recreate it myself (with no luck) to perhaps narrow it down or give the devs more info on the questlock. I'm at max level at quest so no biggie for me to get shut out.

[Pediatron]

I had been playing with Seoni and Lem in quest mode heroic level. We are in guard tower with Lem having just fought the skeleton hoard on Seoni's turn (i believe) and lost - had to discard several cards and then asked to bury one. It just wouldn't take me moving a card from the discard to bury -- tried for 10 min then gave up and assumed that would have better chance on closing game and re-opening -- big mistake!!! Now I am looking at the overall map with lots of blue arrows everywhere and it still wants me to choose a weapon or item to bury -- but nothing responds on screen.

[Pediatron]

Yeah!!! Just fooling around with it and managed somehow to get Seoni on the screen instead of Lem at a closed location at which point i could forfeit game (bummer since we were about to kill the villian - LOL) but at least can get back to playing!! (thanks to those who have offered encouragement and advice!)