I can take criticism, and feel encouraged by squarezero's optimism. I've worked on other iPhone titles where a full nextgen console team put all there efforts. Art directors and all. The games looked incredible and had some decent gameplay. Those were the times where stick figures and farts where making the charts. The team got frustrated and the iPhone community lost an incredible group to XBox Live and Playstation Nextwork.

I on the other hand, decided to give it one last try, on my own, and put out the best I could, gameplay wise. I've seen graphics don't even come close on deciding how successful a title gets. And on that note, I decided to aim for a fast, smooth, high performance game running at 60 frames per second, with physics-based gameplay and puzzles.

I'm going the build-your-game-with-the-community-route for the first time, and I'm having lots of fun. Nothing wrong can ever come out of that.

Cheers! And thanx again for all your support!

I can take criticism, and feel encouraged by squarezero's optimism. I've worked on other iPhone titles where a full nextgen console team put all there efforts. Art directors and all. The games looked incredible and had some decent gameplay. Those were the times where stick figures and farts where making the charts. The team got frustrated and the iPhone community lost an incredible group to XBox Live and Playstation Nextwork.

I on the other hand, decided to give it one last try, on my own, and put out the best I could, gameplay wise. I've seen graphics don't even come close on deciding how successful a title gets. And on that note, I decided to aim for a fast, smooth, high performance game running at 60 frames per second, with physics-based gameplay and puzzles.

I'm going the build-your-game-with-the-community-route for the first time, and I'm having lots of fun. Nothing wrong can ever come out of that.

Cheers! And thanx again for all your support!

I agree that general art direction could use some tightening up. I will state, however, it looks good for a one man job as is currently, but it does need extra spit and polish. But that can be added...later.

And "as is currently" is a key phrase here. This is still very much in development. The mechanics and general level design of the game haven't been completely solidified by the dev. The "getting it out by November" is a projection by the dev, not a hard fast deadline. He stated "I WANT to get it out by November" not "I MUST/WILL/NEED to get it out by Novemeber".

Art direction, while important, does in fact take a backseat to getting the general game design down first (by which I mean control interface, level design, etc.). Spicing up the art direction is a secondary concern. Let's not forget how, say, Nintendo develops games: levels are laid out, controls and interactions with in game elements hashed out, and THEN when sets are solidified are the things the artists have created added to the mix.

I agree that general art direction could use some tightening up. I will state, however, it looks good for a one man job as is currently, but it does need extra spit and polish. But that can be added...later.

And "as is currently" is a key phrase here. This is still very much in development. The mechanics and general level design of the game haven't been completely solidified by the dev. The "getting it out by November" is a projection by the dev, not a hard fast deadline. He stated "I WANT to get it out by November" not "I MUST/WILL/NEED to get it out by Novemeber".

Art direction, while important, does in fact take a backseat to getting the general game design down first (by which I mean control interface, level design, etc.). Spicing up the art direction is a secondary concern. Let's not forget how, say, Nintendo develops games: levels are laid out, controls and interactions with in game elements hashed out, and THEN when sets are solidified are the things the artists have created added to the mix.

For example, when presenting criticism it's always helpful to affirm or reaffirm what you like about something and THEN state what needs work. As written, however, it comes off as if GDS just wanted to criticize only, and while, again, it may have been an innocent comment aloud or in the mind, it reads quite differently.

For example, when presenting criticism it's always helpful to affirm or reaffirm what you like about something and THEN state what needs work. As written, however, it comes off as if GDS just wanted to criticize only, and while, again, it may have been an innocent comment aloud or in the mind, it reads quite differently.

Oftentimes what sounds perfectly innocent out loud or in hour minds does not read that way.