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[The Smiler] Game Discussion
- Thread starter Wilsy
- Start date
Ben
TS Founding Member
- Favourite Ride
- Your Dad
Really cant understand any complaints towards this game at all.
As far as I know this is the first time a theme park has published a full game via any app store, which considering the quality of the game has probably cost the equivalent of most parks marketing budget!
Perhaps it isnt the most challenging game available, perhaps the 'wheel of win' is the complete opposite that (cheers merlin), but has it been an innovative, fresh and engaging tool to publicise a massive new ride? YES. YES IT HAS.
Its not cost a penny to download, its not tried to steal my information or take control of my phone and fill it with rubbish.
It has entertained me for the odd 10mins and Ive seen extra bits of the ride, its certainly kept me enthused about it and comparing it to the games already on my phone the graphics are really good. Im not stupid I realise that any game in the app markets have to cover a large amount of devices, so you cant expect PS2/Xbox graphics when you know somewhere people are running the game on old devices.
Im quite angry at the criticism. Alton are clearly trying something abit different and people moan. Cant win either way (unless you play the wheel of win, in which case you know you wont win).
As far as I know this is the first time a theme park has published a full game via any app store, which considering the quality of the game has probably cost the equivalent of most parks marketing budget!
Perhaps it isnt the most challenging game available, perhaps the 'wheel of win' is the complete opposite that (cheers merlin), but has it been an innovative, fresh and engaging tool to publicise a massive new ride? YES. YES IT HAS.
Its not cost a penny to download, its not tried to steal my information or take control of my phone and fill it with rubbish.
It has entertained me for the odd 10mins and Ive seen extra bits of the ride, its certainly kept me enthused about it and comparing it to the games already on my phone the graphics are really good. Im not stupid I realise that any game in the app markets have to cover a large amount of devices, so you cant expect PS2/Xbox graphics when you know somewhere people are running the game on old devices.
Im quite angry at the criticism. Alton are clearly trying something abit different and people moan. Cant win either way (unless you play the wheel of win, in which case you know you wont win).
rightbackgranty
TS Member
I thought that the app was quite a good in all honesty. There are far worse apps out there, particularly when it comes to tie in's, be it for movies, tv shows or game shows. With regards to the criticisms that it could be harder, this is true, though Alton Towers probably wanted people to be able to see the entire track and its inversions rather than a plain layout. Better that the game is too easy, and everyone can see that the ride is mental, than too difficult and the layout doesn't get shown off.
The game is not catered for enthusiasts like ourselves - it is meant to raise awareness of the ride for the general public who are not quite as, lets say relentless, at following the parks every move. The app has enough substance about it to keep people playing, lets people think that they may win something and has a cool scanner that does creepy things when you wave it in front of certain pictures. Its a talking point, which is exactly want Alton want it to be.
Find it difficult that some would "find it difficult to imagine anyone other than an enthusiast would download this" when we have an app market saturated by games like Angry Birds, Temple Run (whilst fun there is both an element of skill and luck) and play / pay to upgrade games which tap into our natural competitive streaks. It draws a bit on both of these winning combinations so I think people will like it. Even if they only play it for an hour its an hours dedicated advertising for Alton Towers and their new ride.
The game is not catered for enthusiasts like ourselves - it is meant to raise awareness of the ride for the general public who are not quite as, lets say relentless, at following the parks every move. The app has enough substance about it to keep people playing, lets people think that they may win something and has a cool scanner that does creepy things when you wave it in front of certain pictures. Its a talking point, which is exactly want Alton want it to be.
Find it difficult that some would "find it difficult to imagine anyone other than an enthusiast would download this" when we have an app market saturated by games like Angry Birds, Temple Run (whilst fun there is both an element of skill and luck) and play / pay to upgrade games which tap into our natural competitive streaks. It draws a bit on both of these winning combinations so I think people will like it. Even if they only play it for an hour its an hours dedicated advertising for Alton Towers and their new ride.
Alastair
TS Team
- Favourite Ride
- Rise of the Resistance
I find some people's claims that it's a poor game because after you've unlocked everything it's boring to be slightly baffling. Am I not right in saying that the only objective in games like Temple Run is to gain a higher score each time - that is ultimately the motivating factor for replaying it. Isn't this just the same, except in rollercoaster form?
I’m disappointed that people are going so far as to get ‘angry’ over my criticism and I've been really surprised that so many people have been quite so passionately defensive over this thing.
In my mind I criticised a mobile app produced by a multi billion pound entertainment giant which was designed to promote a new attraction, however people are talking as if a crippled child just handed me a mosaic made out of lollypop sticks and I’ve thrown it in the fire, pushed the kid over and kicked dirt into his face.
I genuinely went back last night and spent a good couple of hours downloading mobile games in the ‘charts’ and it has re-enforced my opinion that I’m just very out of touch with what is considered a ‘good’ game. I don’t play mobile games but I see the t.v spots, I read the read the odd review and I know about the hardware that is present in todays mobile handsets. When I think back to some of the innovative and immersing games that we used to get on a handful of 3.5” floppy discs I just assumed that these mobile apps were real games. I was wrong. Turns out they’re all universally crap.
I found a couple which I thought were promising (Tomb Run, Theme Park and Simpsons,) but the gameplay was still outrageously limited and repetitive.
The no adverts / privacy settings thing as a defence does annoy me. Since when did it become a rare thing to play a game that didn't try and rape your personal information?!
So yea, my apologies if I really did offend anyone, and yes I appreciate that it's free etc etc, but to me wiggling a little slider to keep a needle as centred as possible is shockingly dull 'game.' Think I’ll just stay away from the app store for another 3-5 years and let technology catch up with my expectations.
I’m in danger of going way off topic so I’m off to spin the wheel of win another 10 times now.
In my mind I criticised a mobile app produced by a multi billion pound entertainment giant which was designed to promote a new attraction, however people are talking as if a crippled child just handed me a mosaic made out of lollypop sticks and I’ve thrown it in the fire, pushed the kid over and kicked dirt into his face.
I genuinely went back last night and spent a good couple of hours downloading mobile games in the ‘charts’ and it has re-enforced my opinion that I’m just very out of touch with what is considered a ‘good’ game. I don’t play mobile games but I see the t.v spots, I read the read the odd review and I know about the hardware that is present in todays mobile handsets. When I think back to some of the innovative and immersing games that we used to get on a handful of 3.5” floppy discs I just assumed that these mobile apps were real games. I was wrong. Turns out they’re all universally crap.
I found a couple which I thought were promising (Tomb Run, Theme Park and Simpsons,) but the gameplay was still outrageously limited and repetitive.
The no adverts / privacy settings thing as a defence does annoy me. Since when did it become a rare thing to play a game that didn't try and rape your personal information?!
So yea, my apologies if I really did offend anyone, and yes I appreciate that it's free etc etc, but to me wiggling a little slider to keep a needle as centred as possible is shockingly dull 'game.' Think I’ll just stay away from the app store for another 3-5 years and let technology catch up with my expectations.
I’m in danger of going way off topic so I’m off to spin the wheel of win another 10 times now.
At the end of the day, the game was released for marketing purposes. Alton Towers aren't trying to break the game market with the next Portal.
It is what it is, criticising the graphics etc is pointless. I don't imagine for a second that Alton set out with a brief of creating the best graphics possible for a mobile game, or even the best game available on the mobile market. They simply wanted a slightly addictive game that would drum up talk for their new ride.
It is what it is, criticising the graphics etc is pointless. I don't imagine for a second that Alton set out with a brief of creating the best graphics possible for a mobile game, or even the best game available on the mobile market. They simply wanted a slightly addictive game that would drum up talk for their new ride.
Sku
TS Member
Has anyone had any luck with the achievement "Tilt-Master"? You need to only get "good" or "perfect" around the entire ride. Seems really difficult to me! Would be interested to hear from anyone who has managed it, especially those claiming the game is too easy!
There are also achievements for playing through 100 times and 500 times. I'm going to be honest, I reckon I must have played about 50 times and it is already quite tedious, I can't imagine I'm going to be able to reach 100, let alone 500! To get your 10 competition entries every day, you would need to play through around 12 times everyday, which is going to take you around 30mins. If anyone can keep up with that kind of daily commitment, then good luck to them and I hope they win a prize eventually!
Another option if you a desperate for competition entries is to just leave the game running unattended. You only get 13 points per ride this way, but it might be less tedious than playing the game over and over again, and also would help you towards the play 500 times achievement, if you are bothered about that!
It would be nice if the "Wheel of Win" had a multitude of small prizes to keep it engaging. For example, winning some of your credits back (This also ensures you could keep coming back for your 10 daily entries without having to play the game quite so many times every day). Especially since each spin takes such a long time. It would be nice if you could "re-spin" a bit more quickly, and not have to wait for the silly red pop up box to come up before you can try again.
With regards to competition prizes, the closing date is not until the end of September, and there are not many prizes. This leads me to believe that the game will give out the prizes on pre-determined dates throughout the year. This means if you are the next person to spin the wheel after the predetermined time they have set for the prize to be given away, you will win. I am sure the VIP tour for example, will be up for grabs, on or around the opening date of the ride. This means you might be best to use your 10 spins throughout the day rather than all in a row, to increase your chances.
Overall I think the game is an excellent first attempt at this type of thing though. It's well put together, and a lot of time and effort has been put into it by Matmi in creating it. It's not really engaging enough to keep you playing everyday for weeks on end, but it's just enough for what they were aiming for. Further updates to the game could provide further content, especially when we can unlock the "top secret" stuff, which will make it playable again. The game is short enough that you can complete it while waiting in the queue for the ride, which may well have been a requirement that Alton Towers asked for. The majority of downloads this game will get, is from people standing in line, which I think is a bigger part of this project than marketing the ride to people who aren't at the park yet. I expect it to be heavily advertised in the queue line.
Just some of my thoughts on the game =D
There are also achievements for playing through 100 times and 500 times. I'm going to be honest, I reckon I must have played about 50 times and it is already quite tedious, I can't imagine I'm going to be able to reach 100, let alone 500! To get your 10 competition entries every day, you would need to play through around 12 times everyday, which is going to take you around 30mins. If anyone can keep up with that kind of daily commitment, then good luck to them and I hope they win a prize eventually!
Another option if you a desperate for competition entries is to just leave the game running unattended. You only get 13 points per ride this way, but it might be less tedious than playing the game over and over again, and also would help you towards the play 500 times achievement, if you are bothered about that!
It would be nice if the "Wheel of Win" had a multitude of small prizes to keep it engaging. For example, winning some of your credits back (This also ensures you could keep coming back for your 10 daily entries without having to play the game quite so many times every day). Especially since each spin takes such a long time. It would be nice if you could "re-spin" a bit more quickly, and not have to wait for the silly red pop up box to come up before you can try again.
With regards to competition prizes, the closing date is not until the end of September, and there are not many prizes. This leads me to believe that the game will give out the prizes on pre-determined dates throughout the year. This means if you are the next person to spin the wheel after the predetermined time they have set for the prize to be given away, you will win. I am sure the VIP tour for example, will be up for grabs, on or around the opening date of the ride. This means you might be best to use your 10 spins throughout the day rather than all in a row, to increase your chances.
Overall I think the game is an excellent first attempt at this type of thing though. It's well put together, and a lot of time and effort has been put into it by Matmi in creating it. It's not really engaging enough to keep you playing everyday for weeks on end, but it's just enough for what they were aiming for. Further updates to the game could provide further content, especially when we can unlock the "top secret" stuff, which will make it playable again. The game is short enough that you can complete it while waiting in the queue for the ride, which may well have been a requirement that Alton Towers asked for. The majority of downloads this game will get, is from people standing in line, which I think is a bigger part of this project than marketing the ride to people who aren't at the park yet. I expect it to be heavily advertised in the queue line.
Just some of my thoughts on the game =D
Rob
TS Team
- Favourite Ride
- Steel Vengeance
I don't think I've actually commented on the game yet. I think it's brilliant. When you get playing it then it's really addictive; you always want to keep trying to better your score. As a piece of marketing, which it is, then it's almost perfect. It might not be the best game ever but that hardly matters. It promotes the ride, is addictive and fun. All Towers needed from it. The scanner is also a really good addition, I like that.
My only gripe is the wheel of win, or should that be the wheel of loss. It's a nice concept but with so few prizes it doesn't really feel like you ever have a chance. More smaller prizes that aren't a cost for Towers (even if it is say 50 game points) would make the competition a bit more interesting and engaging.
Still, I'm impressed! Hope it gets the downloads Towers hope for!
My only gripe is the wheel of win, or should that be the wheel of loss. It's a nice concept but with so few prizes it doesn't really feel like you ever have a chance. More smaller prizes that aren't a cost for Towers (even if it is say 50 game points) would make the competition a bit more interesting and engaging.
Still, I'm impressed! Hope it gets the downloads Towers hope for!
Earthwürm
TS Member
If someone just picked the game up and had a quick go without realising that you have to unlock the full ride, it looks like a pretty naff coaster. I noticed a review or two on the app store seemed to reflect this.
As a game, I'd definitely say its naff, I didn't expect anything groundbreaking, but trying to keep a needle centred? Hours of fun...sort of...
Wheel of Win seems like a pointless and tedious way of going about a prize draw. AR view is amusing for a moment, seen much better uses for the technology though.
No ads (other than for themselves) and free download are positives though!
I'm not usually a negative poster, but this app is so crap it's irritating!
Not saying they shouldn't have made it, but a bit more effort wouldn't go amiss, it's not my cup of tea.
As a game, I'd definitely say its naff, I didn't expect anything groundbreaking, but trying to keep a needle centred? Hours of fun...sort of...
Wheel of Win seems like a pointless and tedious way of going about a prize draw. AR view is amusing for a moment, seen much better uses for the technology though.
No ads (other than for themselves) and free download are positives though!
I'm not usually a negative poster, but this app is so crap it's irritating!
Not saying they shouldn't have made it, but a bit more effort wouldn't go amiss, it's not my cup of tea.
Ted
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Kondaa
I do think this game is a absolute genius way of Marketing, it something that hasn't been done before with the past Secret Weapons which makes it unique (At least for now). It doesn't look like the greatest game you could get on the App store, but it still looks pretty good for what it is.
I do find it amazing how Alton seem to have spent some of the marketing budget on this game, when you think about it, it would be the cheapest if any of the Secret Weapons had games like this! Like for instance if Nemesis had its own game for the marketing, it would have probably been on the SNES and Mega Drive and that would cost a lot since they weren't cheap to make! Compare to making this on the App Store, it costs way less. Even for iOS game, the graphics look very nice and they're on par with a early PlayStation 2 game
I've not played it so I can't really comment on it, but it does look really fun and I hope to download it soon.
=)
I do find it amazing how Alton seem to have spent some of the marketing budget on this game, when you think about it, it would be the cheapest if any of the Secret Weapons had games like this! Like for instance if Nemesis had its own game for the marketing, it would have probably been on the SNES and Mega Drive and that would cost a lot since they weren't cheap to make! Compare to making this on the App Store, it costs way less. Even for iOS game, the graphics look very nice and they're on par with a early PlayStation 2 game
I've not played it so I can't really comment on it, but it does look really fun and I hope to download it soon.
=)
manual_operator
TS Member
Not sure if this has been commented on but has anyone else seen the 3D AR you get from scanning the S*n newspaper ad for The Smiler, saw it on a friend's fb page and thought it looked pretty neat.
I've not played it on my phone as I'm stuck on Froyo (2.0) which isn't high enough but it ran fine on bluestacks on my pc and I have to say its a nifty little mini-game, I'm neither overly positive or negative - it does what its been designed to do, and its a novel way of getting people interested in the ride.
I've not played it on my phone as I'm stuck on Froyo (2.0) which isn't high enough but it ran fine on bluestacks on my pc and I have to say its a nifty little mini-game, I'm neither overly positive or negative - it does what its been designed to do, and its a novel way of getting people interested in the ride.
Also, for those of us who don't have time to literally sit playing for hours until everything's been unlocked, this is very much a gradual thing - I fit a couple of goes in when I can so I'm slowly unlocking things/getting better. Not everyone will be playing it solidly for hours straight away
manual_operator
TS Member
DiogoJ42
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- The Metropolitan Line
I've been more than willing to give this game a chance. I've unlocked everything I can. Unfortunately, I can go no further as my iPad does not have a camera, so I cannot scan any QR codes. Thus, it has been deleted.
Team Edit: Removed Off Topic & Abusive Content
Team Edit: Removed Off Topic & Abusive Content