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'PAC-MAN' Named App of the Week, Available for Free
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They know perfectly well most people hate the IAP system, however its still more profitable than just charging for the app since there enough stupid rich people out there that are willing to spend tons on IAP:s.
HobeSoundDarryl
macrumors G5
It takes a "rich" person to come up with $2.99 for all levels? That's how "rich" is defined?
Don't go to Starbucks for one day and you have enough for this IAP and more.
Don't eat one BigMac meal and you have enough for this IAP and more.
Developers need to be compensated for their work. THAT is much of the motivation for doing the work to bring the app to us. Sure, it would be great if everything could be free but the whole world revolves around trading time & talent for money.
If you download this for the classic (arcade) version, it's already in there.
And if $2.99 is "rich," I must be Jed Clampett or J.R. Ewing. "Wellllllll doggies"
Don't go to Starbucks for one day and you have enough for this IAP and more.
Don't eat one BigMac meal and you have enough for this IAP and more.
Developers need to be compensated for their work. THAT is much of the motivation for doing the work to bring the app to us. Sure, it would be great if everything could be free but the whole world revolves around trading time & talent for money.
If you download this for the classic (arcade) version, it's already in there.
And if $2.99 is "rich," I must be Jed Clampett or J.R. Ewing. "Wellllllll doggies"
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I'm pretty happy with it. The controls are now awesome compared to the original we had for many, many, many years now. The other packs are just plan color themes, so not much being missed by not buying them.
None of these older companies seem to get that they shouldn't nickel and dime us though. Atari and Activision tried this approach too and their apps failed miserably.
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Check out the "Customers Also Bought" section. Just shows you how it just sank into the store over the years and wasn't being purchased for years and years before it got updated. Most of those games go all the way back to 2010 as last being updated!
None of these older companies seem to get that they shouldn't nickel and dime us though. Atari and Activision tried this approach too and their apps failed miserably.
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Check out the "Customers Also Bought" section. Just shows you how it just sank into the store over the years and wasn't being purchased for years and years before it got updated. Most of those games go all the way back to 2010 as last being updated!
Hate IAP/Freemium
I'd rather buy the game outright then have access to everything. Games with IAP's annoy me to no end. I understand developer's needs to have a constant revenue stream in order to support further development but it's all about how their finances are being managed.
I'm still gonna grab this free app because I've never made it all the way to level 256!
I'd rather buy the game outright then have access to everything. Games with IAP's annoy me to no end. I understand developer's needs to have a constant revenue stream in order to support further development but it's all about how their finances are being managed.
I'm still gonna grab this free app because I've never made it all the way to level 256!
Agreed. The guy is upset by in-app-purchases, so he's going to screw over Nintendo by playing emulated games for free?
That rates a big "WTF?" in my book.
I understand that people can easily download stuff they would ordinarily have to pay for. Just realize that developing intellectual property takes a decent amount of money, and while you may be getting something for free today, you are only driving the IAP model to be adopted by more companies.
Ok, I'm off my soapbox now, and back to playing my 3DS...
Psh....I've had phones with free Pac-Man for years....
I mean I could only play for 60 seconds before a popup would show asking me to buy it for $2-5, but at least for my adolescent self that was enough to satisfy my needs. Especially when I couldn't even last very long at that point.
I mean I could only play for 60 seconds before a popup would show asking me to buy it for $2-5, but at least for my adolescent self that was enough to satisfy my needs. Especially when I couldn't even last very long at that point.
I want to discuss with you, several points of capitalistic ideals and the value of a developers importance for something that college students have been known to clone for practice. I want to discuss that there isn't a price low enough to justify the cost involved with eating a Big Mac. I want to be a smart aleck and ask you to pay me $2.99 for my finite and, of course, entirely valuable time and talent in writing and logic. I want to do that.
However, instead I want to try something different. I want to give you a great supporting argument.
In-app purchases on just about any game you can hunt down on the app store will be far better than arcade prices ever were.
Agreed, I stopped even checking out the new games. I felt pretty dumb for downloading Pac-Man via the Macrumors link, but I just deleted it when I saw all the IAP.
I love do a FREE TRIAL. If I like it, then I buy it. If not, then I move on.
IAP makes this work, right?
(the CONSTANT in app deal is totally different of course)
IAP makes this work, right?
(the CONSTANT in app deal is totally different of course)
Yeah. IAP where the game essentially works as shareware is fine (play a few levels free, buy more if you like it), IAP that acts as "pay to win" is not fine. Also IAP that's like donation-ware is fine (something inessential like extra themes or whatnot, that make no difference to the game but you might want to buy to support the creators).
--Eric
Downloaded, saw the in-app purchases and deleted it.
Playing Pac-Man on a touchscreen is a nightmare anyway.
Playing Pac-Man on a touchscreen is a nightmare anyway.
The total dollar amount isn't the issue. The issue is being offered a paid app for a limited time for free, and it just happens to come with IAP to unlock the features that magically appeared for the 'free' version.
Last summer, there was a week where several expensive apps were free in the app store. None of these went the way the Pac-Man developer did by suddenly offering IAP and then making the app for free. It's not free if you have to pay for IAP.
Those apps last summer included Traktor DJ which was a $20 app and Day One, a $4.99 app. They were the full apps, not a free app with IAP.
Some of these apps that go free just so they can start charging for IAP have never ending IAP purchases to play the game. What good is giving the app for free if it really isn't free to play the games included?
I could afford a $2.99 IAP purchase but that's not the point. The app originally cost money and included every full game.
A couple of fancy apps went free for a bit, so ALL apps have to be free? I don't get it.
What good is it? You get paid for your work, that's what the good is. What good is it giving the game away for nothing?
Do you have a beef with Xbox and PS demos too? They're free, but they're not really free are they? You get to the end of the first level and argh! They want money!
This game has never-ending IAP only as so much as the original arcade game did. Pacman was designed in the seventies to be very difficult but addictive. You could keep feeding it money if you wanted to. The 8-bit ports and clones had limited continues, usually about three, because without some kind of limit there's no challenge. This version has a few free continues then you pay for the rest if you can't face restarting. It's entirely up to you whether you want to play 8-bit port style for free, or arcade style for money.
I really haven't a clue what you're trying to say. You can get the full game for half the price it cost before. You can get most of it for nothing. You can choose your level of investment in the game, with the bottom tier being completey free. A la carte vs bundle deal you might say, except the a la carte option is actually cheaper than the bundle, and the free tier includes everything you are likely to want for the first fews plays at least. I can't see any reason to be indignant about this.
Plus, if the old pricing was so much to your taste why didn't you buy it?
Yes the developer does get paid but don't pretend to give away a free app if there are IAP. It's far from free. Who said all apps have to be free?
I buy apps when I am interested. I don't play games much and in fact, I don't own a single game. This one was supposed to be free so I gave it a shot.
I buy apps when I am interested. I don't play games much and in fact, I don't own a single game. This one was supposed to be free so I gave it a shot.
Just now, I bought a word puzzle game that cost $.99 and included everything for that price with NO IAP. There were dozens more that were "free" but had IAP purchases for $.99 or even $2.99. The game for $.99 had everything that these other games were offering with IAP.
I hope more people support devs who go the route of charging one price to offer everything in the game.
I hope more people support devs who go the route of charging one price to offer everything in the game.
Well $2.99 isn't that far from free, but anyway, who's pretending? It pretty clearly stated in the description that the extra mazes are an IAP and all the IAPs are listed on the page. The big purchase button in the app store does indeed say Free, but that button will only display the cost of the app as set by the developer. The cost is zero, so the button says Free. What more do you expect Namco to do?
I'm not sure you did give it a shot, otherwise you'd have played it and discovered that your progress is limited only by your skill.
See here, your point is exactly the same without mentioning IAP: some apps cost $.99, some even cost (gasp!) $2.99. So what? Some good apps may be cheaper than some bad ones. What does that have to do with IAP? We're still a long way from explaining how a straight purchase at $5.99 is better than downloading for free and optionally upgrading for $2.99. Heck, even if the straight purchase and the IAP are the same price, isn't the IAP route better?
Says the person who has yet to spend more than $1? I'm not sure you understand what 'supporting' really means. All you did was look at the options and buy the cheapest. Paying out to the cheapest vendor is not the altruistic 'support' gesture you seem to think it is. I support good developers by either paying their asking price or keeping my mouth shut and letting others pay the asking price, not mouthing off trying to organise some movement to drive away their income.
I've spent more than $1 on apps. I've spent $35 on just TomTom alone but again, that is the total price of the app and I didn't have to pay anything additional to get the full functioning of the app.
I'm not trying to star anything, other people in this thread hate IAP also.
I'm done talking about this. Im unsubscribing so I won't get anymore emails about replies. I'll spend my money the way I want in the app store and you spend yours the way you want.
I'm not trying to star anything, other people in this thread hate IAP also.
I'm done talking about this. Im unsubscribing so I won't get anymore emails about replies. I'll spend my money the way I want in the app store and you spend yours the way you want.
My biggest issue with IAP is kids.. It's much easier to manage what they are allowed to buy / and not buy when the app is straightforward. It's more manageable to have them ask to buy an app, and it's done. But some of the low priced apps that wind up being IAP deals, or even some of the free apps that then become paid via IAP.. are just a pain in the arse.
At least there are restrictions that can be set up to control things of that type.