[blueyestm]

I'm not sure if this is a bug now in the 1.9 version but I seem to be getting many duplicates of emails stating it is my turn to move and sometimes it is my turn and sometimes it is not. Also, can there be a pop up added asking if you really want to end a game cuz sometimes I press it by accident cuz it scrolls through so fast and it ends when I didn't want to do that.

Loving the colors to the board.

[jeffreii]

I need them to make an iPhone version so I can play it with my girlfriend.

That and make a free version supported by ads please...like Words Free (Words with Friends).

[drdevil44]

Hi

I'm not sure why you're getting multiple emails. I cant replicate the problem here.

Jeffreii - we're currently beta testing the iPhone, Android and Nokia version this week. PM me if people want to help.

Thanks

[jeffreii]

Awesome! Thank you!

Will you be able to play cross platform? Like iPhone user vs. BlackBerry?

Also, any thought of doing an ad-supported free version like Words Free?

Thanks again!

[zee921]

My wife and I both were getting duplicate emails yesterday. Also, I wasn't receiving any of my emails with my yahoo account, so I switched my address to my gmail account and have been getting the emails since.

[blueyestm]

maybe i need to switch to gmail too cuz i also use my yahoo acct and sometimes I don't get them as well as getting numerous ones when it isnt my turn.

[drdevil44]

jeffreii: Yes - you'll be able to play cross platform including people online and on Facebook!

Our beta testers have it at the moment so hopefully any day now - we'll send around an email to registered users.

Advertising platforms aren't mature enough for BlackBerry. RIM's solution is worthless (we made $0.60 in one week total). We have substantial server costs so need to recoup these and hopefully make a small profit too! Most people don't seem to think it's too expensive - after all a pint of beer would cost you more down the pub!

All the best
Gareth

[jeffreii]

Agreed it's not that much - the problem is that many of my friends have iPhones and I'd have to convince them to purchase an app that they already get for free, just to play against me.

I'm sad to hear that RIM's advertising platform does not work well...any insight as to what the problem is? They really have to get that figured out if they want to take their App World to the next level.

Perhaps a free version for iPhones since theirs seems to be good?

Thanks again for the answers!

[drdevil44]

Hi

RIM's platform doesn't work on OS 6 for a start, and here in the UK there appears to be just ONE advert!

We're exploring other advertising opportunities but many will not consider us unless we can guarantee 5 million impressions per month.

We're looking at the Google adwords. Initially wordrival will by trial and buy on all platforms. The non-blackberry version will be slightly cheaper ($2-3) as we have advertising options - if adverts give enough return then we'll discount it and make it free - we just have to see how it goes over the first month. We aren't a charity and have to recoup at least our costs.

Most people don't think twice about going to the bar and spending $20-30 on a round of drinks but yet people seem hesitant to fork out a decent ($5-6) sum for apps. It's rather puzzling given the apps last more than an hour and took a lot more skill and effort to make :-)

All the best
Gareth

[jeffreii]

Hi

RIM's platform doesn't work on OS 6 for a start, and here in the UK there appears to be just ONE advert!

We're exploring other advertising opportunities but many will not consider us unless we can guarantee 5 million impressions per month.

We're looking at the Google adwords. Initially wordrival will by trial and buy on all platforms. The non-blackberry version will be slightly cheaper ($2-3) as we have advertising options - if adverts give enough return then we'll discount it and make it free - we just have to see how it goes over the first month. We aren't a charity and have to recoup at least our costs.

Most people don't think twice about going to the bar and spending $20-30 on a round of drinks but yet people seem hesitant to fork out a decent ($5-6) sum for apps. It's rather puzzling given the apps last more than an hour and took a lot more skill and effort to make :-)

All the best
Gareth

I'm never hesitant to pay for a quality app that lets me trial it first!

It is unfortunate, though, that I've paid for some apps and the developer support is very minimal - bugs that I've found are never fixed. That's what scares a lot of people, I think.

On a side note, I can't believe RIM's ads don't work on OS6. Is the new functionality not available yet, where they claim it takes one line of code to introduce their ad program? As for the UK, that's a huge market so I can't imagine they would only have 1 advert! Crazy!

Thanks again for the responses.

[jeffreii]

I've just spent a bit playing the game so I can try and determine if I want to buy it or not. I have to admit it works well and is fun but there are some things that I am missing a lot, having played Words with Friends on my girlfriend's iPhone a lot.

1) Have to scroll around the board to see the whole thing. On Words with Friends you can zoom in and out of the board - there's really only two options - fit to screen or zoom in - both are useful.
2) Can't drag letter pieces to the board - on Words with Friends you simply drag the letter you want to the board and let go of it where you want to place it.
3) Can't remove letters one at a time or move them around. This especially sucks when you are creating a word and misplace on letter...which is easy to do on a touchscreen...and have to start over again. On Words with Friends if you misplace, you can just pick that piece right back up and put it somewhere else.
4) Can't see any word or letter bonuses beneath letters that have already been played.
5) Can't see how many points your opponent got on their last move or what word they spelled. On Words with Friends, at the top, it says "[name] played [word] for X points".
6) I'm getting bonus points for bonuses that have already been used. For example, opponent makes the word(?) "ZA" with the A granting a double word bonus. I then add a P to make "ZAP" - I get a double word bonus for that too. Perhaps this is intentional but seems odd especially since I can't even see the double word bonus anymore.
7) The only notification I'm getting is a single vibrate. Is there any way to incorporate this into profile management?
8) Can't see the score of a game from the main menu.

I'll add to this as I see it - I hope to be constructively helpful so you can continue to improve on what is already a solid and fun game. I think lots of people have used Words with Friends and will find WordRival to be a less polished and more basic version.

That being said, I'm having fun with it and there's a good chance I'll purchase it - especially if you intend to add features and improve upon it actively.

Thanks again!

[Klotar]

The duplicate email notifications thing seems to be caused by either of two things:

- when a player goes into Word Rival when the app was previously closed (as opposed to running in the background). Unlikely but I put it out there.

- more likely as the pattern seems to suggest, is that if the player completes a move BUT the word is invalid/illegal, it sends a notification anyway. This can be tested by trying a series of nonsense words that will be rejected and then not completing your turn (so that it is not the other player's turn). If this is true, then it would make sense to either have the notification step occur AFTER the score is updated, or something similar, rather than the way it is now (which seems to be when the player clicks the Play button to submit his/her word(s)).

[jeffreii]

I just received a double email as well. Not a big deal but I see how it could get annoying.

Also I'm noticing pretty intense battery drain while the app is running. I think it is fine when the app is closed but haven't had a chance to test standby yet.

[jeffreii]

Bad news - while playing tennis my phone was locked in the holster, good coverage, received no messages or calls and it dropped 6% in 2 hours. Normally it drops 1% an hour max when not in use. I can't really keep an app installed that drains my battery like that when closed so I'm going to uninstall and verify that the battery drain goes back to normal before deciding whether to purchase or not.

EDIT: I'm not sure why but doing a battery pull after this seems to have resolved my battery problems. The app did not request a reboot after install but I'd recommend it since it fixed my problem.

[drdevil44]

Hi guys!

Thanks for the suggestions and especially for identifying the cause of the multiple emails. We'll get on to these over the next week or so.

Your battery drain problem shouldn't be caused by the app. The app disables itself automatically if you leave it open by mistake.

All the best

[jstarett]

Most people don't think twice about going to the bar and spending $20-30 on a round of drinks but yet people seem hesitant to fork out a decent ($5-6) sum for apps. It's rather puzzling given the apps last more than an hour and took a lot more skill and effort to make :-)

All the best
Gareth

Because we have a higher chance of getting laid spending money on alcohol than apps

[drdevil44]

Because we have a higher chance of getting laid spending money on alcohol than apps

lol. Have you not used the iFart app? I've heard that is a hit with the ladies! :-)

Incidentally I've fixed the multiple email bug. Thanks for diagnosing the cause jefreii.

The reuse of special squares is intended and not a bug. We will look into ways to display the special squares when they've been used.

Words with Friends have the luxury of making the app for one (or a small number of) devices. With blackberry our app needs to work on such a large number - we cant test it on all - so we have to play it a little safe with the UI.

[blueyestm]

When you start a new game and are waiting for an opponent there is no way to know that you have an opponent in the wings. Can there be a buzz/email for that so you know its your turn? I get people heading straight to the chat b***hing you need to hurry up which I find annoying because 1 I didn't know someone showed up and 2 its a fricken phone game people. It's not like you're in front of someone at a table be patient. Heck, I've got 4 games all waiting for the other person to move for days now. I'm not in the chat complaining they haven't moved.

[jeffreii]

I'm continuing to test the battery issue - it seems a reboot after install may have fixed it but I'll let you know.

I understand that WWF is developed for one single OS/device and that makes it easier - especially since you have to develop for non touchscreen BlackBerry's as well - it's unfortunate that the version for the Torch/Storm has to be hindered by the need to make it work for non touchscreens but unless you decide to make a version just for touchscreens, that's life I guess!

There are still plenty of game play issues that could be addressed:

1) Since you intend for bonuses to be used multiple times, which is fine, there's got to be a way to show a used square that has a bonus. Once someone uses the bonus, unless you remember where it is, it's sort of a surprise when you get the bonus points from it, as you can not see it.

2) The inability to zoom in and out...I know that's probably for non touchscreen devices...but it's pretty annoying to not be able to see the whole board. Also when I choose a letter I want to place on the board, it often brings me to a weird spot where I have to move around before even being able to place it where I want.

3) Not having a little text box that tells you who went last, what they spelled and how many points they got makes it difficult to keep track of the game. I'd even suggest being able to go to a page that shows text like that for the entire game. Also maybe a calculator that shows how many points you'd get if you submit what you have placed on the board.

4) It would be easy to add the score of the game to the main menu where you see all your open games and whose turn it is.

5) Is there some way to make it so I can just click on a piece that I've already placed on the board and return it individually so I don't have to undo the entire move to fix a little error?

6) Lastly - with notifications - is there any way to customize it? The single vibrate doesn't do it for me. Perhaps build it in to the profiles options so I can set my own sound/vibrate/LED for it? Perhaps even intercept the emails and display a notification icon instead? I think that would be a big and welcome change.

Thanks again! If I can get the battery issues solved I will be purchasing the app today.

[jeffreii]

Hi guys!

Thanks for the suggestions and especially for identifying the cause of the multiple emails. We'll get on to these over the next week or so.

Your battery drain problem shouldn't be caused by the app. The app disables itself automatically if you leave it open by mistake.

All the best

I've updated my last post about the battery drain issue as it seems a reboot has solved the problem.

I watch my battery closely every day and yesterday I did nothing out of the ordinary except install WordRival. The battery drain was significant afterward. It did not stop until I did a reboot and since then has been back to normal. I'm very glad - now I can buy this and keep playing!

Thanks! I hope you find a way to add some of the features/changes suggested to make this game even better.

[drdevil44]

Dear all

WordRival is now available on most mobile phones, tablets and even on your PC. So now you can play against your other friends right from your mobile!

We would appreciate anyone who sends us details of bugs or suggestions for new features.

Please visit Aztux Ltd - BlackBerry applications for more information, or just type this into your phone/PC's web browser:

Get WordRival

We've currently got a 33% discount offer on WordRival.

Thank you for supporting Aztux

Best wishes
Gareth

[jeffreii]

I've had a little bug several times now - I play my move and as soon as I press play, it vibrates and clears my word and says my turn - as if I hadn't submitted a word. If I then press back to go to the menu, and then re-enter the game, it will update and show my word and that it's my opponent's turn.

I'm also having some issues with intermittently not receiving game move emails.

I'm also interested in knowing how it's determined whether or not you win/lose/nothing when a game is ended before it's over. I have lots of games where it seems my opponent is no longer playing and I want to delete it but not if I'm going to be given a loss?

[drdevil44]

Hi Jeffreii

You wont receive (game move) emails when the application is open - as the app will notify you when an opponent moves. If you have a poor signal when you close the app, the app may not be able to tell the server to begin sending you (game move) emails again.

If you end a game, and a _significant_ game has been played then that will count towards the leader board.

Regarding your other problem, that may be because of poor signal - unless I can replicate it I cannot diagnose it - and here the game seems to be working fine.

Thanks
Gareth

[jeffreii]

Hi Jeffreii

You wont receive (game move) emails when the application is open - as the app will notify you when an opponent moves. If you have a poor signal when you close the app, the app may not be able to tell the server to begin sending you (game move) emails again.

If you end a game, and a _significant_ game has been played then that will count towards the leader board.

Regarding your other problem, that may be because of poor signal - unless I can replicate it I cannot diagnose it - and here the game seems to be working fine.

Thanks
Gareth

I've been having these issues here at my house where I have 4-5 bars of reception in every room. I got the emails working again by turning off email notifications and then turning them back on.

What do you do if you've played a significant game and then your opponent disappears for days or even weeks? Just leave it open?

Also I'd love to hear your comment on my suggestions - especially the need to get the bonus tiles viewable after being covered by a tile. I suggest just making that tile remain the bonus color. This one issue is the only reason I'm not yet trying to convince my friends to download WordRival.

Thanks again for your quick response!

[drdevil44]

I'm sorry I cant replicate the email problem you're saying.

If you're opponent abandons the game then you have the choice whether to abandon it too. It is only a game at the end of the day!

I have added your suggestions to our todo list, but you only made them last week and we're not miracle workers. It takes some time to implement and perform thorough testing.

All the best
Gareth