iOS Review: Small World

Dominic Crapuchettes

(domcrap)

United States
Bethesda
MD

This overtext is brought to you by the abstract strategy game Battle of LITS and the number 20.

Just purchased... Thanks for reminding me that one of the reasons I bought my iPad was to get Small World!

Posted Wed Sep 14, 2011 2:10 pm
- Choose your Dice
  - d4
  - d6
  - d8
  - d10
  - d12
  - d20
  - d100
  - Help
  - Roll
  - Comment (Optional)
- Reply
- Quote

Dave Seidner

(remus)

United States
Willow Grove
Pennsylvania

In another time's forgotten space, your eyes looked through your mother's face. Wildflower seed on the sand and stone, may the four winds blow you safely home.

It's funny how an app from 2010 is already "dated". Nice job, Brad. Looking forward to more of these video review/comparisons.

Posted Wed Sep 14, 2011 2:21 pm
- Choose your Dice
  - d4
  - d6
  - d8
  - d10
  - d12
  - d20
  - d100
  - Help
  - Roll
  - Comment (Optional)
- Reply
- Quote

Scrumpy Jack

(SJack)

United Kingdom

I'm impressed that you did all this on an iphone and ipad. did you film with the iphone? how did you prop the iphone while filming?

Posted Wed Sep 14, 2011 2:33 pm
- Choose your Dice
  - d4
  - d6
  - d8
  - d10
  - d12
  - d20
  - d100
  - Help
  - Roll
  - Comment (Optional)
- Reply
- Quote

V L

(Neo42)

United States

Virginia

Still a great app. But yea, would love:

* more player support than 2 (at least against the computer).

* tales and legends deck

* multiplayer online

* more races and powers

Somewhat in that order.

Posted Wed Sep 14, 2011 2:44 pm
- Choose your Dice
  - d4
  - d6
  - d8
  - d10
  - d12
  - d20
  - d100
  - Help
  - Roll
  - Comment (Optional)
- Reply
- Quote

Chris Schenck

(cbs42)

United States
Dayton
Ohio

GO BUCKS!

Stop touching me!

Illegal Ratmen invasion in at 1:50 in the video! (Assuming they were the Stout Ratmen you displayed during setup, and not Flying or Underworld Ratmen.)

My only complaint about the iPad implementation: You can't view the text of the races and special abilities owned by your opponent. You can view your own race/ability text at any time, as well as the text of the unselected races/abilities -- but not the ones owned by your opponent. This isn't as big of a deal to me now that I'm very familiar with all of them, but when I first got the app it was pretty frustrating when I couldn't see what my opponent's capabilities were.

Edited Wed Sep 14, 2011 2:56 pm
Posted Wed Sep 14, 2011 2:47 pm
- Choose your Dice
  - d4
  - d6
  - d8
  - d10
  - d12
  - d20
  - d100
  - Help
  - Roll
  - Comment (Optional)
- Reply
- Quote

Brad Cummings

(thequietpunk)

United States

Connecticut

cbs42 wrote:

Illegal Ratmen invasion in at 1:50 in the video!
(Assuming they were the Stout Ratmen you displayed during setup, and not Flying or Underworld Ratmen.)

Oh yes, I noticed that last night. I meant for the Ratmen to be off of the board, but then I released I had set the pile on mountain territory.

Thanks for the catch

-Brad

Posted Wed Sep 14, 2011 2:52 pm
- Choose your Dice
  - d4
  - d6
  - d8
  - d10
  - d12
  - d20
  - d100
  - Help
  - Roll
  - Comment (Optional)
- Reply
- Quote

Keith Burgun

(keithburgun)

United States
Goldens Bridge
New York

iOS = iPad apparently these days. =[

Posted Wed Sep 14, 2011 3:35 pm
- Choose your Dice
  - d4
  - d6
  - d8
  - d10
  - d12
  - d20
  - d100
  - Help
  - Roll
  - Comment (Optional)
- Reply
- Quote

Tor Iver Wilhelmsen

(JadedGamer)

Norway
Oslo
Unspecified

keithburgun wrote:

iOS = iPad apparently these days. =[

Well, board games deserve some screen real estate.

But there are quite a few boardgame ports that work on the smaller iPhone and iPod Touch screens as well, like Settlers of Catan, Samurai, Ra...

Edited Wed Sep 14, 2011 5:13 pm
Posted Wed Sep 14, 2011 5:13 pm
- Choose your Dice
  - d4
  - d6
  - d8
  - d10
  - d12
  - d20
  - d100
  - Help
  - Roll
  - Comment (Optional)
- Reply
- Quote

The Gray Dog Passes Go

(CaptainCosmic)

United States
Reno
Nevada

domcrap wrote:

Just purchased... Thanks for reminding me that one of the reasons I bought my iPad was to get Small World!

Irony alert: I bought my iPad originally just to play Small World.

Which is to say: I had planned on getting one, but I moved up the purchase by a month or two because I was fascinated by the idea of a legitimate boardgame being available right away. Small World was, literally, my first iPad purchase.

The further irony is that it wasn't much to get excited about in its initial form. I think it was Gabe (Blindspot) who called it more of a "proof of concept" than anything else. It had some bugs; it had some issues with its own rules; and it had ... wait for it ... no AI.

DoW couldn't release that version today; they'd be mocked right out of the App Store. But, at the time, it was so cool just to see a major boardgame running on the iPad that many of the app's shortcomings were forgiven.

Posted Wed Sep 14, 2011 5:13 pm
- Choose your Dice
  - d4
  - d6
  - d8
  - d10
  - d12
  - d20
  - d100
  - Help
  - Roll
  - Comment (Optional)
- Reply
- Quote

randall fischer

(ChaplainCassius)

Warren
Michigan

I watched this after a big lunch at work. I dare say that I had to stop. It bordered on hypnotic sleep therapy, as it was the most relaxing sounding game review I have ever watched. Im thinking of watching it tonight before bed instead of a Lunesta. Great review though, but so very, very relaxing.

Posted Wed Sep 14, 2011 5:55 pm
- Choose your Dice
  - d4
  - d6
  - d8
  - d10
  - d12
  - d20
  - d100
  - Help
  - Roll
  - Comment (Optional)
- Reply
- Quote

Brad Cummings

(thequietpunk)

United States

Connecticut

ChaplainCassius wrote:

I watched this after a big lunch at work. I dare say that I had to stop. It bordered on hypnotic sleep therapy, as it was the most relaxing sounding game review I have ever watched. Im thinking of watching it tonight before bed instead of a Lunesta. Great review though, but so very, very relaxing.

Hahaha. I will try to be more energetic in the future. I guess it is just my personality.

My brother called me the Bob Ross of board games...

Edited Wed Sep 14, 2011 8:36 pm
Posted Wed Sep 14, 2011 6:06 pm
- Choose your Dice
  - d4
  - d6
  - d8
  - d10
  - d12
  - d20
  - d100
  - Help
  - Roll
  - Comment (Optional)
- Reply
- Quote

Paul Urfi

(paulofcthulhu2)

United States
Kennesaw
Georgia

This is one of my go-to games on the iPad, simply really well done. I was wondering if you could exand on your statement, "The app has begun to show its age and lacks many of the features we have come to expect from 'modern' iOS board games." Personally I think it does a great job, but I know there's always room for improvement. What could it do now that it doesn't (aside from some of the other enhancements already listed)?

Posted Wed Sep 14, 2011 7:05 pm
- Choose your Dice
  - d4
  - d6
  - d8
  - d10
  - d12
  - d20
  - d100
  - Help
  - Roll
  - Comment (Optional)
- Reply
- Quote

Greggory Delman

(wanloe)

Lima
Ohio

Great review of the app... Just one fact you got wrong... At around 3:20 you say the app doesn't randomly assign a start player. If you leave the slider switch half way between the two players a "?" appears on it, and it when you start it's random who will be the first player. Just an FYI. Keep up the great work.

Posted Wed Sep 14, 2011 8:26 pm
- Choose your Dice
  - d4
  - d6
  - d8
  - d10
  - d12
  - d20
  - d100
  - Help
  - Roll
  - Comment (Optional)
- Reply
- Quote

Brad Cummings

(thequietpunk)

United States

Connecticut

wanloe wrote:

Great review of the app... Just one fact you got wrong... At around 3:20 you say the app doesn't randomly assign a start player. If you leave the slider switch half way between the two players a "?" appears on it, and it when you start it's random who will be the first player. Just an FYI. Keep up the great work.

Oh wow, I actually had never noticed that. Very good catch.

Posted Wed Sep 14, 2011 8:35 pm
- Choose your Dice
  - d4
  - d6
  - d8
  - d10
  - d12
  - d20
  - d100
  - Help
  - Roll
  - Comment (Optional)
- Reply
- Quote

The Gray Dog Passes Go

(CaptainCosmic)

United States
Reno
Nevada

thequietpunk wrote:

Oh wow, I actually had never noticed that.

You're not the only one. I had no idea.

Posted Wed Sep 14, 2011 8:46 pm
- Choose your Dice
  - d4
  - d6
  - d8
  - d10
  - d12
  - d20
  - d100
  - Help
  - Roll
  - Comment (Optional)
- Reply
- Quote

Bryan Jensen

(quixotequest)

United States
Layton
Utah

thequietpunk wrote:

My brother called me the Bob Ross of board games...

You need the 'fro to be a Bob Ross of anything.

Posted Wed Sep 14, 2011 10:00 pm
- Choose your Dice
  - d4
  - d6
  - d8
  - d10
  - d12
  - d20
  - d100
  - Help
  - Roll
  - Comment (Optional)
- Reply
- Quote

Chris Schenck

(cbs42)

United States
Dayton
Ohio

GO BUCKS!

Stop touching me!

ChaplainCassius wrote:

I watched this after a big lunch at work. I dare say that I had to stop. It bordered on hypnotic sleep therapy, as it was the most relaxing sounding game review I have ever watched. Im thinking of watching it tonight before bed instead of a Lunesta. Great review though, but so very, very relaxing.

Well, he is "thequietpunk" after all.

Edited Wed Sep 14, 2011 11:33 pm
Posted Wed Sep 14, 2011 11:33 pm
- Choose your Dice
  - d4
  - d6
  - d8
  - d10
  - d12
  - d20
  - d100
  - Help
  - Roll
  - Comment (Optional)
- Reply
- Quote

Mark Oppenheim

(markoppenheim)

United Kingdom

Berkshire

domcrap wrote:

..Thanks for reminding me that one of the reasons I bought my iPad was to get Small World!

My wife bought our iPad, but my encouragement was largely based on Small World, and it was our first purchase. Seems like a bit of a pattern around here :-)

Posted Thu Sep 15, 2011 9:43 am
- Choose your Dice
  - d4
  - d6
  - d8
  - d10
  - d12
  - d20
  - d100
  - Help
  - Roll
  - Comment (Optional)
- Reply
- Quote

Vlaada Chvatil

(Vlaada)

Czech Republic
Brno

paulofcthulhu2 wrote:

What could it do now that it doesn't (aside from some of the other enhancements already listed)?

For me, the answer is clear: Achievements in Solo game (against the AI).

Win a game. Win 10 games. Win 5 games in a row. Score 3000 points during your games. Defeat 100 enemies during your games. Win a game using a single race. Win a game by 50 points. Score 125 points in a game. Score 18 points in a single turn. Make your oponent to score 0 points on his turn. Control all forests on the map with Forest ability on your turn. Have 20 Skeletons on the map. Have 6 fortresses on the map. Conquer 8 territories in a single turn. Control all 3 water territories at the end of the game. Convert 3 oponent tokens with Sorcerers during one game. Etc.

Easy to come with dozens of more. Very simple to implement them, and they add to replayability nicely. At least for those like me

Unfortunately, most of iPad boardgames just ignore this. If any of my game will be ever implemented, I will try to insist it has Achievements

Posted Thu Sep 15, 2011 12:09 pm
- Choose your Dice
  - d4
  - d6
  - d8
  - d10
  - d12
  - d20
  - d100
  - Help
  - Roll
  - Comment (Optional)
- Reply
- Quote

Brad Cummings

(thequietpunk)

United States

Connecticut

SJack wrote:

I'm impressed that you did all this on an iphone and ipad. did you film with the iphone? how did you prop the iphone while filming?

I shot with the iPhone just because if its size. I used the Glif tripod mount and just a standard tripod ( www.theglif.com). It is really cool and I saw it back on kickstarter. Basically it is just a well designed piece of rubber that will hold your phone in place and can mount on a standard tripod.

Posted Thu Sep 15, 2011 12:13 pm
- Choose your Dice
  - d4
  - d6
  - d8
  - d10
  - d12
  - d20
  - d100
  - Help
  - Roll
  - Comment (Optional)
- Reply
- Quote

Łukasz Łazarecki

(b005t3r)

Poland

thequietpunk wrote:

ChaplainCassius wrote:

I watched this after a big lunch at work. I dare say that I had to stop. It bordered on hypnotic sleep therapy, as it was the most relaxing sounding game review I have ever watched. Im thinking of watching it tonight before bed instead of a Lunesta. Great review though, but so very, very relaxing.

Hahaha. I will try to be more energetic in the future. I guess it is just my personality.

My brother called me the Bob Ross of board games...

Don't change that, Brad. Let it be your trade mark (and like Bryan mentioned - grow the 'fro)

Posted Thu Sep 15, 2011 5:50 pm
- Choose your Dice
  - d4
  - d6
  - d8
  - d10
  - d12
  - d20
  - d100
  - Help
  - Roll
  - Comment (Optional)
- Reply
- Quote

Ron Bahimi

(Bahimiron)

United States
Brookline
Massachusetts

Quote:

I was wondering if you could exand on your statement, "The app has begun to show its age and lacks many of the features we have come to expect from 'modern' iOS board games."

For me a lot of it comes down to the tutorial and help available while playing the game. Two excellent games when it comes to tutorial are Ascension and Puerto Rico. Ascension walks you through your first game, suggesting purchases and explaining why you'd want to make those purchases and, in so doing, educates the player on the synergies available to a more advanced Ascension player. Puerto Rico has an excellent tutorial that runs you through the turn structure as well as jobs, victory methods, what everything does, etc. But on top of that when you start your first real game there are also helpful pop ups that offer suggestions on what to do, explain certain aspects of the game and that sort of thing. And if you turn all of that off, Puerto Rico has the unbelievably awesome feature of being able to drag a question mark to any part of the screen to get a full explanation.

Small World runs you through one turn of the game, then sets you loose to die with nary a suggestion on why you'd want to do certain things (such as go into decline, or how you pick where to invade, or why certain combos work well at certain times, or ANYTHING) or advice on how to actually get better at the game.

Still, Small World's certainly better that way than, say, Ghost Stories. Zero tutorial and if you want an explanation of something feel free to flip through 30 pages of game manual, helpfully included.

Edited Thu Sep 15, 2011 8:13 pm
Posted Thu Sep 15, 2011 8:13 pm
- Choose your Dice
  - d4
  - d6
  - d8
  - d10
  - d12
  - d20
  - d100
  - Help
  - Roll
  - Comment (Optional)
- Reply
- Quote

Seth Baur

(twotwozombie)

United States
Cincinnati
Ohio

Bahimiron wrote:

Small World runs you through one turn of the game, then sets you loose to die with nary a suggestion on why you'd want to do certain things (such as go into decline, or how you pick where to invade, or why certain combos work well at certain times, or ANYTHING) or advice on how to actually get better at the game.

Agreed. I love this game, but the tutorial was terrible! I played it over and over, losing each time. It wasn't until someone taught me to play at Gen Con that I could actually appreciate this game.

Posted Fri Sep 16, 2011 1:41 am
- Choose your Dice
  - d4
  - d6
  - d8
  - d10
  - d12
  - d20
  - d100
  - Help
  - Roll
  - Comment (Optional)
- Reply
- Quote

Ron Bahimi

(Bahimiron)

United States
Brookline
Massachusetts

twotwozombie wrote:

Agreed. I love this game, but the tutorial was terrible! I played it over and over, losing each time. It wasn't until someone taught me to play at Gen Con that I could actually appreciate this game.

Exactly. I was able to teach my wife to play Puerto Rico and Through the Desert thanks to the tutorials those games offered. Heck, she's even demanded we pick up Ascension. No chance with Small World, though. The app is packed with ads for the boardgame, but the tutorial is their #1 best chance to sell their boardgame to a prospective player. If they can't get across an idea of what the game's all about, it's all over.

Posted Fri Sep 16, 2011 3:29 am
- Choose your Dice
  - d4
  - d6
  - d8
  - d10
  - d12
  - d20
  - d100
  - Help
  - Roll
  - Comment (Optional)
- Reply
- Quote

John Reiners

(everlong205)

United States
New York
New York

agree about the tutorial. And I've played small world once or twice. Will have to go back to the original game to get all the nuances and then play this version right after. And what's with only to be able to play two player?
Not cool at all.

It's still a good implementation of the game, it just could be great. Like Ticket To Ride. That one gets everything perfect. Days of Wonder should check out their other game for some pointers.

Posted Sat Sep 17, 2011 4:18 am
- Choose your Dice
  - d4
  - d6
  - d8
  - d10
  - d12
  - d20
  - d100
  - Help
  - Roll
  - Comment (Optional)
- Reply
- Quote

John Reiners

(everlong205)

United States
New York
New York

plus the squirrel in the pocket.
And remember, there are no mistakes, only happy accidents.

Posted Sat Sep 17, 2011 4:28 am
- Choose your Dice
  - d4
  - d6
  - d8
  - d10
  - d12
  - d20
  - d100
  - Help
  - Roll
  - Comment (Optional)
- Reply
- Quote

Brett

(pratchettfan777)

United States
Oakland
Michigan

I agree - still no multiplayer devil

I have all the expansions.

Posted Sun Sep 18, 2011 11:59 pm
- Choose your Dice
  - d4
  - d6
  - d8
  - d10
  - d12
  - d20
  - d100
  - Help
  - Roll
  - Comment (Optional)
- Reply
- Quote

prashant Maheshwari

(prashantmaheshwari)

India
Mumbai
Mahrashtra

Tutorial for this absolutely terrible. I got this game way back in February , never understood what's going on when I tried again in Aug after seeing a youtube tutorial .

I thought that there was a bug in dice as it would come empty blush

, until I came to know it's a feature

I still get my arse whipped by the AI though

Posted Mon Sep 19, 2011 8:39 am
- Choose your Dice
  - d4
  - d6
  - d8
  - d10
  - d12
  - d20
  - d100
  - Help
  - Roll
  - Comment (Optional)
- Reply
- Quote

Rick Wilson

(EasyPickens)

United States
Chantilly
Virginia

For some great strategy tips check out the board game entry. The videos and forum will have a lot of good tips.

The big key to remember is that you aren't trying to control the board, just score the most victory points. Spread and take as many spaces as possible (especially ones that give you a bonus) and score lots of points.

Don't worry about the next player trying to clear you off the board.

Also don't hold onto a race too long, usually I will run 3 races each game (Sometimes I use 4).

Keep at it, the game is really fun!