2011 iOS Board Games Awards

Mike Collins

United Kingdom
Unspecified
Unspecified

No disagreements as regards those games I'm familiar with, except for one:

Ticket To Ride as 2nd best AI? Really? I'm no expert at the game, but I find it shockingly easy to beat on Europe and Switzerland (I tend not to play USA). I've even seen the AI achieve negative scores on Europe!

I'm definitely going to have to give Ascension a try...

Posted Mon Jan 23, 2012 1:03 pm
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Scott Slomiany

(ghostOfChristmas)

United States
Unspecified
Unspecified

Yep. The Ticket To Ride AI is really bad, I don't think I've lost a 4 player AI game yet. Granted, I know it's tough to implement decent AI, so I can't really fault TtR on that as much as complain that it's rated as 2nd best.

When did the Samurai app come out? That has pretty good AI.

Posted Mon Jan 23, 2012 1:11 pm
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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.

Samurai came out in 2010.

Posted Mon Jan 23, 2012 1:13 pm
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Jody Ludwick

(jody)

United States
South Bend
Indiana

My son is currently hooked on iOS Ascension, so much so, he's asked me to purchase a physical copy of the game (it's in-transit as I type). The iPad implementation is outstanding.

Posted Mon Jan 23, 2012 1:22 pm
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Hans Brouwer

(FreeHansje)

Netherlands
Utrecht

I am flabbergasted. What value is this award? To me little to none. It would have value to me if reasons were given on why these choices were made.
For the choices: I see Ascension several times and really, to me this is a rubbish game. Again, if reasons were given, then I would not mind and I could probably understand this nomination. But as it is? Useless.

Posted Mon Jan 23, 2012 1:25 pm
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The Galaxy is Just Packed!

(bryanwinter)

United States
Madison
Wisconsin

TtR came out in 2011? Huh.

Posted Mon Jan 23, 2012 1:33 pm
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Matt G

(gewsh)

Australia

FreeHansje wrote:

I am flabbergasted. What value is this award? To me little to none. It would have value to me if reasons were given on why these choices were made.
For the choices: I see Ascension several times and really, to me this is a rubbish game. Again, if reasons were given, then I would not mind and I could probably understand this nomination. But as it is? Useless.

Wow... Well, I appreciated you giving your thoughts on the best games Brad, as I know you've looked closely at all the iOS board game releases this year. From memory, most of these games you reviewed during the year, so more detail is available in those reviews. Looking forward to seeing what the readers' poll says.

Posted Mon Jan 23, 2012 1:33 pm
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Afian Anwar

(milnivek)

United States
Cambridge
Massachusetts

FreeHansje wrote:

I am flabbergasted. What value is this award? To me little to none. It would have value to me if reasons were given on why these choices were made.
For the choices: I see Ascension several times and really, to me this is a rubbish game. Again, if reasons were given, then I would not mind and I could probably understand this nomination. But as it is? Useless.

You ask for reasons as to why these choices were made, yet you give none for calling Ascension a rubbish game.

Just read any of the reviews of the Ascension iOS app (or better yet, try it) before spewing your random hatred in future please.

Posted Mon Jan 23, 2012 1:39 pm
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air sonist

(airsonist)

Germany

The first 3 categories are rather redundant. Either loose the first one or divide them in Universal/iPad/iPod Touch Apps, which would lead to more diversity in the winners.

Also I disagree with the AI runner-up for Ascension. The easy AI is just way too easy and the medium one mostly acquires cards with the best rune/honor ratio. A hard AI could change this.

Posted Mon Jan 23, 2012 1:46 pm
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(cannoneer)

United States
Danbury
Connecticut

FreeHansje wrote:

I am flabbergasted. What value is this award? To me little to none. It would have value to me if reasons were given on why these choices were made.
For the choices: I see Ascension several times and really, to me this is a rubbish game. Again, if reasons were given, then I would not mind and I could probably understand this nomination. But as it is? Useless.

I own the Ascension app and have played it fairly often, on and off for the past 3 or 4 months. It's definitely not a great game, but I do think it's a great implementation. There are very few things about the implementation itself that I would nit-pick on or change. The game itself is pretty pedestrian and boring to me with very little real choices that matter, but that's not the fault of the coders - they did a very nice job with the interface, as soon as you turn off the annoying cultist scream, that is

EDIT: oh, and I've played Hey that's My Fish more than any iOS app I own - that one would be my vote for best...probably in every category except for AI, which is kinda weak (though not as bad as I thought at first).

Edited Mon Jan 23, 2012 2:42 pm
Posted Mon Jan 23, 2012 2:39 pm
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Łukasz Łazarecki

(b005t3r)

Poland

I really used to like Ascension in the beginning. It was great, fast game with huge user base I could challenge online. But after 15-20 games there's nothing else but just making the same move all over again. In my opinion, too little replay value to be number one.

Posted Mon Jan 23, 2012 2:53 pm
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wot youlookinat

(5imon)

Agree with Hans here, and yes I have played Ascension.
It's a pretty limited game with little replay value and not much depth. It certainly can't hold a candle to games like Tigris, TTR, and even Neuroshima (all 2011 releases).
Was this compo sponsored, perchance?

Posted Mon Jan 23, 2012 3:06 pm
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Soylent Green

(SoylentRed)

United States

Minnesota

b005t3r wrote:

I really used to like Ascension in the beginning. It was great, fast game with huge user base I could challenge online. But after 15-20 games there's nothing else but just making the same move all over again. In my opinion, too little replay value to be number one.

Have you participated in the multiplayer tournaments here on BGG? That certainly adds some longevity to the game. For myself personally there isn't a board game I play on my iPad/iPhone more than a few weeks that doesn't have a multiplayer component - ultimately I can figure out the AI and it gets too easy... board games need humans! (however - that being said - I often will not buy a board game without an AI...)

Is there a better game with regards to supporting multiplayer and multiple games at the same time of asynch multiplayer?

Like it or not - Ascension has an excellent user interface - decent artificial intelligence - an extremely solid multiplayer setup - and a tutorial for new players that is certainly adequate - the only one that is truly close to the quality of this is Ticket to Ride in 2011 when you consider the full picture of what the community has really found it takes to be a complete release of a game. (AI, UI, Multiplay, tutorial.)

Posted Mon Jan 23, 2012 3:08 pm
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Nick Thomas

(Card)

Canada
Kitchener
Ontario

Ascension iOS is amazing. Easily my most played game on the ipad... Thanks for the list.

Posted Mon Jan 23, 2012 3:09 pm
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jersey dvd

(jerseydvd)

Chesapeake
Virginia

And not even a teeny section for Android.

Posted Mon Jan 23, 2012 3:24 pm
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Łukasz Łazarecki

(b005t3r)

Poland

SoylentRed wrote:

Is there a better game with regards to supporting multiplayer and multiple games at the same time of asynch multiplayer?

I think there isn't. But it does't change that much - every game of Ascension is almost exact copy of the previously played games. It's doesn't have anything to do with how good the implementation is, but game itself has just very little replay value.

Posted Mon Jan 23, 2012 3:30 pm
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David F

(WakeOfPoseidon)

United States
Asheville
North Carolina

Neuroshima Hex was actually released back in 2010 (September-ish I'm wanting to say). There was a Neuroshima Hex Puzzle game released in early 2011, but I wouldn't call it a brand new game - it just took the existing game and added a campaign/scenario mode. NH was one of the first great examples of how to bring a boardgame to a tablet/phone.

Regardless of what you think of Ascension as a game (I do happen to enjoy the light game play and mix of luck/tactics), the implementation of it on iOS is a top notch example of designing to strengths of a platform. It's not just simply duplicating the physical game electronically, but it actually enhances the experience without being too flashy. It plays quickly (which is perfect for on-the-go or casual play), has a great interface, good AI/Tutorial, and makes playing async/live games a breeze. It is a premiere example of how to design for the strengths of a platform.

Posted Mon Jan 23, 2012 3:36 pm
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Chad

(Utrecht)

United States
Unspecified
Unspecified

What would be helpful is either a quick description of the awards/how they were awarded.

For example, what the differance between iOS boardgame of the year and iPhone/iPad game of the year?

Posted Mon Jan 23, 2012 3:42 pm
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Nate Merchant

(Natus)

United States
New York
New York

Honestly, those who think Ascension is worth only 20 games before it becomes stale aren't getting the game, which is too bad. Even without the expansion, there's tons of depth there, and I don't even like Dominion-style games. I'm really astonished that anyone who's played this more than once think that moves don't matter; between good players, every move is crucial!

Of course, after my first 40+ games against the AI, I didn't think it would have the staying power it did, either...

Posted Mon Jan 23, 2012 3:44 pm
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Phil Miller

(PhilFromIT)

United States
Redford
Michigan

Natus wrote:

Honestly, those who think Ascension is worth only 20 games before it becomes stale aren't getting the game, which is too bad. Even without the expansion, there's tons of depth there, and I don't even like Dominion-style games. I'm really astonished that anyone who's played this more than once think that moves don't matter; between good players, every move is crucial!

Of course, after my first 40+ games against the AI, I didn't think it would have the staying power it did, either...

I couldn't agree more. You have to play at least 10+ games before you start to see card combinations that allow for deck cycling and optimization. The base game is amazing and I have just begun to explore "The Fallen" expansion. Probably my favorite game on the iPad right now.

Posted Mon Jan 23, 2012 4:18 pm
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James 3

(flamejuggler)

United States
Atlanta
Georgia

b005t3r wrote:

SoylentRed wrote:

Is there a better game with regards to supporting multiplayer and multiple games at the same time of asynch multiplayer?

I think there isn't. But it does't change that much - every game of Ascension is almost exact copy of the previously played games. It's doesn't have anything to do with how good the implementation is, but game itself has just very little replay value.

disagree on the replay value, ive played this hundreds of times now. clearly not to your liking, but there is more to this game than what you see in a dozen plays, as many others would agree with.

Posted Mon Jan 23, 2012 4:22 pm
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Soylent Green

(SoylentRed)

United States

Minnesota

5imon wrote:

Was this compo sponsored, perchance?

There was no sponsorship.

There were two surveys sent to a group of people here on BGG - first round was a nomination process - every game of 2011 was on a list - we each picked our top 5 from that list.

After that - the list was compiled into the top 5ish (some had a couple more where there were enough votes to warrant it as such.) But after the compilation of our top 5 - we all got a chance to then vote off that list.

Was a good format/method.

Posted Mon Jan 23, 2012 4:27 pm
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James Sutterlin

(propagandawarmachine)

United States

California

PhilFromIT wrote:

Natus wrote:

Honestly, those who think Ascension is worth only 20 games before it becomes stale aren't getting the game, which is too bad. Even without the expansion, there's tons of depth there, and I don't even like Dominion-style games. I'm really astonished that anyone who's played this more than once think that moves don't matter; between good players, every move is crucial!

Of course, after my first 40+ games against the AI, I didn't think it would have the staying power it did, either...

I couldn't agree more. You have to play at least 10+ games before you start to see card combinations that allow for deck cycling and optimization. The base game is amazing and I have just begun to explore "The Fallen" expansion. Probably my favorite game on the iPad right now.

Isn't that the truth. I thought I was owning people until I started paying attention to the end score and figured out that cards counted as honor too. I like Ascension way more than Dominion and will be buying the physical version too.

As a side note: I don't care if Neuroshima Hex came out in 2010 I bought it in 2011 and that games all sorts of booty!

Posted Mon Jan 23, 2012 4:46 pm
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David Neumann

(Neumannium)

United States
Milwaukee
Wisconsin

In life you have to do a lot of things you don't fucking want to do. Many times, that's what the fuck life is... one vile fucking task after another.

bryanwinter wrote:

TtR came out in 2011? Huh.

Yes, the iPad app was released in May of 2011.

Posted Mon Jan 23, 2012 4:47 pm
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Stefan Scheuermann

(Calmon70)

Germany

Puerto Rico won best AI???

Really sad how AI-developing is priorized when this one won

Puerto Rico AI isn't bad at all but has some serious problems. For example he never takes something like trader even with 8 gold on it (2/3 player game). He also understimate captain. I often can take him even I had produced (so not taken a full AI players turn)! A lot of other things the AI do is too-far-away-from-being-compative.

For me is by far the biggest problem with all this IOS boardgames!

The is only fun with a really good MP support like: (Carcasonne, Samurai, Ticket to Ride, etc.) OR something with challenging inbound single player mode (Ghost Stories, Forbidden Island). The rest is sadly just a waste of time. At least for expert-level gaming

Edited Mon Jan 23, 2012 5:07 pm
Posted Mon Jan 23, 2012 5:05 pm
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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.

Ascension is by far my most played board game app. It has great replay value and significant depth. That's why I vote for it. And yes, I own all of these games and have played each of them over 30 times (except Titan, which I have only played once).

Posted Mon Jan 23, 2012 5:13 pm
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Vytautas Kubilius

(Kubilius)

Lithuania
Vilnius

ascension - best interface/ graphics? It's one of the uggliest games... No doubt, it's good, but it's ugly as hell...

Posted Mon Jan 23, 2012 5:14 pm
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Matt Crawford

(gatchaman)

United States
San Francisco
California

5imon wrote:

Agree with Hans here, and yes I have played Ascension.
It's a pretty limited game with little replay value and not much depth. It certainly can't hold a candle to games like Tigris, TTR, and even Neuroshima (all 2011 releases).

Of the three I own (Ascension, Tigris, and Neuroshima), Ascension has given me far more replay value than the other two. Tigris (which is one of my favorite board games ever) just got stale, and Neuroshima just isn't my type of game, I think.

A lot of it does have to do with the platform. If I am going to play a game on the iPod, I don't want a deep, long, super-strategic game. That's great for sitting down face-to-face with others, which is why T&E is a great game. But if I have five minutes to kill, it just doesn't work.

Posted Mon Jan 23, 2012 5:17 pm
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Hans Brouwer

(FreeHansje)

Netherlands
Utrecht

milnivek wrote:

FreeHansje wrote:

I am flabbergasted. What value is this award? To me little to none. It would have value to me if reasons were given on why these choices were made.
For the choices: I see Ascension several times and really, to me this is a rubbish game. Again, if reasons were given, then I would not mind and I could probably understand this nomination. But as it is? Useless.

You ask for reasons as to why these choices were made, yet you give none for calling Ascension a rubbish game.

Just read any of the reviews of the Ascension iOS app (or better yet, try it) before spewing your random hatred in future please.

You clearly misunderstand the point: it is not about Ascension, it's about WHY Ascension was chosen nr.1 several times. Liking a game is highly subjective, hence why I would like to read some reasons.
I have read all Brad's reviews. I don't always agree with him, but he gives reasons why. Have you looked at the start of this topic? Let me remind you of it:

We at iOS Board Games have put together a panel of the some the most knowledgeable iOS minds on BGG to bring the iOS Board Games Awards for 2011.

I interpret this as: this is not just Brad's opinion(if at all), but the opinion of people deemed knowledgeable. Need I say more, or is it clear now?

On reasons given in this thread for why Ascension is such a good game: fine, I understand why you like it. But I usually do not judge a game on the smooth interface, or the code behind it, or the sophisticated AI or tutorial that comes with it. All these may be taken into consideration by me, but in the end it is simple a matter of taste and attraction. That is why I feel reasons for choosing a certain game are very important.

Edited Mon Jan 23, 2012 5:29 pm
Posted Mon Jan 23, 2012 5:28 pm
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suPUR DUEper

(TedW)

United States
Villa Hills
Kentucky

Many of the apps (Samurai and Neuroshima Hex) have really solid AI for two players but not so much for 3 or 4......

Edited Mon Jan 23, 2012 5:44 pm
Posted Mon Jan 23, 2012 5:44 pm
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V L

(Neo42)

United States

Virginia

KardCombat deserves some love. Was very addicting and AI was tough. And multiplayer worked well.

Posted Mon Jan 23, 2012 5:55 pm
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Josh Drobina

(joshnumbersbad)

United States
College Park
Maryland

This is an interesting list, thanks for sharing it.

The only comment I have would be that interface and graphic design are linked, but I'd like to see them in separate categories. The interface for Ascension is awesome, but I dislike the art and font choices and any number of things about the graphic design. Ticket to Ride has a fine interface, but much superior graphic design. This is of course just my opinion; I can see how category bloat could quickly become a problem.

Posted Mon Jan 23, 2012 6:02 pm
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Mr Woods

(digitalfun)

Canada

The trend to note is that pre-existing board game concepts. (ports) Tend do do really well on iOS.

Posted Mon Jan 23, 2012 6:55 pm
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Nick Thomas

(Card)

Canada
Kitchener
Ontario

FYI - "Dominion by Donald X. Vaccarino" just got released today for free.

Posted Mon Jan 23, 2012 7:09 pm
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John Gibson

(gedin)

Canada
Calgary
Alberta

During the Christmas break I visited my mother in Ottawa. We played a few games of Ticket to Ride Europe (boardgame), but she was disappointed that I did not have the USA map since she hadn’t had the chance to play it often. So then I showed her the TtR app on my iPad. We ended up playing all the different iOS versions probably close to 4 dozen times over the 7-day holiday. She would play the AI by herself up to one o’clock in the morning and start up again when she woke: she was really hooked. I think she beat the AI every time except once.

She wants to buy an iPad now but she’s scared that she too addicted to TtR… surprise

Posted Mon Jan 23, 2012 7:21 pm
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Łukasz Łazarecki

(b005t3r)

Poland

Card wrote:

FYI - "Dominion by Donald X. Vaccarino" just got released today for free.

Is somebody gonna be put to jail for this?

It's unofficial, uses official graphics and it really, really sucks. Sorry for OT, but this is huge.

Posted Mon Jan 23, 2012 7:25 pm
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The Gray Dog Passes Go

(CaptainCosmic)

United States
Reno
Nevada

Wow, I was really curious to see how my fellow voters would react, but I didn't think it would be to shower Ascension with so much love. I figured it for two awards, tops, and maybe just one. I thought T&E — which I personally haven't played a lot of — would clean up. Interesting.

And I just knew that the AI category would draw the most snide comments: "Game X has the best AI? Are you joking?!?! Morons!" The problem is that expert-level play is usually good enough to beat most iOS AI, as is brute-force repeated play of a much-loved title (even if the player isn't quite an expert). Most players, though, aren't experts at a given title and never will be, so a reasonably challenging AI is going to be good enough to get the job done and make a list like this one. There's no SNOWIE out there for iOS games; choosing the best AI is more of an exercise of trying to appreciate subtleties in a very crowded field.

Posted Mon Jan 23, 2012 7:27 pm
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ackmondual

(ackmondual)

United States

Virginia

Card wrote:

FYI - "Dominion by Donald X. Vaccarino" just got released today for free.

I haven't had a chance to DL yet... any1 know if this is just the base game (as the screenshots indicate)? If so, any news on expansions and promos?

Posted Mon Jan 23, 2012 7:32 pm
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Steve Duff

(UnknownParkerBrother)

Canada
Ottawa
Ontario

ackmondual wrote:

Card wrote:

FYI - "Dominion by Donald X. Vaccarino" just got released today for free.

I haven't had a chance to DL yet... any1 know if this is just the base game (as the screenshots indicate)? If so, any news on expansions and promos?

It's just the base game. I doubt there will be expansions, given that they only have until the official app is released before they have to pull it from the store.

I really don't get why folks say it sucks. It's got a great user interface, the official artwork (without permission yes, but it's there), it plays on a touch or iphone with everything visible (no constant scrolling), it's got a decent AI that gives a "normal" player such as myself a challenge, and it's got network play if you want to play humans.

For free.

How frickin' demanding are we to declare that sucks?

Posted Mon Jan 23, 2012 7:41 pm
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Joshua Coady

(joshaubry)

United States
Rohnert Park
California

b005t3r wrote:

Card wrote:

FYI - "Dominion by Donald X. Vaccarino" just got released today for free.

Is somebody gonna be put to jail for this?

It's unofficial, uses official graphics and it really, really sucks. Sorry for OT, but this is huge.

FWIW, Jay @ RGG posted this to the Dominion forums: http://www.boardgamegeek.com/article/8299657#8299657

So, seems like they are ok with it until the official version is out.

Posted Mon Jan 23, 2012 7:42 pm
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The Gray Dog Passes Go

(CaptainCosmic)

United States
Reno
Nevada

No, it doesn't suck at all. Yes, it's free. And, yes, this topic is already being discussed in at least three other locations at this site.

Let's please not make this another Dominion debate. It has nothing to do with the topic at hand.

Posted Mon Jan 23, 2012 7:45 pm
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ackmondual

(ackmondual)

United States

Virginia

I'm not surel if we're talking about the same thing here, but as even standard reviews go, even those are going to be biased and subjective. Some people talk about the games themselves, others how they translated to iOS in terms of gameplay, AI, interface, tutorial/instructions, etc.

I'll say I'm in the "love Ascension" camp... it plays quickly and has enough meaningful choicles for me. I give myself more challenge by playing 4p, as while 2p is also a blast, I've been winning quite alot, sometimes by no small margin.

I can see how others regard it as more shallow, but I simply don't see how TtR and T&E are any different..... in TtR, it's a long excercise of connecting your routes (preferrably 6-length ones) and drawing more tickets. For T&E, the gam'es nore complex, but I'm sure somenoe can shoehorn that into something repetitive as well.

Posted Mon Jan 23, 2012 7:45 pm
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V L

(Neo42)

United States

Virginia

Card wrote:

FYI - "Dominion by Donald X. Vaccarino" just got released today for free.

NOT official

edit: I am voting with my downloads and NOT downloading this unofficial version. I don't like how they did this too as it confuses things within a short time of the official release. RGG should at least request for them to rename it.

Edited Mon Jan 23, 2012 8:16 pm
Posted Mon Jan 23, 2012 8:12 pm
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John S

(PrinceHamlet)

United States
Newtown Square
Pennsylvania

These are all quality games, and I am thankful to developers for providing such variety in board games to iOS. Although I will also join many others in knocking Ascension for its lack of depth and sameness, even though it a well made app.

Mostly, I'd like to note remind users that glitzy graphics and animation do not equal a good game or even good usability. It's very common for people to look at the graphical polish and assume the game is outstanding. Sure Omens and Ascension look fancy, but are they any near as feature-rich or complex as the implementations of T&E, Ghost Stories, or Puerto Rico? There's a level of challenge those developers had to overcome that simpler games do not.

I'm not knocking graphical "wow". I'm a GUI/Usability guy by profess, so I love it when a developer captures the mood, layout and visual feel of a game perfectly. But I would like to see more award appreciation for the implementation challenge of porting a truly complex game well (AI, depth, usability, streamlined interaction, shortcuts, complex rules, online play, features, music, rules, tutorials, dense data on screen so I don't need to go elsewhere, etc.) Otherwise awards just go to a "pretty face", which is far too shallow.

Posted Mon Jan 23, 2012 8:36 pm
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V L

(Neo42)

United States

Virginia

Ascension is done VERY well. My only complaints with it are the game itself. But the expansion improved the game a lot for me.

Except: my friend doesn't get notified when it's his turn. Which is a bummer.

I get notified when he takes turns.

Posted Mon Jan 23, 2012 8:38 pm
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Ted Kim

(tedhkim)

United States
Torrance
California

any chance we can also do a category for best free game?

Posted Mon Jan 23, 2012 8:54 pm
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Ben Stanley

(Blue Steel)

United States
Pleasant Grove
Utah

You know what I would have really enjoyed reading would have been a little about each of the panel members who voted and their reasons(disclaimer: I was one of them).

I think Ghost Stories and Assassin's Creed Recollection should have both collected more awards, as they are two of my most played, though I love all the games that won things, too, and was a beta tester for some of them.

Assassin's Creed: Recollection just amazes me when I play. I marvel that such a game can even exist. And I have heard people complain about the costs, but I paid a total of 99 cents and was able to complete the entire story mode and win every multiplayer game I have played without spending money for a single additional card (just the credits I earned in game for winning missions). I think the art, interface, cinematics, and epic value of that one is pretty incredible.

And I also cannot get enough of Ghost Stories. We play that one all the time. I just hope they add Guardhouse, White Moon, Black Secrets, and release a Ghost Stories Pocket for the iPhone one of these days!

I am happy to see Ascension sweep so many categories, as the developers are awesome and great, great people and I have sung the game's praises in various threads here, but I would have been happy to see Ghost Stories and Recollection get a little more credit, too.

Posted Mon Jan 23, 2012 8:56 pm
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Carlos Alves

(BGFreakDag2PT)

Portugal
Setubal
Setubal

I partially agree with the awards.

Ascension is the best deck building game on IOS and it's very well designed to fit on iphone. Before this game, there're more better card games for IOS but they are not the same type as ascension. So i agree with the title of:

iOS Board Game of the Year
Best Interface and Graphic Design
Best Online Multiplayer

As for Ticket to Ride, I would again agree with the titles of:

iPhone/iPod Touch Board Game of the Year
Best Family Game App

Don't forget that you can't compare the real board game vs IOS, as the ios board games were made recently. The Real board games has been released a long time.

Posted Mon Jan 23, 2012 9:01 pm
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The Gray Dog Passes Go

(CaptainCosmic)

United States
Reno
Nevada

PrinceHamlet wrote:

These are all quality games, and I am thankful to developers for providing such variety in board games to iOS.

Yeah, you know who could have been voted "Luckiest Group of the Year"? iOS boardgame fans.

2011 was not only a great year for having many quality releases, but also a year in which I think the dialogue between developers and users really turned a corner and became more clarified.

There's no way the original version of Small World would fly in 2011, for instance — it would have been scorned and trashed mercilessly. The general consensus has been made clear: developers had best include at least two of the following three: AI/solo play, online multiplayer, and a solid tutorial. Thankfully, most new releases easily hit two of those, and many manage to check off all three. And we, as iOS boardgaming fans, reap the benefits.

Posted Mon Jan 23, 2012 9:02 pm
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The Gray Dog Passes Go

(CaptainCosmic)

United States
Reno
Nevada

Blue Steel wrote:

You know what I would have really enjoyed reading would have been a little about each of the panel members who voted and their reasons(disclaimer: I was one of them).

Yeah, I'd be down with this (disclaimer: I was one of them, too).

It could be that Brad and Gabe are worried about personality conflicts or that the dialogue will degenerate into squabbling ("I was a voter" ... "Yeah, well your choices sucked." ... "No they didn't! We picked awesome games!" ... "No, you're an idiot for not picking X and Y." ... that sort of thing). But, at the very least, I'm curious as to how many of us there were. If we don't reveal who everyone was, I could live with that.

Re: your Ascension comments ... even as a huge Ascension fan, I'd have to agree. I'm stunned by how well it did in the voting. I figured it might even pick up some anti-votes, since it's a game that seems to generate a little bit of backlash. But, hey, maybe this sort of thing will encourage the Garys to release the Storm of Souls IAP that much quicker.

Posted Mon Jan 23, 2012 9:23 pm
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Nick Thomas

(Card)

Canada
Kitchener
Ontario

Blue Steel wrote:

You know what I would have really enjoyed reading would have been a little about each of the panel members who voted and their reasons(disclaimer: I was one of them).

I second this. And Ghost Stories and Assassin's Creed Recollection just jumped to the top of my want list after reading your response.

Edited Mon Jan 23, 2012 9:29 pm
Posted Mon Jan 23, 2012 9:29 pm
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The Gray Dog Passes Go

(CaptainCosmic)

United States
Reno
Nevada

Synarus wrote:

... the current non-official dominion app ...

Released in 2012.

The nominations list had a couple of "murky" titles, for sure. I don't think that was the issue; the real issue is that it was a huge list. It took a really solid game to break into the final five.

Posted Mon Jan 23, 2012 10:09 pm
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Michael Black

(ptdnet)

United States
Brooklyn
New York

You screwed up the Game of the Year pick. Feel free to try again though.

Posted Mon Jan 23, 2012 10:37 pm
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Crunc is

(crunc)

United States

Maryland

Ascension is my iOS board game of the year, but I agree that the article itself isn't exactly a winner, other than that it creates a discussion. I also have to wonder why Disc Drivin' is included at all. It's not even remotely a board game. It is, in fact, probably my overall iOS game of the year and, along with Ascension, my most played iOS game, but it's not a board game. ???

Posted Tue Jan 24, 2012 12:45 am
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ackmondual

(ackmondual)

United States

Virginia

I do hope that comments about graphics are not directed towards a board game's artowrk. Of course those have nothinlg to do with the developers nor the development team's art department, and were art ripped from the real-deal, physical board game.

.

UnknownParkerBrother wrote:

ackmondual wrote:

Card wrote:

FYI - "Dominion by Donald X. Vaccarino" just got released today for free.

I haven't had a chance to DL yet... any1 know if this is just the base game (as the screenshots indicate)? If so, any news on expansions and promos?

It's just the base game. I doubt there will be expansions, given that they only have until the official app is released before they have to pull it from the store.

I really don't get why folks say it sucks. It's got a great user interface, the official artwork (without permission yes, but it's there), it plays on a touch or iphone with everything visible (no constant scrolling), it's got a decent AI that gives a "normal" player such as myself a challenge, and it's got network play if you want to play humans.

For free.

How frickin' demanding are we to declare that sucks?

Didn't bother to check whetherl or not if it was official. As someone who likels to play board games on iOSL b/c it can be difficult to play them IRL, expansions are even more difficult to squeeze in. I'm curious now... I'll have to hunt down the forums where people claimed this implentation "sucked". THe sadistic side of me beckons

Posted Tue Jan 24, 2012 12:51 am
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Ryan Full

(miyu)

United States
Vienna
West Virginia

Blue Steel wrote:

You know what I would have really enjoyed reading would have been a little about each of the panel members who voted and their reasons(disclaimer: I was one of them).

I think Ghost Stories and Assassin's Creed Recollection should have both collected more awards, as they are two of my most played, though I love all the games that won things, too, and was a beta tester for some of them.

Assassin's Creed: Recollection just amazes me when I play. I marvel that such a game can even exist. And I have heard people complain about the costs, but I paid a total of 99 cents and was able to complete the entire story mode and win every multiplayer game I have played without spending money for a single additional card (just the credits I earned in game for winning missions). I think the art, interface, cinematics, and epic value of that one is pretty incredible.

And I also cannot get enough of Ghost Stories. We play that one all the time. I just hope they add Guardhouse, White Moon, Black Secrets, and release a Ghost Stories Pocket for the iPhone one of these days!

I am happy to see Ascension sweep so many categories, as the developers are awesome and great, great people and I have sung the game's praises in various threads here, but I would have been happy to see Ghost Stories and Recollection get a little more credit, too.

I was also a voter on the panel. I really debated Assassin's Creed but I had a hard time voting for it in any other category than art style. The game is beautiful and when you can find a match it plays wonderfully. It is really fun. Until you lose money on an IAP and have to contact iTunes for a refund.

In short I loved the game and really wanted to vote for it in a couple categories... but it was launched somewhat broken imo. Also the multiplayer is very hit or miss now. At this point when I jump into a random game it seems like I am playing against the most hardcore. Not only that but for the past 7 or 8 games I have played against essentially the same exact deck. Sometimes I win and sometimes I lose against it - it purely depends on the luck of my draw versus theirs. That bugs me a little.

When more single player content hits I will be excited.

Posted Tue Jan 24, 2012 1:12 am
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The Gray Dog Passes Go

(CaptainCosmic)

United States
Reno
Nevada

crunc wrote:

I also have to wonder why Disc Drivin' is included at all.

Pitch Car.

Posted Tue Jan 24, 2012 1:14 am
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Crunc is

(crunc)

United States

Maryland

CaptainCosmic wrote:

crunc wrote:

I also have to wonder why Disc Drivin' is included at all.

Pitch Car.

Woah! I stand corrected! And that's awesome! Going to have to consider getting that.

Posted Tue Jan 24, 2012 1:18 am
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The Gray Dog Passes Go

(CaptainCosmic)

United States
Reno
Nevada

crunc wrote:

Going to have to consider getting that.

LOL, just keep in mind there's some weird-ass, physics-defying moves that Disc Drivin' lets players get away with that probably aren't going to work as well when the gravity is turned on in the real world.

(But, yes: definitely worth looking at).

Posted Tue Jan 24, 2012 1:23 am
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The Gray Dog Passes Go

(CaptainCosmic)

United States
Reno
Nevada

miyu wrote:

I really debated Assassin's Creed but I had a hard time voting for it in any other category than art style.

Same here. I gave it some votes in the initial nomination stage, but only voted for it in the "art direction" category on the final ballot.

Based strictly on the single-player campaign, it's a fabulous game. But I'm less thrilled with it when the specter of card-purchasing rears its ugly head, and there's no doubt at all that the multiplayer environment has gone completely meta. If you visit a site like Touch Arcade — where AC's audience really is — you'll just see page after page of killer decks and combos. No one is even discussing the game any longer; it's just killer decks. That sort of metagame eliminates any possibility of "Game of the Year" consideration — for me, at least.

That said, I was happy to vote for it in the graphics/interface category. It's a gorgeous game. The other day, I opened it up just to look at it.

Posted Tue Jan 24, 2012 1:33 am
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Ryan Full

(miyu)

United States
Vienna
West Virginia

crunc wrote:

Woah! I stand corrected! And that's awesome! Going to have to consider getting that.

There is also Pitch Car Mini. No speed boosts, ghost abilities, or hopping are included.

Also, what's up Crunc!

As for Kard Combat. I enjoy the game but it seems like all my multiplayer opponents dried up overnight. I used to have a handful of games always going and then boom. No competition. Is there much of an online for it anymore? Also, the whole "harass people via email to unlock new cards" aggravates me every single time I boot up the game.

Posted Tue Jan 24, 2012 1:36 am
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Kris Giesing

(kgiesing)

United States

California

Wow. I'm quite honored that Titan HD was chosen to be on this list. Looking forward to making it even better in 2012!

Best,

- Kris

Posted Tue Jan 24, 2012 7:09 am
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Sebastian Szczepaniak

(jingowawa)

Poland
Warsaw

Buahahaha, "Best Artificial Intelligence" for Puerto Rico HD...what a joke...

Posted Tue Jan 24, 2012 8:29 am
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Peter Enzerink

(placid)

Australia
Canberra
ACT

joshnumbersbad wrote:

This is an interesting list, thanks for sharing it.

The only comment I have would be that interface and graphic design are linked, but I'd like to see them in separate categories. The interface for Ascension is awesome, but I dislike the art and font choices and any number of things about the graphic design. Ticket to Ride has a fine interface, but much superior graphic design. This is of course just my opinion; I can see how category bloat could quickly become a problem.

I'm the opposite. The art is good considering the amount of info onscreen but some of the interface such as constructs is a bit clumsy.

Posted Tue Jan 24, 2012 10:47 am
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Peter Enzerink

(placid)

Australia
Canberra
ACT

So much bitching and moaning! The user voting lines up with the decisions so blame everyone (including me) for picking most of the winners.

For a first time awards with not that many entries there is a surprising amount of criticism re ui, ux, ai. This platform is rapidly emerging and I expect to see significant improvements in all these areas in the year ahead as developers get better at their craft. In the meantime I've played far more virtual board games than physical games over he last few months and will probably pick up some new physical games at CANCON this weekend based on their virtual counterparts.

Posted Tue Jan 24, 2012 10:55 am
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Ant Parker

(anton70)

Australia
Melbourne
Vic

Here Here. Kard Combat in my opinion is a highly under rated game.
While not heavy in strategy, definately as approachable as Ascension. Also Shadowera is pretty good as well.

BTW: I love the artwork in Ascension! Very original style.

Posted Tue Jan 24, 2012 11:09 am
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The Gray Dog Passes Go

(CaptainCosmic)

United States
Reno
Nevada

Love it or hate it, I've always defended Ascension's artwork for fitting the theme and the overall "feel" of the game very well. The game and the art look like they should go together.

Posted Tue Jan 24, 2012 5:22 pm
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M C

(craniac)

United States
Orem
Utah

I don't know why Tigris and Euphrates for the iPad isn't getting more love.

Posted Wed Jan 25, 2012 1:24 am
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Jamie Pollock

(Jambo)

Scotland
Edinburgh

craniac wrote:

I don't know why Tigris and Euphrates for the iPad isn't getting more love.

It is good, but it's in need of some TLC...

1. To improve the stability of the online. Many games just aren't finisning or get stuck.

2. The AI's predictable and easy to beat. Given I've played nearly 4000 games here, that's maybe an unfair assessment.

3. It could do with the full Mayfair expansion kit!

4. It could do with online chat.

5. It could with a fair ELO rating system, one that doesn't count offline with online games.

Posted Wed Jan 25, 2012 1:23 pm
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Jamie Pollock

(Jambo)

Scotland
Edinburgh

miyu wrote:

crunc wrote:

Woah! I stand corrected! And that's awesome! Going to have to consider getting that.

There is also Pitch Car Mini. No speed boosts, ghost abilities, or hopping are included.

Also, what's up Crunc!

As for Kard Combat. I enjoy the game but it seems like all my multiplayer opponents dried up overnight. I used to have a handful of games always going and then boom. No competition. Is there much of an online for it anymore? Also, the whole "harass people via email to unlock new cards" aggravates me every single time I boot up the game.

Kard Combat is a much underrated game. Currently it's my top choice.

Just harrass your own email for the unlocks!

i've not had any issues getting an online game, but add me Jambo75 if you want to play.

Posted Wed Jan 25, 2012 1:26 pm
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Lawrence Hung

(Lawrence Hung)

Hong-Kong
Wan Chai
Hong Kong

anton70 wrote:

Here Here. Kard Combat in my opinion is a highly under rated game.
While not heavy in strategy, definately as approachable as Ascension. Also Shadowera is pretty good as well.

BTW: I love the artwork in Ascension! Very original style.

Right! I played Kard Combat non-stop and over a hundred games I believe I have played until now and going strong. The master level difficulty is the toughest AI I have ever seen in a single random duel! I have conquered 2 towers only so far. The final AI opponent in the tower is a monster to beat with some heavy advantage in the number of life points (he's 120 and you are 75 or so). meeple

Edited Thu Jan 26, 2012 12:51 am
Posted Thu Jan 26, 2012 12:48 am
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Matt G

(gewsh)

Australia

Jambo wrote:

craniac wrote:

I don't know why Tigris and Euphrates for the iPad isn't getting more love.

It is good, but it's in need of some TLC...

5. It could with a fair ELO rating system, one that doesn't count offline with online games.

You're just jealous that the ELO proves I'm better than you!

Posted Sat Jan 28, 2012 5:48 am
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Carl Enns

(syliconslycer)

Canada
Winnipeg
Manitoba

FreeHansje wrote:

I am flabbergasted. What value is this award? To me little to none. It would have value to me if reasons were given on why these choices were made.
For the choices: I see Ascension several times and really, to me this is a rubbish game. Again, if reasons were given, then I would not mind and I could probably understand this nomination. But as it is? Useless.

I don't have an iPad but to me it looks like there were basically only two games released for iPad this year, Ascension and Ticket to Ride.

Posted Mon Jan 30, 2012 4:40 am
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ackmondual

(ackmondual)

United States

Virginia

syliconslycer wrote:

FreeHansje wrote:

I am flabbergasted. What value is this award? To me little to none. It would have value to me if reasons were given on why these choices were made.
For the choices: I see Ascension several times and really, to me this is a rubbish game. Again, if reasons were given, then I would not mind and I could probably understand this nomination. But as it is? Useless.

I don't have an iPad but to me it looks like there were basically only two games released for iPad this year, Ascension and Ticket to Ride.

Personally, I wouldnt' count Ascension since it's also for IpT. The only Ipad exclusives I can recall are: Ghost Stories, Forbidden Island, and TtR (the Ipad version's different since there are IAP for 1910, Europe, and Swiss)

Posted Mon Jan 30, 2012 5:11 am
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Jeremy Burke

(jburke98)

United States
Kokomo
Indiana

I don't know what games came out in what years, but I played Ascension pretty regularly for two weeks, to see what all the hype at GenCon was about. It was fun, but after those two weeks, I never picked it up again. Above all else, the card art is UUUUUUUUUUUUGLY!!!!! I also found that what cards were "best for me" was pretty cut & dried.

Neuroshima Hex is a far, far better game. The AI is far better and all the pieces are useful at different times. It may not be a 2011 release, though. :shrug:

Edited Wed Feb 8, 2012 1:19 am
Posted Wed Feb 8, 2012 1:17 am
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Russell Lamb

(jahbreeze)

United States

New York

I agree ascension and ticket to ride are good games well implemented in iOs.the fact that they sweep nearly every award is not surprising but is not helpful for trying to identify new games that I may have overlooked.

I think more runner up positions should be added. Were any other games voted for?

Posted Wed Feb 29, 2012 1:15 pm
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