Mobile Game Does Not Commute Sells Checkpoints In Paid Version

Conrad Zimmerman

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Dec 24, 2013
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Mobile Game Does Not Commute Sells Checkpoints In Paid Version

A free puzzle game of self-inflicted road rage.

I'm hooked on this new mobile release from Mediocre Game Studio, Does Not Commute. A combination of action and puzzle gameplay, the goal is to guide the various citizens of a town as they travel from one place to the next during the course of their day.

One after another, you maneuver vehicles across a cluster of city blocks, their routes recorded and replayed for each subsequent run. This makes the game's difficulty change, in part, based on your skill and foresight in planning how everyone moves across the level. On top of this, there is a time limit ticking down during all the action and the game forces you to take possibly more challenging routes to collect icons that increase the remaining time. And this is where Does Not Commute gets you.

Running out of time in the basic release of the app ends the game and forces you to start again from the very beginning, like a classic arcade game. By purchasing the premium version ($1.99 on App Store [https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mediocre.commute]), you have the option to instead restart play from the beginning of any stage.

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With all of the annoying ways that game developers often choose to monetize their games, whether it be the removal of annoying ads, limited free access to game content, or nickel-and-dime microtransactions, this is one of the most inoffensive options I've seen. Locking away checkpoints behind a pay wall is more like offering a convenience than fundamentally crippling the experience or creating arbitrary obstacles to be cleared with cash.

You can still complete the entirety of Does Not Commute in the free version if you're skilled and patient enough. It simply has to be accomplished in a straight run, the way games used to be.









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FoolKiller

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Feb 8, 2008
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I must admit, that I consider that to be quite clever. Although the question remains how long it takes to beat all of it. Is it a couple of hours or is it impossible to beat the campaign because its actually 10 hours long? And if that's the case, a couple of dollars is well worth the game.
 

Kajin

This Title Will Be Gone Soon
Apr 13, 2008
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Eh, I still kinda figure that someone is gonna whine and complain about this. People love to cry about gaming being ruined these days.
 

CpT_x_Killsteal

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Jun 21, 2012
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So it's got a free version, then a pay-one-time full version.

That's all people have ever wanted. Hope they release it for PC.
 

Roofstone

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May 13, 2010
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Well.. That is actually a neat game, so I want to buy it.

Installing it now to give it a shot. Clever way of handling a paywall.
 

Smooth Operator

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Oct 5, 2010
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Not so bad on a free game, but eventually some jackass will take this shit to full releases and you will be buying every single save game spot.
 

Simskiller

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Oct 13, 2010
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Smooth Operator said:
Not so bad on a free game, but eventually some jackass will take this shit to full releases and you will be buying every single save game spot.
Yeah, when I read the headline, I thought the checkpoints would be like, micro payments, and you would have to pay for every. single. checkpoint.
 

Hairless Mammoth

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Jan 23, 2013
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As long as it's a one time payment and there is a clear warning before a free to play game is started, this is kosher in my book.

But, I really hope the cash grabby devs don't get inspired to charge per checkpoint.
 

gigastar

Insert one-liner here.
Sep 13, 2010
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It wont catch on though.

It may be a good idea, it may be consumer friendly, but it wont catch the whales that provide a depressing majority of revenue for mobile games.
 

razer17

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Feb 3, 2009
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Okay, am I the only one who feels like this entire article was just an advert? From the starting line of " I've been hooked on this game", it just seems like it's extolling the virtues of the game, rather than being written like news.
 

Vanished

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Jul 5, 2014
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When google play first let you play angry birds and such on G+, I really enjoyed it. I figured I'd buy it when I got a new ipod touch so as to eliminate the adverts and such. Unfortunately they filled that sucker to the brim with their own adverts, microtransactions, etc. It had a completely different feeling then the G+ version I had loved and so after a few rounds I just removed it from my device altogether and refuse to give Rovio another dime. I just want to pay for a game and be able to enjoy it. This game doesn't appeal to me, but I do like their way of open up a feature after you pay once and then you've got it fully active.
 

Shodan1980

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Mar 29, 2010
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razer17 said:
Okay, am I the only one who feels like this entire article was just an advert? From the starting line of " I've been hooked on this game", it just seems like it's extolling the virtues of the game, rather than being written like news.
You're not Chie, it felt like it needed a "Sponsored" tag. I think it is genuinely just meant to be an article along the lines of "LOOK! Someone got a paywall right for once!", but because the correct paywall method has to be linked to a positive sounding game it sounds advert-y.
 

PH3NOmenon

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Oct 23, 2009
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This looks like a neat game concept and has a payment model which I fully endorse. I'mma but this and start plugging it to my friends.
 

Fasckira

Dice Tart
Oct 22, 2009
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Shodan1980 said:
razer17 said:
Okay, am I the only one who feels like this entire article was just an advert? From the starting line of " I've been hooked on this game", it just seems like it's extolling the virtues of the game, rather than being written like news.
You're not Chie, it felt like it needed a "Sponsored" tag. I think it is genuinely just meant to be an article along the lines of "LOOK! Someone got a paywall right for once!", but because the correct paywall method has to be linked to a positive sounding game it sounds advert-y.
Which is odd because I assumed the article at first was having a pop at paywalls going by the headline, which is why I was surprised to see the article take a different direction. It does quickly become an advert though...

...which led me to downloading it. Its a good little timesink game I guess!
 

shteev

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Oct 22, 2007
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I have never understood why some free to play games allow you to pay money for them to be less challenging.

But, you know, I can't really complain about it. I know some developers deliberately build into their games the ability for skilled players to play for free in order to build up a larger user base, and I'm happy to be one of those :)