AppStore is a wonderful place.
For the first time, I've actually made some money out of my games!!
Well done, Apple, on creating a wonderful ecosystem for indie devs.

...
But there are niggling issues..
The number one issue is that I can't reply when I really REALLY want to.

What follows is a reply..
-=-=-


A review of SpikeDislike2, available in the AppStore

Hello Dr Lemon. I hope that's how your name is spelt. Perhaps you're more of a D.R.Lemon, I'm merely assuming your status as a Doctor.
I can't tell for sure.

I'm sorry that you're upset by my sequel.
I can tell that you're very upset because you've reposted and updated this review over the past few days. Each day I log in, and there you are again, up at the top.
I can see you! o hello o/
Unfortunately, Apple doesn't give us an easy way to reply to you.
This is REALLY annoying..
But I've decided to reply, right here, on my blog.
Once I'm done waffling on, endlessly, I'll tweet about it, and get people to retweet it, and with any luck, you may very well end up hearing about it.

I hope you do, because I really want to reply to you!

At the heart of the problem is GameCenter.
When I first started writing SpikeDislike, I went with Options.. The game had so many different possible rules that it felt only right to give those options to the player.
The first release contained the following.
3 Speeds
3 Difficulties
3 Paths
That's 3x3x3.. 27 possible sets of gameplay, each with its own little highscore.
In fact, I planned WAY ahead, and SpikeDislike can actually hold enough data for up to 4096 combinations of gameplay settings!

Then I went to add GameCenter.
Apple allows developers to create up to 25 highscore tables per game.
You can imagine my horror when I realised that even the basic SpikeDislike release wouldn't actually fit into GameCenter.
As I added more options into the game, and it all spiralled out of control, I was inevitably left with the only remaining option..
Instead of integrating GameCenter nicely, it'd have to be "the other mode", and that's why it has it's own silly menu, in the original.
It wasn't the way it was meant to be.
It was meant to be nicer..

And I started having all these great new gameplay ideas, but was scared to add them because they'd break the rules I'd already laid out.
The menu was getting too big, the GameCenter layout was a mess.

Eugh...

When I first started thinking about SpikeDislike2, I decided to do it backwards..
I've started with GameCenter. That's the focal point this time.
Watching people clambering for the highscores, as Charlie reaches all new dizzying heights, has been great fun!
I've also allowed myself more options, by making the themes actually DO something, this time, rather than just being bog standard spritesheets that load and then do nothing.
That Zero-G mode, for starters, is finally an actual playable thing, this time around! It feels more integrated.

Now it's true, and I'll happily admit it.. It's not as customisable.
I know that.
But you're just going to have to trust me on this.. It WILL get better.
Right now I'm still working on adding more game modes, with themes and things. I'm up to 9 in the first release, and can have up to 25 for GameCenter. Lots to add!
Once I'm done with all that, and can no longer add extra juicy GameCenter stuff, then it's time to think outside the box.

Having all those gameplay modes, and themes, and options in the engine, ready to use..
.. That'd make for a fantastic menu, right?
And without worrying about upsetting GameCenter, I can go nuts with scoring methods. I can tweak things like crazy!!

.. But that all comes later. Because, honestly, I HATE making menus!! For now I'm going to keep bolting stuff onto the menu that I've already got.
I've already spent a bit of time this week having to add a new menu to the game for the next release, due to a stupid new idea I had, and that's enough menu stuff for this week!!

Now, onto your secondary complaints!!!
First up, you complain about "adding" a shooter mechanic.
I can see where you're coming from, but you're absolutely wrong!!
SpikeDislike iOS is actually a remake of Super Spike Dislike. (I was so lazy that I couldn't be bothered redrawing the logo. That's why it still says "SUPER!" on the logo!)
Super Spike Dislike is a Windows game I made in January 2011. It has the gun. The gun was in the game BEFORE SpikeDislike iOS.
Then, when I made the iOS version, I couldn't be bothered putting the gun back in, nor could I be bothered blanking out the word Super from the logo.
This time I put the gun back in, and suitably called the mode "Super SpikeDislike" in honour of this fact.

I also redrew the Super in the logo, just to annoy all the people who had previously complained about it being there!!

Lastly, you ask for a rebuild/update of the original.
Eeeee... That one's tricky.
There's a couple of options.
First, I could rebuild with the new engine, but if I did that.. Well, for starters, you would lose all your scores, all the old scores would be "wrong", and everyone would have to start all over again. BIG reset switch. Nasty!!

Option Two is to knuckle down and fix the old one. There's a bunch of stuff to fix, and the game wouldn't work on iPad retina, or fit on iPhone 5 wide displays..
I actually tried this a couple of months ago.. Couldn't figure it out.. Decided against it. Wasn't worth the hassle.
Also, option two wouldn't fix the framerate. The lovely smooth framerate is an advantage brought about by changing programming languages.. But like I said, it has it's own issues, and would require the reset switch being pulled.

As much as it pains me to say.. I can no longer update SpikeDislike 1, without breaking it.
If I leave it, it stays "unbroken" and playable. I'd rather do that.
It means there's always the choice. The old or the new.

I know the new isn't "all that" just yet, but I'm just getting started.
This is release one.
There's 9/25 gameplay modes done.
To suggest that this is all there is, is sheer lunacy!
Of COURSE there'll be more!
You just need to give me some time to get everything together.

I'm a sole developer. I'm doing this all myself, and I'm also simultaneously writing a brand new Windows/Android game every single week. It's a LOT of work, and sometimes it gets a little chaotic.
But I've managed to make a lot of progress, so far, and will continue to do so over the coming months.

Keep SpikeDislike2 on your iDevice, and you may be pleasantly surprised by what's coming up.

I hope you'll come to love the sequel as much as the original.

SpikeDislike2 is available in the AppStore