Joystiq

Tiny Tower mission pokes fun at Zynga and Dream Heights

David Hinkle — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 04:30:00 EST

Tiny Tower gets a new mission every Wednesday, and they're usually simple, themed tasks which players must complete for bonus Tower Bux, the game's currency. This week, a mission called "Beware of Dog" takes a shot at Zynga's clone, Dream Heights.

"After failing to buy your tower, a rival developer would like the following: 13,500 Tower Design (Architect Office) and 4,500 City Sim (Game Studio)." The icon for the individual awarding the mission is a little man dressed as a devil.

We took a screen shot of the "Beware of Dog" mission. You can see it in full past the break.

Continue reading Tiny Tower mission pokes fun at Zynga and Dream Heights

Tiny Tower mission pokes fun at Zynga and Dream Heights originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 23 Feb 2012 04:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Zynga's Dream Heights ready to build tiny towers on App Store

Alexander Sliwinski — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 17:00:00 EST

There's been plenty of controversy regarding the visual similarities between NimbleBit's popular Tiny Tower and Zynga's Dream Heights, but now the public can check out the full monty. Zynga announced that Dream Heights, which "surely isn't the first of many great games already in this category" according to the publisher, is now widely available. Zynga describes Dream Heights as the "most social" game of its kind, allowing players to invite their Facebook friends to the mobile title.

As of this writing there are two polar reviews:

1 star: "Simply awful and shameful attempt to capitalize on the success of Tiny Tower."

5 stars: "Dream Heights is beautiful, fun and polished. Another must-play from Zynga."

Check out Dream Heights and let us know what you think.

Gallery: NimbleBit Letter to Zynga

Zynga's Dream Heights ready to build tiny towers on App Store originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 13 Feb 2012 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tiny Tower builds up 10 million downloads

Alexander Sliwinski — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 09:00:00 EST

Nimblebit's Tiny Tower keeps building up, up, up! Developer Ian Marsh tweeted last night that the addictive tower management title had reached 10 million iOS downloads. The company previously mentioned it has a million daily active users. It can't hurt that the game doesn't cost anything, but that's still quite a few folks building up tiny office structures!

Tiny Tower, named Apple's 2011 iPhone Game of the Year, recently brought the fight to Zynga for its liberally inspired game Dream Heights. Whatever the legality is of such games, Apple is starting to take notice.

Gallery: NimbleBit Letter to Zynga

Tiny Tower builds up 10 million downloads originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 07 Feb 2012 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kill Screen on the legality of cloning game design

Richard Mitchell — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 14:00:00 EST

With the recent spate of cloned game stories -- namely those alleged to be the work of Zynga -- Kill Screen has put together an interesting article about the legality of the practice and its effects on the industry. In short, cloning an entire game and stealing its assets is illegal. However, cloning a game's ideas is not -- see Scrabble vs. Words with Friends -- and, while it can be morally repugnant, it can also be healthy for the industry.

Game designers "borrow" from one another all the time, taking mechanics from successful games and implementing them elsewhere -- think stealth, cover-based shooting, power meters, triple jumps. That said, outright cloning is still a problem, one Kill Screen asserts we can address with education and a few notes from the fashion industry. In other words, teach consumers how to tell the difference between a knock-off and the real thing.

Kill Screen on the legality of cloning game design originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 03 Feb 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tiny Tower dev wishes Zynga luck on clone

Alexander Sliwinski — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 10:50:00 EST

NimbleBit, the three-person indie team responsible for the iOS hit Tiny Tower, is voicing its displeasure with Zynga's Dream Heights via passive aggressive infographic. Posted by NimbleBit's Ian Marsh, the graphic wishes Zynga luck with its new iPhone game that shares more than a passing resemblance to Tiny Tower.

"We wanted to thank all you guys for being such big fans of our iPhone game of the year Tiny Tower," NimbleBit wrote to Zynga's 2,789 employees. "Good luck with your game, we are looking forward to inspiring you with our future games!"

Marsh does note that Zynga did try to acquire NimbleBit first, but seems to have decided on a different route. The iOS scene, with its shorter development cycles and lower barrier to entry, has seen numerous examples of games the blur the line between "inspiration" and blatant theft.

Gallery: NimbleBit Letter to Zynga

Tiny Tower dev wishes Zynga luck on clone originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 25 Jan 2012 10:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tiny Tower not so tiny, has one million daily users on iOS

David Hinkle — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 10:30:00 EST

The allure of building the perfect skyscraper is stronger than we initially thought. Tiny Tower developer Ian Marsh revealed via his Twitter account that the mobile darling currently has a million users stacking shops each day. And that figure doesn't even take Android into consideration!

Those million people are responsible for over ten million sessions of Tiny Tower each day, which sounds about right to us. We probably restock our pubs with chicken wings that many times a day alone.

Tiny Tower not so tiny, has one million daily users on iOS originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 08 Jan 2012 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2011 Holiday Buyers Guide: iOS

Ben Gilbert — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 19:00:00 EST

You'll forgive us, but we're banking on the concept of Aunt Eileen stuffing your stocking with iTunes gift cards rather than, say, a Zune Marketplace one. Perhaps that depends on if you've been naughty or nice? We're not quite sure how this holiday stuff works, but we're trying our best here.

Anyway, below the break we've compiled another year's worth of great games on both iPhone and iPad platforms that we hope you'll love as well. Even if you don't get those gift cards, these games should still be affordable -- even after buying all those presents. Good luck with the relatives!

Continue reading 2011 Holiday Buyers Guide: iOS

2011 Holiday Buyers Guide: iOS originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 09 Dec 2011 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Portabliss: Tiny Tower (iOS)

Justin McElroy — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 12:25:00 EST

Did you know that you can download handheld games now? That's amazingly convenient! The only inconvenient part of it is finding the right games to buy -- and that's where we come in. Three times a week, our new Portabliss column will tell you about a downloadable game on the iPhone, iPad, Android device, DSi, 3DS, PSP, etc. Today: Tiny Tower!

Tiny Tower is fundamentally vertical Farmville with retro styling, and I'm not embarrassed to say that I love it. Well, no, I am embarassed, but I was tasked with kicking off our new mobile feature, Portabliss, and this is what I'm playing. So here we are.

As the proprietor of an ever-growing tower, you'll choose which businesses to add to your skyscraper (depending on the desires of the "bitizens" that inhabit it). Then it's your job to watch over the businesses, keeping the shelves stocked and the stores staffed. As products are sold over time, you'll earn coins that can be applied to a new floor of your building and the terrifying cycle continues.

Continue reading Portabliss: Tiny Tower (iOS)

Portabliss: Tiny Tower (iOS) originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 11 Jul 2011 12:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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