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Gear Games Rant: Avadon for iPad Released – 10 Reasons the PC RPG Zealots are Wrong

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Gear Games Rant: Avadon for iPad Released - 10 Reasons the PC RPG Zealots are Wrong

This week we get Avadon: The Black Fortress from Spiderweb Software on the iPad in the iTunes App Store. I have already gushed about the Mac and PC versions of the game, and will have my full review (hint: it is also gushing) of the iPad version this week.

Almost immediately the forums of traditional computer role-playing games – in theory the biggest supporters of an ‘old school’ developer like Spiderweb – exploded with loads of vitriol. It came from all directions – and it is pretty much all wrong-headed. Rather than celebrating one of the few advocates of traditional role-playing games on the PC who has stuck by the platform while most developers have abandoned it or changed their games into generic multiplatform action-adventures (e.g. Bioware), those forum members are unleashing their rage on Avadon, Spiderweb and Jeff Vogel.

One important thing – almost none of this has anything to do with the actual game.

So I figured I would take a moment and explain why they are wrong:

But there are also some good points being made:

Actually, that is about the only point that really makes sense.

Jeff Vogel actually addressed some of this stuff personally on his own forums, saying:

Ever with the lower price, it is still one of the most expensive games for the iPad by a fair margin. We are charging pretty much the highest price for the game we reasonably can, in part to keep from annoying other users.

Someone there was terribly affronted, and another user said that if you feel such an injustice you should just write and ask for a refund. Vogel addressed that as well:

Finally, I think that asking for a refund for a game that you purchased, played, and enjoyed and obtained at a fair price (and yes, $25 is a fair price for PC/Mac Avadon) is, well, it’s pretty shady at best. We will honor the commitments we made, but I like to think that our fans, annoyed or not, would not take advantage of a small indie developer in such a way.

In other words, a pretty slimy move.

I have written before about how some of the worst enemies to a developer like Vogel are actually the so-called fans of the genre; these are the ones who regularly decry the trend towards console action games instead of traditional games with great stories and deep character progression. These are the same folks out there saying that Jeff is deliberately saying ‘FU’ to loyal customers. To which I can only say ‘huh?’ …

But I want to end where I started – the good news! Spiderweb Software has released Avadon: The Black Fortress from Spiderweb Software on the iPad in the iTunes App Store for the price of $9.99. If you are looking for a traditional ‘old school’ PC-style RPG for your iPad, look no further. And as I said, I am finishing up my review of the game now … and will have it up in a few days.

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