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[Mod] It! is the first game I've made for the iPhone (and first app at that). It is a board game based on the physical version I made for uni in 2009 which featured:
- play for up to 4 people
- unique build-a-board style that allowed the players to customise the board every time they played
- unique gameplay mechanics centered around the manipulation of the board itself (and not just player tokens) to achieve victory
The core of the game involved players rolling 2 dice, moving a token, then taking an "action". The "actions" were removing a tile from the board, adding a tile to the board, and stacking tiles. Using these actions each turn, players must defend their own pieces while attempting to remove all tiles below other player's tokens to remove them from the game.
The winner was the last player with tokens still on the board.
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The iPhone version of [Mod] It! features all the same gameplay as the original board version, but it adds a few extras as well.
The first extra feature are built in tutorials. These are designed to teach players the flow of turns and the available actions they have.
There are 2 tutorials that cover all the possible actions to the player in a game of [Mod] It! with step by step instructions.
For first time players this is essential for learning how to play!
For those times when you just feel like having a quick game but have no one to play against, this is a big addition!
The iPhone version comes with the option to play against the computer in 1 of 3 difficulties. This way no matter where you are, you can always have a game of [Mod] It!
So [Mod] It! is a board game, therefore you should be able to play against other real people right?
The multiplayer mode allows up to 4 players to play against each other on their own devices provided they own the game! This means no swapping the phone back and forth between turns, and everyone can see everything that happens!
You can even share your own custom boards between friends this way! (more on this next)
Along with the bluetooth wireless multiplayer, [Mod] It! now features Pass'n'Play mode.
This allows up to 4 players to compete against each other using only 1 device (for those with friends who don't own an iPhone ;)).
After each player's turn, they pass the device to the next player, making for an easy way for everyone to enjoy the game!
One of the more interesting features of the iPhone version is the Board Editor.
With the original board version of [Mod] It! players created the board at the beginning of the game. Since that is a little tedious to do every time, the iPhone version comes with built in boards and the editor to create your own custom boards!
This is the exact same editor used to create the built in boards that come with the game, giving every owner of the game the ability to create their own boards to use when playing! This means if you get sick of playing on the built in boards, you can just make a new one.
Once you've made the board and saved it, you can play any Single Player or Multiplayer game with it. Friends can even have the board saved on their device for later use!
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The iPad version of the game includes all the same features as the iPhone version, but makes better use of the larger screen and allows for a clearer view of the board while playing.
The game is also a "universal app" meaning that there is only 1 version on the app store that works with both iPhone and iPad.
With the extra screen space, this mode very closely recreates the feel of the original board version of [Mod] It!
Up to 4 players can play on the one iPad, with all players being able to sit on different sides of the device without rotating it to have their turn!
When beginning, all players choose what side of the iPad they are sitting on, and when it is their turn, the device automatically rotates the display to allow them to play!
This way all players can see what is happening and all players get to use the bigger screen space to better see the action.
This is the mode for real board game fans!
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iPhone and iPad users: use 2 fingers to scroll sideways through screenshots.
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With v1.1 most of the features I wanted to have in the game are there...
The main thing that I would like to see that may happen is online play through the upcoming GameCenter.
This is very much based on demand, and while I would like to see it happen, making it so would require time and proof that it would be worth it.
At the moment [Mod] It! is where I'm happy with it. Potentially I may throw more boards in for people to play on, but that will be random when I have the time to give some more ;)
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The "How to Play" menu option on the main menu is a great place to start for those unfamiliar with how the game works. There are 2 tutorials that will walk you through the different actions that take place during the game.
It is hard to explain in short text in the game! During a game you double tap, but on the second tap instead of lifting your finger, you hold it on the screen. Sliding your finger up and down will now zoom the camera in and out until you let go.
On the menus there will be small arrows pointing up and/or down if there are more options to see. Slide your finger up or down the screen to scroll the menu options. The Board Editor is on the main menu, just down a bit.
It's quite simple really ;) The green "tile" represents where you want to alter the board. By tapping the Add Tile button (the plus sign), a tile will be created at this spot. By using the Remove Tile button (the minus sign one), a tile will be removed. Use the directional buttons on the left to move the position of the tile outline. Knowing that, you can create pretty much anything you want! All boards must be 25 tiles minimum with at least 2 starting positions. Toggle starting positions (green tiles) by tapping them.
Multiplayer uses bluetooth to transfer the data. You must have an iPhone, second gen or newer iPod Touch, or iPad to play multiplayer. The bluetooth can be a bit slow to get going at first, so if it fails to connect or stay connected, try again. Hopefully after only 1 or 2 tries at most it should remain stable. Unfortunately this is unavoidable at the moment.
At the moment the only way to share boards with your friends is to do so in a Multiplayer lobby. The person who wants the board must have their options set to allow it as well. They must go to the Options menu from the main menu, then Auto-Download. Setting this to ON will cause the game to save any custom boards you play on in Multiplayer. The default, OFF, just saves it temporarily. When the setting is ON, upon entering a lobby, the host will choose a board to play on, and it will be transfered to all players. This is the only way to share boards at the moment.
Note: The Auto-Download option will save over any existing custom board with the same name as the one you are given by your friend. Setting it to OFF prevents this, but you won't be able to keep the board. Just be careful with naming!
I'm hoping not to hear this too much haha. If you find something that appears to be an error with the game, please feel free to email me (see Contacts page), explaining what happened and when. If I can recreate it, I will try to fix it and add the fix to any updates to the game.
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