Smartphone Inc. at GenCon: amazing days and great experience!
over 4 years ago
– Mon, Aug 05, 2019 at 02:40:39 PM
Hello CEOs of the future!
Unbeknownst to most of you, we have been seeking out additional competition you will need to overcome if you have aspirations to become the most prominent smartphone company!
We have been busy recruiting in Hall B at Gen Con, and have had overwhelming interest at the demos of Smartphone Inc. Gen Con is an extremely busy show —in addition to demos, Smartphone Inc. has been mentioned on the Gen Con livestream, The Dice Tower Live Show, and more!
We’re excited to share more information about the unlocked stretch goals soon. Stay tuned!
Guys, we made it!! We reduced the shipping cost!!! And added more stretch goals! Thank you for your support!!
over 4 years ago
– Sat, Aug 03, 2019 at 03:07:56 AM
After we realized that we will have more backers than we expected, we passed all these days and nights to get you the better shipping cost. And honestly, it was easier said than done - the core box will weigh around 4 kilos (that's around 9 pounds), but finally, we made it! Please check the shipping section on the main page for more details or just find it below. Soon we will get shipping cost for South America countries, so stay tuned!
And another good news, you will be able to manage your pledge after the campaign ends. CEO level backers will be able to go at the Partners level. Also, we updated the stretch goals section ;)
Now we're working on adding an opportunity to get more copies than 6 at the Partner level after the campaign ends. We will share with you all details as soon as we get them.
We really appreciate your support, guys, and doing our best to meet all your requests and offer you the best service possible ❤️
Awesooome news, guys!! The hardcore mode all of you were waiting for, is finally on the table!
almost 5 years ago
– Mon, Jul 29, 2019 at 12:58:05 AM
In the very beginning Smartphone Inc was a rather difficult game, requiring accurate calculation and forecasting - wrong strategy easily drove the player into debt and made the company unprofitable. However on the late stage of game development Ivan decided to make it easier so every player, even not a seasoned one, can fully enjoy Smartphone Inc.
But if you are a super CEO and have all your skills mastered already - this new complicated challenge would be just right for you.
In the hardcore mode any decision has a price, and instead of the revenue, you will now operate with your profit - the difference between revenue and costs. It means that you have to forecast better: calculate more accurately total income from technology development or lower prices, and the bonus from the improvements used. Each decision has its price now - you have to pay for each unit produced, every development action and cut costs with improvements and product quality management.
If purchased from the Kickstarter today you get both this hardcore mode and exclusive new tablets with a different icons arrangement and cost of actions applied to them. With these new pads you can enrich your game experience, no matter what mode you chose - a hardcore or a standard one. Different icons arrangement double the total number of planning combinations. With the hardcore mode, the strategy in the game goes to a whole new level.
You, guys, rock! Another one technology is here! But why they are so many? Let’s see what Ivan Lashin says.
almost 5 years ago
– Sun, Jul 28, 2019 at 03:03:12 AM
Hi, everybody!
In the comment section we see a lot of questions about the stretch goals – how they work and what they bring to the table is terms of the gameplay. Here is the explanation from the game’s author on why we are offering so many technologies and how you could use them for better game experience:
“When I was developing the base game, my goal was to make it purely programmable: a player should plan their actions in the beginning of the round and then act along, watching other players fulfil their strategies, sometimes undercutting each other. I enjoyed this type of mechanic, and our numerous play testers enjoyed it as well! At that time, it did not even occur to me to make something different.
After the game was launched to the global market, it turned out that not everybody was happy with that. Big surprise, huh! Some players value a more tactical approach – when one can plan milestones but have some flexibility to adjust their strategy later, according to their opponents’ actions. Quite a challenge. My answer was to make an add-on for those people to implement new technologies that allow maximum flexibility, but not negatively affect the main strategic gameplay.
As the result of this, you can now see all those new exciting technologies in the stretch goals. Most of them will result in more variable decision making. But as with everything in this game (and real life as well), opportunities come at a cost:
- Now you can have a considerable bonus for a specific region, but competitors in other regions still need to be stopped.
- Do you cover the retailer that gives the biggest bonus or occupy opponents’ space?
- Would you change your mind on the spot and invest in the technology that comes with a patent?
Of course, there is no need to use all the extras all the time. Pick one or two and have new game experience every time you play! Do you want more player interaction? Play with technology that gives everyone increased production, trying to flood the market and undercut each other with unexpected CEO movements.
Feeling creative? Now you can employ marketing, develop your fan base, and use a set of mini improvements. To sum it all up, the original game was made by me and for me. Now I hope I have created a more versatile game experience, so you can enjoy your favourite tactics as well!"
And now let’s see what you’ve just got:
- This technology continues the tradition of additional production, typical for this slot, but develops it in a completely new, more interactive way.
- Now you get to manufacture goods not only when you plan your actions, but also as a direct result of your success in the previous round - namely, the number of territories you control!
- This tech perfectly supports a strategy of selling goods for low to medium prices. It also has amazing synergy with the logistics action, and strategies where you expand your offices quickly across the board. In other words, this tech supports the strategies of early mass production with a bias in logistics.
Spoiler alert!! If you unlock all the technology SG, the game replayability will increase 36 times!!! Stay tuned!
BOOM! One more SG unlocked! That’s awesome, thanks a ton, guys!
almost 5 years ago
– Fri, Jul 26, 2019 at 04:50:30 PM
👏 While the campaign is dashing forward we’ve talked to the game designer Ivan Lashin and asked him to share his thoughts. We’ll definitely include them in the next update and meanwhile let’s see what you guys have just got!
This technology is the only one in the game that gives you scoring options. Streamline production, manufacture goods and get 2 extra VP for each product sold in the region of your choice due to the government subsidies. The question is - what would you do: fight for majority in multiple regions or leave them to your competitors while massively selling in the chosen one? Once obtained, this tech will be super rewarding if you combine it with other majority & CEO technologies, making the resource management more exciting
