Full versions vs. Lite versions and ratings

[Vanquished]

As Dr. House puts it, "people are morons" and in my opinion, clueless.

The lite/free/demo versions of games on the market bring out the stupidity of the human race. It also shows how little they are willing to help and support others who put time and effort into what they do (in this case, developing games).

"I would give this five stars if there were more levels"
"The adds force me not to give this five stars"
"This game sucks, there's only one level available"
etc.

First of all, it's free! Stop complaining (especially when it's the full game with just adds). Second, they are meant to demonstrate the game to give you a feel for what the full version is like. Rate the game based on the actual gameplay.

Most people who browse the Market may never see this, but I decided to put it out there in the open.

 

[Essex]

Good post. I've noticed the same discrepancy between the ratings of full and lite versions of the same game. I just think expectations are different. You also have to consider the differences between each and every user. Some are kids, some adults, some rich, some not so rich, some with "flagship" devices, some with entry-level devices, and so on. If you consider the sheer number of people with access to the Android Market, it should not be too surprising that the variation between lite and full versions of a game can be so pronounced...

 

[OFI]

I have noticed those comments and agree.
Maybe Google should make the difference between full and lite/demo versions more distinctive with a banner or something!

I've also seen many comments on apps that say something won't work when it clearly says it's only an add-on or only works on a specific phone!

However I think that's the least of the worries right now with the Market anyway. When you can't even search by ratings it's all a bit pointless.

It is also funny how Google, a search engine, can't make the search work very well!
Why doesn't a search for "Drop" a game I looked for earlier, feature as the first result?!

 

[Vanquished]

Ya, I've seen that come up time and time again...You'd think that would be one of the first things they would have implemented into the Market, the search by rating.

 

[ParishL31]

Unfortunately the comments section of anything is plagued with stupidity. YouTube, Android Market, Apple Market, CNN, wherever...they all have comments that are so bad you can't even believe how dumb/ignorant some people are.

But I do notice that too. It's a shame some apps are getting downrated to one star because of some cheap-o/idiot that won't pay for the full version and doesn't realize it's a trial.

 

[queenrocks77]

People are dumb

 

[HGDev]

I completely agree, market comments seem to be really unhelpful and unappreciative.

I have a game which is completely free (no ads either) and I get people writing comments like "It's ok" and one person saying "Rubbish copper is a lot better too slow apple version is fantastic!!!!!!" both rating it one star. I wish there was a way for developers to reply to individual comments .

 

[dan330]

I agree...
also... if they are having issues..

I wish they would give some detail of what phone they have, so others with same phone will know what to expect.

 

[Vanquished]

I had to bring this up when I saw the rating of Need for Speed Shift drop from 4 stars to 3.5 stars. Alot of it has to do with compatibility issues with certain devices, but when I saw this certain review, it made me laugh.

Before I say the quote, I need to put it into context. This person bought the game for $.99. THE best racing game on Android to date; amazing gameplay and graphics, and he says the following:

"Wish it were free; I can't purcahse it because I don't have a credit card. Too risky."

He gave one of the best games on the Market a one or two star rating that he bought for a dollar because he doesn't have a credit card and wants it to be free! Are you serious?! That's fine if you don't have a credit card because you believe it is too risky, I'm not critizing anyone for that. But rating a game based on that alone is rediculous.

 

[Dan Fury]

Not only consumers can be morons, I want to slap any dev that tries to sell a demo as a free version. If you cut the game in any way, or ask for in app purchases, it is not really the free version of the same game and shouldn't be named like that.

I also want to scream at any developer that calls their demo version lite, because this is a stupid marketing trick from Apple, that just confuses people and shouldn't have any place in the Android world. A horse is a horse, so call a demo a demo.

 

[Vanquished]

So very true! I hate the whole Lite version thing. Although the consumers are morons for expecting more, some of the developers sort of brought it upon themselves with their gimped "Lite version" games. As you said, they should all just be called "demos."

Lite should really only apply to games with adds, even then I wouldn't necissarily call it Lite, since it is the exact same thing.

 

[Dan Fury]

Nothing should be named lite except Miller products, afaik it was their beer marketing that made this misspelling "cool", at least that was the first time I ever heard the word. Maybe I just don't get it because I'm no native english speaker, but I think everything that has lite in the name is just as stupid as adding z to the end of a word.

 

[RichSz]

"Wish it were free; I can't purcahse it because I don't have a credit card. Too risky."

Something doesn't seem right. How can you leave a comment without buying the game? Sounds like he's just whining for the sake of whining. That nullifies anything he has to say.

 

[Vanquished]

Ya, I was originally going to add in paranthesis "And somehow he managed to buy the game" and decided not too.

It's amazing at what people can find to complain about, or even how ignorant they can be; kind of like the guy who sued McDonalds for getting fat several years ago (and "people" doesn't exclude me...we're all pretty ignorant in one way, shape or form).

 

[Essex]

I saw that comment too. Probably a teenager (no offense to any teens viewing this thread).

I just think the Android Market should be able to "hide" apps from incompatible devices. That would go a long ways toward eliminating unjustified 1-star reviews from disgruntled users who couldn't get the game to work on their phones. I have a feeling that we'll be seeing even more 1-star reviews now that the refund window is only 15 minutes...

 

[Dan Fury]

The market is capable of not listing games that aren't compatible, it is up to the developer to implement it. For example Unity takes out all ARM6 devices, but the Orange San Francisco who has a ARM6 can be targeted. I still haven't published anything myself on the market, but from what I heard at GDD Talks, read in the documentation and even Googles own defense against Gamelofts claim that it doesn't work on the german site golem.de, that is a problem that developers have to adress, not Google.

 

[mrhyde]

It would be very helpful if everyone's post in the market had a signature or so with their device name.

 

[Proph]

google could add one feature that would help both sides, allow developers to respond (not delete but respond) to comments in the comment section. first of all they will be able to explain why something is the way it is or clear up mis-understandings by the user (that future users might have problems with), they would also be able to point out people who are down ranking just to be jerks since people seem to use the comments section instead of emailing the developer if they have a real problem. the android market is filled with nasty people who want everything to be free, i do work on the side for a mobile developer who after releasing a few things and some stuff for other companies on the android market is seriously considering abandoning the android platform for a couple of games they are working on internally. it almost doesn't make sense to them to put time into an android version if people won't buy the game due to a few jerks in the comments section making invalid claims that make other people not want to buy it. and other developers with similar apps going through and down ranking and leaving bad comments when the app is first released (they found several examples of this last month, someone going through and bagging on 5 different apps then leaving a glowing comment to a app that was obviously inferior)

the lite vs demo thing, that is one thing that google hasn't addressed that is irritating also. why can the google market not handle upgrades. for example you download the game and play the first few levels and hit one button to buy the full game instead of having to go and download the "full" version. in the windows phone 7 marketplace you can download a game and play a "demo" version of it (based on time or levels but under dev control as to what the demo part of the game is) and easily then pay for the full version if you like the game, no need for "lite" or seperate download.

oh i completely agree about the signature thing with the device name.

 

[Shocky]

I don't think i've ever bought a game after trying a "lite version", I think they should just remove them all.

It's not diffcult to read a review or watch a video of the game on youtube before you buy a game is it? surely that should be more than enough to decide if your going to buy the game.

Especially considering the low price of these titles, I just don't see the point.

 

[Poldie]

I don't think i've ever bought a game after trying a "lite version", I think they should just remove them all.

It's not diffcult to read a review or watch a video of the game on youtube before you buy a game is it? surely that should be more than enough to decide if your going to buy the game.

Especially considering the low price of these titles, I just don't see the point.

I'm happier testing a game myself and buying it if I like it, rather than reading a review by someone I've never heard of, and who might well be an idiot. Watching someone else play it sounds a little dull and won't demonstrate how responsive the controls are etc. "Lite" versions make sense to me. Better to provide them and for people who don't like them to not try them, rather than have no choice, right?

 

[Shocky]

I'm happier testing a game myself and buying it if I like it, rather than reading a review by someone I've never heard of, and who might well be an idiot. Watching someone else play it sounds a little dull and won't demonstrate how responsive the controls are etc. "Lite" versions make sense to me. Better to provide them and for people who don't like them to not try them, rather than have no choice, right?

You can still get refunds, so you can still try before you buy, 15min limit could be a problem for some but it was more than enough time for me figure out NFS Shift doesnt work and get a refund.