Leave a Review The Machines
Good game, graphics need work
This is a good game for iOS, but it needs some work. When I saw it at the Apple keynote, I immediately got it on my iPhone SE. The game is good, but I think that you should have the ability to move around the battlefield with your finger. Also, the graphics on other devices look pretty good, but on the iPhone SE it looks all fuzzy, blocky, and somewhat pixelated. If the developers could fix these two issues with the game, this would be a 5 star review.Show lessMoPasaurus
(Updated) Multiplayer is working now...
Original Review: Purchased this game to play locally with friends and family during the holiday’s. After going through all the tutorials and getting all devices set up to play, the multiplayer map will launch just fine. However, the bases and “hero’s” do not load and map just sits there. I tried waiting for it, but nothing ever loads. Very disappointed in a $5 game that Apple praised as “revolutionary”, and doesn’t work as advertised.
***Updated: After swapping to another WiFi connection the multiplayer began working very well. I have been able to play against family over the past few days, and enjoy the capabilities of the game. The developer did contact me and worked to resolve the issue which is appreciated. However, the first couple of WiFi connections and the cellular signal were not adequate to handle this game over the air. The game is very engaging and entertaining, and the local multiplayer really makes it a great game!Show lessccgray
Developer Response
Hi. Thanks for reaching out and providing your feedback. This is a very unusual behavior and we want to work with you until the issue is resolved. Could you please provide us more details so that we can try to identify what the issue is? Which phone model are you using? Does this occur every time you launch the game? Can you please try to restart the phone and see if this issue continues? If it does, could you please take a video and send it to us at support@directivegames.com. To take a video please go to Settings-> Control Center -> Customize Controls. Please include "Screen Recording" to the controls in Control Center. Before you launch the game pls go to Control Center and start a recording session. Then launch the game and Kindly send us the video. Don't worry we will work with you until the game runs smoothly on your device. Thanks!Awesome game, however...
When I received a call mid-game my Baird moved! It started to float in space... pls fix. Otherwise great game.
Update for developer: I declined the call when it came in. But I understand what your saying. Next time I'll try to keep the phone in the same spot and let you know what happens. ThxneuroKal
Too much and too small
Some of us need glasses or contact lenses and frankly despite the cleverness of the games concept, it’s so small on the iPhone-X that I found it impossible to play for more than a few minutes at a stretch.
The concept is great, but it’s all too much for such a small screen despite the luscious details. I’m not sure it gains much from being VR either, clever, but almost too clever to be usefully playable.Show lessKnight of the Temple
Developer Response
Hi, thanks for reaching out. We really appreciate your feedback. We understand where you are coming from. Unfortunately, all mobile game suffer from the form factor of the screen compared to gaming on other platforms. And given the graphic quality of The Machines, we understand players wanting larger real estate screen to appreciate the details. At least, in AR players can move anywhere across the world, exploring and playing with full control of the camera. Please feel free to contact us directly at support@directivegames.com if you are experiencing any other difficulty. Thanks!“Can’t find flat area”... ever.
I’ve tried everything: kitchen table, coffee table, floor (carpet and linoleum), all of the above with a blanket/sheet, changed the lighting brightness and angle on all of the above, and it won’t find a flat area. I can’t find any instructions ANYWHERE, there’s no tutorial, and if there is it’s useless because there’s no way past the “finding flat area” part to even see if there is a tutorial. Developers, please help, otherwise I’ll be requesting a refund.Show lessBigkidbrother
THe AR does not work very well.
The AR is crap when running the game on the iPhone 8. (perhaps the iPhone X is better?) The game is unable to distinguish between near and far objects in the real world and so ends up overlaying the game board on top of everything in the camera frame.
For example, your leg gets in the camera frame? The game board draws over top of it in a way that completely breaks immersion.
Additionally, the game board never seems to really mesh well with the real world and always look like it’s floating weirdly on top of whatever surface has been selected. Basically, for an augmented reality game, it’s quite bad at augmenting reality.Show lessfoxostro
Developer Response
Hi. Thanks for reaching out, we really appreciate your feedback. Apple’s ARKit technology is what we use to create AR games. And like everything Apple, their technology works pretty well. BUT, you are right. Sometimes finding a surface can be challenging as it relies on lighting conditions, the surface itself as well as the alignment process. That is what may cause some of the issues you are experiencing. There are a number of suggestions that improve tracking significantly. For example: - Surface: if the surface you are trying to align on is too uniformed, reflective and lacking contrast and texturing, then the camera has a tough time finding a surface. A white desk for example. Please try to place an object of different color and texture on it - like a notebook. That helps tremendously. - Lighting: The brightest the better but pls avoid spotlights shining right on the surface. - Alignment process: when you are asked to point at a surface, please move the phone slightly. AR tracking works having camera and accelerometer work together in synch to establish the exact position with reference to the initial aligning point. If the phone is completely still when it tries to find a surface, the tracking effort is left to the camera only. Instead moving the phone slightly brings the accelerometer in the picture. Lastly, camera/accelerometer may get out of wack sometimes. I know it sounds a little simple, but a restart of the phone can do wonder. Killing game and restart may help too. Please do let us know if the above helps at support@directivegames.com. We will continue working with you until the issues are resolved. Thanks!Review
Cool concept; just not fleshed out yet.
Graphics aren’t smooth.
Gameplay is mediocre, feels more like a tech promo.
Camera angle can be worked on.
Game mode itself wasn’t fun. Think more brawl less Moba.
3/5JimmyNeutron9988
Developer Response
Hi. Thanks for reaching out, we really appreciate your feedback. We are taking into account the community feedback and working on improving the game on all the aspects that players raise. With regards to camera angle, could you please give us more details about what you mean? In AR, camera is controlled directly by players, so there is not much we can do about that. Also, we worked really hard to optimize graphics on the phone, while maintaining a balance between visual fidelity and battery life/heat. If you are experiencing any issue, please contact us directly at support@directivegames.com. We look forward to hearing from you. Thanks!Disappointed by AR
I have been playing for two hours both on my iPad Pro and iPhone 7 Plus. The battlefield frequently drifts outside the table on the iPad version and shakes around quite a bit on the iPhone one. I have been trying to play a multiplayer match, but the game cannot seem to pair me up with others. Strange! I wonder if these problems could be resolved.Show lessxxxjdisksn
Great game
Though there are some minor bugs, yet this game is so great. Hope to get some updates to fix the bugs and add more robots to play with for this isn’t a free game, hope you guys can do something with the $4.99 from every player who bought it and make this game more than just a simple AR gameHittoukiri
The Machines iPhone 7 Plus
This is a different way to play video games... You can literally move your phone into any position which will replicate in the game, allowing you to view the battlefield from any angle you feel which immerses you into the game. The game could be explained a little better. I still aren’t quite sure of the full dynamics of the game.
Graphically though, WOW! It’s well worth £4.99 just not to have any pay walls etc... pay once, play forever.
***UPDATE*** incredible developer who obviously care about their fan base as they have repeatedly listened to their customers and upgraded and fixed where necessary... this is 5 stars for me now and feels polished and complete.Show lessTinkieOfScunthorpe
Developer Response
Thank you. We really appreciate and the team will be super happy to hear your comment. We will continue to work hard to bring more features and content to the community as we grow the game. Please keep comments and feedback coming!
