latest update ruins the game
Response from developer
Thank you for writing this out in detail. This is exactly the kind of feedback that helps me fix the right things, and you're right about the parts that matter most. Two of the issues you flagged were genuine bugs, and both are already fixed in the update rolling out now: • The rewards were broken. Winning a hard game and seeing "+1" was never intended. The rating math was over-discounting wins. Wins now pay out properly, and losses are handled more fairly, so the risk/reward finally makes sense. • The AI weakness you described, wandering in circles and not closing a route after being trapped, was a real blind spot in how the AI read wall positions. I rebuilt that part of the engine, so it defends those spots now instead of drifting. On top of that, I'm building a whole new grading system that rewards skill directly. It awards points for standout plays, the kind of brilliant moves that set off the lightning strike so many players already love, so sharp play gets recognized on its own rather than living or dying by a single rating number. On matchmaking: when there aren't enough live players in your range at that exact moment, the game fills in so you're not stuck on an empty lobby. But I hear you that I leaned on it too hard. Growing live-player density (and getting tournaments to actually fire) is a top focus right now. I'm a solo developer, and I read every review. Come join our Telegram, t.me/blocadeapp, where I reply to every message instantly. Give the next update a shot, and if anything still feels off, tell me there and I'll keep at it. Hoping to earn that fifth star from you down the road.
pay wall
Response from developer
Thanks for your feedback! We don’t show ads right now, and we’d like to keep it that way. If ads are ever introduced in the future, they’ll only be for free players to help support the game, while premium players will continue to enjoy an ad-free experience. Thanks for giving Blocade a try!
Paywall after just a few matches.
Response from developer
Hi AceFace81, thanks for giving Blocade a try and for being honest with your feedback. I completely understand why the paywall was frustrating. I just wanted to clarify that the lifetime upgrade is $29.99, and it’s a one-time purchase that unlocks unlimited matches and every premium feature forever. We also offer the monthly option for players who don’t want to pay upfront. The version you played was literally the very first public release of Blocade. It actually started as a side project, and after unexpectedly reaching over 10,000 downloads in just two days, we had to quickly introduce match limits to make the game sustainable while we continued building it. One thing that was important to me from day one was keeping Blocade completely ad-free. Personally, I don’t enjoy games filled with ads or constant interruptions, so instead of going that route, I chose a one-time lifetime purchase to support ongoing development and server costs. Since that first release, we’ve added new features, improved the gameplay, fixed bugs, and made the game much more polished. We’re still building Blocade every week, and there’s a lot more coming. If you’re open to giving it another shot, I’d also love to invite you to join our Telegram community. I personally read every message there, so it’s the fastest way to share feedback or ideas directly with me. Many of the improvements in the game have come from player suggestions. Thanks again for trying Blocade. Whether you decide to come back or not, I genuinely appreciate your feedback.
Smh
Okay…
Response from developer
Hi, thank you for taking the time to write such detailed feedback. I genuinely appreciate it. I completely understand why the first version gave you that impression. The version you played was literally the very first public release of Blocade, and at the time it was still a side project. We launched expecting a small community, but after reaching over 10,000 downloads in just two days, we had to move much faster than we anticipated to scale the game and continue development. While I do use AI as a development tool, every game mechanic, balance decision, and feature in Blocade is something I’ve personally designed, tested, and refined. AI helps me build faster, but it doesn’t build the vision or make the gameplay decisions for me. Regarding ranked mode, we introduced the limit because we needed a sustainable way to support the game’s servers and ongoing development. Instead of filling the game with ads or energy systems, I chose to offer a one-time lifetime purchase. Personally, I don’t enjoy ads in games, so I wanted Blocade to remain completely ad-free. Since the version you played, we’ve added new features, improved the gameplay, fixed bugs, and made the overall experience much more polished. We’re still building every week, and this is only the beginning. If you have more ideas or feedback, I’d love for you to join our Telegram community. I personally read every message there, and it’s the fastest way to reach me directly. A lot of the improvements we’ve made have come from community suggestions, and I’d love to hear yours as well. Thanks again for the honest review. I hope you’ll give the latest version another try. I think you’ll find that Blocade has come a long way, and we’re just getting started.
