Quarrel - XBox Live Arcade: Great game, but why No Local Multi-player?

[Jupiter Jones]

I just bought this last night. I've never seen it on iOS. The Scrabble+Risk game play is well worth 400 points. Best points I've spent in a loooong tome.

However, there is no local multi-player option. I've noticed that many Xbox Live Arcade Game lack a local multi-player option. My wife saw Quarrel, and instantly wanted to play, but when I told her there was no way for us to play against each other, it just acted as further proof to her that (current) video games suck.

[VegasRobb]

Fun game and I thought exactly the same thing regarding the lack of local multiplayer.

Perhaps it will sell well enough to warrant an expansion or something.

[dannimal]

I don't think there is multiplayer at all on the iOS, or if there is I can't find it.

[Jupiter Jones]

Forget what I said about the game being good. It's broken. Risk has a great balancing mechanism that give defenders an advantage. This game does not. It allows one player to attack with all forces from an adjacent region, and defenders have no advantage at all. Furthermore, any region with 1 or 2 defenders is bound to lose because you can only make 1 or 2 letter words. I'm very sad because I thought I'd found my new obsession.

[Ginger Yellow]

There is some defender advantage (eg the capturing mechanism for weaker armies), but, yeah, if you've only got two or three defenders there's not a lot you can do.

[fuzzyslug]

If this thing had asynchronous multiplayer, I'd play it constantly.

[Jupiter Jones]

There is some defender advantage (eg the capturing mechanism for weaker armies), but, yeah, if you've only got two or three defenders there's not a lot you can do.

For defenders, having a minimum word length (3 or 4 letters) would be a good way around it (maybe). Also, they show the full anagram each time you fight, but you only have the chance to unscramble it if you are the observer. If you had the option in any fight to solve the entire anagram (kind of an all or nothing), I think it would help a bit too.

[Jupiter Jones]

If this thing had asynchronous multiplayer, I'd play it constantly.

I'm sure Zynga is already on it and ready to copy every nuance (but make it look prettier).

[Ginger Yellow]

For defenders, having a minimum word length (3 or 4 letters) would be a good way around it (maybe). Also, they show the full anagram each time you fight, but you only have the chance to unscramble it if you are the observer. If you had the option in any fight to solve the entire anagram (kind of an all or nothing), I think it would help a bit too.

Yeah, the latter point I definitely agree with, and in fact suggested it to the devs on TouchArcade. The former point I'm not so sure about - from a strategy metagame perspective, some fights should be easy for the attacker. It also means you have to be careful while on the attack not to leave squares vulnerable. That said, the maps in Quarrel are usually small enough that this is easy. I wish they had some bigger maps with more open fronts.

[Dawn Falcon]

However, there is no local multi-player option.

Piracy.

...

Right. Yes, it IS paranoia at this point from publishers. Oh, and let's not ******* the word filter.