By scanning quick response codes, gamers will be able to unlock more loot and features.
While Borderlands 2 is hardly a new entry to the mobile gaming world, having been released back on September 18, 2012, it remains an extremely popular experience and it has just received a new element in the form of QR codes, on top of the release of its third and last Headhunter DLC pack that occurred on Tuesday.
Players who have camera enabled smartphones will unlock a massive amount of new game through barcode scans.
This Gearbox Software mobile gaming experience has undergone a tremendous amount of experimentation in order to bring in new content. The most recent version of that is the LootTheWorld app, which has recently made its way into availability. It is essentially a revved up reader for QR codes that integrates with the player’s Gearbox Shift account. Whenever a quick response code is spotted in the real world – it doesn’t matter which one or where it is – a scan will allow some kind of item such as a grenade, shield, weapon, or class mod to be unlocked.
Scanning QR codes can also win mobile gaming stamps for players, which can be redeemed for loot.
The stamps can be sent into the Borderlands 2 save (once the player has signed in to his or her Shift account). Though the post that Gearbox has made regarding the app has said that traditional barcodes can also be scanned in order to gain these loot rewards, as of the writing of this article, there have been many comments left by players saying that they have been unsuccessful in doing this, so far. While the app is able to detect them, it provides only an error when a scan is actually attempted.
Players have also pointed out that while they appreciate that they can earn extra stamps through scans of QR codes, the mobile gaming experience would be considerably enhanced if there were some way to actually view the tally of stamps that have been collected (or if there is a way, if it was easier to find).
The new The Snowman and The Snowdog application places a limit to in-app purchasing.
The classic holiday favorite “The Snowman” by Raymond Briggs is now available in digital form, but while it does feature many of the spending components that are standard in mobile gaming, it has taken a unique tack in order to help to curb one of the hottest issues regarding spending while playing the game.
The app is the first one to ever introduce a limit to the amount that can be spent.
This mobile gaming application has been designed to keep in-app spending reasonable by limiting the amount that children are able to spend. The Snowman and the Snowdog has introduced this new feature after a consultation with the government that occurred earlier in 2013 and after hearing about a number of stories in which parents were shocked to discover that their children had run up massive bills while playing games on their smartphones and tablets.
The mobile gaming effort was launched earlier this week in the U.K. by Channel 4, for Android devices, iPhone and iPad.
This app is available for free download and is based on the highly popular Christmas movie. It is also the sequel to last year’s very successful free game that led the British app store downloads in December.
The design of the newest app gives children the ability to spend between £0.99 and £3.99 at a time on virtual snowflakes. Those can be used in the app for customizing their Snowman character or to be able to boost their game play. However, in order to help to reduce the risk of “bill shock” for parents, the total spending has a limit of £20 per player.
According to Colin Macdonald’ the games commissioning editor at Channel 4, “While we had to figure out a way that we could make money from the game, we absolutely could not have anything that might give rise to anyone feeling it was exploitative.” Although limiting the amount of money that can be spent while mobile gaming in a free app is considered to be a form of “commercial suicide”, the company felt the need to place higher priority on responsibility to their customers.
