Paprikari request feedback for Crime Puzzle prerelease

[Duke]

Hello all,

it's finally done.
Our second game "Crime Puzzle" is (hopefully) ready for release.
It's based on standard match-3 type of games.
I invite you to download and test it and tell me of any issues you find.
I'm particulary interested in your basic config (cpu,vga,ram,win) and if the game actually works on your machine.
I accept any kind of comment you may have.
How would you rate it's "polish"?

Download Crime Puzzle (10MB) (http://www.paprikari.com/download/CrimePuzzleSetup.exe)

Screenshot 1 (http://www.paprikari.com/games/crime_puzzle/images/crimepuzzle1.jpg)
Screenshot 2 (http://www.paprikari.com/games/crime_puzzle/images/crimepuzzle2.jpg)
Screenshot 3 (http://www.paprikari.com/games/crime_puzzle/images/crimepuzzle3.jpg)
Screenshot 4 (http://www.paprikari.com/games/crime_puzzle/images/crimepuzzle4.jpg)
Screenshot 5 (http://www.paprikari.com/games/crime_puzzle/images/crimepuzzle5.jpg)
Screenshot 6 (http://www.paprikari.com/games/crime_puzzle/images/crimepuzzle6.jpg)

[Sirrus]

The polish is fabulous...

The game plays very well. I have a P4 1.7ghz, 512ddr ram, GeForce 4 128mb...The "create name" screen froze on me, but I retried and it ran fine (it skipped this screen so it obviously made my name tag).
In addition, when I did the Mystery mode, it allowed me to resume my old game - but I only did normal mode. I picked Yes, it said I ran out of time, and game over. Make sure you add Mouse-Overs too for all of your buttons (as well as a more image heavy sell screen ;))

Its a match 3 alright, but extremely well done - great musical score as well.

[lakibuk]

Congratulations to your graphic artist.
Game ran well on my PC (AMD 1,8 Ghz,512 RAM,64MB graphic card).
Mystery mode was a little mysterious to me. I didn't know how to solve a level without going to the help pages (and i know Magic Vines). Also why sometimes a whole bunch of stamps exploded.
Next mysterious thing was the tile with the gnawing sound that appears in later levels. What does it do exactly? Just hiding some tiles? Maybe some introductory message windows telling the goal and give information about special things (like the gnawing tile) would help.

[Duke]

Thanks for the comment, guys.

The "create name" screen froze on me, but I retried and it ran fine (it skipped this screen so it obviously made my name tag).
In addition, when I did the Mystery mode, it allowed me to resume my old game - but I only did normal mode. I picked Yes, it said I ran out of time, and game over.
I believe these two things are somehow connected. How did the "create player" screen freeze? Do you mean the game didn't respond to keystrokes when you tried to enter your name? And how did it skip? Did you see a welcome message with your name in the upper left corner?

Mystery mode was a little mysterious to me. I didn't know how to solve a level without going to the help pages.
Solving a level in mystery mode is like in Jewel Quest: when you match stamps, the fields under the stamps paint to red; when the whole board is painted, the level is completed.

Also why sometimes a whole bunch of stamps exploded.
Next mysterious thing was the tile with the gnawing sound that appears in later levels. What does it do exactly? Just hiding some tiles?
The exploding is a "special" move: when you match five in a row, all the other stamps of that color disappear from the board.

About the tile with a gnawing sound: we came up with this concept of "disasters" (I can't think of a more suitable name). Like, when you're in a London level, the rain begins to fall and it covers some of the tiles. The tiles with "disaster" are still playable as normal, they are only occluded. You can find out which stamp is under a disaster tile if you do a invalid swap.
You fight these disasters by collecting "artifacts" (umbrella,...). You do that by matching special, artifact stamps (with a picture of the artifact on it) and filling up the "artifact bar" (right under the board). When you fill up the bar, the artifact appears to the lower right of the board. Then you click on it to remove disasters from the board.

Was this not explained clearly in the help?
When I posted our first game here for feedback last year, someone said the main menu was not intuitive and I said it's all explained in the html game manual that comes with the game, and he said "nobody ever reads manuals".
I accepted that remark, so for this game I made a really short (and hopefully explanatory) in-game help. Is this too much too, to expect for a player to read a one minute help in order to know how to play? I don't think I can make it any shorter than this.
Does anyone have any suggestions on changing the help text/images?

Thanks again for the comments, and keep them coming!

[lakibuk]

Sorry, didn't read about the disaster tiles in the help.
The help is clear enough.
If i remember correctly in games like Magic Vines and Kahuna Reef all infos on game goal and special items where given in-game. I didn't have to quit my running game and go to the help page to see what to do. I like this a lot better.
Remark: with in-game i mean inside the actual playing. Not just in-game like from the main menu.

[svero]

Hmmm... Really hard to know what to say about this. I think there's no single defining element in the game that's "bad" -- You've crossed all th T's and dotted all the I's more or less. There were a few slightly confusing UI elements along the way but nothing horrible. You've got all the standard things like the auto hints for swaps, and so on...

I guess my only real complaint is that at no point while playing this does it really jump up and grab me. Everything is there, but it's all somewhat understated. For example.. if you play chuzzle when a level ends and the chuzzles get released there's a really heavy charged effect of the eyeballs flying out of a beaker with some lighting and in-your-face sound. Or in Zuma, when you reach the level goal and you hear that booming "Zuma!" voice that jumps up and grabs you. This game sort of lacks any distinction in that way. When your levels end they just sort of end with a fizzle. It doesnt ever feel exciting or fun. It feels like a bit of a walk though visiting museum displays of games I played before, but with a crime theme that isn't really used all that effectively other than as a nice set of artwork. It would of been much nicer and catchier if I'd felt like I was doing something that really led to solving a crime or something like that.

On the other hand.. there seems to be a never ending black hole of desire for games just like this one, and clearly this game is well put together and looks very nice. So I wouldn't at all be surprised if it went on to be a top seller on the casual game charts just as it is.

[Duke]

If i remember correctly in games like Magic Vines and Kahuna Reef all infos on game goal and special items where given in-game. I didn't have to quit my running game and go to the help page to see what to do. I like this a lot better.It's one of those things that was in the original design papers (not that we've ever written any :D ), but didn't make it to the final version. Who knows, maybe we'll do it for the next update.

I guess my only real complaint is that at no point while playing this does it really jump up and grab me. Everything is there, but it's all somewhat understated. For example.. if you play chuzzle when a level ends and the chuzzles get released there's a really heavy charged effect of the eyeballs flying out of a beaker with some lighting and in-your-face sound. Or in Zuma, when you reach the level goal and you hear that booming "Zuma!" voice that jumps up and grabs you. This game sort of lacks any distinction in that way. When your levels end they just sort of end with a fizzle.I know exactly what you mean.
Originally, it was supposed to be a pirates theme, which by itself is more colorful than this one. Then we sort of started bumping into pirate games quite often, so we switched to "1930's detective" theme.

It would of been much nicer and catchier if I'd felt like I was doing something that really led to solving a crime or something like that.Yes, it was supposed to be a real crime story with proper storyline, cut-scenes and stuff. But that would've at least doubled the file size, if not developing time too. We thought the price (in size and time) wouldn't be justified. For an adventure game - sure, but match 3?
Also, seeing in some posts (especially those about the "rawness"(?) of Betty's Beer Bar) that there are some very sensitive people out there playing our games, we decided to remove any slightest sign of violence (guns, murders,..) from the game and make it "family friendly". There was a lot discussion about that cigarette too, but we finally decided to leave it, hoping it wouldn't be considered offensive. After all, at that time it was a "fashion" thing.

[Nexic]

I know exactly what you mean.
Originally, it was supposed to be a pirates theme, which by itself is more colorful than this one. Then we sort of started bumping into pirate games quite often, so we switched to "1930's detective" theme.

I haven't actually tried the game yet, but I would have thought a pirate theme would have been a much better theme for a match 3. As you said, crime theme really requires you to actually have some kind of actual crime to solve, and it also requires you to have some elements that aren't best suited to casual games (murder, drugs, mafia gangs etc). Just because there are a few other pirate themed games, it doesn't mean you couldn't have done it and been sucessful. The only reason to worry would be if you found a game that had similar gameplay to yours that also had a pirate theme.

Having said that, your 30s detective theme does look very nice, and quite appealing. It's just a shame you didn't put a full on story in, that would have been a killer selling point.

[Sirrus]

I typed in my name and hit create - then it froze.
When I came back in, it acted as if the profile was created...

So basically froze up when creating...

[Duke]

The only reason to worry would be if you found a game that had similar gameplay to yours that also had a pirate theme.
Having said that, your 30s detective theme does look very nice, and quite appealing. It's just a shame you didn't put a full on story in, that would have been a killer selling point.Well, yes, we actually came across a matching game with a pirate theme (can't remember the name now).
As for the story, there's also the language issue. In order to have an immersive story you don't just need a talent in writing, this talent must be in english and it's not our native language. I was so afraid that if we had a story and it was poorly expressed in english, it would actually do more damage than good. I'm not just talking about grammatical errors here, that would be resolved easily, but the actual "literature writing" in english skill which we lack.

[Duke]

I typed in my name and hit create - then it froze.
When I came back in, it acted as if the profile was created...
So basically froze up when creating...
Ouch!
You are supposed to hit 'ENTER' after typing your name. The 'CREATE' button is for creating new players. Now I'm aware that this is not clearly presented.
I think you just found a flaw in my dialog design and implementation.
Thank you.

[running off to fix this]

[Stu]

I did the same thing with the create player button. I figured out that I should have hit enter and then felt like a dummy.

The art is wonderful and for what it's worth, I much prefer this theme over pirates although I agree with Svero. There is nothing that really brings the theme alive. Even a very simple "progress scene" like the map in Luxor might help. After all, in Luxor the only thing that really advances the Egyptian theme is the map charting the journey along the Nile Valley. The lack of an extensive story sure didn't hurt them any.

As far as match three goes I don't think I have seen a game with art and music that I prefer over this one. I will buy it, put my hat on, toke my stogie, and pretend I am a gangster. I was very impressed.

[Savant]

Also, seeing in some posts (especially those about the "rawness"(?) of Betty's Beer Bar) that there are some very sensitive people out there playing our games, we decided to remove any slightest sign of violence (guns, murders,..) from the game and make it "family friendly". There was a lot discussion about that cigarette too, but we finally decided to leave it, hoping it wouldn't be considered offensive. After all, at that time it was a "fashion" thing.
If you try to please everyone, you're only going to end up boring them. People might be a little offended by BBB or WWW but they're talking about it. If your game falls in the middle of the road, nobody is going to care.

That's not to say you should go out of your way to offend people, but at the same time there's no reason to sacrifice parts of your design - especially if they contribute to the theme. A detective/crime story theme would reasonably include guns and violence.

[Nexic]

I just tried the game and I also hit the create new player button - In casual games like this not all users are used to hitting the 'enter' key, so you should probably put in a button to that effect.

It was good, and incredibly well presented, but like svero said, it was a little bland, and didn't really seem to introduce anything new to the genre (yes bejewelled is a genre :P). The mystery game just seemed to be a watered down version of Jewel Quest's background tile changing, and the main game was literally the same as Bejwelled 1 (at least thats how I and other users would perceive it, there might be more later on but I didn't see it)

I'm certain it will sell well, but it's not really top 10 material in it's current form.

[mj32]

I must be in a minority - I actualy pressed return after typing in my name :)

It's a nicely presented game - does what you would expect of your usual match 3 stuff, but nothing realy new...............

Somehow the game name and matching stamps dont seem to go together!

How many crimes have been solved by stamp collectors ? :D

[Duke]

The mystery game just seemed to be a watered down version of Jewel Quest's background tile changing, and the main game was literally the same as Bejwelled 1
Well, more or less, that was the plan, except for the "watered down" part.
But I don't see a problem here, since both games you mentioned were (are?) top sellers. It would be bad if our game resembled some unsuccessful game.
How many crimes have been solved by stamp collectors ?
I don't mind the joke, but actually the stamp collector hired a private detective to solve a crime. Was the text that confusing?
And, stealing other people's valuable property (even expensive rare stamps) is also considered a crime. The word "crime" is not reserved just for murders, you know.
From a practical (technical) point of view, the stamps turned out to be a great solution to replacing jewels. The first idea was to match some items related to the detective theme, but it would not be playable. No thin objects are good for match 3 games, and also think about the colors of the objects..
So we made it a crime related to stamps. There.

[whisperstorm]

Is it just me or would this be perfect if you got the rights to use "where in the world is carmen sandiego" as the theme for the game. I like the game, very polished, and seems to be bug free. My only complaint is that while this is a great polished example of the genre, there's nothing new or innovative.

I'm sure you'll be on RealArcade soon - this game seems destined for that sort of location.

P.S. Love the smoke!

[Nexic]

Well, more or less, that was the plan, except for the "watered down" part.
But I don't see a problem here, since both games you mentioned were (are?) top sellers. It would be bad if our game resembled some unsuccessful game.

I do see where you are coming from, copying a top seller is most likely a much better plan than copying an unsucessful one. However, remakes of similar games usually need to be at least slightly different, or better in some way in order to be hugely sucessful. Luxor wouldn't have sold so well if it didn't improve on Zuma - Jewel Quest and Big Kahuna Reef wouldn't have sold so well if they didn't introduce some new ideas for bejwelled style games.

As I said before, you've definitely got a game that will sell nicely, I'm just not sure if it's quite top 10 material.

[soniCron]

The bad:
Adds nothing new to the genre.
Mystery mode has been done before, and Big Kahuna Reef does it far better with added variety.
Not easy to see the different backgrounds on Mystery mode. Perhaps it is because the stamps are also square, leaving very little room for the back to show through.
Creating a character for the first time does not automatically select and use that character I just created. Why do I have to press "Close" in order to use it? I'm not going to be putting my whole family in there, I haven't even tried the game out yet!
Can't select "Relaxed Game" and I don't know why. There are no messages or any other indication other than the lack of a mouse-over image.
Story for Mystery is too long and in a difficult to read font. Shorten the story to a paragraph and make the text 2x larger.
I don't care if stamps are part of your story, there is little apparent connection to "Crime Puzzle". Which brings me to...
Poor name. Why not just call it "Stamp Puzzle Game"?
And the kicker: There is absolutely no in-game instruction! I don't care if the player has played 100 match-3's before, they need to be told what to do the first time they enter, because they won't know it's the same as the other 100 match-3's. The Help button is useless. A help screen should accent the already given instruction, not be it.


The nitpicks:
Game starts in the top left corner of the screen.
Window title is "SCT". Is that for a reason?
"Activate" button may confuse users. Perhaps a "Already Paid" button instead?
My first move made no less than 20 combos. I felt like I was cheating!
Why not show your logo during the loading screen?
Didn't have the option to load the game at the end of the installation. I had to find the icon on the desktop to run it.


The good:
Excellent graphics!!
Excellent sound!!
Excellent music!!
Even though it's nothing new, it was still satisfying gameplay.
It felt good.
Extremely well polished!


Closing comments: While this game offers absolutely nothing we haven't seen before, the production value is not something to be reckoned with. Despite a few gripes here and there, an awkward first-start, and some annoying combo busting that sometimes seemed endless, the game offers solid play and a very enjoyable experience. This is a product that has the capability of competing with some of the biggest titles in the industry. Unfortunately, those titles of which I speak have since been replaced by more advanced gameplay which trumps this noble attempt at the Match Three genre. Unless you've never seen another match-3 before or you just love the "detective" theme, other titles offer far more variety and fun for the money.

The run-down:
Install: mild
Presentation: spicy!
Graphics: spicy!
Sound: spicy!
Music: spicy!
Gameplay: hot!
Originality: bland
Entertainment: mild
Overall: medium


My recommendation: Give me something different than the rest of the games out there and I'd probably buy it.

[Duke]

I'm sure you'll be on RealArcade soon - this game seems destined for that sort of location. From your mouth to G's ears!

@soniCron: (I wont use the QUOTE tag, it would make the post too long)
Adds nothing new to the genre.
I'm fully aware of that.
Mystery mode has been done before, and Big Kahuna Reef does it far better with added variety.
I can't argue with that either.
Not easy to see the different backgrounds on Mystery mode. Perhaps it is because the stamps are also square, leaving very little room for the back to show through.
The backgrounds are not different, exactly because they would not be visible. You also can't see the background because of the tiles under the stamps, which cover the whole board. You can only see the background when you finish a stage/level, but there's nothing important to see anyway. That background is not related to the picture around the right side of the board.
Creating a character for the first time does not automatically select and use that character I just created.
It's supposed to. It does with me. Please explain exactly what happens? Which character does it select and use, if not that one?
Can't select "Relaxed Game" and I don't know why. There are no messages or any other indication other than the lack of a mouse-over image.
Actually, there is a message about it on the BuyNow screen. It also says that you are allowed to play 5 stages of Classic game and 7 stages (2 levels) of Mystery game in trial mode. We decided not to go with time limited trial for this game. Anyone comment if this was a good choice?
Story for Mystery is too long and in a difficult to read font. Shorten the story to a paragraph and make the text 2x larger.
I tend to somewhat agree with you on this, but I think we'll leave it like this.
After todays posts about not having the "crime solving" experience and the lack of story, we decided to broaden the story to inter-level screens, so this amount of text is needed. Anyway, there are people who read this texts and who will read it no matter how long, and people who don't read it (or care about it) at all, so they won't read it no matter how small. Because this is not an adventure game, no reading is actually required to complete the game.
I don't care if stamps are part of your story, there is little apparent connection to "Crime Puzzle". Which brings me to...
Poor name. Why not just call it "Stamp Puzzle Game"?
I'm sorry you feel this way. No changing of title at this point anyway.
And the kicker: There is absolutely no in-game instruction!
Again, after todays great feedback from all of you guys, we decided to implement this feature as well. I, as the programmer, have been running away from it because of many "unpleasant encounters" with the game's state machine :o , so I tried to avoid messing things up even further. No more escaping for me, I guess.
My first move made no less than 20 combos. I felt like I was cheating!
Well, it happens when you only have 4 different stamps on a 8x8 board. You'll be crying for those combos on later levels when more stamps appear. :D
Why not show your logo during the loading screen?
Not a bad idea indeed.
Didn't have the option to load the game at the end of the installation. I had to find the icon on the desktop to run it.
Honestly, I tried that, but NSIS messed something up and the game wouldn't start properly from there. I don't think it's a big issue anyway: from then on you'll always be starting Crime Puzzle from the desktop.
The good:
...
Thanks!
Closing comments:
...
This game was concieved(sp?) short after the completion of our first game DDD Pool (which was before Big Kahuna and other new titles of which you speak were released). After several portals rejected our pool game saying "This is not for our audience..They like Zuma, Jewel Quest, Bejeweled..", we said "So they want JQ and Bejeweled? Let's give 'em some, but in (hopefully) nicer package. So, from the start, we didn't have an ambition to introduce a new genre within genre. That said, we believe the Mystery mode differs quite a bit from JQ, considering they're all based on the same main concept.
My recommendation: Give me something different than the rest of the games out there and I'd probably buy it.
Oh, I'd so much like to. But let me get dirty rich first. :D

[soniCron]

The backgrounds are not different, exactly because they would not be visible. You also can't see the background because of the tiles under the stamps, which cover the whole board. You can only see the background when you finish a stage/level, but there's nothing important to see anyway. That background is not related to the picture around the right side of the board. I suppose I wasn't clear enough. Because the items are square, it's difficult to see the red protruding from behind, indicating an already cleared spot. It's not impossible to see, but it's also not intuitive.

Creating a character for the first time does not automatically select and use that character I just created.
It's supposed to. It does with me. Please explain exactly what happens? Which character does it select and use, if not that one? It creates the character but remains on the create character dialog. I'm suggesting the dialog closes automatically after the first character that's created (when running the game the first time).

Can't select "Relaxed Game" and I don't know why. There are no messages or any other indication other than the lack of a mouse-over image.
Actually, there is a message about it on the BuyNow screen. It also says that you are allowed to play 5 stages of Classic game and 7 stages (2 levels) of Mystery game in trial mode. We decided not to go with time limited trial for this game. Anyone comment if this was a good choice? Then I'd suggest you add a "Purchase this game to play the Relaxed Mode!" message or something similar. It's not clear, especially since I had no interest reading the "Buy Now" screen. I suspect other players will similarly ignore the Buy Now screen and also be confused. You also need to boost up your selling exposure. I felt like you weren't even trying to sell me anything else. As far as not using time limitations, I suspect several people will agree that it's a given to use time limits. That said, however, there's no better way than to try it out yourself!

My first move made no less than 20 combos. I felt like I was cheating!
Well, it happens when you only have 4 different stamps on a 8x8 board. You'll be crying for those combos on later levels when more stamps appear. :D I hear that! :)

Didn't have the option to load the game at the end of the installation. I had to find the icon on the desktop to run it.
Honestly, I tried that, but NSIS messed something up and the game wouldn't start properly from there. I don't think it's a big issue anyway: from then on you'll always be starting Crime Puzzle from the desktop. I strongly suggest you fight with it until you make it work. Be aware that just because someone installs the game doesn't mean they'll run it, especially if they have difficulty finding the icon. (I know it sounds silly, but just as you shouldn't underestimate your potential customers, don't overestimate them either.)

I think you've got an excellent title right there, though I admit I was a little disappointed after running it. I wish you and your team the best of luck and prosperity! :)

[Duke]

It creates the character but remains on the create character dialog. I'm suggesting the dialog closes automatically after the first character that's created (when running the game the first time).
Check!

Then I'd suggest you add a "Purchase this game to play the Relaxed Mode!" message or something similar. It's not clear, especially since I had no interest reading the "Buy Now" screen. I suspect other players will similarly ignore the Buy Now screen and also be confused. You also need to boost up your selling exposure. I felt like you weren't even trying to sell me anything else. As far as not using time limitations, I suspect several people will agree that it's a given to use time limits. That said, however, there's no better way than to try it out yourself!
I'm aware I'm not much of a salesman. :(
Where do you think I should put the "Purchase this game to play the Relaxed Mode!"? And it sounds as if the Relaxed mode is the main feature of the game, which it isn't.
And for not using time limitation: It's been much discussed on this forum, and one of the opinions was that if you have feature limitation, the game stays longer on player's computer because it didn't completely cease functioning, like after the expiration of trial period. Anyway, the version on the portals will be time limited, so there will be something for everyone's taste.

I strongly suggest you fight with it until you make it work. Be aware that just because someone installs the game doesn't mean they'll run it, especially if they have difficulty finding the icon. (I know it sounds silly, but just as you shouldn't underestimate your potential customers, don't overestimate them either.)
I'll try.

[soniCron]

I'm aware I'm not much of a salesman. :(
Where do you think I should put the "Purchase this game to play the Relaxed Mode!"? And it sounds as if the Relaxed mode is the main feature of the game, which it isn't. I appologize for being unclear, yet again! :) I was suggesting the message appear when moving the mouse over the button.

And for not using time limitation: It's been much discussed on this forum, and one of the opinions was that if you have feature limitation, the game stays longer on player's computer because it didn't completely cease functioning, like after the expiration of trial period. Anyway, the version on the portals will be time limited, so there will be something for everyone's taste. It'll be interesting to see how that fares! Please keep us updated to it's success, if you would. ;)

[Duke]

I appologize for being unclear, yet again! :) I was suggesting the message appear when moving the mouse over the button.
Oh, I see. But I still can't figure out where to put it without messing the "graphical consistence" of the main menu. I can't squeeze it into the info bar (right under the "Crime Puzzle" sign).
I'm thinking of presenting it more clearly on the BuyNow screen.

It'll be interesting to see how that fares! Please keep us updated to it's success, if you would. ;)
Of course I would!
I've already exposed DDD Pool sales figures on this forum.
I have no problem doing it for Crime Puzzle too.

[Jesse Aldridge]

Nothing much to add except - right shift doesn't work when entering a name. (left shift + j = 'J') (right shift + j = 'j')
Also I ran this game three times and the second time I got a message that said "Error aquiring keyboard" and the game closed before the load screen came up.

[soniCron]

Oh, I see. But I still can't figure out where to put it without messing the "graphical consistence" of the main menu. I can't squeeze it into the info bar (right under the "Crime Puzzle" sign).
I'm thinking of presenting it more clearly on the BuyNow screen. Off the top of my head, instead of the game mode description at the top (under the title), put a sales message. Then have images of a lock appear over the button, clearly denoting it as un-clickable. They'll probably notice the locks first, then read the description, which tells them it's a locked feature. In the full version, don't use the locks and show the regular description.

[Duke]

Nothing much to add except - right shift doesn't work when entering a name. (left shift + j = 'J') (right shift + j = 'j')
Stupid error in condition expression. :o
Thanks!

Also I ran this game three times and the second time I got a message that said "Error aquiring keyboard" and the game closed before the load screen came up.
Yes, this happens sometimes, like when you start the game and the very next moment you close some other window on desktop or something like that.
I haven't a cure for this one, I'm afraid.

[Duke]

Off the top of my head, instead of the game mode description at the top (under the title), put a sales message. Then have images of a lock appear over the button, clearly denoting it as un-clickable. They'll probably notice the locks first, then read the description, which tells them it's a locked feature. In the full version, don't use the locks and show the regular description.
Good idea. I may just exploit it.