It’s no secret that SongArc is one of our favorite games. It’s also quite popular with you guys and the Windows Phone community at large. It has north of a 500,000 users playing and is by far the most popular music game in the Windows Phone Store. A few weeks ago we gave you a sneak peek at the changes coming in version 2.0 of the game, which will be rolling out into the Windows Phone Store in the next few hours.
The list of changes and new features in version 2.0 of SongArc is huge. There’s your general bug fixes, sure, but the biggest changes include support for 720p and 768p devices, plus the game is now transition to a free-to-play model. Here’s the full changelog for SongArc.
- Native Windows Phone 8 support, including an extremely crisp 720p and 768p design!
- Search - find playable songs by artist or title quickly
- Song position indicator - your progress in a song is now shown on the bottom of the screen
- Even more premium quality Sheets by the SongArc Team!
- Continued support for Windows Phone 7
- A brand new Sheet Details screen that does a better job explaining that you need the Sheet and the Song together to play, with other usability enhancements
- Better indication and progress feedback on what is happening when the app starts and it is contacting the server
- A nicer way to enter sheet description
- Free-to-play
So why is the free period of SongArc ending? It’s not cheap to support servers for over 500,000 people. The SongArc team is hoping the model they chose is the best solution to support the needs of both those wanting the game for free and the reality of running those servers.
The new payment model breaks down like this. Coins are needed to buy Sheets. There are two categories of sheets, regular and premium. Regular Sheets are those created by the community and will cost 10 coins, while premium sheets are made by the SongArc team and cost 20 coins. Once you purchase a Sheet you can play it as much as you want without ever needing to “buy” it again with your coins.
If you never want to pay for SongArc, but still want to play, the team has a solution for you. You can earn coins by liking the SongArc team on Facebook and Twitter. You can also earn coins by returning every day to get your daily coin bonus. Coins can also be obtained through in-app purchases. 100 coins go for $0.99, 300 coins for $1.99, 500 coins for $2.99, and 1000 coins for $4.99. That means you’ll get either 10 community Sheets or 5 premium Sheets for just one dollar. Not a bad deal for a game that’s really hard to quit. There’s also a feature called a “doubler’ which gives you doubles your daily bonus. All Sheets also let you trial the first 30 seconds, this way you won’t spend your coins on a Sheet you might not like.
The SongArc team also has created the Fan Pack for the game. Buy this and you’ll never have to pay for a Sheet, current or upcoming SongArc features. You’re also gaining the undying gratitude of the SongArc team. Again, another good deal. We’re not seeing the update live in the Windows Phone Store just yet, so no word on how much the Fan Pack costs. We’ll update once we get the information.
Rocking a Windows Phone 7.x device and want in on the new SongArc awesomeness? No worries, the team has your back. While Windows Phone 7.x does not support in-app purchases, the team has implemented a PayPal solution so you’ll be able to enjoy version 2.0 once it hits the Store.
Like we said this update has been published in the Windows Phone Store and will be propagating through the Store over the new hours. You might not see version 2.0 just yet, but you will soon enough. Want SongArc for Windows Phone? Grab it in the Windows Phone Store. You can also use the QR code below or swipe to the right in our app.
