Disappointed - A Rant
True to my word Ive come back a few times to check out the updates and to read user reviews. I sincerely hoped Id be able to find something had improved but sadly thats not the case. The developers of this app must not appreciate negative reviews. They dont seem to be listening to what people are saying since they dont address the main thing that nearly everyone is unhappy with. That is: the navigation controls. Do the developers really think their controls arent a problem?!? Take a look through the reviews yourself, then try out the controls in Solar Walk 2 & finally compare them to the way the controls worked in the first Solar Walk. If you honestly think theyve improved upon the controls since their first app then leave a review here saying why you think so. If you dont like the new controls then leave a review here too but also consider contacting the developer to tell them personally.
The controls are not the only aspect thats lacking our needs fixing. Heres my short list of the most important issues needing to be addressed:
Lack of settings
Timeline
Zoom in/out
Galaxy mode
Exoplanets
Hide labels
Lack of realism
Pixelated planets when zoomed in
I could go on but these are the biggest problems. I still use the 1st Solar Walk b/c it really is better than its sequel in many ways. Its a shame really. If I were alone or the only review saying these things I may let it go & assume its my own problem but this simply isnt the reality. The developers seem to be ignoring a large number of its users who rightfully unhappy with the product theyve paid for. Whats worse is not only being ignored but theyre patting themselves on the back for a job well done. That, to me, is insulting. Therefore, I refuse to use SW2 until these issues are addressed. I recommend anyone who feels as I do to do the same. Tell them whats on your mind!
Updated 05/28/2016
Below is my original review:
As soon as I saw Solar Walk had made a sequel to its first Solar System app I had to buy it. I liked the first one so much that I didnt think it would be possible that Id find Solar Walk 2 to be a disappointment, but it is. First, I dont like the new controls. It makes the app feel very limited because rather than be able to zoom as far in or out as youd like youre limited. As soon as you zoom a little ways you hit a wall. If you keep trying to zoom youll snap to the next point. This feature has devastating effect to the feel of depth within the app. It makes the solar system feel very small. My next issue is with the graphics for the planets, mainly the earth. I like the HD feature in the first Solar Walk so much better than the one used in this sequel. It doesnt look realistic at all. The moving atmosphere seems very gimmicky. All of the planets/Sun seem to have an animated atmosphere now and the only one that I even kinda liked was Jupiters but it becomes very obvious right away that its just an animation loop. The noises and sounds for each planet is annoying and immediately wanted to turn them off. The settings are lacking, to say the least. There are so many controls Id like to have that are missing. Another thing about the planets that I found to be lazy is yay when you rotate to the night side of the planet ask you see is a dark blue half of a sphere. It doesnt look realistic at all. Rather it looks more like they just didnt want to fill in the other half of the planet. There could be a setting that allowed for a dimmed version of the night side with the planets visible features still noticeable, just darkened. Then there could also be a true night feature where the planets dark side its completely enveloped by darkness or how we see just the sliver of a moon. I dislike the new time controls and would rather use the previous Solar Walk version. The info for all of the planets and objects are regurgitated from the first app. I miss being able to zoom out all the way to the galaxy view. The list goes on and on. Im so disappointed that I feel like I wasted my money. Ill come back from time to time to see if they improved out any but I wont hold my breath. This all couldve and shouldve been so much better. Its really a shame.
The first update did address a few of my complaints but overall Im still quite dissatisfied.
Nikyteen about
Solar Walk 2 – Solar System 3D, v1.3.3