|
Post by dewfreak83 on Mar 4, 2016 5:12:31 GMT
More than a year ago I was fishing here for feedback on a gamebook I was working on. Now totalling a year and 9 months in development, I'm still working on that same gamebook - but I'm finally ready to share it with a wider audience. Specifically: gamebook fans! I'm hoping to get feedback on the up-coming beta from a few kind souls that can spare the time - I mostly just want to make sure I'm "on the right track" to creating something that appeals to fans of the genre. While the core of the game is like the gamebooks we enjoy, there are some elements that make it feel very different. Particularly the combat doesn't just utilize dice, but also brings a strategic card game into the mix as well. Below are a few screenshots and even a video I did at a convention to give you a better idea of the game: If this sounds like something you are interested in, please sign-up for the up-coming beta!
|
|
|
Post by deadshadowrunner on Mar 5, 2016 15:04:34 GMT
Looks interesting, I have signed up for the beta
|
|
|
Post by dewfreak83 on Mar 5, 2016 15:30:45 GMT
Yay! Thanks - looking forward to your feedback once you get your hands on the beta!
|
|
|
Post by dewfreak83 on Mar 11, 2016 17:49:49 GMT
The beta is now available for those that signed-up, so check your inboxes! Excited to get feedback from those that are fans of the genre!
|
|
|
Post by deadshadowrunner on Mar 13, 2016 12:12:16 GMT
Is it necessary to download the app? My play store doesn't seem to have it.
|
|
|
Post by dewfreak83 on Mar 14, 2016 14:29:57 GMT
Sorry, Just now saw this message now! It is purely an app (not web), so you will need to download it to your device. Does the play store still not have it? Sometimes it takes several hours to filter out to everywhere... Can I ask where you are located? The UK?
|
|
|
Post by deadshadowrunner on Mar 15, 2016 2:22:18 GMT
Oh wait, I just found it. Downloading it now.
|
|
|
Post by dewfreak83 on Mar 15, 2016 21:32:06 GMT
Wooo! Excited to hear your thoughts!
|
|
|
Post by deadshadowrunner on Mar 16, 2016 9:08:00 GMT
Here is my feedback, here goes! [Takes a deep breath]
I liked the introduction part, where you could customise your character's strengths and get some extra items or companions. It also set the scene well for the rest of the story.
The quests were varied and interesting, but you do not get any form of reward for completing them, so there was less incentive for me to attempt the quests, as I mostly got defeated in battle and got a stat reduced. Also, about the escalating feature of the quests; correct me if I'm wrong, but they do not change in terms of the choices and story from stage 1 to stage 2, the only effect being at stage 3 the area cannot be accessed anymore. If the quest got slightly harder from stage 1 to stage 2 it would be more incentive to complete it faster rather than buying some items from a market first.
I thought that the four stats, Charisma, Dexterity, Intelligence, and Strength, were tested a bit too much. It's good that they are incorporated into the game and made me think about which choice would fit my strengths but it seemed like nearly every choice I made, was purely based on which choice would be best based on my best ability. There were not enough other types of choices, such as moral choices and the like.
Do the two magic classes available this far have spells that are different, or have the same spells but different names and art? I wasn't too sure, but if the latter then it would be good to have some variety.
Talking about the art, I really liked the cartoony style of it, that was a huge plus.
I really liked the fact that the items and companions would become cards that helped you in combat, that was an excellent idea.
The combat system is definitely a refreshing change from the norm. However, I don't know if it is just me but I still did not quite get completely how the combat works, just a rough idea. I still don't get how companion cards improve after each round, and some of my cards that should be in effect every round do not come into effect every round while the opponent’s does. Also, some cards that have the piercing effect instead hit the opponent's armour. Somehow I get the feeling that combat is heavily weighted against the player.
The conclusion was great, and it was innovative having the letter sent to the hero being the start of the conclusion. Also, your starting two weapons, sword and bow, improving the more times you played through was also an inspired idea, as was the hall of fame thing, each entry with it's own little short write-up.
It was a unique idea to have the objective not be just to succeed (because there is no way to die), but to succeed as successfully as possible. The problem was that without a way to die, I did not really feel any danger. The feeling I got was that no matter what I did I would still survive in the end so there was less thrill to it. I understand that it would be impossible for the hero to be dead as the hero is recounting the story in a journal, but maybe the hero could be revealed as a ghost in the end if the hero dies?
Lastly, there was a bug. I couldn't access a save game that had my most successful hero thus far, even after restarting and all that, that was really frustrating. Also, the title screen takes a tad too long to go through, maybe allow the player to skip it by tapping?
Overall, I felt it was entertaining but it definitely needs work, an excellent beta debut nonetheless. Hopefully my criticism was constructive and helps you in polishing the game up.
|
|
|
Post by dewfreak83 on Mar 18, 2016 15:10:50 GMT
Very constructive - thank you so much! The quests were varied and interesting, but you do not get any form of reward for completing them, so there was less incentive for me to attempt the quests, as I mostly got defeated in battle and got a stat reduced. Half the quests present a reward. As saving the towns is part of the player's "job" being in the Heroes Guard, I initially was thinking they didn't always need / deserve a reward. But perhaps that is something I can rethink! Also, about the escalating feature of the quests; correct me if I'm wrong, but they do not change in terms of the choices and story from stage 1 to stage 2, the only effect being at stage 3 the area cannot be accessed anymore. If the quest got slightly harder from stage 1 to stage 2 it would be more incentive to complete it faster rather than buying some items from a market first. 3 out of the 4 quests change the story a good bit when going from stage 1 to stage 2. For instance in the "goblin story", you can arrive before goblins assault the town and scout out their encampment - but if you wait around for stage 2, the town will already be overrun. In all cases, the difficulty is increased. The incentive should most definitely be to try and take care of the event before it gets harder at stage 2, and certainly before it is lost at stage 3. I thought that the four stats, Charisma, Dexterity, Intelligence, and Strength, were tested a bit too much. It's good that they are incorporated into the game and made me think about which choice would fit my strengths but it seemed like nearly every choice I made, was purely based on which choice would be best based on my best ability. There were not enough other types of choices, such as moral choices and the like. So testing your traits is the core part of the game, and I don't expect to have any choices of morality or relationships at that. Some pre-existing games do this really well (Choice of Games), and I'm not trying to bring that into this game. Seeing as the choices aren't labeled, it is also a game-within-a-game: as the player must figure out "is this choice strength based"? I do plan on having a "Challenge" mode where, tests get more... challenging! This may be a post-release update though. Do the two magic classes available this far have spells that are different, or have the same spells but different names and art? I wasn't too sure, but if the latter then it would be good to have some variety. They are very different! Fire focuses on damage. The fireball, if it explodes does immense damage. While the flame burst damage will stack up each turn as it burns your opponent! The Ice spells focuses largely on defense - especially with spells such as the Ice Shield as part of the arsenal! The combat system is definitely a refreshing change from the norm. However, I don't know if it is just me but I still did not quite get completely how the combat works, just a rough idea. I still don't get how companion cards improve after each round, and some of my cards that should be in effect every round do not come into effect every round while the opponent’s does. Also, some cards that have the piercing effect instead hit the opponent's armour. Somehow I get the feeling that combat is heavily weighted against the player. I'm constantly working on improving the tips/tutorials and notifications for the player. For each round of feedback I believe it gets better and better! On average, about 75% of the fights are won by the player. Seeing as most players are new to the game, I would say things are pretty fair - but I"m always collecting data, feedback, and iterating! Beyond writing content, this is the largest bulk of the work I still have yet to do (making the game rules clear). It was a unique idea to have the objective not be just to succeed (because there is no way to die), but to succeed as successfully as possible. The problem was that without a way to die, I did not really feel any danger. The feeling I got was that no matter what I did I would still survive in the end so there was less thrill to it. I understand that it would be impossible for the hero to be dead as the hero is recounting the story in a journal, but maybe the hero could be revealed as a ghost in the end if the hero dies? You are right that some of the fear is gone without death, but I would like to think the excitement is still there with each dice rolled, each card drawn, each event escalated. Lastly, there was a bug. I couldn't access a save game that had my most successful hero thus far, even after restarting and all that, that was really frustrating. Also, the title screen takes a tad too long to go through, maybe allow the player to skip it by tapping? Yup! Thanks for the bug report! I plan on adding skippable animations and such for launch. Overall, I felt it was entertaining but it definitely needs work, an excellent beta debut nonetheless. Hopefully my criticism was constructive and helps you in polishing the game up. Thanks so much for all this wonderful feedback! Some of the best feedback I can get are complaints or folks detailing what they are unhappy about - as it gives me something to be actionable about! I can't say all these requests will make it into the release, but they will all be strongly considered. The hardest thing I have is making the card game easy to understand without overloading the player with too much instruction. Thanks again for giving the game a try and taking the time to write up this detailed feedback!
|
|
|
Post by deadshadowrunner on Mar 19, 2016 4:12:42 GMT
Always happy to help; especially in the interactive fiction/rpg department Excited for the next release!
|
|