This, has the quality and fundamentals that all Instant "Classics have" a a Passion for the craft, by the devs. a repeatalble entertaining Loop of euphoric splender!
Very true, the nature of procedural generation means sometimes you're going to get screwed, but I try my best to avoid anything completely unfair. The defender AI tries to place them in the best locations, but I can add a bias against the entrance and exit because that does get pretty brutal. Thanks for the feedback and I'm glad you enjoy it!
LOVED this game. Won on my second run through with a zombie-build. My thoughts / suggestions in no particular order:
- I also had the menu collapsing on me all the time (Had a bazillion units), and I think it happens when the cursor pass over the corner between four thumbnails, where the rounded corners makes a tiny hole.
- In my very limited experience, mana / boost potions were rarely worth considering while pathing, but treasure chests created really interesting risk vs rewards dilemmas (which made me sad that you can only get one per floor). Maybe have smaller and bigger treasure chests for more variation?
- When I lost my first life on the first run, there was nothing I could do (I had simply fallen below the curve). I couldn't complete the level, so I didn't get any money, so I couldn't improve my deck, so I just lost again and again. Maybe set the difficulty back a couple of stages whenever the player loses a life?
- I had multiple units that had incrementally improving stats, and it was a bit of a chore to mouse over each one to see how far it had improved while rearranging. Maybe those units could have the stat in question displayed in the corner of their thumbnail?
- I have to admit I wasn't a huge fan of the pathing-phase. Primarily because I felt the dexterity challenge didn't mesh all too well with the strategic parts of the game. The fact that you can't see enemy attack range while moving, means I have to remember the entire path before starting to move. With the snake being a bit unresponsive on top of that made it a bit annoying.
- The shop selection being completely random meant I sometimes had few, if any, choices. During the later floors I was so rich I always just bought the most expensive unit available every time. Maybe adjust the selection based on how much money the player has? Or do the snrx thing where you can upgrade the shop itself.
- Two things that didn't feel very intuitive to me: 1). Items reset with each wave, but not items that has been moved by a minion? 2). You don't fail a wave even if you don't get a key, as long as one of your monsters survive?
- It was really frustrating when the key I needed was ON the exit tile :p Don't know if that needs fixing, but...
- The "proc" abilities are a bit hard to work with. It's completely random? In that case, I would personally be more intrigued by "once every 10 sec" or something.
- In later, bigger levels, multiple exits could be interesting.
Thanks so much, I'm glad you enjoyed it! Menu collapse issue is top of my priority list, sorry that's such a hassle right now. I agree about the potions, one plan we have soon is to add persistent powerups that heal or boost as long as they're carried (similar to shields), which will be more useful since multiple minions can benefit. We have some exciting ideas for chests as well, stay tuned!
The difficulty curve still needs work for sure. I think once the power-ups are expanded on like I said above, we can use them to give the player some solutions to tricky situations.
Very true about the stat views, I will eventually be adding a minion management screen where you can more easily rearrange them, and will make the stats easier to see at a glance there.
The snake-mode will get some love soon. It definitely needs some tweaking to feel more responsive somehow, and I have some ideas about how to make that stage more interesting as well, with actions you can perform in addition to just drawing the path. I am also exploring different approaches of making more information available there, but I did try it at one point with tower range visible and found it to be too distracting. It's worth another look though.
Great ideas about the shop! One thing I'll definitely be adding is a reroll button with a cost, so that should solve the issue of having money with nothing to spend it on.
Items shouldn't be resetting each wave, although new ones are added. If you don't pick up a potion or coin on the previous wave, it will be there the next wave (and then everything is reset at the next level). I'll keep an eye out on that to make sure there's not a bug somewhere you're seeing with disappearing loot. And yes, as long as 1 minion makes it to the exit, you won't lose a life, but it will advance the wave counter which means more defenders, so you can't do this indefinitely. At one point at least one key was required in order to advance, and I think some text in-game may still reference this, so I'll check that and make sure I'm not confusing people.
There's a bug in the current build where a minion can be killed while they're exiting the stairs and it will leave the key behind there. This will be fixed in a patch update shortly, so hopefully that resolves the stairs key issue you're describing.
The "proc" is exactly that, it happens automatically on an interval. I will revisit this and figure out a way to convey that information better. Probably more clear to say "Every X seconds: Do a thing".
Multiple exits is a cool idea! I also have thought about the idea of dynamic and even hidden exits. I'll play with this at some point in the future.
Thanks so much for playing and for the amazing feedback, it's so helpful! I'll be posting regular updates so check back often!
Oooo! Exploration with secrets sounds really interesting! Looking over my comment now, I realize I didn't mention any positives. The last few rounds being more of a victory lap was actually satisfying rather than anti-climactic. Also loved the cute, boxy pixel-monsters, elegant rules and novel idea.
You got yourself a fan who'll buy the game on launch cx
Really nice game! Came here from Retromation's youtube video.
----
Is it a bug or a feature that Pixies (I believe it might not be spelled in this way, I mean the "10 speed/ Drops an Health potion" monster) can't bring the keys to victory?
At first I believed they might have died as soon as they got to the tile with the stairs, but they kept reaching the stairs and leaving the key on the tile, instead of carrying it to victory. I lost 2 lives that way.
Thank you for the bug report! We have squashed a few bugs with keys left on the stairs. Whenever I see that, I’m concerned something is wrong. The pixies absolutely should take the keys down the stairs. Sometimes, it can just be perfect timing of a hit that kills them a frame before they descend… but if that were the case, you’d see a health potion there too. Sounds more like a bug the more I think about it. We’re going to look into it.
I have noticed the same bug while using an extremely fast monster (The one that permanently stacks speed, can't remember the name). I am starting to wonder if fast creatures might be the problem.
first, there is some lag, especially in later levels with more units. looks to me like the game stops a few frames whenever a unit gets hit, which happens a lot. while i do use a pretty low-end machine, lagging on this kind of game should not happen.
second, there seems to be some minor input delay during snake movement. i already figured out that the snake seems to only accepts inputs the frame it completes the moving to a new square and that seems to be the mayority of the issue. i think a change from checking only on that frame to queueing up an input or maybe even two inputs would make moving the snake feel a lot better.
third, sorting units gets kinda difficult once you hit multiple rows. the menu sometimes collapses whenever i move over the border of a unit portrait. i think they don't quite line up borderless.
...could also be a fullscreen issue. if you press alt+enter in this kind of gamemaker programm, you can make the window fullscreen even if that is not actually intended. i use that a lot and some games show some strange issues only in this forced fullscreen mode, so i thought that may also apply here.
forth, the difficulty scales a bit too steep in the late levels. i mean, i didn't even get that golem to beyond halfway to the exit on the most direct path in 1-3.
i think an upgrade system and maybe the ability to sell units would improve the game quite a bit.
i don't mind if you restrict that to only between floor transitions, but it definitely should be added.
so, with that wall of text out of the way, i say it again, i like your game quite a lot and those issues are only minor.
Thanks for playing! You'll be happy to know that I've fixed all the performance issues in the last build, so please give it another try.
I'll look into the snake input issues, I think I know what you mean.
Agreed on the unit sorting as well, I need to seriously rework that and will likely be adding a new screen to handle that better.
Difficulty scaling is completely changed in the new build (which is harder overall but you now have a lot more powers at your disposal), I hope you find it more enjoyable!
Minion upgrades are on our planned feature list, thank you for the suggestion!
And yes, thank you so much for the wall of text! This kind of feedback is pretty much the most helpful thing we could wish for at this point!
i like the added special abilities and items. makes the game a lot complexer strategiewise and makes me want to take extra risks.
the new enemie types are appreciated as well.
keep up the good work!
...oh, and i had actually found another minor issue in the previous version i had forgotten to mention. my minions seemed to get confused which item to take when multiple items stacked on the same field.
if there were lets say five coins and a key as the third item, they would grab the coins that were first in line but not switch to the key.
Thanks, I'll look into that one. There was a bug that would cause a delay in dropping items on death as well, which could cause what you were describing if a minion had just died and dropped it. That will be fixed in a small patch hopefully tonight.
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This, has the quality and fundamentals that all Instant "Classics have" a a Passion for the craft, by the devs. a repeatalble entertaining Loop of euphoric splender!
Thank you, your kind words warm my heart! If we keep getting so much great feedback from players like you, I think we can make something awesome!
very fun but unfair when every guy(defence) is right at the start... 10/10 would reccomend
Very true, the nature of procedural generation means sometimes you're going to get screwed, but I try my best to avoid anything completely unfair. The defender AI tries to place them in the best locations, but I can add a bias against the entrance and exit because that does get pretty brutal. Thanks for the feedback and I'm glad you enjoy it!
LOVED this game. Won on my second run through with a zombie-build. My thoughts / suggestions in no particular order:
- I also had the menu collapsing on me all the time (Had a bazillion units), and I think it happens when the cursor pass over the corner between four thumbnails, where the rounded corners makes a tiny hole.
- In my very limited experience, mana / boost potions were rarely worth considering while pathing, but treasure chests created really interesting risk vs rewards dilemmas (which made me sad that you can only get one per floor). Maybe have smaller and bigger treasure chests for more variation?
- When I lost my first life on the first run, there was nothing I could do (I had simply fallen below the curve). I couldn't complete the level, so I didn't get any money, so I couldn't improve my deck, so I just lost again and again. Maybe set the difficulty back a couple of stages whenever the player loses a life?
- I had multiple units that had incrementally improving stats, and it was a bit of a chore to mouse over each one to see how far it had improved while rearranging. Maybe those units could have the stat in question displayed in the corner of their thumbnail?
- I have to admit I wasn't a huge fan of the pathing-phase. Primarily because I felt the dexterity challenge didn't mesh all too well with the strategic parts of the game. The fact that you can't see enemy attack range while moving, means I have to remember the entire path before starting to move. With the snake being a bit unresponsive on top of that made it a bit annoying.
- The shop selection being completely random meant I sometimes had few, if any, choices. During the later floors I was so rich I always just bought the most expensive unit available every time. Maybe adjust the selection based on how much money the player has? Or do the snrx thing where you can upgrade the shop itself.
- Two things that didn't feel very intuitive to me: 1). Items reset with each wave, but not items that has been moved by a minion? 2). You don't fail a wave even if you don't get a key, as long as one of your monsters survive?
- It was really frustrating when the key I needed was ON the exit tile :p Don't know if that needs fixing, but...
- The "proc" abilities are a bit hard to work with. It's completely random? In that case, I would personally be more intrigued by "once every 10 sec" or something.
- In later, bigger levels, multiple exits could be interesting.
Great job, look forward to re-visiting!
Thanks so much, I'm glad you enjoyed it! Menu collapse issue is top of my priority list, sorry that's such a hassle right now. I agree about the potions, one plan we have soon is to add persistent powerups that heal or boost as long as they're carried (similar to shields), which will be more useful since multiple minions can benefit. We have some exciting ideas for chests as well, stay tuned!
The difficulty curve still needs work for sure. I think once the power-ups are expanded on like I said above, we can use them to give the player some solutions to tricky situations.
Very true about the stat views, I will eventually be adding a minion management screen where you can more easily rearrange them, and will make the stats easier to see at a glance there.
The snake-mode will get some love soon. It definitely needs some tweaking to feel more responsive somehow, and I have some ideas about how to make that stage more interesting as well, with actions you can perform in addition to just drawing the path. I am also exploring different approaches of making more information available there, but I did try it at one point with tower range visible and found it to be too distracting. It's worth another look though.
Great ideas about the shop! One thing I'll definitely be adding is a reroll button with a cost, so that should solve the issue of having money with nothing to spend it on.
Items shouldn't be resetting each wave, although new ones are added. If you don't pick up a potion or coin on the previous wave, it will be there the next wave (and then everything is reset at the next level). I'll keep an eye out on that to make sure there's not a bug somewhere you're seeing with disappearing loot. And yes, as long as 1 minion makes it to the exit, you won't lose a life, but it will advance the wave counter which means more defenders, so you can't do this indefinitely. At one point at least one key was required in order to advance, and I think some text in-game may still reference this, so I'll check that and make sure I'm not confusing people.
There's a bug in the current build where a minion can be killed while they're exiting the stairs and it will leave the key behind there. This will be fixed in a patch update shortly, so hopefully that resolves the stairs key issue you're describing.
The "proc" is exactly that, it happens automatically on an interval. I will revisit this and figure out a way to convey that information better. Probably more clear to say "Every X seconds: Do a thing".
Multiple exits is a cool idea! I also have thought about the idea of dynamic and even hidden exits. I'll play with this at some point in the future.
Thanks so much for playing and for the amazing feedback, it's so helpful! I'll be posting regular updates so check back often!
Oooo! Exploration with secrets sounds really interesting! Looking over my comment now, I realize I didn't mention any positives. The last few rounds being more of a victory lap was actually satisfying rather than anti-climactic. Also loved the cute, boxy pixel-monsters, elegant rules and novel idea.
You got yourself a fan who'll buy the game on launch cx
Really nice game!
Came here from Retromation's youtube video.
----
Is it a bug or a feature that Pixies (I believe it might not be spelled in this way, I mean the "10 speed/ Drops an Health potion" monster) can't bring the keys to victory?
At first I believed they might have died as soon as they got to the tile with the stairs, but they kept reaching the stairs and leaving the key on the tile, instead of carrying it to victory.
I lost 2 lives that way.
Just thought I'd share it in case it's a bug!
Thank you for the bug report! We have squashed a few bugs with keys left on the stairs. Whenever I see that, I’m concerned something is wrong. The pixies absolutely should take the keys down the stairs. Sometimes, it can just be perfect timing of a hit that kills them a frame before they descend… but if that were the case, you’d see a health potion there too. Sounds more like a bug the more I think about it. We’re going to look into it.
Thank you for the quick response!
The lack of dropped health potions also made me lean towards it being a bug!
I will comment some more if I notice anything.
Still, regardless, I hope you'll have a nice day and a relaxing end to the week!
I have noticed the same bug while using an extremely fast monster (The one that permanently stacks speed, can't remember the name).
I am starting to wonder if fast creatures might be the problem.
Thanks for this report! We tracked it down and just fixed it!
Thank you! Have a nice day and a great weekend!
You were right! Speed kills! We just fixed it and posted a new build.
That brings a smile to my face!
I hope you have a nice day and a great weekend!
nice game
Thanks for playing!
i like your game quite a lot!
it's simple yet fun.
i do have some minor issues though...
first, there is some lag, especially in later levels with more units. looks to me like the game stops a few frames whenever a unit gets hit, which happens a lot. while i do use a pretty low-end machine, lagging on this kind of game should not happen.
second, there seems to be some minor input delay during snake movement. i already figured out that the snake seems to only accepts inputs the frame it completes the moving to a new square and that seems to be the mayority of the issue. i think a change from checking only on that frame to queueing up an input or maybe even two inputs would make moving the snake feel a lot better.
third, sorting units gets kinda difficult once you hit multiple rows. the menu sometimes collapses whenever i move over the border of a unit portrait. i think they don't quite line up borderless.
...could also be a fullscreen issue. if you press alt+enter in this kind of gamemaker programm, you can make the window fullscreen even if that is not actually intended. i use that a lot and some games show some strange issues only in this forced fullscreen mode, so i thought that may also apply here.
forth, the difficulty scales a bit too steep in the late levels. i mean, i didn't even get that golem to beyond halfway to the exit on the most direct path in 1-3.
i think an upgrade system and maybe the ability to sell units would improve the game quite a bit.
i don't mind if you restrict that to only between floor transitions, but it definitely should be added.
so, with that wall of text out of the way, i say it again, i like your game quite a lot and those issues are only minor.
Thanks for playing! You'll be happy to know that I've fixed all the performance issues in the last build, so please give it another try.
I'll look into the snake input issues, I think I know what you mean.
Agreed on the unit sorting as well, I need to seriously rework that and will likely be adding a new screen to handle that better.
Difficulty scaling is completely changed in the new build (which is harder overall but you now have a lot more powers at your disposal), I hope you find it more enjoyable!
Minion upgrades are on our planned feature list, thank you for the suggestion!
And yes, thank you so much for the wall of text! This kind of feedback is pretty much the most helpful thing we could wish for at this point!
i like the added special abilities and items. makes the game a lot complexer strategiewise and makes me want to take extra risks.
the new enemie types are appreciated as well.
keep up the good work!
...oh, and i had actually found another minor issue in the previous version i had forgotten to mention. my minions seemed to get confused which item to take when multiple items stacked on the same field.
if there were lets say five coins and a key as the third item, they would grab the coins that were first in line but not switch to the key.
Thanks, I'll look into that one. There was a bug that would cause a delay in dropping items on death as well, which could cause what you were describing if a minion had just died and dropped it. That will be fixed in a small patch hopefully tonight.
the lives dont go down lol that would make a good gamemode tho
Thanks for playing, lives are only supposed to go down if none of your minions make it to the stairs. Is that not working for you?
oh i didnt know and yes its working