Posted March 01, 2023 by Wabbaboy
Been about 4 months since last time that there was a demo. The feedback on the last one was very insightful and really positive, the players got stuck way less than I expected which means I should trust them more! Overall it was a blast, people enjoyed the game, the pacing seemed good, the design too, can't ask for much more.
The one negative takeaway that there was, was a bit difficult to come to terms with, most people that knew little to nothing about the game previously mostly assumed that it was a puzzle game, which is a problem for me. I designed the tutorial with a sort of puzzle framing which means that I locked players in a room, presented them with a system, and until they figure it out they can't get out, and that's great for tutorialising but bad for framing the game. The fix for that has been to add a little tower before the final section of the tutorial that has the players entering a hostile area from a vantage point, and little by little enemies are introduced and the player having no powers no equipment has to fight them.
I hope it works well, I think it will.
So, what else have I done these 4 months? Besides planning and bugfixing I've created a new area, I would say it's about half of what a whole level would be. I think the environment looks nice most of the time and there are a few arenas and scenarios with enemies which I hope will get the players used to the combat.
It's still little more than a developed prototype, this is my first proper stab at making a full fledged level and I have a few fears and questions that I hope to resolve with a new batch of playtesting.
It's also buggy, but I'm pretty much at the limit of my energy so I'll see if I can rest up for day or two before resuming the grind.
I don't know if anyone reads these but it's nice to have a sort of journal anyway, if you're out there playing the game or following the development, thank you, your support means the world to me.