Post by Palandus in Midnight Idle comments

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Feedback on the game:

-> In terms of overall progress = Done 8 cycles. Haven't beaten big bad boss yet. Have killed the Troll, Dark Orc, and Dryad though.

-> A lot of the choices feel too "binary". There always feels to be a more ideal choice of all the options available at multi-choice sections.

-> As an example, once in the Study, there is no real value to choosing the chest. All three items on the table are just plain better. But, I usually choose the map most of the time, as the dagger is only really good when upgraded a lot or you are playing Goblin and the potion, is only 10 sanity, and once you get at least 1 ooze run done, sanity is hardly ever that critical.

-> Some upgrades with SP aren't reflected in the stats on the screen. ie Wolf Sprint upgrades aren't added. Also, wolf sprint unlocked from a fight, not sure which, also isn't reflected.

-> Some SP upgrades are poorly worded. Like the training room buff; all it does is automate everything; I thought it would buff up the things a bit more, like +10 more books to read or something.

-> You earn nothing, other than corrosive touch, when becoming an Ooze. Unless that thing mentioned with the Dark Orc death, is something the Ooze can do (killed it with a wolf).

-> Only the bat's abilities get buffed by SP. The wolf's unholy paw gets no specific upgrades.

-> The cost for SP upgrades increases way faster than your ability to earn SP... even with you using the discount for a specific class. Like Rupture (wolf) is only at 2/20, and it costs 12 SP, which is like 1/3rd my points right now.

-> Some classes feel much more well thought out. Goblin is by far the weakest of the bunch, and its great for a 1st or 2nd run, but after that, its SP upgrades aren't great and it has lower survival rates than all other classes.

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Lots of bugs:

-> Sometimes have to fight the skeleton twice.

-> The magic dagger doesn't benefit from Goblin dryad upgrade or from dipping into spider poison. May not even get Goblin SP upgrades to daggers either.

-> No one can use the glowing altar. Tried with all classes.

-> If you have the SP for auto clockwork and such, it still consumes the blood needed to normally unlock them, the moment it becomes unlocked.

-> If you visit living quarters and then go upstairs, you lose out on all the Imps.

-> Ooze has no unlocks, unlike all other classes that gets something from Deep Thoughts.

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I have suggestions for improving gameplay, but if the author doesn't really visit here often, not sure there is value in posting them if they don't see them.

Palandus134 days ago (2 edits)

Feedback pt2:

-> Played way too much of it, now on cycle 67. Took me until cycle 31 to defeat the gargoyle and cycle 43 to defeat Legion (barely with Ooze+Bat). Have done a few chapter 2 runs but not enough yet to get very far.

-> In terms of class balance, Wolf is weakest, Goblin second weakest (if choosing wolf), Goblin third (if choosing bat), Ooze (if choosing wolf) fourth, Bat is second strongest, and Ooze (if choosing bat) is strongest. So I'd suggest looking at ways of buffing both Goblin and Wolf; these two struggled the most to defeat Legion, whereas I can auto-kill Legion with Bat, or Ooze (turn on the optional goblin unlock for straight forward).

-> The magic dagger is by far the weakest Study item initially, but after a lot of upgrades, it is the strongest. The red potion is strongest initially, but once you unlock rat absorption it becomes useless. The map is one I used a lot until the dagger had sufficient upgrades to it.

-> Goblin bombs are next to useless. They take forever to be thrown and doesn't offset their weak damage, unless you critically hit. I usually see only one used per fight with high hp enemies. But the Bat's special attacks will do amazing damage with its critical multiplier.

-> The Wolf really needs a better Dryad upgrade than -5 explore speed. Also these upgrades are only useful in the early game, but once you get a few rat/bat absorptions, they are totally useless and not worth the XP loss.

-> Wikipedia upgrade is honestly super weak for the cost it has. The ooze ones that improve XP (digestion) for rat/bat/imp, are far superior. Its good for early game, but after that I've not spent many points into it.

-> Soul Sponge is also fairly weak for the cost to upgrade it. Late game, you either get the demon upgrade for SP for XP gains or selling demon souls to get SP, so this thing at 400 maximum investment isn't likely to get much improvement past 60 something points invested, as even later game, you are saving up SP for the Master Time speed thing.

-> Repulsive Odor has no real impact on Chapter 2 fights, despite timers being a huge thing in Chapter 1. Maybe have it slow down enemy attacks, so that they aren't hitting as often to damage your blood/sanity/spirit.

-> Straight-Forward needs to be tweaked.

A) Middle is often the worst option to be taken in terms of XP gains. Like sure maybe don't do the Orc Warlord, but at least auto-grab the Tome of Knowledge. Its especially bad as the bat can skip the fights by choosing messhall if done manually.

B) Fight (study) at least grab the dagger. It is a neutral choice early game and a super choice lategame.

C) Leave (fork) when you have chapter 2 unlocked, it does pause to choose chapter 2. But the thing is, the first fork here, lets you attack the spider and if playing as wolf or goblin, that is a really good power boosters for them that makes/breaks them if they skip it.

D) Decline; if say under 10% of the xp needed for the level, let them take the class specific option. Again, for bat, goblin or ooze, this is a gamechanger.

E) Cross/Shortcut; Stops here for most classes. Yes most have no choice but to cross, but the bat can bypass it, and it doesn't auto-choose this.

F) Shortcut; Stops here for most classes. Wolf can dive under, but doesn't auto-choose this. Most either have to fight the troll (usually smart if have the dps) or take on the basilisk.

G) Lie; only works for Goblin and again doesn't dive under for Wolf.

-> Blood Depot should honestly be changed. Instead of increasing the amount per tick, it should make the action go faster. When doing Wolf auto-mode, it rarely hits above rank 20 out of 50. Even when playing manually, I think the highest I saw it get was 45 / 50.

-> It really needs to pause the spirit countdown, between fights. I just can't read that fast to make travel decisions and so lose 3-4 spirit trying to read things quickly and then make a decision.

Bugs:

-> Sometimes based on options chosen, the attack rat / bat / imp disappears so you don't actually know how many are left to be killed before selecting an option.

-> Viscosity/Fluidity does not affect any options chosen in Chapter 2.

-> Guerilla does not affect any fights in Chapter 2, and as most of the fights can't be avoided until reaching a "fork", it should automatically do them, as I often lose 0.5 to 1.5 spirit taking the time to click on attack button.

-> Enemies with no armor to begin with, have no armor icons. Those that had armor reduced to 0 still shows the icon, but with no number over the icon. Even when you reduce both armors to 0.

-> If you have 0 demon souls, you can enter chapter 2 without paying anything, but if you have at least 1 DS, you have to spend it to enter.

-> If you buy Spirit Charm, its not applied for this run of chapter 2, only successive runs later.

-> You cannot buy or sell demon souls, unless you visit chapter 2. Not even at run end, when spending your SP.

-> I got Aspiration Band, which says +0.1 per level up. I think its a typo, because my current DS is 2.49. So, it might supposed to read as +0.01 per level up.

-> I got Demon Ring, upgraded to rank 3. I should earn +3 DS after a run of Chapter 2, but I only earn +1 DS. ... UNLESS you don't earn DS if you suffer a Mortal Wound, not sure if that is related to this or not.

-> Having multiple Demon Ring, Black Soul Gem, or such, doesn't give me more uses at the Soul Well, OR... makes it faster to generate the resources at the Soul Well.

-> I went to the Centipede area, to try to reach that chest there. I saw that they were hitting some good hits on Blood. Then when I was at about 500 max blood (down from like 1200 that I started with at the start of Chapter 2), I got a popup saying I received a mortal wound and then died. I thought that was only supposed to happen if I had my blood/sanity/spirit drained to 0 or less by an attack in Chapter 2.

EDIT:

-> Also, if you buy one of the optional upgrades (ie I am goblin) and turn it off, you can buy it again for 0 cost during that browser being opened. But when you close the browser, any of these that got disabled, you have to pay full SP cost to unlock them again. Really irritating for Straight Forward having to rebuy that one.

Palandus134 days ago(+1)

Feedback pt3:

-> On cycle 77. Upgraded almost everything to maximum (except for master time at 0/2000).

-> Cannot progress much in Chapter 2. Chose the "best" attack package of Bat + Dagger, and keep getting mortal wounds. I fought against Snappy, brought its armor down to 0 for magic attacks, so acid spit (at 12x crit multiplier) and magic dagger would do great damage, and it killed me at about 400 hp left, with maxxed out rat/bat populations and maxxed out absorption for blood/sanity.

-> I don't think I'm enjoying this at all anymore, so I'm going to stop playing now.

-> Also looking at the side screen showing off Snappy (on this itch page), how did you get Acid Spit to 39 damage? Mine is maxed out at 9 damage and 0 sanity. Alos how is your blood at 5000, when mine caps out around 1500?

-> Clearly I'm doing something wrong, not sure what, and with no documentation or helpful tips, I'm throwing in the towel and giving up.

-> If you want those suggestions, reply to one/all of these, and I'll keep them on my machine for a month or so, then delete them if I hear nothing.

Palandus133 days ago (3 edits)

Feedback pt4:

-> Decided to give it one more chance, and now at cycle 102. Everything is maxxed out except Master Time (41/200) and Foul Odor (71/100).

-> Maxxed out everything in Trinkets for Demon Souls. Unlocked both Vampire and Werewolf. Haven't figured out what Goblin unlocks. Not maxxed out Vampire or Werewolf yet.

-> Chapter 2 is very mazelike and I'm slowly starting to understand how it works and what class specific shortcuts skips what content.

-> Vampire's raise skeleton ability seems to be quite weak, or I'm using it wrong (ie I killed the skeletal mage and raised it).

-> Why does the Werewolf's Blood Boil have 30 ranks, but the Vampire's Intelligence only has 6 ranks, when sanity regen is far more valuable for most classes?

-> Not sure the point of the Vampire's Soul Magnet. By the time I could afford it I was making so much SP and DS from other effects, that I stopped draining wells, especially as the wells don't give much SP or DS.

-> Vampire's Mind Shield gets insanely expensive despite it only reducing sanity damage by 1 point... and there are plenty of foes that hit for 100+ base sanity damage already.

-> By becoming a Vampire, you lose the ability to sonic shout at Snappy, which is super unfair, as even with maxed out armor reduction effects, he still has 60/60 armor types.

-> Werewolf's Hurtle effect doesn't always seem to work. I'm at rank 10, and some journey options still require the same amount of time, as it did before I grabbed them.

-> Werewolf's Ancestral Dreams is very useful in Chapter 1 to progress back to the Chapter 2 start point, by grabbing specific objects, but in Chapter 2 its worse than useless. The reason is, any time you take a recall stone, any choices you make there, is what supercedes the dream path. So if you first went say Mind, got to the recall and then went Spirit, and say died by fighting the ogre, then the next Ancestral dream will not go Mind, but instead will go Spirit and take the same choices... even the one that might have gotten you killed. And thus attack the ogre again.

-> Werewolf's Ancestral Trance doesn't work. I still have all the story screens in Chapter 2 when its active.

-> Werewolf's Dismember is a choice you HAVE to make before attacking and once you do and retreat, you can't actually fully retreat. So you are locked into a death battle for whoever wins.

-> Many enemies hit for way too much blood damage and its totally unavoidable. Those that hit for spirit damage are downright broken (ie the Heretics).

-> Not having Sonic Wave for Bats, is a major loss of DPS. Whereas both Goblins and Wolves still get their DPS boost from the Spider's Blood.

-> There are way too many instances of where you have to pay a Spirit toll, that is your only viable option as fighting is too hard, but the spirit cost is so high that you'll probably die from Spirit loss if you take the option, BUT... you can't backtrack to avoid many of these tolls, so you are stuck doing them.

-> I have not been able to beat any of the Arena first wave foes. I have no idea how to get into the Runic Doors. There is several instances of "deadends" right before the Arena, that I'm sure are important, but tested with all three characters, and got nothing (plus vampire and werewolf). Snappy is too tough and Heretics keep turbo-blasting my spirit to oblivion. I may be approaching a situation of being stuck again.

-> Really wish more things we gain, were permanent unlocks. Like the centepede hole chest, is so hard to get, and yet the dagger is only slightly better than silver dagger. Or the amulet you buy from the dark elf.

-> We really need a way to dodge attacks or block them or something. So many attacks deal massive damage and I've yet to encounter a foe that uses the old timed system (foul odor that improves time of).

-> Some options for avoiding fights makes no sense. Like the Dusk Orc for Goblins. By the point that you can do Chapter 2, its worth it killing the Dusk Orc. Using his ability only gives you 500 xp.

Bugs:

-> You can redo certain actions when you do a recall. For example, you can befriend the Witch multiple times, each time earning you 1000 xp OR you can free the animals multiple times for 2000 xp each time.

-> These special events that grant flat xp, do not benefit from the Wikipedia effect. Its always that amount.

-> I've had some fights where an enemy deals spirit damage, but yet doesn't kill me. ie the Fairies in mushroom forest. I'm down to 13 spirit, they hit for 15 spirit, and yet I don't get spirited away.

-> I've had some fights where I had at least 500 remaining blood or sanity, and suffered a Mortal Wound or Insanity, despite the attack that killed me, didn't deal 500+ damage.

-> Both insanity and Mortal Wounds do not pay out the Demon Souls for end of life events. May not be a bug.

-> Chapter 2 daggers don't benefit from Goblin increased dagger damages.

-> You cannot redo a section, once you've recalled from it. So you can't say do Mind, go to blacksmith, recall, and do Mind again and enter the centipede hole. So no backtracking in that sense. Not sure if bug or not.

-> SP earned via Black Soul Gem, isn't tallied up in the end of run SP earned screen.

-> I think the Vampire's Spirit Burn is bugged. It only restores current sanity. But for the cost of 10 spirit, I'd only consider using it in an absolute emergency as it currently stands. If it increased max sanity as well as current sanity, then it would still be situational, but at least useful.

-> I think the area beyond Snappy is bugged. I barely beat Snappy with the Bat. Got to the grate, chose to use brute force. I followed it, and ended up at Witch. Was I supposed to dissolve my form instead?

Palandus133 days ago

Feedback pt5:

-> I feel quite stuck at the moment. There is probably paths I've not fully explored, but I don't seem to be getting anywhere.

-> Not sure what Master Time actually does. I'm at 63/200, and it doesn't seem to do anything.

-> I barely managed to defeat Snappy as Bat. Beyond it, I think this area is bugged... or this is where Chapter 3 starts. Regardless, either breaking the grate or reverting to form, just results in me ending up at the Witch.

-> I did manage to figure out how to get the Goblin unlock, Ogre. Which really seems like the worst of the three new classes.

-> I have not been able to do much of anything in the Soul section. The adventurers kick my ass and the heretics obliterate my spirit.

-> So in terms of weapons, Sword is best if you don't take Goblin and don't care to become a Vampire. If you take Goblin, Carapace dagger is best, but its a PITA to get through the centepede hole to grab it. Otherwise, silver dagger is for the bat. But oddly enough all of them are physical damage attacks.

-> I still haven't found any keys, or beat any of the Arena fights, despite heavily investing in Werewolf, Vampire and Ogre upgrades.

-> There are a lot of areas where I feel like I'm missing something. Like I found a big boulder that I blew up with goblin bombs, but then need 2500 blood, and the highest blood I've ever gotten to with various boosts found in places was 2300.

-> I still haven't managed to do stuff in the Snappy itch.io image on the main page, and get my Acid Spit to 39 damage; its still at 9.

-> I'm going to probably take a break for a few days, while I clean up my notes on each path, and see if there is an "ideal" path to follow that might get me powerful enough to take on first arena fight.

Palandus133 days ago

Feedback pt6:

-> I have given up and won't be playing this further.

-> I have almost all the Vampire, Werewolf, and Ogre upgrades, and I'm not progressing at all. Master time is at 90/200 and doesn't appear to do anything.

-> I cannot defeat any Arena fights, from any of the doors.

-> I cannot defeat the adventuring party, to unlock 4th class.

-> I cannot open any of the Runic Doors.

-> I've thoroughly explored each area as both Good/Evil, with each class, and I'm not seeing anything special.

-> I have no idea how to progress further. I checked online, found a post on a subreddit mentioning a few things that I've not uncovered. Something about Unholy Blood, a grate to find a Goblin Tinker, and a way that you can actually use the Meteoric Hammer.

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I wish you the best of luck with the project, but I am now so disgusted with the game, that I may not ever play it again. I spent so much time trying to find a way to progress and got nothing to show for it.

If you want my list of suggestions, I'll provide them, otherwise, I'm out of here.

AccurateCat131 days ago

Hi, OP here. Thanks for taking 2 full days to play the game and ventured so far. Most players who got stuck eventually found their way through by referring to the same subreddit (they missed out one or two things). At your current progression, you should be already able to beat early arena stages to unlock new skills, then finally take on soul path to unlock 4th class.

Palandus131 days ago

Alright, well, I'll give it another whirl later today and try out an arena fight.

---

As for suggestions, I've put them together in a text file for easier reading.

https://www.mediafire.com/file/8kdj5xbfk6y4t14/Midnight+Idle+Suggestions.zip/fil...

AccurateCat130 days ago

Opponents in the arena is random, you can make a save before going in, and retry until you get the one you want to fight with.

Palandus130 days ago (1 edit)

Nope, stuck again.

Defeated skeleton group, got wolf auto consume. Defeated goblin group, got goblin bigger blast.

Couldn't beat spectral witch or lightning lizard.

Both of these upgrades although "nice" aren't sufficient to really help me clear content. Goblin bombs still suck and the wolf just isn't as good a combat unit as bat. Also you can't dismember arena challengers, so you get no real benefit as being a wolf.

Found skeleton group 6 times and goblin group 3 times. If there is other tier 1 groups of foes, I'm not finding them.

I feel better now that I killed at least the first tier of arena, but back to being hopelessly stuck, so yeah.

It is an interesting game, but not sure I'll play the current build further. Being hopelessly stuck in a video game sucks.

EDIT: I'm sure I'm doing something wrong. I just don't know what, and at this point, I don't really care.

Main issues I seem to have is:

-> Cannot defeat Black Knight, Heretics, or Adventurer Party.

-> Cannot find Goblin Tinkerer, and the subreddit doesn't mention anything on where to find them.

-> Don't ever have enough Sanity or Blood to defeat 2nd Tier Arena fights. Have no idea how to increase Sanity/Blood higher.

-> The first chapter I liked way more. It was clear on how to progress. Here, I have no idea how to progress and I'm frankly sick and tired of feeling like the solution is "right around the corner", but I can't find it. Maybe chapter 2 isn't for me, and I should just give up permanently.